Crew News

Tilla, a Berlin-based maritime tech startup, announced the successful closing of a USD$2.3 million (€2 million) funding round designed to accelerate the global expansion and innovation of its crew logistics platform. The round is led by global maritime venture capital firm Motion Ventures, which recently launched a $100 million maritime tech fund, alongside a strategic investment from EXMAR, a Belgian shipping company with a long-standing reputation under the Saverys family. The…

The outlook could be bleak or bright depending on how we view the rise of humanoid robots.Think of this quote from a book by Jacob Morgan:“While many futurists and business leaders believe that robots and automation are taking jobs from humans, I believe that it's the humans who are taking the jobs away from robots.”Or this one from a book by James Barrat:“A powerful AI system tasked with ensuring your safety might imprison you at home. If you asked for happiness, it might hook you up to a life support and ceaselessly stimulate your brain's pleasure centers.”Or…

Scot Tankers of Istanbul has praised the action taken by a master after suspect packages were discovered onboard the MT Scot Bremen.The Maltese-flagged product tanker was enroute from the Port of Pecem, Brazil, and arrived off the coast of Ostend, Belgium, on June 20.While awaiting pilot boarding at the anchorage, on June 22, the master discovered that five ratings on board were concealing suspected packages. He immediately cancelled the scheduled pilotage and notified Belgian police and customs authorities.

Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing charges against three senior officers of an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in December, police and the prosecutor said on Friday.Finnish authorities suspect the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S of having broken the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia as well as four internet lines last December by dragging its anchor across the seabed.Finland's…

Mining company Rio Tinto has reported that a deck fitter on board its bulk carrier RTM Zheng He, travelling from China to Western Australia, went missing.A deck fitter, named Gel Aguaviva, was reported missing on December 26, 2024.Rio Tinto said an extensive and ongoing search and rescue operation has been conducted over the past seven days, with the company working in collaboration with RTM Zheng He ship and crew manager, Anglo Eastern, and relevant authorities.The Philippine Coast Guard is leading the search and rescue operation."Our thoughts are with Gel's family…

A safety management system, while vital, can only take a company so far. The real change has to be cultural throughout an organization.Many maritime companies can operate effectively under the International Safety Management Code, which governs safety and pollution prevention for ships. Frameworks like these enable carriers to act compliant with basic safety standards, but there is a significant human element not quite covered by such standards. In 2012, Allianz looked at around a century of maritime incidents, estimating that 75% to 96% of marine accidents involved some human error.

Columbia Group has revealed plans to transform its traditional crewing department into a fully-fledged Maritime HR Department, in a move that aims to enhance its approach to crew management and development.At the helm of this transformation is Capt Faouzi Fradi, Columbia Group’s Director of Crewing and Training, who will take on the new role of Managing Director of the Maritime HR Department.Capt Fradi, said, “The maritime industry is undergoing rapid changes, and it is imperative that we adapt our approach to crewing and crew management.

A series of "indescribable, unreasonable errors" by the crew led to the shipwreck in which British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and six others died earlier this week, the yacht manufacturer's CEO told Reuters on Thursday.The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-meter-long (184-foot) superyacht with 22 people aboard - 12 passengers and 10 crew - capsized and sank on Monday within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm while anchored off the coast of northern Sicily."The boat suffered a series of indescribable, unreasonable errors, the impossible happened on that boat ...

The Member Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Crew Wages and Seafarer Employment Agreements (MLC, 2006) from September 1.The purpose of the campaign is to:• create awareness within the shipping industry about the requirements on crew wages and seafarer employment agreements (MLC, 2006); and• verify that ships comply with these requirements.This inspection campaign will be held for three months and will examine specific areas related to crew wages…

Boston celebrated its maritime heritage in June by welcoming tall ships from around the world into Boston Harbor for the celebratory event, Sail Boston. Thousands of people visited the magnificent vessels at anchor to learn about Boston’s rich maritime history.I saw the tall ships with representatives from the New England Seafarers Mission (NESM). Founded in the 1880s by the Swedish Covenant Church, the NESM today serves seafarers in Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts.

