Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM), one of the world’s largest third-party ship managers with a portfolio of more than 450 vessels and 11,000 active seafarers, has announced the expansion of its Indian operations with the introduction of two new functions and increasing the intake of cadets from India and employees in its India office.
Currently Wilhelmsen employs around 3,000 Indian seafarers, constituting nearly 30% of its total global seafarers’ pool. It also has 120 shore-based employees in India. This number is expected to grow by 10% and 25%, respectively, by the end of next year, a top executive said.
“We aim to increase our headcount and establish India as a strategic hub to support our global operations and growth plans.” said Carl Schou, CEO & President, Wilhelmsen Ship Management in an interview.
“We have started two new functions which include Vessel Accounting for ship owners and Ship Inspection Service for buyers and sellers of ships. Now India would be the hub of these two functions and we are adding resources for this,” Mr. Schou said.
He said this expansion was fueled by the growth of the fleet under its management and India’s position as a priority for the company. He also said the company would explore how it could benefit from the facilities being made available at the GIFT City in Gujarat.
Now the key functions performed from the India office include Marine Personnel, Maritime Training, Global Procurement, GSHEQ - Ship Security, Ship Inspection, Vessel Accounting Services and Planned Maintenance Systems.
“India is an important market for us producing some of our finest seafarers. The nation’s education standards produce competent seafarers that have contributed to our success in the gas tanker and car carrier segments.”
The company on Thursday celebrated the Silver Jubilee of its International Maritime Training Centre (IMTC) in Mumbai which has played a crucial role in training Indian seafarers for the challenges of operating technologically advanced ships.
With over 81,000 participants and 6,900 trade tests conducted, IMTC offers a variety of internationally certified courses, including DGS-approved courses.
On the occasion, IMTC introduced it’s first interactive virtual reality training hub that would provide learning experiences that combines emotion and technology.
“This concept will be driven from India and will be replicated to all manning offices network worldwide,” the CEO said.
IMTC will be positioned to be a global training content provider producing quality training content and enhanced learning experience to all Wilhelmsen seafarers globally through e-learning platforms and virtual reality training hub. He said the company is strategically preparing for the 2030 landscape and based on the projection 70% of the world fleet would use conventional fuel, while 20% will run on LNG, and the balance 10% using alternative fuels.
“Leveraging digital systems, we are implementing data-driven strategies and KPIs to reduce fuel consumption. Our investment in training equips our crew members to take emission-conscious initiatives,” he added.
“Through integrating technology, data insights and skilled personnel, we are positioning our operations to support ship owners’ vision for a net zero emission future” Mr. Schou said.
In an industry traditionally dominated by males, the company is now focusing on hiring more women officers and cadets to promote gender diversity.
Currently, female cadets constitute 4% of its yearly intake and the objective is to increase the ratio to 10%. The company recently promoted two female captains since last year and said it would increase the number of women cadets from India year-on-year.
