Syed Qalbe Muhammad
Every day brings new challenges for the shipping industry, seafarers, ship owners, and management. These challenges affect not only the safe transportation of cargo and vessel routing but also crew welfare and mental peace.
Global political issues, changing regulations, war threats, climate change, environmental concerns, piracy, new technology, and immigration policies are already straining the industry. After COVID-19, another challenge has emerged: the imposition of age brackets, which negatively impacts seafarers both at sea and ashore.
The demand for “fresh blood” with experience is increasing day by day. Hiring young people is not a bad idea, but it often affects operations due to a lack of practical experience. Even in the era of artificial intelligence, nothing can replace practical, onboard experience. No matter how much one studies or watches training videos, real-life experience remains irreplaceable.
Some companies now set an age limit of 45 years for Masters, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers, and Second Engineers. This practice disrupts the onboard experience matrix. For example, if a Captain takes command at 35, by the age of 45 he will have only 5–6 years of command experience, which is often insufficient to handle critical situations.
Similarly, many companies prefer crew below 36 or 45 years of age. If a seafarer starts sailing between 20–25 years old, he may only have 10–11 years of practical service before reaching the age limit. With contracts now lasting 8–9 months and gaps of 3–4 months between contracts, it becomes difficult for seafarers to maintain financial stability. Once ashore, they remain without salary for long periods.
Another issue is specialization. Even if a seafarer has experience on oil and chemical tankers, he is considered a weaker candidate without gas tanker experience. The same applies to containers and bulk carriers. This makes employment more difficult, especially for seafarers holding White List COC.
If this trend continues, the industry will face a shortage of experienced seafarers. To address this, seafarers should be given opportunities on two or three types of vessels. This way, if one sector declines, they can shift to another. When general cargo vessels declined, many crew suffered because they lacked tanker experience.
In the past, the onboard matrix was balanced: if the Master was new, the Chief Officer was experienced; if an AB was newly promoted, the other ABs and Bosun were experienced. This system should be reintroduced to ensure safety and training.
A major reason for age restrictions is rising medical issues after the age of 40. However, this is not unique to seafaring. Commercial pressure, work stress, family and societal burdens, mental health issues, and global economic instability affect people in all professions.
If a seafarer has a clean medical history, he should be considered for employment regardless of age. Inflation is rising, and every person needs to work. Unlike shore-based jobs, seafarers have no pension or retirement plan. If the industry continues to reject experienced seafarers due to age, the quality of the industry will decline, despite new certificates and compliance with IMO, ILO, ISM, and SOLAS requirements.
Globally, the retirement age ashore is around 60. For seafarers, a retirement age of 55 would provide a reasonable 5-year allowance.
Industry stakeholders must reconsider this policy. If changes are made, seafarers will benefit, and global trade will continue to run smoothly with experienced crews.