SEAFARERS’ mental health, long debated yet persistently challenging to address, needs heightened awareness, targeted training and manageable workloads, experts said during Hong Kong Maritime Week.

The maritime industry is undergoing profound changes, marked by the continuous development of regulations, technological advancements and innovations such as fuel transitions. These developments demand increased training and workloads for seafarers, placing them under significant pressure, Girish Munjal, creative director of Maritime Knowledge, said at the event.

Nowadays, seafarers “wear too many hats” he said, referring to their multitude of job responsibilities, “leaving very little time for the rest and recovery necessary for mental wellness”.

Compounding this pressure is a clash of operational demands, with seafarers often having little input in schedule decisions.

“The schedules of the vessels are normally set by charters and owners based on the available port windows which, at times, does not consider what would be the best hours to meet up with these schedules,” Munjal said.

Even when vessels are at ports, multiple stakeholders vie for the time and attention of the seafarers, he added.

A study released by the International Maritime Organization in September on the effective implementation of the International Safety Management Code also highlighted the issue of manning.

The study revealed that all surveyed groups indicated that, in numerous instances, the minimum safe manning determinations issued by flag state administrations were “inadequate and vastly underestimated the number and type of crew needed for continued safe operations”. Moreover, the determinations often failed to consider the risks of fatigue.

Therefore, Munjal advocates “effective manning” which is ship-specific.

Manning has to comply with the status of the vessel, including age cargo, and operational demands, he said.

Another solution he proposed is “an integrated system” that incorporates seafarers’ rest hours when scheduling port rotations. He suggested that ship managers assume the responsibility of coordinating the various port stakeholders to ensure that the well-being — both physical and mental — of the seafarers is taken into consideration.

Experts at the event also emphasised the need for greater sensitivity and professional support for mental health issues, especially for suicide prevention.

Yves Vandenborn, head of NorthStandard’s loss prevention for Asia-Pacific, referenced a survey of crew illness claims spanning from 2010 to 2021, revealing that mental illness accounted for only 3% of major claim causes. “That’s definitely too low,” he said, noting the potential for misclassification of mental health issues.

Meanwhile, seafarers experience higher suicide rates than onshore professionals.

Numerous factors make it difficult to detect mental illness at the early stage, whether it is misclassified under other issues or seafarers are hesitant to seek help and disclose their illness to employers, he said. Therefore, he suggested having mental health-trained seafarers on board who can recognise potential issues and provide first aid, before escalating concerns to mental health professionals.

The panellists all agreed there should be more training and communication, not only for seafarers but also for their companies and families. This could make people more sensitive to each other’s changing behaviours, which may indicate a need for help, and break the stigma surrounding mental wellness.

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