Seafarer mental wellness improves, physical health issues remain

At Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global the findings of the Re:Fresh 2024 global health study by Marine Benefits were presented to audience in the form of an interview by Seatrade Maritime News with Maria Stockinger, Digital Marketing Coordinator for Marine Benefits.

The interview discussed some of the key findings of the survey of over 36,000 seafarers from 52 companies and focused in on three areas.

The 2024 report aims to provide an indication of what is really happening in the industry and included topics such as mental and physical wellbeing, bullying and harassment, experience of women seafarers, and questions about employee retention and satisfaction.

When it came to mental well being and physical health the 2024 report showed something of a dichotomy. Stockinger noted that there was a positive shift when it came to seafarers mental health. “Seafarers are a little bit happier, a little bit less stressed, and a little bit less lonely,” she explained. Improved mental wellness is seen as likely stemming from lessons learned in the pandemic.

However, when it came to physical health the picture was less positive with close to 70% of seafarers reported to overweight or obese. Diet, exercise and sleep were seen as major factors. Stockinger said 40% of seafarers were not exercising enough, 28% reported not getting enough sleep, and in terms of diet they were not getting enough fruit and vegetables.

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“We really need to make sure that seafarers are given the opportunity to make healthier choices. Give them facilities where they can exercise, give them the time to give them time to sleep, give them healthy [food] options on board,” she said.

Bullying and harassment is an issue that has come to the fore in recent years, although as was noted by other speakers, it was not new, however, was now much more recognised than in the past.

Stockinger said that 16% of the 36,400 seafarers surveyed this year reported experiencing some form of bullying or harassment over the last two years. Related to this there was a lack of psychological safety on board vessels and 25% – 30% of seafarers did not feel they could speak up if they had made a mistake. “They felt like their opinions didn't matter and they felt like they couldn't truly be themselves, at least not to the extent that they wish to.”

Stockinger said companies need to put in place polices where seafarers are comfortable bullying or harassment, be it to themselves or they witness to others, as otherwise the problem will only get worse.

Related:Maritime DEI survey shows shift from policy to accountability

When it came to recruitment and retention it was clear that industry needs to improve in terms of retaining its staff. Stockinger shared that out of 36,000 seafarers surveyed 30% said they were either planning or making plans to leave the profession. On top of that further 7% had already quit. “So that's almost 40% of seafarers that we can't afford to lose that are considering leaving the profession,” she said.

When seafarers were asked what could be done to make improvements the top three factors were salary, contract duration, and bonus and allowance schemes. Stockinger said the industry also needs to look at the next set of factors which are promotions, career development paths, health insurance, and crew health and wellbeing.

“We see that the younger generation, they care a lot more about human sustainability and they want to work for companies that actually care,” she said. It is this younger generation that is the future of the industry.

In terms of taking forward the findings of the report to make improvements on board Marine Benefits recommends choosing two or three areas, to a maximum of four, to focus on so as not overwhelm the company or its seafarers.

Download the Re:Fresh 2024 study