US cruise ship operator recruiting more Filipino crew members

American luxury ship operator Carnival Cruise Line, which is currently building a 65-acre water theme park in the Bahamas, is keen on onboarding more Filipino crew members in line with growing cruise tourism activities.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise, said in an event in Pasay on Wednesday they were recruiting more employees to join their 50,000-member staff across the globe.

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Of this, 12,000 are Filipinos working in the deck and engine and culinary and hospitality departments, she said. Duffy said they have a partnership with the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy and STI College to develop the country’s talent pool.

“We don’t have a number. We’re not, at this point, setting any targets,” she said, however.

She added those who finished the training program under those partnerships would have the chance to apply for a job at Carnival Cruise or they can choose to work elsewhere.

“We are very optimistic based on the initial team that we had from STI that has been trained here and then … able to come to the ships and work in the culinary department,” Duffy said.

The company executive said they have been seeing a boom in cruise tourism following the easing of pandemic restrictions.

The company’s $600-million Celebration Key in the Bahamas, a theme park exclusive for Carnival Cruise passengers, is set to welcome guests by 2025.

Locally, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has projected that the number of cruise passengers would grow by 18 percent to 103,899 this year from 88,080 a year ago.

The PPA, as such, is eyeing to develop more cruise terminals in Siargao, Camiguin, Boracay, Palawan and Puerto Galera.

The ports regulator had said that “building cruise ship ports in the Philippines plays a crucial role in enhancing not only the maritime trade and regional integration of the country but mainly the economic development of our local communities.”