Crew Welfare Week: Resilience is a vital skill for seafarers that can be learned

Resilience as a key priority

“Resilience is critical for us at Fleet Management,” said Yannis Maroulis. “We view it not just as mental strength, but as a skill to be nurtured—through education, support, and connection with both shipmates and families.” He highlighted several programs, including 24/7 Psychological First Aid, wellness-at-sea workshops, clinical psychologist consultations, and resilience training, all of which are now considered part of the seafarer’s core competencies.

Capt. Leonid Zalenski noted that for Columbia, resilience became a key focus during their collaboration with Shell’s Maritime Partner in Safety initiative. “Back then, the term ‘resilience’ was largely unfamiliar in the maritime world, and it doesn’t even have a direct translation in many languages,” he explained. “So, we started by defining what resilience really means. It’s a skill—and one that can be developed.”

Building on this, Maneesh Pradhan emphasized that resilience is deeply personal and cannot be treated as a simple checklist item. “It must be a shared responsibility between seafarers and the shore-based teams that support them,” he said. “A resilient seafarer must be mentally agile, emotionally strong, socially cohesive, and physically and psychologically ready for the demands of the job.”

Pradhan outlined how Synergy Maritime Group supports crew resilience through a multilingual team of trained psychiatrists and psychologists. “They assess team dynamics and readiness onboard. Based on their findings, they engage with leadership and provide interventions when needed. Integrating human factors is central to building resilient crews.”

He concluded, “Long-term, we must focus on mentally mission-ready seafarers, not just technically competent ones. With rising challenges from climate change, digitalization, and geopolitical shifts, resilience will be critical to running ships safely and effectively.”

For Basil Sakellis of Alassia, connection lies at the heart of resilience. “Connection is essential to all human resilience—not just that of seafarers,” he said. “Our people are not contractors or just workers—they’re colleagues. When faced with a difficult situation onboard, I ask: if someone in our head office faced the same situation, what would we do? The answer should be the same for our crew—repatriate them, reunite them with family, support them. That’s our approach.”

The evolving landscape of crew welfare

The panel also discussed broader trends shaping crew welfare in today’s maritime industry.

Capt. Zalenski observed a significant shift: “The fact that we’re even discussing resilience today shows how far we’ve come. Mental health, psychological safety, nutrition, and onboard living conditions are now firmly on the industry’s agenda.”

He added, “From improved recreational facilities to professional catering and fatigue management, these areas are finally receiving structured attention – something previously missing.”

Yannis Maroulis agreed. “Crew welfare has moved from reactive crisis management to proactive, preventive care. Today, it includes mental wellness, technology-enabled outreach, and personalized communications such as podcasts. We’ve also introduced gender-specific PPE and embraced diversity. Looking ahead, digital wellness platforms, resilience training, and cross-functional welfare teams will become standard.”

Panelists unanimously agreed: crew welfare is no longer optional—it’s a strategic imperative. As seafarers demand more transparency, dignity, and support, and as technology enables more personalized care, the future of crew welfare will be data-driven, human-centric, and embedded in company culture.

Leadership sets the tone

“Crew welfare shouldn’t be just a policy—it must be a culture,” said Maneesh Pradhan, adding that leadership plays a vital role in shaping that culture. “The onboard leadership, especially the master and chief engineer, are the frontline guardians of that culture. We often have multiple generations working together on ships. Bridging those generational differences is essential to creating a cohesive environment.”

Basil Sakellis echoed this, stressing the importance of leadership development. “It’s just as critical at sea as on land. That’s why we invest in leadership training not just for masters and chief engineers, but also for younger officers and crew.”

A shifting mindset—but challenges remain

While significant progress has been made, panelists noted that systemic challenges persist.

“We’ve seen great strides in areas like mental health, connectivity, and leadership,” said Sakellis, “but the industry still often reacts to problems instead of preventing them. We must start training and supporting people before issues arise, not after.”

Capt. Zalenski acknowledged industry-wide progress, citing changes such as ILO platforms and MLC amendments that mandate guaranteed shore leave and recognize seafarers as key workers. However, he cautioned that much depends on individual companies.

“There’s still a lack of consistency across the sector,” he said. “It often comes down to the social responsibility of ship owners and operators. While regulation plays a role, what we really need is a deeper recognition of the challenges faced by seafarers and a stronger commitment to their well-being. COVID made clear just how critical these professionals are to global trade – and how much they carry on their shoulders. We owe it to them to do better.”

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