Is tough management the same as bullying?

No. A demanding standard for watchkeeping accuracy, direct feedback on a task done incorrectly, or requiring a rating to redo work that does not meet safety requirements — these are management, not bullying, even when delivered bluntly. Bullying involves conduct that is persistent, targeted at an individual, and causes distress disproportionate to any legitimate operational purpose. The key markers are repetition, targeting, and the absence of any objective justification. A single incident of aggressive behaviour may not meet the threshold, but should be documented in case it becomes a pattern.

What should contemporaneous notes include?

Write down: the date and time, the location (bridge, messroom, deck), exactly what was said or done (verbatim if possible), who was present, and how you felt. Sign and date each entry. Keep the notes in a personal notebook — not on a ship's computer or a company device. Photograph the pages periodically with your phone and store them in cloud storage outside the company network. These notes are the most useful evidence if the matter later goes to a formal complaint, a flag state investigation, or an ITF inspector.

Who is the trusted person onboard I can talk to?

The right person depends on where the bullying is coming from. If it is from a rating, the chief mate (for deck) or chief engineer (for engine room) is the appropriate first contact. If it is from a junior officer, the chief officer or chief engineer. If it is from the chief officer, go to the master or directly to the DPA. If it involves the master, bypass the ship entirely and contact the DPA directly — ISM Code Section 4 contact details must be posted in the crew area. If you do not feel safe doing any of these, the ISWAN SeafarerHelp line (seafarerhelp.org) is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

What if the bullying stops when I report it, then starts again?

Restart your contemporaneous notes immediately with a clear entry noting the date the behaviour resumed and what changed. Document the earlier report (who you spoke to, what was said, what action was taken). Recurring behaviour after a formal or informal report is stronger evidence of a pattern and makes a formal complaint significantly harder for the company to dismiss. If the DPA has already been notified and the behaviour has resumed, your next route is the flag state authority or the ITF inspector at the next port.

Bullying and harassment at sea

This page covers the practical, day-to-day reality of bullying and harassment onboard: how to recognise it, how to document it, and how to find someone to talk to. The legal framework — your rights under MLC 2006 and flag-state law, the formal complaints procedure, and what happens if the company fails to act — is covered separately at bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment — your rights. Read that page if you are ready to make a formal complaint or need to understand the law. This page is for the stages before that.

Distinguishing bullying from tough management

Ships are high-stakes workplaces with genuine safety consequences for poor performance. Direct, demanding management is normal and appropriate. Bullying is different. The practical distinction:

Management (not bullying): Correcting a specific mistake. Setting high standards for watchkeeping. Requiring work to be redone. Giving direct, critical feedback in a professional context. Allocating unpopular tasks based on operational need.
Bullying: Persistent targeting of one individual. Public humiliation in front of the crew. Shouting, threatening language, or physical intimidation. Deliberate exclusion from essential operational communication. Sabotaging someone's work or making it harder to do their job. Personal attacks based on nationality, religion, age, gender, or other characteristics. Sexual remarks or unwanted physical contact.

The line is crossed when the conduct has no legitimate operational purpose and causes a reasonable person distress. Uncertainty about whether something meets the threshold is itself a reason to document it.

Common patterns to recognise

Bullying at sea often follows recognisable patterns because the confined environment shapes how it operates:

Exclusion from operational communication. Being left off radio channels, excluded from pre-departure briefings, or not told about watch changes that affect you directly.
Public humiliation during handover. Watch handovers are a high-visibility moment — some bullies use them to criticise in front of others deliberately.
Workload manipulation. Consistently allocating the worst tasks, overloading a targeted individual while others are underloaded, or denying rest that others receive.
Social ostracism. Organising crew members to avoid or ignore a targeted person in the messroom or recreation spaces.
Sexual remarks or unwanted contact. Any sexually-inflected language, gesture, or physical contact directed at a crew member. This overlaps with sexual harassment — see your legal rights for how this is treated under MLC.

