Seafarer deployment to reach pre-pandemic level by yearend — DMW

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter

THE DEPLOYMENT of Filipino seafarers is expected to recover to its pre-pandemic level by the end of 2023, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). 

DMW Secretary Susan V. Ople on Monday said nearly 150,000 seafarers have been deployed in the first quarter, putting it on track to exceed 500,000 — a level last seen in 2019.

“You can see that the road to recovery is very clear… Projection-wise, by the end of the year we will be back to pre-pandemic levels,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the Shaping the Future of Shipping – Seafarer 2050 Conference on Monday.

Ms. Ople said the Philippines deployed 505,769 seafarers in 2019, “which makes 1 in 5 international crew a Filipino.”

While demand for seafarers declined during the pandemic, the Philippines deployed 489,852 seafarers last year. Ms. Ople noted this figure was just 15,000 short of the pre-pandemic level.

More Filipino seafarers are expected to be deployed this year amid higher demand from crew ships, Ms. Ople said.

The number of seafarers from Ukraine had dropped after Russia’s invasion last year.

In 2021, Ukraine had deployed 76,442 seafarers and officers, accounting for 4.04% of the total deployment. The Philippines was the top supplier of seafarers and officers in the same year with 252,393.

Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said that US cruise ship operator Carnival Corp. has committed to recruiting around 40,000 seafarers from the Philippines.

“Last Friday, there was an agreement between (the Carnival) group and STI to improve the training and train more seafarers to supply the requirement of Carnival cruise and I think there are other shipping companies that would want to have more Filipino seafarers,” Mr. Bautista said in mixed English and Filipino.

Ms. Ople said that she also received a commitment from a Saudi Arabia-based shipping company to hire more Filipino crew.

The increase in the deployment of seafarers is expected to give a boost to cash remittances this year. Money sent by overseas Filipino workers through banks jumped by 3.7% year on year in April to $2.48 billion. In particular, remittances from sea-based workers rose by 2.6% to $547 million.

For the first four months of the year, cash remittances increased by 3.2% year on year to $10.49 billion.

SHORTAGE OF SEAFARERSSvein Steimler, special advisor of NYK Group Europe, said the continued growth in international shipping “will lead to a shortage of hundreds of thousands of seafarers, a number which is expected to grow by 2050.”

Belal Ahmed, chairman of the International Maritime Employers’ Council, said government and the private companies should not only focus on upskilling and reskilling seafarers to prepare them for the new technology on ships, and their personal lives.

“Behind these upskilling discussions, we are again forgetting how long they stay in the sea and how they are going to take care of their family when they are at sea. Those discussions sometimes don’t come because we are talking about skill enhancement for them to be ready for future ships. But today, we should all be talking about seafarers’ personal lives, how we can make them better,” he said.

Bjorn Hojgaard, chief executive officer of Anglo-Eastern Univan Group, said there is a need to improve the working conditions of seafarers.

“I think a problem we do have today is the ‘dark fleet.’ I think you know that there are almost 1,000 ships sailing around now with substandard conditions, no insurance and no class and we somehow allow that to happen. I think that’s a real menace for the men and women serving on board ships,” Mr. Hojgaard said.

Improving the working environment of the seafarers will allow them to thrive and be more productive, he added.

Gabby Bornheim, president of German Shipowners’ Association, said the curriculum should be reviewed to make it easier for the younger generation to learn.

“We have to look at our curriculums. Are we teaching the right matters? … Can we make more visible ways of learning like e-learning? That’s the way. We have to adapt to the needs of the younger generation, in my view,” said Ms. Bornheim.

Mapua University Chairman and President Reynaldo B. Vea said there should be opportunities for seafarers to continue their education even while they’re on-board ships.