Trauma, post-trauma, and support in the shipping industry: The experience of Filipino seafarers after pirate attacks

• Seafarer hostages suffered physical and psychological abuse during captivity.
• After release, victims show symptoms associated with PTSD.
• Filipino seafarer victims received no systematic treatment for psychological problems.
• The paper reveals a deficiency in the regulatory framework governing seafarers׳ OHS in the Philippines.

This paper focuses on Filipino seafarers who were taken hostage by Somali pirates and explores their experiences and sufferings both during the captivity and after release. It shows that during captivity the victims suffered from various forms of traumatic abuse which scarred them both physically and psychologically. After release, the data suggests that seafarers suffered from symptoms associated with mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, seafarers reported that they received no systematic attention or treatment for psychological problems. The issue reveals a deficiency in the regulatory framework governing seafarers׳ occupational health and safety in the Philippines.