News 12 Jan, 2022 COVID-19: A Harbinger of Positive Change for Shipowners and Seafarers? The pandemic has been disastrous for seafarers: but the increased psychological focus on their mental wellbeing might cue improvements that benefit everyone. Download PDF The colossal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered many things in society, from our perception of the world and each other to the way we live, work and communicate. It has also highlighted the importance of how the seafaring community functions in the world economy and accentuated the need to safeguard crews’ mental health.  The global dependency on the shipping industry was brought into sharp focus when supermarket shelves started emptying of items. An estimated 90% of world trade is carried by sea, and the potential and actual shortages of some goods made shoppers appreciate how pivotal supply chains are to our everyday lives. This in turn highlighted an appreciation of the mental and physical strain endured by seafarers, having to  keep freight moving in the face of stringent lockdown restrictions, legally obliged in many cases to remain on their vessels for months beyond their contracted time. As we shall see, many organisations and charities have been determinedly placing seafarers’ mental health front and centre for several years. Commendably, numerous shipowners had already taken this on board well before the pandemic; but the latter event has forced others within the maritime industry to address the mental welfare of vessel crews as a matter of urgency.  Thankfully, science-based mental health initiatives which began in the wake of the Covid outbreak can be used to point the industry towards a more productive future. The hope is that positive psychology can bring about a significant improvement in the working lives and mental wellbeing  of crews, with a happier, safer, and consequently more efficient workforce. This outcome may sound somewhat idealistic, but an ex