Why Gen Z and Old-School Seafarers Clash at Sea

Why Gen Z and Old-School Seafarers Clash at Sea

From Deck Tales: Secrets From The Sea. Behind the Scenes Stories from Cruise Ships and Crew Members from Maritime and Sea Life by Sam Catling - Sea Life Story Teller

May 20, 2026 · 1h 54m · Season 3 · Episode 58

About this episode

Tineke Zoet discusses the clash between Gen Z and old-school seafarers, emphasizing the importance of human factors in maritime safety and leadership.

Ep58: Tineke Zoet In this episode of Deck Tales , we are joined by maritime workplace coach Tineke Zoet, whose unconventional journey—from Dutch Merchant Navy engineer to human factors specialist and coach—offers a powerful lens on life at sea. Tineke shares how her early struggles with toxic leadership, burnout, and feeling like an outsider shaped her mission to improve psychological safety in the maritime industry. Drawing on both lived experience and accident analysis research, she unpacks the hidden human factors behind incidents at sea—fatigue, poor communication, and unsafe cultures—arguing that technology has advanced faster than the people using it. The conversation explores the realities of isolation, identity, and cultural tension onboard, as well as the evolving challenges brought by generational shifts and social media. Ultimately, Tineke makes a compelling case: the future of safe and effective shipping depends not just on technical skill, but on human-centered leadership, accountability, and connection. Tineke Zoet – Maritime Workplace Coach ⚓ Key Takeaways Human factors drive most incidents 80–90% of maritime accidents trace back to human elements—fatigue…

People in this episode

Host: Sam Catling

Guest: Tineke Zoet

Topics covered

  • generational clash
  • psychological safety
  • maritime incidents
  • human factors
  • leadership
  • mental health

Keywords

  • Gen Z
  • seafarers
  • psychological safety
  • maritime accidents
  • human factors
  • leadership
  • communication
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dutch Merchant Navy, maritime industry

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