Ship owners must prioritise crew wellness to prevent disasters like El Faro was the main message from Sailors’ Society CEO Stuart Rivers, announcing the charity’s second Wellness at Sea Conference (WASC).
The conference, which aims to address crew wellness and how this impacts on the health of the ship – and ultimately the health of the ship owner’s balance sheet – will be held in London on 16 March 2018.
The conference, sponsored by global mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat, will explore all aspects of seafarer wellness and is aimed at ship owners and those concerned with the recruitment and retention of crews.
“Countless investigations into disasters at sea, including the recent El Faro tragedy, have proven that anxiety and fatigue can take a terrible toll on the decision-making abilities of crew,” said Mr. Rivers.
In particular, WASC 2018 will feature presentations from industry and academic experts on all aspects of crew wellness and focus on how ship operations impact on crew morale and retention, including digital communications, ship safety and cyber awareness.
Speakers include Euronav CEO Paddy Rodgers, UK P&I Club’s Stuart Edmonston, Inmarsat’s Drew Brandy and Dr Rafael Lefkowitz of Yale University.
Drew Brandy, Senior Vice President Market Strategy for Inmarsat Maritime, said: “Connectivity with friends, family and the wider world has become a welfare issue for seafarers, and Inmarsat is convinced that the digital choices employers make have a direct influence on crew morale, and consequences for recruitment and retention.”
The findings of a pilot study on the correlation between internet access on board and crew cohesion, as well as the results of Sailors’ Society’s seafarer wellness survey conducted by Yale University, will also be presented at the event.