Partnership to put seafarer wellbeing at heart of maritime safety
(Posted on 24/06/26)
NorthStandard will partner maritime welfare charity Sailors’ Society to support seafarers’ emotional wellbeing in delivering Sea Mate - an industry leading online mental health awareness training programme.
Launched during the week of Day of the Seafarer 2026 (25 June), the partnership reinforces shared commitments to recognise and support the vital contribution seafarers make to global trade, delivering Sea Mate as part of NorthStandard’s My Mind Matters initiative.
Sea Mate offers seafarers a range of onboard emotional support, training seafarers to become Wellbeing Officers who can recognise distress, provide peer support and respond to challenges arising at sea.
Life at sea presents unique challenges, including isolation, fatigue, and prolonged periods away from home. Its pressures can intensify due to unpredictable events, such as geopolitical conflicts, piracy incidents, or disruptions like the COVID 19 pandemic. Recent events in the Persian Gulf underline how crews going about their daily duties can suddenly become exposed to high stress situations that last for weeks or months.
Sea Mate offers a two day remote training programme, available in multiple languages, which shares the real world skills seafarers need to face onboard realities. It helps crews recognise early warning signs of emotional distress and to support one another when challenges arise. Sea Mate also extends beyond the course itself to offer access available to ongoing professional guidance, peer networks, and Sailors’ Society’s 24/7 crisis response services.
For NorthStandard, the partnership reinforces its commitment to seafarer wellbeing, in line with findings from the Safety4Sea SEAFiT Survey and cases seen by the club which highlight gaps in crew awareness, coping strategies, and confidence to act.
By focusing on early intervention, open communication, and resilience, Sea Mate helps create psychologically safer working environments on board. Stronger crew wellbeing is strongly linked with improved retention, a reduced risk of incidents, and more stable ship operations, supporting safe and sustainable shipping.
Colin Gilespie, Global Head of Loss Prevention, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with Sailors’ Society to deliver Sea Mate and further strengthen the support available to seafarers. Providing practical, accessible training that helps crews recognise and respond to wellbeing challenges is vital in today’s operating environment. We are committed to helping our Members support their crew, recognising that strong wellbeing is fundamental to safe and efficient operations. Through this programme, we are giving Members further tools to build more resilient crews and safer vessels.”
Through the partnership, NorthStandard Members are eligible to one free remote Sea Mate course each year for up to 16 seafarers, as well as discounted rates for additional courses. This enables Members to scale wellbeing support across fleets and embed a proactive safety culture without adding operational burden.
Sailors' Society CEO Sara Baade said: "This generous partnership with NorthStandard could see thousands of new Wellbeing Officers on board ships across the world, trained to give frontline help and support to fellow crewmates. Our Sea Mate training has been hugely popular with shipping companies who know that seafarers' wellbeing directly affects the safety of their colleagues, the cargo and the ship. We are looking forward to NorthStandard members benefitting from this programme and applaud NorthStandard for its commitment to crew wellbeing."
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