A Systematic Curriculum Review of Ship Energy Efficiency Content Across Global Maritime Education and Training Institutions

The maritime industry is a significant contributor of total energy consumption worldwide and by extension, environmental impact. In the effort to transition towards more sustainable operations, a multifaceted approach is being taken to address energy management issues, new and alternative energy sources from regulatory, technological, and organizational applications. Seafarers, particularly deck officers and marine engineers, play a pivotal role in ship operations, managing and executing missions and onboard systems. The different aspects of energy utilization as related to maritime operations are continuously evolving for better efficiency and reduced impact on the environment therefore the seafarers who operate these systems require updated trainings with new and differing competencies and skillsets to ensure they are prepared for operating and maintaining these different systems. This may include, but not limited to, alternative energy sources, power generation and storage, fuel consumption estimation, energy consumption optimization, route and operation optimization, air pollution and resulting fuel residue. This paper investigates the extent to which maritime education and training (MET) institutions incorporate energy efficiency management into their curricula for seafarers. The primary goal of this paper is to determine the current education content, identify gaps, assess the readiness, and propose a pathway forward for MET institutions to better prepare current and future seafarers to implement energy efficiency strategies onboard ships.The review assessed the current state of training curriculum of deck officers and marine engineers across 69 maritime institutions from around the world which are members of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU), assessing the integration of energy efficiency management into their marine engineering and nautical science programs. The online curriculum review revealed that 16% of the marine engineering programs included direct references to energy efficiency management, while 58% had no related courses listed. The remaining 22% had potential relevance to energy efficiency through courses on automation, ship design, environmental management; and 4% were related through the description of program results. For nautical science programs, the result showed even less relatable courses to energy efficiency management, with 7% of the reviewed programs including related courses. The majority (71%) had no relevant courses, while 19% were indirectly related through modules on environmental regulation or maritime law and 3% were related through the description of program results. The results of this curriculum review reveal lack of comprehensive energy management courses which may leave future seafarers unprepared to meet industry expectations or regulatory requirements once graduated. The global maritime industry’s regulator, the International Maritime Organization, has developed a number of relevant courses on the topics of climate change and shipping response, energy efficiency regulations and related guidelines, from management to operation, shipboard energy management, ship-port interface and energy efficiency, energy management plans and systems. These courses can serve as a guide for maritime institutions to develop effective modules and educational content on energy efficiency management and imbed more centrally within seafarer curricula. This initial mapping of current MET curricula on energy efficiency topics serves as a basis for further development of education and training program content within our research project to ultimately meet the evolving needs and demands of the industry, while ensuring MET institutions stay relevant and develop well equipped and skilled graduates to enter the industry.