Marine Log - June 2008 - (Page 23)

BY NIGEL KITCHEN SHIPPING Innovation needed to meet crew shortage eyond doubt the lack of quality seafarers has been and continues to be the single most important issue in the ship management sector, believes Rajaish Bajpaee, chief operating officer of the Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Group. He says: "We have been able to address this challenge by providing attractive remunerations, adequate training and motivation through instilling a sense of pride in the company’s achievements and creating a comfort level of the company’s support in adverse circumstances. Over the last year we have also expanded our manning offices network to a considerable degree. We did this in response to client requirements and to further strengthen our seafaring pool from new recruitment sources. Bajpaee said the company will continue to consolidate and invest into its existing and new locations. “Qualified and loyal staff onboard and ashore is our most valuable resource and with the formation of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, we now have a strong pool of over 16,000 seafarers and we expect overall staff numbers to grow in our fleet, as well as in our expanding shore operations.” According to Kishore Rajvanshy, managing director, Fleet Management Ltd, the serious lack of seafarers has been a constant struggle for the industry over the past few years. “Although, we initiated some very innovative steps to tap the talented and qualified seafarers from known seafaring nations, I must admit that the problem is not entirely solved at Fleet Management and we are still exploring new avenues to address our crew requirement needs," he says. "Having said that, we have been very successful not only in recruiting and retaining our seafarers for the existing fleet but also in catering to the needs of our expanding fleet. “We have already started reaching out to remote locations in India and China. www.marinelog.com B Bajpaee: “Qualified and loyal staff onboard and ashore is our most valuable resource we now have a strong pool of over 16,000 seafarers” We have always maintained about 70% of seafarers from India and we intend to continue with this equation in years to come. Specifically in India, we are exploring the possibility of adopting regional engineering colleges to convert them in to pure 'Nautical & Engineering colleges' and train the young talents to become sound marine professionals. Also, our focus will be to create awareness among students of the company’s Safety Management System at the very nascent stage. Rajvanshy believes that the “transparent and innovative human resources policies” that have helped the company's high retention rates include offering maximum opportunity for career development for sea staff, offering first priority to children and siblings of our staff when it comes to the induction of new staff, and making no compromises or shortcuts when it comes to safety and regulation. One solution to the seafarer shortage being adopted by Anglo Eastern is to request that all its principals provide more cadet berths. Director of QA and Training, Captain Pradeep Chawla says: “The lack of seafarers is being felt by the industry all over and we have been serious in our recruitment of fresh people Rajaish Bajpaee, COO of the Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Group and training these new seafarers. We are aiming to recruit two cadets on each ship.” Another company increasing its cadet berths is Columbia Shipmanagement Ltd. Managing director Dirk Fry says: "We have increased our investment in training of all types, including berths for more cadets. We have become more proactive in dealing with specific crew shortfalls. Of course, we have also had to look again at crew salary structures." According to Epic Ship Management CEO Nigel Cleave, planning well ahead is key to avoiding the seafarer shortfall. “We have been allowing for those vessels scheduled to join the fleet plus a margin of 25%,” he says. "Recruitment and training form an essential part of our overall expansion plan.” Training is also important to the Thome Group. President and CEO Olav JUNE 2008 YEARBOOK MARINE LOG 23 http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - June 2008

Marine Log - June 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Innovation Needed to Meet Crew Shortage Optimism Abounds Despite Slowing Economy Can Shipping's Shopaholics Keep Up the Buying Binge? Can Congress Keep Navy Shipbuilding Off the Rocks? Fitting the Ultra-deepwater Pieces Together Generation Next Higher Demand, Higher Prices Demand Up For Large Combination Vessels The Dirty Truth About Emissions SSAS: Realizing Its Potential Fuel Saving Technology Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Events Buyer's Guide Website Directory ML Marketplace Tech Talk

Marine Log - June 2008

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