‘Phl compliance with standards for seafarers non-negotiable’

BRUSSELS – Compliance with international standards for seafarers on European vessels is non-negotiable and impervious to politics, a European Union transport official said on Tuesday.

“It is something that cannot be negotiated. It is a technical issue,” EU Transport Commissioner Maximilian Strotmann told The STAR. Strotmann issued the pronouncement as the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is set to review the Philippine maritime industry’s compliance with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention.

The Philippines failed an audit conducted by EMSA last April on the quality of maritime education, training and competency certificates issued by the Philippines to Filipino seafarers.

The failing mark could lead to the termination of 80,000 Filipino seamen on board EU-flagged vessels.

Strotmann stressed that what the EU was doing was “regular verification or audit of the state of technical and legal preparedness of seafarers’ education system in countries which have seafarers working on EU-flagged ships.”

“So this is nothing special to the Philippines. This happens to all countries who have seafarers on our fleet and who are regularly assessed whether the education system is quality or not. And I think that was a good agreement of the importance at least for the Philippines as well as for the EU,” he said.

He said the Philippines needs to overcome “shortcomings.”

He pointed out that the assessment has “nothing to do with whether countries are friends or partners,” saying that while partnerships are ideal, “it’s another issue if countries fail to meet standards.”

“We are happy to see progress but we have to see on the ground, schools training. The people in shipping are absolutely important,” he said.

The EU official said an unfavorable audit result is likely to result in the withdrawal of certifications of 31,000 Filipino seamen.

“I think the Philippine side is very much aware of the agreement. It is essential that the auditors can find that there is progress in the schools. This is the situation and this is very important for us as well as for the Philippines,” he added.

Strotmann said that EMSA had acknowledged progress but that it was not fast enough.

He cited the case of Georgia, which was “derecognized” for failing to reform its educational system for seafarers.

“The recognition was withdrawn. And there is audit going on in Georgia to recognize the educational system,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Monday assured European Commission (EC) President Herman Van Rompuy of progress achieved in ensuring the Philippines’ strict compliance with STCW.

Del Rosario pointed out that of the 1.2 million seafarers in the world, about 25 percent are Filipinos.

Rompuy also assured Del Rosario that there would be no politics in the conduct of an audit in October. “They emphasized that,” Del Rosario told The STAR.

“I said we have on balance about 80,000 seafarers which are on these EU-flagged vessels and they are at risk at this time if we are not able to surmount this audit,” Del Rosario said.

“I realized that even as I’m grateful for the support and the assistance that they provided us at this particular time, it is not a political issue anymore. It is a technical issue and we must surmount those technical issues and what they involve,” he added.