Record number of Pinoy seafarers deployed in 2011

Based on the projections of the Philippine manning industry, a record number of 400,000 Filipino seafarers will have been deployed worldwide by the end of this year despite the crisis in Europe. In a news release of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Eduardo Manese, Joint Manning Group (JMG) chairman, said the projected number of seafarers deployed for this year translates to about US$ 4 billion in foreign currency remittance to the Philippine economy. JMG is the umbrella organization of the country’s crew management and overseas shipping industry. JMG is composed of the Filipino Association for Mariners’ Employment, the Philippine Association of Manning Agencies and Shipmanagers, the International Maritime Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Japan Manning Consultative Council, and the Filipino Shipowners Association. The group has vowed to work together with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its agencies to keep the Philippines as the top supplier of seafarers to the world’s merchant marine fleet. “DOLE has been working closely with us to address pressing issues concerning the ratification of the Maritime Labor Convention and the Seafarers’ Identification Document, and the anti-piracy program to help our seafarers combat piracy in the high seas," Manese said. Despite the financial crisis affecting European economies, the demand for Filipino seafarers to operate commercial ships hardly diminished, Manese said. Figures from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration show that in 2010, the Philippines deployed 347,000 shipboard personnel, around 5.06 percent higher than in 2009. “We’ve maintained our position in the maritime manpower market as shipowners re-think strategies to cut costs while keeping their commitment to meet minimum standards of international conventions in view of the regulatory changes that will affect maritime manpower," Manese said. In 2012, changes in the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention of the International Maritime Organization and the Maritime Labor Convention of the International Labor Organization will be enforced. These regulatory changes would affect the overall maritime manpower market, Manese said. - RJMD/VVP, GMA News