Merchant fleet officer shortage imminent?
The already existing shortage of officers to crew the global merchant fleet is getting worse. According to the latest manning annual review and forecast report published by the London (UK)-based shipping consultancy Drewry, the reduced attractiveness of a career at sea and rising man-berth ratios will inflate future manning costs.
While Drewry estimates that there is currently a global officer shortage equating to around 2% of overall demand, masked by the temporary idling of vessels due to the pandemic, the reactivation of the merchant fleet is expected to accelerate the demand for officers.
"Ship operators need to beware of officer availability trends and the deteriorating attractiveness of a career at sea," Drewry’s senior manning analyst Rhett Harris said. (mw)