DOLE announces EMSA follow-up visit

The European Maritime Safety Agency is one of the European Union’s decentralised agencies.
Based in Lisbon, the Agency provides
technical assistance and support to the
European Commission and Member States in the development and implementation of EU legislation on maritime safety, pollution by ships and maritime security. It has also been given operational tasks in the field of oil pollution response, vessel monitoring and in long-range identification and tracking of vessels.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday announced that representatives from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) have arrived yesterday to conduct a follow-up visit and verify the implementation of corrective measures to their audit findings in 2006 and 2010.

“The EMSA representatives will be in Manila from 7-14 March 2012, and we welcome this follow-up visit as an opportunity for the Philippine government to prove its efforts to continuously improve its maritime education, training and certification system. We have already met and coordinated with all concerned parties involved in the follow up visit to ensure the corrective actions previously reported to EMSA are being implemented,” Baldoz said in a press statement.

It can be recalled that the visit of EMSA inspectors in the country in 2006 and 2010 revealed some deficiencies in areas relating to maritime administration, especially with regards the monitoring of maritime education and training institutions (METIs), quality standards system, requirements for seafarers certification, requirements for on-board training, implementation of the Management Level Courses, and the improvement of the maritime training institution’s equipment and facilities.

In August 2011, the Philippines submitted its report on the corrective actions taken with regards to the noted deficiencies by EMSA.

Moreover, in January of this year, updates on the status of such corrective actions were likewise submitted to EMSA.

Baldoz expressed optimism that the EMSA inspectors will find merit in the country’s corrective actions and will further strengthen the European Union’s confidence in the competence of Filipino seafarers.

EMSA is expected to visit concerned government offices, such as the Maritime Training Council (MTC), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to validate the implementation of the measures they have taken to comply with the deficiencies.

A visit to two (2) training centers is likewise included in their itinerary.