Bangladeshi seafarers lose out in global shipping jobs
Monday, 3 August 2009
Munima Sultana
Overseas jobs for Bangladeshi crew has declined by 92 per cent in the last three decades while fewer mariners are finding work in the global merchant shipping companies, officials and experts said Sunday.
Years of neglect by authorities meant Bangladesh has now lost the honour of being the birthplace of generations of crew and lascars who have dominated the global shipping jobs for the last two centuries, they said.
Officials said 12,000 Bangladeshi crew worked in the global shipping companies even in 1972 --- the then biggest source of remittance for the war-ravaged country.
The figure has come down to a meager 1000 in 2008, as the shipping companies are barred from employing illiterate crew following an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) convention in 1978.
The number of skilled mariners employed in these lines, meanwhile, remained a paltry 2,500, due to fewer training opportunities at the lone state-owned Marine Academy.
"At present, the country's contribution in manning global ships is only 0.5 per cent," said Captain Saidur Rahman, general manager of Chittagong-based leading manning agency, Haque's and Sons.
He said the percentage is very negligible compared to the number of seafarers hailing from India and the Philippines, as the shipping companies now employ around half a million mariners and crew.
"These sea-farers jobs are high-paid. But there has been no realistic step by the government or private companies to train our crew according to the international standard," he said
"As a result, a top source of remittance has almost dried up." he added.
Government officials said despite high demand for Bangladeshi seafarers, the Marine Academy has for decades trained only 20-30 students a year.
"The number of students was increased to 80 in 2005 and then 170 last year. But these are very little numbers compared to an overwhelming demand for Bangladeshi seafarers," said an ex-head of the Academy.
The officers trained by the Academy also face fewer employment opportunities due to lack of jobs in the country's shipping companies, including the state-owned BSC.
The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) has only 13 ships, out of which only a handful sail round the year. The private shipping lines have 14 ships, which are very small and mostly ply between Chittagong and regional ports.
That the Marine Academy's certificates are not recognised by majority of the global shipping lines also led to a sharp decline of Bangladeshi seafarers in the top companies.
Most of the European countries, which dominate the world merchant marine trade, don't accept the Academy's certificates, making jobs harder for its graduates.
"It means an Academy graduate has to spend a good amount of money for further education in Europe or Singapore to qualify for jobs in the top shipping lines," said a private training institute head.
Half a dozen private training institutes have emerged into the scene to fill up the demand gap, but they too face difficulties in ensuring IMO-standard trainings to the willing marine graduates, he added.
Overseas jobs for Bangladeshi crew has declined by 92 per cent in the last three decades while fewer mariners are finding work in the global merchant shipping companies, officials and experts said Sunday.
Years of neglect by authorities meant Bangladesh has now lost the honour of being the birthplace of generations of crew and lascars who have dominated the global shipping jobs for the last two centuries, they said.
Officials said 12,000 Bangladeshi crew worked in the global shipping companies even in 1972 --- the then biggest source of remittance for the war-ravaged country.
The figure has come down to a meager 1000 in 2008, as the shipping companies are barred from employing illiterate crew following an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) convention in 1978.
The number of skilled mariners employed in these lines, meanwhile, remained a paltry 2,500, due to fewer training opportunities at the lone state-owned Marine Academy.
"At present, the country's contribution in manning global ships is only 0.5 per cent," said Captain Saidur Rahman, general manager of Chittagong-based leading manning agency, Haque's and Sons.
He said the percentage is very negligible compared to the number of seafarers hailing from India and the Philippines, as the shipping companies now employ around half a million mariners and crew.
"These sea-farers jobs are high-paid. But there has been no realistic step by the government or private companies to train our crew according to the international standard," he said
"As a result, a top source of remittance has almost dried up." he added.
Government officials said despite high demand for Bangladeshi seafarers, the Marine Academy has for decades trained only 20-30 students a year.
"The number of students was increased to 80 in 2005 and then 170 last year. But these are very little numbers compared to an overwhelming demand for Bangladeshi seafarers," said an ex-head of the Academy.
The officers trained by the Academy also face fewer employment opportunities due to lack of jobs in the country's shipping companies, including the state-owned BSC.
The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) has only 13 ships, out of which only a handful sail round the year. The private shipping lines have 14 ships, which are very small and mostly ply between Chittagong and regional ports.
That the Marine Academy's certificates are not recognised by majority of the global shipping lines also led to a sharp decline of Bangladeshi seafarers in the top companies.
Most of the European countries, which dominate the world merchant marine trade, don't accept the Academy's certificates, making jobs harder for its graduates.
"It means an Academy graduate has to spend a good amount of money for further education in Europe or Singapore to qualify for jobs in the top shipping lines," said a private training institute head.
Half a dozen private training institutes have emerged into the scene to fill up the demand gap, but they too face difficulties in ensuring IMO-standard trainings to the willing marine graduates, he added.