Nigeria and other African governments have been charged to upgrade their training infrastructure to develop seafarers for green shipping transition.

Recall that the Maritime Just Transition Task Force in its research, disclosed that about 800,000 seafarers could require additional training by the mid-2030s to use low- to zero-carbon fuels under possible net-zero targets by 2050.

The Senior Manager, Trade Policy and Employment Affairs, at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Helio Vicente, explained that setting up green seafarer training initiatives would minimise risk and human errors when transitioning to new fuels and technologies.

Vicente noted that with the mix of low and zero-carbon fuels set to power ships in the future, training and upskilling seafarers has become more urgent.

“Technology must evolve in step with seafarer skills so that the shift to a greener future is done as safely and efficiently as possible, minimising risk along the supply chain. African maritime leaders must act now to ensure that their workforces are primed for shipping’s green transition,” she stated.

The Chief Executive Officer of the International Maritime Employers Council (IMEC), Francesco Gargiulo, said while the shipping decarbonisation journey will be powered by human beings, the industry is already experiencing a need for sufficient skilled workers to operate modern vessels as this will only continue to grow over the coming years.