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Thome opens $2m Philippines Seafarer Training Facility Thome Ship Management is investing in seafarer training in the Philippines in an effort to ensure a future supply of qualified crew. The growing shortage of qualified officers was an issue high on the agenda at TSM’s 18th annual conference in Manila, held in conjunction with the opening of TSM’s new $2m headquarters in the Philippines capital. “Where do we get all these people when ships are being built like hot cakes?” asked Benjamin Katipunan, general manager of MST Marine Services. The long-running issue of how few potential seafarers going through shore-based training are able to get onboard cadetships, was raised by Generoso Mamril, Philippines presidential adviser on maritime affairs. “Out of 2000 graduates of maritime schools, only 150 to 200 successfully make it onboard a vessel,” he said. “If you could look into this area and upgrade these people you would have enough supply of seafarers.” Ivar Thomalsi, senior vice-president and owners’ representative for Thome Ship Management in Manila, countered that this was in fact exactly what the company was doing in the Philippines. “We have 400 cadets in the pipeline. There are not enough shipowners who allow cadets to go onboard, if we had that it would solve the problem,” he stated. Thome employs 4,500 Filipino seafarers, who remit payments of about $5m a year to the Philippines. TSM is also looking to expand outside of Manila to areas such as Cebu to widen its pool of Filipino seafarers. The issue of criminalisation of seafarers was also raised as discouragement to people entering the profession, especially higher ranks. Hans Schaefer, deputy general manager, marine and safety division for Tai Chong Cheang Steamship’s Singapore office, noted that a truck driver who accidentally hit a car killing passengers would not be immediately thrown in jail, there would be an investigation first, while a seafarer involved in a pollution incident finds himself going straight to jail. |
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Press Release |
