Bullying and Harassment Onboard Must Become a Thing of the Past

In January 2024, Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Morten Bødskov announced a series of initiatives to prevent bullying and harassment on Danish ships. One of these initiatives was the creation of best practice recom­men­da­tions, which include effective and visible whistleblower schemes and complaint procedures.

These best practice recom­men­da­tions are being presented today by Danish Shipping.

The best practice recom­men­da­tions were developed by Danish Shipping in collaboration with member shipping companies, Metal Maritime, and Danish Engineer's Association.

"Harassment and bullying are unacceptable, regardless of one's gender, ethnicity, religion, or whether one works on water or land. It should be common sense for any adult that it must be safe to go to work. Therefore, I am pleased that the industry is taking these challenges seriously and is presenting their recom­men­da­tions today on how we can put an end to this deplorable behavior. With these, all seafarers, regardless of gender, can hopefully board knowing that their time at sea will be a safe and secure experience," said Morten Bødskov, Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs.

Central to the recom­men­da­tions for shipping companies on how they can approach ensuring a healthier, safer, and psy­cho­lo­gi­cal­ly secure working environment are these three main recom­men­da­tions, supplemented by several action proposals:

·         Lead from the top

·         Focus on the challenges and implement training

·         Measure and report regularly

"It is important to have guidelines because they show the conditions under which shipping companies want their employees on their ships to work. The shipping companies have set the goal that everyone should be treated properly," said Ole Philipsen, Chairman of Metal Maritime.

"The new guidelines are intended to help create the framework to address the problem that unfortunately still exists onboard some ships. First and foremost, I hope that they will be a benefit for the employees onboard. But it also means that shipping companies will have better opportunities to recruit for the industry," said Lars Have Hansen, Chairman of the Danish Engineer's Association.

"Everyone should be able to go to work safely, whether at sea or on land. We owe that to everyone. Now, the recom­men­da­tions, along with all the other initiatives, need to be implemented in the companies and among the employees. Words must turn into action. I have greatly appreciated the close cooperation with our members, the authorities, and the trade organizations. We all have a responsibility to be as good at ensuring psychological safety as we have been at ensuring physical safety," said Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.

See Danish Shipping’s Best Practice Recom­men­da­tions here.