Seafarers’ health and access to healthcare study

You have been invited to take part because you are either a seafarer or a HR manager currently working in the cargo or cruise sector.

Your participation in this research project is entirely voluntary. If you decide not to take part in the study you do not have to explain your reasons. You are free to withdraw your consent to participate in the research project at any time, without giving a reason.

You will either be asked to take part in a face‐to‐face interviewer-administered questionnaire or a voice-recorded online interview (via Zoom for example). The interview is expected to last for less than 60 minutes, however, its length will be partly determined by the contribution that you make.

Participants will not be paid for taking part and their interview should be understood as a gift.

The research findings will result in recommendations relating to the provision of healthcare for seafarers working in the cruise and cargo sectors. We hope that the recommendations will drive improvements in healthcare provision for seafarers.

In the course of the interview, we will ask about your experiences of working at sea. It is possible that in drawing on these memories you might recall some unpleasant things which are disturbing. We hope that talking with experienced researchers who have themselves worked (as researchers) on cargo ships, will allow you to share information in a supportive confidential environment minimising any risk of emotional harm.

All information collected from you during the research project will be kept confidential and any personal information you provide will be managed in accordance with data protection legislation. Please see ‘What will happen to my Personal Data?’ below for further information.

Your recorded interviews will be retained for at least five years and may be accessed by members of the research team and, where necessary, by members of the university’s governance and audit teams or by regulatory authorities. If you withdraw your consent, your recording will be deleted. Anonymised information will be kept for a minimum of five years. It will be accessible to the research team and parts of it may be published in the form of short verbatim anonymous quotations in publications associated with the research project.

On completion of the study, we will publish a publicly accessible online report. We may also construct additional presentations/reports/written accounts for stakeholders in the maritime sector. The research may also be drawn upon by the research team in writing academic books and articles. These materials may include verbatim quotes from interviewees. These would be anonymised with all identifying information about individuals, companies, and ships removed, although interviewee rank, sex, age and nationality may be used.

The online report will be accessible on the web pages of the Seafarers International Research Centre until the end of 2025. We intend to publish the results of this research project in academic journals and present our findings at conferences. Participants will not be identified in any report, publication or presentation. Verbatim quotes may be used alongside general demographic information such as age, sex, rank and nationality.

In the event of a problem please contact Professor Helen Sampson (sampsonh@cf.ac.uk). Professor Sampson will do her utmost to resolve any problem, however, if you feel it has not been addressed satisfactorily, please feel free to contact Professor EJ Renold (Renold@cardiff.ac.uk ) who is the Chair of the School of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee. If you are harmed by taking part in this research project, there are no special compensation arrangements. If you are harmed due to someone's negligence, you may have grounds for legal action, but you may have to pay for such action.