One of the largest employers of Indian seafarers, Hong Kong-headquartered Anglo-Eastern Shipping Co is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and has also initiated one of the world’s largest new cadet training programmes to increase the global share of Indian seafarers. For the past 38 years, Anglo-Eastern Shipping Co’s India-based operations have played a pivotal role in education & training of Indian students, who wish to become world-class merchant navy officers.
“Under one of the world’s largest new cadet training programmes of Anglo-Eastern Shipping Co, over 2,000 Indian youngsters are being trained at our maritime training facilities based in India, to increase the global share of Indian seafarers, as merchant navy officers, who work aboard specialised cargo ships, are in good demand across the globe,” said Capt Bjorn Hojgaard, CEO, Anglo-Eastern Shipping Co. “AESC’s maritime training college based in India maintains 100 per cent placement record as students or cadets enrolled at Anglo Eastern Maritime Academy eventually get hired by Anglo Eastern Group’s global operations post their successful completion of maritime studies.” Merchant navy cadets usually earn $500 per month as tax free remuneration at the age of about 20 years, Hojgaard informed. At the age of 30, the cadets become ship-captains and earn about $11,000 per month as tax free remuneration. Merchant navy workforce serve aboard cargo vessels for over 181 days in a year generally and, hence, their remuneration is not subjected to income tax by Indian tax authorities.
Merchant Navy or seafaring profession has always been a lucrative career amongst Indian youth due to benefits like high salaries, tax sops, etc. The ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, outlined by the Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, expands upon the objectives set forth in the government of India’s ‘Maritime India Vision 2030’. It is estimated that the percentage of Indian seafarers in the global shipping industry is expected to rise to 20 per cent from about 10 per cent currently within the next 10 years. The total number of Indian seafarers has seen substantial growth, rising from, say, 108,000 in 2013 to about 250,000 in 2024.
India on top
As a nation, India ranks as the third-largest seafarer-supplying nation worldwide. It is worth noting that, among the 42 nationalities represented in Anglo-Eastern’s 39,000 strong seafarer base, 52 per cent of are from India.
India boasts one of the largest populations of young and educated graduates seeking career opportunities. Given the country’s average per capita income of about $2,500 per year, the wages offered to merchant navy officers or seafarers are quite appealing in comparison. “Our ongoing cadet training programme in India aims at collaborating with the government of India to train & upskill Indian youth keen on becoming world-class merchant navy officers. Also, our endeavour is to promote seafaring profession among female students of India,” added Hojgaard.
With 70 per cent of seafarers of Anglo-Eastern shipping being promoted in-house and a 95 per cent overall retention rate over the last five years, the company believes in the benefits of investing in its human resources. According to Hojgaard, that large sections of the company’s senior management team have formerly been on Anglo-Eastern ships, while they gained solid experience and transferrable skill sets at sea. “Working in the maritime industry is a rewarding career, where you can experience diverse cultures and various scenarios and, in a way, with appropriate training and guidance, they will provide opportunities to grow your skill sets and help you shape a global perspective. Furthermore, after accumulating sufficient experience at sea, the world is open to you if you seek to further your career ashore,” said Hojgaard.
Incorporated in 1974 by an Englishman Peter Nash, Anglo-Eastern was one of the earliest shipping companies that started providing ship management services to ship owners worldwide by overseeing the operations, maintenance and safety of cargo ships. The services primarily include crew management for hiring and managing the qualified and well-trained crew aboard vessels and technical management for maintaining and operating the ship, including machinery and spares. Also, the ship management support would ensure that cargo vessels comply with international safety regulations and government requirements. A successful management buy-out in 1998, led by the then Anglo Eastern chairman Peter Cremers, was followed by a merger with UK-based Denholm Ship Management in 2001. Anglo-Eastern merged with Hong Kong-based Univan Ship Management in 2015.
Hong Kong-headquartered AESC is thus considered as a leading global provider of independent ship management services that includes over 700 vessels under full technical management, another 500 ships under crew management and the project management to date of almost 1,000 new buildings and conversions. Supporting its fleet are more than 39,000 seafarers and over 2,200 shore employees, based out of our Hong Kong head office and another 29 locations worldwide.