With the global shipping industry entering a period of profound transformation, Sri Lanka’s maritime workforce faces significant challenges, even as the changes present an opportunity to strengthen its position as a maritime nation. 

In an interview with The Sunday Morning, Nautical Institute Sri Lanka Branch (NISLB) Chairperson Capt. Rohan Codipilly, a Master Mariner and maritime executive with more than four decades of experience at sea and ashore, said that the changing global maritime industry posed both risks and opportunities for Sri Lanka. He stressed that the country could not afford to remain focused primarily on preparing seafarers for the ships and technologies of today, warning that doing so could undermine its future competitiveness. 

Codipilly further said that Sri Lanka should make use of the global demand for qualified officers by improving access to sea-time and employment, securing international recognition, developing future-ready skills, and strengthening career development. He also outlined the work being done by organisations such as the NISLB to address these challenges.   

Following are excerpts:

The maritime sector and merchant shipping are in a period of transition globally. In your opinion, what are the key changes the industry will likely see in the coming decade?

The coming decade could be one of the most significant periods of change merchant shipping will experience since containerisation. The difference this time is that several transitions are happening simultaneously: energy, technology, regulation, geopolitics, and the transformation of the maritime workforce. 

I believe there are several changes – decarbonisation; energy efficiency will become almost as important as the choice of fuel; ships will become much more digital, automated, and eventually partly autonomous; the role of the seafarer will change considerably, but seafarers will not disappear. I believe this is particularly important.

The future officer may spend less time physically operating machinery or manually performing routine navigational tasks and considerably more time supervising automated systems, analysing information, and managing abnormal situations. Competency will therefore increasingly combine traditional seamanship with digital literacy, alternative-fuel safety, automation, cyber awareness, environmental compliance, leadership, and decision-making. So paradoxically, as ships become more automated, the competence expected of the people remaining on board may actually increase.

Geopolitics will become a permanent operational consideration. The Red Sea disruptions have demonstrated how quickly established shipping routes can become commercially or physically unsafe. The composition of world seaborne trade will gradually change.

The energy transition does not only affect the fuel burnt by ships; it affects what ships carry. Regulation and carbon cost will increasingly determine commercial competitiveness. Environmental performance will become a business issue rather than simply a compliance issue. International Maritime Organization (IMO) measures, European Union (EU) regulation, charterer requirements, financiers, and cargo owners will increasingly influence which vessels remain commercially attractive.

What does all this mean? The shipping company of the future will increasingly be an energy manager, technology company, and logistics provider as much as a traditional shipowner. And the successful seafarer of the future will still need the fundamentals – seamanship, engineering competence, discipline, and sound judgement – but these will have to be complemented by technological competence, adaptability, environmental knowledge, and much stronger leadership skills.

For a country such as Sri Lanka, this creates both a risk and an opportunity. If we continue producing seafarers primarily for the ships and competencies of today, our competitiveness could gradually decline. But if maritime education and training anticipate alternative fuels, automation, digitalisation, and new competency requirements, Sri Lanka could position its seafarers for the next generation of international shipping.

With an increased focus on new energy sources to fuel vessels, new vessel designs, and high automation, can Sri Lanka keep up with this industry that we are so dependent on?

Yes. Sri Lanka can keep up, but I would not say that it will do so automatically. The next 10–15 years could actually be an opportunity for Sri Lanka to strengthen its position as a maritime nation, but only if we start preparing people and institutions now.

What does the Nautical Institute do? Can you explain its role and how a branch was established in Sri Lanka?

The Nautical Institute is an international professional body for maritime professionals, particularly those concerned with the safe operation and management of ships. Founded in 1972 and headquartered in London, it is both a professional membership organisation and an educational charity. Importantly, it has consultative status at the IMO, which allows it to bring the practical views and experience of maritime professionals into international discussions.

Its central purpose can be summed up as improving professionalism, competence, safety, and best practice in the maritime industry. It does this in several ways. 

