Emmanuel Mezoh Dolakeh

M.Sc., B.Sc.

This article, first published in the Liberia Maritime Authority’s Marine Monitor Magazine in 2018 under the caption

“Seafaring: A pro-poor means of empowering Liberian youths”, was published in The Daily Observer in June 2020 in commemoration of the Day of the Seafarer (June 25). With the incoming government of President Elect H. E. Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr keen on creating opportunities for the majority youthful population to be trained and marketed, this revised article drives home the key message to increase Liberian seafarers on the many ships flying its flag.

Introduction

Throughout the campaign of the just-ended, hard-fought elections, Presidential Candidate H. E. Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr, placed job creation for Liberian youths at the center stage of his ARREST – Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism – message. As President Elect, in his first major interview on VOA with Peter Clottey on 21 December 2023, the President Elect passionately highlighted the critical need for the country’s youths, who are in the majority, to be equipped through opening up “opportunities for them to be trained and be marketable”. The ARREST message was encapsulated into the following 6-pillar development agenda – building a brighter future for a transformed and united Liberia:

1. Macroeconomic Stability and Infrastructural Development
   1. Promote Sustainable Job Creation
   1. Develop Sea Ports Transport Network
2. Health, WASH, The Environmental & Climate Change
3. Human Capacity Development
   1. Strengthen Education System To Improve Outcomes
   1. Diversify & Promote Technical & Vocational Education Training
4. Governance & Rule of Law
   1. Improve Foreign Relations & Strengthen Global Engagement
   1. Strengthen National Security (via sustainable job creation)
5. Gender, Youth, Children & Social Protection
   1. Prioritize Gender And Women Empowerment
   1. Promote Youth Development
   1. Ensure Economic Empowerment of Our Youth
   1. Strengthen Institutional Frameworks For The Support To Youth Development
6. Anti-Corruption

Promotion of sustainable job creation cuts across the six pillars and is key to a stable, prosperous and a united country. 

The global potential for seafaring jobs

Whereas all the sectors are extremely viable for the empowerment of the country’s majority youthful population through sustainable job creation, the maritime space could be innovatively explored to provide huge employment opportunities for many unemployed Liberian youths through shipping, harvesting or extraction of marine living and non-living resources, tourism, etc. With thousands of vessels worldwide flying the Liberian flag, seafaring, the driving force of shipping, could be one of the most viable pathways for the empowerment of Liberian youths.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD’s) Review of Maritime Transport reports and other sources, shipping represents about 90% of world trade by volume and more than 70% by value. It further accounts for 105,493 merchant ships of 100 gross tons and above which are manned by nearly 2 million seafarers worldwide. Shipping is a highly lucrative business of immeasurable international stature as the operation of these merchant ships generates an estimated annual income of over 0.5 trillion US Dollars in freight rates alone. Liberia has been no small player in this global shipping space since the official registration of the first ship – World Peace – under its open registry in 1949. In UNCTAD’s latest report, Review of Maritime Transport 2023, Liberia now sits first in the list of leading flags of registration by dead weight tons (dwt) with more than 378 million dwt (approx. 4,821 vessels while the Liberian Registry puts its registered vessels at over 5,000), followed by Panama with 365 million dwt (with approx. 8,174 vessels) and Marshall Islands with 299 million dwt (4,180 vessels). Moreover, Liberia boasts of the highest growth rate in deadweight tonnage (12.7%) among the top three registries with Panama at 4.2% and Marshall Islands at 3.2%. What this means is that Liberia is the fastest growing registry amongst the top three leading ship registries. Liberia was recently elected by the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the 40-Member Council along with 9 other countries with the largest interest in providing international shipping services under Category A. 

Despite this remarkable feat by the Liberian Registry to stay afloat in such highly competitive international seaborne trade, Liberians have benefited relatively little from the maritime program over its more than 70-year history, save the steady flow of revenues to the central budget and the training of a few Liberians in different maritime disciplines. The lack of a vibrant seafaring program is not only responsible for the little participation of Liberians in the maritime sector, it adds to the unemployment woes of the growing youthful population.

