Tanker COC issues to reach Senate floor

A group of seafarers will ask the Senate Committee on Labor to revise current Government procedures involving the issuance of Certificates of Competencies particularly to officers of the tanker fleet.

The group, led by the Amigos-Marino, explained that streamlining the process will greatly benefit Filipino seafarers and address the shortage of officers for the tanker industry.

In an interview, Amigos-Marino pointperson Capt. Rey Valeros explained that the current process that subjects tanker officers to specific training programs is a ‘let down’ on the industry and run counter with the minimum requirements asked by the Standards of Tranining, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW).

“Current regulation imposed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has really affected Filipino seafarers resulting to the shortage of officers onboard international-going tankers,” Valeros said.

“Based on our estimates, about 100,000 officers are grounded by the PRC for their failure to provide sea experience when the STCW does not require it,” Valeros said.

“The only logic that we can see here is that to subject the officers to further training, even when not needed, which forced us to seek the help of the Senate rather than our group to go directly to PRC where our efforts will be wasted just like before in our fight against the mandatory imposition of the Management Level Course (MLC),” Valeros explained.

As of the moment, Filipino tanker officers could not board international-going vessels due to the limitation clause of their COC as issued by the PRC. The limitation clause, on the other hand, requires COC holders to present at least a three-month sea experience and the specialized training on the kind of vessel the officer intends to board.

The STCW, on the other hand, only requires that a tanker officer can have an unlimited COC as long as it could present at least a 3 month sea service in any kind of tanker or has undergone specialized training for the kind of vessel he is going to man.

As a proposal, Amigos-Marino is putting forward the use of the Certificate of Receipt of Application (CRA) for boarding tanker officers while waiting for their COC. The initial use of the CRA, on the other hand, is common practice by other maritime manpower such as the US, Europe, Singapore, among others, that is accepted by inspectors internationally while waiting for the release of the regular licenses in order not to disrupt the deployment seafarers.

The group is likewise pushing for the adoption of the specialized training and/or the sea service for the issuance of unlimited COC.

The group is set to present such proposals to Senate Labor Committee head Sen. Jinggoy Estrada in a hearing scheduled this November and in the process will also asked a resolution ordering PRC to redo their current processes to accommodate the proposals.

PRC, meanwhile, brushed off the proposals and would continue with the current process until ordered otherwise. ?