Mental Health Support Solutions has urged shipping companies to make mental-health and suicide-prevention training compulsory for senior officers so they can better recognise when a seafarer is in crisis.
The call, made by Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS), part of the OneCare Group, was reported on 14 September 2026. MHSS appealed to shipping employers to prioritise training that equips senior officers to identify and respond to signs of distress among crew.
MHSS framed the recommendation against the wider backdrop of global attention on suicide prevention this month. The organisation said that, in maritime operations, particular attention should be given to those at sea whose colleagues and leaders are best placed to notice worrying behavioural change.
MHSS asked shipping companies to treat mental-health training as a workplace safety priority rather than an optional extra. The organisation’s intervention stresses the role senior officers can play in early recognition and intervention for colleagues experiencing severe distress.
A practical focus on leadership awareness
The recommendation centres on senior officers because MHSS identifies shipboard leaders as first-line observers of crew welfare. Training aimed at this group was presented as a means to improve recognition of a seafarer who may be experiencing crisis and to prompt timely support.
MHSS’s position places responsibility on employers to ensure that those with supervisory and pastoral duties receive appropriate preparation. The organisation did not, in the published summary, specify a single curriculum or provider, instead urging that companies prioritise the topic.
Timing and intent
The MHSS appeal coincides with international observances that draw attention to suicide prevention during September. The timing underlines an intent to use broader public-health focus to advance specific maritime measures.
By linking the recommendation to existing awareness activity, MHSS emphasised the urgency of translating attention into concrete training and employer action. The report sets out the organisation’s belief that targeted training for senior officers can reduce missed opportunities to intervene when a seafarer is at risk.
MHSS’s announcement, as reported, identifies the employer community as the audience for this change. The organisation urged shipping companies to place mental-health preparedness on the same footing as other mandatory safety and compliance obligations.
The call from MHSS also highlights a shift in how seafarer welfare is framed within the industry, from individual responsibility towards organised workplace measures. Making relevant training compulsory for senior officers would formalise a clear expectation of employer responsibility for crew mental-health vigilance.
If adopted by shipowners and managers, the MHSS recommendation would see senior officers receive regular instruction designed to improve recognition of distress and to prompt appropriate referrals. The organisation’s public appeal aims to make such instruction routine rather than exceptional.
The report by reports of MHSS’s position provides a prompt for industry leaders to consider whether current policies sufficiently prepare shipboard officers to detect and act on signs of serious mental health deterioration. MHSS’s call draws a direct line between leadership training and potential reductions in missed interventions on board.