A safe, attractive and sustainable industry

Pioneering change to set ambitious standards for living and working at sea

By Carly Fields

As the Global Maritime Forum’s director of human sustainability, Susanne Justesen cares deeply about seafarers. Through various initiatives she has committed to improving safety and human well-being both at sea and on shore and is excited for the launch of the GMF’s project on improving standards for living and working conditions at sea. Susanne spoke with The Sea about her passion and vision for better conditions for seafarers.

The Sea: As the director of human sustainability at the Global Maritime Forum, you are dedicated to helping seafarers. Please can you tell the seafarers reading this why you chose this career path?

Suzanne Justesen: “When I entered the maritime industry almost four years ago, I was struck by the incredible diversity and resilience of seafarers – people from all over the world who are essential to global trade. Throughout my career, I have seen how vital it is to recognise and support those who often work behind the scenes. I chose this career path because I believe we must make the industry safe, attractive and sustainable for ALL seafarers, both women and men, and both existing and future generations. No matter who they are or where they come from. I am deeply committed to advancing that mission.”

TS: What have you most and least enjoyed about your maritime career to-date?

SJ: There are many things that I have enjoyed immensely – first and foremost, working closely with so many inspiring men and women, both at sea and onshore, who are deeply passionate about creating a better, more sustainable future for the maritime industry, its people, and the planet.

One of the things I have enjoyed the least is the fact that transformational change, especially on a global scale, inevitably takes time. Coming from a background where I value fast-paced innovation, I sometimes find it challenging to wait for change to materialise. Fortunately, we work with some really ambitious companies and industry leaders from across our global maritime community, and they tend to work fairly fast as well. However, one thing is working with first movers, another is getting everyone else on board; which is what taught me the importance of persistence and patience, especially when it comes to building strong, lasting coalitions that can achieve and drive real impact. Sometimes we need to go slow to go fast.

TS: What changes have you experienced for seafarers over your career, positive and negative?

SJ: When I first joined the maritime industry, the world was still grappling with the severe impacts of Covid-19. Seafarers were among the hardest hit – facing enormous challenges in joining and leaving ships, often stranded far from home for months. Through initiatives like the All Aboard Alliance, the Neptune Declaration, and other collaborative efforts, we have been able to bring more strategic attention to seafarers’ well-being, leading to greater recognition of their essential role and the urgent need to improve their working and living conditions. Since Covid-19, I have seen a positive shift: there is now much stronger momentum around human sustainability, with a greater focus on ensuring safer, fairer, and more supportive environments for seafarers. However, I am concerned about the growing pressures from the current geopolitical climate, which can threaten to undermine these gains. It reminds us that continued commitment and collective action are needed to safeguard the progress made and to keep human sustainability at the forefront of the maritime agenda.

TS: You’ve spoken about the need for a shift in mindset from viewing seafarers as ‘costs to be minimised’ to long-term investments. Can you explain the problem and what needs to be done to resolve that?

SJ: Traditionally, seafarers have often been viewed as operational costs to be minimised, which has led to underinvestment in their well-being, career development, and working conditions. This mindset overlooks the fact that seafarers are essential to the industry’s long-term resilience and success. To change this, we must see seafarers as strategic stakeholders— and find ways to engage more closely in giving voice to seafarers, and make sure the seafaring voice is represented when important decisions are being made. Human sustainability at sea needs to be embedded into decision-making, not treated as secondary to financial performance. Investing in people is not just the right thing to do – it is critical to maintaining the resilience of global seaborne trade.

TS: You were integral to the launch of the first-of-a-kind Sustainable Crewing Guidelines in March. What does this project mean to you and how will it impact seafarers?

SJ: The Sustainable Crewing Guidelines project has been very personal and meaningful to me. I am incredibly proud of the journey we shared with industry leaders and seafarers from over 20 companies, and later, through pilot testing onboard 12 vessels. Together, we co-designed solutions to make life at sea more inclusive and attractive for both men and women. When we launched the nine guidelines during Singapore Maritime Week, it was the result of a truly collaborative effort involving over 800 seafarers, both within and outside the pilot. The guidelines, along with practical indicators, now provide companies and seafarers with a concrete way to assess conditions onboard and define what ‘good’ looks like. We hope this will not only support better workplaces at sea but also guide charterers, customers, and industry leaders in setting new, but higher standards for what good, better and best looks like when it comes to living and working conditions at sea; which is the next project we are working on within the All Aboard Alliance.

TS: You recently expressed alarm at the 87% rise in abandoned vessels in 2024. In your view, what can GMF, seafarers and the industry do to address this?

SJ: The sharp rise in vessel abandonments is deeply concerning, especially given the devastating impact it has on seafarers who are often left without wages or support. I believe the industry must take collective accountability, starting with establishing global wage protection mechanisms to safeguard seafarers from unpaid wages. We are currently looking into whether and how a global foundation or fund could be created, supported by contributions from across the industry to secure pay to abandoned seafarers. It won’t be easy, but ensuring financial security for seafarers during crises is critical, and we are committed to finding solutions.

TS: What is your goal for GMF’s Human Sustainability programme in the medium term and what do you personally hope to achieve?

SJ: My medium-term goal for the Human Sustainability programme is to drive broad industry alignment around a clear set of human sustainability goals for life and work at sea. These goals – part of the industry’s long-term ambitions towards 2030 – include reducing contract lengths, ensuring wage protection, strengthening health and well-being support, creating safer and more inclusive workplaces, and building stronger career pathways for seafarers. A key ambition is to co-design a set of global industry standards that define what good, better, and best look like when it comes to living and working at sea – making human sustainability easy to communicate, measure, and adopt across the maritime sector. Personally, I hope to help shift the mindset so that investing in people becomes a strategic foundation for the industry’s future resilience and success.

TS: How important in human sustainability in this industry?

 SJ: Human sustainability in maritime is not just an initiative – it is a movement. It is about recognising that the success of our industry depends on the well-being, safety, and aspirations of the people who keep it moving. We are at a pivotal moment, and while the challenges are real, so are the opportunities. I cannot wait to embark on the work to create a set of ambitious standards for living and working at sea, just as I am incredibly excited about the 2030 Industry Goals for Human Sustainability that the All Aboard Alliance will present later this year. Together – seafarers, companies, organisations, and industry leaders – we can chart a new course where people are truly at the heart of the maritime industry.

TS: Do you have a message of hope or encouragement for the seafarers reading this magazine?

SJ: To every seafarer reading this: your work, your resilience, and your spirit are seen and valued more than ever before. You are not just moving cargo – you are moving the world. Change may feel slow at times, but momentum is building, and a growing number of leaders and companies across the industry are committed to making life at sea safer, more attractive, and more sustainable. Your voices and experiences are shaping this change – so please keep raising your voice for a better maritime future, we are listening.

Susanne Justesen is the director of human sustainability at the Global Maritime Forum. Under her guidance, the GMF’s human sustainability programme has grown significantly, expanding its focus on improving safety and human well-being both at sea and on shore, making the industry more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and securing future skills and competences for the global maritime industry.