Melanie White, Co-founder of Seas The Mind, talks about the meeting of minds across the marine industry in an initiative to support crew experiencing harassment and abuse at sea
We are so pleased to announce our participation in the launch of an industry ‘How to For Yacht Crew’ document on reporting harassment and abuse in the workplace. In light of some recent well publicised events in our industry we, along with other concerned stakeholders, became determined to do something to help our colleagues at sea to keep themselves and each other safe.
One of the discussions that came up time and time again was that many crew, ourselves included, did not actually know who, outside of our vessel’s internal hierarchies or DPAs we could and should report abuse to. This was especially relevant for crew working on unmanaged yachts and many of the smaller superyachts in our industry.
We had seen first-hand how behaviour by certain perpetrators had unfortunately been allowed to continue for years unchecked, despite attempts to bring them to justice. We learned how even when local police may be involved in incidents, the transient nature of yachts and their moving from international jurisdiction to jurisdiction could be problematic. If only we, and many like us had known about reporting incidents to our flag states! If only we had known about charities like Safer Waves, and helplines like ISWAN’s yacht crew help!
If only, if only… So, we got together with the Isle of Man Ship Registry, MHG insurers, Marianne Danissen, Safer Waves and ISWAN to help get some clarity and get it down in a nice simple shareable document! If this document can help even one seafarer find the help they might need for themselves or a colleague to find safety at work then it was time well spent. Please share the document far and wide and thanks to all of the contributors for coming together to make it happen.
Working together on this document felt like a tangible step towards clearer reporting of abuse and harassment experienced when working in yachting. Our aim is to have a hard copy of this in every crew mess, and also access to it available via our website and other online portals so that no crew member ever feels like they have nowhere to go.
MELANIE WHITE, CO-FOUNDER, SEAS THE MIND
Every company and individual participating in the yachting sector has a part to play in making sure it’s a safe place for yacht crew to work. MHG Insurance is 100% committed to playing its part in this effort and delighted to pool knowledge and resources on this project.
JOANNA DRYSDALE, UNDERWRITING SERVICES DIRECTOR, MHG INSURANCE
Supporting and protecting crew is a fundamental responsibility for everyone involved in yachting. The ‘How to Report’ document is a positive step towards creating a safer and more transparent working environment. Yacht crews are vital to the successful operation of any vessel: people matter, and we must continue to prioritise support for anyone who may need it.
MARIANNE DANISSEN
At the Isle of Man Ship Registry we believe that all yacht crew should experience psychological and physical safety and security onboard any yacht. When those rights are abused yacht crew must feel supported and able to report their experiences. Our collaboration on the “How To” for yacht crew: will provide an additional, and we believe, essential resource for the reporting of harassment and abuse.
CAMERON MITCHELL, DIRECTOR, ISLE OF MAN SHIP REGISTRY
Abuse and harassment have no place on board and crew wellbeing should be treated as seriously as any safety procedure. Safer Waves offers confidential support to crew while advocating for lasting culture change across the maritime industry. We hope this document can be used to encourage crew to report in confidence and know there are people out there that will support them.
TONI FROST, OPERATIONS MANAGER, SAFER WAVES
We regularly hear from crew contacting our helpline, YachtCrewHelp, who have experienced abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination or violence on board or witnessed it happening to others, but it can be diicult to know what to do after such an experience. This resource guides crew through the steps they might decide to take to make a report and get further support.
LAURA BEARD, WELFARE OF YACHT CREW PROJECT MANAGER
To access the PDF – ‘How to for Yacht Crew: Reporting Harassment and Abuse’ please visit www.seasthemind.co.uk/news/reportingharassmentandabuse
