Crew Mental Wellbeing in the Spotlight
5 November 2020
Crew mental health and wellbeing have come to the forefront of many conversations within the yachting industry, with more and more yacht crew coming forward to share their struggles and multiple yachting organisations responding with services to support them.
Due to the increased pressure and uncertainty placed on crew this year due to the pandemic, mental health and wellbeing has never been so important.
One of the organisations leading the response to crew wellbeing and providing a 24-hour helpline for seafarers all over the world, is ISWAN.
ISWAN's Yacht Crew Help - Launching Soon
In addition to their general helpline for seafarers, ISWAN will be launching an additional 24/7 helpline via their 'Yacht Crew Help' website which will provide specialised wellbeing support for yacht crew worldwide.
The PYA is dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing support available to yacht crew, so we have been working closely with ISWAN as a supporting organisation behind the development of this service.
This website is due to go live in November 2020, so we will follow-up with the full details on how you can access this service.
Sailor's Society Launches Wellbeing Petition
The Sailor's Society is a charity offering welfare, chaplaincy, mental health support and crisis response to seafarers and their families around the world. They too run a 24/7 helpline for seafarers, plus a number of chaplains situated in ports worldwide.
In addition to this support, they run a number of campaigns to advocate on behalf of seafarers and raise awareness of the issues they face to promote their welfare within the maritime industry and to the general public.
Recently, the Sailor's Society launched a petition to make wellbeing training a mandatory part of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). By providing wellbeing training to seafarers, they hope that this will reduce the prevalence of depression and suicide amongst seafarers. The PYA is supporting this initiative and intends to be proactive as it develops.
Sign the petition.
More news
.png)
PYA response to ISS From the Bridge article
"There is no second shift" perfectly summarises the growing challenge in the yachting industry: balancing unlimited guest expectations with limited crew resources. As yachts get smaller, the ability to deliver exceptional experiences while adhering to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) becomes increasingly difficult. Even on larger yachts, extended guest occupancy and short turnaround times strain compliance with work and rest regulations.
.jpeg)
Fatigue in Captaincy and PYA initiatives
An Update From The Bridge - an article written by the Captain's Committee of the ISS.
The PYA’s mission is “to represent the interests of Professional Yacht Crew and to encourage and maintain the highest professional standards”.
For this reason, we have been talking with Captains and crew in the yachting industry to better understand some of the current issues we are facing:
.png)
Onboard Safety Group Announcement
The PYA is excited to announced the launch of the PYA Safety Group, a dedicated platform for fostering a culture of safety and well-being in yachting. This group brings together Captains, Engineers, DPAs, Managers, and industry professionals to share knowledge, identify emerging safety risks, and share best practices. Available on Telegram!