Sunday, November 04, 2007 Sun.star Essay: Out at sea By Erma M. Cuizon Sun.star essay
A RECENT international labor survey of the shipping sector showed a growing “shortfall” of officers in ships.
In the Philippines, for one, not only hospitals are lacking nurses, other industries lacking engineers and technical workers, but also the local shipping industry lacks seamen. And this is because the country is the “manning capital of the world.” Filipinos have left to work in far lands, home is running out of them.
Of about 1.23 million seafarers in the world, almost 20 percent are Filipinos.
According to a local news item, the official requirements for seamen, in terms of qualifications, are deemed too high as the local shipping industry has a hard time getting qualified workers.
But maritime authorities in the world say there’s an answer to this. “Women are an underutilized source of maritime talent which we need to draw upon to make up this shortfall.”
That women compose more than 10 percent of the seafaring workforce in Scandinavian countries, according to a study, is news. In Britain, only a bit over 8 percent; in Europe, just a bit more. Of course, it’s not surprising that in India, it was reported that 12 women were seafarers of 43,000 registered in 2002.
The “growth” may not be any better today. And mostly, this would be in the case of passenger ships (ferries and cruise ships), hardly in cargo vessels (container ships or oil tankers). In passenger ships, especially in cruise ships, women are part of the hotel personnel, which is not quite a sailor’s job.
The Philippines is mentioned as “the largest supplier of seafarers to the world merchant fleet.” But, as an example, only 225 seafarers, out of a total of 230,000 in 1983-1990, were women.
Not only can a woman help “man” the ship, she can bring in a sense of things normal to life at sea.
We’ve heard stories about seafaring, especially across far oceans in the globe, ship workers being at sea for months on ends. According to observers at work, the presence of women gives the impression of “normal social environment.”
In these days, cargo ships stay longer at sea, even as there are less people on board. With women as part of the crew, there’s a lesser sense of the isolation many seafarers experience as adjustment problem once back on shore. Besides, as a European owner of a number of ships said in an interview, the woman at work is “engaged” in it and can be trusted to do her work well.
Now over 300,000, most of the Filipino seafarers lack the qualifications to be considered for higher positions. Only 60,000 of the Filipino seafarers are deck officers.
At home, we’re running out of seamen for our own shipping industry, goes the news. And yet, there are women who are doing very well in “shore-based” employment.
They know the business, they know the problems in maritime law, economics, insurance, supervision, administration. Surely, the seaman’s job isn’t all physical strength.
A woman could take the challenge of “salt and the sea.”
Authorities are doing something to improve the conditions of women at sea, such as with regards to discrimination and sexism. The International Labor Organization is talking about trainings on “gender mainstreaming” for women.
In this country, it wouldn’t be difficult for women to get the “other” guy’s acceptance in a seafaring job. The Filipino is used to women on the job in other areas of trade.
There are a number of women in senior management positions, the highest number among the 32 countries in a survey of owner-managed companies.
And the presence of women in the seafaring trade is growing. Women could start with interisland shipping, in which case they won’t be away at sea for long so they could be with the children between trips in the home port. It’s, of course, more of a challenge to become a sailor woman in a tanker and stay for months at sea.
