Why Thai Seafarers Face Challenges in Joining International Companies

In my 20 years of experience in the maritime industry, I've encountered crew members from various nationalities aboard international fleet vessels. However, Thai seafarers are noticeably underrepresented.

What Challenges Do Thai Seafarers Face?

In Thailand, maritime schools often assure us that the performance of Thai seafarers is on par with their international counterparts. However, a significant hurdle is the English language proficiency of Thai seafarers. This language barrier is cited as a primary reason international ship owners are hesitant to hire Thai nationals.

Is This the Only Issue?

Looking at the 2023 TOEIC score report (https://www.ets.org/pdfs/toeic/toeic-listening-reading-report-test-takers-worldwide.pdf), Thai nationals do score lower in English proficiency compared to some other nationalities. This certainly supports the claim that language and communication skills are a barrier. However, when compared within Asia, Thai seafarers do not have the lowest scores, and yet other Asian nationalities, like Indonesian crew members, are more commonly found on international fleet vessels.

This indicates that language is not the sole issue for Thai seafarers.

Additional Factors Affecting Thai Seafarers

Based on my experience in crew management working with various nationalities, another significant issue is the acceptance of the Thai Certificate of Competency (COC) by international companies. While the documents may be technically acceptable for work on vessels, there is concern over whether the knowledge and skills acquired from Thai maritime schools and training programs meet international standards.

Conclusion

These challenges—language proficiency and the perceived quality of maritime training—have been persistent for over 20 years and continue to affect the employability of Thai seafarers in the international maritime industry today.