The effect of fatigue on seafarers' ship-boarding process: jet lag disorder.

Objectives. In parallel with the rising world population, consumption is increasing. Seafarers work intensively for the continuity of consumption. Vessel crew work under contract for specific periods. When the contract ends, new personnel join the ship while others leave. Personnel are transferred to the ship's location by plane for the change. During this flight, seafarers are exposed to rapid time zone changes that affect their circadian rhythms. This situation causes jet lag disorder, which is a sub-factor of fatigue. It is known that ship personnel sometimes board vessels without giving them a rest period when they arrive at the destination port by plane and quickly start operations under their duties and responsibilities. Seafarers can participate in risky operations without realizing that they are under the effect of jet lag. Methods. In this study, data were obtained by applying a survey to 114 seafarers. A jet lag disorder that may occur while the seafarers' join the ship was analyzed with an independent-sample t test using SPSS version 23. Results and Conclusion. There was a positive relationship between the seafarers' work performance at the time they joined the ship and the duration they stayed at the hotel.