The Selection of a Foreign Seafarer Supply Country for Korean Flag Vessels

Maritime labor is currently and will continue to be a scarce resource; ship officer demand will reach 147,500 by 2025. To assure a stable supply of qualified foreign seafarers, this study aims to research and select a foreign seafarer supply country for Korean Flag vessels. Factors influencing the selection were identified, and these factors were assessed by Delphi, fuzzy, and fuzzy TOPSIS methods in order to make a selection from several countries. Via empirical analysis by the fuzzy method, the results show that the factor of “total crew costs” is the most significant, followed by “quality of seafarers' education and training” and “supply ability for well-trained seafarers.” “government support from supply countries” is the least weighted factor for decision makers. The alternative countries assessment by fuzzy TOPSIS method suggests that the Philippines should be chosen as the dedicated foreign seafarer supply country for Korean Flag vessels, given the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these alternative foreign seafarer supply countries. Finally, some implications for continuous improvement of the seafarer supply countries are provided.