MUCH has been said in recent times about quality and training of crews. Crew shortages have led to those on board being promoted more quickly than might have happened in the past, with knock-on effects on experience in each role.
Do you think promotions are taking place too quickly? Is someone needed to monitor this aspect? Training is obviously an important part of the mix, but at the same time-served experience is critical. As we've mentioned in previous newsletters, the shortage of onshore staff with seagoing experience means many parts of the industry are looking to recruit from a pool of employees with no seagoing experience at all.
We spoke to two CEOs of prominent tanker fleets about the subject recently. One felt that it is even more important nowadays to have highly experienced former chief engineers in superintendency roles to supervise less experienced and arguably weaker crews. The other said that he remains impressed with the quality of the crews onboard his fleet of modern well-regarded tankers and that there is much to be said for re-thinking the superintendent's role as modern manager rather than mother-hen shore side chief engineer.
Is your company recruiting new sources of superintendents? Graduate training schemes? Are former seafarers essential for shoreside shipmanagement roles? Please let us know.
This is a hot topic among HR professionals ashore and Changing Course would like to see and hear the debate.
