FEATURE
IMO NEWS
WORLD MARITIME DAY 2015
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ISSUE 3
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2015
The importance of maritime education and training
Effective maritime education and training needs to test theoretical knowledge aswell as impart practical skills
T
oday, we live in a society supported by a global economy, which simply could not function if it were not for shipping. Shipping serves global trade by carrying huge quantities of cargo, all over the world, cost-effectively, cleanly and safely. If the world depends on a safe, secure and efficient shipping industry, the shipping industry, in turn, is dependent on an adequate supply of seafarers to operate the ships that carry the essential cargoes we all rely on. But this supply of manpower is by no means guaranteed. A shortfall of seafarer recruits, below the number required to
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sustain the industry, has long been predicted. And, while we have yet to see that shortfall materialize in such a way as to harm the industry, the warning signs are there for all to see.
Increasing demand Currently, more than 1.5 million people are employed as seafarers. If the global economy continues to grow, more highly trained and qualified seafarers will be needed. Related activities such as shipbuilding, ship repair and ship recycling will also have growing requirements for manpower resources. If the global fleet increases in size by 70% between now and 2030 (as has been widely predicted, based on the growth trend of the last five decades), the current number of 500,000 officers needs to be increased to
850,000. If half the existing officers retire by 2030, that means 600,000 new officers will need to be recruited and trained from now. This equates to an annual requirement for officers in the order of some 40,000. This is a real challenge. Clearly, further effort must be made to bring new generations into seafaring as a profession. Seafaring must be seen to appeal to new generations as a rewarding and fulfilling career. Are those responsible for the recruitment, education and training of seafarers prepared for it? Are they ready to meet this predicted demand? Is the capacity there? Are the standards sufficiently high? These are among the questions IMO has put in the spotlight of its World Maritime Day theme this year.
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