Shipping’s training ecosystem is struggling in an era of accelerating change, with industry leaders warning that tick-box learning and operational pressures are undermining seafarer competence. The latest instalment from our brand-new Seafarers magazine. Maritime training is under strain. Between relentless schedules, shrinking manning levels, and an accelerating pace of technological change, the old ways of teaching seafarers are creaking. The industry knows it must do better — but few agree on how. Across interviews with senior leaders, a consensus emerges: training is too compliance-driven, too disconnected from daily reality, and far too time-hungry for the modern shipboard environment. From gamification and microlearning to AI-driven personalisation, shipping is beginning to explore how to make training stick — but time, not technology, remains its greatest constraint. The time trap “Seafarers are under intense operational pressure,” says Steven Jones, founder of the Seafarers Happiness Index. “When crews are stretched thin just managing daily operations, even well-designed training programs struggle to gain traction.” It’s a sentiment echoed across the industry. Pradeep Chawla, CEO of MarinePALS, notes that the average ship’s planned maintenance system has around 3,000 individual tasks. “If a proper study were done, we’d find it’s not humanly possible to complete them all,” he says. “When you add bad weather, port calls, and administrative work, there’s simply no time left for learning.” The result, says Chawla, is a “tick-box attitude” to both work and training — not because seafarers are complacent, but because they are overwhelmed. From tick boxes to touchpoints Across shipping, a new wave of training reformers is asking whether maritime learning should look more like mobile gaming than classroom study. Lars Gruenitz of Norstar Ship Management believes interactive and gamified learning can make training far more impactful — especially when seafarers can learn “at their own pace, wherever they are, whether at a training centre, onboard, or at home.” For Wiebke Schuett at Wilhelmsen Ship Management, the answer lies in microlearning — short, targeted modules designed for attention spans measured in minutes, not hours. “We incorporate gamification and interactive elements to make learning engaging and memorable,” she says. “The goal is stickiness — ensuring seafarers actually retain and apply what they learn.” Gamification, AI-driven personalisation, and scenario-based training are reshaping the learning landscape. Angad Banga of Caravel Group says training must evolve faster: “The industry is changing rapidly, and training needs to capture that momentum. We’re focusing on immersive, simulation-based programs that align with how people learn today — creating learning that sticks, not ticking boxes.” Compliance versus competence That phrase — tick-box — has become the defining critique of maritime training. Henrik Jensen of Danica Crewing Specialists argues that statutory training under the STCW framework is “not in sync with what is actually needed.” The international standards may provide a baseline, but “they evolve far too slowly for a fast-developing industry.” Simon Frank of NSB Crewing Solutions agrees that “training methods are not modernised fast enough” and remain “driven too much by compliance compared to actual improvement needs.” This compliance culture, says Jones, creates “a cycle where training is viewed as a burden