One reviewed topic a month. Every figure comes from the organisation that produced it, and every article separates what the sources say from what we think about it.
A new ASWC/AMSA national survey found that 55 of 202 seafarers couldn't get ashore at all during that port call — and that most seafarers learn about welfare services from the master or crewmates, not from any systematic source.
New research shows most seafarers get under three hours ashore. IMWIRSA on why information — not just services — decides whether port welfare facilities actually get used.
Southern Ports installed massage chairs at seafarer centres in Bunbury, Albany and Esperance. IMWIRSA on what this small initiative says about shore-based welfare infrastructure.
The Seafarers Happiness Index fell to 6.87/10. Shore leave is the weakest category at 5.72/10, and dropped further than any other. IMWIRSA reviews the Mission to Seafarers data.
A study using structured expert analysis found that organisational support, not just legal entitlement, is what determines whether shore leave actually reaches the seafarers who need it.
A systematic review of 63 studies on maritime personnel found risk factors ranging from long hours to weak crew cohesion — and showed why support that exists on paper often goes unused in port.
More seafarers were left without wages, supplies or a way home last year than in any year since the joint database opened in 2004. In 185 of those cases, the insurance that international law has required since 2017 was not there.
IMWIRSA works from a simple principle: decisions about seafarer welfare should rest on verifiable evidence and real seafarer needs — not on established practice or individual opinion alone.
We collect our own data, review independent academic and institutional research, cross-check it against port-level practice, and translate the findings into concrete recommendations and solutions. That forms a consistent chain: data → analysis → practical solution → verification → improvement.
Every MWApp feature, every step in port welfare infrastructure, and every IMWIRSA recommendation should have a clear rationale: what problem it solves, what evidence it rests on, and what practical outcome it's expected to deliver.
Real evidence from the maritime environment. Seafarer surveys, observations and structured data collection surface real needs, barriers and the differences between ports. This evidence lets us check whether a proposed solution actually matches a seafarer's day-to-day experience.
Academic knowledge and industry data. IMWIRSA tracks and analyses academic publications, research from international organisations, and industry reports on seafarer welfare. We cross-check findings across sources and assess how well they apply to today's port environment.
From evidence to working solutions. Research earns its keep when the findings can be put into practice. The evidence we gather feeds directly into MWApp, Port Cards, welfare infrastructure and IMWIRSA's recommendations — then gets checked and refined as solutions are used.
From data and research to practical solutions — a transparent process where every decision has a rationale, gets tested in practice, and keeps improving.
IMWIRSA builds its work on the ongoing efforts of the major bodies that regulate, fund and deliver seafarer welfare worldwide — not on any single publication.
"The Future of Seafarer Welfare and Shore Support to 2040" — the complete strategic document, including all 10 challenges to 2040 and the full set of modernisation recommendations.
The full White Paper is available as a downloadable PDF for partners, researchers and press. Contact us and we'll send the current version.
Request the White Paper →Methodological materials originally developed through years of hands-on seafarer welfare work, reviewed and adapted by IMWIRSA to align with EU law and current international maritime standards. Where Research sets out the evidence, these guides turn it into something a volunteer or coordinator can use on a ship visit.
Code of Conduct and practical guide for volunteers and coordinators: preparing for a visit, on-board communication, recognising distress, ship-type specifics, GDPR-compliant reporting, and the safeguarding escalation route.
A full training programme for preparing ship visitors: seafarers' rights under MLC-2006, cross-cultural and interreligious communication, on-board safety protocols, a dedicated safeguarding and professional-boundaries section, GDPR-aligned data protection for visitor reporting, a step-by-step crisis response protocol, and a practical part with 19 training exercises and 16 group discussion scenarios.
More practice guides will be added to this page as further field-tested materials are reviewed and adapted for IMWIRSA.