For a long time, mental health has been considered a taboo, but now it is proven to be as important and notable as physical health. A “Macho environment” onboard creates a specific atmosphere where it is a shame to show any weakness or disability. By default, a seafarer is an iron man who can work hard and stay alerted 24/7, so we should pay special attention to this topic to secure healthy conditions for our crew.

WHO defines Mental Health as follows: “Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.”

Sounds simple, but this structure might be shaken by numerous circumstances. For seafarers the main factors affecting their mental health are:

- Workload due to rotation overdue or deficiency of crew members onboard.

- Lack of Control. Staying away from their families and having less influence on their lives, worries about their career and next employment; changing weather conditions..

- Self-Isolation that some of the crew put themselves in, concentrating more on social media and negative news rather than fitting themselves into the working circle. ‍

- Environment. Working in captivity with colleagues you did not choose in a harsh man’s atmosphere, facing bullying, having no place to hide. ‍

- Past life experiences like trauma or abuse that still keep influence.

To make this article practical, we suggest you screen yourself for the early warning signs of mental health disturbance and to equip yourself with working methods of maintaining the balance:‍

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Early Warning Signs:

-           Daily Habits (eating or sleeping too much or too little)

-           Lack of Control (feeling hopeless or helpless)

-           Mood Swings (dramatic changes observed in your mood switches)

-           Aches (having unexpected and unidentified pains)

-           Self-Isolation (reducing social activities in comparison to your normal range)

-           Smoking more than usual or gaining other bad habits

-           Overthinking (having persistent negative scenarios you can’t get out of your head)

-           Energy level (having low or no energy)‍

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Maintenance:

-           Stay optimistic. Be positive and drive away intrusive negative thoughts

-           Socialize. Connect with others and let yourself be a part of the community

-           Food & Water. Take proper and healthy food, stay hydrated

-           Professional advice. Get mental professional help if required.

-           Help others. Be empathic and support others.

-           Sleeping habit. Get enough sleep and maintain the routine.

-           Exercise. Choose sports activities you enjoy and stick to a comfortable schedule.

-           Value yourself. Treat yourself with kindness and respect and find time for your hobbies.

We are raising a Red Flag to the subject in the industry as the influence on Safety is tremendous. Human Factor remains decisive when we talk about HSE onboard. People are not machines, they need rest and care, proper sleep, and peace of mind.

Any company is going to face challenges to keep the high level of involvement and care of its seafarers. It requires extra financial investments, more physical efforts, planning as vessels are not always available in ports, additional time, brainstorming, ideas and surveys. Nevertheless, it is always worth it. In Marcap we are observing the results, and the crew retention rate confirms the same.

Stay Happy, Healthy & Safe

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