Deepening Crisis as Global Shipping Grapples with Workforce Shortage

officer on deck — Shipping faces widening shortage of officers and ratings (IMO)

The global shipping industry is staring at a deepening workforce crisis over the coming years, owing to the fact that the recruitment of certified officers and seafarers has failed to keep up with the growth in fleet numbers. A new report warns that the problem is likely to grow more acute unless actions are taken.

The trade group BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) released their five-year assessment on the state of the global shipping workforce. They are calling for continued investment in both recruitment and training, coupled with retention efforts, saying that the workforce gap risks growing at a time when the industry needs skilled seafarers more than ever.

The Seafarer Workforce Report 2026 paints a picture of an industry grappling with perennial workforce shortfalls, a trend that is bound to continue in the coming years, exacerbated by an unprecedented growth in fleet. Compared to 2021, when the report was last published, the workforce crisis seems to be worsening, with the 2026 report indicating that the global shipping industry will need an additional 113,735 officers by 2030 to operate the world merchant fleet. In 2021, the trade group and union had predicted the industry would be in need of 90,000 officers by 2026.

The latest report provides a comprehensive overview of the supply and demand imbalance for certified seafarers, showing that the global merchant fleet has not made progress in tackling workforce crises. It continues to grapple with persistent challenges like high turnover, an aging seafarers’ population, and a lack of gender diversity. The crisis for the industry is being heightened by geopolitical tensions, specifically the evolving situations in the Strait of Hormuz, where over 11,000 seafarers are stranded.

“As shipping continues to evolve, attracting more people to careers in maritime is essential. We must continue our long-standing efforts to engage with young people early and build a strong pipeline of future talent. At the same time, retaining and developing our existing workforce is equally important,” said Thomas A. Kazakos, ICS Secretary General.

According to the report, an estimated 2.57 million seafarers are currently serving the global fleet, operating 85,148 merchant ships. Of the total, slightly over a million are officers, while 1.51 million are ratings. Notably, while the number of officers and ratings has increased by 22 percent and 47 percent, respectively, a huge disparity continues to be noticeable in the industry. This emanates from the fact that this year, the industry will see a shortage of 39,100 officers and a surplus of 56,890 ratings.

Going by the rate at which the global merchant fleet is growing, the report estimates that an additional 22,747 officers and 8,475 ratings will need to join the workforce each year until 2030 to meet the future demand. This represents an average annual increase of two percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. The increase is, however, minimal compared to the past five years, in which demand for certified seafarers increased by 35 percent.

The report goes on to highlight that general cargo ships, bulk carriers, and cruise ships will be the main segments driving the demand for both officers and ratings.

“The recruitment, training, and retention of the seafarer workforce will be crucial to ensuring that our industry is prepared for the future,” said David Loosley, BIMCO Secretary General & CEO.

The report shows that in 2026, five countries, the Philippines, India, China, Russia, and Indonesia, were the biggest suppliers of the global seafarer workforce at 56.2 percent of the industry’s total. In terms of nationalities, the Philippines, Ukraine, India, Romania, and Poland account for the biggest workforce.

Age and diversity continue to be major issues in the industry. The report shows that compared to 2021, the average age of officers serving at the management level has decreased slightly, while the average age of operational level officers and support level ratings has coalesced around 31–40 years. In terms of diversity, the increase in supply of female seafarers is mainly concentrated among officer positions.