On Tuesday at TownHall Europe in Brussels held the launch event of the European Maritime Skills Forum (EMSF), a joint initiative of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ESCA) whose objective is to identify the skills emerging from the sector's digital and green transition maritime workers and to discuss the shortage of seafarers and limited mobility between ground and on-board positions ships. The initiative, officially supported by the Commission Curopea, brings together maritime stakeholders from all over Europe.

The Forum builds on the results of the funded SkillSea project by the EU, which identified key challenges such as the lack of maritime professionals, the evolving demand for skills and the need for better cooperation between the stakeholders.

"The new joint initiative - explained the secretary General of ECSA, Sotiris Raptis - reinforces the cooperation between trade unions and industry. It aims to join forces, create synergies, improve cooperation and bring parties together policy makers, maritime training providers and research institutes. The Draghi report - Raptis recalled - identifies a skills gap in the European economy; highlighting that 250,000 seafarers will have to be qualified and requalified by mid-2030 in Europe alone for the green and digital transition. The European Maritime Skills Forum is an important step in the construction of a training and future-proof education for Europe's maritime industry'.

Recalling the green and digital transformation that is characterizing the maritime sector, Livia Spera, secretary general of the ETF, specified that, "at the heart of this transition, we want to put the human element, ensuring better working conditions, creating quality jobs and making the profession more attractive and inclusive. Giving to a fair and human-centred approach - added - we can support seafarers through initiatives targeted updating and retraining, without leaving behind nobody. This is essential to unlock a future sustainable and fair for maritime transport".