Seafarers Happiness Index (SHI) Quarter 1 2022 results kickstarts the year, but seafarers are off to a rocky start. At an overall average score of 5.85/10, down from 6.41 in Q4 2021, it is the lowest level of satisfaction across 8 years of reporting. This is also the second time that happiness levels across all the questions have fallen.

The mix of factors from COVID to the Russian-Ukraine conflict to poor connectivity have left the mood and morale on board at an all-time low, leaving the shipping industry with a potential en-masse psychological and emotional fallout by those at sea.

Challenges such as language and culture are already proving difficult for many mixed nationality crews when it comes to building solidarity and social cohesion. With 15% of the global workforce made up of Russians and Ukrainians, heightened emotions coupled with disinformation seemed to have made working together difficult for seafarers from different nationalities on board some ships.

Even without the geopolitics of Russia and Ukraine, there has not been enough emphasis placed on interactions and bonding activities on board. Seafarers continue to retreat into their cabins leaving behind an absence of camaraderie. When asked how happy they were about interacting with other crew on board, the average score was 6.82/10, down from 7.42 in the previous quarter.

As such, many seafarers turn to contact with loved ones to alleviate their burdens. Despite the importance of this, some vessels remain unequipped to support good, strong, and cost-effective internet provision ’til today, leading some seafarers to voice frustrations with broken equipment, slow connectivity, weak signals, and/or expensive rates.

Stay tuned to this space as we unpack Q1 results, piece together the seafarer condition and what implications this has for all of us.

The Loss Prevention department at Standard Club is dedicated to improving seafarer welfare, and testament to that commitment, the club is a signatory on the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change as well as a proud sponsor of the Seafarers Happiness Index, a report by Mission to Seafarers.