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The shipping industry faces a significant challenge in finding skilled professionals, with a projected shortage of 39,100 STCW-certified officers by 2026 and a need for an additional 113,735 officers by 2030.
Reporters note this shortage cannot be addressed by focusing solely on younger people entering the workforce.
Many employers overlook experienced professionals aged 50 and over, who possess valuable technical knowledge, commercial understanding, and professional judgement.
Official UK figures show that the employment rate among people aged 50 to 64 was 71.6% in 2025, compared to 85.7% among those aged 35 to 49.
Around 876,000 people aged 50 to 64 were either actively seeking work or economically inactive but willing or wanting to work.
They were seeking work or willing to work.
Age-related bias can be subtle, with assumptions that older applicants will be less adaptable, less comfortable with technology, or more expensive to employ.
However, adaptability is not determined by age, and many experienced maritime professionals have worked through significant changes in regulation, vessel technology, and global trade.
These professionals have repeatedly adjusted throughout their careers, and their experience is highly relevant to the uncertainty the shipping industry now faces.
The industry increasingly needs people who can assess incomplete information, recognize risk early, and understand the consequences of difficult decisions.
Experienced professionals can bring context, established networks, and judgement developed through years of practical decision-making, while younger professionals can contribute recent technical knowledge and confidence with emerging tools.
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Employers should consider targeted training as a better investment than waiting for someone who meets every requirement from the outset.
Employers should question whether demanding job specifications are contributing to the shortage they describe.
Shipping’s workforce challenge will not be solved by choosing between younger and older talent; the industry needs stronger recruitment, better retention, and continued investment in people at every stage of their working lives.
Employers may also need to reconsider how roles are structured, as some professionals in their 50s or 60s may prefer advisory, project-based, training, mentoring, or part-time positions, which can help companies retain valuable expertise while developing the next generation.
Experienced seafarers could move into shore-based roles in operations, safety, compliance, training, or fleet support, helping companies to leverage their expertise and develop the skills of younger professionals.
Moreover, the loss of experienced professionals creates a wider risk because maritime knowledge is not transferred through manuals alone, but through mentoring, discussion, and working alongside people who understand why previous decisions succeeded or failed.
Therefore, multigenerational teams should be regarded as a commercial and operational advantage, allowing companies to tap into the strengths of both younger and older professionals and create a more diverse and dynamic workforce.
The benefits of multigenerational teams can be seen in the way they approach problem-solving, with experienced professionals bringing a deeper understanding of the industry and its complexities, while younger professionals contribute fresh perspectives and new ideas.
By adopting multigenerational teams and providing opportunities for lifelong learning, the shipping industry can begin to address its workforce challenge and create a more sustainable and resilient workforce for the future.
Ultimately, the key to solving the shipping industry’s workforce challenge lies in recognizing the value of experienced professionals and creating a work environment that supports and develops the skills of people at every stage of their career.
