The group emphasized that ship owners are already considering replacing Filipino seafarers with other nationalities due to the country’s inability to deploy crews, for their ships. In 2018, the cash remittances from Filipino seafarers reached approximately $6 billion, comprising 19 percent of the total remittances from overseas Filipino workers. It also pointed out that even the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE)-AKAP program excludes seafarers who still have no Philippine Overseas Employment Agency employment contracts. “Manning agencies cannot afford financially to shoulder all crew expenses while on quarantine as we are getting these from our own pockets. As of this writing, the position paper has garnered support from almost a hundred manning agencies and maritime associations.

Source: Manila Times May 05, 2020 19:00 UTC