ABSTRACT
The turn of the century has brought new opportunities and challenges for the shipping industry. One of the toughest challenges concerns the supply of good quality seafarers and in many ways it is at its lowest point presently. Having exhausted traditional supply sources, ship-operators are looking at alternative manning sources. The People's Republic of China (PRC) in this regard, has attracted the highest attention from the major industry players. In this paper, after describing the basic nature of seafaring, the trends in the Sea-going Labour Market (SGLM) worldwide are examined and the factors that make successful seafarers. In this context, developments in the PRC's SGLM and the role of the various actors concerned with the SGLM in the PRC are also described. In conclusion, some of the required initiatives from the main players in PRC's SGLM are specified.
