Seafarers do not only work on board – they also live there. Many seafarers are denied the basic necessities for decent living conditions and health and wellbeing, including regular and nutritious meals, drinking water, heating and cooling, light, electricity, or internet to communicate with their families at home.
These conditions compound other risks. Substandard food and disrupted rest cause fatigue. No connectivity deepens isolation and impacts seafarers’ mental health. And access to safe, clean sanitation is an established human right.
For more on isolation and lone working, mental health and psychosocial risk and access to sanitation facilities, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.