LESSONS LEARNED

摘要

while some predict that shipping's future lies in unmanned, remotely operated vehicles, the current state of the industry dictates that qualified personnel must be in place to operate a ship safely. The problem the industry faces both now and in the medium term is that there aren't enough qualified crew to meet demand. In Drewry's Manning 2014 annual report the research firm identified troubling trends, particularly with regard to the number of available officers. These trends have been known to the industry for several years now. In 2008 the IMO quoted figures that placed the number of officers at 498,000, a shortfall at the time of 34,000. Back then it was expected that by 2012 the industry would be short by 83,900 officers, spurring the IMO to launch a global programme in conjunction with industry NGOs to promote seafaring as a profession.