The global demand for seafarers makes this industry a viable pathway for job creation in Liberia.  The 2021 Seafarer Workforce Report (formerly the Manpower Report), issued every five years by the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), warned that the shipping industry must significantly increase training and recruitment levels if it is to avoid a serious shortage in the total supply of officers by 2026. The Report, which estimated the global manpower supply of seafarers operating over 74,000 merchant vessels at 1.89 million (of which 857,540 are officers and 1,035,180 are ratings), predicts that an additional 89,510 officers will be in demand by 2026 to operate the world merchant fleet.

Seafaring, only when considered a cross-cutting target of the six developmental pillars under the incoming government’s bold development agenda, could help lift many Liberian youths out of extreme poverty. In this context, the article attempts to answer three central questions: why has seafaring in Liberia failed despite the growing number of vessels flying its flag; why is seafaring a unique pathway for job creation for the youths; and how could this be rolled out? Before answering these questions, the national laws promoting Liberian seafaring would be outlined. 

Legal basis for creating seafaring jobs in Liberia

The fundamental legal reliance for the economic empowerment of all Liberians can be found in

Article 7 of Chapter II of the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia: “the maximum feasible participation of Liberian citizens under the conditions of equality, so as to advance the general welfare of the Liberian people and the economic development of Liberia”.

Section 326 of the Liberia Maritime Law, which supports youths (min. age 16) to be employed on board Liberian-flagged vessels, provides enormous seagoing opportunities for the majority youthful population of the country.

Liberian Maritime Regulations (RLM-108), Section 2.40 on “Costs of Marine Investigation, International Participation and Nautical Training” establishes the collection of annual fees for nautical vocational training and marketing of Liberian seafarers as follows:

“(1) Annual Fees. The costs of marine investigation, nautical training and international participation shall be defrayed by the annual payment of a fee of the prescribed amount by the owner of each vessel registered under the provisions of the Maritime Law of the Republic of Liberia.

• How Applied. The fees collected under the Regulation shall be applied as follows:
  • Marine Investigation…
  • International Participation…
  • Nautical Training. From the fees collected under this Regulation, an amount computed at the prescribed rate shall be placed in a trust fund administered by the Commissioner of Maritime Affairs and dedicated solely to covering the costs of nautical vocational training for seafaring personnel in support of the Liberian maritime program.
• Credit for Liberian Crew. Each vessel employing two or more Liberian nationals on board for an aggregate period of at least one year shall be entitled to a credit at the prescribed rate

against payment of the fee established in paragraph (1) of this Regulation. Such credit shall be in lieu of the nautical training allocation in paragraph (2) (c). In order to receive such credit, the shipowner must apply by letter to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, showing the names and Seafarer’s Book numbers of such Liberian nationals, and attaching copies of such pages

from the Liberian Articles of Agreement as will establish their employment on board for a total

period of one year or more. Such information received by 15 October will result in a credit at the prescribed rate against the fee payable for the following calendar year. Re-application may be made in following years when further one-year employment periods have accrued.

• Exemptions. Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this Regulation, vessels of less than 500 net registered tons and engaged solely in either the Liberian fishery or the Liberian coastwise trade shall be exempted from payment.  

Furthermore, Section 5 (Functions of the Authority) of the Liberia Maritime Authority Act 2010, Paragraph (8) encourages the Authority to “expand and create maritime employment opportunities for Liberian seafarers, to include training and certification;”.

Despite the strong show of legal support for a vibrant seafaring program, why are Liberians still largely absent on Liberian-flagged vessels, let alone foreign vessels?

The failing seafaring program of Liberia

While the Liberian Registry is an open registry that does not in any way restrict Liberian ship owners to hire Liberian seafarers, the local maritime laws/regulations, as outlined above, clearly encourage and support the recruitment, training and placement of Liberians on board the more than 5,000 Liberian-flagged vessels. It is glaring that Liberians have been so much disadvantaged that some even flirt with the illusion that placement of local seafarers on board Liberian registered ships has been sold out to foreigners. This entitlement that only Liberians should be on Liberian ships can easily be defeated under the doctrine of open registry which allows vessel owners to freely employ any nationality.

