ATTY. Hernani Fabia, Administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), reaffirmed the country’s commitment to continue implementing corrective actions to maintain the quality of the Philippines’ maritime education, training, and certification systems.

Fabia delivered the remarks as the invited speaker at the Joint Maritime Committee (JMC) meeting that took place at the German Club Manila in Makati City on September 28.

In attendance were members of the JMC, including the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (DCCP), the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), the Nordic Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (NordCham), and the Philippines Norway Business Council (PNBC), as well as German Ambassador to the Phil Andreas Pfaffernoschke. 

The “European Commission (EU) is currently preparing the arrangements for the implementation of the 4-million euro technical assistance to aid the Philippines in improving our compliance with the STCW Convention and the Maritime Labor Convention,” Fabia said. The technical assistance will commence by the last quarter of 2024 and will be delivered until 2027.” 

Fabia met with Ms. Fotini Ioannidou, Head of the Maritime Safety Unit and Deputy Director Waterborne Transport in the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission, and discussed the details of the DG-MOVE delegation’s upcoming visit of the to the Philippines in November to finalize the Terms of Reference for the technical assistance. 

“The technical assistance is a testament to the strong support of the EU to the Philippines as a leading supplier of seafarers to the European fleet. It also represents the strong collaboration between EU and the country to protect and sustain the mutual interest in the maritime field,” Fabia emphasized. 

Fabia said that MARINA has completed two further external evaluations regarding the country’s compliance with the STCW Convention: First, the Independent Evaluation under Regulation I/8. MARINA have communicated the information to the IMO in May 2023, including the steps taken to implement the subsequent amendments to the STCW Convention. 

First, the Independent Evaluation under Regulation I/8. MARINA have communicated the information to the IMO in May 2023, including the steps taken to implement the subsequent amendments to the STCW Convention. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is presently assessing the communicated information via its Panel of Competent Persons; the outcome of their evaluation is anticipated to be released early next year.

Fabia explained, “Our compliance with the Independent Evaluation is crucial to our continued inclusion in the IMO’s “white list” of STCW-compliant countries.” 

Second, during the first week of September, MARINA was subjected to the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS), which is organized by the IMO to verify the country’s compliance and implementation of not only the STCW Convention, but also other mandatory international instruments such as SOLAS, MARPOL, LOADLINES, TONNAGE and COLREGS. 

The results of IMSAS will be the basis for the IMO to provide assistance in areas where the country needs improvement in terms of enforcement of the IMO mandatory conventions. 

Fabia proudly declared “I am very happy to share the good news that in terms of our implementation of the STCW Convention, the three IMSAS auditors did not find any issue nor any observation. 

“As the current Administrator of MARINA, I really welcome these external evaluations as a mechanism for us to strengthen our policies, streamline our procedures and improve our services to our clients and stakeholders,” Fabia added.