The European
Commission is considering a ban on Filipino seafarers working on ships flagged
in the European Union according to the report in the German news outlet
Deutsche Welle.
According to the
newspaper, at issue is years of
substandard maritime training for Filipino seafarers failing to meet the
international standards for maritime safety. If the EU follows through on
this ban, it could be a devastating blow to one of the leading professions for
Filipinos.
The European Maritime
Safety Agency (EMSA) according to the German newspaper published a report in 2022 updating a list of
deficiencies the agency believes exist in the current training for Filipino
seafarers.
EMSA has been citing
deficiencies in the training protocols since 2006 with the government of the
Philippines promising to address the issues identified. According to the
report, the EMSA report specified that the training and certification in
Philippine maritime education institutions fell short of the guidelines
mandated by the International Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
The Philippines
government depends on private educational institutions to provide the training
but critics say it has not provided sufficient subsidies to upgrade the facilities.
The Philippines
counters that it is committed to upholding the standards and has been able to
address EMSA’s concerns significantly reducing the number of audit findings
over the years. The Philippines' new president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., recently
met with European Union officials and assured them that his country is
committed to addressing the issues and complying with European regulations.
The Philippines is the world’s largest provider of
seafarers according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Between 380,000 and 400,000 Filipinos work in
various positions at sea. According to some reports, the Philippines accounts
for as much as a quarter of all seafarers currently working on merchant ships.
If the European
Commission adopts EMSA’s report and moves forward with a ban from employing
Filipinos on merchant ships, the EU would stop recognizing the competency
certificates issued by the Philippines to seafarers. Existing certificates
would be recognized until they expire but Filipino seafarers would not be
permitted to apply for jobs on ships flagged in the EU with new or renewed
certificates.
The European Commission, according to Deutsche
Welle, is due to make its decision possibly by the end of the first quarter of
2023.