How are you going?
Get it off your chest.
For masters, deckhands, engineers and wharf crew after someone in the water, a collision or heavy berthing, an injury, or aggression on board. For trainees and experienced crew. Use it straight away, or any time in the weeks after.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer or anyone else. Unladen Ferry is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any ferry operator.
You can stop now.
When the vessel and passengers are safe, tell your master or operations and ask to be relieved. You don't have to finish your shift after an incident.
What happened?
Choose one to see what matters most right now. You can skip this.
Someone went into the water
- Raising the alarm and helping was your job, and you did it. The outcome isn't yours alone to carry.
- Rescues and searches involve many people and many things outside anyone's control.
- Get checked if you went in the water, or strained yourself on the recovery.
- Whether they were rescued or not, this is one of the hardest things crew face. Take the support.
A death, or recovering a body
- Seeing or recovering someone who has died is a traumatic experience, even when crew are trained for it.
- Ask to be stood down for the rest of the shift.
- You don't have to describe what you saw to anyone until you're ready.
Collision, near miss or heavy berthing
- Make the vessel and passengers safe, then report to operations.
- You may be interviewed by your operator, and sometimes by the Office of Transport Safety Investigations. You can ask for a union or support person to be with you.
- Many operators do a routine drug and alcohol test after an incident. It doesn't mean anyone thinks you did something wrong.
Someone was hurt on board or at the wharf
- Get first aid, and call 000 if it's serious. Tell your master or operations.
- If it was you, get checked, even if it seems minor. Line, gangway and crush injuries can be worse than they first feel.
- Near misses with lines or the gangway can be frightening too. They're worth reporting.
Assault, threat or abuse
- If you're in danger or hurt, call 000 and tell your master or operations.
- You don't have to confront anyone. Your safety comes first.
- Being assaulted at work is a crime and a workplace injury. You can report it to police and make a workers compensation claim. Your union can help with both.
I'm in training
- When it's safe, tell the master or your trainer.
- You're allowed to be rattled. You don't have to keep working for the rest of the shift.
- Report it honestly, even if it seems small.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaking, feeling sick, a racing heart
- Numb, or feeling nothing at all
- Going over it again and again
- Anger, guilt, or asking "what if"
- Wanting to be alone, or not wanting to be alone
These are normal reactions to an abnormal event. They usually ease over the following days and weeks.
You don't have to work out who was at fault
That's for the investigation, not for you to decide today. Investigations look at the whole system: the vessel, the wharf, the conditions, the procedures and the training, not just at you. You deserve support whatever it finds.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
For the rest of today
- Don't drive yourself home if you're shaken. Ask for a lift.
- Say yes to support when it's offered, even if you feel fine now.
- Tell someone at home what happened, as much or as little as you want.
- Eat something, drink water, and go easy on alcohol tonight.
Call someone now
Add your peer supporter and EAP numbers in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe going to your master, manager or operations, there are other people you can go to. You can also write down what happened later, if and when you want to.
How have the last few days been?
Pick the answer closest to how it's been. There are no wrong answers.
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.
Steady
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
People you can call
This check-in isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Add the date to see suggested check-in days.
Check-ins
This phone isn't letting the page save, so check-ins won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Back on the water
There's no right way to recover. These are things other crew and trauma specialists say help.
Go back when you're ready
There's no set timeline. Talk with your manager about leave and when you'll return. Some crew go back within days, others take longer.
Ask for a graded return
A different route, daylight runs, or working alongside someone you trust can make the first shifts easier.
Plan for the wharf or the spot
Tensing up as you pass the place, or at the same wharf, is common. Know when it's coming, breathe out slowly, and check in with yourself after the shift.
Water, weather and sounds can bring it back
A splash, a shout, a certain tide or rough weather can bring back what happened. That's normal. Let your crewmates know if you'd like a heads-up or a hand.
Near misses count too
You can have the same reactions when no one was hurt. You're entitled to the same support.
Watch for delayed reactions
Reactions can show up weeks later, after another incident, or around the anniversary. Check in when they do.
If it isn't easing after four weeks
Talk to your GP or EAP about trauma-focused therapy. It works well, and it's easier to start early.
For family and friends
Listen without pushing for details. Keep normal routines going. Ask what helps, and don't take it personally if they need space.
Draws on Phoenix Australia guidance on recovery after trauma and Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work. Follow your own operator's incident procedure too.
Something happened while you were learning
For new deckhands, masters and engineers, and anyone learning a new vessel, route or wharf.
New vessels and wharves are hard
Berthing, lines and gangways are different on every vessel, wharf and tide. Struggling with them while you're learning is common. It's a reason to learn, not a reason to give up.
You can ask for more familiarisation
If you don't feel ready for a vessel, route or wharf, say so and ask for another familiarisation shift. A NSW investigation into a 2023 incident at Riverview College Wharf found a deckhand had done one training shift on that class of vessel, where company policy called for two to four.
Everyone makes mistakes while learning
Minor bumps, near misses and getting things wrong are part of learning. Experienced people had them too. What matters is that you speak up, learn from it and are supported.
Report it, even if it was small
Reporting protects you. An unreported bump can look worse later than an honest report made on the day. Write down what happened in your private record while it's fresh.
What usually happens next
Most incidents mean a short report and a talk with your trainer or supervisor. Many operators also do a routine drug and alcohol test after any incident. It doesn't mean anyone thinks you did something wrong.
Ask for a proper debrief
A good debrief looks at what happened and what to try next time, not at blame. You could say: “Can we go over that so I know what to do differently?”
You can ask to pause
If you're shaken, you don't have to keep driving or working for the rest of the session. Being rattled makes it harder to learn, and harder to be safe.
Feedback shouldn't humiliate you
Firm, clear feedback is part of training. Yelling, put-downs or being singled out in front of others isn't. If that's happening, you can raise it through the other ways on this app, including your union, even while on probation.
You're covered too
Trainees and people on probation can use the EAP, peer support and the support lines, the same as everyone else.
If it's been a big one
If someone was hurt, or you saw something distressing, this app is for you as much as for anyone. Use the check-in, and use the support lines.
General guidance, not your operator’s policy. Ask your trainer how incidents are handled where you work. Riverview College Wharf finding: Office of Transport Safety Investigations, 2025.
People to call
Save the numbers you'd want after an incident. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
24/7 support lines
You don't have to go through your manager
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your operator
Your ferry operator can add its own EAP, peer support, chaplaincy and wellbeing numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called.
- Peer supporters. Many operators have trained crew who have been through incidents themselves.
- Your union. For example the Maritime Union of Australia, or the Australian Maritime Officers Union for masters. They give confidential advice, and a delegate can come to meetings with you.
- Your work health and safety representative. For safety issues, including fatigue, aggression and bullying.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, 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
If you've seen serious wrongdoing, NSW public interest disclosure laws protect people who report it. The NSW Ombudsman can explain how.
Spiritual and religious support
Some workplaces have a chaplain or pastoral carer. They support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
You can also ask for someone from your own faith or cultural community. Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith community after an incident. Others find it in nature, music or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
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?"
"Since the incident I'm not coping, and I don't feel I can raise it with my manager."
"I want to talk to someone who isn't in my chain of command."
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.
- Your union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- A formal report or complaint starts a process. People involved may be told, and you may be asked for your account. You can ask for support through it.
- 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
Write it in your own words, when you're ready. It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. It can help later with an investigation, a workers compensation claim, or if something at work isn't right.
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 the crew room or on the way home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (check-ins, incident date, 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 check-ins, incident date, private record, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Ferry
Unladen Ferry is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any ferry operator. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your check-ins, incident date, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
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 · September 2026