0.7 C
Hamburg
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Home Industry Opinions Seafarer labour market tightest on record

Seafarer labour market tightest on record

The 2023 officer availability gap has widened to a deficit equating to about 9% of the global pool, which represents a marked rise from last year’s 5% shortfall and the highest level since Drewry first started analysing the seafarer market 17 years ago.

Similar deficit levels are forecast for 2023-2028 based on the limits of new seafarer supply becoming available in the period. While these deficit levels are based on vessel numbers together with assumptions on crewing levels and so largely theoretical, they clearly indicate that the seafarer labour market has become particularly tight, with important implications for recruitment and retention as well as manning costs.

Although 2020 is now more and more behind us, the effects of Covid-19 are still persistent, as it not only had a substantial impact on crew training but also on the overall appeal of working at sea. This was mainly due to the various stories of crews stuck on board vessels, too often in dire conditions.

As a result, the importance of well-being has come to the forefront of employee retention, and the trend of looking beyond wage rates is becoming stronger by the day. Things like good communication channels with families at home, comfortable facilities onboard and a supportive work environment are gaining importance.

The most challenging period of the pandemic had hardly ended when the eruption of the Russia-Ukraine war created further challenges in seafarer supply, with many experienced crews returning home to join the military. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight to the war currently, so we expect the numbers of new seafarers from Russia and Ukraine to be very limited for a while.

While vessel manning will be challenging over the few next years, especially with regard to officer availability because of these issues, the accelerating growth of the global deep-sea vessel fleet will make the situation even more difficult.

Source: Drewry‘s Manning Annual Review and Forecast 2023/24

“Employers are seeking alternative sources of supply to fill the gap, and wages have also begun to show more volatility,” stated Drewry’s head of manning research Rhett Harris.

He further added, “While sectors like containerships and offshore supply vessels have already seen increasing wage rates due to the strength of the sectors, we expect wage cost to accelerate for other vessel types as well.”


The article was written by Rhett Harris, Drewry’s senior manning analyst





Latest Posts

Africa advances green shipping strategy

African nations have outlined concrete steps to advance the green transition in shipping, with a focus on maritime governance, infrastructure development, and job creation. On...

Lebanon’s Maritime Sector: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities

Lebanon's maritime sector, a vital economic bridge between East and West, stands at a critical crossroads. Over the past three months, Lebanon's shipping activity has...

Gemini to launch US-Colombia service

Gemini Cooperation, the new alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, has announced a new service update, building on the FLS shuttle service between North and...

Yara and NYK sign ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier charter deal

Yara Clean Ammonia Switzerland SA, a subsidiary of Yara International ASA, one of the world’s largest ammonia distributors, has signed a time-charter contract with...

Maersk announces Mombasa port delays

Maersk has published a customer advisory regarding its proactive actions about the ongoing challenges at the Port of Mombasa in Kenya. In recent weeks, the...
error: Content is protected !!