University of the Philippines Visayas

“I come from a long line of Filipino seafarers,” says Sanley. “They encounter social isolation, tough work and long hours, few employment protections and many months at sea with little shore leave. Safeguarding their mental health is an issue close to my heart and something that needs much greater understanding.”

Through the Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC) at Cardiff University and other institutions, Sanley has been involved in research programmes around this issue for many years, including an exploration of how piracy off the coast of Somalia impacted seafarers’ wellbeing. When Covid-19 hit, it made an already acute mental health crisis many times worse, with thousands of seafarers suddenly stranded miles from home.

Funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s small grants scheme and part of an extensive programme of work to address mental health among seafarers, Sanley led a collaborative research project to identify which mental health interventions had been offered by employers and industry stakeholders. Crucially, the project – which was led by the University of the Philippines Visayas and conducted with World Maritime University and the University of Plymouth – also aimed to discover which interventions were considered most valuable by the seafarers themselves.

“We found an important difference between what was provided and what seafarers really wanted,” adds Sanley. “For example, while employers correctly identified timely crew changes as being very important, only 21% of companies provided immediate family support – yet seafarers cited this as the second most useful intervention.”

Sanley’s research led to a series of recommendations that aim to help the industry provide the right support in any future crisis. “My father went to sea, while both my brother and few cousins including a female cousin are currently seafarers,” he says. “For them and thousands like them, our work will make the world a safer place.”