NGEC 10

WELLNESS
ONBOARD
2CL PALMA, KIAN IVAN B.
OTARU
Salford & Co.

WELLNESS - the quality or

WHAT IS state of being in good health

WELLNESS? especially as an actively

sought goal.

IT is the act of practicing

healthy habits on a daily basis
to attain better physical and
mental health outcomes, so
that instead of just surviving,
you're thriving. To
understand the significance
of wellness, it's important to
understand how it's linked to
health.
5 KEY ASPECTS OF SEAFARERS’
WELLBEING ONBOARD
Seafaring is a very challenging profession and life onboard has
its own unique characteristics. Seafarers are far away from
home, family and friends and they lack access to many
facilities. They are isolated and have to deal with difficult
circumstances at their job. All these can have an effect on their
wellbeing. Lately, the maritime industry has shed its focus on
finding ways to address and improve the wellness of seafarers.
Wellness of seafarers is a multi-dimensional holistic concept
that combines social, emotional, physical, intellectual and
spiritual wellness. All these different features have to be in
balance to ensure healthy, quality of life and wellness.

06/12
Socially, seafarers face many challenges on board. They are
away from friends and family for a long time and many of them
live isolated lives while onboard. The automation onboard ships
has led to smaller crews with diverse backgrounds. Thus,
communication may be difficult leading to loneliness and the
crew may be vulnerable. Humans are social animals and it is
important to have a sense of community.
Seafarers constantly talk about the importance of social events
onboard, such as movie nights, BBQs or even videogame
competitions. These events give them the opportunity to chat
with others and break free of the work and cabin cycle. It is
important to fit the crew together to build a positive
environment. This is a foundation of social wellness. Interpersonal
skills are crucial to help them communicate with others onboard
and deal with diversity competently. A greater understanding of
one other significantly improves life on board.

SOCIAL
WELLNESS
There are several factors that can impact seafarers’ mental health,
such as job stress, family pressures and limited shore leave. Being
away at mean you may miss important family moments, which can
have a negative impact on your emotional wellness. It is never easy to
be away from home for extended periods of time.

They should feel confident to handle the challenging situations at sea

and to be empowered to understand and manage their emotions while
onboard. They should communicate and be connected with other crew
members and their families in order to feel and understand that they
are not alone. Further, it is important for them to have people to
discuss and share their thoughts and feelings. Thus, social activities
will enable them to maintain their emotional wellness too.

EMOTIONAL
WELLNESS
Proper nutrition, along with exercise and adequate rest and sleep help
to prevent diseases and improve physical health. Exercise is a proven
wat to release the ‘happy hormones’ serotonin and endorphin which
make us feel happy, satisfied and enhance well-being. Exercising and
sports also encourage team-building through social interaction and as
a result enhance social wellness.
Attention should also be given to sleep and rest period in order to have
fresh and fully rested seafarers on board. Due to the fact that fatigue
seems to be affecting seafarers’ wellbeing, leading to maritime
incidents, it is important to acknowledge the severity of fatigue and
help seafarers rest and sleep properly.Thus, seafarers should keep a
healthy diet, exercise regularly and rest properly to empower their
physical wellness.

PHYSICAL
WELLNESS
Intellectual wellness relates to how one engages in creative and
stimulating activities and expands knowledge outside of the traditional
knowledge relevant to seafaring. It is important for seafarers to spend
time to empower their intellectual wellness while on board. They
should spend time being informed and updated with issues related to
them. This can include knowledge about seafarers’ rights and others.
Knowledge about such matters will help them know their rights and
negotiate in a better way with confidence.
Further, seafarers should aim to engage in creative and stimulating
activities such as reading, listening to music, watching movies or
playing games. These activities will also offer opportunities for social
activities and will help to maintain intellectual wellness.

INTELLECTUAL
WELLNESS
Spirituality is also vital since it can serve as a factor to
alleviate stress and as a result enhance wellness.
Seafarers should spend time to their spiritual needs. They
should create an awareness of their own beliefs but also
for other crew members beliefs and respect them. These
beliefs guide their responses and actions so they should
be aware of them.. It is vital for seafarers to share their
beliefs and thoughts with other crew members. These will
help them maintain their wellness onboard the vessel. The
spirituality of seafarers will help them acknowledge others’
point of view, respect them, and comprehend and react
appropriately to life experiences at sea.

SPIRITUAL
WELLNESS
 Social Wellness A SEAFARER ACTS AS AN ORGANIZED
WHOLE AND THUS A HOLISTIC
APPROACH SHOULD BE TAKEN TO
Emotional Wellness ADDRESS AND IMPROVE WELLNESS OF
THE SEAFARERS. SEAFARERS DESERVE
TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE AND SEA.
Physical Wellness THEREFORE, THE MARITIME INDUSTRY
SHOULD PRIORITISE CREW WELLNESS
AND INVEST ON ASSESSING AND
Intellectual Wellness TRAINING THE NON-TECHNICAL SKILLS
THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE
MAINTENANCE OF WELLNESS AND
OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE ON BOARD
Spiritual Wellness
THE VESSEL
.
REFERENCES:
https://www.safebridge.net/resources/5-key-
aspects-of-seafarers-wellbeing-onboard/

https://www.pfizer.com/health-
wellness/wellness/what-is-
wellness#:~:text=Wellness%20is%20the%20act%
20of,how%20it's%20linked%20to%20health.