InterManager, the shipmanagement association, presented its findings on fatigue at sea to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) yesterday in London. Project Martha is an in-depth study relating to the growing problems posed by fatigue – both mental and physical – at sea.
Mental fatigue is rising, the study found. Increasingly seafarers are feeling fretful, irritable and unhappy.
“We must address this,” said InterManager’s secretary-general Kuba Szymanski.
The study pointed out that the health effects on fatigue are also physical with muscle fatigue, body aches, stress and bad posture.
In a survey the report found 48.60% of seafarers feel more stressed at the end of a voyage while 61% of seafarers feel more fatigued at the end of a voyage, irrespective of voyage length.
Project Martha was launched in 2013. It was led by Warsash Maritime Academy at Southampton Solent University; the consortium includeds the Stress Research Institute in Stockholm; the Centre of Maritime Health and Society in Esbjerg, Denmark; the University of Southampton; and the Dalian Maritime University in China. InterManager is also a partner, and helped the consortium to find volunteer shipping companies within its membership to participate in the project.
InterManager awakes, congratulations!
Really! who cares! we will screw the happiness of seafarers anyway!