Collaboration among the wider shipping industry will be needed to solve the crewing needs of the growing LNG fleet, according to former Shell man and gas industry veteran David Taylor.
Taylor, who took over as managing director of V.Group’s LNG division in June, believes that meeting the crew requirements cannot be done by a single crew manager alone.
“It’s going to have to be a collaborative effort across the industry to grow the seafarers,” he said. “Whether that be starting from scratch with cadets, or retraining of LPG and other classes of seafarers into the LNG trade.”
The challenge for the industry stems from expectation that the rapid growth of the LNG fleet will fuel demand for well-trained, competent and experienced crew.
Taylor cites the recent Seafarer Workforce Report produced by Bimco and the International Chamber of Shipping forecasting an increase of 38% in LNG crewing ranks over the next five years needed to meet the demands of the industry.
People will, therefore, become the “critical commodity” and “making sure that pipeline of competent and expert people are available to meet the demand going forward”, he said.
Safety record
Taylor joined V.Group’s Glasgow office in June after a 39-year stint with Shell, where he ran the in-house ship management division starting in 2015.
He points to forecasts that global trade of LNG is forecast to double from 360m tonnes today to over 700m tonnes by 2040.
“We see tremendous business opportunities in LNG going forward because of the growth we’re seeing,” he said.
Other growth areas include dual-fuel bunker vessels, where numbers are expected to double or triple in the next three years, he argues.
That will generate demands for specialised crew needed as well as seafarers with sufficient on-board experience.
Some ship managers fear that competition for seafarers could lead to poaching of rival crews and overpromoting seafarers who may not be up to the job.
“The LNG industry has had a tremendous safety record over the last years,” Taylor said.
“And it’s really important as an industry that we pull together and are proactive to get the right skills, competences and number of folks in the pipeline in the future.”
Alternative fuels in the eye
V.Group provides LNG crew management services for companies with 1,000 seafarers.
That number is likely to grow with training and resourcing of crew from different geographic backgrounds.
“You need a competent and well-trained crew, there’s no limitation on nationality where they can be fished from,” Taylor said.
“It is just making sure the right development and training programmes are in place to ensure the progression is adequate.”
Officers could be sourced from LPG vessels and upskilled to crew LNG vessels.
That would involve appropriate training courses using guidelines laid down by the Society of Gas as a Marine Fuel, as well as the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators.
Taylor noted that the prospect of managing vessels using alternative fuels, such as methanol, remain attractive for managers.
However, he said that LNG is the most mature sector as there is a greater understanding of crew training needs and operational risks.
