63% of seafarers consider attention to health and well-being an important factor in deciding whether to continue their careers at sea. This insight comes at a time when the maritime industry is continuing to deal with a global crew shortage, prompting companies to rethink their strategies for attracting and retaining talent.
Retention issues have become an increasing challenge in the maritime industry. The global population of seafarers serving on international trading merchant ships is estimated at 1,892,720 seafarers, of whom 857,540 are officers and 1,035,180 are ratings. Despite the many efforts in recruitment and training, the shortage of skilled seafarers, especially ship officers, remains a compelling concern. The maritime industry must proactively address these challenges to maintain a qualified and competent seafarer workforce in the coming years. Factors seen to influence retention are job satisfaction, career progression, and working
conditions.

Traditionally, financial incentives have been the focus of retention strategies. While competitive pay remains important, they are no longer sufficient on their own. The expectations of seafarers have evolved, and they are looking beyond monetary rewards—they want to feel valued and supported, both at sea and onshore. Providing medical benefits for seafarers at home, and families all year round, gives seafarers peace of mind and relieves them of economic worries – providing a sense of security.

Top factors influencing seafarers consideration to quit the seafaring career are:
- Salary/remuneration
- Stability of contract
- Safety practices/culture on board
- Attention to seafarers health and wellbeing
When asked about their career plans, seafarers responded as follow:
- 62% have no intention to quit seafaring in the foreseeable future, 15% are thinking about quitting, but
have not yet taken any action. - 15% are actively applying for shore-based opportunities, developing academic skills etc., and 7% are
planning to quit in 1-2 years, but have not started to explore alternative career opportunities. - 1% reported that they had already quit.
- 79% of the youngest group of seafarers, 18-24-year-olds have no intention to quit compared do 59%
among the oldest (51+ years old). However, among the 25-30-year-olds, 17% are investing time to
explore shore-based opportunities, compared to 11% in the oldest (51+) group. - According to rank there are small differences, except for Cadets where 84% have no intention to quit,
followed by the Masters (67%), and Engine Officers (63%). 3% of Chief Cooks reported that they had
already quit, followed by Engine Ratings and Galley Staff, 2% respectively. - When it comes to nationality, only 47% of the Myanmar seafarers report that they have no intension to
quit, followed by Filipino (50%) and Malaysian (59%). 22% of Filipno crew are actively looing for shorebased
opportunities, followed by 20% of Myanmar. 3% of Myanmar seafarers reported that they had
already quit, followed by 2% Indian, Chinese and Sri Lankan respectively.
Download the full report to read about retentino and seafarer health & wellbeing: https://marinebenefits.no/insights/health-studies/