The Great Shakedown

 Workers in the maritime industry were greatly affected by COVID-19, from restricted port visits to delayed crew changes and cruise-ship levels of virus transmission. As wages and pensions were generous compared to other industries, retirement and career realignment were viable options for a large part of the American seafaring workforce. What does the employment field look like today?

 

Deck Officers

Compared to the number of jobs available at the time, there was an oversupply of deck officers in Western countries this past decade. The issue was more acute at the third mate level, who are typically recent graduates. While maritime academies graduate fewer mates than engineers, deck officers have higher retention in the afloat maritime industry than engineers. The wave of COVID-era retirements unstuck the promotion pipeline in the deck department, and allows newer officers to take positions at their highest qualification.

 

Engineering Officers

In 2014, international regulatory changes came into effect, requiring newly-minted ship’s officers to hold at least a community college level of education. The maritime industry had an unusually linear path for promotion, from entry level to department head. Now, the employment pool of ship’s officers has been detached from the skilled labor pool, which used to send its members into the officer ranks with regularity.

On the demand side, more maritime-trained engineers are working ashore are than staying aboard ship. Industrial and facilities engineering disciplines had become neglected areas of concentration at most flagship universities. These hands-on programs were generally forgotten as engineering programs became more scientifically-oriented towards high-tech research and development. Someone needs to fill these jobs, and the career-oriented nature of maritime academies became the first stop for power plant, sophisticated equipment technician, and prototype employers.

 

Skilled Level

The most perplexing labor shortage at sea is the mid-level positions, the able seamen and enginemen. Perhaps the average age for this cohort had increased to 55; younger people were doing short stints at the entry level, or going for a college degree and an officer’s berth. The top unions for these workers did not suffer a pension collapse, as the American Maritime Officers’ union did in 2009, so these mid-levels were able to retire on schedule.  

The Navy and Coast Guard had been steady suppliers of skilled mariners, but shipping companies must compete with other veteran-friendly employers such as defense contractors and large-capital corporations.

It seems that these positions would be great targets for re-skilling workers displaced by deindustrialization. Someone has to pay for the training, though, whether it is state employment agencies, the GI Bill, employers, or largely out-of-pocket. Entry-level personnel will not commit to the expense until they are sure that the maritime field is right for them.

Employers expected recent maritime academy graduates to backfill these positions. During lean times, as recently as 2020, graduates of limited economic means went “before the mast” to begin earning family-sized paychecks, instead of waiting for an officer’s assignment. But when officer positions are readily available, it takes a lot of gaslighting (“you’re not ready…”, etc.) to get new graduates to take unlicensed positions- not an efficient or ethical strategy.     

 

Entry Level

Traditionally, the gatekeepers of entry-level, deep-sea maritime positions, such as union training schools and federal government agencies with ships, could offer entry-level positions to those with previous work experience. These prospective mariners would be expected to bring something to the table, professionally. Preferably, they had work experience on inland and fishing boats. If not, they could be a great cook, or have nighttime watch standing experience from the Army. But at this moment, the gatekeepers are recruiting at high school job fairs. Salaried employment, or fixed contracts, in the maritime industry, certainly beats the variable pay and unpredictable schedules of other employers, such as foodservice. The potential for upward mobility at sea is unparallel as well.

Are Seagoing Leaders created based on Early Opportunities?

 

Note: Recent graduates have not yet achieved required sea time for capstone licensure. Approximately 135 engineering graduates per year.

Contingency Periods	Peak Year
1959-1975, Vietnam	1969
1990-1994, Gulf I	1991
2001-2010, GWOT	2003
2011- Present, OEF

The shipping industry, in the US and abroad, is known for its cyclical nature. Beyond the massive profits and losses in the commercial sector, and the increased or decreased spending in the defense sector, are professional maritime officers who crew the ships. Their job security and opportunity for advancement from third mate or third engineer to second, first, and Chief Engineer or Master, depends on supply of jobs and the employment demands of incumbent mariners.

Based on information sourced from the US Merchant Marine Academy’s Alumni foundation, it is clear that early career opportunity determines upward mobility within the maritime professions. In the first five years after commencement, graduates must accept employment as a merchant officer at sea, or in the armed forces. Depending on employment conditions and personal motivation, new merchant officers may receive negative reinforcement through stagnation in their roles, or positive reinforcement in advancement and growth.

In contrast to the armed forces, in which a rigid pyramid command structure forces many junior and mid-level officers into civilian employment, the shipboard hierarchy is linear, with one or two merchant officers at each rank. In theory, there is a clear path for advancement. Affecting this is greater churn among third mates and third engineers, who in the US are fairly likely to find employment as professionals ashore, in the maritime industry or not. One US government transportation agency is notorious for hiring freshly-graduated officers instead of investing in refresher training for its experienced mariners.

Opportunities are created when shipping fleets expand, through new construction, activation for contingency, or transfer from Navy to civilian crewing; as well as when experienced mariners come home. Weakened pension benefits, both in government and private employment, has created more “silver mariners” sailing in their 50’s and 60’s. (Silver Mariner refers to 25 years of working at sea, the traditional retirement age of American merchant officers). Lifetime alimony rules of the ‘Me Generation’ era, and personal debt has created “golden handcuffs” among other mariners, who cannot afford to leave seagoing employment.

Why don’t sidelined young officers return to sea when employment conditions improve? It is in the first five years after college graduation that career-adjusting lifestyle choices, such as marriage and children, are typically established. While it is common for single graduates, in their 20’s and 30’s, to return to sea after several years working ashore, this is not the case for those graduates who have established traditional, community-oriented families. In contrast, a graduate who has accomplished career advancement at sea, and who intends to specialize in seagoing work, would (hopefully) partner with a spouse who understands the mission-oriented lifestyle.

 

Other Major Events

1970, Nixon Merchant Shipbuilding Program

1981, End of Operational Subsidies

1984, ABET Accreditation- engineering design courses introduced (KP)

1993, Al Gore Report on Government Waste (KP)

1996, MSP Subsidies & Preposition Fleets Established

2010-2014, Offshore Drilling Surge

2014-2015, Military Sealift Command Offers Jobs to Over 100 New Graduates (KP)

2017, International (STCW) Engineering Management Competency Enforced

2020-2021, COVID Pandemic

KP = Internal milestone for US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point

 

I'll Think About It... How to Procrastinate

 Isn’t it great to sleep on a project, and find the inspiration to finish the problem the next day? In this defense of procrastination, I do not encourage finishing work under an adrenaline rush, or fear of failure; but through the synthesis of information after mulling through it in one’s head in a state of reflection.

At the beginning of this year, I knew that I would be refocusing my blog into the topic of engineering.  I even got an internet domain name. The “study skills” posts of the past two months were an advance party for writing in a new genre: any engineering blog worth its salt needs to talk about the Professional Engineering exam. Then it dawned on me: How much remarkable content could I produce? How many State Board meetings would I need to sit in, to capture good soundbites? How could I be regarded as an authority, when I am still early in my career? Weekly posts on monthlong projects might sound like project status updates. But as I attended the needs of graduate school, and now for Professional Engineering licensure, I let the concept sit; and simmer into good stew.

An older idea I had was to develop a central listserv of continuing education opportunities in the marine engineering field. Today, each ‘school’ maintains its own course catalog of regulatorily- equivalent education.  Since it would not be a blog, per se, I set the idea aside. Now, I revisited why I warmed to this training directory idea in the first place: to share useful knowledge in the marine engineering field. So, in early 2022, after some more planning, I expect to move my blog into that specialized direction. Such clarity of intention took a year to develop; I’m glad I procrastinated.