Page 15: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2026)

RADM BENJAMIN NICHOLSON, COMMANDER “You can have all of the things in the world, but if you don’t have the people to make the things operate, nothing works. My number one priority is our mariners, speci? cally the civil service mariners.” – RADM Benjamin Nicholson,

Commander, U.S. Navy Military

Sealift Command es, is not simply about ? lling billets. It is about building who have already demonstrated an interest in the industry. enough depth into the workforce so mariners can rotate MSC is also reaching into high schools with strong STEM off ships on schedule, take leave, attend training and deal and mechanical programs and attending the National with inevitable medical and personal issues without creat- Convention of High School Counselors to put maritime ing another personnel problem somewhere else in the ? eet. careers in front of students who might otherwise never

For a U.S. maritime industry wrestling broadly with a consider going to sea. Another initiative, dubbed “Mil to shortage of quali? ed mariners, that makes MSC’s recruit- MSC,” targets service members leaving the military. The ment and retention effort worth watching. The command objective is to make it easier to translate Navy shipboard is attacking the problem from several directions, including experience into USCG merchant mariner credentials.

signi? cantly higher entry-level compensation, removal of Under the program Nicholson described, candidates could longstanding pay constraints, paid training, new recruiting enter MSC in a paid training position rather than automati- pipelines and improvements in shipboard quality of life. cally starting at the bottom. MSC would then help translate their military records into Coast Guard requirements, iden- $188,000+ tify missing quali? cations and provide the necessary training.

For a newly licensed graduate from one of the maritime academies, Nicholson said the average ? rst-year salary for a Removing the Pay Cap third mate or third of? cer at MSC is now more than $188,000, Perhaps no personnel change has been as immediately con- accompanied by a signing bonus approaching $58,000. sequential as the modi? cation of MSC’s CIVMAR pay caps.

Engineering graduates can earn even more. “If you have “The pay cap removals were huge to us,” Nicholson said. a third engineer’s license, average starting salary at MSC is “We saw almost instantly a change in the workforce.” almost $209,000 with almost a $76,000 signing bonus,” The old system created an obvious competitive prob-

Nicholson said. “Enormous numbers. I mean, there’s no lem. Senior MSC mariners could earn compensation com- other school in the country that you can take someone that parable to commercial mariners across the pier, but they just graduates out and really make that kind of money, and could not necessarily take all of that money home. For it just goes up from there the longer you stay with us.” masters and chief engineers, compensation exceeding the

But recruiting young of? cers is only part of the equation. federal cap accumulated in a non-interest-bearing account

MSC is targeting the state and federal maritime acad- that could not be accessed until retirement. “You’re asking emies for licensed mariners, while expanding its search for someone to work for you, but they’re not bringing home the unlicensed personnel. Nicholson points to 88 maritime same amount of money that the person across the pier is do- high schools around the country as a pool of young people ing,” Nicholson said. “That’s a problem.” The base salary cap www.marinelink.com 15

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