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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Stakeholders plot moves to shore up seafaring sector

Stakeholders plot moves to shore up seafaring sector

Published Jul 30, 2019 12:00 am
By Emmie V. Abadilla The country's seafaring industry is in dire straits and stakeholders are fighting to revive it. Deployment of Filipino seafarers is dwindling, among other issues that need to be tackled, such as the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) assessment, the country’s inclusion in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) whitelist and nuisance cases from ambulance chasers – lawyers who specialize in bringing cases seeking damages for personal injury. For this reason, various stakeholders of the local maritime industry met at the Manila Yacht Club last week to discuss the sector's problems. While the principals of recruitment firms want to rehire Filipino seafarers, they are concerned they cannot get fair trial against their seafarers who filed cases against them with the encroachment of ambulance chasers, Cf Sharp Crew Management, Inc. CEO Miguel Angel Rocha pointed out during the meeting. The Joint Manning Group (JMG) cited that this was their principals’ dilemma as well. Substandard training centers are also a problem, according to Philippine Association of Maritime Training Center, Inc. (PAMTCI) President Karen Avila. PAMTCI condemned the strictness against large training centers that complies with the requirements of the IMO STCW Convention while non-compliant schools that offer cheap tuition proliferate.
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