Ships & Shipping editorial – June 2010
One fine day the international maritime industry will come to its collective senses and do something drastic and global about the ever worsening problem of manning.
Of course, it is always someone else's fault. Shipping is an industry where the lowest common denominator tends to set the standard.
It has always been thus. Improvements in the areas of manning, safety and environmental consciousness have been grudging and slow. Most have been enforced by governments rather than inspired by industry.
Reformers as historically and geographically diverse as Samuel Plimsoll and Peter Morris have had to battle very hard to bring about changes for the better. Anyone wanting to make improvements has to be prepared for a long hard grind with little or no support from his industry peers.
Everyone in the industry is well aware of the problems it faces but almost no-one is prepared to make the first move. They are all terrified of throwing away any competitive advantage they may enjoy.
When an individual ship owner or a group of them proposes something that would benefit the whole industry and, indeed, the whole world, they will get little support from their peers.
The Hong Kong Shipowners Association, for example, stuck its neck out a couple of years ago to advocate a switch to distillate for fuel. Support for this eminently sensible change from their counterparts around the world was almost non-existent.
Some of the Scandinavian countries and companies have been forward thinking and brave enough to lead by example. I have in mind Concordia Maritime with its twin engined tankers and Willenius Wilhelmsen with its Ro-Ro's.
Their fine examples have, even if not actually ridiculed, been little followed. Very few companies, or even nations, want to stand out from the crowd. In matters maritime the cheapest shortest term solution tends to prevail.
The fact, however, is that many shipowners are pillars of the community in their own home countries. A classic example is the group of leading Greek shipowners who have led, inspired and funded the enormously effective HELMEPA (Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association). At comparatively little cost they have cleaned up both the Aegean Sea and their own image. They have also inspired the global INTERMEPA with a fast growing network of similar MEPAs in a number of other countries (I have the honour of chairing AUSMEPA in Australia).
All the MEPAs are mostly organised and funded by their local ship owning community. Much the same can be said about the various Missions to Seafarers
and Apostleships of the Sea and similar welfare organisations that benefit
seafarers everywhere.
In other words, most shipowners are not greedy, grasping short-term thinkers. However, as Michael Grey points out in his excellent column on page 6 of this issue, there seems to be a global collective mental block as far as manning and seafarer conditions are concerned.
A recent study by The Nippon Foundation and the Japan International Transport Institute estimated the international maritime industry will require an additional 32,000 officers and 47,000 ratings by 2020.
The study also concluded, as many have before it, that too few young people are joining the industry and too many existing seafarers seek shore-based jobs too early in their careers. Poor conditions at sea, family relationship problems, piracy, health, safety and sometimes poor in port treatment are all cited as reasons to avoid shipping as a career. Interestingly, wages and job satisfaction were not listed as disadvantages.
Many other studies and surveys have produced similar results. Almost everyone in the industry agrees largely with them. Why, then, is so little being done to adapt to modern manning expectations. Even if the cost is considerable, if everyone lifts their game it will not cause competitive disadvantage. Indeed, the price per tonne mile of cargoes need only be raised by a minute amount.
The aviation industry is similar in many ways to shipping. It just seems to have escaped the Dickensian approach that seems endemic in the maritime world.
The aviation industry still seems to attract an inexhautible supply of enthusiastic, intelligent young recruits. The shipping industry should be looking very closely at its example as far as manning and employment conditions are concerned. If ever there was a case for showing some enlightened self-interest, this is it.
Neil Baird
Editor-in-Chief
