Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent at Sea

Alastair Fischbacher, Chief Executive, Sustainable Shipping Initiative

With shipping accounting for 90% of global trade, the need for numerous and highly-qualified seafarers is a constant. A recent IMO study revealed that the current officer shortfall stands at about 16,500 officers and if trade increases, this may get worse.

There can be no doubt that seafarers and crews are the lifeblood of the shipping industry. It is therefore vital that they have a safe environment to work within, and a quality of life that is appropriate and in line with the welfare standards that we expect for ourselves within the modern workplace. Not only is this important because it is the right thing to do for seafarers themselves, it is also central in enabling shipping to market and position itself as an industry of opportunity; one that attracts and retains talented people, where they can develop a rewarding career and achieve their full potential.

Providing such a workplace for seafarers is a key component in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the shipping industry.   While progress has been made in the last two or three years, with the ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), there is certainly more that can be done to raise standards on a global basis beyond the minimum of the MLC mandatory requirements.

Over a million seafarers from multiple nationalities work onboard vessels, and many millions more personnel are employed within the industry onshore. The welfare of these people is one of the six core areas of the SSI's Vision, which is to create a truly sustainable shipping industry by 2040.

Welfare

From a welfare perspective the industry still needs to see significant development; from improvements in safety standards and labour conditions, progress in training, equality and other areas of best practice, there are a wide range of important elements that need to be addressed.  In achieving this, the ultimate goal is that shipping becomes a recognised, sought after and highly-ranked sector, where people can enjoy rewarding careers, and where labour conditions are assessed on a level playing field across all segments of the industry, and where accident rates are reduced to be at least in parity with other relevant land-based industries.

So what are the immediate challenges the industry faces, and what needs to be done?

A crucial first step is tackling the negative associations that shipping attracts from outside of the industry. In 2015, the SSI partnered with Southampton Solent University for a programme of research called the Shipping Awareness Project. The project is still in progress, but a summary of initial results confirmed a significant lack of understanding of shipping among the general public, even within well established port towns.

At a basic level, respondents could recognise vessels from the cruise sector, as well as military ships, which feels somewhat inevitable.  However, the majority of respondents could not identify a container vessel, an oil tanker or bulk carrier, let alone know what the vessels and shipping as a whole do for them. This visual lack of awareness is a significant factor in the lack of knowledge or understanding of the industry.  People don't understand how much shipping materially and commercially contributes to the global and local economy. If people don't understand how important the industry is or that it is there at all, why would they be motivated to become part of it?

Taking this a step further, not only is there a lack of understanding of shipping, or its positive contribution to society and worldwide trade, but whenever shipping is reported or profiled within the general public, the content is mostly negative. Think back to recent news stories: shipping's unknown contribution to global warming and of course, the Costa Concordia disaster, spring to mind. When you add this to the recurring stories about ship recycling and the lack of environmental, social and health and safety standards in Bangladesh and India, it becomes easier to understand the negative connotations the industry can attract. Indeed, it is hardly surprising that the industry is not widely seen as a bedrock of opportunity, or a place where someone might want to develop a rewarding career.

This must change, but of course, the critical elements of improving welfare and opportunity must also be created and implemented in order to drive the change that is required.

Social Sustainability Working Group

In pursuit of this, and in terms of tangible action for seafarer welfare, the SSI established a Social Sustainability Working Group to investigate ways of informing and driving change. As part of this we initiated a survey to delve deeper into the quality of life of seafarers, in order to help create the context for establishing what more can be done to enhance living conditions on board vessels.

The survey highlighted that seafarers often experience stress while at sea, both in their day-to-day work, conducted in sometimes harsh environments, as well as the emotional challenges of being away from their friends and families for long periods of time. Seafarers, like anyone else, require suitable living spaces for relaxation and rest, with, means of appropriate social distraction and access to positive and empathetic support while on board.  The need for a proper work schedule and adequate shore leave when in port were also highlighted in the survey.

As I mentioned above, the Maritime Labour Convention was implemented to tackle some of these issues. It is fair to suggest that since it came into force in 2013, and now covers 80% of the global fleet, this 'bill of rights' has had a genuine impact in ensuring that the majority of seafarers have the right, at a minimum, to a basic safe and secure workplace, fair terms of employment and relatively decent living conditions.  This includes minimum age, employment agreements, hours of work or rest, payment of wages, paid annual leave, repatriation at the end of a contract, onboard medical care, the use of licensed private recruitment and placement services, accommodation, food and catering, health and safety protection and accident prevention, and seafarers' complaints handling.

