March On Stress

Report recommends psychological health support for seafarers

Added on the 17th August 2016

A report focusing on the impact of piracy on seafarers and their families highlights the important elements of the psychological response to such incidents.

More than 3,000 seafarers have been held hostage by Somali pirates since 2001 according to the report from Oceans Beyond Piracy.

March on Stress Operations Director, Gavin Rogers, explains: “Seafarers operating in areas at risk of piracy face the effects of trauma if caught up in an incident as well as the trauma faced by the perceived threat of becoming involved in an incident.”

The report recommends preparing seafarers for potential exposure to trauma to help them cope during and after any piracy incident, peer support (social integration and support) and highlights the importance of also supporting resilience for other traumatic maritime events outside of piracy.

Gavin Rogers continued: “The recommendations are very much in line with the supportive process that Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) provides.

“TRiM benefits organisations working in high risk locations or environments, including within the maritime sector. Training TRiM Practitioners ensures a response can be put in place should an incident occur and helps the minority that need additional support to be directed to it. In addition, it helps boost psychological resilience and reduce the stigma attached to mental health and help seeking”

March on Stress works to support seafarers with Director Professor Neil Greenberg an advisor to Human Rights at Sea – a UK charity dedicated to the support of seafarers.

Human Rights at Sea will host the first ‘International Maritime Human Rights at Sea’ Conference in London next month. The event has an expert line up of speakers – including Professor Greenberg – and is sure to be an important day in focusing on the support for seafarers.

For more on the conference, which takes place on 14 September, please click here.

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