Big vacancies in the Global Maritime Industry to be filled by Filipino Seafarers

Manila, Philippines – Pre-employment Services of Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Director Nini Lanto recently talked about the vast opportunities for Filipino seafarers in the maritime industry as numerous European and Japanese marine officers are estimated to retire soon. 

The POEA estimates that there will be a vacancy of around 24,206 new officers by 2015 and that the Philippines needs to produce around 4,841 Filipino marine officers per year to fill the void.

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) also see an annual increase of 2.3 percent in the number of ships of the world’s fleet which also adds to the total number of demands for seafarers worldwide.

Similar increase was also noted in some Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries such as Canada and Scandinavian countries.

In order to meet the demands for qualified seafarers, the POEA has already started its Cadetship program by convening the Maritime Industry Tripartite Council – Overseas Seafaring Committee for the formulation of a Standard Cadetship Agreement between cadets and foreign employers.

The POEA has also started with the Seafarers Identity Document Convention for implementation of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to make filling the vacancies much easier for Filipino seafarers and International Shipping Companies. The ratification of this International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention ensures the continuous employment of Filipino seafarers and facilitates their entry into countries for shore leave and when transiting to and from their vessels.

The Philippines is considered to be the biggest producer and supplier of seafarers alongside China, India and several European countries.