The Shipowners’ Club, the leading mutual P&I insurer in the smaller and specialist vessel sector, is supporting the International Seafarer’s Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) seminar on seafarers’ health as part of its ongoing partnership to look at the most prevalent health issues affecting seafarers.
The seminar will be held on the 10th November 2016 in Copenhagen. Delegates from shipping companies, maritime unions and welfare organisations are invited to attend the event which will be held at the Danish Shipowners’ Association.
ISWAN is committed to continuously reviewing the health challenges faced by seafarers and encouraging collaborative efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of seafarers – exemplified by the partnership with The Shipowners’ Club on the Seafarers’ Health Improvement Programme (SHIP).
The seminar, supported by the Club, aims to achieve the following:
- Highlight the most prevalent health issues affecting seafarers
- Discuss current programmes with proven positive impacts on seafarers’ health
- Focus on areas of health improvement that need further development
Opening with an introduction from ISWAN’s Chair, Per Gullestrup, the seminar will feature presentations by several key figures in the industry, including Anne Steffensen, Director-General of Danish Ship Owners Association. In addition to this, afternoon sessions will be chaired by Dr Suresh Idnani, ISWAN Trustee and Senior Medical Advisor to the Norwegian centre of Maritime Medicine in Norway.
Louise Hall, Head of Loss Prevention at the Shipowners’ Club comments: “We are excited to be partnering with ISWAN, whose ethos sits naturally alongside the Club in aiming to assist Members with all aspects of risk mitigation. As a Club, we see many crew related illnesses especially concerning heart problems, stomach issues and illnesses related to blood pressure. ISWAN, through their own research, have produced excellent materials that address the areas of concerns we see from incident notifications, but also those reported by the industry as a whole. We very much look forward to contributing towards the seminar.”
Roger Harris, ISWAN Executive Director comments: “ISWAN is pleased to be able to hold this seminar on the health of seafarers. The seminar will emphasise the vital need for collaboration and partnership to improve the overall wellbeing of seafarers. We look forward to working with the Danish Seafarers’ Service and the Shipowners’ P&I Club on what will be a very informative day.”
