Triton 2025 - Magazine - Page 18
FIVE VIEWS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING
‘See the ship as a whole – including crew’
Seafarer wellbeing must be a joint effort – and the solutions are not always straightforward,
says Tim Ponath.
“A few years back, I would have said I don’t want seafarers more than nine months on board.
Now I say I do not want them on board for more than six months. But if you talk to the
seafarers, they say they need at least seven months on board – otherwise they do not earn
enough for all those they need to support back home. So you need to see both sides.”
The same applies with food and exercise, he says. When eating habits and food preferences
are such an ingrained part of cultures, how do you achieve a mind change? Even if you provide
healthy food on board, the seafarer makes their own choices when they are at home.
“It’s a joint effort. We can provide, let’s say, the framework but the work needs to be done by
those directly involved. You cannot control what people eat when they’re at home, or whether
they take exercise. But is there any way that you can encourage and support healthy eating and
taking exercise on board?” And, as he says, seafarers spend more time on board than they do at
home.
Ship managers and owners must see the ship as a whole and take care of it accordingly, says
Ponath. “It’s not just the spare parts, fuel or insurance. We need to operate the ship and we
need to manage the crew. And when it comes to wellbeing, it’s from A to Z. Do you pay them
well? Do you provide the right food? Do you have an open, speak-up culture? Are they afraid
to speak up or do they know that it’s appreciated? Do you have a mental health hotline and
how do you manage mental health issues? Do you provide Wi-Fi on board? Is it free? Do you
have facilities where they can rest and where they can interact? And what about the seafarers’
families? We provide insurance for the family, also applicable if they are on leave and not on
board.”
The industry is now recognising that taking care of seafarers – for example, helping to reduce
fatigue and building up resilience – supports safety policies, says Ponath.
As part of a programme to reduce the BMI of its crew, NSB has developed a nutrition plan with
its catering provider – and communication is an important part of this. “Do they appreciate
when we are providing more vegetables and less meat? Or do they see this as a cost-cutting
measure?”
Overall, Ponath delivers a positive message of a company working on all aspects of seafarer
wellness as well as the broader picture. While there is a great deal of emphasis on mental
health issues, he puts this in perspective, referring to a 2024 study showing that while 10% of
seafarers reported they were lonely and 6% were bullied, seafarer happiness was at 86%.
Tim Ponath is CEO of NSB Group and also a
member of The Swedish Club Board.
18 / Triton 2025
