If EU withdraws recognition 80T Seamen may lose jobs

CEBU, Philippines - Around 80,000 Filipino seafarers from European Union-flagged vessels may lose jobs should the European Maritime Safety Agency withdraw its recognition of Philippine certificates, a top official from the Marine Industry Authority-7 noted.

At yesterday’s celebration of the Day of Filipino Seafarer in Cebu, Marina-7 director Nanette Dinopol said while the Philippines continues to be the world’s leading supplier of ship crews, its reputation could be torpedoed by apprehensions over the country’s “unconvincing” compliance with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Convention.

If this happens, Dinopol said the seafaring sector may lose more than $1 billion in annual foreign exchange remittances.

“EU withdrawal of recognition could also trigger a domino effect of audit inspections by other STCW states and jeopardize employment of another 300,000 Filipino seafarers in international shipping who remit $4 billion a year,” she said.

Measures

However, Dinopol assured the crowd of maritime students from different Cebu universities at the Plaza Independencia yesterday that Marina is undertaking measures to respond to the EMSA challenge.

She said Marina has stricken off its list of assessors all those who have connections with maritime higher education institutions and maritime training institutions amid concerns that a conflict of interest exists with respect to Filipino assessors designated with duties in MHEIs and MTIs.

According to Dinopol, the Professional Regulation Commission has passed a new resolution strengthening their safeguards against conflict of interest among its assessors. Likewise, the Commission on Higher Education has revamped the composition of its Technical Panel on Maritime Education.

Another area of concern identified by EMSA is on the implementation of the National Quality Standards System and Marina’s exercise of its oversight functions.

The regional head pointed out their agency has been heading weekly meetings with other concerned government agencies to exercise its oversight functions more actively, as well as to align the quality standards systems of each partner agency with those of the NQSS.

Marina and CHED had also drawn up a schedule for inspection of MHEIs from July 2013 to May 2014.

Apart from these measures, Dinopol said the signing of Republic Act 10636 designating Marina as responsible for giving full effect to the STCW Convention shows their commitment to rectify deficiencies noted by EMSA.

Back in April, the EU Commission in a meeting assessed that progress has been noted in the country’s system of training and certification of seafarers although it required authorities to provide proof that all issues have been addressed.

By October this year, EMSA auditors are set to visit the Philippines to check on compliance.

Based on the audit, EMSA and the EU will then come up with a decision whether or not to continue granting Filipino seafarers access to jobs in their region.

Statistics

Currently, the Philippines is a primary source of seamen in the global shipping and transport market, representing 25 percent of the world’s seafaring workforce.

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Philippines is the world’s main supplier of seamen since 1987, making it the manning capital of the world.  The labor department once gave an estimate that there are around 229,000 Filipino seamen on board merchant shipping vessels around the world at any given time.

Philippine schools are also said to be producing 280,000 maritime graduates every year.

In 2013, the number of Filipino seafarers worldwide may have reached 460,000. — /JMO (FREEMAN)