What is next for Shipping?

I had been invited by Carl King of Seafarer Social to share my thoughts on what is next for shipping (links are below if you fancy listening to it). Carl and I discussed a very broad array of topics related to shipping and maritime, and I thought I would share my reflections here in an open discussion on how we at Maersk Training can support maritime and shipping in coming years and decades.

Links: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=081ohb_Ou1E Spotify - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/carlking96/episodes/what-is-next-for-SHIPPING-e2sh145

The Future of Seafaring – People and Technology

I come from a seafaring family that spans at least three generations. Growing up, I had a privilege of sailing with my Dad – enjoying the beauty and challenges of maritime life. One thing that was always ingrained in us was the importance of people. This also had a profound impact on safety. This deep-rooted commitment to looking after the people in the team (be it on board or ashore) has shaped my perspective and approach in all aspects of life and work.

Safety is paramount in the maritime industry, and a lot has been said about safety and links to people, training, compliance, and competence over the course of many years.

Sadly, shipping and maritime suffer when it comes to industry in public perception. We are in the news usually when things go wrong (i.e. vide Evergreen stuck in Suez Canal) and rarely is there a conversation about the expertise and professionalism of those working at sea. Considering that there are over 60,000 vessels in global merchant fleet¹, manned by ca. 2 million seafarers, and those vessels are moving safely over 90% of all goods, including energy, food, electronics, nuclear waste, arms, clothing; it is a spectacular picture, deserving a closer look how is it even possible to carry out operation of this size, with multinational crew and shore personnel, across the globe, facing different weather conditions, and managing different priorities of cargo owners, buyers, vessels owners, and operators.

Moving beyond macro trends and their impact on safety, let’s zoom in for a moment on micro trends’ safety behaviours, safety culture, overall culture, education, and training.

Safety culture is defined as “collective beliefs, perceptions, and values that members of an organization share regarding safety.” We know that poor safety culture has contributed to many incidents, personal injuries, and fatalities, so it is clear that safety culture excellence should be a key driver in highly regulated industries.

This is easier said than done. The challenge is right at the start – how do we measure safety culture, are there universal KPIs, what are leading and lagging indicators, who are stakeholders, where does the buck stop, and who shoulder the cost? Are minimum standards and compliance enough to ensure operational safety?

Let’s move on.

Safety culture must go beyond quality management systems, and standard operating procedures. Employees should be empowered to be proactive and speak up when things are not being done safely, deploy “stop work” when they see an unsafe action, and share lessons learnt and safety improvement initiatives.

Among the key elements of a strong safety culture—such as employee empowerment, open communication, clear policies and procedures, practical quality management systems, a drive for continuous improvement, and appropriate resources—education and training stand out as essential components.

Psychological safety, freedom to speak up (employee empowerment) are key for people to learn (also from their mistakes). Secure employment in a stable team (i.e. permanent contract at sea with the same crew rotating in the fleet) will impact on a personal level of care and attention to all those elements; be it crew well-being, safety, engine room inventory, and overall maintenance of the assets.

The quality of training and continuous development is extremely important. While oil & gas and maritime industries are driven by compliance, with complexity of assets, operations and reporting, it is very important that knowledge passed to sea personnel is delivered by skilled instructors with hands-on experience and willingness to learn continuously, and with access to excellent learning experience enhancing tools, like simulators.

It is important that companies are investing in training beyond compliance. STCW is a minimum standard; this is not enough to equip sea personnel with all the knowledge and ability to manage people, equipment, cargo, operations, weather, and reporting at sea.

Tangible Actions for the Industry Going Forward

We must invest in our people, so they are well equipped to do their job, but also to transition to shore positions when the time is right, so they are able to see their career path. This is particularly important to the incoming generation of those who choose to work offshore.

Would training matrices in industries which are self-regulated help to secure safer operations?

Would fiscal benefits for companies with stable crew (permanent contracts) – propel this model to adopt as a standard employment model?

Would companies’ safety records available to the public and use of reputable training providers make them more attractive employers?

Final Thoughts

Given the complexity of the landscape, while there are areas outside of our control at Maersk Training, there things which we can continue to do to secure safety of operations at sea:

• Continue responding to clients’ needs and provide training of excellent quality;

• Have a passionate and committed team, with great ability to engage with clients, tell the story, and deliver with passion and conviction;

• Be proactive – anticipate industry needs and respond by providing customers with excellent training which will go beyond minimum compliance;

• Be present – engage with the industry and become a trusted advisor, and;

• Never compromise on our values.

¹ Global merchant fleet - number of ships by type | Statista