FacebookTwitterEmailLinkedin Mental health must no longer be treated as a “soft” welfare concern. It is directly connected to decision-making, operational safety, crew retention and business performance, experts stressed during a panel discussion at the 2026 Crew Welfare Week. Although awareness has improved, stigma continues to prevent many seafarers from seeking support early. Speakers called on shipping to move beyond posters and reactive crisis services towards preventive, evidence-based measures that address leadership, fatigue, workload and the wider onboard culture. RelatedNews Social interaction is a core component of wellbeing and longevity Crew Welfare Week 2026: Tackling fatigue is key to a healthier life at sea var jnews_module_21378595_0_6a609c03bbcf4 = {"header_icon":"","first_title":"Related","second_title":"News","url":"","header_type":"heading_8","header_background":"","header_secondary_background":"","header_text_color":"","header_line_color":"","header_accent_color":"","header_filter_category":"","header_filter_author":"","header_filter_tag":"","header_filter_cpt_post_tag":"","header_filter_cpt_tribe_events_cat":"","header_filter_cpt_web_story_category":"","header_filter_cpt_web_story_tag":"","header_filter_text":"All","sticky_post":false,"sticky_post_filter":false,"post_type":"post","content_type":"all","sponsor":false,"number_post":"2","post_offset":0,"unique_content":"unique1","include_post":"","included_only":false,"exclude_post":"21378595","include_category":"","exclude_category":"","include_author":"","include_tag":"3166,2468,262,2341","exclude_tag":"","exclude_visited_post":false,"post_tag":"","tribe_events_cat":"","web_story_category":"","web_story_tag":"","sort_by":"latest","show_date":"","date_format":"default","date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","pagination_mode":"disable","pagination_nextprev_showtext":"","pagination_number_post":"2","pagination_scroll_limit":0,"ads_type":"disable","ads_position":1,"ads_random":"","ads_image":"","ads_image_