Sailors’ Society is expecting more than 6,000 students to benefit from its 2023 Wellness at Sea Maritime Schools’ Conferences, designed especially for the current intake of cadets.

This year, the leading maritime welfare charity has virtual events covering North Asia, South East Asia, Africa and, for the first time, the UK’s maritime colleges.

The conferences explore the all-important subject of wellness and mental health with a focus on key and current issues facing today’s seafarers and include interactive sessions and practical advice as well as presentations from key industry leaders and influencers.

Sailors’ Society CEO, Sara Baade, said: “The 2023 conferences build on the success of last year’s events, but this year there is even more to see and do with a new virtual conference centre.

“In a first, Sailors’ Society has partnered with FrontM to deliver a full virtual experience to our cadets. From a lobby and auditorium to a selection of industry booths – a virtual space mimicking a physical booth at a trade show or exhibition, cadets can enjoy the full conference experience on their laptops and phones and even browse in advance.

“We know that cadets are tomorrow’s workforce and future industry leaders, so these unique events are a must for any maritime student, giving them the tools and knowledge to help manage their wellbeing as they prepare for a career at sea.”

Kiran Venkatesh, CEO and co-founder of FrontM said: “We are passionate about connecting seafarers and the maritime ecosystem with modern collaboration technologies and driving human sustainability in the maritime industry.

“We cannot think of a more fitting way to empower the upcoming digital seafaring generation than to collaborate with Sailors’ Society for bringing their highly impactful Wellness at Sea conferences via onship, the Maritime Superapp platform.

“We also look forward to industry leaders joining us to support these events,”

In 2022, more than 5,000 cadets attended virtual conferences in India, the Philippines and Africa, with more than 95% saying they should form a key element in their syllabus.

Registration for the North Asia Conference – sponsored by Seaspan and North Standard – opened today (June 22). The virtual event on August 7 includes sessions on dealing with diversity, career opportunities and mental health at sea.