The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) assured Vice President Jejomar C. Binay that contrary to published reports, the European Union (EU) has no plan to blacklist Filipino seafarers.
ECCP Vice President for External Affairs Henry Schumacher assured Binay that Filipino seafarers will continue working in EU flagged vessels.
“I am relieved to hear such reassurance that 80,000 of our seafarers in Europe are safe from the blacklist,” said Binay, who serves as Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Concerns.
Binay was alarmed by news reports that the EU is poised to ban Filipino seafarers because of the Philippines’ failure to comply with the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).
The STCW Convention sets qualification standards for officers and personnel on seagoing merchant ships.
The Philippines failed to meet EU standards on maritime education, training and competency certificates, according to the results of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) audit conducted in April this year.
In June, Binay visited Hamburg, Germany upon invitation by Lloyd Shipping and assured EU shipowners employing Filipino seafarers of the Philippine government’s commitment to fully adhere to the STCW requirements.
EMSA is scheduled to conduct a follow up inspection of the Philippine maritime schools in October and no recommendation or decision will be made until the result of the audit is known.
Meanwhile, Marina director of overseas shipping Arsenio Lingad assured Binay that the Philippines is ready to meet the EMSA requirements.
“It is crucial that we fulfill the requirements, knowing that the jobs of 80,000 of our seafarers in Europe as well as the rest of the 400,000 Filipino seamen in various foreign flagged vessels would be affected if we fail the upcoming EMSA audit,” Binay said. /MP
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