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We are pleased to share ISWAN’s 2024-25 Annual Review, highlighting a year of continued growth, mounting need and positive, lasting support for seafarers and their families around the world.

The report covers our work from 1^st April 2024 to 31^st March 2025, with updates through the end of 2025.

Rising complexity in seafarer welfare needs

Across the shipping, cruise and yachting industries, seafarers and their families are turning to ISWAN with increasingly complex challenges, from mental health pressures and relationship strain to concerns about bullying, harassment and employment insecurity.

Both SeafarerHelp and YachtCrewHelp – ISWAN’s confidential, 24-hour helplines – saw continued demand, with more cases requiring ongoing support, reflecting the isolating and often high‑pressure environments in which seafarers work.

Strengthening global support for seafarers

Our international teams in India and the Philippines supported over 10,000 seafarers and families through humanitarian assistance, counselling, awareness‑raising and crisis response. This period saw the launch of our Family Outreach Programme, expanded partnerships with governments and training institutes, and continued efforts to address recruitment fraud, promote mental health education and strengthen the wellbeing of seafarers and their families.

Driving sector‑wide change

ISWAN continued to advocate for safer, fairer and more inclusive working environments across maritime sector. Key initiatives included research on the impact of maritime decarbonisation on wellbeing, the completion of the latest phase of the Social Interaction Matters (SIM) Project, and the expansion of programmes addressing safety, harassment and allyship at sea. ISWAN achieving consultative status at the IMO also ensures that seafarers’ voices and lived experiences continue to inform global discussions.

Looking ahead

ISWAN’s new 2025–28 strategy places seafarers and their families firmly at the centre of everything we do, supported by our members, funders and partners from the shipping, yachting and cruise industries.

In the coming months, we will also publish our SeafarerHelp and YachtCrewHelp 2025 annual reviews, offering deeper insights into the issues affecting crew across the maritime sector.

Read the ISWAN 2024-25 Annual Review here.