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"Seafaring has always been a psychologically challenging job – but Covid-19 has really exacerbated the dangers to seafarers’ mental health," says Claire, who serves on the Maritime Advisory Board of CHIRP (Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme).

The nature of the shipping industry means that it’s largely ‘out of sight, out of mind’, with most people unaware of how much their daily life depends on seafarers keeping global supply chains open. This is the primary reason why many governments have failed to recognise seafarers as key workers, which means they’re denied special dispensations, such as the right to travel unhindered, which would mitigate their hardship during the pandemic. “When the pandemic struck, countries quickly closed borders,” explains Claire. “That meant many seafarers were stuck at sea, unable to get home. Seafarers have been stranded on board for weeks, months and in some cases even years.”

The psychological strain that Covid-19 has placed on crews has added to the issues identified by CHIRP as those that make this one of the world’s most dangerous industries. Supported by funding from Lloyd’s Register Foundation, CHIRP addresses the challenges to seafarers’ safety and wellbeing by tackling the human issues reported to it, such as tiredness, stress, lack of training and the sheer loneliness of life at sea.

“Even before Covid-19, seafarers were too often regarded as a commodity,” adds Claire. “This is a massively undervalued workforce – I’d go so far as to say that the challenge is not just to give them status as key workers, but to recognise their status as human beings. Bringing this to the media’s attention and the world’s attention is hugely important, so that seafarers can be kept safe and be recognised for the vital role that they play.”