However, is there any subtle selfish game at play against the promotion and competitiveness of Liberian seafarers? While Paragraph (2c) unambiguously sets the trust fund to solely train Liberian seafarers, Paragraph (3) even goes further to market Liberian seafarers by incentivizing shipowners of Liberian-flagged vessels of more than 500 net registered tons if they hire two or more Liberian seafarers. Clearly, one would think that these shipowners would be quite eager to lower their operating costs by employing trained Liberian seafarers, who obviously would probably be cheaper than their Western or Asian counterparts. Whereas these shipowners may be willing to employ highly competitive Liberian seafarers, the bitter truth is we as a people and a country, whether wittingly or not, have failed over 70 years to lower the unemployment rate by strategically investing into a national seafaring program that would produce highly equipped seafarers for the global market. Here are some reasons pointing out the failure to develop Liberian seafarers.

The lack of quality and productive nautical vocational training institutions for seafaring personnel in the country has been one of the key reasons for the very low output of seafarers. Within the entire country, there is only one public maritime training institute supposedly intended to producing seafarers. The Liberia Maritime Training Institute (LMTI), established since 1979, has done relatively little in recent years to boost local interest in seafaring. While LMTI before the civil conflict was deliberate and strived to produce and place on board some of Liberia’s finest seafarers to date, the post-conflict narrative is utterly embarrassing. While the trust fund may have been rightfully used to turn LMTI into a modern, state-of-the-art facility, its focus has somewhat shifted from being “dedicated solely” to the strategic provision “of nautical vocational training for seafaring personnel”, as stated in (2) (c) of Section 2.40 of the Liberia Maritime Regulations, to their newly highly overrated Associate degree Program currently running at LMTI, which may be costlier to run than its formerly traditional vocational seafaring training. Probably, there is a need to gauge the cost-benefit analysis of the Associate degree program currently in full swing at LMTI on the Liberian economy on one hand versus the impact of nautical vocational training of seafarers on the economy on the other hand.

Tied to the problems affecting Liberian seafarers is also the lack of public awareness and an effective recruitment of cadets. For such a sector to be successful, Liberians must first be aware of the role of seafaring in lowering unemployment. Public awareness and education of the Liberia maritime program, specifically a national vocational training program of seafaring personnel, is crucial in a country where a good segment of the youthful population is illiterate and vulnerable. Also, recruitment strategy, in time past, has been largely limited to high school graduates with excellent academic achievement, including prerequisite to be a Division 1 or 2 holder in WASSCE. While excellence is great, not many youths will be accessed given the messy educational system. Moreover, considering the distant and hazardous job seafaring is, many academically excellent high school graduates may more likely prefer going to college and working ashore. Seafaring has been misconstrued in Liberia by some policy makers to mean a job only for the high academic achievers. Even an average 9^th grader with the rightful learning and disciplined attitude could pass for an excellent seafarer. One does not need a Division 1 or 2 in WASSCE to be a good rating – welder, able seaman, motorman/oiler, fitter, carpenter, or even a cook. Seafaring is an apprenticeship job that appreciates with sailing time. The singular advantage a degree (in navigation or marine engineering) has is the holder could easily pass for an officer (navigation or engine) in a relatively short span of time as opposed to starting as a rating and patiently spending more time to become an officer. Hence, this misconception, which has beclouded the recruitment process for a long time, must be reexamined and demystified. Otherwise, seafaring will continue to be a fleeting reality for many youths in Liberia where unemployment is so high.

Highlighting the short supply of officers in the Seafarer Workforce Report, the obtainment of a license by a typical Liberian seafaring officer is even gloomy. Even for the handful of competent Liberian seafarers currently on the ground, it is extremely difficult getting a Liberian Certificate of Competence (CoC), which is a license for officers on board Liberian-flagged vessels. Many other maritime nations (such as USA, the Phillipines, Taiwan, etc.) have developed question-andanswer (Q&A) examination preparatory booklets which are sold to seafarers desirous of sitting the written examinations for officers. Liberia is probably the only leading flag State not offering such service for its local seafarers. Consequently, the examination is so complicated for Liberian seafaring candidates. Interestingly for foreign nationals sailing on Liberian registered vessels, however, there is a remedy. Foreign seafarers opting for Liberian CoC are allowed to bring their national CoCs, issued to them by their national government, for recognition and endorsement by Liberia. Sadly, for Liberian seafarers, the very closed nature of the Liberian officer license exam hinders their dream of sailing as officers. The alternative to sit other countries’ officer license exams and later request endorsement for an equivalent Liberian license, which is what many of the few privileged Liberian seafarers have done, does not resonate well with many home-based underprivileged Liberian seafarers as they cannot afford the travel and living costs associated with taking these foreign exams overseas. That is why Ghana, which, for instance, does not have a fledging ship registry, can nonetheless boast of an enterprising seafarer employment program with more than hundred officers while Liberia, despite its leading place in ship registry, cannot boast of ten active officers.

