Seafarer wellbeing should be next strategic priority for sustainable shipping reveals Seafarers Hospital Society report

The Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS) announced the launch of its critical new report, ‘The human heart of sustainable shipping: ‘Why seafarer wellbeing is the next strategic priority en route to net zero’.  The report makes a powerful case that supporting seafarer health and wellbeing is no longer merely a welfare concern, but a business-critical strategy essential for the maritime industry to achieve its ambitious decarbonisation and digitalisation goals.

The report, which draws on data from SHS’s own projects, the ICS Barometer 2024-2025, the IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey 2024, and other key research, positions seafarer wellbeing as a core factor influencing safety, retention, and the success of the transition to net zero. It argues that the industry cannot achieve a "just transition" without a supported workforce.

The SHS analysis identifies three interconnected pressure points taking a cumulative toll on the global seafarer workforce:

- Mental health and wellbeing: Long voyages, isolation, high job demands, and anxiety stemming from geopolitical tensions, the pace of decarbonisation, and criminalisation are widespread. Fatigue remains the top threat to safety at sea.

- Financial burden: Many seafarers face financial stress due to unpredictable income, hidden costs, inadequate shore-based support, and often bearing the financial burden of upskilling for new technologies alone.

- Recruitment and retention: The industry faces a persistent officer-level skills shortage and a severe lack of diversity (only 1% of the global seafarer workforce is female). Modernising working conditions is vital to attract new talent and retain experienced professionals.

While highlighting the essential, scalable support provided by the SHS, including over £412,000 in welfare grants and the funding of Togetherall, a 24/7 mental health platform that saw seafarer outreach triple in 2024, the report calls for a shift from reactive to systemic action.

"Meaningful support can be simple and effective. However, to build long-term resilience for the industry, we need systemic investment and coordinated action," said Sandra Welch, CEO of the Seafarers Hospital Society.

Shipowners and managers should treat financial transparency, fair compensation, and proactive communication about training as strategic levers for stability. Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General InterManager and Chairman of SHS, highlighted that to encourage people to join and also to retain them in the maritime industry, “we need to gain their trust”. 

In a keynote speech, Guy Platten, former Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, highlighted how increasing geopolitical tensions, piracy, abandonment and seafarer criminalisation are increasingly causing anxiety, insecurity and the feeling of powerlessness amongst seafarers. 

A panel discussion at an in-person event to launch the report brought together views from panellists who represented all areas of the industry,  featuring Jacob Damgaard (Divisional Director – Head of Loss Prevention, Britannia P&I Club), Shajan Lukose (Head of Nautical Examiners, Seafarers Technical Delivery, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, UK), Scarlett Barnett-Smith (Deck Officer and CEO of The Scarlett Box), Kuba Szymanski (Secretary General InterManager and Chairman SHS), and Sandra Welch (CEO of SHS). The panel was moderated by Declan Bush from Lloyd's List. 

The discussion touched on a wide range of topics, including making an environment that is conducive for seafarers, especially for women, the importance of highlighting the positive aspects of being a seafarer, having KPIs so that ship owners and managers can benchmark their support systems regarding crew welfare and also addressing inequalities that stem from hierarchy and rank.

By strategically addressing human pressures through enhanced mental health support, fair financial practices, and modernised working conditions, the maritime sector can unlock the human capital required to navigate the challenges of net zero and digitalisation successfully. Investing in seafarer wellbeing is not just an ethical imperative, but the foundational step towards achieving true, long-term operational resilience and a genuinely sustainable future for global shipping.