Next Steps for the U.S. Inland Mariner Wellness Assessment

The U.S. Inland Mariner Wellness Assessment, released in January 2026 by the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) in partnership with the Yale School of Medicine, offers one of the most comprehensive views of mariners’ health and well-being on the inland waterways. Drawing on research, industry input and SCI chaplain insights, the findings reinforce what many in the industry have long observed: many challenges and incidents are rooted in wellness issues.

“SCI chaplains are often called in at the most difficult moments: after an incident, during a crisis or when a mariner is struggling,” said Phil Schifflin, director of SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy. “What we’ve consistently seen is that many of these situations trace back to mental and physical health. This report helps us move from observation to understanding and now toward action.”

Mariners operate in a demanding environment. Long hitches, physical work and limited separation between work and personal life create pressures that affect individuals and operations. The assessment organizes these challenges into five categories: work environment, organizational practices, cultural norms, physical risks and psychosocial factors. “None of these challenges is new to the industry, but what’s important is recognizing how they intersect and how their cumulative impact affects safety, performance, efficiency and long-term workforce sustainability,” Schifflin said.

The assessment outlines steps to improve conditions on board, including better nutrition through provisioning and crew education, mental health support, fatigue management and leadership development.

“These aren’t abstract ideas,” Schifflin said. “They’re achievable. Improving how crews eat, sleep, exercise, communicate and support one another can directly affect morale, retention and safety.”

Schifflin sees the assessment as a “next phase,” moving from insight to data-driven research. The priority now is determining which interventions will deliver measurable impact and how to scale them.

“We need to get more precise,” Schifflin said. “Is nutrition the biggest lever? Is it sleep and watch schedules? Is it mental health access? The answer may be a combination, but we need the data to guide where we focus and how we invest.”

Advancing this research will require collaboration between maritime companies, researchers and organizations such as SCI. Operators will play a critical role by enabling access to vessels and crews and helping ensure research reflects real-world conditions and produces actionable results.

“This is not something SCI can do alone,” Schifflin said. “It’s going to take industry-wide participation. But the outcome — a healthier, safer, more resilient workforce — is something we all benefit from.”

SCI is positioned to support action and long-term progress. Through its Ministry on the River chaplaincy program, SCI provides a confidential resource for mariners navigating personal and professional challenges. Its Center for Maritime Education delivers training modules that reinforce health, safety and well-being, while the Center for Mariner Advocacy convenes stakeholders and advances wellness initiatives. SCI will release a companion summary to translate findings into a practical framework for operators.

“In the immediate term, our goal with this summary is to make clear how SCI can come alongside mariners and companies to help implement the recommendations in this report,” Schifflin said. “Going forward, we hope to engage researchers and companies in identifying the areas that most need data and use this to improve mariner well-being.”

Ultimately, improving mariner wellness is both a personnel and operational imperative. Healthier crews are more alert, engaged and equipped to meet the job’s demands. “We have a real opportunity in front of us,” Schifflin said. “If we take what we’ve learned and work together as an industry, we can build a stronger culture of care that supports mariners at work and in every aspect of their lives.”

The U.S. Inland Mariner Wellness Assessment can be downloaded from SCI’s website at seamenschurch.org.