Crew welfare in superyachting has been described as a crisis for years. The data from 2024 and 2025 confirms it is getting worse, not better. ISWAN’s Welfare of Yacht Crew 2024 Annual Review recorded a 21.4% year-on-year rise in contacts relating to abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence. Mental health contacts to ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp helplines have tripled since 2023, now comprising 15.5% of all issues raised. A 2024 survey by Yachtie Minds Matter found that 46% of crew say their mental health has declined since joining the industry, and 67% say their experiences have made them consider leaving altogether. This post presents that data clearly, explains what sits behind it, and tells you what you are entitled to — and where to go when you need more than self-help.
In This Guide You’ll Learn
- The latest welfare data on what is actually happening to crew in 2024 and 2025
- Why crew so rarely ask for help — and what structural barriers keep the crisis invisible
- What crew are legally entitled to under MLC 2006 that many vessels still do not provide
- The specific warning signs that your mental health needs attention, not more resilience
- Practical steps for protecting your wellbeing right now, and where to go for support
What the Numbers Show
The statistics below are drawn from the most recent available research. They describe conditions crew are experiencing in the current and most recent season.
82% of superyacht crew have experienced low crew morale ‘sometimes’, ‘often’ or ‘always’, according to the ISWAN / MHG Insurance Welfare of Superyacht Crew Survey. 46% of crew say their mental health has declined since joining the industry, and 67% say their experiences have made them consider leaving — both from the Yachtie Minds Matter 2024 survey. ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp recorded a 21.4% year-on-year rise in contacts about abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence in 2024, with 80% of those contacts coming from women. Only 34% of crew say their vessel or employer provides mental health policies or resources.The Quay Crew 2024 Mental Health Survey adds the departmental picture: stews and galley crew report the highest levels of anxiety, depression and isolation across all departments, are the least comfortable approaching their HOD with mental health concerns, and identify poor leadership as their most significant contributing factor.
“Lack of support, low morale amongst team, and poor leadership are cited as contributing factors to poor mental health, over and above any other department.”
– Quay Crew Mental Health Survey, 2024
Why Do Crew So Rarely Ask for Help?
The answer is not that crew fail to recognise they are struggling. The architecture of the superyacht workplace creates specific barriers that make asking for help feel professionally and personally dangerous.
Fear of Job Loss
ISWAN’s research consistently identifies fear of losing employment as the primary barrier to seeking support. On a vessel where accommodation, income, visa status and social network are all tied to a single employment relationship, the perceived cost of raising a concern is not a conversation — it is a gamble with your entire current life.
Stigma and the Yachting Identity
Yachting selects for resilience, adaptability and professional composure. These are qualities crew take pride in — and that pride becomes a barrier when the message that needs to be communicated is “I am not coping.” ISWAN data shows that 55% of female respondents and 28% of male respondents experienced issues accessing mental health care. This reflects not just structural gaps in provision, but a cultural reluctance to seek care that runs through the industry at every rank.
Isolation Without External Reference Points
On a vessel mid-passage or mid-charter with no shore leave, crew may not be able to easily access the external relationships — friends, family, therapists, community — that normally buffer against mental health deterioration. Without those reference points, it becomes increasingly difficult to assess whether what you are experiencing is a normal response to a difficult period or something that requires intervention. Clinical research in maritime populations identifies the absence of trusted external perspectives as a significant contributor to delayed help-seeking.
What Crew Are Entitled to Under MLC 2006
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) — the international maritime treaty ratified by 97 countries covering approximately 91% of global gross tonnage — establishes minimum standards for seafarer welfare. These are legal entitlements, not aspirational guidelines. Under MLC 2006, crew are entitled to safe accommodation with adequate lighting, ventilation and temperature control; adequate food and drinking water provided free of charge; access to medical care including mental health care without cost to the seafarer; regulated working hours with mandatory rest periods (STCW: minimum ten hours rest in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any seven-day period); access to welfare services including communication with family; and protection from bullying, harassment and unsafe conditions under flag state duty of care obligations.
The gap between those entitlements and lived experience is significant. ISWAN’s 2024 review found that employment concerns — including wage disputes, unfair dismissal, illegal working hours and leave violations — were the single largest category of YachtCrewHelp contacts, representing nearly one-third of all cases.