• Professional development: It provides opportunities for mariners and shore-based maritime professionals to continue developing their knowledge throughout their careers. 
• Sharing knowledge and experience: The NI creates a forum where practical maritime experience can be shared. 
• Improving safety and best practice: It examines operational issues, accidents, human factors, navigation, shiphandling, technology, and other subjects and promotes lessons and good practice across the industry.
• Professional standards and recognition: The institute maintains professional membership grades and provides accreditation and recognition for certain maritime training and professional development programmes. 
• Representing the profession: It communicates the professional views of its members to international, national, and local organisations concerned with shipping safety and efficiency.
• Connecting maritime professionals: Its worldwide branch network brings together masters, officers, pilots, naval officers, educators, surveyors, ship managers, and other maritime professionals.

The Nautical Institute Sri Lanka Branch was founded in October 1992 with Admiral Clancy Fernando as the Founder Chairman. It was formally established as an NI branch in 1993 and held its first Annual General Meeting on 4 June 1994 at the Hotel Ceylon Intercontinental. Its purpose was “to encourage and promote a high standard of qualification, competence, and knowledge among all mariners”.

That means the Sri Lanka Branch has now been part of the country’s professional maritime community for more than three decades. Sri Lanka has a substantial community of professional mariners, maritime educators, naval personnel, pilots, ship managers, and other maritime professionals. A local NI branch gives this community a professional forum while connecting it with the much larger international NI network.

Over the years, the branch has therefore been able to bring together people from different parts of the Sri Lankan maritime sector who might otherwise operate largely within their own organisations.

One of its principal activities continues to be technical seminars on contemporary maritime subjects. The branch also has a Youth Forum, which the NI describes as the first of its kind, allowing younger members and cadets to take leadership roles and develop their own activities.

What does the Sri Lanka Branch of the Nautical Institute do? 

The branch essentially brings the international objectives of the Nautical Institute into the Sri Lankan maritime environment. The NI describes branches as its “semi-independent global ambassadors”. Their functions include providing a local maritime focus, networking, technical seminars and workshops, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), representation on regulatory and industry bodies, skills development, and participation in international NI projects.

In Sri Lanka, this has developed into several important areas. Technical knowledge and professional development have traditionally been at the centre of branch activity. The Sri Lanka Branch conducts multiple seminars each year dealing with contemporary maritime subjects.  

This is important because it allows issues being debated internationally – navigation safety, Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), human factors, shiphandling, new technology, decarbonisation, alternative fuels, automation, and changing competency requirements – to be discussed from the perspective of Sri Lankan maritime professionals.

One of the particularly interesting achievements of the Sri Lanka Branch is its Youth Forum. The NI established its global Younger Members’ Council in 2019 and has subsequently expanded its Younger Member Ambassador programme internationally. The Sri Lankan Youth Forum has organised professional webinars on subjects ranging from ship squat to women in the maritime industry, for example. 

Recently, this youth development role has expanded into direct engagement with cadets. In July this year, for example, the NISLB and the McLarens Maritime Academy conducted the 4th Cadet Interaction Programme, bringing together cadets from the maritime academies, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) cadets, and Navy instructors for professional development, networking, and an interactive COLREG session.

That is arguably one of the branch’s most valuable functions: bringing together experienced mariners and the next generation. Another distinctive activity has been the NISLB Annual Awards.

The branch introduced awards recognising outstanding performance in professional maritime examinations. The awards are made to the Merchant Navy officers obtaining the highest aggregate marks in professional subjects at the Certificate of Competency (COC) examinations in the categories of Master, Chief Mate, and Navigational Watchkeeping Officer. It also recognised the best midshipman from the SLN and the best midshipman from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU). Recipients received a plaque, a certificate, and a year’s NI membership sponsored by the branch.

This aspect deserves particular emphasis when explaining the NISLB. The awards create a link between academic/professional achievement and continuing membership of a professional institution. The recipient isn’t simply given a trophy; the NI membership introduces that young professional to a global professional network.

Another strength of the Sri Lanka Branch is the breadth of the maritime community it can bring together. Rather than limiting itself to serving merchant ship masters and deck officers, its activities have involved the Merchant Navy, the SLN, the KDU, maritime training institutions, cadets, ship managers, and shore-based maritime professionals.

