Maritime Authority Calls for Stronger Seafarer Standards

The Ghana Maritime Authority has called for higher standards in the assessment and certification of seafarers, saying maritime safety depends on accurately testing the knowledge and skills of those working aboard vessels.

Mubarik Masawudu, the authority’s Deputy Director-General, made the appeal at the opening of a one-week regional training programme at the Regional Maritime University. The programme, organised under the International Maritime Organization’s Model Course 3.12, brought together assessors, examiners, instructors, maritime training institutions and officials from Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Cape Verde and The Gambia.

Masawudu said more than 85 percent of goods transported globally move by sea. He therefore described high assessment standards as essential to protecting seafarers’ lives, securing vessels and safeguarding maritime cargo. “It is important to continuously set the standards high for assessment so that we ensure the safety of the lives of seafarers aboard vessels and the security of our goods,” he said.

He also pointed to rapid technological change, automation and new operational requirements across the industry. These developments make continuous training and professional development increasingly important for assessors and examiners. The International Maritime Organization’s Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa, Captain Dallas Laryea, said the STCW Convention remained the foundation of international rules for seafarer training, assessment and certification.

Laryea said automation, digitalisation and the move toward cleaner fuels were creating new competency requirements in digital technology, cybersecurity, data management and remote operations. Masawudu said the growing demand for skilled seafarers offered an opportunity for Africa, particularly given the continent’s youthful population. The global maritime industry, he said, could need about 90,000 additional officers in 2026 and 1.9 million additional seafarers by 2050.

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It is important to continuously set the standards high for assessment so that we ensure the safety of the lives of seafarers aboard vessels and the security of our goods.