Thesis Chapters by Nikolaos Kyroudis
The global shortage of seafarers is an issue that threatens the shipping industry and, consequent... more The global shortage of seafarers is an issue that threatens the shipping industry and, consequently, the international trade. In the near future, the shipping industry may not respond to a booming demand for maritime transport, since there is no sufficient amount of workforce to man the modern ships. The shortage of shipboard workforce is observed on a global level and more particularly in the officer’s rank.
Despite the efforts of the MLC Convention to establish an international framework that safeguards the rights of the seamen, there are still many issues that discourage the officers from pursuing a lifetime career at sea. As a result, the mobility of seafarers has grown and they seek landside jobs as soon as they become senior officers.
Currently, the European Commission struggles to increase the recruitment rates of the European seafarers and to promote their shipboard working conditions so that they will be retained in the seafaring profession.
This study has focused on the Greek seafarers since Greece is a nation with maritime tradition and is listed as the third most significant seafarer supplying nation in the EU. The objectives of this project were to identify which practices the shipping companies have implemented to attract and retain their seafarers and to scrutinise the shipboard working environment. This is achieved by investigating the current literature to provide background information to the reader regarding the seafarers’ job descriptions and their hierarchical structure, and by introducing the most common occupational challenges the seamen run into. Later on, an empirical inquiry was conducted to identify the current recruitment rates of the Greek mariners and to explore their levels of satisfaction with their working conditions.
The results of this study have revealed that the financial crisis has led many Greeks to become mariners and, consequently, their recruitment rates are rising. However, their retention within the industry is rather low, as only 35% of the officers consider the seafaring as a lifetime job. The most common reasons these people became seafarers were the handsome salaries and the excellent career advancement opportunities. Nevertheless, the occupation has a negative impact on their personal relations. Therefore, they believe that they will abandon their careers to devote themselves to their families. Furthermore, the occupation has some inherent demotivators that discourage them from continuing the seafaring profession. These factors were identified as loneliness on-board, heavy workload, fatigue and on many occasions, the difficulties they have in shore leave. Another significant issue is that the women seafarers do not have many employment and career advancement opportunities in the Hellenic shipping industry.
Last but not least, the study presents the opinion the Greek shipping firms have regarding the problematic aspects of some shipboard working conditions, the countermeasures they have established and the retention rates of their Greek sailors.
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Thesis Chapters by Nikolaos Kyroudis
Despite the efforts of the MLC Convention to establish an international framework that safeguards the rights of the seamen, there are still many issues that discourage the officers from pursuing a lifetime career at sea. As a result, the mobility of seafarers has grown and they seek landside jobs as soon as they become senior officers.
Currently, the European Commission struggles to increase the recruitment rates of the European seafarers and to promote their shipboard working conditions so that they will be retained in the seafaring profession.
This study has focused on the Greek seafarers since Greece is a nation with maritime tradition and is listed as the third most significant seafarer supplying nation in the EU. The objectives of this project were to identify which practices the shipping companies have implemented to attract and retain their seafarers and to scrutinise the shipboard working environment. This is achieved by investigating the current literature to provide background information to the reader regarding the seafarers’ job descriptions and their hierarchical structure, and by introducing the most common occupational challenges the seamen run into. Later on, an empirical inquiry was conducted to identify the current recruitment rates of the Greek mariners and to explore their levels of satisfaction with their working conditions.
The results of this study have revealed that the financial crisis has led many Greeks to become mariners and, consequently, their recruitment rates are rising. However, their retention within the industry is rather low, as only 35% of the officers consider the seafaring as a lifetime job. The most common reasons these people became seafarers were the handsome salaries and the excellent career advancement opportunities. Nevertheless, the occupation has a negative impact on their personal relations. Therefore, they believe that they will abandon their careers to devote themselves to their families. Furthermore, the occupation has some inherent demotivators that discourage them from continuing the seafaring profession. These factors were identified as loneliness on-board, heavy workload, fatigue and on many occasions, the difficulties they have in shore leave. Another significant issue is that the women seafarers do not have many employment and career advancement opportunities in the Hellenic shipping industry.
Last but not least, the study presents the opinion the Greek shipping firms have regarding the problematic aspects of some shipboard working conditions, the countermeasures they have established and the retention rates of their Greek sailors.
Despite the efforts of the MLC Convention to establish an international framework that safeguards the rights of the seamen, there are still many issues that discourage the officers from pursuing a lifetime career at sea. As a result, the mobility of seafarers has grown and they seek landside jobs as soon as they become senior officers.
Currently, the European Commission struggles to increase the recruitment rates of the European seafarers and to promote their shipboard working conditions so that they will be retained in the seafaring profession.
This study has focused on the Greek seafarers since Greece is a nation with maritime tradition and is listed as the third most significant seafarer supplying nation in the EU. The objectives of this project were to identify which practices the shipping companies have implemented to attract and retain their seafarers and to scrutinise the shipboard working environment. This is achieved by investigating the current literature to provide background information to the reader regarding the seafarers’ job descriptions and their hierarchical structure, and by introducing the most common occupational challenges the seamen run into. Later on, an empirical inquiry was conducted to identify the current recruitment rates of the Greek mariners and to explore their levels of satisfaction with their working conditions.
The results of this study have revealed that the financial crisis has led many Greeks to become mariners and, consequently, their recruitment rates are rising. However, their retention within the industry is rather low, as only 35% of the officers consider the seafaring as a lifetime job. The most common reasons these people became seafarers were the handsome salaries and the excellent career advancement opportunities. Nevertheless, the occupation has a negative impact on their personal relations. Therefore, they believe that they will abandon their careers to devote themselves to their families. Furthermore, the occupation has some inherent demotivators that discourage them from continuing the seafaring profession. These factors were identified as loneliness on-board, heavy workload, fatigue and on many occasions, the difficulties they have in shore leave. Another significant issue is that the women seafarers do not have many employment and career advancement opportunities in the Hellenic shipping industry.
Last but not least, the study presents the opinion the Greek shipping firms have regarding the problematic aspects of some shipboard working conditions, the countermeasures they have established and the retention rates of their Greek sailors.