The Philippines has seen a significant decline in the deployment of seafarers overseas, with figures from the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) reporting a staggering 54% drop in 2020. The total number of deployed seafarers fell to 217,223 from 469,996 in 2019. This downturn affected all ranks, including officers and cadets, but the non-maritime sector, particularly hotel staff for cruise ships—which had been a growing area for the Philippine crewing industry—was hit hardest. The number of officers deployed plummeted by 48%, dropping from 97,400 in 2019 to just 50,277 in 2020. Ratings, or lower-ranked seafarers, also experienced a significant decline, dipping by 44% to 93,618 from 166,401 the previous year.
The cruise sector was particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, with operations coming to a near standstill, resulting in a 64% decline in the non-maritime sector’s deployment numbers, down to 73,328 from 206,195. While the cargo shipping sector remained more robust, with some areas like container shipping seeing increased volumes, the crew change crisis deeply affected key crewing nations in Asia, including the Philippines.
Strict lockdown measures in the Philippines have severely impacted both international and domestic travel, complicating the crew change process. In Manila, international arrivals were limited to a few hundred daily, causing disruptions even when charter flights were arranged. This restricted flow hindered the normalization of crew changes despite the introduction of a “green lane” for seafarers in July 2020. Internal restrictions further stranded returning seafarers in the capital and posed challenges for new joiners traveling from the provinces for testing and quarantine.
Moreover, incidents of new crew members testing positive for COVID-19 on board, despite prior quarantine measures, led some charterers to deny bulk carriers access to the Philippines for crew changes. This has a significant impact on the overall deployment rates, particularly as bulker vessels account for around one-quarter of all Philippine seafarer deployments, with 56,256 last year.
In contrast to the situation in the Philippines and India, the Chinese seafarer sector benefited from the pandemic-related disruptions, with a record 122,034 Chinese seafarers serving on international vessels in 2020. The demand for Chinese crews was particularly bolstered by newbuildings departing from the country’s shipyards.
Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the landscape of maritime employment, creating challenges for traditional crewing nations like the Philippines while altering the dynamics to favor competitors like China.
Source link
