Shortage of Mariners in the Maritime Industry: Retention and Recruiting Challenges

A stubborn shortage of mariners has eased slightly from a year ago, but retention is a growing problem. The situation has worsened due to various reasons including the Covid-19 pandemic, decline in workforce, and new regulatory requirements. Maritime companies are getting creative to attract applicants, offering signing bonuses and more.
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The shortage of mariners in the maritime industry has slightly improved from a year ago, but retention is becoming a growing problem as workers retire or switch careers in a tight labor market. Several factors have contributed to the shortage, including a shift in the economy towards e-commerce and warehousing, fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, declining workforce numbers, new regulatory requirements, and a younger generation less interested in the mariner’s lifestyle. The labor crunch has affected all maritime sectors, from barging and towing to passenger vessels and offshore service vessels.

Maritime companies have been getting creative in their efforts to attract applicants, offering signing bonuses, expanding their recruitment efforts, and partnering with maritime academies and community colleges. However, these schools are also struggling to fill seats in their training programs, despite the increasing focus on recruiting efforts. To address this, more schools need to offer specialized programs teaching workboat skills relevant to the tug and barge industry.

Maine Maritime Academy has been highlighted as a standout institution that offers a workboat program with credential-track pathways and professional development courses for the workboat industry. The school aims to partner with companies to offer hands-on internships and is also looking for experienced mariners to teach at the academy. Overall, the industry and maritime schools need to work together to encourage high school students to join training programs and create a pathway into the tug and barge industry.

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