The UAE maritime services sector is witnessing a significant decline in the number of skilled seafarers due to the current global economic conditions and the retirement of many of them. This problem will be discussed at Seatrade Offshore Marine and Workboats Middle East (SOMWME) 2017 exhibition and conference, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 25 - 27 September 2017.
 
"The number of skilled personnel across multiple functions has been in decline for a number of years. In 2010, The Manpower Report by BIMCO/ISF calculated the global supply of officers stood at 624,000, compared to a demand for 637,000, concluding the figures were 'near-ideal'.
 
"However, by 2016, the shortfall stood at 16,500 officers and is predicted to rise to 147,000 worldwide by 2025. In the United States, figures published in 2016 by the U.S. Maritime Administration placed the country's shortfall at 70,000 mariners by 2022," said Emma Howell, Group Marketing Manager, Seatrade portfolio, UBM EMEA.
 
John Lloyd, CEO of the Maritime Institute, said the increasing sophistication of technology is opening the door to serious discussions about the remote control of ships, perhaps one day leading to completely autonomous vessels. While moving in this direction gives wonderful opportunities to improve reliability, one of the key challenges will be to balance the cost of reliability against performance and financial viability through savings. That is really a matter for the technologists and the economists to address.
 
Automation in shipping is not a new concept; many responsibilities, checks and safety functions are now carried out autonomously. But in the age of driverless vehicles and remote controlled drones, the first unmanned, autonomous ship, could be on the horizon.
 
It would not be the first time, complicated skill sets are delegated to artificial intelligence-aviation has undergone a similar transformation, with the role of the pilot evolving with each new generation of aircraft. However, innovations in shipping can be leveraged to address a gap, rather than requiring existing specialists to up-skill.
 
Seatrade Offshore Marine & Workboats is the largest workboat and offshore marine event outside of the USA, attracting more than 200 offshore marine and workboat companies.