How many filipino seafarers

If other migrant workers might be able to wait out the pandemic, seafarers wonder not just about whether they will have future contracts — but whether there is a cruise ship business, globally, to talk about.

Meantime, what are they coming home to? The Philippines has imposed one of the longest, most stringent lockdowns in the capital Manila and the main island Luzon since 17 March, but its cumulative and active cases continue to rise. Its case-recovery figure is lowest in Southeast Asia, and fatality figures remain among the highest. See infographic. The government eased its restrictions a bit and allowed more economic activity since 1 June, but these are very early days in its rehabilitation plans.

A record high 7. The almost daily accounts of arrivals of returning Filipino workers read like happy events —homecomings that signal the end of an ordeal at the time of COVID But the same is not the case for seafarers who are still out at sea and are unable to go home due to travel and movement restrictions and cancelled or unavailable flights.

Pandemic-related restrictions have also made it hard for replacement crews to arrive, with estimates of up to , stranded at sea globally. Onboard work typically involves two sets of crews in a year with four to six-month contracts, with slightly long work periods for senior personnel. There are 1. For these seafarers, the pandemic has been a particularly lonely test of mental and emotional resilience, owing to the very nature of their jobs.

Question: What is the biggest impact of the pandemic on seafarers? Sampson: Many seafarers have been forced to work on board for longer than their originally contracted period because crew changes have been halted. Life at sea is regarded as a sacrifice by the majority of seafarers. They see their lives on board as characterized by privations and hardship.

They suffer isolation and stress. As a result, the end of their contracts is something they very strongly look forward to. Many seafarers cross off days on a calendar to mark the time until they can go home.

The day that they leave the ship is experienced as a day of joy One seafarer wrote to me in a personal communication that he felt he was being subjected to 'slavery' on board. Such was his sense of being forced to stay on his ship working when he wished to leave. The mental health and wellbeing of seafarers in this context is very concerning. Q: Are there any issues in the context of the pandemic that are specific to sea-based workers and the nature of the industry as opposed to overseas workers in general?

Sampson: Yes. Most of us are able to make a decision at this moment about whether we will go to work or not, even many overseas workers. Some of us are also able to work from home. For obvious reasons, seafarers are unable to work from home. Those who were on board in March when the virus became widespread are unable to decide to leave work and go home. RA IRR. Memo Circulars Memo Orders. National Regional.

Population and Housing Population Projection Statistics. Reports Technical Notes. Among the data items to be collected in the survey are the following: Socio-Demographic characteristics age, sex, civil status Vessels boarded Trainings attended for officership Career plans Difficulties encountered as a seafarer Source of Filipino Seafarers Factors contributing to the difficulty of recruitment Perception on the shortage of Filipino management level officers A total budget amounting to PHP thousand will be utilized in the survey to cover personal services, maintenance, and other operating expenses MOOE.

Their mental health should also constantly be kept in check through regular debriefing or counseling after they disembark. I have encountered several women seafarers either bullied or harassed by their superiors onboard. But in many instances, they are intimidated and caught in the hierarchy in the ship. This results in their painful decision not to pursue their complaint despite our assistance and encouragement. But many employers do care about their crewand take action in such cases.

These companies can take the lead and start by sharing their best practices and embolden other companies and stakeholders to follow suit. A workforce reinforced with competent and hardworking individuals is a strong workforce driven to maintain decent work and contribute to economic growth. Now, what do these have to do with the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals? Unless we tackle the problems at hand at the core, we will not be able to effectively and progressively move forward as a community to achieve the SDGs.

Of course we need the statistics. Learn more about the Future Maritime Leaders essay competition here. Privacy policy. September 30 Numbers are intended to draw us the big picture.