That is particularly valuable in a relatively compact maritime community such as Sri Lanka’s. The branch can act as a neutral professional forum where individuals from organisations that might otherwise have relatively little interaction can exchange knowledge and experience. 

Therefore, unlike a maritime administration, the NI is not a regulator. It does not issue Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) certificates or regulate ships. Its influence comes from professional expertise, education, research, publications, and its ability to bring the experience of practising maritime professionals into industry and regulatory discussions. 

What are the most urgent challenges Sri Lankan seafarers face today, and how can your local chapter help address them in practical terms?

For Sri Lankan seafarers, I would separate the challenges into two categories: getting into and progressing within the international industry, and remaining competitive as shipping changes rapidly.

The first and perhaps most urgent challenge is access to employment and sea-time. Sri Lanka produces trained young people, but many cadets struggle to obtain the sea-time necessary to complete their qualifications. This is not uniquely Sri Lankan; the IMO specifically identifies lack of onboard training berths as a major barrier for young seafarers from developing countries and is expanding its NextWave programme to address it. 

At the same time, this represents a significant opportunity: the 2026 Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO)/International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) workforce report forecasts a global shortage of about 39,100 STCW-certified officers in 2026, with an additional 113,735 officers required by 2030.

A second issue is international employability and recognition of qualifications. Sri Lankan seafarers cannot fully benefit from global demand if their Certificates of Competency are not recognised by important flag states. Industry stakeholders have already identified COC recognition as a constraint and have been pursuing bilateral arrangements with countries including the Netherlands, Turkey, and South Korea.

Third is the future-skills gap. Ships are moving towards alternative fuels, greater automation, sophisticated digital navigation and machinery systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-supported decision-making, and increased cybersecurity requirements. 

The IMO’s current digitalisation work demonstrates the direction in which the industry is moving, while the Nautical Institute itself has highlighted the implications of AI, connectivity, and new technology for workload, competence, and wellbeing. If our training remains focused primarily on passing today’s examinations, Sri Lankan seafarers risk falling behind tomorrow’s requirements.

Fourth, we should not overlook retention, welfare, and quality of life at sea. Fatigue, workload, excessive administrative requirements, mental wellbeing, connectivity, bullying, and harassment are increasingly recognised internationally as serious seafarer issues.

New mandatory STCW training concerning violence and harassment at sea came into force on 1 January this year, while recent International Labour Organization (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) developments strengthen attention to connectivity, abandonment, criminalisation, and protection of women seafarers. The NI has also been highlighting the relationship between workload, fatigue, and navigational safety.

What can the Nautical Institute Sri Lanka Branch do to help face such challenges?

The branch cannot solve all these problems itself – and we should not pretend that it can. But it can become a very effective bridge between seafarers, industry, training institutions, regulators, and the international maritime community.

We can, firstly, give Sri Lankan seafarers a stronger voice – hold regular seafarer forums and surveys to identify problems actually being experienced at sea and communicate those findings through the Nautical Institute’s international network. This is particularly valuable on fatigue, workload, competency, safety, and new technology.

Secondly, we can build a cadet-to-employment bridge – bring shipowners, crew managers, maritime academies, and cadets together to identify sea-time opportunities. The branch could actively encourage international NI members and shipping companies to consider Sri Lankan cadets for training berths and explore participation in initiatives such as IMO NextWave.

Further, we can create a future seafarer programme – run short seminars and workshops on alternative fuels, automation, AI, IMO-compliant Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) and digital navigation, cybersecurity, leadership, and human factors. These do not have to replace statutory STCW training; they should expose seafarers to developments before they encounter them on board.

Then we can develop mentoring and career guidance. Senior masters, chief engineers, and other experienced professionals within the branch represent an enormous resource. Pairing them with cadets and junior officers could help young seafarers with career planning, examinations, leadership development, and progression towards command.

