MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) activated a crew change hub in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone over the weekend, part of efforts to support seafarers amid restrictions that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Subic Bay crew change hub follows the activation of Port Capinpin in Bataan and the Port of Manila. Other facilities will open in Batangas, Davao, and Cebu, the DOTr said in a statement.
Crew change is essential to ensure seafarers’ safety, health, welfare and employment. According to the International Labor Organization, crew members can only serve on board a vessel without leave up to a maximum of 11 months.
“The activation of crew change hubs will primarily benefit seafarers, recognized globally as key workers, who are stranded on board ships with expired contracts due to travel restrictions aimed to curtail the spread of COVID-19,” the DOTr said.
It is crucial for the Philippines since 25 percent of seafarers around the world are Filipinos.
“This month alone, the DOTr maritime sector was able to open and activate three crew change hubs in the country,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a statement.
“It is my hope for the Philippines to become a major international hub for [a] crew change,” he added.
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Jay Daniel Santiago also said these hubs can be drivers of economic growth.
“By becoming a crew change capital of the world, we would not only prime up our seafaring and maritime industry. We also expect to boost our hospitality industry,” he said in the same statement.
In the last four months, a total of 734 ships docked or anchored in the Port of Manila for the purposes of a crew change.
A total of 34,000 seafarers were served, wherein 28,000 seafarers disembarked while 5,800 joined the ships. For ship turnaround, cargo ships usually stay for about 6 to 12 hours while cruise ships stay for a week up to a month if they serve as quarantine facilities. [ac]