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.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
RSS