At the closing session of Maritime Cyprus 2025 this year, Marlow’s Joint Managing Director, Jan Meyering, joined a lively panel discussion titled “Safeguarding Shipowners in a Rapidly Changing Environment.”

The panel explored how the role of ship managers is evolving to meet the industry’s fast-changing landscape, addressing key topics such as decarbonisation, digitalisation, ESG compliance, and geopolitical uncertainty.

Meyering emphasised how ship managers must remain flexible and continue to act as strategic partners to shipowners, safeguarding assets, ensuring crew safety and well-being, enhancing operational resilience, and strengthening competitiveness.

“Shipping must remain adaptable, ready to support shipowners and crews globally as the industry evolves,” said Meyering. He highlighted the importance of crew development and adaptability, stressing that the human factor will remain at the heart of safeguarding the industry’s future. “Seafarers are the key to our future. We must offer them real career paths, more training, and ensure their wellbeing,” he added.

A key point raised by Meyering was the need for an internationally recognised “Seafarer Visa” as a global credential, allowing seafarers to move more freely across borders without being hindered by visa restrictions – a significant problem for the industry that has long disrupted crew changes, seafarer opportunities, and by extension, global trade.

While the International Labour Organization (ILO) already issues seafarer identification documents, these are fragmented and inconsistently recognised, often failing to remove visa barriers. Meyering’s proposal goes further, calling for a standardised, globally recognised seafarer pass in combination with the seaman book, functioning as a kind of professional passport for seafarers.

The benefits would be significant, such as:

• Operational efficiency, with faster crew changes and fewer costly delays
• Greater resilience against geopolitical or other global disruptions
• Enhanced recognition of seafarers as essential workers with dignified mobility rights
  

The panel offered a timely and forward-looking discussion on how collaboration, adaptability and the human element will continue to shape the future of shipping. Our thanks to the organisers, moderator and all participants.