New report published on potential of African and female seafarers to tackle crew shortages

A new report published by Lloyd's Register Foundation highlights opportunities to make the number of seafarers more sustainable by investing in Africa's emerging talent and supporting women in maritime roles.

‘Deep dive on seafarer sustainability: Supporting the opportunity for Africa and women to create a sustainable supply of seafarers for the future’ was carried out by the World Maritime University. It highlights that investment in Africa and support for more women to play a significant part in maritime roles provides a viable option in a sustainable future for seafarers.

 It is the first deep dive report in a series exploring the challenges faced by the global maritime sector as part of Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Lloyd’s Register Foundation's Global Maritime Trends research programme, which aims to address major maritime challenges in the coming years. Launched in 2023 with the Global Maritime Trends 2050 Report, it includes 'deep dive' reports providing expert analysis on critical maritime issues. The first report on seafarers' sustainability was released in London on Thursday, 27 March.

The report examines entry barriers for careers in maritime, many of which intersect for both women and those living on the African continent.

In some countries, the report outlines, women were banned from enrolling in nautical courses, while false beliefs have persisted through the decades that they would be less effective at sea, both for physical and emotional reasons.

Yet, the report highlights that reaching 25% women seafarers by 2050 could be possible by following several steps, which the report breaks down, ranging from awareness campaigns to encourage more girls into STEM, to gender equality policies and targeted scholarships.

Professor Momoko Kitada, Head of Maritime Education and Training, World Maritime University, one of the report’s authors, said: “Diversity has been a challenge across several skills shortage-ridden sectors, but few are experiencing it to the same extent as maritime. 

“Given the growing demands on the sector and other challenges ahead, including the switch to greener energies and sustainability, we felt it was essential to provide governments and industry stakeholders with a clear roadmap to meet maritime’s ambitious workforce targets by tapping onto one key overlooked demographic – the rich talent pool found in Africa and the skills of women.  

Olivia Swift, Head of Maritime at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, added: “Clearly, there are vast and largely untapped numbers of female and African seafarers with much to offer the maritime economy. What has been less clear, is how the potential of women and African seafarers can be realised on a large scale, which is what this report focuses on answering.

“Researchers at the World Maritime University have obtained and collated data, unseen elsewhere, on African Maritime Education and Training enrolment and graduation, good practice, and on subsequent employment, as well as data and good practice relating to the employment of women seafarers, globally. Their analysis allows policy makers and other stakeholders to understand the current state of play, and where to focus efforts to improve it.”