A new training project will prepare seafarers for zero or near-zero emission ships, as it has been identified that up to 800,000 seafarers may require additional training by the mid-2030s to handle zero carbon fuels.
The training framework will equip seafarers with skills and provide guidance for trainers and the industry.
The project is being announced at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28), meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 30 November to 12 December 2023.
Lloyd’s Register class society and WMU (World Maritime University) will develop two training packages: one for all seafarers, irrespective of their roles, and another for officers with higher-level responsibilities, as well as an instructor handbook for maritime training institutions.
The training framework, funded through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, will equip seafarers with skills in decarbonization, and provide guidance for trainers and the industry.
Once developed, the Baseline Training Framework for Seafarers in Decarbonization will be first tested out in Asia through a programme led by WMU, with support from the IMO Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) Asia and other partners.
Training materials will be developed for all seafarers and for officers. The aim is to then expand testing of the package globally with all the established MTCCs and other appropriate organisations.
The timeline is to develop the training materials by mid-2025.
The genesis of this initiative goes back to a project initiated by IMO in the Philippines in 2021 to improve the safety and energy efficiency of its domestic ferry fleet.
The need to train seafarers was identified as one of the follow up actions. IMO developed a thematic project to assist the Maritime Education and Training (MET) Institutions in Asia, particularly in seafarer-supplying countries, to develop specific training on energy efficiency for seafarers.
