Filipino seafarers are the seafarers from the beautiful country of Philippines. They can be anything from seafarers to sailors to even seamen. This is a general term that they use for all.
In this article about Filipino seafarers we will discuss a little more about them, their lives, challenges and about what makes them so different from other seafarers from across the world. In case you are aspiring to become Filipino seafarers then you will need to join one of the several maritime schools in Philippines.
These institutes offer different types of training to become a seafarer. After the classroom training the student is required to spend time at sea. After they successfully complete this course they can appear for the seaman’s state board exam. If they pass this exam then they will get a valid seaman’s certificate from the Philippine coast guard. The certification is known as the STCW (standards of training certification and watch keeping) as recognized by the IMO (International Maritime organization). This is exactly why the certification is considered one of the best in the world.
The standards are so high that these students just out of school have the skills to directly work on any ships. There are around three hundred thousand students who pass out every year from the maritime schools in Philippines. Philippines are a small nation it does not have such a high requirement. However, about two hundred thousand students are absorbed by the other nations of the world. This is the highest in the whole world. No other nation has so many seafarers being taken up by other nations.
The demand for Filipino seafarers is indeed very high and it is only increasing with years. No wonder one out of every five seamen in the world is Filipino seafarers. Interesting right but it is true. The list of countries that hire them is endless. Perhaps all countries in the world hire a Filipino seafarer. This has been the case since 1987 the Philippine Overseas employment administration has been supplying the seamen for years. The statistics say that there are about one and a half million sea farers in the world of which nothing less than twenty five percent is Filipino seafarers. This is the biggest nation bloc in shipping line.
Interesting to know that a small island nation like Philippines has made such a huge contribution to the world’s shipping lines. Japan is the top nation who hires the maximum Filipino seafarers. The salary and the other incentives of a Filipino seafarer changes with the nation that they are working for and the shipping lines that they are joining. The position also plays a very vital role in the salary that they are offered. The standard set is four hundred and fifty dollars for ships that sail abroad and about three hundred dollars for ships within the nation of Philippines.
However, as already discussed majority of the seafarers from Philippines go abroad. This sector is also a major contributor to the dollars that are earned by the country. They play a very vital role in the world trade. This is perhaps the biggest export that Philippines do to the world. The quality of these seamen is so good that the nations urge more and more youths of Philippines to join this line.
In the last six years the number of seafarers who are passing out is only increasing in number. The demand for these seafarers is also increasing all over the world. Due to the high number of seafarers that come from this nation the number of causalities and deaths of Filipino seafarers is also quite high across the world. This proves that fact that sea is not a safe place. SS Norway explosion in the United States was the cause of death for about eight Filipino seafarers.
Their attitude and dedication for the job is commendable. M/T team Venus consisted of all Filipino seafarers when they saved twelve Ukrainian crew members of M/S Star Admiral. This too under very bad weather conditions, they did this task at the risk of their own lives. The perils are many from death, to pirates to even weather.
In spite of these statistics thousands of youths every year join this field and serve the world with their valuable service. In the year 2008 itself there were about one twenty seafarers from Philippines that were taken as hostages in the Somalian region. 2010 has become a very crucial year for the Filipino seafarers as the IMO has declared it as the year of the seafarer. This is recognition of their contribution and is a gesture to appreciate what they have done for the world trade and economy.
These seafarers who pass out every year also have a list of women sea farers. These women work as waitress in the international cruise. They are paid very nominal salaries and are very efficient. This makes them in very high demand category. Some men also work as waiters but their pay is higher than women. This is all about Filipino seafarers that one needs to know in case they are planning to take this up as a career.
It is definitely one of the best certifications and jobs for seafarers in the world. The seamen from Philippines are in demand all over the world as the training that they get is perhaps the best in the world. These people perhaps are born with the instincts to become mariners.
They are cheerful in spite of all the hardships that they face and are always doing their duty with complete dedication. They are much disciplined and don’t spend much time in the bars when on shore. Instead they spend time chatting with their families and writing mails. They are quite capable of staying always from families for months at a stretch. We salute the Filipino seafarers through this article.
Filipino Seafarers,