DOTr activates crew change hubs to support maritime sector

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is activating more hubs around the Philippines that will allow operators of maritime vessels to rotate their crew members serving beyond the limits set by the International Labour Organization (ILO).This was also in response to movement restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.The DOTr said in a statement it activated a so-called crew change hub in the

Subic Bay Freeport Zone over the weekend. This follows the activation of Port Capinpin in Bataan and the Port of Manila. Other facilities will open in Batangas, Davao and Cebu, the DOTr added.

The rotation of crew members is important as the ILO said they could only serve onboard a vessel without leave up to a maximum of 11 months.

The DOTr said crew change was essential to ensure the seafarers’ safety, health, welfare and employment.

“The activation of crew change hubs will primarily benefit seafarers, recognized globally as key workers, who are stranded onboard ships with expired contracts due to travel restrictions aimed to curtail the spread of COVID-19,” the DOTr said.The Philippines is also an important part of the global maritime sector as 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 crew change,” he added.

Philippine Ports Authority general manager Jay Daniel Santiago also said these hubs could 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 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 six to 12 hours while cruise ships stay for a week up to a month if they serve as quarantine facilities.—MIGUEL R. CAMUS INQ