Survey seeks U.S. mariner input on mental health during pandemic

Written by Marine Log Staff
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The U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) COVID-19 Working Group (C-19 WG) is encouraging mariners from all segments of the U.S. maritime industry to take ten minutes to anonymously complete the “Mariner Mental Health Needs during COVID-19” online survey at https://redcap.link/mariners.

The confidential survey asks mariners a variety of questions about COVID-19, mental health, and their experiences and feelings when aboard a vessel during the challenges of this worldwide pandemic. No mariner identification data will be collected. Survey participation from a significant portion of the mariners in each industry segment is critical to understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their mental health.

The survey is available through May 31, 2021.

Results from the survey will be shared with federal agencies, vessel owners/operators, mariner unions, maritime training institutions, seafarer welfare organizations and MTS stakeholders to facilitate development of effective solutions that benefit our mariners’ mental well-being.

Mariner unions, vessel operators, vessel owners, mariner training institutions and industry associations are requested to encourage and facilitate the prompt participation of their mariners in this survey. MTS stakeholders are requested to widely distribute this announcement within the U.S. maritime industry.

The survey is being conducted independently by Dr. Marissa Baker, Assistant Professor & Industrial Hygiene Program Director, University of Washington School of Public Health. Individual responses will be kept confidential at the School. The survey allows mariners to skip any question which they do not wish to answer.

The survey is supported by Centers for Disease Prevention & Control (CDC) and the COVID-19 Working Group (C-19 WG) of the federal interagency U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS). The C-19 WG serves as the CMTS forum for facilitating high-level interagency discussion, communication, and actions in support of the MTS under and after COVID-19.

The C-19 WG has published the following resources for mariners and the U.S. Marine Transportation System:

The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP)—whose members include vessel owners/operators, mariner unions, maritime academies, maritime training institutions, classification societies, other maritime industry stakeholders and government agencies—is also actively supporting this project to enhance the mental well-being of U.S. mariners.

For more information on this survey, please click here. Please email any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this mariner survey to Dr. Marissa Baker, University of Washington, at bakermg@uw.edu and Nuns Jain, Staff Lead, C-19 WG, at C19WG@cmts.gov.

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