The Importance of Physical & Mental Wellbeing in the Marine Sector
In the marine sector, maintaining the physical and mental wellbeing of all parties involved is of paramount importance. This of course includes passengers and any onsite guests, but it is important not to forget about the seafarers and crew aboard a vessel who work tirelessly to maintain and manage the physical infrastructure of the ship. Without them, the maritime industry would grind to a halt.
On a day-to-day basis, seafarers face a unique working environment that can pose a variety of challenges, causing tension within the crew and placing each individual under a lot of stress. This was particularly pertinent during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic where travel restrictions and outbreaks of the virus resulted in thousands of seafarers becoming stranded at sea for months at a time.
In these unprecedented times we live in, maintaining the mental and physical wellbeing of seafarers have never been more important. So how can the sector manage this crucial component to their operational continuity? And what services does the marine industry rely on to care for their seafarers?
Catering management
The physical and mental wellbeing of a productive crew always starts with a healthy, nourishing meal. Neglecting to fuel a crew with regular meals can be incredibly detrimental to their health and result in illness at sea, as well as the health of a vessel’s infrastructure. Essentially, a healthier lifestyle benefits the performance of the crew as well as the ship they manage and maintain.
A quick glance into the golden age of discovery where seafarers perished in droves as a result of scurvy, only further exemplifies the need for high-quality, nutrient-rich food. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, millions of seafarers died at sea with the most common cause often being a lack of vitamin C as well as other essential minerals and vitamins such as vitamin B.
A terrible ailment that ravaged both the physical body and mind, we luckily live in a time where scurvy no longer runs rampant through the marine sector. Nevertheless, history serves as a reminder that the physical and mental wellbeing of anyone at sea starts with a nourishing, healthy diet. These days, onboard nutritionists collaborate with culinary teams to ensure everybody onboard is following a healthy lifestyle and eating well. Although supplying regular, wholesome meals to your crew may seem complicated, catering management is an absolutely crucial component to any marine operations.
Marine medical supplies
Like a nourishing, healthy diet is a crucial component to any vessel’s operations, high-quality medical care and supplies are also important in maintaining the health and wellbeing of seafarers, as well as passengers and guests.
High-quality marine medical supplies and support can benefit the health of your crew and vessel alike in the same way a balanced diet can. Gone are the days when seafarers suffered in silence from poor mental health or physical illnesses and ailments. These days, it is of paramount importance your crew, passengers and anybody else at sea onboard your vessel have access to both mental and physical support, whether that be antibiotics or simply someone to speak with when the walls start closing in.
Many management and supply companies provide a variety of maritime medical supply solutions for the marine sector, including medical supplies and infrastructure as well as mental health services and training programmes. These services are crucial in maintaining the mental and physical health of your crew and benefit both seafarers and the health of a merchant vessel.
Other maritime services
Aside from merchant vessels, a number of other sectors within the maritime industry rely on marine services to maintain the physical and mental wellbeing of its seafarers, such as the cruise and ferry sector and offshore sector, as well as both commercial and private yachts and luxury liners. These sectors rely on several services and solutions, including but not limited to the availability of marine stores as well as specialised culinary training where hospitality students learn the ins and outs of marine catering.
Marine stores
From safety and PPE gear to crew welfare products and cleaning materials, a marine store service provides maritime supplies to owner/operators and ship management companies alike. Acting almost as a convenience store for the marine sector, marine store services provide anything and everything from marine medical supply solutions to onboard drinking water solutions and are absolutely crucial in maintaining the physical and mental wellbeing of both seafarers and passengers alike.
Hospitality and culinary training
Another crucial service within the marine sector is hospitality and culinary training. As previously mentioned, providing everybody onboard a vessel with nourishing, balanced meals are crucial at sea. This is particularly important for the crew, who maintain and manage the infrastructure of the ship. These days, many ship management companies and owner/operators alike are turning to specialist hospitality and culinary training institutes to ensure their fleet is provided with only the very best caterers and hospitality experts. These experts are a part of the backbone of operations onboard any ship, from merchant vessels to cruise ships, as they provide everyone onboard with regular, healthy meals.
Final thoughts
With fewer opportunities or methods of stress relief onboard a vessel, prioritising the physical and mental wellbeing of everyone onboard a vessel is absolutely paramount for the marine sector. This of course includes passengers and guests on cruise ships and yachts for example, but it is also particularly important for the seafarers and crew.
Gone are the days when seafarers suffered from scurvy, isolation and the like. These days, there are a variety of services the marine sector rely on to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of seafarers is maintained. These services include but are not limited to, bespoke catering management and maritime medical supply solutions, as well as marine stores and adequate culinary training.
Essentially, when nourished properly and given the essential medical care they need, a crew can cement operational continuity by ensuring the vessel infrastructure is properly maintained and managed – this is why maintaining the physical and mental wellbeing of everyone at sea is crucial to the maritime industry.