What 82% of maritime professionals think about crew training

A new survey of maritime professionals finds widespread concern that current training and certification models are not keeping pace with modern vessel operations. This insight explores the survey findings from Thetius’s research into seafarer readiness, including where crews most commonly struggle and what professionals identify as the biggest barriers to performance onboard.

Thetius surveyed maritime professionals from across the industry for this report, with most having more than 10 years of industry experience. The findings reflect perspectives from masters, officers, engineers, superintendents, training personnel, crewing staff, and shore-based operators working within the realities of modern vessel operations.

18% of respondents believe current training and certification models prepare crews “well” for modern operations. The remaining 82% describe them as either “neutral” (41%), “poorly” aligned (38%), or “very poorly” aligned (3%) with realities.

One phrase recurs throughout the responses: “tick box exercise”. More than half of respondents (56%) identify compliance-focused training as a contributor to competence gaps, arguing that course completion is often prioritised over practical readiness.

When asked where crews most commonly experience competence gaps, transition-related responses were most common. Working across different vessel setups was identified by 36% of respondents, familiarisation by 31%, joining a new vessel by 26%, and poor familiarisation by a further 8%.

Digitalisation is a central theme in the responses, with 31% of respondents identifying digital systems, ECDIS, and reporting tools as areas where crews increasingly struggle, while a further 31% say training is not aligned with real operational conditions onboard.

The findings point to a consistent gap between controlled training environments and everyday working conditions, as situational awareness and decision-making under pressure are jointly identified as the largest skills gaps at 59%, followed by systems literacy and communication and teamwork, both at 49%.

38% of respondents identify workload and administrative burden as the biggest barrier to performance on board. Fatigue ranks at 23%, followed by poor system integration at 15% and insufficient familiarisation time at 13%. When asked what matters most when things go wrong, poor leadership onboard was identified by 33%, followed by lack of experience at 28%.

Taken together, the findings describe an industry where the difference between qualified and being ready is widely felt but inconsistently addressed. The barriers go beyond training quality; workload, system design, familiarisation, and leadership all shape whether a certified seafarer can actually perform when it matters.

Seafarer readiness has become a central issue in the IMO’s comprehensive review of the STCW Convention and Code. The review identified how advances in digitalisation, automation, AI, and emerging technologies are changing vessel operations and the competencies required of seafarers.

This concern is shown in the Seafarers Happiness Index Q2 2025 report, where respondents raised concerns about training integrity, workload pressures, and the growing use of e-learning approaches that prioritise completion over competence.