A happy ship is a safe ship, we often hear our seafaring colleagues say.
What’s notable in the above statement is that, instead of mentioning an individual seafarer or group of seafarers, the people on board are referred to as a ship – a collective entity, a community even.
It seems that once you are on board, you are never seen as a lone sailor; you are always seen as part of the crew.
This sense of community is not always automatic, however. A ship's crew is composed of around 25 seafarers with different personalities, coming from different backgrounds and walks of life, and belonging to different cultures, and nationalities even. So how does such a diverse group of people become a community? Author Anthony J. D’Angelo offers a suggestion:
Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.
Maybe start by realizing that since all of you are working towards a common goal, you share the same experience on board, regardless of your accent or the kind of environment you grew up in. You may also choose to remember that on board, all you have is each other. While your families are one call away, and the shore organization is always ready to provide you with the necessary support, the fact remains that your fellow crewmembers are the ones who are literally there with you, and can be there for you.
Caring for your colleagues' well-being does not always have to be a grand gesture of organizing grill parties or basketball tournaments.
It can be a simple 'how are you' to someone who has become unusually quiet. It can simply be listening attentively and being genuinely happy for a fellow crewmember who received some good news from home. Or simply hanging out and enjoying a game, a sports match or karaoke with fellow crewmembers on a Saturday.
Some parts of the world may be starting to recover from the pandemic, but the future remains to be full of uncertainties. So we need to look out for each other now, more than ever.
Take good care of yourself, and take care of each other.
Harald Bauck
Senior Advisor Risk Management
The statement I care for my colleagues’ well-being is derived from the Odfjell 2020 calendar. These statements are excerpts from our description of HSSE Excellence, and are recommended as themes for the General Safety Meeting.