When a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi Islamists landed near his ship in the Red Sea, Costas Rassias vowed to stop sailing through the perilous waters."I froze," said the Greek 34-year-old second class marine engineer, describing the close call. "I weighed what was more important - my life, or a better income?"As attacks on merchant ships by the Iran-backed Houthis persist, traumatised seafarers are refusing to sail through the Red Sea, according to interviews with more than 15…

A rule change is making it easier for experienced U.S. mariners to return to sea after time away from the industry.A new policy letter from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) temporarily extends the renewal grace period for a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), commonly referred to as a Coast Guard license or credential, from one year to six years, lessening the burden for seafarers seeking reentry into the maritime workforce.The move has been welcomed by the U.S. maritime and offshore industries…

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group is in discussions with new and existing markets around the world to recruit thousands of workers to staff its ships and private destinations to keep up with record cruise demand.The number of people taking cruises hit a record in 2023, and with the surge in demand and larger vessels, labor needs are growing. Tourism boards and port operators from around the world said Royal Caribbean is looking to hire worldwide and the company confirmed it will hire around 10…

Iran has released the crew of a seized Portuguese-flagged ship linked to Israel, but remains in control of the vessel itself, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the container ship MSC Aries, with a crew of 25, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus. Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route.“The seized ship, which turned off its radar in Iran's territorial waters and jeopardized the security of navigation…

Ukrainian seafarers are experiencing increased levels of loneliness and depression amid fears of conscription if they return home as the war enters its third year, seafarer charity Stella Maris warns.Stella Maris regional port chaplains for Southampton and Southern ports, Charles Stuart and Gregory Hogan, who make multiple daily ship visits report Ukrainian seafarers are under increasing strain.“The initial stresses have been replaced by something else,” Hogan says. “At first…

Eleven Filipino seafarers arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday nearly a week after they survived a Houthi missile attack off Yemen.They were crew members of the Barbados-flagged, Greek operated merchant ship True Confidence which the Houthis attacked last week, killing three sailors, including two Filipinos. The migrant workers' ministry said in a statement the 11 survivors received government help on arriving in Manila.Mark Anthony Dagohoy, a crew member on True Confidence, said it was difficult to recall what they went through…

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said it has received many reports about withheld pay from individual seafarers working on eight Bahrain-registered vessels owned by Saudi Arabian company Hadi H Al Hamman Establishment. The company, which lists Saudi Aramco among its customers and was buying brand new ships as recently as 2018, has not paid seafarers for more than five months in some cases, the ITF said. One seafarer reported dangerously low levels of food…

Seafarers have the right to refuse to sail on ships passing through the Red Sea in a new industry agreement as the situation escalates and further vessels are attacked by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, a labor union and industry groups said on Friday.The Houthis have targeted commercial ships with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.Seafarers remain in the firing line…

Anglo-Eastern completed the 100th installation of Starlink within its managed fleet last week, mere months after announcing its commitment to the service. The global ship manager has seen an overwhelmingly positive response in respect of both operations and crew wellbeing.Torbjorn Dimblad, Chief Information Officer of Anglo-Eastern, expressed his satisfaction, saying “We now have Starlink-equipped vessels operating in every corner of the world and we are delighted with the service.

Odfjell announced it has promoted its first female captain in the history of the 109-year-old company. The Norwegian chemical tanker company said Lise Henriksen has been named captain of the Bow Sky."On behalf of Odfjell, I congratulate Lise on her well-deserved promotion and thank her for paving the way for women in the maritime industry,” said Odfjell  CEO Harald Fotland. "Her expertise and leadership abilities have led her to this prestigious role – a historic appointment at Odfjell and in an international maritime field currently dominated by men.

The confidential and impartial incident and near-miss reporting scheme CHIRP Maritime has released its analysis of maritime reports received between April 2022 and March 2023.A key outcome of the analysis of reported incidents was the identification of inadequate leadership and supervision as a contributing factor. Adam Parnell, Director Maritime, said: “This analysis identifies the key causal factors of safety incidents reported to CHIRP Maritime over the past year. These include inadequate leadership or supervision…

Officer supply shortfall has reached a record high and is not expected to improve, leading to manning cost inflation, according to the latest Manning Annual Review and Forecast report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.The 2023 officer availability gap has widened to a deficit equating to about 9% of the global pool, which represents a marked rise from last year’s 5% shortfall and the highest level since Drewry first started analysing the seafarer market 17 years ago.

While people in all generations measured themselves against eternal factors—fellow employees, family, their industry, etc.—Generation Z is fixated on measuring themselves against the world as seen through social media. Coaching them will help them begin to turn inward and measure success against their own goals. One of the keys to retaining your Gen Z workers will be in positively coaching them.Coaching should provide positive feedback about employee contributions. At the same time…