Cyprus’ shipping community has increasingly been drawn into global efforts to tackle harassment at sea, as the island’s maritime cluster aligns with international campaigns, regulatory changes and growing expectations around crew welfare and inclusion.

In the mid of 2025, the International Maritime Organisation’s Day of the Seafarer campaign, themed “My Harassment-Free Ship”, was actively promoted across Cyprus’ maritime sector, emphasising the need to eliminate bullying and harassment onboard vessels and to foster a culture of respect and psychological safety at sea.

The campaign, echoed across international maritime media, called on shipping companies, regulators and crews to move beyond pledges and translate awareness into protection, training and reporting mechanisms.

At the same time, Cyprus-based maritime stakeholders have increasingly linked respectful onboard culture with broader safety outcomes.

Speaking earlier this year, Columbia Group executives stressed that an open culture onboard vessels is vital to safer operations, stronger communication and crew wellbeing.

The issue has also been raised at high-level maritime gatherings on the island. At the 2025 Maritime Cyprus Conference in Limassol, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez emphasised crew welfare, safety culture and mental health as core pillars of a modern shipping industry, alongside decarbonisation and digitalisation.

This growing focus is reinforced by regulatory developments. From 2026, amendments to the IMO’s STCW Code will introduce mandatory training covering the prevention of harassment and bullying, including sexual harassment, making awareness training an increasingly formal requirement rather than a voluntary initiative.

Within Cyprus, this aligns with wider national frameworks on workplace conduct. The government has issued a Code of Practice on the prevention and handling of harassment and sexual harassment at work, supporting a zero-tolerance approach across employment sectors, including shoreside maritime roles.

Against this backdrop, European and global maritime workplaces are facing growing pressure to address sexual harassment risks as vessels, ports and offshore facilities become increasingly diverse and international, according to Steve Richards, director at VIRSEC.

Richards said the need for “clear, consistent sexual harassment awareness training has never been greater”, adding that the company plans to release a fully online Introduction to Sexual Harassment Awareness for the Maritime Workplace course in early 2026.

He said the course had been designed specifically for maritime professionals, crews, supervisors and shoreside personnel, addressing what he described as “a long-standing gap in industry training” while supporting “a healthier, safer and more productive maritime environment”.

According to Richards, life and work at sea differ fundamentally from traditional workplaces, noting that crew members live where they work, operate in close quarters for extended periods and come from widely varying cultural backgrounds, while hierarchical structures remain deeply ingrained.

“These factors create a unique environment,” he said, “one in which misunderstandings can escalate quickly, and inappropriate behaviour may go unreported due to isolation, fear of retaliation, or uncertainty about what constitutes harassment.”

Generic corporate training, Richards added, “simply doesn’t reflect these realities”. Instead, he said, the new course is built around scenarios, challenges and communication dynamics that maritime workers actually encounter, whether on deck, in the engine room, on the bridge or in port.

At the same time, Richards pointed to what he described as a growing industry-wide emphasis on psychological safety, inclusion and the prevention of harassment and bullying, driven by mounting pressure from global maritime organisations, unions and regulators.

He said recruitment and retention challenges were a key factor, as the industry works to attract new talent, particularly women and younger workers, making it “essential to build trust and ensure that seafarers feel safe and valued”.

In addition, Richards said many flag states, operators and charterers are strengthening their policies and increasingly requiring documented training related to workplace conduct. “Compliance isn’t just a legal responsibility,” he said. “It’s a professional standard.”

He also pointed to research showing that crews who feel respected communicate better, experience fewer conflicts and perform more effectively during both routine operations and emergencies.

Richards said the 2026 course has been designed to be “accessible, practical, and immediately applicable”.

He said it includes clear definitions and examples tailored to maritime operations, realistic case studies drawn from life at sea and port environments, guidance for bystanders and supervisors on how to respond appropriately, strategies for building respectful onboard culture, confidential reporting guidance adapted to maritime settings, and interactive assessments to reinforce learning and comprehension.

According to Richards, the course is suitable for all ranks and roles and supports the development of stronger, safer crew cultures.

“The maritime industry is at a turning point,” Richards said, pointing to advances in technology, the expansion of global shipping and evolving crew demographics. In that context, he said, expectations around professional and respectful behaviour are becoming “just as important as technical competence”.

He warned that harassment “undermines trust, damages morale and jeopardizes operational safety”, adding that awareness training should not be seen as optional. “It is essential risk management, leadership development, and human-centered safety practice,” he said.

By equipping maritime professionals with the knowledge and confidence to recognise and address harassment, Richards said the industry strengthens not just individual vessels, but the sector as a whole.

Looking ahead, Richards said VIRSEC is aiming to support organisations and seafarers as they build safer and more inclusive workplaces in 2026 and beyond. The course, he added, will help crews foster respect, improve communication and uphold high standards of professionalism, whether at sea or ashore.

“If your company or crew is committed to creating a healthier and more respectful maritime culture,” Richards concluded, “this training is an important step toward that goal.”