What You Can Do Right Now
- Name what you are experiencing — to yourself, honestly. The first and hardest step is distinguishing between “I am having a tough charter” and “my mental health is deteriorating in a way I need to address.” Consistent symptoms — disrupted sleep lasting more than two weeks, persistent dread before shifts, social withdrawal from crew you trust, inability to feel pleasure in things that normally sustain you — are clinical indicators that a conversation with a professional is warranted.
- Reach out to ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp — now, not when it gets worse. YachtCrewHelp is free, confidential, multilingual and available 24 hours a day via live chat, WhatsApp, phone and email. In 2025, 38% of contacts come through live chat and 31% via WhatsApp — making it genuinely accessible mid-passage. You do not need to be in crisis to contact it.
- Protect your anchoring relationships. Crew members, friends and family members outside the vessel who know you well enough to notice when you are not yourself are your most important protective resource. Maintain those relationships deliberately, as a non-negotiable part of your recovery from each programme. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs identifies social connection as a fundamental requirement — not a bonus.
- Document what is happening, in writing. If you are experiencing bullying, harassment, illegal working hours or welfare violations, write it down. Date, time, what happened, who was present. This documentation protects you if you need to make a formal complaint and prevents you from doubting your own experience later. Gaslighting is a documented feature of abusive leadership dynamics in maritime environments.
- Know that leaving is always an option — and that it is not defeat. The Yachtie Minds Matter survey found that 67% of crew have considered leaving the industry. Some of them should leave — not because they failed, but because the specific vessel, season or leadership dynamic they are in is genuinely harmful, and no amount of resilience makes a harmful environment healthy.
Frequently Asked Questions
I feel lonely even though I am surrounded by people onboard. Is that normal?
Not only normal — it is documented. The ISWAN / MHG survey found that 57% of female crew and 39% of male crew experienced social isolation or loneliness ‘sometimes’, ‘often’ or ‘always’ while working onboard — on vessels occupied by a full crew complement. Loneliness is not the absence of people. It is the absence of genuine, chosen connection. When your social environment is entirely assigned rather than chosen and professional hierarchy shapes every interaction within it, loneliness develops even in close physical proximity.
I think my HOD’s behaviour might be bullying, but I am not sure. How do I know?
Bullying in maritime environments is defined by ISWAN and the ITF as repeated, systematic behaviour that demeans, humiliates, intimidates or undermines a person — as distinct from legitimate performance management. The key tests: Is it repeated rather than a single incident? Does it target you personally rather than address a specific operational issue? Is it designed to demean rather than to develop? Does it leave you feeling afraid, worthless or unable to perform normally? If the answer to most of these is yes, contact YachtCrewHelp confidentially — they can help you assess the situation without requiring you to take formal action.
I am afraid to report what is happening because I will lose my job. What should I do?
This fear is legitimate, not irrational, and ISWAN’s data consistently confirms it is the primary barrier preventing crew from seeking support. Start by gathering information confidentially: contact ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp or the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) to understand what your Seafarer Employment Agreement says about notice periods and your rights if the employment relationship ends. Knowing your rights in advance changes the power dynamic of the situation, even before you take any formal action.
My vessel has no mental health resources. What do I do?
ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp is accessible from any vessel with an internet connection, available 24/7 via WhatsApp, live chat, phone and email at no cost. Yachtie Minds Matter, founded by Captain Kelly Gordon, provides access to subsidised therapy for crew who cannot afford private sessions. The Crew Coach counselling service is available internationally via video call, with sessions designed around the specific context of life at sea. These resources exist because the gap between what vessels provide and what crew need is well-documented.
How do I help a crew member I am worried about without making things worse?
The most important thing is to say something rather than nothing — privately, gently and without pressure. “I’ve noticed you seem quieter than usual and I wanted to check in — how are you doing?” removes the burden of self-disclosure and opens a door without forcing anyone through it. Avoid offering solutions before they have had space to express what they are experiencing. Follow up repeatedly, not once — sustained concern communicates care in a way a single check-in cannot.
Where to Get Help Right Now
→ Yachtie Minds Matter — subsidised therapy access for crew, founded by Captain Kelly Gordon
→ ITF Seafarers — employment rights, legal entitlements and welfare support
