Perhaps the biggest change is that crews have got very much smaller. Automation has played a part. For instance, automatic steering gear has eliminated the seaman at the wheel. Most ships are run with just one man on watch. Modern engine rooms are also run without having an engineer on watch. The engine is controlled from the bridge and alarms sound if a problem is detected. Indeed, smaller ships may not even carry an engineer. Another member of the crew is trained to carry out basic repairs, and any major work is done in port. As a result of these changes, today`s seafarer has more responsibility, and less company. Indeed, with some small ships run by as few as four. The only time they meet is when watches are changed!

Stays in port have also got much shorter. Loading or unloading often took one to two weeks in the 1960s. Today, it is normally measured in hours. As a result, seafarers rarely get their run ashore. What little time they have in port is taken up with dealing with officials, maintenance, or catching up with sleep.

The decline in the size of the British fleet has made a difference to British seafarers. Many now have to work on ships registered in other countries, and in certain of these standards of operation, not to mention pay and leave, are poor.

Career choice

Despite these changes, seafaring still offers an exciting and worthwhile career. In few other professions does responsibility come so early. For instance, it is possible to become the master of a big containership or tanker in the early thirties. There is the opportunity to move between companies and between ships on different routes and in different trades. Looking to the future, standards in shipping are set to improve. Realising the hazards posed by the many dangerous cargoes moved by sea, governments are increasingly calling for higher standards of crewing and operation. To meet these demands, experienced, well-trained seafarers are vital.

The routine at sea

Different ships, different lives

Social and family matters

Sea life today