Maritime operations depend on skilled, healthy and resilient crews to keep global trade moving. However, healthcare at sea has historically been reactive. From treating an onboard injury to getting a sick crew member to a shoreside hospital, care is often delivered in response to a crisis.

New data from OneHealth by VIKAND shows why the industry must reframe crew healthcare as a proactive, strategic priority. Reactive healthcare at sea is no longer optimal. The future must be proactive, preventative and ultimately predictive.

Patterns revealed by our data

Since August 2024, OneHealth has supported initial medical encounters and follow-ups through its telehealth service. The picture that emerges is striking in its consistency.

Respiratory illnesses accounted for 14.1% of cases, while genitourinary issues followed at 13.6%. Dermatological conditions made up 12.7%, EENT (Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat) complaints 11.2% and musculoskeletal injuries 10.6%. Dental and oral health problems – long a blind spot in pre-employment medical exams – represented another 10%.

These numbers tell a story not of rare illnesses, but of everyday health challenges made worse by the realities of shipboard life.

What’s causing these conditions?

Simply observing and cataloguing the reality of life on a ship quickly reveals many potential sources of health concerns:

• Confined spaces and shared air make viral infections spread faster.
• Heat, humidity and protective gear create the perfect conditions for rashes, abscesses and skin infections.
• Long shifts of lifting and climbing, often without ergonomic safeguards, lead to musculoskeletal strain.
• Limited fresh food and high-sodium meals contribute to urinary tract infections and dental deterioration.
• Irregular sleep weakens immunity and recovery, compounding all of the above.

In a data-driven field like healthcare, these types of patterns become predictable – and predictable means preventable. But left unchecked, they become operational vulnerabilities that cause lost workdays, medical evacuations and voyage diversions.

From reactive care to active management

The data we have from OneHealth encounters reflects the need for maritime companies to treat their crew members as a valued asset and not an operational liability.

Their health must be managed with the same care as any other critical resource, which is the principle at the heart of VIKAND’s approach. When preventive care is embedded in daily operations, it’s more than a lifeline in emergencies. Healthcare becomes a framework for asset protection, continuity and resilience.

Each OneHealth consultation is tailored to the realities of shipboard life. Guidance on hydration, posture and rest may sound simple, but in the context of long shifts and limited resources, it is both practical and powerful. More than a thousand follow-up consultations show that continuity of care is possible even far from shore. That continuity builds a culture of prevention rather than crisis management.

Data creates actionable intelligence

What the OneHealth data reveals is as important as the care itself. The rise in dental cases, for example, highlights gaps in pre-employment medical screenings.

Addressing those gaps through better checks, diet planning and education can reduce disruptions later. To that end, telehealth serves a dual purpose: it provides immediate treatment while also generating intelligence that operators can use to make system-wide improvements.

The broader value proposition

For shipowners and operators, the benefits are expansive. Proactive healthcare can:

• Reduce costs associated with diversions and evacuations.
• Improve morale by showing crew members that welfare is not just a slogan.
• Strengthen recruitment and retention in a sector where qualified seafarers are increasingly difficult to attract.
• Nurture a culture of safety and compliance that resonates with regulators, charterers and crews alike.

These are not soft benefits. They are measurable outcomes that affect the bottom line. A healthier crew is more productive and reliable, and in an industry where margins are tight and reputations matter, safeguarding your crew creates a decisive business advantage.

Shaping the future

The data from OneHealth by VIKAND shows that the most common health challenges at sea follow a predictable pattern. For the industry to sustain itself it should act on this knowledge.

A seafarer as a critical asset for efficient operation becomes the subject of ever-increasing scrutiny, and as competition for skilled crews intensifies, operators who prioritise healthcare will stand apart. Proactive health management is a mark of operational maturity, and OneHealth makes this shift practical. By combining telehealth access with data-driven insights, it transforms healthcare into a proactive and prescriptive strategy designed to help operators anticipate risk and manage it more effectively.

For the maritime industry, the choice is clear. Healthcare can remain an emergency service triggered at great cost when things go wrong, or it can evolve into an asset management strategy that keeps crews – and operations – fit and healthy.