Shipping industry faces worldwide labor shortage

Lloyd's List, May 8 2008-- THE crewing crisis facing the shipping industry is going to get worse before it gets better, warn some of the world’s top ship managers. “To say that the shipping industry is facing an unprecedented crisis in terms of the quality and number of seafarers is an understatement. The crisis is now squarely upon us,” said Brian Martis, human resource director-marine for V. Ships told the Lloyd’s List Seafarers 2008 conference in Singapore. As the shortage of qualified senior officers grows, the vast numbers of newbuildings on order at the world’s shipbuilders is a major cause for concern in terms of how they will adequately crewed. Ole Stene, president of Intermanger and managing director of Aboitiz Jebsen Bulk Transport, noted that 10,000 ships were being built that would require 400,000 seafarers. “This is a frightening scenario given the problems the industry is facing today,” he said. “The chickens have come home to roost.” Commenting on the global fleet expansion, Rajaish Bajpaee, chief operating officer of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said: “We do not even know where we will get the manpower to man them,” Looking more specifically at the LNG sector, one of the first to encounter a serious shortage of qualified senior officers, Ravi Sinha, a marine superintendent for Thome Shipmanagement said a fleet of 384 ships expected by 2011 will require 2,412 officers, compared to the 1,098 officers needed by the LNG fleet today. Capt Ravi said that a failure to act now could see ships laid-up or “even worse” accidents. “The safety record for the LNG fleet has been excellent, but for how long?” he asked.