The crewing Hunger Games

Carl Martin Faanessen, CEO of Manila-based Noatun Maritime, has some advice for those looking to sign crewing contracts this year. 

We are not big on fancy graphics and season greetings here in Noatun. We keep it quiet, preferring instead to spend the time looking at our industry and trying to figure out what trends we are about to see jump up to our shared awareness.

One thing we have seen gain some traction over the past few years is the ‘Hunger Games’ approach to crewing.

It likely started with some misguided soul in a procurement function somewhere. And there was no manager above him (it is almost always a him) with the chops to knock some sense into this person and explain that people are not spare parts.

The crewing Hunger Games goes something like this: An owner, or a smaller technical manager, decides that they want to sign crewing agreements with a clutch of crewing companies. Typically they go for two or three in each of their main sourcing-countries for crew.

Once these agreements are in place, the emails start going out. They follow a fairly typical format and will usually contain the word ‘URGENT’ (yes, in caps). There is a list of positions that need to be filled, and the first crewing company to provide an approved candidate will get to send their seafarer onboard and collect their fees. The remaining agents get a “better work faster next time” message, if they get any feedback at all.

The resulting hodgepodge of crew and partners do their best to keep the Hunger Games going – they depend on it after all. But after 18 to 24 months, the owner/manager starts complaining.

There’s no loyalty in the crew pool, you see. And the quality of candidates received from their Hunger Games participants has decreased. Some have even stopped sending candidates, and now the owner/manager comes after them with a loud “WHY?”.

But it is as simple as it is time-tested and well understood everywhere outside of the Hunger Games arena: If you depend on your crew, and you do, then there is one workable path to a loyal crew pool and a dependable crewing partner for small to mid-sized owners and managers.

You find a crewing partner who understands your vessels and business, you make a plan with them for how to build the pool. Then you step aside and let them execute that plan. Yes, you need to communicate often. Yes, you need to pay them for the surprisingly large amount of footwork they do. And, yes, the implementation will not be a straight line.

But what would you rather have? A partner you can call and solve problems with, or the Hunger Games where everyone fends for themselves?

To all of you who read this and work in crewing, please look into what approach your company takes to this. I, for one, would very much want to see the current growth in the crewing Hunger Games reversed. Rapidly.