A new survey carried out as part of the BImco/ICS Manpower Report 2015 seeks to engage seafarers to understand their views on life at sea and outlook for the industry’s manpower. Preliminary results indicate the majority of respondents are content with life at sea.
The Manpower Report by the Baltic and International Maritime Council (Bimco) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has been published every five years since 1990, and traditionally consisted of two questionnaires completed by shipping companies and national maritime administrations respectively to determine the current seafarer supply and demand situation.
The new Manpower Report will also solicit the opinions from a wider number of maritime professionals, including seafarers, lecturers at maritime education and training (MET) institutions, manning agents, maritime unions, and port welfare workers.
Preliminary Findings
The survey of seafarers is the first of the targeted surveys for this year’s report. More than 500 seafarers of over forty nationalities have already responded. Some of the other preliminary findings include:
- "Happy ships", timely wage payments and career promotion opportunities were the most popular responses indicated when seafarers were asked about the important factors that influenced their decisions to stay with their current employers.
- 66 per cent of the seafarers that responded estimated that it would take them less than three months to secure another job in the industry if they chose to leave their current company.
- Basic pay and internet access were the most popular responses provided as improvements in conditions at sea when asked about changes within the past two years.
Value of Training and Skills
Having provided seafarers with an opportunity to provide insight on the seafaring career, one of the trends that resonated in the responses was the importance and value of the training and skills that come with being a maritime professional: 'Life at sea is exciting, challenging and very educational. The skills that anyone can receive from this job cannot be compared to anything else ashore.'
Possibility of Adventure
The survey also points towards the impact that increased regulation of the industry has had on the seafaring profession. One seafarer responded: 'This is a great career, but an increasingly technical and administrative one, so it is no longer as much an adventure as simply a job, albeit one with the possibility of adventure!'
Survey for Lecturers
With preparations of the Manpower Report 2015 continuing apace, now a second series of the new surveys has been launched aimed at MET lecturers. This survey can be found online. The survey explores the status of the current recruitment and training intake, training standards, training techniques, and implementation of the latest amendments to the STCW Convention.
