With its recent ‘Snapshot’ report into bullying and harassment revealing that one in five seafarers experience some kind of psychological harassment on board their vessel, global maritime charity Sailors’ Society has launched an appeal.

Citing the State of the Industry Report (sailors-society.org/maritime-industry/bullying-and-harassment-at-sea-report-2025), Sailors’ Society CEO, Sara Baade, said: “Data in this report reveals that less than half the victims of rape or sexual assault on board a ship report it to their superiors and more than one third of trainees say they have already experienced bullying at sea.

“Seafaring is an exciting, rewarding career, allowing men and women to travel the world and provide for their futures and their families. But for some, bullying and harassment are a daily challenge, and miles out to sea it can feel like there is no escape.

“This kind of abuse is so serious the IMO chose to highlight it for this year’s Day of the Seafarer. It wouldn’t be allowed to happen in any other workplace, so why is it still happening at sea?”

Sailors’ Society looks to give both the new and older generations of maritime the skills they need to navigate life at sea through their Wellness at Sea conferences and their extensive range of seafarer training programmes. The charity’s new Sea Mate programme is now training crew to become Welling Officers, so seafarers always have someone to talk to in person on their ship.

“Through our global 24/7 support services, like our helpline, peer-to-peer groups, Crisis Response Network and trauma grants, we are making sure seafarers have a safe and confidential place to turn to and receive the care and counselling they need to recover from these incidents,” Sara added.

Just £20 could help pay the charity’s helpline costs for a morning, £50 could go towards counselling a seafarer in crisis and £100 could provide financial support for urgent care or help with repatriation.

“As a maritime charity, we rely on funding from generous supporters to make sure today’s seafarers, and future generations of seafarers, are safe and supported.”
Source: Sailors’ Society