Countries that had once established supremacy in maritime trade were now lagging for want of updated technology or lack of interest in seafaring among the youth, experts noted At a daylong international conference on ‘shipping: indispensable to the world,’ the International Maritime Organisation’s theme for 2016, on Tuesday, speakers dwelt on the challenges facing shipping and ways to address the maritime trade scenario.
Universities have a big role to play, said Devinder Grewal, professor (Indian chair), Port Management, World Maritime University, Sweden. With advanced technology it is important that universities ensure students are prepared for the changes, he said. Like India, Eritrea, was strategically located and the centre of trade until 1950, said Eritrean Ambassador Alem Tsehaye Woldmariam. But the 30-year war of independence with Ethiopia had damaged it completely. Now, the country’s maritime university has turned to Indian professors to train its seafarers, he said.
The conference was organised by the Academy of Maritime Education and Training University which signed a memorandum with the Institute of Chartered Ship Brokers, UK for training students. Some of the emerging trends such as people from multiple backgrounds from different cultures and from different generations too had pushed companies to address expectations of new seafarers, said Nicola Crawford, faculty director of City of Glasgow College, UK. “ We are training our senior and junior officers to communicate besides ensuring that they have hands-on knowledge of high-tech equipment on board,” Ms. Crawford explained.
