Navigating officers at sea have duties other than watchkeeping and navigation. This paper considers the problems associated with a seagoing career in the context of social and technical developments. The worldwide pool of skilled maritime labour is rapidly diminishing and steadily ageing. Seafaring as a career is becoming progressively less attractive. Worldwide shortages of qualified staff are predicted to get far worse with serious commercial consequences, but it may be that further reductions in crewing levels will merely exacerbate the problem. The psychological difficulties of present-day seafaring are considered and a sociotechnical re-design of the shipboard system discussed as an option.
