The recently released “Data Report on Future Transportation Workforce Needs” by the U.S. departments of Education, Transportation and Labor concluded most maritime industry sectors will experience a 100 percent turnover by 2022. In particular, the study reported that there will be nearly 40,000 openings for captains, mates, pilots and engineers of water vessels between 2012 and 2022.
This is a maritime nation. Our national defense is dependent upon civilian mariners who provide logistical support for our operational and deployed forces in both peace and conflict. Nearly all agricultural, petroleum, and consumer goods in the U.S. are transported via ship. U.S. licensed mariners operate vessels engaged in international, coastal, and inland trade. They also serve as pilots responsible for the safe navigation of all vessels in U.S. waters, and operate the vast network of ferries. Eventually, many of these licensed mariners will become executives, managers and leaders in other sectors of the maritime industry.
Where will the next generation of licensed officer mariners come from? The six state maritime academies and federal U.S. Merchant Marine Academy are the largest source of U.S. Coast Guard unlimited tonnage/horsepower credentialed captains, mates, pilots and ship engineers. All maritime academy cadets seeking a U.S. Coast Guard license are required to accumulate 360 days of sea time to qualify for a license. Thus, a fleet of training vessels at the six state academies is required in order for the academies to meet the demand for licensed mariners.
The fleet of training ships will need to be replaced over the next decade, and a programmatic approach is required to recapitalize these aging national assets. Without this replacement, the academies will be unable to produce the licensed mariners the nation needs. Recapitalizing the existing fleet of training vessels is a national imperative that must be urgently addressed. Federal funding to begin construction must be approved in Fiscal Year 2016.
Michael Alfultis, President, SUNY Maritime College