Freight News

Recruitment Platform Targets Officer Shortage

[ July 3, 2026   //   Gary Burrows ]

A new artificial intelligence-based recruitment platform is aiming to help shipowners address the growing shortage of qualified merchant marine officers by accelerating candidate screening while maintaining verification and safety standards.

Glasgow-based maritime technology company The World Yacht has launched COMPETIQ, an AI-powered interview platform that uses live avatar interviewers to conduct first-stage interviews, verify candidate identities and qualifications, and assess applicants against role-specific criteria.

The platform is designed to help employers recruit masters, deck officers, engineering officers and other seafarers across multiple countries and time zones. After analyzing a candidate’s experience, the system generates role-specific interview questions, adapts to responses and produces standardized assessment reports for recruiters.

The launch comes as the latest Seafarer Workforce Report from BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping warns that the global merchant fleet faces a shortage of 39,100 STCW-certified officers in 2026. The report projects the industry will require an additional 113,735 officers by 2030, underscoring the need for faster recruitment, improved training and stronger retention efforts.

“As a ship’s captain, I know there is a big difference between someone who is certified on paper and someone who can make the right decision under pressure,” said Vinil Gupta, founder of The World Yacht and a former master mariner. “It is not about replacing human judgment. It is about giving recruiters better information before they make that judgment.”

In addition to conducting interviews, COMPETIQ verifies candidate identities using facial recognition technology and cross-checks professional qualifications before applicants advance to final interviews. The company said the platform is intended to reduce administrative workload while helping employers recruit qualified seafarers more quickly without compromising safety or competence.