Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said that the final judgement of the European Union over the Philippines’ compliances with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers will be out in January 2020.
The bad news? Locsin said that EU has expressed concern over “deficiencies” that the Philippines have on its STCW, which recognizes and allows Filipinos to be employed in seagoing ships, reported Philstar.
“EU is worried for us. They value our mariners. Especially Norwegians,” Locsin tweeted.
In line with this, Locsin said an EU examiner will visit the Philippines in April to start the review if the country follows best international standards for seafarers.
Locsin said that Philippines will have to resolve the outstanding deficiencies to fully comply with the STCW and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) audit.
There is also a need to improve the country’s maritime education, training and certification system of Filipino seafarers, he said.
