Knowledge and Skills Required for Careers in the Maritime Industry

By Andrew Mwangura 

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Now that there’s too much concentration on hospitality staff for cruise ships, Technical University of Mombasa, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, KCNP and Bandari Maritime Academy have uphill task to meet mandatory international standards for their trainees to be accepted by other highly technologically developed ships worldwide.

Shipowners employ ship managers or crewing agents to source seafarers for their ships.

These agents know the type of and quality of seafarers needed for different ship types .

Kenyan seafarers need to take special courses  over and above STCW in order to get employment in specialised ships, such as gas carriers, mega ships and offshore service ships.

In the offshore oil and gas industry, several types of vessels are used, each serving specific functions such as platform supply vessels (PSVs) that are used to transport supplies, equipment, and personnel to and from offshore platforms.

Anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS) used to assist in the placement and retrieval of anchors for drilling rigs and floating production units. They also perform supply functions.

Then, the offshore construction vessels (OCVs) designed for the installation and maintenance of offshore structures, these vessels often have heavy-lift cranes and specialized equipment.

The floating production storage and offloading units (FPSOs) used for the production, processing, and storage of oil and gas. They are anchored to the seabed and have the capacity to store large amounts of hydrocarbons.

The drillships that are equipped with drilling rigs for exploratory drilling in deep water. They are dynamic positioning vessels that maintain their position over the drilling site.

Then, there are semi-submersibles which are floating platforms used for drilling and production. They are anchored to the seabed and are designed to remain stable in rough sea conditions.

The jack-up rigs are mobile platforms that can be raised above the water using legs that extend to the seabed. They are used for drilling in shallow waters.

The crew transfer vessels (CTVs) are specifically designed to transport personnel to and from offshore installations safely while survey vessels are equipped with technology for geophysical and hydrographic surveys, which are critical for site assessments before installation.

Each of those vessels play a crucial role in supporting offshore oil and gas operations, ensuring efficient and safe extraction and production processes.

Other highly technologically developed ships includes supramax, suezmax, panamax and very large crude carriers and bulk carriers.

These types of highly technologically developed ships have advanced features that, enhance their operational efficiency, safety, and environmental performance.

The job of seafarers is more than driving the ship from port to port. Cargo care at Sea is a Science by itself. Safe cargo carrying is what makes money for Shipowners and the crew get paid.

Currently, out of 15,000 Kenyan seafarers, there are about 8,000 Kenyans working aboard cruise ships worldwide. 

Presently, there are 1,892,720 seafarers globally working aboard foreign ocean-going merchant ships comprised of 12,309 oil tankers; 13,182 bulk carriers; 5,855 general cargo ships; 54,816 container ships, anchor handling tug ships (AHTSs), platform supply vessels (PSVs) and offshore supply vessels (OSVs).

AHTS vessels are specialized ships designed for anchor handling, towing and supply operations. They are equipped to handle the heavy and often challenging tasks associated with with offshore oil rigs and platforms. They are built to provide high power and stability, often featuring powerful winches for handling anchors and towing.

PSVs and OSVs ships are primarily used for transporting  supplies, equipment and personnel to and from offshore platforms. They are designed to handle a variety of of cargo, including drilling fuilds, equipment and ship stores.

There’s a global demand of 857,540 merchant navy officers and 1,035,180 ratings.

To build strong maritime sector, there is a need to come with maritime career awareness programs in the elementary schools within the ports of Lamu and Mombasa .

The maritime awareness program

should be designed for Grade 9 learners aimed at informing their schools subjects choices and steering them towards maritime careers.

We need to ignite maritime passion in the learners and see them deciding to choose pure mathematics, physical science and maritime studies as part of their subject choices fire Grade 10.

There’s a need for Kenyan seafarers to take special courses over and above STCW courses.