Maritime professionals report widening competency gap in digital shipping

New research commissioned by OneOcean and conducted by maritime consultancy Thetius reveals that 82% of maritime professionals believe current training models fail to adequately prepare seafarers for modern, digitally-enabled vessel operations. The findings, presented in two reports titled ‘Competent or Compliant?’ and ‘Decision-optimised or overloaded?’, highlight a significant disconnect between formal qualifications and practical competence.

According to the ‘Competent or Compliant?’ report, 52% of respondents noted that qualified crew members often or very often struggle during real operational conditions. Furthermore, 56% of those surveyed identified ‘tick-box’ compliance as a primary factor contributing to the gap between certification and actual ability. Only 18% of maritime professionals believe existing training keeps pace with the demands of modern shipping.

The research indicates that competency gaps are most pronounced during abnormal or unexpected situations (67%), high-pressure operations (56%), and when utilizing complex digital systems or reporting tools (31%). The second report suggests that while digitalization introduces new capabilities, it also redistributes workloads and introduces novel risks within the highly connected digital ecosystems of modern vessels.