SCI considers outsourcing seafaring officer duties

State-run company Shipping Corp. of India is pondering outsourcing the management of its ships, according to reports Wednesday.

Indian shipping minister T.R. Balu said the decision s primarily due to the acute shortage of qualified and competent seafaring officers, which in the recent past has resulted in the loss of trading days, Thomson Financial News reported.

The Indian government is attempting to stimulate interest in seafaring, as demand for seafarers increases and interest in the vocation wanes.

SCI operates a fleet of 79 vessels and has 62 new ships on order over the next five years. 

Source: American Shipper