Day 1| State of the IndustryTuesday, 11 November 2025 - SGT (Singapore Time, GMT+08:00)

To say that the current geo-political and economic landscape is shaped by volatility and extreme, fast-paced changes has paradoxically become the norm. Considering the impact of conflict, trade wars, policy changes and regulatory efforts, we kick off Crew Connect Global with scene-setting discussion on how the crewing industry is navigating disruption and how it impacts our seafarers.

This session will address the impact of shore leave and rest hours for safety, job performance and job satisfaction at sea through the lens of a seafarer.

The ITF report paints a dire picture of access to shore leave and shore-based services. Amongst the most worrying findings across all respondents, even when seafarers did get shore leave, 47% were able to spend less than three hours ashore and overall, 93.5% spent less than six hours ashore. We unpack these and other key findings in the report and what can and should be done about it.

The MLC convention has been revised with changes that have come into effect in December 2024, designed to strengthen the rights of seafarers and ensure a safer, fairer, and more secure work environment in the maritime industry. These changes include revisions to regulations concerning recruitment and placement, repatriation, recreational facilities, food and catering, medical care onboard and ashore, health and safety protection, and accident prevention.

We check in with the industry on the adoption of these new standards and the impact on seafarers, whilst considering what is still missing.

Susanne Justesen, programme director for Human Sustainability at the Global Maritime Forum, will discuss the Forum's recently launched 2030 Industry Ambitions. The new ambitions outline what good looks like for living and working conditions at sea by 2030 and how we can achieve these ambitions through the leadership of first-moving companies and industry collaboration. Susanne will also share how the All Aboard Alliance and the Global Maritime Forum facilitate concrete industry action towards the 2030 ambitions.

The fact that this industry is facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge in attracting, recruiting and retaining talent, especially young people and highly specialized people is now universally recognized. The looming shortage of seafarers, coupled with the retention challenges, a rapidly changing commercial, technical and regulatory landscape, on the background of competition with much more visible industries, mark the urgency around solving this problem. Having set the scene, this session will focus on solutions and discuss strategies for future proofing your crews, such as upskilling, reskilling and age-proofing.

Drawing on insights from Marine Benefits’ Re:fresh health study, this session will open a conversation with a young seafarer to explore how the industry can adapt to the needs and priorities of a new generation. As shore-based sectors continue to offer greater flexibility and remote work opportunities, the maritime industry faces growing pressure to attract and retain young talent. To remain competitive and resilient, it must respond to the shifting values, expectations, and aspirations of those entering the workforce today. By grounding the discussion in both data and personal experience, we aim to highlight steps the maritime industry can take to create a more inclusive, supportive, and attractive career path for young seafarers, one that promotes long-term health, satisfaction, and retention.

February 2025 saw the completion of Phase 1 of the IMO lead effort to revise the STCW convention, during which, the members of the Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping were tasked with reviewing the Convention and Code to identify gaps (focusing on 22 specific areas, including implementation, emerging technologies on ships, e-certification, mental health and gender sensitization, among others), enabling the start of Phase 2 – the revision of the convention.

This session will provide an essential update and next steps for safety at sea.

In the rapid pursuit of decarbonisation and technological change, the fundamental burden for implementation of new technologies falls squarely on the seafarer. With a lack of awareness in the industry about the impact on seafarers’ wellbeing and job satisfaction, ISWAN conducted a survey in 2023 of 400 seafarers and 55 shore-based staff around the world. In a report published last year and sponsored by The Shipowners’ Club, ISWAN shared its findings that although many seafarers were supportive of the aims of decarbonisation and willing to be active contributors, the rapid technological changes and regulatory regimes were having a substantial impact on workload, fatigue and stress levels at sea. Concerns were also raised around potential criminalisation in the event of alleged breaches of new rules and regulations.

In April 2025, the MEPC 83 meeting took place in London with the aim to get member states to come agreement on the draft IMO Net-Zero Framework, which will bolster maritime action on climate change. In this session we look at the actions coming out of the meeting, examine their likelihood of success and impact on crewing, as well as discussing some of the other major steps in this respect, in particular the US withdrawal and initiatives like FuelEU Maritime and the European Clean Industrial Deal.