It’s time to take a second look at the Filipino seafarer factory following last week´s European Commission decision not to withdraw – for the time being – EU recognition of Philippine crew certificates. We touched some raw nerves when we first coined the term and wrote about the seafarer factory in May 2011. But now and then it’s necessary to call a spade a spade. How else would things change? Here now is a list of what we see as the strong and weak points of the world´s largest seafarer-producing facility:
STRONG POINTS
• Non-stop production line – abundant supply, albeit with perceived shortages every so often of qualified officers and ratings for certain positions
• Large pool of managerial talent – no dearth of seasoned ex-mariners and Ph.D-holders to run the factory
• Consolidation of quality control department – new centralised STCW administration under the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
• Brand recall and acceptance – the good qualities of Filipino seafarers are known far and wide, and demand for their services continues
• Foreign subsidies to production department – foreign-funded cadetship programmes help ensure product quality amidst the proliferation of diploma mills
WEAK POINTS
• Over-staffed production department – too many maritime schools and training centres, resulting in cutthroat competition and falling standards
• Poor quality control – MARINA and the Commission on Higher Education lack in-house expertise and rely on private individuals to conduct inspections and serve as technical consultants; absence of a valid assessment document by which training institutions can be objectively and fairly evaluated
• Old Boys Club influence – a cabal made up of industry players unduly influencing the shape and direction of state maritime policies, often for the benefit of their own egos and corporate interests
• Outmoded factory equipment – budgetary constraints prevent many maritime schools from acquiring or upgrading simulators, training software and other tools for training
• Declining English language skills – not enough emphasis at school-level on effective oral and written communications, a problem that could erode product competitiveness in the international market
It all boils down to increasing EU confidence in the Philippine system. Those managing the factory should take full charge by cutting reliance on outside consultants and coming up with a proper assessment document. This is a must. The other issues will take longer to resolve and will require Filipinos to look beyond the next, and presumably last, visit of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) inspectors. ~Barista Uno
Related blog posts:
Inside the Filipino seafarer factory
Buying time for Filipino crew certificates
A fix for Filipino STCW administration?
Dear Barista,
Your two articles provide a good portrayal of the current situation of seafaring in the Philippines. In listing the weak points, you are urging the Authorities to improve on the quality of seafarers and in particular their foundational and continuing education systems. I fully appreciate your critical viewpoints.
However I am interested to know if you have a future plan to follow up? I mean would it, in the Philippines, make better sense if you / or an NGO body could present your case to the STW / IMO / MARINA, etc? It would be even more interesting to read their replies.
Thanks and please continue to blog your very interesting articles.
Thank you for your kind words, Johnny.
I believe it’s up to the various local associations and unions to pressure the government offices concerned to address immediately the two issues raised: reliance on outside consultants and lack of a proper assessment document. Our role as maritime Don Quixote is limited to blogging.
Nail on the head: compliance AND assessment standards for training (as they meted clearly out in STCW) and possibly also assessment of the verification system – I have seen many “original” certificates (also recently, not just a few years ago!) which later on appeared to be unlisted in the Philippine system.
Enough for all these maritime training courses. Implement these to all maritime colleges not to long time seafarers. Modern electronics equiptment is acceptable.