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THE
Dutch government has paved the way for the donation of
computers and Internet connectivity for shipping
regulator Maritime Industry Authority, also known as
Marina, as well as the possible revamp of the agency’s
web site, which has been offline since last year.
Primo
Rivera,
Marina deputy administrator, said the Dutch Embassy in
Manila
has facilitated for the donation of personal computers
and setting up of Internet connection in Marina offices.
These came from a Dutch company.
“[The
equipment] will enable us to communicate with [the Dutch
officials],” Rivera said in an interview late Wednesday.
Marina
officials said there is a possibility that various Dutch
companies will fund the revival of Marina’s web site,
which had been knocked down when fire gutted the
agency’s former office along United Nations Avenue in
Manila.
In
return, the Marina helped facilitate meetings with
various Philippine government officials—responsible for
the deployment of seafarers—and their Dutch
counterparts, as well as shipowners whose business
relies on Filipino seafarers. The Dutch had some
concerns they would like to air and for the Philippine
officials to address.
The
meetings were held for officials of the Dutch Ministry
of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the
Netherlands’ Maritime Transport Office, and those of the
Commission on Higher Education and the Professional
Regulation Commission, Rivera said.
Early in
the decade, the
Netherlands
and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding
on various maritime concerns. Manila was concerned about
maritime administration in the country, and Rotterdam
wanted a steady supply of Filipino seafarers.
In
dialogues held last year, Rivera said the Dutch raised
the issue of how the Seaman’s Identification Record Book
may be harmonized with the Netherlands’ policies.
This
year, Rivera said Dutch officials continue to move
toward measures for the creation of identical documents
that follow international standards under the Standards
of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention
of 1995.
“They
want to have our own ‘ladderized’ education system [for
seafarers] to be harmonized with [that of theirs],”
Rivera said.
There
are about 16,000 Dutch-owned vessels all over the world
that require about 22,000 crew members and officers. Of
the total, only 4,500 are Dutch; the rest are from other
nations—primarily from Philippines.
Dutch
shipowners have recently made firm commitments to hire
Filipino officers to take care of their new and existing
vessels. |
