Many young mariners quit their jobs after working only five or six years

Senior seafarers and trade union officials urged the government on Tuesday to reduce or remove income tax on maritime workers and improve other benefits in order to attract more young people to the trade.

"It is not reasonable for seamen to pay income tax as high as those who take jobs on land," said Hu Yuexiang, a veteran captain of coastal vessels who works for the China Shipping Container Lines in Shanghai.