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The "workers’ webpage" http://www.hse.gov.uk/ workers
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Simple Arithmetic

Let me start this column with good news just before I get lost in the maze of industry problems as I buckle down on the issues. 

The PRC’s computerized walk-in examination (WES) is now operational although some refinements are still on going to improve the system. The present Marine board is doing all its best to perk up the industry although they face difficulties somehow, somewhere. 

AMOSUP, for its part, contributed a lot in pushing for the greater welfare of our seafarers. Better and more realistic salaries were negotiated; not necessarily the highest. Capt. Oca worked hard to push for better protection and labor practices in ILO conventions. He pushed for the introduction of e-mail and Internet service on board and now he is silently building word-class IT facilities that will train and equip our future seafarers.

All these efforts, if sustained by the rest in the industry, will give a lot of hope to our officers and men in the field. I just hope that any sector, government or private, which will put us back to chaotic situations, will commit no false moves.

BIMCO sounded an alarm a year ago saying that the world shipping is experiencing an aggravating shortage of ship officers. In fact many manning companies are in dire need of these precious human resources and surmounting difficulties to keep its share.

If left unsolved in the next five to 10 years, this would wreak havoc to sea transport thereby crippling many of the world’s economies. How? Well, just think of how you can move liquid or solid bulk cargoes around the globe at lower cost without enough officers to run ships.

Just imagine what happens in the domestic economy without the needed commodities. Experts are therefore called upon to squeeze their heads to the max in order to come up with brilliant ideas to solve these impending crises. The LSM conference this November will surely tackle this issue head on.

 In the Philippines, the Maritime Training Council (MTC) was quick to push for the immediate and full implementation of the Management Level Course, which is opposed by many. This solution was based on miscalculated judgment that Filipino officers lack the spirit, if not afraid, to move up the management positions because of the challenges inherent to it.

MTC believed that sending all OICs back to school and teaching them the old tricks would do the miracle. This notion was seconded by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) saying that, indeed, MLC is necessary because many of our officers are found to be lacking in knowledge and could not possibly do well on top.

Ironically, many businesses are already busy preparing beddings for “would-be returnees” in anticipation of hordes of ship officers coming. Mama mia! It’s becoming like a setting for a morgue!     

Are we really looking for workable solutions? We don’t need cross-eyed experts to point us the way. Come to think of it, the Filipino seafarers made a good showing in the running of ships during the Iran-Iraq war (1982). Right after the war, many shipowners decided to hire our skilled and gallant officers. We were only about 30,000 then.

Fifteen years after and without disruption in the employment flow, our seafarers ballooned to 340,000. That’s 20,000 a year average increase. We never heard of a big number of Filipino officers sinking and colliding ships like hell around the world.

Our officers again made a good showing in the transport of arms and combatants in support of Operation Desert Storm of 1990. Did you hear any shocking news of our officers’ incompetence? Never!

Then came the training bonanza of 1997-2002 as an offshoot of the country’s compliance with the STCW 95 Convention. MTC accredited selected training centers that later duplicated through dummy centers, required training courses that now reaches 118 or more, required instructor’s training courses that even allowed the incompetents to teach the competent, and finally, tried to influence the licensing and certification of seafarers that led to massive re-authentication, revalidation, re-trainings, and ping-pong processes.

Result? We lost about a hundred thousand seafarers in just five years dropping to 244,000 levels as of today. That’s 20,000 a year average depletion rate too. Fake certificates, fake seafarers, and fake trainings, are unworthy labels everywhere harming further the integrity of the legitimate majority.

The Norwegians disregarded our certificates, the Australians suspended recognizing our certificates for a month, Panama delivered some blows on COC requirements detrimental to many of our seafarers, the British came in to inspect and report our internal flaws, and, in all of these, who came in to speak for the rights of all our officers in those days? Nada. 

There were even attempts by some employers to ignore many of our officers by reasons of age and health. These things and many other untold sufferings are all burning outrageously in the hearts and minds of a great majority of our seasoned officers and crew. Thus, triggering a debilitating dissatisfaction to our ranks forcing them to find alternative means, migrate, resign or retire early.

Look at the age profile of our officers with five or more years experience; many of them are between ages 40 to 50. Look at the rank profile and you will find more than 70 percent are OICs. Split the OICs into experienced and non-experienced; you will find that more than 60% are non-experienced (meaning they were ratings actually).

Look further down the supply line and see our cadetship program; you will find that of the approximately 30,000 maritime graduates a year from all schools only about 500 can board as full-pledge apprentice mates who will later be allowed by PRC to take the licensure exam.

Check the PRC’s grading methods in the traditional examination, meaning paper and pencil, for the past five years; you will see the passing rate remained fixed between 45% to 55% only for both the deck and engine officers. No matter how good the examinees were, every batch always ended up an average half of them failing the exam irrespective of whether they all allegedly paid bribes or got perfect scores.

