Mental Health Factors in Seafarers’ Failed Medicals Double Among Under-25s

The number of young seafarers temporarily stood down from work at sea with mental health recorded as a factor has more than doubled in a year, according to new figures.

Data obtained from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) by private medical clinic The Health Suite under the Freedom of Information Act shows “mood or affective disorders” were recorded as a contributing condition in 64 temporarily unfit ENG1 medical decisions involving 16 to 24-year-olds in 2025. That compares with 30 in 2024, a rise of 113%.

The trend has continued into 2026, with 58 such decisions in the 16 to 24 age group between January and August alone, already close to the whole of 2025.

The ENG1 is the medical certificate every seafarer working on UK-flagged vessels must hold. A temporarily unfit decision means the seafarer cannot work at sea until they are reassessed.

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