THE Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (NSA) has assured of a stable demand for seafarers globally despite economic uncertainties.
Attorney Paal Tangen, Ateep Steering Committee chairman, said while the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down the deployment of seafarers, the global shipping industry continues to hire workforce onboard to keep the flow of global supply and demand going.
“Ninety-percent of goods in the international trade goes through by ships. That’s why we need good seafarers,” said Tangen, during his visit in the University of Cebu-Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue on Thursday, March 31, 2022.
Tangen said his visit in the UCLM campus is a combination of courtesy and good talks on how to improve the NSA Philippines Cadet Program so they could secure good deck and engine officers for the Norwegian fleet.
“We wanted to look into the future as possible because the maritime industry has been volatile,” he said, citing the current Covid-19 pandemic which has been threatening the industry, harbor lockdown and supply chain problem, and the continued aggression between Russia and Ukraine as among the challenges faced by the maritime industry today.
“It’s about due time to come here and see what is happening,” he noted.
NSA Philippines Cadet Program is said to be the most outstanding and promising program of the Association of Shipowners’ Training and Education Project that aims to develop young and competent Filipino seafarers through scholarship grants and best maritime education awarded to qualified applicants.
The program has tied up with maritime academies—DMMA College of Southern Philippines and the UCLM.
For over 28 years, the NSA Cadet Program and UCLM have been working hand in hand in producing quality Filipino seafarers.
Tangen said the Philippines remains to be the world’s major producer of seafarers in the world and that the country has proven to produce skilled workforce ever since.
The Philippines represents 30 percent of the global seafarers workforce. These modern-day sea-based heroes sent a total of US$6.545 billion or approximately P335.42 billion in cash remittances to the country last year.
Labor crunch
Meanwhile, in the short term, Tangen said the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may open job opportunities to more Filipino seafarers due to a shortfall in the global shipping workforce.
Tangen said the Russia-Ukraine conflict could make it difficult to move seafarers in and out and the economic sanctions could make it difficult to pay seafarers from both countries.
According to the Seafarer Workforce Report published in 2021 by Baltic and International Maritime Council and International Chamber of Shipping some 1.89 million seafarers are currently operating over 74,000 vessels in the global merchant fleet.
Of this total workforce, 198,123 (10.5 percent) of seafarers are Russian of which 71,652 are officers and 126,471 are ratings. Ukraine accounts for 76,442 (four percent) of seafarers of which 47,058 are officers and 29,383 are ratings. Combined they represent 14.5 percent of the global workforce.
Reports said at least 100 foreign flagged ships with over 1,000 seafarers have been stuck inside Ukrainian ports with food supplies running low.