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Some shipowners warn that crew supply is only set to get worse due to a lack of young people wanting a career at sea.

Others are concerned about the need to upskill existing crews to handle increasing digitalisation and multiple fuel types. This comes during a period of growth in the merchant vessel fleet due to a new shipbuilding cycle and limited vessel recycling.

Most industry insiders agree that the talent shortage is already becoming a serious problem for the industry. Meanwhile, the switch to recruiting shipboard personnel chiefly from the Indian sub-continent and East Asia since the 1980s means there are fewer people able to fill numerous western shore-based roles requiring previous seafaring experience.

As competition for crew has increased, more shipowners are taking action to increase the attractiveness of a seafaring career.
These include improved crew accommodation, better internet connectivity and more flexible, or shorter working contracts. All of these can be effective ways to reduce attrition.

So what more needs to be done to ensure a continued supply of skilled seafarers and attract young people to the industry to operate the global vessel fleet?

Joining Rob Wilmington on this week’s episode are:
Julia Anastasiou, chief crew management officer at OSM Thome
Raal Harris, chief creative officer, Ocean Technologies