Over time, analysis of claims data showed that many health issues affecting seafarers were linked to lifestyle‑related factors rather than isolated incidents. To better understand what was driving these patterns, Marine Benefits launched Re:fresh in 2015 — a health and wellbeing study exploring physical, mental, and social factors. By combining claims data with direct input from seafarers, Re:fresh provides a stronger, evidence‑based understanding of the factors shaping seafarer health.
In 2025, the highest claims costs for seafarers were associated with skeletal, heart, and digestive conditions, while the most frequent medical visits related to skeletal issues, general consultations, and heart‑related illnesses.
Some of these conditions — particularly skeletal and digestive issues— can be linked to lifestyle factors such as limited physical activity, poor sleep, and poor diet. These trends were among the core reasons Marine Benefits launched Re:fresh 10 years ago: to better understand the lifestyle choices seafarers were making and how these contributed to long‑term health outcomes.
The findings from our Re:fresh 2024 study reinforce that lifestyle‑driven health risks could still be playing a role in claims and consultations. The overall pattern in our data shows that early prevention, healthier routines, and stronger support systems remain essential in improving long‑term wellbeing at sea.
Taken together, the claims data and Re:fresh 2024 results help set the context for areas that may be contributing to some of the top claimed illnesses and medical visits. While not everything has a direct correlation, understanding seafarers’ mental, physical, and social wellbeing gives clients clearer insight into where risks may be developing and where improvements may have the greatest impact. Below are some of the key findings from Re:fresh 2024.
Re:fresh 2024 Findings
Physical health remains a major challenge:
- 70% of seafarers are classified as overweight or obese.
- 28% say they do not get enough sleep.
- 42% report insufficient physical activity.
These factors are linked to long‑term health risks and closely reflect trends seen in claims data. This highlights the need to continue focusing on sleep, physical activity, and sustainable lifestyle choices — both onboard and at home.
Mental and social factors also play an important role in shaping overall health and wellbeing. Experiences onboard can influence stress levels, sleep quality, motivation, and everyday health behaviours, which in turn affect long‑term physical health. At the same time, pressures or support experienced at home can impact mental wellbeing at sea. This two‑way relationship highlights how closely physical health, mental wellbeing, and social conditions are connected, and why wellbeing must be understood — and addressed — as a whole.
Encouragingly, the Re:fresh 2024 results show a positive trend in mental wellbeing. Stronger social connections onboard, together with focused efforts to improve communication and support during and after the pandemic, appear to be contributing to improved mental health outcomes.
In 2024, we also took a closer look at social conditions onboard, including experiences related to bullying and harassment. While some progress has been made, the findings show that certain workplace behaviours still require improvement:
- 16% of seafarers experienced bullying or discrimination within the past three years.
- 51% reported work‑related criticism or exclusion
- 12% experienced some form of sexual harassment.
- Among women, 43% reported experiencing sexual harassment.
Taken together, the Re:fresh 2024 results and 2025 claims data highlight how physical, mental, and social aspects of health are connected in shaping seafarers’ wellbeing — both onboard and at home. This reinforces the importance of viewing health and wellbeing as an ongoing process, rather than something limited to time spent at sea.
Re:fresh 2026 is now open for registration
If your company would like to take part in the next Re:fresh survey, registration is now open to all companies — there is no requirement to be a Marine Benefits client. By participating, your organisation contributes to the overall industry report, helping to build a strong evidence base on seafarer health and wellbeing across the maritime industry.
Participating companies also receive a confidential, company‑specific report, benchmarked against industry results. Many organisations have taken part in Re:fresh over several years, enabling them to track trends over time, assess the impact of wellbeing initiatives already in place, and identify areas where further improvement is needed.
We strongly encourage broad participation. The more seafarers who take part, the more robust, representative, and valuable the insights become — not only for individual companies, but for the wider maritime industry.