Filipino seafarers
most sought after by ship owners worldwide
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
September
25, 2011
TACLOBAN CITY – The
Filipino seafarers are the top choice by ship owners all over the
world, Atty. Manuel Portus, Regional Director of Marina in Eastern
Visayas, informed during the Harampang Ha PIA media forum that
launched this year’s National Maritime Week celebration on September
26 to October 1.
It is a fact that
one-third of the world’s 1.5 million seafarers are Filipinos, Director
Portus said.
Director Portus’
statement was backed up with data, the Philippine Information Agency
found out. For one, a report mentioned that the chairman of
International Mariners Management Association of Japan (IMMAJ) has
stated that Filipino seafarers are the top choice of Japanese ship
managers and owners.
Data from the
Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) shows that 266,533
Filipino seafarers were deployed all over the world in 2007. Out of
this, more than 50,000 Filipino seafarers work in
Japan's
3,000 merchant ships. This indicates that roughly 65 percent of
Japan's maritime personnel are Filipinos.
Hellespont, an
European shipping company with a manpower agency in
Manila,
has been hiring all-Filipino crews for its tanker fleet since 2004.
This is another
confirmation that Filipino seafarers are the most sought seafarers in
the global shipping industry. In fact, Filipinos are in demand to man
ships at sea – from luxury cruise ships to giant tankers and container
ships.
There are many reasons
why the world wide shipping industry seeks to employ Filipino
seafarers.
One of the foremost
reasons mentioned was that Filipinos are seafarers by nature. The
Philippines is an archipelago with vast coastline of 36,289
kilometers, more than USA’s 19,924 kilometers, UK’s 12,429 kilometers,
China’s 14,500 kilometers, France’s 4,668 kilometers, and is almost
equal to Russia’s
37,653 kilometer coastline.
As the Philippine
archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands, Filipinos have natural
mariner's instincts and always work cheerfully despite months of
separation from their families. They never show that they are
homesick. While on shore leave, instead of going to the nearest bars
to waste their earnings, they prefer to spend their time more at
Internet cafes, writing e-mails or chatting online with their loved
ones in the Philippines.
Another reason why
shipping industry worldwide prefers Filipino seafarers is because of
their dedication and discipline. Filipino seafarers work with
dedication and are much disciplined. They are also very conscious
about their conduct especially while on shore leave.
Filipino seafarers are
hard-working. Filipino seafarers have more stamina and work physically
more on board the ships. Filipino seafarers are also reliable and
loyal. They are also are flexible and willingly perform duties that
are not part of their contracts. They highly trainable and adapt to
changing environment, and have problem-solving capability.
Perhaps, one of the
most important reason why Filipino seafarers are preferred is they are
fluent in English. They have good command of the English language and
have good communication skills.