WITH MORE THAN 7,000 plus islands, it is only natural to consider seafaring as a major industry in the Philippines. Apart from domestic seafaring (which includes the country’s fishing industry), Filipinos are known to be the most in-demand seamen all over the world.

“We man almost one-third of the global fleet when it comes to seafaring,” said Mary Ann Pastrana, executive vice president of Archipelago Philippines Ferries Corporation, which runs the Fast Cat fleet of Roll-on-Roll-off (RORO) ferries, and president of Archipelago Philippine Seafarers Training Institute, Inc. “The demand for Filipino seafarers is really great because we are fluent in English, we are hardworking, and we work along well with other nationalities.”

This statement was backed by a study released by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), which states that Filipino seafarers have brought home about US$5.575 billion to the country’s economy through their remittances. The total remittances from the seafarers alone pooled in 9.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product, or 8.3 percent of Gross National Income.

All over the world

From the latest statistics released by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), there are 406,531 Filipino seafarers deployed in various shipping vessels all over the world. That makes us the second largest source of seamen and women next to China. Out of the total, almost 100,000 are officers of vessels.

Some of the jobs filled by Filipino seafarers include able seaman, oiler, ordinary seaman, chief cook, bosun, second mate, third engineering officer, messman, third mate, and waiter/ waitress. They are deployed mostly in countries like Panama, Bahamas, Liberia, Republic of Marshall Islands, and Malta, among others.

They can be found in different types of vessels, but Filipinos often find work in Bulk Carriers, Passenger/ Cruise ships, and container vessels.

Pressing challenges

Pastrana, who holds various distinctions in the Philippine maritime industry (she holds positions in groups like the Rolin Broadcasting Enterprises, Inc., Capp Group of Companies, Philharbor Ferries and Port Services, Inc., the Penta Maritime Corp., and is currently the vice president of the Women in Maritime–Philippines), lamented that although seafaring should be considered a major industry in the Philippines, there’s still so much the government could do to support it.

“The demand is so great when it comes to Filipino seafarers. If there’s a new vessel abroad, most likely they would require Filipinos to man it. What’s sad about our situation is that the focus of the government when it comes to our industry is not solid. For example, since seafarers are considered professionals, they would need certification from the PRC. But it doesn’t end there, seafarers need more training, and they have to look for it somewhere else, from different agencies. This resulted to subpar training centers which basically ruined the image of the industry because they took advantage of the situation wherein seafarers need to continuously train,” she said, adding that it is the “seafarers who suffer because they pay so much money for these training, but when they go onboard, what they were taught were useless, because the centers were not regulated.”

But the problem doesn’t end there. Aside from the plight of international seafarers, the domestic maritime industry suffers because of inadequate vessels with substandard service. Across the globe, the Philippines holds the fourth highest record of maritime deaths during non-wartime period (caused by ships sinking during tropical storms, for example), and third highest record in maritime incidents/accidents after Bangladesh and Indonesia. Most of these deaths resulted in poor regulation of vessels.

In hindsight, this also discourages Filipinos to stay in the country and pursue a maritime career in the country.

Government role

This is where the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) comes in. The MARINA is the Single-Maritime Administration which implements the 1978 STCW Convention, or the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. This is the provision which sets qualification standards for masters, officers and watch personnel on seagoing merchant ships.

For years, the MARINA has been working to deliver its commitment to the global maritime community to ensure that our industry follows the guidelines and standard set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

In fact, early this year, the Philippines, through MARINA, has started working on revising and developing specific model courses that aim to improve maritime standards on the following: Electro-technical Rating supported by Greece and China; set a new model course on Leadership and managerial skills supported by Argentina; revise existing model course 1.28 on Crowd Management, Passenger Safety and Safety Training for Personnel Providing Direct Services to Passengers in Passenger Spaces, with a view to developing two separate new model courses reflecting the passenger ship-related STCW amendments; and revise the existing model course on Proficiency in Crisis Management and Human Behavior Training including Passenger Safety, Cargo Safety and Hull Integrity Training.

The development of the new model course should support relevant competency-based outcomes in line with international standards of seafaring, as well as consider the wide range of different ship types and the challenges faced by seafarers when operating in different regions of the world.

During a Multi-Sectoral Advisory Group on IMO Concerns (MAGIC) Orientation/Workshop also held early this year which was attended by key Philippine maritime stakeholders like the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Office of the President (OP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Cebu Port Authority (CPA), Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA), Office for Transportation Security (OTS), National Coast Watch Council (NCWC), and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), among others, Undersecretary for Maritime of the DOTr, Felipe A. Judan emphasized that the Philippines, as a responsible member of the IMO, must be able to substantiate its commitment to the goals of IMO for safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans.

He also stressed that the Philippines, being a major supplier of seafarers, is concerned not only on the education and training of seafarers but also the contribution of the seafarers while onboard to be able to give confidence to shipping companies.

And it’s not just the big shipping groups which the MARINA is concerned with. They have recently decided the need to formulate a separate regime for fishing vessels from the existing merchant marine rules and regulations.

Based on their new outlook, fishing vessels will be accorded a more streamlined policies concerning safety, construction and manning requirements.

“This effort is timely because fishing vessels have always been treated like merchant ships in terms of their safety, construction and to some extent their manning requirements. Our stakeholders in the fishing industry have been pushing for this initiative for so long a time now, especially those based in General Santos City and other parts of Southern Philippines. In balancing economic gains of our fishing operators, we also need to ensure the safety and security of our fishermen,” said MARINA Director Roberto C Arceo of the Planning and Policy Service.

There are more or less 11,000 fishing boats that may be potentially covered by these rules which would cover regulation and licensing of fishing vessels, among others.

Private sector role

Private groups such as Pastrana’s Archipelago Philippines Ferries Corporation, offers cadets (students pursuing a career in seafaring) with options to improve their ranks, and actually keep them working within the country.

“A lot of the young people are enticed to work as ratings but only at a certain level, which still lets them earn an average of US$800 to US$1,000. The problem with this is that there’s very little chance to improve their ranking. So what we do is that we encourage our cadets, who come from different academic institutions, to reach for higher rank such as chief engineer or captain, which also givers them a better probability of earning more should they decide to work for international vessels,” Pastrana said.

The executive said that they often offer officership scholarships to the students, advancing their pay in exchange for a commitment to work with the company for three years. “This works out for them because in the Philippines, if you add up all the trainings and licenses you need to level-up, it would cost around P90,000. After their three years with us, should they decide to sail outside, it’s okay since there’s really a big demand for seafarers abroad. Our partnership with academic institutions keep our vessels supplied with cadets to train and mentor. This also helps keep our seafarers stay in the country.”

Aside from the training, the company’s business plan makes it easier for them to maintain vessels that are at par with international standards, giving not just future seafarers, but ordinary passengers, a chance to have a better maritime experience.