In EU audit, Filipino seafarers’ fate hangs in balance

The European Union is set to conduct an audit on the state of the country’s maritime education system, the results of which may prove to be either a boon or bane for Filipino seafarers.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux said representatives from the

European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), an agency attached to the EU, would undertake the audit in the first quarter of 2012.

EMSA last year raised some concerns to the Philippine government regarding the quality of maritime schools in the country.

“They visited last year and they found that, in some cases, standards were not up to international norms. So they asked the Philippine government to take corrective measures,” Ledoux said at a recent meeting with the Inquirer staff.

Should the Philippine government fail to take the necessary steps to address the issues, all Filipino seafarers could be banned from setting foot on EU flagships.

Already, the EU threatened to revoke its accreditation of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates issued by local schools. SCTWs are required before seafarers are allowed to work on international vessels.

The Labor department’s Maritime Training Council (MTC) said in a letter to the EMSA last August that it had already started reforms in order to comply with international standards.

The MTC also reviewed 14 maritime schools that offered “management level” courses. After the review last August, the MTC said only seven of the schools deserved accreditation.

The Philippines is one of the biggest suppliers of seafarers in the world. The Filipino Association for Mariners Employment Inc. said there are around 300,000 Filipino seafarers working abroad, with Europe considered a “major market.”