Nowadays, the maritime industry is an international, technological and multicultural one. 

For many people, the maritime industry is equivalent to ships and shipping – the means of transport and economic enabler that is the lifeblood of world trade, shifting 90 per cent of goods around the globe, often invisible to most of us, working behind the scenes by navigating the oceans to bring goods, people and resources. But there is much more to the maritime industry than just ships.

Other vital components include shipowners, agents, ship management companies, port operators, harbour authorities, service providers, personnel recruitment companies, training centres, specialised educational institutes, ship repair facilities, naval architects, marine litigation lawyers, maritime cluster organisations and several other facets. 

One challenge that is common among all sectors within the industry – both locally and abroad − is a shortage of manpower and skills. This subject was discussed at a recent conference to which I was invited to participate by the organisers − the Malta Maritime Forum and the Westmed National Hub for Malta.

This shortage is attributed by some to a lack of interest in seafaring by the younger generations. Other explanations point to a negative image of the industry with stories of prolonged periods on board ships during the COVID pandemic. Yet there seems to be substantial interest and applications for training places where these exist and insufficient availabilities of cadet and junior officer positions to support career paths of new entrants to the industry.

Many believe that the ‘cadet scheme’ as it was known in my time should be revived back to its previous strengths when it churned out a steady flow of qualified seafaring personnel.

In the 1970s/1980s, in fact, we cadets underwent years of academic study on maritime subjects including laws of the sea, navigation and engineering. Part of the education experience entailed periods of service at sea on Sea Malta ships or on other vessels as coordinated by the Nautical School. The path from cadet to qualified master/engineer took around 10 years.

Industry image campaigns will be effective once working and living conditions at sea are improved in such a manner as to render seafarers’ careers more attractive

Since then, it was decided to discontinue the nautical school, with its function transferred to other educational bodies. With this development, crucial sea-time opportunities for cadets were lost and cadets were left on their own to seek shipping lines interested and willing to take them on.

Unfortunately, this situation still prevails to the detriment of our children and our industry. Possible solutions exist through tangible and concrete collaboration between all relevant stakeholders (public and private) with a view to encouraging shipowners registered under the Malta flag to take on a number of cadets who qualify from a professional nautical school.

During the conference, I quoted the Chinese philosopher Confucius who once said: “Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life”. Like many, I believe that this assertion – though quoted and re-quoted – is actually quite misleading, often generating false expectations.

I repeated the quote with more than a pinch of salt to prepare would-be entrants that they will find in our industry both challenges and rewards. Before joining, one must be well aware of the challenges and be prepared to face them.

With that said, I have strong reservations about the effectiveness of industry-led image-enhancing campaigns that have been tried out abroad with limited success. I think they will not solve the shortage of officers we have been facing for some time and cannot be regarded as the solution.

Industry image campaigns will be effective once working and living conditions at sea are improved in such a manner as to render seafarers’ careers more attractive. Ironically, however, as long as the shortages prevail, the chances of shortening the duration of duty at sea are not high.

In short, in the interest of the maritime industry and also to safeguard the country’s global leading position, all the players with a role in attracting, generating and employing new talent into our industry need to put together and execute a coherent plan that (a) makes people aware of the employment opportunities in the maritime industry; (b) lays out a logical career path for interested people from the classroom to the place of work; (c) delivers the necessary education courses in theoretical and practical forms; (d) provides cadetships and opportunities for sea-time; and (e) finally channels newly-qualified people to the industry where they are badly needed.

All stakeholders concerned, in fact, should work in unison to ensure that their roles are fitting together perfectly and that their efforts are contributing towards eliminating, as far as possible, those labour market frictions that are currently depriving employers from the necessary talent and skills they need to sustain their business models. In so doing, they would be giving a bright future to our young people with exciting and rewarding career opportunities.

Capt. John Mary Dalli is a newly- elected board member of the Malta Maritime Forum and president of the Malta Mooring Masters Cooperative.