As ever, VIKAND’s global mission is driven by two simple words: Human Sustainability. In 2025, we will continue to focus our efforts on achieving this goal in the maritime industry.

For us, that means developing services, programmes, and policies designed around the people who make maritime work possible. The industry’s future depends on maintaining a happy, healthy and fulfilled workforce.

To this end, VIKAND’s 2025 resolution for promoting a more sustainable shipping industry is twofold: to prioritise retaining our hardworking, experienced and dedicated crew members while also meeting the expectations of a new generation of workers who demand better care and support.

Human sustainability is of particular urgency, as 2026 is predicted to bring a shortage of senior officers. This only underscores the need to protect workers with skills and experience. Seafarers are our most valuable asset and essential to the safety and long-term viability of global maritime operations – from shipping and logistics to cruising, offshore energy production and more.

In 2025, VIKAND will continue to champion a preventive approach to Crew Asset Management, including comprehensive physical and mental welfare initiatives. Just as we maintain other ship assets, we must shift from reactive health crisis management to proactive strategies for the good of both current and future crew members, as well as the industry at large.

On the topic of crew welfare, there is more work to do. A recently concluded three-year study revealed that nearly two-thirds of commercial seafarers falsely adjust their work/rest records to align with regulations. Under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), a seafarer has the right to regulated hours of work and hours of rest.

More concerning is the fact that 60% of study respondents said they were expected to adjust their reports, while 49% were explicitly instructed to do so. This is something we hope to change with support from operators and vessel command.

In the short term, the cost of overwork is declining health and wellbeing. Proper work/rest hours are crucial for mental health, physical resilience and consistent productivity. In the long term, overwork leads to higher healthcare costs, increased turnover, lost productivity and, ultimately, a dwindling labour pool.

VIKAND continuously works on proactive measures to address these issues, ensuring that seafarers receive the care and support they deserve both at sea and ashore.

In the cruise sector, our forward-looking plans are informed by trends emerging from our daily operations. VIKAND doctors and nurses handle thousands of medical interventions each mont h, providing us with diverse insights into how this field is evolving in real time.

One of the most significant advancements we see is the greater integration of telemedicine platforms for remote consultations and diagnoses. In addition to expanded use of telehealth, we hope to see 2025 bring improvements to mental health care at sea, as well as advancements in technology and policy.

Already, important policies are coming online for the global maritime industry, including the 2022 MLC Amendments, which came into effect last month, and the STCW amendments addressing sexual assault, bullying and harassment, which are scheduled to take effect on the first day of 2026.

We believe continued progress on the policy front will, in the long run, help create better working conditions for seafarers worldwide.