Seafarer News

The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) has launched a Maritime Workforce Transformation Guidebook which offers a practical approach for companies in the maritime sector to embark on job redesign to better attract talent to the industry.The Guidebook is distilled from key findings of a job redesign pilot conducted in 2022 by SMF in partnership with Pacific Carriers Limited (PCL) Pacific International Lines (PIL). The pilot, which focused on the roles of a Technical Superintendent and a Vessel Operator…

The European Commission has decided to continue recognising certificates for seafarers issued by the Philippines, one of the world’s largest maritime labour supply countries.In December 2021, following a detailed assessment of the training and certification system in place, the Commission had informed the Philippines that recognition of their seafarer certificates would be withdrawn unless serious measures were taken, including the compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW).

Japanese shipping giant NYK unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first onboard use of digital currency through the MarCoPay fintech platform, which is operated by NYK and the Philippine-owned Transnational Diversified Group (TDG).Using MarCoPay, onboard purchases of daily necessities have been successfully performed digitally and hassle-free on a number of vessels, including those operated by other companies, and even in an unstable onboard communication environment.NYK and TDG will continue to prepare for a full launch, which will include the transmission of funds overseas to family members, by improving the efficiency of digital settlements and international remittances…

Danish Shipping is focusing on enhanced participation of women in shipping and has introduced many initiatives that have been launched to increase the number of women on board.With its task force for more women at sea, 10 recommendations for the industry and finally the charter for more women in shipping, Danish Shipping has taken the lead in Europe when it comes to making extra efforts to attract women.Recently, Anne W. Trolle, executive director of employment conditions, recruitment & training of Danish Shipping, is invited to Brussels to speak about how to attract more women to pursue careers in the maritime industry. It is not only…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London has hosted yesterday 19 (February 19) a a major symposium on empowering maritime women.Removing barriers to women joining the maritime sector, the importance of education and how to increase visibility of women in maritime leadership roles – these were some of the key challenges under the spotlight.The symposium was part of IMO’s continuing efforts to maintain momentum in empowering women in the maritime community, and follow the 2019 IMO Assembly resolution to preserve the legacy of the 2019 World MaritimeTheme and work towards a barrier-free environment for women throughout…

Danish shipping companies have signed a charter that obliges them to actively focus on gender equality, as part of country's new initiative aimed at increasing the share of women in the shipping industry.Just under 20,000 men and just over 3,000 women are employed in Danish shipping companies.The uneven distribution that needs to be changed, says Danish Shipping, who has now initiated a charter where the shipping companies can commit to focusing on gender equality.The first 13 shipping companies sign the charter later today, where Mogens Jensen, Minister for Equal Opportunities, will also speak.“We have a major challenge in recruiting labor to the Blue Denmark. Right now, we are simply missing out on half the talent pool unless we can attract more women.

KVH Industries, a provider of mobile connectivity and inertial navigation systems, has introduced a new digital content service called KVH Link to help shipowners, operators and managers provide rest-time entertainment for seafarers and increase onboard productivity.KVH Link provides timely and popular news, sports, movies, TV, music, karaoke, podcasts, documentaries, trending social videos, in the most popular languages among seafarers.Building on KVH’s past experience providing content for crew well-being and its patented IP-MobileCastTM technology for content delivery, KVH Link provides timely and popular news, sports, movies, TV…

Indian Government approved a model pact with foreign countries that would also allow unilateral recognition of seafarers' competency certificates, thus easing the process for them to seek employment on ships under the flag of that country.The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will pave the way for mutual recognition of maritime education and training of seafarers by the countries involved.“The Cabinet has approved a model MoU with foreign countries for unilateral/bilateral recognition of Certificates of Competency of seafarers,” a government official said.Indian Seafarers…

A regional workshop organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO) has provided senior maritime administration officials in Latin America with the latest information on current and future developments at the Organization.The workshop for the regional maritime authorities networks, ROCRAM and ROCRAM-CA was held at IMO Headquarters in London (26 November) in the margin of the 31st IMO Assembly.The 28 participants received detailed information about the activities within the IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Program (ITCP) aimed at building capacity in the region to comply with international rules and standards related to maritime safety and the prevention of maritime pollution.Participants also heard from technical officers on issues such as the IMO Audits Scheme.

Well-trained seafarers are essential to safe ship navigation in Polar waters and International Maritime Organization (IMO)  has been playing its part with a training course for maritime instructors, underway in Valparaíso, Chile (18-22 November).The course is training participants from maritime training institutions in South America responsible for training seafarers – with a focus on IMO’s Polar Code. The code, when properly applied, is a powerful tool for safeguarding the environment and protecting the lives of seafarers and passengers in the challenging polar regions.It entered into force in January 2017 – setting out mandatory standards covering the full range of design…

"Women bring intelligence and high skills to all fields of the shipping industry – let’s throw off the bowlines!”.This is the message from Port Captain Basak, one of the latest maritime women being featured by International Maritime Organization (IMO) under this year’s World Maritime theme: “Empowering women in the Maritime Community”.Women from across globe are giving an insight into their work, aspirations, how IMO’s Women in Maritime Program has supported them – and their top tips for current and aspiring female maritime professionals.The latest profiles include a Port Infrastructure Technician from El Salvador, a Student Support Officer from the Seychelles…

