Expected Marine Industry Trends Over the Next Decade

Posted January 30 2020


Woman looking out at the seaThe beginning of a new era is here, the start of another decade. Which each era comes change, advancement, and a new way of approaching and thinking about issues. That’s the case in every industry, including the marine industry. Over the next decade, there will be new trends in the marine industry that mirror the rest of society, but also that are unique to the marine industry. After some careful thoughts, here are some of the trends that we can expect, in addition to changes that are needed.

Mental Health

One of the biggest topics of conversation over recent years is mental health, and the importance of proper treatment and coverage. Mental Health is also a hot topic in the marine industry, after recent surveys have discovered the amount of crew members that struggle with mental health issues. Something that needs to change in the next decade, sooner than later, is the addressing of mental health in the marine industry. Crew members are often left in isolation, or live in close quarters while working long hours, and are constantly in high stress situations. Some organizations have already begun to step in and offer a helping hand. The International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) have already developed SeafarerHelp, a free, confidential, multilingual helpline for seafarers and their families available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

Equal Representation

The next decade is going to result in more women being properly represented across all industries. Women have always been key members of the marine industry, but proper advancement hasn’t been the same for everyone. Another trend that is likely over the next decade is having more women in high- level positions such as Captains and Chief Officers. In the US, data is indicating that women have now surpassed men as a total percentage of the workforce, but when it comes to holding high level positions, there is plenty of room for growth for women.

Technology

No one believed that we would have the whole world in our pocket 20 years ago, and today we have that and then some. Technology is making advancements all around us, so why expect in different in the marine industry? Ships that run on Liquid Natural Gas have already begun production, so one would expect that would eventually make its way to yachting too. A fuel that burns more efficiently and is better for the environment? Where do we sign-up?

There will be other trends to come revolving around technology to come that will require crew members to have specialized training in order to keep their positions, or possibly even new positions that don’t even exist just yet.

Environmental Efforts

Climate change has been a constant topic over the past decade, and it will only be even more of a topic over the next decade as we begin to experience some potential issues. As sea levels rise, changes will need to be made across the world when it comes to shipyards and docks. Coral bleaching is another issue that may affect the industry as top destinations begin to lose their allure.

One can expect the environmental efforts to go to another level to save the one thing that we all have in common no matter what sector of the marine industry to find yourself in, the oceans!

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