As the global shipping industry faces workforce aging, digital transformation, and increasing personnel rotation, preserving operational knowledge has become an emerging challenge. While modern vessels are equipped with sophisticated navigation systems and standardized procedures, many critical decisions at sea still rely on practical experience developed over years of service.
This experience—often called maritime tacit knowledge—includes the ability to interpret changing weather conditions, recognize early signs of equipment problems, coordinate effectively during emergencies, and make rapid decisions under pressure. Unlike technical manuals or formal training materials, this knowledge is largely acquired through hands-on practice and is difficult to document.
The study suggests that losing this expertise may weaken operational continuity and reduce an organization's ability to respond effectively to unexpected situations.
Growing Workforce Changes Create New Challenges
The researchers explain that today's shipping workforce consists of multiple generations working side by side. Senior officers often possess decades of practical maritime experience, while younger seafarers tend to excel in digital technologies and modern navigation systems.
Although this combination has the potential to strengthen organizational performance, differences in communication styles, learning preferences, and work experience may slow the transfer of valuable operational knowledge.
Without structured mentoring, documentation, and knowledge-sharing practices, companies risk losing decades of accumulated expertise whenever experienced crew members retire or change employers.
Survey of Maritime Professionals
To better understand this issue, the researchers conducted a cross-sectional quantitative survey involving 156 respondents, including ship officers, operational crews, fleet managers, and maritime safety personnel.
Participants completed structured questionnaires measuring several aspects of organizational knowledge management, including:
- Maritime tacit knowledge loss
- Knowledge sharing
- Intergenerational knowledge transfer
- Crew change effectiveness
- Organizational support
- Crew training and competency development
- Operational continuity vulnerability
The collected data were analyzed using statistical methods to identify relationships among these factors and determine which organizational practices most strongly influence operational resilience.
Key Findings
The study produced several important findings for the maritime industry.
Loss of maritime tacit knowledge significantly increases operational vulnerability.
Researchers found that higher levels of knowledge loss were strongly associated with greater risks to operational continuity. Statistical analysis produced a positive regression coefficient of 0.473, indicating that the disappearance of experienced seafarers' knowledge substantially increases organizational vulnerability.
Other major findings include:
- Knowledge sharing reduces knowledge loss. Organizations that encourage experienced personnel to share operational experience experience significantly lower levels of tacit knowledge attrition.
- Intergenerational knowledge transfer strengthens knowledge retention. Mentoring between senior and junior crew members significantly improves the preservation of operational expertise.
- Effective crew change procedures reduce operational risk. Proper handovers help maintain continuity of information and minimize disruptions.
- Continuous crew training improves operational resilience. Ongoing competency development reduces vulnerability by preparing crews for changing operational conditions.
- Organizational support moderates knowledge loss. Companies with strong leadership support, mentoring systems, and knowledge documentation experience weaker negative effects from losing experienced personnel.
The statistical model explained approximately 35.6 percent of the variation in operational continuity vulnerability, indicating that knowledge management is an important contributor to organizational resilience while additional factors also influence operational performance.
Practical Experience Cannot Be Replaced by Technology Alone
According to the authors, technological advancement should complement—not replace—the practical expertise accumulated by experienced seafarers.
The researchers explain that operational knowledge includes safety intuition, situational awareness, emergency judgment, ship-specific operational habits, and communication strategies developed through years of real-world maritime operations. These capabilities cannot be fully captured by written procedures or digital systems alone.
As Pierre Marcello Lopulalan of Politeknik Pelayaran Banten and his co-authors ethically conclude, senior seafarers' operational experience represents a strategic organizational asset. Strengthening mentoring systems, documenting operational experience, and promoting intergenerational learning are essential for preserving this knowledge and maintaining safe shipping operations.
Implications for the Maritime Industry
The findings carry important implications for shipping companies, maritime education institutions, and policymakers.
For shipping companies, the study recommends building structured knowledge management systems that include:
- Cross-generational mentoring programs
- Operational experience documentation
- Standardized handover procedures during crew changes
- Regular briefing and debriefing sessions
- Practice-based learning using real operational cases
For maritime education institutions, the research highlights the importance of combining classroom instruction with practical learning guided by experienced professionals. Future seafarers benefit not only from technical competence but also from exposure to operational judgment developed through years at sea.
For policymakers and maritime regulators, the findings suggest that workforce development strategies should extend beyond certification requirements by supporting long-term knowledge retention across the maritime sector.
Future Research
The authors recommend expanding future research by involving additional shipping companies, vessel types, and crew positions. They also encourage combining quantitative surveys with interviews and onboard observations to better capture forms of tacit knowledge that cannot easily be measured through questionnaires alone.
Author Profile
Pierre Marcello Lopulalan is a researcher at Politeknik Pelayaran Banten, Indonesia, specializing in maritime human resource management, knowledge management, shipping safety, and operational resilience.
Paulina M. Latuheru is affiliated with Politeknik Transportasi Sungai, Danau dan Penyeberangan Palembang, Indonesia, with expertise in inland water transport, maritime education, and transportation management.
Albertha Lolo Tandung is a researcher at Politeknik Pelayaran Barombong, Indonesia, whose work focuses on maritime education, shipping safety, crew competency development, and operational management.
Source
Article Title: Maritime Tacit Knowledge Attrition and Operational Continuity Vulnerability in Multigenerational Shipping Workforces
Authors: Pierre Marcello Lopulalan, Paulina M. Latuheru, Albertha Lolo Tandung
Journal: Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (FJMR)
Publication: Volume 5, Issue 7 (2026)
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