Future maritime leaders from more than 70 countries graduated this week (3 November) from International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden.WMU was founded in 1983 by IMO as a center of excellence for maritime postgraduate education, research, and capacity building. It offers unique postgraduate educational programs, undertakes wide-ranging research in maritime and ocean-related studies and helps build maritime capacity in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Quality education is itself one of the SDGs – SDG 4.The graduating class of 2019 comprises 250 Graduates from 79 countries…

New report from the Mission to Seafarers paints optimistic picture across the shipping industry and  shows increased positivity and satisfaction among those working at sea.After concerning reports earlier in the year, the latest Seafarers Happiness Index, a gauge for measuring the feelings and experiences of seafarers across the global maritime industry, report has shown a marked improvement in happiness levels amongst seafarers across all sectors of the industry.The latest report overall seafarer happiness has risen from 6.27/10 to 6.59 – a very promising sign for the industry.Happiness regarding interaction with other crew members has also increased notably, up to 7.28 from 6.85 last quarter.

Shipping directly employs over 640,000 workers at sea and on shore, and supports over 1.4 million workers through indirect and induced employment, said European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA).These professionals possess a wealth of maritime knowledge, skills and heritage unique in the world. If Europe is to retain its pre-eminence in global shipping, this know-how needs to be cherished and cultivated.The sector must therefore attract a sufficient number of quality new entrants and retain experienced seafarers, including women seafarers and other under-represented groups.“European shipping and the broader maritime sector are strategically important for the EU – in terms of its contributions to trade, geopolitical role and as an important source of employment.

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has established its latest Contacts Network, covering Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Thailand.ITF has seen a significant increase in seafarers requesting assistance from countries without an inspector or contact, in recent years.Attempting to resolve these requests is often challenging due to several factors, including the local political context and the effectiveness of maritime authorities.To address this problem the ITF initiated a project in 2018 to create a network of contacts from ITF affiliated unions, welfare organisations…

The maritime classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) celebrated International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) World Maritime Day with a month of activity putting women in the spotlight to inspire current employees as well as future generations of mariners. The theme for 2019’s World Maritime Day, an official United Nations day, is “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community.”“I am proud that ABS has strong women leaders across all areas of the organization who are recognized and accomplished professional trailblazers as well as mentors for the next generation of leaders,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO.

International Maritime Organization (IMO), with support from Malaysia, has given fresh impetus to an important regional network helping to promote women in the maritime community in Latin America.At a meeting in Colombia, (18-20 September 2019), the network of Women of the Maritime Authorities of Latin America (MAMLa) was put on a firm foundation. Maritime Authorities include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama and Peru.Some forty participants from 17 Maritime Authorities from the region established a governance and membership structure…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned two foreign-flagged bulk carriers from Australian ports after their crews reported being underpaid.The Chinese-owned bulk carrier MV Xing Jing Hai and the Panama-flagged MV Fortune Genius were banned for 18 months and 12 months respectively.AMSA surveyors boarded the Fortune Genius in Gladstone after receiving a complaint via the International Transport Workers’ Federation.AMSA’s investigation revealed the crew of the Fortune Genius had been deliberately under paid by the operator, New Fortune Genius Management, by about AUD $100,000 for the months of April to August.The ship had been operating with two sets of wage accounts…

Liverpool Seafarers Center (LSC) in the UK has been named the world’s best seafarer center at an awards ceremony held during London International Shipping Week.LSC, which is based in Crosby and Eastham, won the International Seafarer Welfare Award due to “the exceptional care it offers visiting seafarers and their families”. The Seafarer Center of the Year is voted for by seafarers, 50,000 of whom use the center’s services in Liverpool and along the River Mersey every year. This includes providing emotional support…

Ship management and services major V.Group has signed a contract with Abu Dhabi-based ADNOC Logistics & Services to provide crew management services to 93 offshore support vessels.The ship management company said that to support the contract, and to enable further expansion in the region, it has opened a new Abu Dhabi office, which began operations in early August.The office and service function was successfully delivered within a 90-day period, as part of a formal agreement between the two parties.Senior management from both companies attended an official signing ceremony at the ADNOC L&S headquarters last month, including Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi…

Japanese shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) has been recognized with the 2019 Seafarers Safety Initiative Grand Prize awarded by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for the company’s seafarer safety activities.The award recognizes NYK’s initiatives to prevent human accidents and utilize engine data.

The Directorate General of Shipping of India celebrate its 70th Foundation Day today, the 3rd September, 2019. Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya will launch the celebrations at an event in Mumbai.The Directorate General of Shipping, India deals with implementation of shipping policy and legislation so as to ensure the safety of life and ships at sea, prevention of marine pollution, promotion of maritime education and training in co-ordination with the International Maritime Organization.The special occasion will be dedicated to reflecting on the journey and contributions of the Directorate to the shipping sector in India since its inception in 1949 to the present day…

Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS), an NYK Group company, welcomed about 20 students from the U.K., Canada, Hong Kong, and the U.S. taking part in the Japan Sea Cadet Corp international cultural exchange sponsored by the Japan Sea Cadet Federation.JMS offered a lecture about ships and used its ship-handling simulator to give the students the opportunity to try their hand at navigating a cruise ship from Osanbashi Pier in Yokohama through the narrow Kanmon Straits, a busy waterway known for its strong tidal flow.A cadet commented: “Unlike cars, I found that the ship continued to bend even when I returned the steering wheel” and “I felt reality…