Shipping industry reels under manpower shortage

By Philip Mwakio

The shipping industry has been hit by lack of skilled personnel, which threatens world trade.

Industry stakeholders say the serious shortage of seafarers, especially officers, has reached serious proportions and threatens the future of the international shipping industry.

It’s against the worrying trend that International Maritime Organisation (IMO) launched a global initiative dubbed Go-to-Sea in November 2008. The association partnered with the International Labour Organisation, shipping NGOs and the International Transport Workers Federation in the campaign to attract workers to the industry.

The specific aim of the campaign is to promote seafaring as an attractive career option for young people.

Under the Go to Sea initiative, IMO has opened an umbrella body, which the industry stakeholders and governments can mount their own campaigns to step-up recruitments.

"If the global pool of competent and efficient seafarers is to meet future demand, then seafaring must be presented to younger generations as a viable career choice," notes IMO.

A recent audit report on the industry manpower identified a current officer supply level of 498,000 in 2008 reflect a shortfall of 34,000. This figure is projected to rise to 83,900 manpower deficit by 2012.

Glaring shortage

This year, which is being celebrated globally as the Year of Seafarer, attention has re-focused on the pressing need for the shipping industry to come to terms with the glaring labour shortage.

Analysts argue that the shortage might have been temporarily alleviated by the recent downturn in global trade, but the risk still remains.

According to the survey, there is clear evidence showing that not enough young people, particularly in the western hemisphere find it attractive to work as seafarer.

A recent comprehensive assessment of the global supply and demand for seafarers published in 2005 shows a continuing decline in recruitment. Andrew Mwangura, the Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP) co-ordinator says Kenya only contributes an insignificant fraction to the global total estimate of 2.2 million world seafarers.

He cites the lack of nautical institutions to oversee the development of seafarers and fishers.

He argues that failure by Kenya to domesticate a raft of global maritime laws has played as a major obstacle to the sector’s development.

"It is sad to note that seafarers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Poland and India have taken over available jobs that otherwise could easily go to the locals,’’ explained Mwangura.

Out of the 2.2 million world seafarers, 225,122 are Filipinos. These include hotel and catering staff on cruise ships.

Kenyan seafarers comprise of 3,280 skilled and experienced maritime staff.