Why DEI isn't a dirty word in maritime

Despite the backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion in some parts of the world, many maritime employers remain committed to DEI policies. It's all about improving life onboard and creating a strong safety culture where people aren't afraid to speak up, as Sarah Robinson discovers

DSG is a maritime consultancy that helps employers develop diversity and inclusion policies for their employees. Business is apparently brisk, and clients are strongly encouraged to use their policies to make a genuine difference to their employees' lives. 

To find out how that's going, the consultancy runs an annual survey of shorebased and seagoing staff in its member companies, which is published in a report called The DEI in Maritime Review.  

This time, the seagoing part of the survey attracted responses from an impressive 6,000 seafarers from all ranks and roles, and from several different countries. They had some powerful points to make about their experiences of discrimination at work, and also came up with ideas about what they wanted their employers to do.  

We spoke to Richard Young and Heidi Heseltine of DSG about the latest survey, and we also have a summary of the research findings overleaf.  

Sarah Robinson (SR): Richard, what struck you the most about what the seafarers had to say this year, and was there anything different from previous years? 

Richard Young (RY): It's important to stress that overall, this is a relatively positive view of life at sea. I think a lot of people do feel that they have a sense of belonging onboard. There is a genuine sense that where policies are in place, they're trusted, and they have a positive effect on seafarers while they're at work.  

In a way, we'd expect to hear that, because DSG member companies have already made a commitment to diversity and inclusion policies. 

And yet, about one in five of our respondents from these companies still say they've experienced some kind of psychological harassment, and that could be bullying or lack of a supportive environment. So there is still work to do. 

Sexual harassment is also an interesting issue. If you look at the change in our data year on year, what we're seeing is more female seafarers saying that they feel safer and can speak up. That's positive, but at the same time, 23% of the female respondents did say that they've experienced some form of sexual harassment. 

About 64% of the people who have experienced some kind of sexual harassment are male, though, and it's really important that we don't lose sight of that. This is one of the big lessons that we've drawn out of this year's survey: diversity and inclusion is really about everybody feeling safe. It's not just about picking individual characteristics and saying we need to cater to these people better.  

SR: Your survey comes at a time when DEI has become almost a dirty word in certain parts of the world. Heidi, are you still seeing the same kind of commitment to DEI policies in maritime as you did a few years ago? 

Heidi Heseltine (HH): We're actually seeing an even greater commitment, I think. You can't ignore the fact that there has been pushback around the world when it comes to DEI, but it's been very localised. 

The Trump administration has had a massive impact within America, and particularly on those who are serving the federal government, so companies that have an American footprint are having to adapt. But for example, when we're in Asia, the feedback is 'we know what's going on, but it's not changing what we're doing'.  

The trend now is to lead with inclusion, so it’s around ensuring we have an inclusive working culture onboard and encouraging best practice.  

SR: It's certainly noticeable from the strong response to the survey that many seafarers hope DEI policies will improve their working lives. Richard, how do the survey participants want their companies to tackle issues like sexual harassment or prejudice against particular nationalities? 

RY: At the most basic level, crew members want to be sure that their company's policies are properly enforced, so reporting someone for harassment or discrimination will be treated seriously.  

They also want DEI training and awareness in their company. Interestingly, our analysis showed that you’re much more likely to say you're comfortable speaking up onboard about safety issues if you've had DEI training than if you haven't, and I think that's one of the indications that this stuff can be really effective. 

Seafarers also want to see changes to the kind of onboard culture where people are seen through a lens of nationality, ethnicity or even language. We get a lot of comments from people saying they feel excluded from life onboard and even from critical decision-making processes because they have a different language or because they come from a different nationality. It's something to think about for all crew members, particularly for those who are higher up in the onboard hierarchy. 

SR: So Heidi, what would DSG recommend? What works in successful companies to improve life for everyone onboard? 

HH: Your starting point is around creating fairness for everyone, but also a culture where everyone can speak up and where everyone feels included. What you're doing there is you're setting the baseline of what it means to work in this organisation.  

