A first-of-its-kind event sparks interest in the regional maritime and seafaring community
Tristar Group CEO Eugene Mayne urged regional ship-owners to address and tackle the mental health issues facing seafarers at the recently concluded inaugural Tristar ‘Safety at Sea’ Conference.
In his keynote address, Mayne highlighted the importance of managing the emotional and mental well-being of crew at sea, when he addressed over 150 attendees comprising leading officials and professionals from the regional and international maritime industry at the One&Only Royal Mirage Hotel in Dubai.
Front burner issues
Mayne stressed the need to bring mental health issues to the front burner and not brush it under the carpet. He shared the findings of the P&I (Protection and Indemnity) Club that the rate of suicide among seafarers has more than tripled since 2014. He further highlighted the report from the Sailors’ Society that 26% of seafarers show signs of depression. “Nearly half of them said they had not asked anybody for help,” he added.
“The irony is that despite such high rates of suicide among seafarers, the topic of mental health is still considered to be a taboo in our industry,” Mayne explained. “We need to change this mind-set as leaders in our industry and we need to collectively pay attention to this growing trend and come together to do something about it,” he continued.
The conference also covered critical topics such as preventing mooring rope failures and restricting cargo tank entry. In attendance were a number of global merchant marine professionals and experts.
Live streaming to overseas cadets and trainee mariners
The conference was also broadcast live to crewing centers around the world, to enable over 500 seafarers to engage with the event and provide their inputs and practical expertise on the topics being discussed.
Being on-board deep-sea bound vessels for long periods of time can play a role in exacerbating mental and physical strain. The Safety at Sea conference sought to openly address these issues and demonstrated the need to support the health and well-being of all workers at sea.
The conference covered various topics currently affecting the maritime industry, including crew mental health and physical well-being, preventing incidents and accidents, maritime security, IMO2020, and more.
Eclectic mix of attendees
Susie Hill, Global Health Promotion Manager at Shell, shared her expertise on mental health in the shipping industry. Also in attendance was Reverend Canon Andy Bowerman, Regional Director of ‘The Mission to Seafarers’ Organization. The panel was moderated by Certified NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Coach Alexis Dunstan.
Among other professionals who attended were prominent panellists that included Bharat Bhushan, Maritime Manager, Shell Ports and Terminal Assurance; CPO Anne McGarva, Royal Navy, UKMTO; Dr. Deepti Mankad, Regional Director, Sailor’s Society; Ajit Natu, Head of Tanker Operations, Fleet Management Ltd.; Farhad Nanavaty, ITM, Dubai; Naushad Azad, Managing Director, Red Sea Marine Services; Captain Gurvinder Singh, Tristar Group; Chris Peters, CEO, Tristar Shipping; Joy Basu, Director, Smart Ship; Johan Ljungbeck, Polarmarine; Capt. Tony Field, LRS and Rania Tadros, Ince & Co.
Tristar Group is an integrated logistics services provider to the downstream oil and gas industry. It owns and operates chemical, oil and gas tankers and bulk carriers trading globally, mostly with oil majors.
