Unions are welcoming a decision by the EU’s maritime watchdog that will prevent up to 50,000 Filipino-credentialed seafarers from being barred from working on European-owned ships.
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) announced that it would continue to recognize STCW (Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping) certificates issued by Philippines-based training providers, following moves by the country’s president to address decades-long problems with his country’s seafarer training systems.
The EU had been concerned for many years about both the quality and consistency of training, with some graduates equipped to operate modern ships and others requiring additional training from employers. As early as 2006, EMSA identified shortcomings and has continued to find problems in the 13 inspections it has conducted since then. The agency’s recent audit, conducted last year, led to the country’s final warning.
ITF welcomes EMSA decision
“We are relieved that EMSA has stepped back from the brink with this decision and avoided the risk of losing 50,000 of the world’s best maritime professionals from working on board European ships,” said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
“I am sure this will be welcomed by European shipowners, as well as by the Filipino crew, their families, and their unions,” he said.
Cotton said if EMSA had stopped recognizing Philippine certificates, a ban would have sent economic shockwaves through the country’s economy. In 2019 alone, $6.54 billion in wages were sent home by Filipino crews working on international ships.
“There is no doubt that Filipino seafarers are valued in the industry for their skills, expertise, and professionalism: there is a good reason why they remain the world’s number one source of seafarers.”
“Unfortunately, the quality and certification systems that Philippine seafarers need to be able to rely on have been lacking for some time,” said the General Secretary.
ITF advises the Marcos government to improve training
Decision-makers in Brussels are understood to have been persuaded by recent announcements by the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to finally address the country’s long-standing training problems.
Representatives from the ITF, the Shipowners’ Association ICS, and other industry bodies will form the new International Advisory Committee on Global Maritime Affairs (IACGMA). While its first task will be to advise on necessary training and certification reforms, the committee’s ability to work across a wide range of government departments and agencies on sensitive and complex maritime issues is a model that unions and shipowners’ groups hope will unlock progress on climate and other pressing issues facing the nation’s maritime sector.
Cotton said the advisory committee is just one example of how the sector has shown that the Philippines is now on the right track to deliver the improvements that industry, crew, and regulators have been calling for.
“I have every confidence that we can get to a place where a Philippine certificate is synonymous with being firstclass and world-class. In many ways, Philippine crew already are,” he said.
Fair transition, apprenticeship overhaul
Barcellona said the ITF would raise both training and climate issues with government officials through the advisory committee because the issues were closely linked.
“Training has never been more important for people working at sea,” said Fabrizio Barcellona, ITF Seafarers’ Section coordinator. “Climate change means that 800,000 seafarers will need to be trained or retrained to handle new fuels and technologies by 2030.”
“Countries with better training systems will be better able to respond to the changing needs of the global maritime market. Their seafarers will be more attractive to “Countries with better training systems will be better able to respond to the changing needs of the global maritime market. Their seafarers will be more attractive to the growing number of shipowners who are already investing billions of dollars in new, next-generation ships.”
Barcellona said more seafarers needed to spend more time on board early in their careers so they could become familiar with the rapidly changing technologies found on ships today.
That is why the ITF is proposing a major upgrade of the country’s apprenticeship and cadet training systems for ratings and officers respectively. The Federation wants to see the Philippines move from a model of disorganized apprenticeship and cadetship arrangements, cobbled together on a temporary basis between individual employers and training providers, to a new, modern, and coordinated model with high-quality, permanent schemes backed by shipowners, unions and the government.
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