Foreign Seamen To Get Exam Waiver For Japanese Merchant Ships

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo: Exam waiver eyed for foreign sailors to work on Japanese ships
The transport ministry has decided to exempt qualified foreign seamen from the examination for approval to work on Japanese-registered commercial ships, starting this summer, in an attempt to meet increasing shortages of sailors, ministry sources said Sunday. Those who have graduated from sailor training institutes overseas that meet certain conditions and have qualified in other countries will be recognized as being qualified to work as crew on Japanese ships without taking the currently required exam, they said. Japanese shipping companies have been calling for relaxation of qualifications for foreign nationals, who comprise a predominant portion of the crew on Japanese ships, as Chinese and other ship operators have been stepping up recruitments for expanding their fleets.

There are 2,535 ships in Japan's merchant fleet with 2,384 Japanese sailors and 48,279 foreign crew.

[CrankyBastard]

There are 2,535 ships in Japan's merchant fleet with 2,384 Japanese sailors and 48,279 foreign crew.

That leaves less than one Japanese sailor per vessel (usually the master)
Sanko, the outfit I worked for, saw the writing on the wall back in the early 1960s' and opted out of registering its fleet in Japan.

[Doctor Stop]

There are 2,535 ships in Japan's merchant fleet with 2,384 Japanese sailors and 48,279 foreign crew.

That's a lot of seamen.

[Greji]

That's a lot of seamen.

Make that a lot of foreign seamen.....

[cstaylor]

(waiting for the appropriate NSFW osopolar image attachment)

[Doctor Stop]

There probably are risks associated in allowing the entry of that many untested seamen, foreign or not.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Seaman appears to get FG members ova excited....

[Greji]

Seaman appears to get FG members ova excited....

It's an important topic. When Cranky was still under sail, he was famous for using his seaman all over the pacific!

Also, whadda you think Noriko is looking for hanging out at all the ports?