Mental health protection of seafarers in armed conflict zones: perceived adequacy and legal scope of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006

Abstract

Commercial crews operating in conflict-affected waters may encounter missile and drone attacks, vessel seizure, detention, injury, death, and prolonged anticipation of harm. The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) establishes general duties concerning health protection, medical care, occupational safety and health, welfare, and enforcement, but the extent to which these duties are perceived and operationalized as protection against conflict-related psychological risk remains uncertain. This study examines associations among armed-conflict exposure, psychological distress, self-reported adverse mental-health outcomes, company support, perceived MLC adequacy, and safety and well-being. A cross-sectional online questionnaire yielded 219 complete responses from maritime professionals recruited purposively through professional networks and online maritime communities. Seven researcher-developed five-point Likert scales were assessed for internal consistency, followed by descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and three multiple-regression models. Mean scores were high for conflict exposure (M = 4.139), distress (M = 4.209), and adverse outcomes (M = 4.051). Conflict exposure was positively associated with distress (𝑟 = .610); in the reported adjusted model it remained the only significant predictor (coefficient = .688, 𝑝 < .001, R² = .372). Distress was very strongly correlated with adverse outcomes (𝑟 = .834) and was the only significant predictor in the corresponding model (coefficient = .867, 𝑝 < .001, R² = .696). Perceived MLC adequacy and company support were positively associated with safety and well-being, while distress was negatively associated with it in Model 3 (R² = .339). The findings are perceptions from a non-probability sample and do not establish clinical prevalence, objective legal adequacy, or causality. The legal analysis indicates that the MLC provides a substantial general foundation but does not prescribe a complete conflict-specific psychosocial risk-management and post-incident care pathway. The article proposes clearer implementation expectations for psychosocial risk assessment, confidential support, trauma-informed response, follow-up care, and coordinated responsibilities across international organizations, States, companies, and training institutions.

Received: 20 July 2026

Accepted: 28 September 2026

Published: 12 October 2026