Α decline in overall happiness levels of seafarers during the first three months of the year is reported by The Mission to Seafarers. The survey, which captures seafarers’ sentiments worldwide across a wide range of welfare issues, shows a fall from 7.69 to 7.1 out of 10, compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. Shore leave and a desire to access welfare services ashore seem as key areas for concern for seafarers, longer contracts, inadequate food provisions, bureaucratic and unnecessary paperwork demands, ineffective shipboard leadership, and a sense of social isolation adding to the stress of life onboard.
Moreover, the Seafarers Happiness Index (SHI) report also identified several other challenges facing seafarers, including a growing wellness gap between companies that provide health and well-being programs and those that do not, access to dental care in some ports but not others, and limited access to mental health support, medical advisory services, and physical well-being consultations. There is still much room for improvement.
