Seafaring Tops the List of World’s Most Dangerous Professions

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More than one in five construction workers say they’ve been physically harmed on the job in the past two years. But one profession ranks even higher: ocean workers. A staggering one in four seafarers reported experiencing job-related harm during the same period.

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A key factor? The weather. One-third of ocean workers said they were affected by severe weather—far outpacing the rate reported by land-based workers. And that weather is only getting more extreme.

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Take the life of a merchant mariner: in the span of a month, a ship might move from the sweltering heat of a Southeast Asian summer to the biting cold of the North Atlantic winter. Unlike most jobs, where the seasons roll in gradually, seafarers often experience a whiplash of climate extremes in a matter of weeks—navigating tropical cyclones one month and icy gales the next.

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It’s a punishing rhythm compounded by psychological stressors. “In addition to the harsh weather, ocean workers have to deal with a variety of internal issues which lead to anxiety and stress, such as loneliness, working with a diverse and international crew, and being physically separated from their loved ones,” said Chirag Bahri, international operations manager at the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network—and himself a former seafarer.

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The common thread linking these hazards, physical and emotional? An increasingly volatile climate. And for those at sea, there’s no easy way to steer around it.

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