Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative has partnered with CNN
The pandemic shone a light into corners of society that had long been neglected, among them the working conditions and mental health of seafarers. Now, new digital tools are being deployed to help improve life at sea.
The disruption and dislocation of Covid-19 restrictions exacerbated the pressures on the world’s seafarers, some of whom found themselves stuck at sea for more than a year. This global crisis was the touchpaper to the mental health timebomb that had been ticking for decades, and it increased the pressure on ship owners to take action.
Hard data about the extent of the problem is limited, particularly as there remains a stigma when it comes to talking about mental health, but research