Study on Maritime Manpower for the Shipping Industry in the Asia-Pacific Region

The present study takes as its focus seafarers as an essential manpower resource for development of the shipping industry and the marine transport sector in the Asia-Pacific region. Major issues relating to seafarers have shifted in the last several decades away from the concern for welfare, wages and work conditions to their role in maritime mishaps and sea pollution. While there is an urgent need to upgrade the quality of maritime education and training in the developing countries, there is also, this report recommends, the need for forward planning, more government supervision of the maritime workforce and the establishment of a database on the supply and demand for Asian seafarers.