The manning and crewing issue is becoming all the more challenging during the booming offshore industry backed by strong oil and gas exploration and production expeditures and activities.
Michael Elwert, director, group strategy, HR & support, Thome Group of Companies, recognised that the while hardware aspect of the industry is important, having competent people to operate the sophisticated technology is equally crucial.
“We must realise that many accidents are due to human errors,” Elwert told delegates at the Sea Asia Offshore Marine Forum held in Singapore last Thursday.
Mark Pointon, acting general manager at Farstad Shipping Offshore Simulation Centre, agreed that all that hardware would become irrelevant without a group of competent crew to operate them.
As the offshore market continues its bull run, there is now greater anxiousness among the companies in terms of attracting talented and skilled crew to run the business.
But there have always been difficulties in attracting the right talents into seafaring career due to various hindering factors, according to Abdul Lateef Siddiqui, offshore fleet director at V.Offshore.
Siddiqui pointed out that some of the difficulties in attracting people to work onboard ships include cumbersome paperwork surrounding the employment of seafarers, and harrassment of seafarers by authorities during travel especially after the 9/11 incident despite no reports so far of seafarers being involved in terrorism activities.
Other difficulties include visa problems, cabotage law, no shore leave, and adequately juggling work-rest hours. “As offshore activities are moving further out to sea, the crew will be facing a harsher working environment and it will not be easy for them,” Siddiqui said.
The draw for seafarers into the offshore sector, on the other hand, is higher pay and shorter contracts, he added.
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