MAINE MONITOR • December 1, 2024
A number of factors, including the pandemic, have left the United States with a marked shortage of merchant mariners, who largely work on commercial ships that at times transport weaponry and supplies to the U.S. military, provide disaster relief and support international trade. Many mariners have postponed retirement so the true magnitude of the situation has yet to be felt. A 2021 report forecast that there would be a need for an additional 89,510 officers by 2026 to operate the world’s merchant fleet. There were at the time 1.89 million seafarers operating over 74,000 vessels around the globe. Craig Johnson, interim president of the Maine Maritime Academy, said the industry knows it has to make life better for mariners, starting with connectivity, noting that most ships now have Starlink satellite internet.