We have seen publications in the media of repeated violations of human rights at sea. Publications reported on sexual assault and harassment at sea, bullying and abandonment of seafarers, and the deterioration of their mental and physical wellbeing. These reports brought to light the tip of the iceberg and revealed the root cause; a lack of psychological safety. This wicked problem is invisible for most and seems to be normalized within the maritime sector.

The COPE° Working Group on Psychological Safety, Bullying and Sexual Assault and Harassment in the Maritime Sector, hosted by the Center for Ocean Policy and Economics, influenced change and international policies.

Last year the Dominica Maritime Registry, an IMO Member State and member of the COPE° working group, submitted several papers to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). These proposals opened discussions and achieved tangible results. The first result in which the group achieved last year was that the IMO Maritime Safety Committee instructed to develop and finalize, as a matter of priority, STCW training provisions addressing bullying and harassment in the maritime sector.

Today, Eva Lianne Veldkamp and Patti Tutalo will share how a diverse group of people from all over the world managed to influence international policy changes that are needed to tackle this wicked problem in the maritime sector. They will also share how education and information about psychological safety can help you, your team, and your organization to increase personal safety, wellbeing and happiness, and how constructive solutions can ensure a psychologically safe workplace culture.

This session will allow you to think about safety in the maritime sector from a different perspective and will give you some practical actions you can take to foster a more psychologically safe environment.

This session is sponsored by Northeast Maritime Institute