Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26) — The demand for Filipino seafarers is expected to hit its pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said Monday.
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seafarer deployment plunged to 270,000 from more than 505,000 in 2019. In 2022, the seafarer deployment increased to nearly 490,000, Ople said.
Ople expressed optimism, saying the sector’s recovery is “very clear.”
“In the first three months of 2023, nasa 149,000 na ‘yung deployment (the deployment already reached 149,000). By the end of the year, we will be back to pre-pandemic levels,” she said on the sidelines of the Seafarer 2050 Conference in Pasay City.
Meanwhile, during his speech at the event, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterated his directive to the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to focus on upskilling and reskilling of Filipino seafarers.
“[This is] to prepare them for the shif of ocean-going vessels from using conventional fuel sources to green ammonia between 2030 to 2040,” Marcos said.
He also called on stakeholders in the public and private sectors to craft strategies aimed at boosting the number of skilled workers in the shipping industry.
“This is expected to significantly increase by the year 2050. 2050 may sound distant for now, but the language of the seas, it will arrive in almost a heartbeat,” he said.
“It is now vital that we embark on long-term tangible and sustainable effort that will address the many demands of the maritime sector in the years to come,” the president added.
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