Our seafarers
Today, shipping is a modern, highly technical, professional discipline that requires a great deal of skill, knowledge and expertise from the workforce both on board and ashore. The human element and its interaction with machine and technology has become increasingly important as the industry moves towards ever higher standards of safety, environmental impact and technological development.
Our seafarers
Gearbulk’s 1,541 active seafarers are the main contributors to ensure quality transportation for our customers around the world and around the clock. Working at sea requires dedication, risk management and high competence, all of which Gearbulk has acknowledged and continuously allocates resources to improve.
In order to meet our business objectives and provide opportunities for career development of our dedicated seafarers, Gearbulk provides additional training beyond the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) and Flag state requirements.
The Company also provides a comprehensive Computer based training system (Seagull) which covers a wide range of topics. All seafarers must complete and re-take the relevant modules within a certain time frame to achieve the required assessment score.
Some of the areas in which the Company invests additional resources include:
- Ship Simulator Bridge and Engine team training combined with Maritime Resource Management
- Crisis Management course
- Britannia seminar
- Ship handling with high lift rudder training
- ECDIS type specific training
- MARPOL training
- Cargo courses
- Deck and Engine skill enhancement course for ratings
- MAN e-engine course
- Electrical training
- International cuisine course
- Refrigeration and cargo pumping systems
- In-house pre-joining briefing
- Ship Management Course
- GB Safety Leadership course
Special seafarer training focus areas in 2019
ECDIS Training
ECDIS training on board is carried out on a weekly basis, including discussions between Deck Officers and Cadets related to the company’s ECDIS Quick Reference guide. Progress is reported to the Training manager ashore. ECDIS Training resulted in fewer findings during audits and more proactive bridge teams, and is a continuous focus in Gearbulk.
International Cuisine Training
Gearbulk vessels are manned with crew of mixed nationalities, and good & healthy food for everyone on board is important. Three upgrading courses for Chief Cooks were completed by our Galley staff throughout 2019, in Manila, Beijing and Mumbai.
Total number of training days: 7948 days. Total number of seafarers: 1551 Officers developed through the Gearbulk Cadet program: 30% Retention rate Officers & Ratings 2019: 99.17 Number of internal promotions to Sr. Officer positions: 9 Number of external recruitments to Sr. Officer positions: 0
Gearbulk has for many years provided our seafarers with the opportunity to continue their career ashore within the company. This has been, and is, a valuable contribution to our technical, HSEQ and project departments, providing in-depth knowledge of the ship's operation and equipment to colleagues without a seafarer’s background. It builds a broader understanding of our business and connects the people onboard and ashore to work commonly in ensuring a sustainable future for the Company.
Senior Officer's Seminar
In November 2019, Gearbulk hosted a two day Senior Officer’s seminar in Manila . This provided an opportunity for participants to exchange operational and technical experiences as well as receive feedback on other work-related topics such as safety, leaderships, regulatory requirements and cargo care.
