MarTrust and ISWAN Unite to strengthen seafarer wellbeing

MarTrust, part of Marcura, and the crew payments solution supporting more than 150,000 seafarers worldwide, has partnered with the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), the international not-for-profit maritime organisation providing 24/7 helplines and welfare resources for seafarers and their families.

The partnership is designed to improve awareness and access to mental health and financial wellbeing support across the maritime sector.

Data and insight to strengthen crew welfare

A financial donation from MarTrust will support ISWAN’s welfare and outreach programmes, including the launch of a new Power BI Dashboard. The dashboard will bring together data and insights from ISWAN’s helplines on key wellbeing themes such as financial strain, fatigue, isolation, and contractual concerns.

It will help shipowners and managers better understand the pressures their crews face and take proactive measures to support them, while ensuring that ISWAN’s services remain relevant to the evolving needs of seafarers globally.

Meeting seafarers where they are

Each year, ISWAN’s multilingual helplines are contacted by crew seeking practical and emotional support. Calls range from simple enquiries to complex issues involving family and financial worries, stress, fatigue, and at times thoughts of suicide.

Many seafarers spend long periods at sea with limited connectivity and little awareness of where to turn for help. This challenge is particularly evident among younger crew, who are more likely to seek assistance through digital channels.

As part of the partnership, ISWAN’s resources will now be made accessible directly through the MarTrust crew app, giving seafarers clear visibility of support options and guidance.

A partnership that makes sense

“We take around 450 new contacts each month, but that’s just a fraction of the seafarers who could benefit from our support,” said Simon Grainge, CEO of ISWAN. “Through this partnership, we can reach more crew digitally; at a moment when they’re often thinking about their money, their family, and their wellbeing; and connect them to the right help when they need it most.”

“Financial worries are a major cause of anxiety both on board and at home,” added Stuart Gregory, CEO of MarTrust. “By working with ISWAN, we can connect more crew to trusted support at the moment they need it and remove unnecessary stress from daily life at sea. This partnership allows us to combine our digital platform with ISWAN’s expertise to make a tangible difference to seafarer wellbeing around the world.”

A foundation for long-term collaboration

Both organisations emphasise that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration. Beyond integrating welfare content, the partnership will explore ways to scale awareness of crew welfare resources, co-create future digital tools, and increase industry engagement through shared data insights.