Human resources are considered as one of the most crucial resources for shipping companies and the basis for the creation of sustainable competitive advantage13). This is because the employees of the firm possess knowledge, develop competencies and provide direction to the
firm. To succeed in creating competitive advantage the firm should be able
to understand the factors defining or affecting the supply of employees at
different levels, to recruit high quality employees from the global market
for seafarers, to motivate and retain them. Effective recruitment of
employees produces results as long as it goes hand in hand with their
retention14). This is very important for the human resources that are
employed on board ships, who can be considered as a unique category of
employees, taking into account their working and living conditions.
Furthermore, as it will be further analyzed in this section, the hard and soft
skills, the commitment, the ability to adapt to culturally diverse
environments, the ability to cooperate in normal and in emergency
situations, are all vital elements for the safe operation of ships. It is crucial
for the people that live and work on board ships to possess not only the
relevant certificates required by the international legislative framework,
but also the skill of team work that will allow them to operate as crew
members. This is even more crucial in cases where on board ships
seafarers from different nations and cultures are employed. The role of
ship Master as leader of the ship is, in this respect, critical. The ship
Master should be able to adjust to the specific conditions and to motivate
and inspire the team members, and not base the ability to lead on
hierarchical power. However, it should be taken into account that
interpersonal competence among seafarers is weak and that the
authoritarian leadership style dominates onboard15). These points will be
further examined in the following paragraphs.