In July 1995, Dockendale opened an office in Mumbai to satisfy crew recruitment needs. It is the policy of the company to restrict crews, including deck and engineering officers, to one nationality. This simplifies language communication and menu planning, and eliminates possible cultural discord. The subcontinent of India has a long tradition of seatrade and produces excellent sailors as well as ship officers with superior training and maritime and engineering educations. New ship officer candidates spend nine months in shipyard training after which they are sent to sea as junior engineers. Because of the high degree of automation and computerisation, future Dockendale officers must come to the company with first class degrees in mechanical engineering from recognised universities and be completely computer literate.
The company has created a system where employees have the opportunity to bring a qualified relative into the company's employment. Due to the high unemployment situation in India, this acts as a powerful incentive and attracts top flight officer candidates for deck and engineering positions.
