New report: data shows governance, not goodwill, drives better outcomes for seafarers’ welfare

Stronger outcomes for seafarer welfare occur when responsibility is clearly defined and embedded into governance and commercial decision-making, according to the latest annual progress report on seafarers’ rights

The Delivering on Seafarers’ Rights 2025 Progress Report, published jointly by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) and IHRB, draws on welfare data from 710 companies covering more than 13,000 vessels, alongside input from seafarers and welfare organisations.

The report tracks uptake by the maritime industry of the Delivering on Seafarers’ Rights Code of Conduct, highlighting where further alignment is needed to improve seafarer welfare across owners, operators, charterers and other industry actors.

Key findings:

• Evidence across the report reinforces the link between seafarer welfare, safety and operational resilience, with fatigue, isolation and psychological stress posing direct risks to safe shipping
• Stronger outcomes result where expectations and accountability are clear, including in safe manning and medical cover
• The findings highlight the influence of charterers and cargo owners in driving welfare outcomes when expectations are built into commercial relationships. Weaker performance happens when responsibility is fragmented, notably in onboard connectivity, family support, and recruitment-related debt
• A continuing gap exists between policy commitments and lived experience on board, underlining the need for greater alignment across the shipping value chain
• There is wide variation in welfare performance between vessels, including within the same company, underlining the limits of company-level commitments without ship-specific visibility
• Evidence from seafarers and welfare organisations shows that illegal recruitment fees remain a systemic risk, with enforcement gaps allowing exploitative practices to persist across recruitment chains
• Growing recognition of seafarer welfare as a safety, liability and risk issue, with insurers, P&I clubs and assurance providers are emerging as important leverage points in driving higher standards

The Delivering on Seafarers’ Rights Code of Conduct was created in 2021 by IHRB, together with the Sustainable Shipping Initiative and the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, to protect human rights and welfare of the world’s seafarers. The Code of Conduct goes beyond the ILO Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) to focus on the full spectrum of seafarers’ rights and wellbeing, from fair terms of employment and minimum crewing levels to the management of grievance mechanisms. The Code of Conduct, accompanied by a self-assessment questionnaire that is hosted on the RightShip support platform, is intended to provide a guide for shipowners and operators to improve their performance against the Code of Conduct. 

Ellie Besley-Gould, Chief Executive Officer of SSI, said:

“Outcomes improve when welfare is embedded into commercial decision-making. When it is not, the cost is borne by seafarers. Closing this gap now requires coordinated action across the value chain.”

Francesca Fairbairn, Institute for Human Rights and Business, added:

“While this report shows that awareness of the Code of Conduct is increasing, it provides a stark outline of several recurrent issues harming seafarers’ welfare, notably onboard connectivity, family support, and the illegal practice of recruitment fees. The report’s findings sadly underline our previous research which found recruitment fees to be endemic. These fees push many seafarers into debt, have a psychological toll and risk safety on board vessels.

“We will continue to work closely together with members of the global shipping industry and governments to find ways to eliminate recruitment fees, and in 2026 we will publish a toolkit to address this issue.”

Contributions to the report include findings from: IHRB, TURTLE, Mission to Seafarers, BSM Ship Management, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS), South32, Lloyd’s Register, Klaveness Combination Carriers, DNV, Rio Tinto, RightShip, Berge Bulk

Please also see IHRB’s ‘SEAFAIRER’ Roundtable 2025 report.

Media contacts

Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) Kendra Lædre, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Lead k.laedre@sustainableshipping.org

Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) Deborah Sagoe, Communications Coordinator deborah.sagoe@ihrb.org