The global shipping industry is facing an escalating human-resources crisis as more seafarers leave life at sea for work ashore, according to reporting by Paul Bartlett, who noted during a COP30 side-event titled ‘The Global Seafarer Emergency’ that the trend now threatens the safe operation of the fleet carrying more than 80 per cent of world trade.

Growing dissatisfaction among crews reflects a familiar list of pressures, bullying, discrimination, excessive working hours, fatigue, little or no shore leave and limited connectivity with family and friends.

In many cases, contracts are extended for months, contributing to sustained physical and psychological strain.

At the webinar, Lloyd’s Register Chief Marketing Officer Philippa Charlton said shipping underpins global trade across containers, dry and liquid cargo, and gases.

She added that the sector’s shift to low- and zero-carbon fuels requires extensive new training in methanol, ammonia and hydrogen for both new recruits and existing seafarers.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation Chief Executive Ruth Boumphrey outlined the scale of the challenge.

Around 1.9 million seafarers currently work on 112,500 merchant ships worldwide, with half coming from the Asia-Pacific region, 33 per cent from Europe and 4 per cent from Africa, while women account for just 1.3 per cent of the global workforce.

She also noted that 64 per cent have not received any training on decarbonisation or new fuels over the past two years. By 2030, an estimated 450,000 will require specialist training, rising to 800,000 thereafter.

Recent data elsewhere reinforce the seriousness of the situation.

The International Chamber of Shipping estimates the global seafaring workforce at 1,892,720, while a Drewry forecast points to a shortage of senior officers reaching 10 per cent by 2030 due to fleet expansion, early retirements and limited new entry.

Surveys also show deteriorating conditions: one 2025 study found 42 per cent of seafarers plan to retire early, with many reporting delayed or incomplete wage payments.

Meanwhile, the ITF recorded a 30 per cent surge in abandonment cases in 2025, with more than 2,286 seafarers stranded on 222 vessels.

A report by the Global Maritime Forum warned that labour shortages have reached a 17-year high, threatening the resilience of global supply chains.

Capt Stylianos Dimouleas, founder of Almi Tankers and a former seafarer, highlighted the pressures crews face during geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts.

Welfare and wellbeing, he said, must form part of management systems, adding that digital connectivity “is a right, not a benefit”.

He also noted that leadership and management training for senior officers helps strengthen safety culture across fleets.

The implications extend far beyond the ships themselves, particularly for countries with large maritime clusters.

Cyprus, one of the world’s top three ship-management hubs, relies heavily on internationally sourced seafarers to operate the vessels under its management.

According to the Chambers Global Practice Guide, Cyprus is the largest third-party ship-management centre in Europe.

More than 200 shipping-related companies are active on the island, employing around 55,000 seafarers worldwide. Recent financial data show ship-management revenues in Cyprus reached €978 million in the first half of 2025, with crew-related costs accounting for 66 per cent of total expenses, emphasising the industry’s dependence on an increasingly strained global workforce.

For Cyprus, whose maritime priorities will feature prominently during its EU Council Presidency in 2026, the growing labour drain at sea intersects directly with the sector’s decarbonisation and safety objectives.

A tightening global supply of trained seafarers could affect recruitment, increase operational costs and complicate the adoption of alternative fuels across the Cyprus-managed fleet.

Taken together, the accelerating exodus from seafaring, the widening training gap and the rise in abandonment cases demonstrate a sector under significant stress at a critical moment.

The ability of shipping, globally and in key hubs such as Cyprus, to maintain safe operations and meet decarbonisation goals will depend heavily on improving welfare conditions and attracting a new generation of skilled crew.