Seafarer shortage ‘approaching flashpoint’

A new report sounds the warning bells over a shortage of seafarers to keep Australian industry moving, with one energy boss describing the problem as approaching flashpoint. The Maritime Workforce Position Paper was commissioned by LNG company INPEX and supported by the Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association (AREEA) and leading maritime organisations. INPEX Australia senior vice president corporate Bill Townsend (pictured right) said Australia’s pool of seafarers declined by 23 per cent over the last year.“We’re now seeing the demand for seafarers outstripping supply in circumstances approaching a flashpoint," he said. "This is a result of limited action in the past decade to ensure the training and crewing sustainability of the Australian shipping fleet.” Mr Townsend said the shortfall had a direct impact on the capacity of the maritime workforce to meet the expansion and maintenance of Australia’s offshore oil and gas sector.“And as Australia’s energy mix continues to diversify, there will be a severe shortage of maritime professionals to support offshore windfarms and to carry out important decommissioning work,” he said. Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) national secretary Paddy Crumlin said maritime skills were integral to an island nation such as Australia, with its vast resources and maritime infrastructure. "This report highlights the critical areas required for Australia to become an important maritime hub for the region and to support many initiatives and government policies, from offshore decommissioning through to offshore renewable energy and, importantly, the Strategic Fleet to support Australia's sovereign capability. “Australia cannot risk reliance on overseas maritime skills in an increasingly polarised and unstable geopolitical environment. We must immediately address the current and future maritime skills gap identified by industry in this report.” Globally, the industry is predicting a need for up to 89,510 additional officers by 2026, a challenge magnified by the pandemic. The report identifies poor training pathways as central to the nation’s inability to develop the maritime workforce needed. It found myriad barriers and disincentives stymying education and skills development, such as high costs and a lack of access to berths to undertake the mandatory sea time. The Maritime Workforce Position Paper recommends four immediate actions to rectify current maritime workforce shortages, with two further recommendations over the next three to five years to ensure national resilience is not compromised. Immediate action: Secure funding for retention, training and education in maritime workforce roles. Reduce or subsidise RTO fees, provide workforce support program. Immediate action: Launch a targeted recruitment campaign to inspire and attract people with transferable skills into areas of maritime workforce demand. Immediate action: Expand the talent pool by making existing STEM and technical vocation incentive programs available to people studying maritime qualifications. Immediate action: Make seagoing berths available on all vessels controlled under government and government-related contracts. 3-5 year action: Standardise education, training and career pathways through establishing a national maritime training coalition with appropriate geographic distribution that facilitates effective maritime workforce development outcomes. 3-5 year action: Invest in technology and instructors to support optimisation of skills acquisition, development, and deployment for the maritime sector. Read the full report HERE

Seafarer shortage ‘approaching flashpoint’

Industry Queensland

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