ISWAN: Yacht crew faces significant mental health struggle

In 2023, the proportion of contacts relating to ABHDV on YachtCrewHelp was more than double the level received by SeafarerHelp, accounting for 7.3% of all issues raised compared to 3.1% on SeafarerHelp. Women were more than five times more likely to report an experience of ABHDV to YachtCrewHelp than men (14.2% of issues raised by women compared to 2.7% among men).

Bullying and harassment is certainly increasing, as revealed in our own survey, which reported a 10% increase since 2022. Compared to ISWAN data, we found it far more prevalent than in just 7.3% of cases – stated by almost a quarter of crew as contributing to their poor mental health onboard. 

… said Tim Clarke, Director at Quay Crew, adding that it’s great to see that crew are feeling more confident to pick up the phone and use helpline services such as those provided by ISWAN. It demonstrates an increased awareness and reduced stigma around talking openly about issues and seeking help.

Another key trend reported in the annual review is a 13.5% year-on-year increase in contacts relating to mental health, with the proportion of issues relating to mental health almost four times higher on YachtCrewHelp compared to SeafarerHelp (15.3% of all issues raised compared to 4.0%). ISWAN’s data consistently finds that experiencing ABHDV is a leading factor in mental health difficulties among seafarers across its helplines.

ISWAN suggests that a number of factors may contribute to the differences in issues reported by these industries, including a relative lack of HR structures, support services and union coverage available to yacht crew compared to merchant shipping.

The YachtCrewHelp 2023 Annual Review also reports a 116.7% year-on-year increase in contacts from those seeking work in yachting – the most common reason for crew to contact YachtCrewHelp in 2023 – indicating the challenges that green crew in particular experience in finding secure employment. In 2023, ISWAN worked in partnership with other yachting industry stakeholders to develop guidance on safe job-seeking for crew looking for both paid and voluntary roles.

ISWAN’s Projects and Relationships Manager Georgia Allen said: ‘Through YachtCrewHelp, we have the opportunity to hear directly from crew about the challenges they are facing on a daily basis. As well as providing support to crew members on an individual level, we are able to share data and insights on the wider issues which need to be tackled by the yachting industry as a whole.

Gender-specific challenges facing women yacht crew

Research consistently shows that ABHDV is a systemic issue that affects seafarers of all gender identities and across all maritime industries. However, across all of ISWAN’s helplines, the issue of ABHDV at sea is highly gendered, with women proportionately more likely to seek support from ISWAN having experienced a form of abuse. Although it is possible that experiences of ABHDV amongst men seafarers are underreported, there is also a substantial evidence base indicating that women seafarers are disproportionately impacted by experiences of abuse.

The much higher representation of women in yachting than is the case for merchant shipping is, therefore, likely to be a further factor in the higher incidence of experiences of ABHDV among yacht crew. In the case of YachtCrewHelp, in 2023, women were more than five times as likely to report an experience of abuse, with ABHDV accounting for 14.2% of issues raised by women, as opposed to 2.7% of issues raised by men. Women were also more likely than men to report experiencing mental health challenges, although the differential is much smaller.

Sarah Bayard, the Lead Crew Operations USA at Y.CO and a key sponsor of ISWAN’s Welfare of Yacht Crew project, emphasized that a happy and healthy crew is essential for safety and effectiveness, and Y.CO strives to promote a positive onboard culture throughout their fleet. 

However, the heart of our service lies with the one-to-one support our helpline officers can offer to yacht crew and their families – for example, a crew member seeking emotional support and guidance after being sexually assaulted by a senior officer, a captain whose mental health was severely impacted by bullying from the yacht owners

… explained Tim Clarke

Meanwhile, Will Faimatea, the Founder and Director of Bond Technology Management and another key sponsor of ISWAN’s Welfare of Yacht Crew project, mentioned that analytics provided by ISWAN demonstrate that the service is both needed and utilized by crew members. He urged all company owners within the yacht industry to financially support YachtCrewHelp to enable the service to continue assisting the crew.