The Isle of Man Ship Registry is set to launch what is reported to be the first seafarer welfare app designed by a ship registry. Set to launch in July 2020, the app will be free to around 11,000 seafarers sailing on more than 400 vessels under the Isle of Man flag.
“Safety is a fundamental pillar of our ethos as a high-quality flag state,” said Isle of Man Ship Registry director Cameron Mitchell. “Even before Covid we recognized that something had to be done that delivered tangible results to help seafarers in the wilderness of the sea. We recognized that while there is support for seafarers in port, through the many brilliant chaplaincies and seafarer charities, the ‘weak link’ is support while at sea. I raised it at the Red Ensign Group and with the seafarer charity ISWAN and it was clear to us that the problem of seafarer mental health was becoming more acute, with seafarers spending more time alone in their cabin than ever before. The app has many functions but a key one is to provide social activities to get seafarers interacting more on-board to combat that isolation.”
“The app provides structured welfare support for the seafarer from nutritional advice to live interactive support sessions for mental health and fitness,” he said. “Ship owners want to find new better ways to help and protect seafarers and want to embrace digital innovation. We hope this app will be a step forward for the industry and make a positive difference to many thousands of seafarers sailing under the Isle of Man flag.”