ISWAN yacht crew welfare report 2024 reveals rising abuse and mental health concerns

ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp helpline reports a marked rise in serious cases from yacht crew, including abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination, violence, complex employment disputes, and personal struggles.

The Welfare of Yacht Crew 2024 Annual Review compares data from YachtCrewHelp with ISWAN’s SeafarerHelp helpline and offers guidance for crew and the wider industry.

In 2024, reports of abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence (ABHDV) increased by 21.4% over the previous year. ISWAN warns that abuse is often intensified at sea, where crew live and work in confined spaces, far from support networks. With a yacht serving as both workplace and home, crew can feel trapped in harmful situations.

Mental health concerns – especially stress and anxiety – ranked among the top reasons for contact. Many crew avoided giving personal details, fearing damage to their reputation, retaliation, or breaching non-disclosure agreements. Notably, 80% of ABHDV cases came from women, despite women making up just 50% of known-gender contacts – the highest proportion since the helpline’s launch in 2020. Women additionally reported sexual harassment, physical abuse, and violence.

Employment issues accounted for nearly one-third of cases, with wages and unfair dismissal leading. Other concerns included employment agreements, hours of work and rest, repatriation, and leave. Many crew lacked knowledge of their rights or how to act when breaches occurred.

ISWAN stresses the need for proactive industry action to address root causes, prevent problems, and provide effective support.

One initiative is the Changing Tack on Yacht Crew Welfare Working Group (CTWG), chaired by ISWAN with core members including Nautilus International and CHIRP Maritime. A new partnership will soon be announced to accelerate progress and expand reach.

Georgia Allen, ISWAN’s Projects and Relationships Manager, said:

“By understanding the challenges yacht crew face, we can ensure they have the resources to respond, while driving industry-wide change. Real impact requires collective effort – we urge all committed to a safer, fairer, more inclusive sector to join us.”

The full Welfare of Yacht Crew 2024 Annual Review is available from ISWAN, which relies on industry support to continue its work.

www.iswan.org.uk/yachtcrewhelp