Why the recruitment pitch for a career at sea is so weak

LAST week's column looked at the impending shortage of seafarers, particularly that of officers. To tackle this, the two biggest shipping industry and shipowners' organisations have published a report with a slew of recommendations on training and recruitment.

However the big question is whether going to sea is really a good career; the obvious follow-on question is whether those working at sea generally feel happy.

Probably the best measure of this is the Seafarers Happiness Index, launched by global welfare charity The Mission to Seafarers (MtS) in 2015. Its website describes the index "as a way to gauge the thoughts and feelings that seafarers have about their lives at sea". Quarterly reports are published in association with ship manager Wallem and mutual insurer the Standard Club.