How was your shift?
Get it off your chest.
Housekeeping, galley, bar and restaurant, entertainment, guest services, medical, deck and engine crew. Months at sea, a long way from home. Put down what you're carrying before your next shift.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to the cruise line, your agency, your supervisor or anyone else. Unladen Berth is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any cruise line, crewing agency or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Find a quiet spot if you can, even a stairwell or your cabin for a few minutes. Tell your supervisor you need a moment. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Wanting to be home, right now
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If someone hurt or harassed you
It isn't part of the job. You can report it on board, and you can also contact SeafarerHelp, free and confidential, any time. If you're in danger, go to security or the medical centre.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your supervisor, a crewmate or your family in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your supervisor, HR or the ship's officers, there are people off the ship you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes before you sleep or go to the crew bar. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can below deck.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the harassment or assault
You can report it on board, and to the ship's flag state. SeafarerHelp can tell you your options in your language, confidentially. You don't have to decide anything today.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell security or the medical team, and contact SeafarerHelp if you don't trust the people on board.
Before you sleep
You said you've got very little energy left. Eat something, drink water, and try to get some daylight or fresh air tomorrow. A message home can help, even a short one.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
A floating city, and you keep it running
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Someone overboard, a death or an emergency
Crew are often the first to respond, and then go straight back to work smiling at guests.
- Shock, replaying it and trouble sleeping are normal reactions.
- Ask for a debrief, and ask who else was there so you can talk to each other.
- SeafarerHelp is free and confidential, any time.
- If it's still strong after a couple of weeks, see the ship's doctor or your GP at home.
Abusive or demanding guests
- Smiling through abuse takes real effort. It's tiring even when you handle it well.
- Tell your supervisor or security, every time.
- Write down what happened, with the date and cabin or table.
Harassment or sexual assault
- It is never your fault, and it isn't part of the job.
- Go to security or the medical centre if you're hurt.
- You can report it on board and to the ship's flag state, and you can get advice first from SeafarerHelp.
- 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) helps if you're in Australia.
Missing home and long contracts
- Months away from family, partners and kids is hard, and it doesn't get easier just because you've done it before.
- Plan regular calls home when you can get Wi-Fi.
- News from home that you can't do anything about is one of the hardest parts. Tell someone on board.
Cabin mates, crew bar and conflict
- Sharing a small cabin for months is hard on anyone.
- Drinking more to cope is common on ships. Notice if it's creeping up.
- If someone is bullying you, write it down and tell HR or your supervisor.
Pay, fees and contracts
- Recruitment fees charged to you are banned under the Maritime Labour Convention.
- Keep copies of your contract and payslips.
- The ITF and SeafarerHelp can advise you if pay or conditions aren't right.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the next shift or the next contract
- Feeling numb or snapping at people
- Not sleeping, even when you have time
- Drinking more to switch off
- Pulling away from crewmates or family
Long contracts at sea affect everyone. It's a normal response, not a weakness.
If you're not Australian
Most cruise crew come from many countries. The numbers in this app are mostly Australian. SeafarerHelp speaks many languages and works anywhere. Find A Helpline (findahelpline.com) lists free lines in your country.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, talk to the ship's medical team, or your GP when you're home. You don't need to wait until the end of your contract.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through the ship
Sometimes the person you would normally tell is part of the problem, or it just does not feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
A cruise line or crewing agency can add its own EAP, welfare officer and peer support contacts here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- SeafarerHelp. Free, confidential, 24 hours, in many languages, for seafarers and their families anywhere.
- Port chaplains and seafarer centres. Mission to Seafarers and Stella Maris welcome crew of any faith or none, in ports around the world.
- The ITF. The International Transport Workers' Federation can help with pay and conditions.
- A crewmate you trust. Someone who knows what it's like.
- Your GP at home. Between contracts, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Numbers are Australian unless shown. Outside Australia, findahelpline.com lists free lines in your country.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"I'm a long way from home and I'm struggling."
"Something happened on board and I need advice."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- Your supervisor or HR can change your duties or cabin if you ask. You don't have to explain every detail.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in a shared cabin or the crew mess. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Berth
Unladen™ Berth is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any cruise line, crewing agency or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Berth that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · October 2026