A Shortage of Merchant Mariners is on the Horizon

Not surprising, in the wake of COVID-19, the world of merchant seafarers is projected to be less populated in the not-so-distant future. Short staffed and overworked crews—stranded on extended shifts during the pandemic—seem reason enough to ward off future professional mariners. However, the dwindling workforce of certified officers has been long in the making.

According to Reuters journalist Jonathan Saul’s gCaptain article, The Pool of Ship Officers is Running Dry:

The shipping industry is already struggling with crewing shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic, a situation that will exacerbate expected labor supply problems over the next few years, according to the study published by trade associations BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

The Seafarer Workforce Report, which was last published in 2015, predicted that an additional 89,510 officers would be needed by 2026, based on projections for growth in shipping trade, and said there was a current shortfall of some 26,240 certified officers, indicating that demand for seafarers had outpaced supply in 2021.

The shortage of U.S. merchant mariners also highlights a potential shortage of critical assistance and national defense. The past president of the American Maritime Congress James Caponiti poignantly points this out in his The Fourth Arm of Defense: The U.S. Merchant Marine article:

The U.S. Merchant Marine has continued to demonstrate its value as a strategic resource into the 21st century and beyond providing worldwide shipping facilities and support to the Department of Defense (DOD) and to essential foreign assistance programs, such as waterborne response related to domestic and international disaster recovery operations.

Notwithstanding the willingness of U.S. mariners to maintain their qualifications and stand ready to sail—for any reason—into harm’s way, the retention of mariners in the workforce is a growing problem.

The need for a substantially increased U.S. merchant mariner workforce goes beyond the arduous work they do every day; it is also a matter of our nation’s security and potential to provide global aide. As James Caponiti reminds us, “Throughout American history, the one constant has been that a strong commercial maritime capability enhances national security. This is as true today as ever.”

Since 1935, MOPS has protected the licenses and livelihoods of more than 80,000 deck and engineering officers, state and federal pilots and certified tankermen.  

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