A nightmare 12 months for seafarers is leading to an exodus from the sector that will impact the ability of shipowners to crew their vessels.
That is the warning from Ardmore Shipping's chief operating officer Mark Cameron, who was talking on a TradeWinds ship-management webinar.
The executive said crew-change problems related to coronavirus restrictions still exist, but are being managed better.
But Cameron identified "less and less willingness" from mariners to go back to sea.
"I've had conversations with senior officers, who told me, 'We didn't sign up for this — this kind of impact on our lives'," he said.
Those in the latter stages of their careers told Cameron that they were in no rush to return to vessels.
Young and old affected
"Perhaps early retirement has happened in some cases," the he said. "And younger people have been forced to look for other kinds of employment.
"The impact is going to be felt on the ability to man vessels."
Cameron senses a deep disappointment among seafarers at how they have been treated — not by ship managers, but by authorities.
"When they read TradeWinds or other publications, they see just how complex the situation is, but also just how little has been done quickly to recognise them as frontline workers," he said. "That's a disappointment that will linger."
Ardmore has had a number of ships waiting for a long time at anchor during the crisis.
Cameron said it becomes incredibly difficult to get crews to accept that a ship is going to be moved suddenly to another port.
Crew change taskforce
He insisted that it is a question of trust, when seafarers are told they are being changed in one place but then have to go elsewhere.
Cameron said Ardmore set up a "get them home" taskforce, which saw managers get together in a room to decide how they were going to solve the problem.
This involved working with charterers to divert ships to places such as India, where changes were possible.
Cameron told the webinar that it is "sad" the industry is still asking about frontline worker status for crews.
He urged "really quick action not hours of deliberation" to tackle the ongoing situation.
