A new report says that how seafarers are treated on board is a safety question, not only a welfare question. Tired crews, poor mental health and fear of speaking up are all linked to accidents and injuries at sea.
The report is called From Welfare to Risk. The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), a UK charity, published it on 22 October 2026. The ITF Seafarers' Trust paid for the work. The ITF is the International Transport Workers' Federation, the global union group for transport workers.
What the report found
SSI looked at 68 sources. These include accident investigations, insurance claims, research studies and surveys of seafarers. It found three main risks for safety: fatigue, mental health and psychological safety. Psychological safety means that people feel safe to speak up.
Fatigue. This is the risk with the most evidence. Accident reports, insurance data and health studies all show that tired crews cause or suffer more accidents and injuries.
False rest-hour records. The report says too few crew and too much work push people to write false rest hours. The records then look correct, but the crew is still tired. So the company and inspectors do not see the problem.
Mental health. Poor mental health is linked to more injuries and illness on board. Insurers see stress again and again in illness claims. The insurance data in the report also says suicide now causes more seafarer deaths than fatal accidents.
Fear of speaking up. Between a quarter and a third of seafarers do not feel safe to raise concerns or report mistakes. This means many near misses and mistakes are never reported. A near miss is an event that almost caused an accident.
The report says the evidence shows a clear link, but not a direct cause. It also found less proof that things like cabins, food, internet or sports rooms have a direct effect on safety. That does not mean they do not matter. It means they are harder to measure.
Other figures on rest hours and crew numbers
The news site Splash247 compared the report with earlier studies. In 2024, a study by the World Maritime University asked seafarers about their records. It found that 64.3% had changed their work and rest records. Splash247 also reported on another welfare review in September. In it, only 49% of seafarers said their last ship had enough crew. Enough crew means they could work safely without too much fatigue.
The P&I club Gard says stress, fatigue and too much work are important factors in injuries on board, Splash247 reports. A P&I club is a shipowners' insurer for crew, cargo and pollution claims. Illness makes up almost 60% of Gard's crew claims.
What SSI wants to change
The report is written mainly for insurers, banks and investors. Today they look at things like the ship's condition and crew certificates. SSI says they should also ask about fatigue, crew numbers, mental health support and whether crews can speak up. P&I clubs could add welfare questions when they handle crew claims and investigate serious accidents.
SSI says the evidence is strong enough to act on now. But it is not yet strong enough to use crew welfare alone to set insurance prices or the value of a company. For that, the industry must connect data it already has. This includes welfare surveys, insurance claims, accident reports and port State control findings. Port State control is the inspection of foreign ships in a country's ports.
The report says the findings give seafarers and unions a shared language with the business side. Fatigue, crew numbers, mental health and speaking up are old concerns of seafarers. Now SSI links them to money and risk.
What it means for crews
The report does not change any rules. But it shows that tired crews and false records are a real safety risk. These points can help you:
Know your rest-hour rules. The MLC (Maritime Labour Convention) sets limits on work or rest. Under the rest limit, you get at least 10 hours of rest in any 24 hours. You also get at least 77 hours of rest in any 7 days. Some countries use a work limit instead: no more than 14 hours of work in 24 hours, and 72 hours in 7 days. Rest can be split into no more than two periods. One of them must be at least 6 hours long.
Record your real hours. The MLC says ships must keep records of daily work or rest hours. You should get a copy of your own records, signed by the master or a person the master names, and by you.
Drills should disturb your rest as little as possible. If you are on call and get called out during your rest, the MLC says you should get enough extra rest.
Report near misses and concerns through your company's safety system. The report says this reporting is the base of good safety management.
If you need to talk to someone, SeafarerHelp is a free, confidential helpline for seafarers and their families. It is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call +44 20 7323 2737, or use live chat, WhatsApp or email. The team speaks English and 13 other languages.
You can read the full report on the SSI website.
Cover photo: A cargo ship at sunset off Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, December 2014. Illustrative photo, not a ship from the report. Photo: Ian Gratton/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped).
Sources: Sustainable Shipping Initiative: Report: From Welfare to Risk (22 Oct 2026), SSI: From Welfare to Risk, full report (PDF), Splash247: Fatigue, fear and the flaws in shipping's safety data (23 Oct 2026), Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, Standard A2.3: Hours of work and hours of rest (text via Lovdata), ISWAN: SeafarerHelp, free 24-hour helpline for seafarers.
