MarTrust, a division of Marcura that provides crew payment solutions to over 150,000 seafarers worldwide, has announced a collaboration with the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN).
ISWAN is a global non-profit maritime organisation offering 24/7 helplines and welfare resources for both seafarers and their families.
The partnership aims to enhance awareness and access to support services for mental health and financial wellbeing within the maritime industry.
Enhancing crew welfare
Through a financial donation, MarTrust will contribute to ISWAN's welfare and outreach initiatives
Through a financial donation, MarTrust will contribute to ISWAN's welfare and outreach initiatives, including the development of a new Power BI Dashboard.
This tool will consolidate data from ISWAN’s helplines to spotlight key wellbeing issues like financial stress, fatigue, isolation, and contractual problems.
The insights provided are intended to help shipowners and managers better comprehend the challenges crews encounter and enable them to implement supportive measures while ensuring ISWAN remains aligned with the changing needs of seafarers on a global scale.
ISWAN’s multilingual helplines
ISWAN operates multilingual helplines that field calls annually from crew members seeking both practical and emotional assistance. Issues range from straightforward queries to more complex concerns involving family stress, financial difficulties, fatigue, and thoughts of suicide.
A significant number of seafarers, particularly younger members, face extended periods at sea with limited connectivity and awareness of available resources. To address this, ISWAN’s services will now be integrated into the MarTrust crew app, enhancing seafarers' access to support and guidance.
A sensible partnership
Simon Grainge, CEO of ISWAN, expressed the potential impact, stating, “We take around 450 new contacts each month, but that’s just a fraction of the seafarers who could benefit from our support. Through this partnership, we can reach more crew digitally; at a moment when they’re often thinking about their money, their family, and their wellbeing; and connect them to the right help when they need it most.”
Long-term collaboration
Stuart Gregory, CEO of MarTrust, highlighted the collaboration’s importance, adding, “Financial worries are a major cause of anxiety both on board and at home. By working with ISWAN, we can connect more crew to trusted support at the moment they need it and remove unnecessary stress from daily life at sea. This partnership allows us to combine our digital platform with ISWAN’s expertise to make a tangible difference to seafarer wellbeing around the world.”
Both organisations view this as the start of a sustained collaboration, aiming to broaden awareness of crew welfare, jointly create future digital tools, and enhance industry engagement through shared data insights.
