Let’s start with the bigger picture. How would you describe the current crewing landscape?
The crewing landscape is evolving rapidly. We’re seeing major shifts towards more structured, automated, and modern processes, whether it’s crew recruitment, rotation planning, or welfare.
But two core challenges remain: first, we’re facing a serious crew shortage. Last year’s research showed a shortfall of around 40,000 qualified officers. We’re managing for now by asking seafarers to stay onboard longer and shortening their time ashore. But it’s not sustainable.
The second big challenge is retention. When you combine a shortage of crew with retention issues, wages inevitably go up.
And wages are the single biggest component of a ship’s operating expenses. Right now, we’re seeing annual wage inflation of at least 2%, which puts pressure on OPEX overall.