THE Philippines is now gunning to remain on the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) whitelist of countries that are compliant with global maritime practices.
Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Hernani N. Fabia said the Philippines is submitting its report to the IMO soon and is now confident of changing its status of a mere conditional inclusion on the whitelist.
“We are confident that the Philippines shall likewise get a positive decision from the IMO. This time we are confident,” he said during the Joint Maritime Committee (JMC) Meeting of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (DCCP), the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), the Nordic Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (NordCham), and the Philippines Norway Business Council (PNBC).
The Philippines is included on the IMO whitelist, albeit on a conditional basis due to its incomplete submission of its compliance report in 2017.
Nonetheless, Fabia said the Philippines has implemented several initiatives to ensure that it complies with global maritime standards and conventions, especially the 1978 standards of training, certification, and watch keeping (STCW) convention.
“We have completed 101 percent of the compliance report. We are 101 percent complaint,” he said.
Once submitted, the IMO will refer the report to a panel of competent persons, who will then review the submission and forward it to the Maritime Safety Committee.
“The Maritime Safety Committee will decide on the fate of the Philippines— whether or not we will be excluded,” Fabia said.
Being included on the whitelist implies that the Philippines is deemed compliant with the STCW, which lists the standards for seafaring personnel. Hence, being on the list places a huge advantage for Filipino seafarers, as this reflects that they underwent strict training and education.
The Philippines is also hoping to be reelected to the IMO Council under Category for the 2024-2025 biennium, which will allow the country to have a say on policies and regulations concerning seafaring and other maritime activities in the globe.
EU nod
This development comes after the Philippines continues to be recognized by the European Union (EU) to be compliant with the STCW System. However, the European Commission (EC) still found “issues to be addressed” in the country’s maritime industry.
This prompted the EC to extend a three-year technical assistance to the Philippines to implement corrective actions.
Moving forward, Fabia said the country will leverage the technical assistance of the EC to further improve maritime education and training to keep its number one position as the leading supplier of maritime manpower in the world.
Through the help of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) the Marina plans to establish a National Maritime Polytechnic.
It will also establish a technical working group to discuss issues on board training and identify appropriate actions. Other government agencies that will support Marina in these efforts include the Commission on Higher Education, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Migrant Workers.
“We shall work together in fostering our common interests and strive for excellence as we push our seafarers and the maritime industry to greater heights,” Fabia said.
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