Nearly 90% of shipping companies raised crew salaries in 2024 — and retention rates improved as a result. Yet one in three crew managers still struggles to recruit skilled seafarers, pointing to a structural mismatch between the supply of qualified candidates and the increasingly complex demands of modern vessel operations.
Salary increases by rank: 75% of senior officers received pay rises (up from 63%); 67% junior officers (up from 59%); 65% senior ratings (up from 54%); 50%+ other ratings.
Retention: 41% of crew managers reported improved retention (up from 29%); 23% still reported deterioration (down from 36%).
Recruitment gap: 31% still struggle to recruit skilled crew — a competency gap, not an overall headcount shortage.
Nationality diversification: 57% plan to recruit from a wider range of nationalities, up from 42% in 2023.
Workload: Only 4% of crew managers reported a decrease in workload — the vast majority face sustained or increasing pressure.
The Paradox at the Heart of Maritime Crewing
The shipping industry is navigating a complex and somewhat counterintuitive workforce challenge. Nearly 90% of shipping companies raised crew salaries in 2024, and the effect on retention has been measurable — crew managers reporting improved retention rates climbed from 29% to 41% year on year, according to Danica Crewing Specialists’ Crew Managers’ Survey. The financial investment is working, at least in keeping experienced seafarers on board. Yet one in three crew managers still struggles to fill skilled positions.
Industry observers are careful to distinguish between a shortage of seafarers in absolute terms and a shortage of competent seafarers capable of meeting the demands of contemporary vessel operations. A numbers shortage calls for increased training pipeline investment and recruitment from new labour markets. A competency shortage calls for more targeted approaches: better skills development, more selective recruitment, changed crewing strategies, and a willingness to look beyond traditionally dominant nationality pools.
The industry’s challenge is not simply that there are too few seafarers — it is that the pool with the competencies demanded by modern vessel operations is narrower than the positions that need filling. Salary increases address retention; they do not by themselves create the skilled candidates that recruitment requires.
Salary Increases by Rank: 2023 vs 2024
| Seafarer Category | Pay Rise 2023 | Pay Rise 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Officers | 63% | 75% | +12 pts |
| Junior Officers | 59% | 67% | +8 pts |
| Senior Ratings (Bosun, Fitter, Cook) | 54% | 65% | +11 pts |
| Other Ratings | — | 50%+ | — |
Retention: Improving but Not Resolved
The proportion of crew managers reporting better retention rose from 29% to 41% between surveys — a meaningful shift reflecting both financial incentives and broader welfare improvements at progressive operators. At the same time, 23% of companies still reported deteriorating retention, down from 36% — a meaningful minority continue to lose experienced crew faster than they can replace them.
Salary is the most easily measurable lever, but working conditions, vessel quality, leave arrangements, digital connectivity at sea, career development visibility, and the overall attractiveness of seafaring versus shore-based alternatives all shape the retention calculation for experienced officers and ratings.
Recruitment: The Competency Gap
The move toward nationality diversification is one of the most consequential structural shifts in maritime labour strategy — signalling that established crewing pipelines from a small number of dominant source countries can no longer reliably fill the skilled positions modern fleets require.
What the Data Means for the Industry’s Path Forward
The 2024 survey data presents a nuanced picture. Salary increases have delivered measurable retention benefits — the shift from 29% to 41% of crew managers reporting improved retention in a single year is a meaningful response to sustained compensation investment. But the persistence of a 31% recruitment difficulty rate points to structural challenges that money alone cannot resolve.
The complexity of modern shipping operations — driven by decarbonisation requirements, new propulsion technologies, evolving regulatory frameworks, and increasingly sophisticated vessel management systems — raises the competency bar continuously. The crewing challenge of the next decade will require investment in skills development alongside compensation, and a willingness to recruit globally from backgrounds the industry has historically been slow to embrace.
Sources: Danica Crewing Specialists — Crew Managers’ Survey 2024 · BIMCO/ICS Seafarer Workforce Report · ITF maritime labour standards reference
