ISWAN Launches 24/7 Yacht Crew Helpline

There’s no doubt that crewmembers are the backbone to any vessel and the yachting industry itself and with that comes challenges and stressors. From a 2018 survey of superyacht crew, The International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) found that “82 percent of superyacht crew experienced low crew morale sometimes, often, or always, and 55 percent of female respondents found accessing mental health care to be an occasional or regular challenge.”

As a result of the responses, ISWAN collaborated with representatives from across the yachting industry to develop a free, confidential, multilingual helpline for yacht crew anywhere in the world, Yacht Crew Help. The helpline is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year to provide guidance and support.

“The helpline officers are trained in counselling skills, suicide risk assessment, and providing emotional support to crew all over the world, and the team is connected with a wide range of organizations to help yacht crew find further support,” the press release says.

Whether crew are on board or ashore, they can contact Yacht Crew Help via three different methods:

Phone: +44 (0)20 3713 7273 (a call back can be requested via the Yacht Crew Help website)
Email: help@yachtcrewhelp.org
Live chat: via www.yachtcrewhelp.org

The website also features a range of information, guidance, and resources on a variety of issues affecting yacht crew, including mental health and wellbeing, bullying and harassment, sexual assault, substance misuse, and employment concerns.

“With Yacht Crew Help, we want to make sure that men and women working on superyachts can easily access the support available to them worldwide whenever they need it — free of charge, day or night,” ISWAN Executive Director Roger Harris says in the release. “We are incredibly grateful to all of our partners for helping us develop a service tailored to professional yacht crew and their specific needs.”

Companies and organizations involved include Bond Technology Management & Consultancy, Y.CO, Burgess, MHG Insurance Brokers, United Advisers Marine, Nautilus International, and more.