Crunch time has arrived

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Sébastien
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Crunch time has arrived

Post by Sébastien »

Well it is finally here, crunch time has arrived. Now we can stop debating if it is real or if it will eventually happen or if it is just perception. It is here, right now and very palpable. Lack of licensed engineers to crew Canadian flagged ships. I must admit I was one of the skeptics who thought it would come close but would never actually materialize. No later than four months ago I wrote in this very forum that the manning shortage was greatly exagerated. I was wrong. Last month a Canadian flagged ship was delayed for five days because the company could not find sufficient certified senior officers: no chief engineer, no second engineer and no chief officer. That is on top of an already alarming situation where positions are filled by the lowest possible ticket available. I know of another ship where all three watch-keeping engineers have fourth class tickets. The situation slowly crept up for many years and then suddenly exploded this year. To make matters even worse, most companies are in full expansion mode and buying more ships. Boy are we ever in a world of hurt. My vacation time has not been cut down...yet.
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JK
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Post by JK »

We are there as well. We haven't tied ships up...yet, but it is close.
Transport Canada is hurting and their surveyors in Halifax are swamped.

I was reading elsewhere that the new builds coming out of Korea and elsewhere,may not make it into service right away, because of the lack of crew.

And I was reading in another forum, the airline industry is also there for trained pilots.
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conrod
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CoE

Post by conrod »

Well, fancy that.........lack of certified officers. Perhaps now Transport canada might review their stance on CoE's..........unfortunately it may open the flood gates like it has elsewher.

There is a slim chance though, that with the lack of CoE's issued in North America, some lessons may have been learnt, and that it is better regulated. For sure the MCA in the UK are being a little more selective in the process.
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TxMarEng
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North American Union

Post by TxMarEng »

Do you think the use of Mexican, American and Canadian ratings/officers will fly if the much discussed North American Union develops?
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conrod
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Foriegn Nationals

Post by conrod »

Quite honestly I dont see it matters where they come from, regardless of Unions.

At the end of the day, If the country concerned cannot find enough " Home Nationals " with the " appropriate qualifications ", then they must come from elsewhere. It happens in every industry.

It can back fire, yes, and that why it needs regulating PROPERLY. Its not rocket science.

I have no qualms about working alongside any gender / creed, if they can do the job.
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The Dieselduck
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BC Ferries suspends sailing

Post by The Dieselduck »

I just got home and heard from sources that the ferry serving Gabriola Island from downtown Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, was forced by Transport Canada to cancel sailings due to lack of engineer. I am not what were the circumstances but I too was skeptical about shortages, well at least it seems that companies are really waiting until the last minute to makes any changes in their policies. Even with the slowdown in the forest sector affecting a multitude of seafarers in the towboat industry, the summer crunch has strained the talent pool pretty dramatically it seems here on the west coast.
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wes
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Post by wes »

Hello

I just got home as well. 10 ships of the fleet are running 6 and 6 (2 engineers instead of 3) in the engine room. The ship I just got off also had their mates and oilers running 6 and 6. The deckhands were all new and inexperienced.

I find that the problem is greatly exaggerated in the summer when everyone wants their holidays and doesn't want to deal with "engine room heat".

Transport Canada recently released a huge document about the issue. Their conclusion... form a comittee to figure out what to do..... our company's solution..... wait for whatever transport canada tells us to do.

....very disheartening :(
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TxMarEng
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Heat?

Post by TxMarEng »

An engineer that can't deal with the heat?
wes
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Post by wes »

Haha, yeah that seems like a dumb thing to complain about eh, given the job.

Most of the guys I work with are old guys who don't want to do deal with it anymore, I guess. Besides, its fishing season and what not.
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winhlaingoo
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Re: Crunch time has arrived

Post by winhlaingoo »

Crunch time has not arrived in our country. There are a lot of seafarers in our country! Many people with high marks in national exam enter into shipping industry. Many companies, especially from Korea, come to our country. Our country can supply a great demand of seafarers. There are a lot of certified engineers. :mrgreen:
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