ITF Unions in Maersk
Chinese seafarers being recruited by Maersk
8 July 2008
Aims to meet labour shortfall.
There will be more Chinese seafarers on board Maersk vessels in future as the company taps into this market to help meet the shortfall in officers and ratings.
Maersk Shipping Hong Kong has a joint venture with the Shanghai Yuhai Shipping Company specifically to recruit directly in China.
Maersk states in its Maersk Post company magazine that the first batch of Chinese recruits graduated in April from Maersk Shipping Hong Kong. It now has 28 cadets – including two women – on Maersk ships. They will work for 12 months before becoming officers. Maersk says it employs 228 Chinese seafarers, 83 officers, 131 cadets and 14 ratings throughout the Group.
The joint venture with Shanghai Yuhai Shipping Company focuses on the recruitment and training of Chinese cadets and officers.
Henrik Uth, Managing Director of Maersk Shipping Hong Kong says the recruitment of Chinese will not lead to lay-offs elsewhere. “The Chinese officers are a supplement to our current seafarers,” he says. “We need all the qualified officers that we can get.”
Maersk says Chinese legislation prevents it and other foreign shipowners from operating freely in China. The company is not allowed to employ Chinese seafarers directly, and so must use local agents.
Uth says the agents’ market is currently driven by wages, but that the company is also trying to instil a sense of loyalty and quality, and it hopes to achieve this by training people at its own training centre.
With regard to the recent orders for container ships by Maersk Line, Maersk spokesman Michael Storgaard says no decision has been taken with regard to flag or crewing matters.
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