We can also strengthen the Sri Lankan seafarer brand. Rather than competing internationally primarily on cost, Sri Lanka should aim to be known for competence, professionalism, English-language ability, leadership, reliability, and adaptability. The branch can contribute through professional development programmes, awards, technical events, and international networking. 

Sri Lanka’s new maritime strategy itself identifies global employability, STCW quality, simulator training, digital learning, and welfare as priorities, with an ambition to triple the active seafarer population over the coming decade.

It can bring the industry together, since perhaps the branch’s most valuable role is as a neutral professional platform. Government, shipowners, crewing companies, maritime schools, and seafarers sometimes approach these issues separately. The NI can put them around one table and ask a very simple question: what is preventing a competent Sri Lankan seafarer from obtaining and progressing in a good international career – and what can each of us do about it?

Ultimately, I think the message should be positive. The global shortage of qualified officers means Sri Lanka has an opportunity, but that opportunity will not automatically come to us. We need to improve access to sea-time and employment, international recognition, future-ready skills, and career development.

And this is where the Sri Lanka Branch can make a tangible contribution. We may not employ seafarers or regulate the industry, but we can connect people, develop professionalism, influence policy, mentor the next generation, and ensure that the voice of the Sri Lankan seafarer is heard both locally and internationally.

That, in my view, is exactly the kind of role a professional body such as the Nautical Institute should play.

The US/Israel and Iran conflict has strained global freedom of navigation and trapped many seafarers, bottling up ships for months. What are international agencies like the IMO and the NI doing about seafarer welfare and safety amidst all that is going on?

The present Middle East crisis has moved seafarer safety and welfare from being primarily an employment issue to an international maritime security and humanitarian issue.

The scale is substantial. The IMO said on 28 August that up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers remained unable to leave the Persian Gulf safely, while at least 70 attacks on international shipping and 19 seafarer deaths had been verified since the conflict began on 28 February.

What is the IMO doing about it?

The IMO has gone considerably further than simply issuing statements. Most importantly, it developed a safe maritime evacuation framework with governments and industry. In June, 136 vessels carrying about 2,900 seafarers were successfully evacuated through alternative routes because the normal traffic separation scheme could not safely be used, partly because of the mine threat.

The programme was subsequently paused when the IMO concluded that the necessary safety guarantees could no longer be assured. The IMO says it is still seeking guarantees that would allow evacuation operations to resume.

The IMO is also working through a United Nations-led task force on the Strait of Hormuz, coordinating with coastal and flag states and the shipping industry. Its current Middle East response covers more than 20,000 affected seafarers, port workers, and offshore personnel in the region.

There is also a very practical welfare dimension. The IMO has called on governments to ensure stranded vessels have food, water, fuel, and essential supplies; facilitate crew changes and repatriation; maintain communications between seafarers and their families; and address mental health needs and fatigue.  

One particularly important development for professional seafarers is that the IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted MSC.582(111) addressing navigation and seafarer safety in the region and issued guidance dealing with training and certification problems faced by seafarers affected by the disruption.

The IMO has also taken a strong position on freedom of navigation. In July, the council reaffirmed that transit passage through international straits must not be threatened, impeded, or suspended, and called for a coordinated return to unhindered navigation through Hormuz.

What is the NI doing to help ease the situation for seafarers alongside the IMO?

The institute has held NGO consultative status at the IMO since 2009. Its representatives participate in IMO committees, subcommittees, and working groups, giving serving mariners and maritime professionals a channel into the regulatory process. The NI explicitly describes part of its role as ensuring that the voice of seafarers is represented when international maritime policy is developed.

That has become particularly relevant in the present crisis. NI representatives have participated in the IMO Secretary-General’s briefings on Hormuz and have raised concerns over reports that some seafarers were being pressured by owners or charterers to transit the strait against their will, as well as reports of abandonment associated with the disruption.

The institute has also been publicly calling for restraint, protection of neutral merchant shipping, and safe havens for trapped ships and crews. Its Chief Executive John Lloyd highlighted the effect of prolonged entrapment on seafarers’ routines, communications, and wellbeing in August.