SKILLS UPGRADING. Seafarers undergo training at the state-run National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) main office training complex in Tacloban City in this undated photo. The European Union (EU) on Friday (March 31, 2023) decided that it would continue to recognize certificates issued by the Philippines to seafarers, as it acknowledged Manila’s “constructive cooperation” with the EU and welcomed efforts by Filipino authorities to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers. (Photo courtesy of NMP)
MANILA – The European Union (EU) has finally decided that it will continue to recognize certificates issued by the Philippines to seafarers, allowing Filipino nationals to continue working on EU-flagged ships.
“Today, the European Commission (EC) has decided to continue recognizing certificates for seafarers issued by the Philippines, one of the world’s largest maritime labor supply countries,” its Directorate General for Mobility and Transport announced Friday.
European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean acknowledged Manila’s “constructive cooperation” with the EU and welcomed efforts by Filipino authorities to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers.
The EC, the executive arm of the EU, first notified the Philippines in December 2021 that recognition of its seafarer certificates would be withdrawn unless serious measures were taken, including compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW).
“Since then, the Philippines has made serious efforts to comply with the requirements, in particular, in key areas like the monitoring, supervision, and evaluation of training and assessment,” the EC said.
Vălean said the EU would provide further technical support to improve Manila’s implementation and oversight of minimum education, training, and certification requirements.
“The Philippines provide a significant and valued part of the European and global shipping industry’s maritime workforce – indeed, with roughly 50 000 Filipino masters and officers currently working on EU-flagged ships,” she said. “The Philippines can count on our technical support to further improve the implementation and oversight of minimum education, training, and certification requirements, as well as living and working conditions."
Several inspections were conducted by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017, with the latest one in March 2020, which was the basis of the bloc’s 2021 notification.
At that time, the Philippines had to provide a formal reply within two months, which was to be assessed by the EC, with assistance from EMSA.
On the sidelines of the EU - Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in December 2022, the Marcos administration vowed to "strictly comply" with the standards set by the EMSA in three months and ordered the creation of an advisory board to address inconsistencies found by the bloc. (PNA)
