As the Covid-19 pandemic has forced container shipping crews and others into crisis, calls to help stranded seafarers have been raised by all in the industry from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the vessel operators and ports, now the industry has made its own move, with a CrewCare app.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]Jointly developed by volunteer group Container Shipping Supporting Seafarers (CSSS), maritime EdTech company Safebridge, data analytics company Motion Ventures, and the Universities of Manchester and Plymouth, the app-makers have listened to the plight of crew, with the UK P&I Club revealing in 2017 that suicide was the top cause of seafarers’ deaths, accounting for 15% of all fatalities at sea.
Prof. Capt. Ralph Becker-Heins, CEO, Safebridge, said: “Safebridge recognises seafarers as the global maritime industry’s beating heart, without whom international trade would grind to a halt. Whether it is with our #BeSafe campaign, our series of interviews giving seafarers a louder voice, or now with the CrewCare app, we continue to support our seafarers.”The app is designed to bring crew closer to those onshore and protect the emotional wellbeing of the 1.7 million crew currently active around the globe.
According to the developers, the app “incorporates a professionally qualified questionnaire based on techniques medical practitioners use to make decisions when presented with a patient’s symptoms. An algorithm rates the multi-choice answers given to rate the mood of the seafarer from 1 (low risk) to 10.”
If a member of the crew is considered high risk, the app alerts the crew management company and appropriate steps can be taken to protect the seafarer.
Philip Eastell, CSSS founder and the driving force behind the CrewCare initiative, said, “Where concern exists there is now an opportunity for seafarers to get help. The app is a very low-key diagnostics tool set up to ensure that those seafarers struggling to cope receive the care they need.”
Eastell believes that the quality of the information and data from the app will help the industry develop meaningful data on the state of mind of crew, particularly at times when a global crisis has left seafarers far from home for extended periods. “We are hoping that the shipping lines will recognise the importance of this application,” said Eastell.
[/s2If]
[s2If !is_user_logged_in()]Please login or register to read the rest of the story[/s2If]
