Episode 16 - The Seafarer’s Happiness Index - What can it tell us?

Every Quarter, the Mission to Seafarers asks crew serving on vessels around the globe how they feel about their lives at sea. Covering their experiences onboard and the things that matter to them, from connectivity to wages. workload to welfare, training, shore leave to health, diet and interactions onboard. The Seafarers Happiness Index gives insight into the way those at sea feel, and the reasons why. It is a vital tool for the industry to know its people, to hear their opinions and what their impacts are on them and also the wider risks faced by shipping. You can find out more at happyatsea.org

In this episode, Shoreline speaks with Steve about his index and how it correlates with ship safety and optimal efficiency. We discuss what makes seafarers happy and look to the future of always on connectivity and what that might mean from a risk management perspective.

Lest we not forget the disastrous grounding of the MV Wakashio on the Mauritian coral reef in 2020, due to an error in navigation caused when going off track in search of better cell phone coverage, a case like this underlines the importance of managing the issue of shipboard connectivity. But what are the unintended consequences of this communications prerequisite for a happy shipboard life, and how can an owner and operator manage this new risk to shipboard safety.

Speaker: Steven Jones

Steven spent a decade working at sea as navigation officer, and has subsequently worked ashore across the maritime industry, within shipping companies, Government, insurers, publishers and professional bodies. He has also developed solutions for maritime issues, including the Seafarer Happiness Index with The Mission to Seafarers. Steven is Past President of Propeller Club Liverpool, an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He holds an MA in International Relations and MSc in Marketing, Communications and Public Relations.