Much has been achieved, but more can and needs to be done.

Seafarers on-board Charter

To that end, as part of the SSI's Social Sustainability Working Group, we have been developing a 'Seafarers on-board Charter', a best practice charter that can be adopted by ship owners, operators and managers and others in the industry. For those that adopt it, it demonstrates that they recognise the value of the seafarer to the enterprise, and in addition to the mandatory requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention, are also implementing some of the voluntary aspects within the Part B provisions of the MLC.

It is this principle of going 'beyond the basics' that is the fundamental premise of the charter, which is then split into five subcategories. These are:

1. Accomodation: signatories to the charter would strive to enhance habitability through indoor Environmental Quality Factors, such as light, heat, moisture, noise, vibration, air quality and colours to promote rest and relaxation.
2. Recreational and social activities: including providing and equipping recreational spaces that encourage social activities on board vessels; providing a welfare fund to each vessel to be spent as decided by the seafarers; encouraging a cohesive onboard community through regular social activities; ensuring that port agents provide information on available shore facilities when requested by the Master; and encouraging shore leave wherever practical and possible in port and at anchor.
3. Communication and support: providing internet connectivity to seafarers; conducting seafarer satisfaction surveys to monitor developments, capturing concerns, as well as progress, and responding to feedback with actions as appropriate; they should also consider the opportunity of engaging and aligning themselves with a charity such as the Sailors' Society that promotes seafarer well-being.
4. Food and catering: Ensuring that potable water is of suitable quality, is fit to drink and is tested regularly.
5. Management and policy: Signatories must ensure that there are equal opportunities for seafarers and shore staff; encourage a harmonious workplace on board vessels led by senior officers; encourage and value the retention of seafarers; and review manning procedures to encourage industry best practice as far as is practical. 

The Seafarers On-board Charter is voluntary - a statement of best practice and intent that can be adopted by progressive and sustainability-conscious owners and operators.  Given this, some may question how its uptake can be driven across the industry.

Our argument for taking up the standard is that those who adopt it, and have or create a better working environment, will have a more productive business, more efficient operations, and will generate more commercial benefits and profitability.  There is a connection between crew experience, crew satisfaction and efficient operations – forward-thinking companies have seen this and already put a great deal of effort into developing and retaining crews. They will be seen as the best employers, and will have the best people working for them.  This is the hallmark of sustainability.

Furthermore, we must take learnings from other areas of sustainability within shipping.  We've seen an uptake in clean technologies and improved vessel design as a means of increasing operational efficiencies and reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions.  These improvements come from the need for competitive advantage – owners, operators and customers want to see improvements in efficiency and sustainability within their shipping supply chains.

The owners and operators that deliver sustainable options create a competitive advantage for themselves within the market, so the same principle can be assumed with the adoption of new standards for seafarers that encompass the voluntary aspects of the MLC.  Indeed, the SSI expects that rating schemes will increasingly recognise and favour owners and operators who adopt more progressive approaches to crew welfare.  In addition, there is the possibility that seafarers will wish to see which progressive companies place additional value on their sailing and shore staff, which will inevitably provide those companies with the opportunity to attract the best people.

While change is happening, there is clearly a still long way to go until we achieve our goals for ensuring widespread excellence in standards of welfare for seafarers. There is undoubtedly a realisation that seafarers are central to the long-term sustainable success of the shipping industry.  Many companies already work hard to retain their services and the excellence that they provide, and strive to create an environment of opportunity that brings new skills into the industry.  We must build on this and encourage wider uptake of improving standards and improving the industry.

Basic regulations have been put in place that act as a foundation.  However, in order to create a continuous and natural culture of welfare that is truly sustainable shipping needs to go further. Ultimately this will serve to build a profile and a reputation for shipping as an industry of opportunity, and in which people aspire to be a part of, and thrive within.

From the perspective of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, we will continue to work hard to ensure that the key milestones within our Roadmap are achieved.  Our members are committed to investing their energies to this end, but it is critical that we have support from the many other factions of the industry.  Only by creating a true culture of sustainability will the shipping industry be able to attract and retain top talent in the competitive market we find ourselves in.