STCW training provisions on bullying and harassment in the maritime sector, including sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) The Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW 9), 6-10 February 2023, agreed to draft amendments to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Code, to prevent and respond to bullying and harassment in the maritime sector, including…
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), represented by Administrator Atty. Hernani N. Fabia and OIC Executive Director of the STCW Office, Mr. Samuel L. Batalla, forged a Memorandum of Understanding for institutional partnership with the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) represented by Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, UPOU Chancellor and Dr. Joane V. Serrano, UPOU Dean for Faculty of…
The Philippine delegation, headed by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), participated in the 9th Session of the Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training, and Watchkeeping (HTW) held on 06 to 10 February 2023 at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters, London, United Kingdom. The HTW deals with the human side of shipping, including training and certification, review and revision of IMO…
The pandemic was really a disruptive game-changer. Even before the pandemic sent home most of our seafarers in 2020; their number has been dwindling the years prior. From close to 470,000 in 2019 it dropped 54% in 2020 to about 217,000. Deployment in 2018 dropped by more than 100,000. While the number of Philippine seafarers is dwindling, the number of…
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“The more we work together, the merrier we’ll be.” Or so the popular lullaby goes. However this does not ring true for the Philippine domestic ships with an overwhelmingly large number of cadets onboard. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) Report conducted last year states, “The team found cases in which 11, 16 or even 37 deck cadets were onboard…
Finally, after more than 4 decades, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has a home to call its own. The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has inaugurated its newly constructed central office building on Bonifacio Drive corner 20th Street at Port Area, Manila. The 12,000-square meter 12-storey building was constructed with a cost of PHP382 million through the assistance of the Department…
The Philippines through MARINA Administrator Rey Leonardo B Guerrero conveyed on 02-July-2018 its support for the inclusion of “number of serious incidents per year, and per vessel type” as a new performance indicator for maritime safety in the Strategic Plan, 2018-2023 of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which held the 120th Session of the IMO Council, London, United Kingdom from…
In the recent Maritime Forum in Cebu, the Visayan Association of Ferryboat and Coastwise Shipping Operators (VAFCSO) presented some challenges that affect the sea transport industry in Central Philippines. Among these are: too many, irrelevant and anti-poor domestic shipping regulations; numerous government regulators; and shortage of licensed and competent seafarers. Regulations are designed to ensure safety of life and property…
Transas has launched its first package of applications built on THESIS, a unified cloud-based platform for managing operations across the full breadth of the maritime ecosystem. The A-Suite package sets a new precedent by utilizing the latest in machine learning techniques to reduce the potential for human errors on the bridge or poor decisions elsewhere in the vessel operational chain….
How do we deal with negative news on the Maritime Industry? The most negative had been on our past shipping safety record, in particular because of the record-breaking casualty count of the Dona Paz disaster of 1987. Likewise, the sorry state of professional competence in the seafaring industry was hot news after the STCW 95 review highlighted the Philippine’s inability…
The STCW convention, mainly addressing the competency and training standards for crew on board merchant ships, was amended in Manila, June of 2010 where it received a thorough overhaul. The convention first saw daylight in 1978, and then again in 1995 with the current convention which has been serving its purpose well by aligning training and certification standards across the…
MANILA -The 8th Asia Pacific Manning and Training Conference in Manila is turning out to be 6ne of the largest international events to be hosted by the Philippines this year. The event will be attended by more than 300 participants representing over 42 of the biggest international maritime companies from over 22 countries. “An unprecedented number of international companies have…