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Today, employers do not have adequately-trained professionals to run their ships. This is suprising considering the fact that 95 per cent of the world’s goods move on ships, which creates tremendous scope for employment. Yet, the generation of today is not attracted to it.

Therefore, the question that baffles everybody is – why and how did the maritime profession lose its charm? What happened to the romance, the glamour, and the spirit of adventure that attractde peoples, in earlier times, from all backgrounds, to choose this profession as one of the most attractive professions in the world? If one does a little bit of introspection, one may perhaps find the answer to this puzzle in the inability of the maritime industry to keep pace with the changes in the employment, growth and development in other sectors.

Welfare measures in the seafring industry should occupy top most consideration with employers. Workers in this industry in general, and seafarers in particular, spend a major part of their lives on board vessels, in foreign waters and in far off, remotely located ports. The vagaries of nature have a debilitating effect on their physical, mental and psychological conditions. Sadly, welfare does not occupy a very important place in the employment policies of shipping companies. Also, policy makers at the national level have not given adequate attention to this area.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has adopted the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) in which the most important principle being reinforced is rights of workers. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is alerting employers to recognise the human element as a vital ingredient, while formulating policies by placing due emphasis on the needs and requirements of the man who runs the machine. This thrust on the human element is considered vital, as the industry in its quest to achieve higher growth and afficiency has overlooked the probleems faced by its manpower relating to stress, fatique, disenchantment, disillusionment and alienation. This has had serious rafimications. It has caused a steep rise in accidents.

Investigations have revealed that the majority of accidents occur due to “human error”. Welfare measures on board ships and in ports relating to health, pay packages, access to communication facilities to contact families, poor working and living conditions and growing criminalisation, are inadequate at best. Seafaring has lost its charm, no doubt.

Post September 11 2001, the heightened security concerns globally, may be rightly so, caused great pyschological damage to the seafarers, as overnight this episode turned the image of a seafarer from a global ambassador to a potential terrorist. For the man who had an aura of glamour and romance surrounding him, in earlier times, today is consigned to solitary confinement on aship with no shore leave, and is seen as a criminal and a potential terrorist. It is not suprising that today seafaring is no longer an attractive profession; it is not an obvious choice for a youngster to face the challenges of nature and to go around the globe in search of maritime adventure.

In my opinion, policy makers do not pay much attention to the potential of women as seafarers and, that is the reason why, women constitute only between one and two per cent of the world’s 1.23 million seafarers. The bulk of women seafarers are concentrated in the cruise industry, mostly as ratings.

It is discouraging that the ones who have joined the shipping sector frequently face gender discrimination and sexual harassment. They are unwanted by their employers, as they are preceived to be the cause of most trouble on board vessels. Further, as employers need to provide seperate facilities for them, and grant them leave and benefits during prenancy and for other family commitments, which adds to the cost, they are not very enthusiastic about employing women.

Therefore, on the one hand we have and acute shortage of qualified seafarers to run the ships, with men no longer seeking to join this vocation; and on the other hand we have women, who have the potential to join this sector, but the industry has not taken the right initiative to integrate them into the fold.

It is now time for the professional women, who are already at he helm of the affairs in this country, to address the concerns of shortage of manpower by drawing up appropriate policies in order to realise the potential of women in our country. With the increase in sophisticated technology, shipping is no longer associated with brawn and muscles. If women can occupy key positions in all other industries, there is no reason why shipping should be considered a no women’s land. No longer is the work on board ships arduous in nature, and, therefore, today women can very easily adapt to this profession and fare well. Therefore, there is a need to change the attitude of this sector towards women.

The United Nations and its associated bodies have already taken many initiatives in training and educating women in the maritime field. Today, these professional women can develop public policies to address the serious concerns of manpower shortage thatnthe industry is facing. What is necessary is for women to lead from the front, develop an ability to think outside the box, and devise new ways to address the challenges.

By Captain Rakish Suppiah, research Fellow of Maritime Institue Of Malaysia (MIMA)