Seafaring life has less appeal to the young generation, thus the availability of ships officers are tightening around the world:
PS> This may not apply to the US job market. (??)
If companies paid better they’d attract more employees. Instead of bitching about shortages they should fix those shortages with wages.
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If the US companies had more work, they can pay the supposed glut of mates and engineers coming out of the academies. Business is doing well in the container ports despite the politics.
Pre-covid i’d believe it.
Nowadays not so much…as far as outside the US goes, since the cruise industry is on hiatus wouldn’t that leave more mariners than jobs overseas as well?
How many cruise ships are there in the world relative to other types of ships in international trade?
Besides, the type of people that is attracted to serve on cruise ship may not like to trade their uniforms for coveralls.
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Ctony, the various ports are breaking records for TEU’s processed recently. A lot of our focus is on oil, but the container business is alive and well in many ports. The containers with covid related products from wherever are being fast tracked to their destination after being unloaded.
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I’m sure you’ll tell me.
My point was that there were plenty of engine and deck officers on cruise ships that are now idle. If the rest of the industry was able to absorb all those that wanted to continue to sail, great. I was under the impression that those were a lot of jobs… guess i was wrong again 
Considering how many box ships i’ve been seeing in west coast anchorages, i’d believe that.
As I said in the OP:
The shortage is in international shipping and since US shipping and US Mariners are not so much involved in that market the worldwide shortage MAY not affect either much. (??)
Have to believe a shit ton of jobs have been lost in the cruise industry, and the ports that serve them, no matter what flag.
Yes a lot of jobs are “On Hold” awaiting re-start of the cruise traffic around the world. How many of the officers from the cruise ships that is even looking to fill vacancies on other type of ships is an open question.
My guess is that most of them are just waiting for a change in their industry.
PS> Not many are US Mariners though.
You are absolutely correct Bug,not many were US Mariners. They are not noted for exotic ice or melon carvings. Nor accepting the pay offered.I really do hope the business picks up after this virus shit. All the ports worldwide that service these vessels are starving their for business, including the USA.
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And not many American Mariners are available to fill the posts available on other types of ships under foreign flags ether I believe?
Why they would rather just receive the unemployment benefits then work on foreign ships is a mystery that you may be able to explain.
It is not as if it is very generous, or a disincentive to work as far as I understand.(??)