You’d be surprised how many maritime companies from cruise lines to tanker operators and the Merchant Navy, still don’t have a proper crew strategy. Not a hiring list. Not a spreadsheet. A real end-to-end crew strategy that covers recruitment, screening, onboarding, retention, development, payroll and contracting.
According to a recent industry survey, 40% of maritime employers lack a formal crew strategy. That’s not just a missed opportunity; it’s a structural weakness.
Without a clear crew strategy, companies are:
- Losing people before day one
- Scrambling when rotations clash
- Calling it a “retention problem” when it’s really just poor planning
Hiring without a crew strategy is like sailing without a passage plan. You might still reach your destination, but not without a few disasters along the way.
Crew Strategy vs. Crew Management: What’s the Difference?
While the terms are often used interchangeably, crew strategy and crew management serve different purposes, and understanding the distinction is key to building a resilient workforce.
Crew strategy is the why and how. It’s the long-term, proactive planning that defines how you attract, retain, and develop your crew. It includes forecasting talent needs, investing in cadet management, defining career pathways, and ensuring fair conditions and contracts. Strategy is about building a sustainable workforce that aligns with your company’s values and goals.
On the other hand, Crew Management is the day-to-day execution. It’s the operational side; the handling of contracts, payroll, scheduling, compliance, and logistics. It keeps the system running smoothly, but without a strategy behind it, it can quickly become reactive and fragmented.
What Crew Strategy Really Means
A crew strategy isn’t just about filling roles. It’s about understanding your workforce, who they are, what they need, and how to keep them performing at their best.
A strong crew strategy should answer questions like:
- How are we attracting the right talent?
- Are we screening for long-term fit, not just short-term availability?
- What does onboarding look like and does it set people up for success?
- How are we investing in our crew’s development?
- Are we promoting from within or constantly hiring externally?
- Are we building future talent through structured cadetship programmes?
Without a clear crew strategy, the fallouts can be serious – and costly:
- An unhappy engineer due to unclear contracts or poor rotation planning can lead to safety risks onboard
- A cadet left unsupported on their first voyage can quickly lose confidence, leading to early dropout – and the end of their seafaring ambitions before they’ve even begun
- Payroll delays that erode trust and morale for all crew members
- Missed promotion opportunities that drive experienced crew elsewhere
Too many companies confuse daily operations with strategy. But firefighting crew shortages and the challenges week to week isn’t a plan, it’s a symptom of not having one.
Crew Strategy for Retention
Retention doesn’t start after someone joins, it starts before. If you don’t know what your people need before they step on board, you’ll never hold onto them after they do. That includes:
- Fair and transparent DWC (Daily Work Conditions)
- Clear career pathways
- Ongoing training and upskilling
- Recognition and promotion from within
Hiring externally instead of promoting internally is another red flag. It signals a lack of planning and sends the wrong message to your existing crew.
How Watermark can support your Crew Strategy
A strong crew strategy is your competitive edge in a tightening market. It’s how you attract, retain, and grow the talent that keeps your vessels moving, and keeps our industry buoyant.
At Watermark, we specialise in cadet management and key aspects of crew management that directly support your crew strategy:
- Cadetship placement: helping operators build a future-ready workforce through structured, supported cadet programmes.
- Payroll and contracts: delivering fair, transparent, and timely solutions that respect your crew and simplify your operations.
We believe crew are more than just names on a roster. That’s why our approach is built around people, not just processes, ensuring every interaction is personal, professional, and built on trust.
Find out more about Watermark.
