The 2026 seafarer workforce figures, and what they mean for navies
The new BIMCO/ICS report finds a shortage of certified officers alongside a surplus of ratings. Navies compete for exactly the skills that are scarce.
Read the analysisInsights & Research
Explainers and analysis on naval and maritime workforces. We publish no company announcements unless they are real, and every figure links to its source.
- Insights
- Research
- Explainers
- Industry analysis
How lawful pathways for foreign nationals in national armed forces work
Several democracies admit non-citizens to their armed forces under statute. The legal line between that and mercenary activity is clear — and it is drawn by the state.
Decarbonisation and the next maritime skills gap
New fuels and ship systems will require retraining on a scale the industry has rarely attempted. Training capacity, not technology, may be the constraint.
Coverage
Ten areas we write about
- Maritime Workforce1
- Supply, demand and the structure of seagoing and shore workforces.
- Naval Readiness
- How navies sustain people, skills and availability.
- Maritime Training1
- Standards, capacity and the future of maritime education.
- Workforce Technology
- Systems for planning, verification and certification.
- Disaster Resilience
- Maritime roles in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
- Maritime Economics
- Trade, shipping and the economics of maritime labour.
- Public Policy1
- Law and policy that shape recruitment and service.
- Government Partnerships
- How states structure cooperation on workforce development.
- Human Capital
- Skills, careers and the value participants carry forward.
- International Maritime Development
- Capacity building across maritime nations.
Editorial standards
Every statistic in our publications is attributed to a named source with a link. Quotations are reproduced exactly from published sources. We label each piece as an insight, explainer, research note or industry analysis, and we do not publish announcements about clients, partnerships or contracts unless they are real and verifiable.
Enquiries
Research or media enquiry?
Researchers, journalists and policy teams can reach us through the contact page.