This is one question we ought to ask ourselves? Does Human resource mangement exist for indian seafarers?
Time and again I have seen and experienced seafarers regardless of his rank is treated as mere bodies tomeet the minimum manning requirements on board. Each one of us is lured purely by wages. There is no mechanism to reward good performance, enourage good performance. Perks does not exist for a lower ranked officer or crew member.
Human error is projected as the single largest cause for all accidents. Th only solution to reduce them is to have a motivated happy crew on board. This can be achieved only by instilling a sense of belongingness in every crew member towards the company. The question to be answered is "What needs to be done to have a happy crew member on baord? What are his requirements, other than wages, food?
A sincere effort is required, a campaign by the employers to end human errors by having dedicated ship staff on board their vessels. An answer is to have a dedicated HR department in the shipping company, headed by a trained HR manager, not necessarily a seadog?