Marine Log - March 2009 - (Page 31) RECRUITMENT captain, chief mate and second mate, are the hardest to find. The worldwide shortfall of officers stands at 10,000, or two percent of the total workforce, according to a 2005 survey from BIMCO/ISF, two international shipping groups. By 2015, however, the survey projects the officer shortage to triple. Changes to regulations that govern licensing within the industry are also compounding the problem, as is an aging workforce. The days of “coming up the hawsepipe” are over as a more demanding certification process deters the less academically inclined. While mariners of the past were able to start as a deckhand and work their way through the ranks with sweat equity, those days are gone. Stringent licensing requirements have put checks and balances in place to ensure only those who follow academic testing and procedures advance their careers on a licensure track. In 1995, the Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) was significantly amended from its original writing in 1978. The original rule served to establish and standardize basic requirements on training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers on an international level. It did not deal, however, with manning levels of vessels. The 1995 amendments to the Code (STCW95) added more “hands-on” demonstration of skill and ability to prove that mariners are qualified to serve aboard seagoing vessels. The biggest change with STCW-95 is that it formalizes the documentation of competencies to perform these tasks. The new amendments require that seafarers be provided with “familiarization training” and “basic safety training” (firefighting, first aid, survival techniques and social responsibility). They also require, among other things, rest “Our people are our business. We have built a world class safety culture and by adding career advancement programs, we can make working for Crowley a top choice for any mariner.” Cole Crowley, Vice President, Maritime Personnel Crowley Maritime Corporation periods for watchkeeping personnel. And every officer is required at intervals to meet the fitness standards of their outlined professional competence. So in a day when Crowley competes internationally for talent, maritime academies are at maximum enrollment and still unable to meet demands and licensing regulations are tighter than ever, what’s a maritime company to do? Crowley has assembled a marine personnel department dedicated to personnel development that standardizes policy and procedures, prioritizes required training and focuses on retention and promotion of qualified mariners to ensure company durability. The department is headed by Cole Cosgrove, vice president, who has spent more than 20 years with Crowley in various capacities including port captain, senior port captain, director of chartering operations and general manager of ship management. Cosgrove acknowledges that there is a tightening of the labor pool. He agrees that it is in part due to a maturing maritime population brought on by lack of entry-level employment opportunities. This is in the absence of U.S. flag new builds and the development of new technology that has cut the average crew size 25 to 30% from levels 30 years ago. Vessels are larger but require a smaller operating crew and with fewer crew, there are fewer training billets. Currently, the average cargo vessel capacity is approximately 28,000 deadweight tons (dwt), compared to 12,000 dwt in 1970. While the U.S. fleet size has declined, its productivity has improved substantially. The U.S.-flag foreign trade liner fleet handles 42% more cargo than in 1970, but in fewer, larger vessels with less than half of the crewmembers. Recently, new standards, instituted as part of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, requiring double hull tankers, have created a number of U.S. flag new builds. Crowley itself is adding 17 new articulated tug and barge (ATB) units. Cosgrove acknowledges that competition for crews, increased training and new STCW requirements for towing license endorsements are partially to blame for a shortage in mariners but explains that through his new department they will be tackling some of these issues. “Part of what makes marine personnel such a challenge at Crowley is that MARITIME EDUCATION SUMMIT Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, Mass., will host the Maritime Education Summit: Trending and Pedagogy for the Future on April 15 -17, 2009. As maritime academies prepare the next generation of maritime professionals for careers at sea and ashore, there are many critical issues to consider in charting a course for the future. The summit will seek to address the most important of these issues. The summit will also convene a Maritime Workforce Panel led by representatives from major maritime corporations and from the national shipping unions. Breakout sessions will follow focused tracks on maritime training, strategy and administration, and general education. Specific topics scheduled for presentation include the critical, current-day issues of piracy, port security and emergency response. Participants in the conference will also be given the opportunity for a first-hand view of the Academy’s Advanced Shiphandling in Manned Models training program. The Maritime Education Summit will run concurrently with the spring meeting of the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC). Established by the Commandant of the Coast Guard in 1992, the 19-member group advises the Secretary of Homeland Security on issues affecting and regulating merchant mariners. Attendees of the Maritime Education Summit are welcome to attend the meeting. For more information on the summit, visit www.maritime.edu/educationsummit www.marinelog.com MARCH 2009 MARINE LOG 31 http://www.maritime.edu/educationsummit http://www.marinelog.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.