You're setting expectations and you need to be very clear about expected behaviours, what's acceptable and what's not – what does good look like?  

And I think being very strategic and joined up with it is hugely important. Ad hoc initiatives and one-offs simply don't work, and people want training in person, not just computer-based, because, again, it doesn't have that long-lasting impact. 

You also need to have accountability and measure the impact of initiatives – and don't forget to acknowledge where things are working well. 

To request a free copy of the DEI in Maritime Review 2025, go to www.diversitystudygroup.com/publications

Despite attempts to rollback DEI globally, seafarers remain invested in ensuring a fair and safe working culture, which means zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment and and the 'tiger-type' leadership

Giving seafarers a voice on DEI

 It’s time to take a closer look at the findings of the latest diversity, equity and inclusion research. Deborah McPherson delves into the details 

The sixth edition of the DEI in Maritime Review is its most comprehensive yet, with almost double the previous year's seafarer responses and two-thirds of participants providing detailed feedback. This level of engagement is rare for any industry survey, especially among multinational crews working long hours in safety-critical environments. It signals something important: seafarers want their voices heard. 

This year's sample was again dominated by seafarers from India, the Philippines and Malaysia, with Ukrainians rising to over 5% of the total. These perspectives underline that maritime DEI is a global challenge, not just a Western corporate priority. 

Encouraging signals 

Despite political hostility toward DEI in some regions, participation rose sharply both ashore and at sea, showing people remain invested in improving working cultures. Among seafarers, the results are encouraging: 

• 93% feel able to 'be myself at work' 

• 88% believe it is safe to speak up 

Both scores improved slightly from the previous year and cut across age, rank and nationality. While disparities persist – especially for women and LGBT+ seafarers – the overall picture is of a workforce valuing inclusion as essential to safe, functioning ships. 

Discrimination: still an uncomfortable truth 

Beneath these positives lies a harsh reality: discrimination and harassment remain embedded on some vessels: 

• 38% of women report psychological harassment 

• almost one in four women report sexual harassment 

• 33% of LGBT+ seafarers report harassment 

• 17% of men report bullying 

Nationality-based discrimination is most common. Across nearly 4,000 narrative responses, recurring themes include: 

• exclusion from friendship groups or information flows 

• 'in-group' preference in work allocation 

• inconsistent discipline across nationalities 

• use of shared native language to exclude others 

• frustration over 'same job, different pay' 

Women remain a tiny minority on board (2.7%) yet face disproportionate negative experiences. LGBT+ seafarers – fewer than 2% of respondents – are also more likely to report feeling unsafe and unable to speak up when something goes wrong. 

Bullying and intimidation often intersect with rank. Typical comments describe favouritism in training or promotion, withheld overtime or shore leave, threats to employment and abusive 'tiger-type leadership'. In a closed shipboard environment, this can escalate quickly with serious consequences. 

What seafarers want employers to do 

The report's most striking contribution comes from almost 4,000 free-text comments. Seafarers ask companies for: 

'Effective action regardless of the status/rank/seniority of the person being complained about'
'A clear and transparent system that ensures equal opportunities for shore leave and rest would support fairness and wellbeing' 
'Regular sessions on how to treat each other respectfully from different countries; not just e-learning' 

The report distils these responses into five practical demands: 

1. Real, scenario-based DEI training 
2. Zero tolerance for harassment 
3. Fairer systems for pay, promotion and work allocation 
4. Better reporting systems – confidential, safe and enforced 
5. Improved communication and language support 

Staying the course 

The large response base offers insights across fleets. Older seafarers report the highest levels of confidence and belonging. For the first time, the experiences of Black seafarers are also highlighted; their sentiment largely matches the wider population, though with slightly lower confidence in speaking up.

Encouragingly, however, while the proportion of female seafarers remains low, female cadets now make up 12.4% of all cadets, signalling promising change. 

Many seafarers link inclusive culture directly to safety: crews that trust each other communicate better and operate more effectively.  

At a time when parts of the world question DEI's value, the message from those at sea is unequivocal. Inclusion isn't political; it's practical. And it works.