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Lloyd’s Register (LR) and ISWAN joined forces on 18 November 2025 and launched a new Joint Development Project (JDP) to create meaningful change in how the superyacht industry approaches safety. The partnership was formalised at the METSTRADE show in Amsterdam.

The partnership recognises a fundamental truth: crew wellbeing and safety are inseparable. Too often, these two critical areas are treated as separate concerns. This collaboration changes that approach by bringing together LR’s technical expertise in safety frameworks and ISWAN’s specialist knowledge in seafarer welfare, ensuring the development of a more proactive and human-centred safety culture across the sector.

“Crew members are at the heart of every safe and successful operation, yet crew wellbeing is often treated as separate from safety itself,” said Simon Grainge, Chief Executive of ISWAN. “Through this partnership, we aim to ensure that the voices and experiences of crew themselves directly shape how safety is understood and applied in the yachting industry.”

The project builds on LR’s ongoing safety culture survey across seagoing yachts and management companies, which reveals a valuable insight into what truly drives safe operations. Interim findings show that transparency, crew empowerment, and intelligent design are crucial to reducing risk and strengthening operational integrity.

These findings point toward a need for a proactive, behaviour-based approach to safety—one that goes beyond mere compliance to create genuine cultural change.

Engel-Jan de Boer, Global Yacht Segment Director at Lloyd’s Register, emphasises the significance of this collaborative approach.

“Together, LR and ISWAN have the opportunity to build on our shared expertise to create meaningful, lasting change. Safety is not just about compliance, it’s about people, leadership, and culture. This collaboration gives us a platform to embed those values across the sector.”

This partnership represents a significant shift—one where crew perspectives are valued as essential to creating safer, more supportive working environments at sea. It demonstrates that true safety culture change requires listening to those who know the challenges best.

Have your say: Yacht crew and management companies can contribute to LR’s safety culture survey here to shape the future of industry safety practices.