The lack of a robust seafarer recruitment and placement service in Liberia to aid the promotion and marketing of Liberian seafarers worldwide has been also identified as a major obstacle to the placement of Liberian seafaring personnel. While the quality training of potential seafarers has been a challenge, more than two dozen have been trained at the Regional Maritime University (RMU) and LMTI but securing a sustainable seagoing contract has been a lingering concern. Manning agencies and crewing companies could assist to fill the gap. It is now a common practice for employment on board vessels to be contracted out to these seafarer recruitment and placement service providers. According to a study published in 2016 by the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (GPCCI) aimed at highlighting the “maritime industry’s significance and impact on the Philippine economy”, for example, The Philippines, which is the largest supplier of seafarers worldwide, had about 406 manning agencies in 2016. Also, Ghana, which has far more seafarers in the thousands than Liberia, listed 37 certified seafarer recruitment and placement service providers in country as at the first quarter in 2022. So, it is very important that in addition to producing quality seafarers, responsible and reputable manning/crewing agencies or companies should be encouraged to open offices in Liberia so as to market Liberian seafarers. This, certainly, could be another business opportunity within the shipping sector which Liberians could take full advantage of.

Consequently, the abovementioned challenges are some reasons why Liberia and Liberians are losing out hugely on the immense benefits that accompany seagoing jobs.

Why is seafaring a unique pathway for job creation for Liberian youths – the benefits of seafaring jobs

Jobbing on the world’s blue oceans can no doubt help provide young Liberians, particularly the vulnerable youths, not only with an opportunity to provide for their families buta lifeline that quickly lifts them out of poverty and puts them right in the middle class income bracket.

Despite the isolated and physically, mentally demanding job seafaring is, there are enormous benefits associated with this industry, especially for a country like Liberia. From a personal experience at sea, also corroborated by other seafarers in a survey by Shiptalk Recruitment Ltd. in 2008, the following are but a few reasons why seagoing job is a viable pathway to empower Liberian youths:

• Exposure to world travel;
• Attractive wages than similar jobs at home. As set in 2021 by the Subcommittee on Wages of Seafarers of the Joint Maritime Commission of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the minimum monthly basic wage for able seafarers (ratings) was US$658 as at 1 January 2023 and has now increased by US$8 (to US$666) as of 1 January 2024. Imagine taking Liberian youths from high school and training them as competitive seafarers to earn a minimum monthly wage of even around US$400-500 as ratings and even more as officers. By the way, this is the basic minimum wage without any add-ons like overtime, leave pay, etc. How many onshore jobs can provide such minimum wage at such a massive scale? If about half of the vessels flying the Liberian flag could employ about 2,410 Liberian seafarers in six years (2024-2029), that would amount to some estimated total minimum basic salaries of $69,408,000, with potential for their salaries to hit four figures as they get qualified as officers. 

Estimated number of Liberian youths to be recruited, trained and deployed as seafarers versus estimated total annual income from their deployment, with a basic monthly wage of approx. US$400
2024		2025		2026		2027		2028		2029
No.	Income	No.	Income	No.	Income	No.	Income	No.	Income	No.	Income
100	$480,000	200	$960,000	400	$1.92m	700	$3.36m	1000	$4.8m	2410	$69.4m

• Working conditions are better than at home. Seafarers get three square meals daily in addition to regular supply of toiletries and discount on goods purchased on board;
• Stability of job due to its international nature;
• Less (extended) family pressure as absence on ground means less expenditure, which could translate to more savings.

Even after sea life, experienced seafarers could return to shore and offer their technical and vocational skillset to fill the skills gap in the local industries and be hired as flag State surveyors/auditors, port State control inspectors, marine casualty investigators, harbor masters, pilots, ship superintendents, or shipping company managers, among others.

