Tackling the seafarer shortage with a slick promo video

THERE is a global shortage of seafarers – or, more precisely, mainly of qualified officers – to serve on the international merchant fleet. Unsurprisingly, the main shipowners’ organisation, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), is trying to do something about that.

On Monday (Jun 26), it launched a video titled An Adventurous Spirit, to “showcase how diverse and interesting a career in seafaring is”. The ICS added that it created the video “for the international shipping industry to use as a key resource in its recruitment efforts”.

The video’s releases coincides with the Shaping the Future of Shipping – Seafarer 2050 summit taking place in Manila, and is intended to mark the start of a global campaign to address the seafarer shortage.

The first thing to say is that the video has a very professional look to it, perhaps almost too slick. But then it is a recruiting advertisement for industry, and not a documentary. It is the result of a collaboration between ICS and its network of members, to produce a resource that the whole shipping industry can use in its recruitment efforts.

ICS said the 10-minute video was produced using first-party testimonials, gathered from current seafarers who shared their insights into what their roles entail, speaking openly about the benefits and challenges of working at sea.

An estimated 90,000 STCW-certified officers are needed by 2026 to operate the world merchant fleet. (Short for the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, the STCW sets minimum standards for personnel aboard merchant ships.)

Natalie Shaw, ICS’ director of employment affairs, said: “The shipping industry, like many other industries, is facing a recruitment crisis. We wanted to set shipping apart from these other industries by showing what an attractive career seafaring is. What makes this video unique is that we are hearing from seafarers themselves, talking openly about their jobs, the challenges and the opportunities.”

A lot of smiling faces pop up and give their views on life at sea in the video, but the star of the show is Nirmalesh Chandra Nirmal. The second officer who works for Hong Kong-based Fleet Management said: “It was an honour to be involved with the making of An Adventurous Spirit. As a seafarer myself, I know what a fantastic career this can be, and I am passionate about helping other people see this too.

“Seafaring is a challenging career, but the rewards are great. You will have opportunities for growth that can see you climb the career ladder, progressing to more senior roles at sea, or transitioning to roles on land, and making friends and memories that will last you a lifetime.”

There is also a two-minute version of the video that was made for use on social media. ICS explained that multiple formats were created to make the video a flexible resource that can be used by industry across different platforms, and tailored to suit their recruitment efforts.

Kathryn Neilson, director of the Merchant Navy Training Board, which is charged with promoting seafaring as a career in the UK, said: “Highlighting the numerous exciting opportunities open to all those considering a new career path is key if we are to attract more people into the maritime industry. This video will be a hugely valuable resource in the promotion of seafaring careers and will showcase the excellent and unique benefits a career at sea provides, from experiencing life on board with international crew to travelling the world.”

Neilson has a particularly difficult job, because young British officers find themselves competing with international counterparts who cheerfully accept well below what would be a reasonable UK salary. The video stresses how good pay is on the international fleet. Well perhaps, but that depends on where home is.

The Manila summit was attended by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, director-general of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Gilbert Houngbo, and industry leaders. ICS said the summit was dedicated to “examining the elements required for a successful transformation of seafarers’ roles to meet the needs of shipping in the future”.

Topics discussed included education and training; building capacity and resilience; recruitment and retention of seafarers; and “ensuring that any transition is safe, equitable and human-centric”.

So is going to sea a good career option? To its credit, the video does mention challenges, including being away from home for lengthy periods. It features a large number of female seafarers – proportionally far more than there really are – but one of them does qualify her call for women to come to sea, by specifying it is a good career for “tough” women.

I would say that applies to men and women. Mental toughness or resilience is essential for anybody intending to go to sea as an officer. For Singaporeans with National Service under their belt, that that may be less of an issue.

And the “see the world” theme is overplayed. The cruise sector apart, the opportunities for many seafarers to get ashore and see places are very limited. The more typical experience is sailing between remote loading and discharge terminals, and spending the short turnarounds working flat out.

Of course, the film is a promotional one – and as such, it is not bad at all. However, were somebody to ask my opinion on whether going to sea would be a good career for them, I think I would have to dispense with the rose-tinted-spectacles approach, and make sure that they also visit the websites of the seafarer-support charities, such as the Mission to Seafarers or the Apostleship of the Sea, to get a balanced view of life today on the world fleet.