Maritime
Sailors’ Society responds to image of
seafarer’s suicide that has shocked the
internet
S
andra Welch, deputy CEO of Sailors’ Society, a charity
which supports seafarers, said, “This tragic image is a
wake-up call to the maritime industry.
“The publishing of such an image, which has
understandably provoked criticism, highlights just
one case of many that go unreported around the
world every year.”
Sailors’ Society, which runs a Wellness at Sea
programme and a global Crisis Response Network, conducted a
survey into seafarers’ mental health with Yale University. The results
highlighted that more than a quarter (26) per cent of seafarers show
signs of depression.
Seafarers said that isolation from their families and length of their
contracts can have a big impact on their mental health.
Sandra added, “The facts are stark, more than a quarter of seafarers
suffer from depression and many won’t ask for help.
“It is up to ship owners and the maritime industry to put seafarers
first.
“Seafarers carry more than 90 per cent of global trade; we owe it
to them to look after their mental health as they carry out this vital
and incredibly difficult job.”
A previous study from the International Maritime Health journal
showed that 5.9 per cent of deaths at sea are attributable to suicide
– and this increases dramatically if suspicious cases of probable
suicides – seafarers who went missing at sea – are taken into
account.
Less than one per cent of deaths in the United Kingdom in 2017
were recorded as suicide.
Sandra said, “One suicide is one too many. The fact that six times
as many deaths at sea are attributable to suicide highlights how
urgent an issue mental health at sea is.”
www.sailors-society.org
Sandra Welch,
deputy CEO of
Sailors’ Society
Credit: sailors-society.org
Sailors’ Society, which runs a Wellness at Sea programme and a global Crisis Response
Network, conducted a survey into seafarers’ mental health with Yale University. The
results highlighted that more than a quarter (26) per cent of seafarers show signs of
depression.
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