Besides the reduction of national unemployment rate as a result of seafaring job creation, the country also stands to benefit enormously from remittances, which in turn would help drive the local economy. According to the GPCCI Study, 402,000 Filipino seafarers, for instance, remitted $5.5 billion to the Philippine economy between 2010 and 2014. In the report, Assessing the economic impact of the draw-down of UNMIL on the Liberian economy, the total national staff salaries paid by UNMIL were US$223.7million between 2003 and 2018. This translated into a cumulative impact of about US$335.6million on the local economy over a 15-year period. With the current weak state of economy to be inherited in few weeks, even a million infused into the Liberian economy from seafaring job creation could be quite impactful.

Recommendations on how to send more young Liberians to sea

To reap these and other benefits of seagoing jobs, a spectrum of decisions – from the sometimes simple and immediate to the often tough financially intensive and long-term ones – would have to be made as a government and a people.

The inclusion of seagoing job creation into the incoming UP-led government’s six-pillar development agenda would provide sustainable jobs for Liberian youths. Therefore, to put a good trunk of our youths to work, consideration and implementation of the below recommendations, say over a six-year period, would fundamentally change the negative perceptions that have stifled the growth and competitiveness of Liberian seafarers for years:

1. Ensure that the laws promoting the creation of a national seafaring program are scrupulously enforced. Hence, funds collected for nautical vocational training must be

“dedicated solely” to trainings that yield the possible maximum benefits for Liberian seafarers as opposed to the highly academic Associate Degree Program currently ongoing at LMTI.

• As stated in the Maritime Regulations, the primary focus of LMTI should be “nautical vocational training” with emphasis on producing competitive ratings and following through with upgrading courses to qualify them as officers. If more youths are to benefit, this would mean increasing the yearly intake of cadets. Also, 14 to 18 year-olds (10-12^th graders) should be recruited and placed into LMTI’s Preparatory Academy where both regular high school and basic seamanship programs could be offered them. This recruitment of very young cadets would enable them rapidly advance to officer ranks and qualify as young captains and chief engineers within ten years or so. Recruitment at young age will further allow them to retire early and return to contribute to various onshore industries.
• Public awareness and the right recruitment attitude to promote a career at sea. Organize and promote, through the office of Liberia’s IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador, programs and campaigns to attract young talents to seafaring. The IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador scheme is an innovative way IMO encourages its Member States, through their nominated Ambassadors, “to promote the maritime and seafaring professions and raise awareness of the positive benefits of choosing a career at sea or other maritime profession”. For example, schools should begin introducing kids to ships and the ‘blue’ environment. Furthermore, engage Liberians throughout the year with programs befitting of the maritime nation Liberia is, particularly by observing key international maritime days such as Women in Maritime Day (18 May), World Environment Day (5 June), World

Oceans Day (8 June), Day of the Seafarer (25 June), World Maritime Day (26 September).

• Provide exam preparatory manuals for officer’s Certificate of Competence (CoC). As done in other maritime jurisdictions, make readily available such Q&A preparatory material for seafarers sitting Liberian officers’ examination. Together, this would not only increase the pool of professional Liberian seafarers as officers, but proceeds from the sale of the materials could help further the seafaring program.
• Pursue and arrange placement of Liberian seafarers on board Liberian registered vessels

As LMTI positions itself to produce growing numbers of talented Liberian cadets, the establishment and operation of a private seafarer recruitment and placement service, in accordance with the requirements set out in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, should be encouraged and supported. To buttress LMTI’s efforts, the availability of recruitment and placement services in country could be a very vital, sustainable conduit to sending more Liberians to sea.

Conclusion

The problems with the creation of seafaring jobs in Liberia are numerous – from the messy education system to the lack of investment in the sector. However, this paper has outlined some of the problems hindering the promotion of seagoing career in the country as well as suggestive actions to remedy them.

By prioritizing a national seafaring employment program, the benefits from Liberia’s enviable record in ship registry should trickle down to real and practical investment into the local economy. The comprehensive development and conversion of Liberian youths into highly competitive global seafarers is a priority that the incoming UP-led government of H. E. Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr should put a premium on.