Future Research into the Seafaring Industry: An ASEAN Perspective

In the past two years, the Dalhousie Ocean Studies Programme has been jointly co-ordinating a study on Southeast Asian seafarers with the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. This study culminated in early May 1987 with a workshop which examined the findings of the research and looked at the future of seafarers in Southeast Asia. The paper presents the findings of the study and identifies a direction for future research; conclusions focus on seafarers´ legal rights within the international regulatory environment, and the problems of seafarer employment and training which plague these countries. The paper focusses on what future research needs to be done, instead of on what has been done, in order to make the international workplace a more equitable environment.