MSC succeeds in crew retention

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MSC succeeds in crew retention

13 November 2017

Seafarers today are increasingly attracted to sophisticated training, professional development, and long-term employment, according to a survey by MSC Shipmanagement, the Cyprus-based unit of the global container line Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

The results of the biannual crew engagement survey, which polled more than 4,500 cargo-ship seafarers, have validated a decision by managers several years ago to introduce top-class leadership training, a range of vessel-handling simulator classes and soft skills coaching, the company said.

“MSC has been investing significantly in the career skills of seafarers, creating a culture of training and development ,” Prabhat Jha, Group Managing Director of MSC Shipmanagement, said in a keynote speech at the CrewConnect 2017 conference in Manila in November.

MSC’s training program ranges from Management Development Programs and executive coaching to crew self-eval‎uation and 360-degree feedback on managers. Ship handling courses are developed in-house and are adapted to suit vessel sizes and the experience of Masters who enact simulations of navigating the Suez Canal or turning into large, busy ports. This has helped MSC Shipmanagement retain 98% of crew it employs.

Namely, some 95% of respondents in the crew engagement survey said that training others is everybody’s duty. More than 90% said that they are committed to personal and professional growth and that MSC is a leader in the maritime industry in providing good working conditions.

MSC uses a third-party survey company, Biennial, to perform an independent crew engagement survey every two years, as well as taking feedback from every crew member upon disembarkation after a voyage at sea.

Punctual monthly wage payments, Internet availability and a culture of safety onboard container vessels are also significant criteria for seafarers assessing their employer, according to the survey.

With the impact of digitization and technological change on seafarers forming a key theme of the conference in Manila, Mr. Jha highlighted that 9 out of 10 crew said that MSC was good at using technology to improve day-to-day work.

For example, MSC’s software crunches information from vessel movements with “big data” analytics, helping crew work seamlessly with shore-based colleagues. Meanwhile, Internet access is more readily available today versus two years ago, the survey found, after a disappointing score in the last survey prompted management to improve connections onboard.

“While some seafarers in the industry want to retain a sense of independence and freedom, moving between different shipping lines and temporary work agencies, MSC Shipmanagement values long-term commitments and is pleased to note that more than 90% of crew report a strong feeling of “belongingness” to the company,” the company said in a statement.