Crew welfare data map launched

Crew welfare data map launched
Sam Chambers May 8, 2026 https://splash247.com/crew-welfare-data-map-launched/

The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) has released the first integrated, industry-wide mapping of crew welfare, wellbeing and safety data in shipping, funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation. Published as a standalone resource for the sector, the library is a reference point for owners, operators, insurers, charterers, financiers and seafarer organisations seeking to understand and act on the human elements of maritime risk.

The mapping has revealed that although data exists and is used, application is fragmented, siloed, and could be rapidly improved to support decision-making and seafarer welfare. Although legal definitions of welfare and safety are well established, the mapping shows they are not being applied consistently and that there are no shared industry-wide indicators against which to assess progress. It also highlighted that there is no transparent way to account for good welfare practice, and that information is not being shared consistently across the sector.

Commenting on the research, Ellie Besley-Gould, CEO, Sustainable Shipping Initiative, said: “The information we need to manage human risk well exists, but it is fragmented, inconsistent and rarely connected to the decisions that matter.”

The SSI has identified five critical evidence gaps. Fatigue is routinely miscoded as human error in incident reports, systematically underrepresenting the actual driver of losses and meaning that risk is being priced on incomplete information, or not priced at all.

There is no common KPI baseline as definitions and indicators are not aligned across organisations, so welfare performance cannot be compared or benchmarked at the portfolio level.

Early-warning capability is weak, with reactive tools missing leading indicators, even though the raw data needed to build them already exists in separate systems across claims, inspections and crew surveys.

There is no mechanism for transparently accounting for the presence of good welfare across the industry meaning data is not joined up.

Good practice could be spread more widely as only a small number of insurers, P&I clubs, owners, managers and charterers integrate people-risk signals into operational and chartering decisions and without broader information-sharing, the benefit remains confined to early movers.

These gaps map directly onto everyday commercial decisions. Exposure shows up in incident rates and the claims, off-hire time and operational disruption that follow, in crew instability that erodes performance, and in poor onboard conditions that drive disputes, Port State Control detentions and reputational damage. Translated into financial terms, those consequences manifest as reduced cashflow, higher earnings volatility, increased default and restructuring risk, asset impairment and counterparty risk.

The findings derive from a full audit of welfare, wellbeing, and safety data and research that is currently in use. It was combined with input from industry stakeholders, including contributions from owners, operators, insurers, charterers, finance, legal, recruitment, NGOs and seafarers. The outcomes were peer-reviewed by industry participants before publication.

Menand Karsan, general manager, marine at Rio Tinto said, “Improving safety and crew welfare starts with a clear, shared understanding of the data the industry can rely on. This mapping represents a meaningful step towards greater transparency, consistency and alignment, helping support more informed dialogue, better decision-making and targeted action.”