The psychosocial risks of being ‘always online’ at sea: West P&I
Today is the United Nations ‘World Day for Safety and Health at Work’, an annual event that each year offers a moment to reflect on how workplaces are changing, writes Simon Hodgkinson (pictured), Global Head of Loss Prevention, West P&I.
This year's theme – "ensuring a healthy psychosocial working environment" – is particularly relevant to shipping, where the mental and social wellbeing of crew is increasingly shaped by how technology is used onboard.
The benefits of technology are clear. Improved communications allow crew to stay in closer touch with family and friends onshore, which can make a real difference during long periods at sea. Digital tools can also support the demands of working life onboard, helping mariners to manage their workload with clarity, carry out tasks efficiently, and with improved clarity, support and autonomy – all important contributors to a positive psychosocial environment on board. Communication and connectivity matter, and seafarers should have them. But stronger connections do not come without complications for those onboard, or for the people waiting at home.
The Mission to Seafarers’ Seafarer Happiness Index has described this tension as the “Connectivity Contradiction”, which captures the challenge well. Technology may represent progress, but many mariners say it also brings fresh emotional pressures. A particularly common difficulty is partial connection: seeing loved ones on a screen, sharing moments briefly, yet remaining physically absent and unable to take part in everyday life ashore.
That can be especially difficult when serious issues arise at home. A seafarer may hear immediately about financial trouble or illness, but still be unable to offer practical help while engaged in safety-critical work. In many shore-based jobs, a person can pause, make calls and deal with a difficult situation. At sea, that is often not an option. Safe operation of the vessel must come first.
Social media can deepen this dilemma. It may help some crew feel less isolated, but it can just as easily heighten homesickness, loneliness and the sense of missing out. Constant access through smartphones and smart watches also increases the possibility of distraction at the wrong moment, and can create wider concerns around confidentiality, security and safety culture.
The industry’s response should be thoughtful rather than resistant. Families and friends ashore can consider when and how sensitive news is shared, recognise that seafarers may not be able to respond at once, and be mindful of the effect of social media on someone far from home. Shipowners, managers and crews, meanwhile, should establish and follow clear policies on device use, encourage healthy digital habits such as silencing notifications during working hours or not carrying phones, and make use of trusted wellbeing support, including mental health guidance.
Used properly, digitalisation can also reinforce safety culture. Tailored safety messages, training videos and awareness posters displayed on dedicated screens in recreation spaces can be matched to the voyage and the work ahead. Mental health information may suit a long, isolated passage, while reminders about enclosed spaces or working at height may be more valuable before specific operations. The challenge is not whether shipping should embrace technology, but how to use it with care, discipline and purpose, to help seafarers, rather than hinder.