Dual fuel vessels - Reclassification of jobs and wages needed?

The shift to dual-fuel LNG vessels introduces new complexities for seafarers, requiring additional knowledge, certifications, and responsibilities for unique fuel systems and emergency responses. This raises a crucial question: do these demands justify a re-evaluation of crews' roles and wages? This question put a Canadian operator and its union at odds in a recent arbitration.

The Union argued that the additional certifications, knowledge, and responsibilities for LNG vessels significantly increased the relative worth of these roles. They maintained that both Engineers and Deck Department crews were operating at a higher level than their counterparts on diesel-only ships, specifically highlighting the more complex, hazardous, and substantially different bunkering process. The Union viewed the operator's failure to account for this as a breach of the collective agreement. The operator/owner asserted that watchkeeping duties remained largely similar, with automation even simplifying some tasks. They contended that while systems on dual-fuel ships might differ, they weren't inherently more complex, thus not warranting a new job classification or wage setting.

For the Deck Department, the Arbitrator found that minor additions or new technology did not constitute a substantive change in the actual job performed. Similarly, in the Engineering Department, the arbitrator found no substantial changes to the core duties of operating, monitoring, maintaining equipment, servicing safety features, or watchkeeping on LNG vessels. The sole exception was the role of 'Person in Charge of LNG bunkering' (PIC). The Arbitrator concluded that the PIC's duties and responsibilities were significantly altered due to the demands of the LNG fueling process, justifying a new compensation rate in the collective agreement.

Link to the arbitration award: https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcla/doc/2024/2024canlii57515/2024canlii57515.html?resultId=a2cda947991143b2bddc600f4ce98f5d&searchId=2025-07-19T14:44:53:146/621a5ee9d7f64f1caa37c02953c46c8b&searchUrlHash=AAAAAQARImRlY2sgZGVwYXJ0bWVudCIAAAAAAQ