Feelings of belonging and inclusion within a group are a tonic to frequently cited issues among seafarers such as isolation, boredom and inactivity. An important part of this is the creation of community and camaraderie onboard.

What is a community?

The Oxford Dictionary defines a community as ‘a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common’ or ‘the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common’.

From this alone we can already start to see how it is applicable to the life of the seafarer.

The relationships, interactions and support which seafarers provide to each other onboard are vitally important.

Sadly there are often concerns that there is too little interaction onboard these days. Seafarers are criticised for heading back to their cabins and keeping themselves to themselves.

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