How can shipping upskill its workforce at sea when the industry is not 100% sure what future ships will look like? The latest from our shipmanagement magazine. The never-ending evolution of shipping technology requires a workforce in a permanent state of flux, constantly learning and always adapting to requirements from the digitalisation and decarbonisation of the global maritime fleet. A large number of vessels from the existing fleet are not suitable for retrofitting but, at the same time, International Maritime Organization regulations are imposing carbon emissions targets that will push owners to invest in new and modern vessels already digitalised and running on green fuels, or at least ready for them. But does the industry have a large enough workforce and, more precisely, does it have a workforce ready to take the challenges of new technologies and alternative fuels entering shipping head on? The answer for the first part of the question is clearly no as the maritime industry noted a shortage of skilled workers long ago. This is a trend that has been around for years and is absolutely not a new concept. Seafarers are rethinking life at sea “One of the primary reasons for this shortage is the increasing demand for shipping services, with global trade volume constantly rising,” says Dockendale Green Marine Ship Management head Vikrant Gusain. Green workforce The story of the second part is pretty much the same. This was pointed out recently during the second day of the inaugural Geneva Dry conference during a session regarding decarbonisation in the dry bulk sector. One of the main points made by one of the panellists, Eman Abdalla, the global operations director at Cargill, was that a major issue for the industry was the availability and the training of seafarers who will be handling future technologies. “As we witness an increasing number of newbuilds and existing vessels adopting these alternative fuels, the industry must foster collaboration and transparency. This ensures that comprehensive training on managing these new fuels is established well in advance of their operational deployment onboard,” says Olav Nortun, the COO of the Norwegian shipmanagement firm OSM Thome. Opportunities for continuous learning and adaptation must be provided DNV data shows a total of 93 new orders for vessels running on alternative fuels have been made in the first four months of 2024, representing a growth of 48% compared to the first four months of 2023. A total of 23 new orders for alternative fuelled vessels were registered in April alone. Of the total, 12 were for methanol-fuelled vessels which continue to outperform orders for LNG-fuelled vessels with seven orders in April. Four new orders were placed for ammonia-fuelled vessels which brings the total number of orders in 2024 to nine. All these numbers don’t appear as anything significant until factoring in DNV’s estimate for a total of nearly 1,500 vessels using all forms of alternative fuels by 2028. Post-covid “In light of covid, seafarers are rethinking life at sea and the risk/reward to it versus having an onshore job closer to their loved ones. Also, technology is developing faster than the crew training possibilities, therefore skills onboard are impacted by the lack of training on new technology,” says John Michael Radziwill, head of dry bulk pool C Transport Maritime and shipowning vehicle GoodBulk. Handling and working with alternative fuels for propulsion alone requires years of