Aging crews on ferry services to outlying islands could soon be a problem if they cannot find people to succeed them after they retire, maritime experts said.
The nation has 26 ferry services to outlying islands, which are operated by 70 captains, Port and Maritime Bureau statistics showed. The average age of these captains is 52. On some ferry routes, captains are still operating ships even after they turn 80, the bureau said.
Taipei University of Marine Technology associate professor Chang Tsai-hsin (張在欣) attributed the aging crews on ferry services to stable incomes and low career thresholds. It might also be a career choice for those whose homes are in the coastal areas or seeking a family-oriented life, she said.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
“Most of the boats that are used for ferry services weigh between 20 tonnes and 500 tonnes. There is no education and age limit for those seeking to operate ferries. So long as they have certificates for third-class mates or first officers and have worked as third-class mates or first officers for at least one year, they can make this a life-long career,” Chang said.
“Because of relatively lower career thresholds, the jobs are mostly done by those who switch their careers when they are middle-aged,” she said.
Unlike crew members working on international commercial ships, who are subject to frequent deployment, crews on ferries work fixed schedules and usually need to care for family members.
Chang said that the booming international shipping business during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed some shipping firms to give their employees 40 to 45 months of salaries as bonuses, has motivated more young people to pursue a career in shipping.
“Some hope to earn their first ‘bucket of gold’ by working in the shipping business, while others hope to accumulate work experience and would work on ferries or inland shipping services when they get older,” she said.
The bureau said that the average age of captains who operate ferries is about the same as those working for ocean freight shipping and near-sea shipping lines.
Compared with training for other crew members, training a captain takes a relatively long time, the bureau said.
Crews on ferries are mostly local residents or those who are familiar with the routes they work, it said.
“We are encouraging shipping firms to train their own crews. They can also recruit crew members through our smart service platform,” the bureau said.
Cheng Tsuen-ren (鄭尊任), who operates ferries between Magong City in Penghu County and Da Tsang Islet (大倉嶼), said residents there live by the sea and can operate boats from when they are a child.
As a licensed captain, Cheng operates two ferry trips per day, assumes the job of village warden and goes sea fishing at night, he said.
North-South Shipping Firm chairman Chen Kai-shou (陳開壽) said both his son and his nephew are captains and have been trained to operate boats ever since they were children. Now they can operate big boats and have no trouble navigating among islands, and between outlying islands and Taiwan proper.
“I prefer to recruit people who are familiar with sea, sea weather, reefs and waves,” Chen said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as