Keeping contemporaneous notes

A contemporaneous note — written at or close to the time of an incident — is the most useful evidence in any subsequent complaint or investigation. Practical approach:

Use a personal notebook (paper), not a company device or the ship's log.
Record: date, time, location, exactly what was said or done, who was present as witnesses.
Write as close to the incident as possible — memory degrades quickly under stress.
Photograph each page with your phone and back up to personal cloud storage.
Do not share the notebook content with anyone onboard — keep it private until you are ready to use it.
Also note any earlier incidents you had not previously recorded — include approximate dates and the best detail you can recall.

Notes are admissible in formal complaints to the flag state authority, ITF inspections, and maritime tribunal proceedings. Their value depends on consistency and timing — retroactive reconstruction is far less useful.

Finding a trusted person to confide in

Identifying the right person to speak to depends on where the bullying is coming from:

From a rating: Chief mate (deck) or chief engineer (engine) — your department head is the appropriate first contact.
From a junior officer: Chief officer or chief engineer, depending on department.
From the chief officer: The master — or, if you are not comfortable with the master, the DPA directly.
From the master: The DPA (Designated Person Ashore) under ISM Code Section 4. Their contact details must be posted in the crew area. You can contact them without the master's knowledge.
If none of the above feel safe: ISWAN SeafarerHelp (seafarerhelp.org) — free, confidential, 24/7, multilingual. They can advise on next steps without sharing your identity with the company.

Confiding in a shipmate — someone in a parallel rank from another department — can provide psychological support but is not a substitute for a formal route if the conduct warrants it. Choose carefully: a confidant who mentions it to others can complicate the situation.

When to escalate formally

An informal conversation resolves many onboard conflicts — but some situations require formal escalation from the start:

Physical contact, threats, or conduct that a reasonable person would regard as assault.
Sexual remarks, unwanted touching, or any conduct with a sexual dimension.
Conduct that has continued after an informal attempt to address it.
Conduct that is affecting your ability to perform watchkeeping duties safely.
A situation where the bully holds sufficient authority that no onboard resolution is realistic.

For the formal complaints procedure, flag state routes, and ITF involvement, see bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment — your legal rights. For general onboard conflict that has not reached the bullying threshold, see conflict onboard.

Frequently asked questions

Is tough management the same as bullying?
No. A demanding standard for watchkeeping accuracy, direct feedback on a task done incorrectly, or requiring a rating to redo work that does not meet safety requirements — these are management, not bullying, even when delivered bluntly. Bullying involves conduct that is persistent, targeted at an individual, and causes distress disproportionate to any legitimate operational purpose. The key markers are repetition, targeting, and the absence of any objective justification. A single incident of aggressive behaviour may not meet the threshold, but should be documented in case it becomes a pattern.
What should contemporaneous notes include?
Write down: the date and time, the location (bridge, messroom, deck), exactly what was said or done (verbatim if possible), who was present, and how you felt. Sign and date each entry. Keep the notes in a personal notebook — not on a ship's computer or a company device. Photograph the pages periodically with your phone and store them in cloud storage outside the company network. These notes are the most useful evidence if the matter later goes to a formal complaint, a flag state investigation, or an ITF inspector.
Who is the trusted person onboard I can talk to?
The right person depends on where the bullying is coming from. If it is from a rating, the chief mate (for deck) or chief engineer (for engine room) is the appropriate first contact. If it is from a junior officer, the chief officer or chief engineer. If it is from the chief officer, go to the master or directly to the DPA. If it involves the master, bypass the ship entirely and contact the DPA directly — ISM Code Section 4 contact details must be posted in the crew area. If you do not feel safe doing any of these, the ISWAN SeafarerHelp line (seafarerhelp.org) is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
What if the bullying stops when I report it, then starts again?
Restart your contemporaneous notes immediately with a clear entry noting the date the behaviour resumed and what changed. Document the earlier report (who you spoke to, what was said, what action was taken). Recurring behaviour after a formal or informal report is stronger evidence of a pattern and makes a formal complaint significantly harder for the company to dismiss. If the DPA has already been notified and the behaviour has resumed, your next route is the flag state authority or the ITF inspector at the next port.