Seafarer overall happiness dropped to 6.36 out of 10 in 4Q 2023, plunging from 7.1 in 1Q, according to the Mission to Seafarers’ Seafarers Happiness Index. Seafarers expressed feelings of being “overburdened, underappreciated, and disconnected.” Lack of social interaction, stagnating wages, few training opportunities, and growing security threats were noted as reasons for the decline.
REMEMBER- The Seafarer Happiness Index also revealed a drop in seafarer sentiment in 3Q 2023, recording happiness levels at 6.6 out of 10, down from 6.77 in 2Q.
A silver lining: Onboard connectivity was the only indicator which witnessed a notable improvement, according to the report. On a related note, Danish-based AP Moller-Maersk partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network back in October to supply 330 company-owned ships with high-speed internet access by mid-2024.