Time to dust off some of that sea time? Try this artical from Marcon:


Marcon International, Inc.
Inflation and the Marine Industry – May 2008
www.marcon.com

Crewing….Regardless of whether overseas or in the US, operating costs
continue to increase. One small domestic Gulf of Mexico tug operator
reports high inflation across the board for all consumable supplies,
fuel and especially labor. The rising cost
for manpower is compounded by many factors, not only the
shortage of qualified mariners. He feels that the US Coast Guard
license ruling requiring that Tug Officers now hold “Master” or “Mate”
of Towing Vessels has cut the labor pool significantly. A US tug owner
can reportedly no longer hire a Mate that has
years of OSV service to cross over and serve in the towing industry.
This has created a “crunch” that all towing companies face and is just
one more factor causing labor rates to “skyrocket”. He now pays USD
550 per day for a Captain and USD 400 a day for a Mate on a 2,800HP
tug and admits that this is still just below industry standards. Small
tugs now have to pay just about equal to what the larger boats in the
4,200HP range
pay for their crew. Overall crew costs for one 2,800HP tug are roughly
USD 45,000 per month, which cannot be absorbed without consistent
utilization – and if an operator lays up a boat, for any reason, for
any period of time they risk losing their crew. It makes it difficult
for small companies to stay competitive – whether they are towing or
operating in the “oil patch”. We heard similar information from a US
crewing agency with additional background information.
Captains with towing endorsements can earn about USD 550 per day or
USD 500 per day without the endorsement (working aboard OSVs).
Mates are at around USD 350 to 400 per day,
while licensed engineers are earning USD 450 to 500 and
ABs are at about USD 225 to 250 per day.
All these current rates are about double compared to rates paid by
employers in 2004. These also exclude benefit costs such as health
insurance, which have also increased substantially. The most common
reason cited for inflation in crewing costs is shortage of properly
certified personnel. There have been many new requirements that have
come into effect over the last five years. In previous cycles,
mariners that had been laid-off or left the industry may have returned
during good times, but in this cycle those persons that have been
ashore have a much more difficult time reentering
the workforce, often required to take many courses just to bring their
licenses and/or mariner documents up to date. Other factors include
the growing number of vessels requiring crews and older workers
retiring with very little growth, if any, in the overall number of
workers. Although the problem in the US is bad, the problem exists
worldwide. In the North Sea some owners believe newbuild OSVs and
AHTSs may be tied up due to lack of trained crews. Although the
slowing general economy may help to induce new workers or previous
workers to join the marine sector, education, training, and experience
requirements will slow the process. People, or the lack thereof, will
have a dramatic affect on the marine industry and vessel design in the
future. We have an aging workforce and a critical shortage of marine
personnel. This is a long-term problem and although crew wages are
rising, the problem cannot be solved with only increased wages. Along
with the population as a whole, the US labor force is getting older.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected the median age of the US
worker next year to be nearly 41. Over 40% of the workforce will be 45
and older in 2008 and the number of workers 25 – 44 years old will
actually decline. Shipyards are also facing the same shortage of
experienced labor and high average age of their workers.