EU to continue recognizing Philippine-issued seafarers' certificates

The European Union (EU) on Friday announced that it will continue to recognize the certificates for seafarers issued by the Philippines.

This developed months after the EU warned that Filipino maritime workers may be banned from its vessels following the country’s repeated failure to hurdle the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)’s evaluation in the past 16 years.

The regional bloc cited the country’s “serious efforts to comply with the requirements, in particular in key areas like the monitoring, supervision and evaluation of training and assessment.”

"We appreciate the constructive cooperation with the Philippine authorities and welcome their efforts to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers,” EU Commissioner for Transport Adina V?lean said in a statement.

“The Philippines provide a significant and valued part of the European and global shipping industry’s maritime workforce – indeed, with roughly 50 000 Filipino masters and officers currently working on EU-flagged ships,” she said.

About one out of five foreign seafarers on EU-flagged ships is Filipino.

In December 2022, the EMSA notified the Philippines of some deficiencies, including serious ones, such as in the Philippine seafarers’ education, training, and certification system.

In their findings, the commission said the Philippines failed to guarantee that the requirements of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) convention were met. Non-compliance to STCW, the EU warned, would bar Philippine seafarers from boarding European-flagged vessels.

V?lean said the regional bloc would offer the country technical support to “further improve the implementation and oversight of minimum education, training and certification requirements, as well as living and working conditions” of Filipino seafarers.

The global shipping industry, which carries 80 percent of international trade, employs about 1.2 million seafarers, mostly from the Philippines.

In its findings, the EU said inconsistencies have been identified concerning "the competencies covered by the education and training programs leading to the issuing of officers’ certificates, as well as in several approved programs regarding teaching and examination methods, facilities and equipment."

It also found "concerning findings" regarding simulators and onboard training in Philippine maritime schools. —NB, GMA Integrated News