The PRC’s “norm” method of testing made its killing. In fact, the latest nursing board debacle showed more of PRC’s weaknesses. This is the main reason why this writer pushed hard for the immediate implementation of the computerized walk-in examination in order to adopt the “criterion” method of testing that will make the licensure fair and realistic. I can go on and on and you will be overwhelmed by all the troubles crippling our seafaring industry.

Solutions? We must first realize that we need to take care of our remaining experienced officers still eager to board ships. Many of them are still active but their numbers are diminishing. Their length of sea service is the most precious reserve and power we have in the world of shipping that no technology or methodology can earn overnight.

The employer should be nicer to these officers and pamper them if need be. Why? Because if these people will lose interest in boarding ships or if they run out of energies, you just cannot find alternatives elsewhere with the same length of service in their shoulders. Robots that will man ships are still 50 or more years away if any. Second, we must consider that age is a silent killer. No matter how good an officer is, he can be gone in a flash. Accidents happen on board in an instant.

To prepare for lost men we need to loosen up the promotions program. Trust and encourage younger generations to make a try so that there will be a ready replacement when the need arises. After all, no one becomes a sharp shooter without firing a shot.

Young Filipinos are mostly timid at first but in due time, can be bold. Persuade them, treat them well, and you will see miraculous things. Third, we must realize that the STCW 95 Convention changed completely the atmosphere and methodologies of work on board.

In addition, many flag states are now instituting anti-terrorist policies that the freedom of movement is severely restricted in ports thereby causing more solitude as officers are confined in ships. This added up the stress by which each officer struggles each day.

To lessen their stress, the employer must consider helping them acquire hand-held computers or electronic instruments of their choice that will help them accomplish their task fast, easy, and correct. They know what they need and what fits them. Many officers are now worried about boarding ships without handy computers of their own.

A decade ago, hand-held computers were even sneered as “instruments for the stupid” but not anymore today due to the exacting demands of the job. 

Moving from one ship to the other makes it extra difficult for our officers to learn and rely on ship’s computers alone. With personal gadgets, their confidence is better and higher. Perhaps if an officer is deployed on the same ship in all his life at sea, then personal computers may not be a necessity.

Fourth, the cadetship program must be revived. Replenishments can only come from them and without a big number of new graduates coming in, it will drain the industry fast.

Our marine enrollees are gradually dwindling now as many officers discourage their sons to take the course and instead take other promising career path. Look at countries without sufficient number of marine graduates; they just cannot make it to sea. Their nationals may own the world’s modern fleet but without takers who will sail in rough seas; they will lie idle in waiting.

In one meeting of the Crewing Managers Association of the Philippines (CMAP), it was reported that Myanmar automatically cancels the ratings certificates once a seafarer attains an officer’s license.

Perhaps it was meant to force the inexperienced, newly licensed officer to move up the career path without hesitation.

You see, it’s like a fish trap without means to get out once you are inside. What a clumsy way to build up the pool. We don’t need to do that in the Philippines.

To revive our cadetship program, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the PRC can simply re-phrase, if not totally change, the implementing rules on shipboard training.

The 12 months cadetship program must allow any shipboard position as entry level, not strictly as apprentice only, provided that six months of the 12 months sea time, cadetship was performed on board, documented by a training record book, and should be sufficient for PRC to allow licensure examination.

For those who missed a few days to complete the 12 months mandatory requirement they must be given recourse on shore, sufficient only to fill the training gap, but not excessively impractical. With the 30,000 graduates we produce yearly, I bet it will be a big push that will decongest the middle ranks, within three years, thereby facilitating a smoother flow to the management position.

Fifth, the PRC must perfect the implementation of the computerized walk in examination in all ranks, in many regional test sites, the soonest time possible. This will allow PRC to render efficient service, a credible licensure, and a considerable increase in the daily supply of competent officers.

Sixth, the PRC must do away with its “interim courses” that serve as the major stumbling block in COC issuances. After all, they were forced and implemented in 2002 without industry-wide consultation and most of which were not IMO mandatory courses in the first place.

Seventh, the PRC must respect the other modes of assessing competence as recommended in STCW 95 Convention. There are four methods actually, where many of our officers readily comply, and should not make it mandatory for all to take simulator- only assessment.

Lastly, it is heartless to disturb the vacation time of our officers. They need to re-charge and bond with their loved ones and no amount of compensation can replace the lost moments when they were at sea. All forms of trainings, if truly needed, must be done on board or through distance learning modes if possible.

Employers, labor unions, and the government must cooperate to ensure respect and complete protection of seafarer’s vacation time.

This column has just given you the eight simple steps to solve the worsening shortage of competent officers; faster, at lesser cost and less abhorring to seafarers.

Filipino seafarers are like endangered species that need global protection and development. Sometimes, complex-looking problems can be solved by just simple arithmetic, you know.

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