Programme Director
CEO of South African Maritime Safety Authority: Commander Tsietsi Mokhele
Captains of the Maritime Industry
Distinguished guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Programme Director a very significant part of our country’s economic contribution to the Gross Domestic Product comes from the Maritime Industry. Our country remains a big player in the international maritime arena and is an active member of the International Maritime Organisation. In that regard we take the development of maritime skills and training very seriously.
As we enter the third week of our Transport Month campaign we salute those of our colleagues tonight who are receiving service awards in the Maritime Industry.
We encourage you all to keep up the excellent and critical work you are doing for our economy, our country and region. The Maritime Industry is a specialised transport mode and it requires special skills and a special brand of individual many of whom are gathered in this auditorium tonight!
We also salute the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) which since its establishment by the Department of Transport (DOT) in 1998 has done sterling work in our country towards developing the maritime industry. In addition, SAMSA has played a crucial role internationally in the fulfilment of our country’s maritime obligations to the rest of the world.
Through SAMSA we participate actively in regional and international organisations like the Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Labour Organisation among others. The development and nurturing of maritime skills can thus not be overemphasised, we owe it to our country, we owe it to the continent of Africa and we owe it the world to be at the cutting edge of technology and human development through the maritime industry.
Today as we champion and populate the importance of the maritime industry during our Transport Month campaign, we must highlight some to the challenges facing us as we move the maritime industry into the 21st century. In this regard today’s event helps us focus on the following strategic areas of focus:
- Skills development and retention in the maritime sector
- Promoting new entrants and skilled workers in the maritime industry
- Promotion of maritime transport jobs and careers
- To highlight the importance of maritime transport to our lives, economic and social development
- To profile the role of maritime in social , security and defence as well as ecological systems
- Providing a platform to showcase the country’s maritime legacy, world-class national skills development infrastructure and programmes, and of course,
Profiling the dignity of the seafarer
SKILLS SHORTAGES IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY
Ladies and gentlemen, there is a worldwide concern that the rapid growth of the maritime industry has outstripped the number of available high calibre of young seafarers. There is also a challenge that the changes in the world economy might influence the maritime industry in the future, along with possible measures to secure the required workforce. The increasingly severe shortage of seafarers and its future impact on the global maritime industry is thus a cause for concern.
Since the influential Manpower Update 2005 forecast a shortage of 34 000 officers and 220 000 ratings worldwide by 2015, other factors have also contributed to the problem. These include the increase in the number of ships needed to handle the expanding global cargo for emerging economies such as China and India.
At the same time we must factor the fallout from the global economic crisis, which has led to the cancellation of shipbuilding contracts and the acceleration of ship scrapping affecting the mechanisms of supply and demand. Having said that, the projections on seafarer shortages are likely to hold true when the world economy recovers.
By way of illustration, the following facts and figures tell us of the extent of the shortage of seafarers worldwide:
- Estimated Seafarers shortage worldwide is estimated at 250 000
- New vessels which were on order just before the economic slowdown at 8000
- There is an average 2000 vessels delivered every year
- There are about 18 crew members per vessel which means the demand is huge
Programme Director, recent findings have revealed that the global shortage of skills in the maritime sector could be attributed to:
- Lack of Job security
- Global economy trade patterns changing
- Criminalisation of the Seafarer
- Advent of globalisation
- Wave of prosperity in developing countries such as India and China
- Rising expectations and inadequate shipboard amenities
- Inadequate training facilities and the ever present threat of piracy
GO TO SEA CAMPAIGN
In response to some of these challenges the IMO launched its Go to Sea campaign in 2008, in cooperation with key maritime stakeholders, only to find that fewer young people were attracted to the seafaring profession, while young seafarers preferred to move to land-based jobs. As a country it is upon us to ascertain that those hardworking individuals such as those receiving awards tonight remain in the areas of their expertise so that we keep the sustainable momentum at sea.
Within the South African context, our skills shortage is so severe. Some of our highly skilled marine personnel are reaching retirement age, resulting in an increasing dependence on expensive expatriate labour. This problem has been looming for more than 16 years and it requires SAMSA and the Department of Transport to urgently identify ways of addressing this challenge.
We call on the local shipping industry to inject more resources into training and as government we must do more to promote maritime training and the maritime industry in general. It is also urgent that we development a responsive policy environment that has the requisite incentives to attract young people into our industry.
The maritime industry has been recognised as a key contributor to this country's economic development and in order to realise its potential, it has to generate the skills it requires over and above just sustaining itself.
The interpretation of maritime strategic interests gives rise to a South African seafarer who is able to view their role in a manner that increases their patriotism, whether serving in merchant shipping the navy or even fishing.
SOUTH AFRICA’S CONTINUED ROLE IN MARITIME AFFAIRS
We must however say that it is not all doom and gloom. From a competitive point of view, if you look at shipping building and repair South Africa has many advantages. The country has a huge industrial base in terms of steel and our economy is on a sound footing. We must and will remain active as South Africa because among others:
- A major part of world trade depends on South Africa’s coastal waters. We are situated on a major sea route which currently facilitates the safe and secure movement of about 500 million tons of crude petrochemical sea trade.
This represents over 30 per cent of the world’s petrochemical production, on board over 5 000 tanker voyages of very large crude carriers per annum.
- Ninety-eight per cent of our own trade is seaborne, and 50 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product comes from trade.
- We thus must become an active maritime nation in our own interest or in the interest of the world and the two interests are parts of our reality.
South Africa is located on a long coast line of just under 3 000 kilometres, surrounded by three oceans - the Indian, the Atlantic and the Southern ocean. South Africa has jurisdiction over about 1 million square kilometres of Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ). This EEZ comes with a search and rescue responsibility spanning over a 27million square kilometres zone, covering a vast sea-room up to the polar continent of the Antarctic.
In order to facilitate the country's maritime trade and carry out our domestic and international maritime obligations and responsibilities, South Africa has developed a sophisticated maritime transport and logistics services infrastructure, coupled with enormous sea watch and emergency response capabilities. These areas need a constant supply of skilled people who are sent for training so that they would cope with the transformation in the industry.
As we celebrate our committed and dedicated award Seafarers we are aware that the IMO Council elections will be held next month in London.
If elected, we will seek to advance the highest standards of safety and security and the protection of the maritime environment. We will continue to serve diligently on the IMO Council, demonstrating the experience and long history of focused and active participation in various committees of the council and its technical bodies. This includes among others the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) and Space System for the Search of Vessels in Distress and the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (COSPAS/SASART).
So in closing, tonight we have demonstrated the role that South Africa has to play in the international maritime industry. It is clear that our continued international play requires more and not fewer of the people gathered here this evening. To repeat, we owe this to our people in South Africa, we owe this to the people of Africa, we owe to the world.
We are buoyed by the presence of this special group of our current crop of maritime players, let us move out of here today to cultivate more and more seafarers and prepare to take on the world into the 21st century.
I urge you to continue to do the great things that you do in order to make this country a better player in the global maritime space. We are very proud of all the people that have been nominated as this points to the good work that is taking place and would urge for more patriotism. I also wish to congratulate all the winners. Well done fellow South Africans.
I thank you.
N.B: For pics and details of the winners, please contact Tebogo from SAMSA on 082 946 0737.
