Speaking at the BIMCO Centenary General Meeting, Rajaish Bajpaee, president of Hong Kong-based ship management company, urged employers to offer their seafaring employees a varied and long lasting career path within their companies in order to retain their services.

Bajpaee, also the head of Eurasia that employs at least 1,800 seafarers, advocated practical solutions to the problem including a better balance between work and family life; higher standards of health and safety; the implementation of ongoing training policies; increasing seafarers' involvement in companies' decision making processes, and providing a counter balance to escalating salaries.

"As an industry we need to work harder to reward our seafarers better, to address the issue of pride and put the emphasis back on the people," Bajpaee concluded.

Source: MaritimeGlobal.net 05/25/05