The International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) is holding a seminar on seafarers' health, in collaboration with the Danish Seafarers' Service, to look at the most prevalent health issues affecting seafarers, and to explore how organisations can work together to reduce ill health on board. The event is supported by Shipowners' P&I Club - the leading mutual P&I insurer in the smaller and specialist vessel sector. The Club recently partnered with ISWAN to promote the Seafarers' Health Improvement Programme (SHIP) to their members and other interested parties.

Louise Hall, Head of Loss Prevention at Shipowners' P&I Club said "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".
The seminar will be held on the 10th November 2016, the day after the ISWAN Annual General Meeting 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 has a long history of promoting the health of seafarers through programmes such as the Seafarers' Health Improvement Programme (SHIP), Training on Board and the HIV awareness pilot programme (2013-2015). In addition, ISWAN's 24 hr multilingual helpline SeafarerHelp handles a number of cases relating to seafarers' health concerns.
Roger Harris, ISWAN Executive Director said ""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"

ISWAN is committed to continuously reviewing the health challenges faced by seafarers and encouraging collaborative efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of seafarers. This seminar aims to achieve the following:

1. Highlight the most prevalent health issues affecting seafarers
2. Discuss current programmes with proven positive impacts on seafarers' health
3. 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. There will also be presentations from shipping companies, unions, and welfare organisations. The agenda covers topics such as the top health concerns at sea, the mental wellbeing of seafarers, diet and nutrition on board, and case studies in both physical and mental health. The afternoon sessions will be chaired by Dr Suresh Idnani, ISWAN Trustee and Senior Medical Advisor to the Norwegian centre of Maritime Medicine in Norway.

The seminar agenda and Registration can be found here: http://bit.ly/iswan16

Please contact ISWAN Executive Director Roger Harris or Project Manager Caitlin Vaughan if you need further information.

About our Sponsor

The Shipowners' Club is a mutual insurance association. It offers Protection & Indemnity (P&I), Legal Assistance and Defence cover (also known as FD &D) and associated insurances to smaller and specialist vessel owners, operators and charterers around the world.
As a mutual association, the Club is owned and governed by its Members. Members share risk and operate on a non profit-making basis. The board of directors is drawn from the membership. Underwriting, claims and loss prevention services are provided by the Managers of the Club.
We have a wide spread of Members across a range of vessel types, operating sectors and geographical areas. This brings stability to the Club. Insurance is made available to the following vessels types: barge, cargo, fishing, offshore, passenger/tour boat, tanker and yacht. Building on almost 160 years of experience, the Shipowners' Club works closely with Members and their brokers to provide tailor-made insurance packages for each operator according to their particular need.
The Club is a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs which represents over 90% of the world's ocean-going tonnage. Group members participate in common reinsurance programmes and share larger claims. The International Group provides a voice for vessel owners' views on legislation, conventions and regulations that impact upon their operation.