Crew crunch is even more worrying

Crew crunch is even more worrying
15 Oct 2008


SHORTAGE of officers could prove to be of greater significance to shipping than the credit crunch, Jan Morten Eskilt, chairman of OSM Group, told the Marine Money conference in Singapore today. SHORTAGE of officers could prove to be of greater significance to shipping than the credit crunch, Jan Morten Eskilt, chairman of OSM Group, told participants at the Marine Money conference in Singapore today. In May this year there were predictions of a shortfall of 84,000 officers globally. It is already at 34,000 – and so far there has been too much talk and not enough action, Eskilt said. Even though the BIMCO/ISF manpower study released in 2005, and the Drewry/PAL analysis forecast shortages, they both underestimated the full extent of the problem. One reason for this is that more ships than predicted are being delivered from shipyards, and the boom in offshore shipping is also creating new demand for certificated officers. Part of the problem is that shipping has failed to take the issue seriously, he added, with few vessels providing cabins for cadets. More than 4,000 officers will be needed for ships to be delivered in 2009 and 2010, although it's not known where they will be found. Sadly, insurer Gard predicts this will result in under-qualified officers on the bridge, and predicts an increase in maritime accidents of 20-30% attributable to inexperienced crew.