TACLOBAN CITY -- The National Maritime Polytechnic and the Maritime Industry Authority is eyeing to forge another new collaboration to enhance employability abroad.

This comes as NMP executive director Victor A. del Rosario met with newly-installed MARINA administrator Sonia B. Malaluan recently and discussed the development of training programs to enhance the skills of seafarers especially those operating ships under 500 gross tonnage and using 750 kHz frequencies.

Del Rosario stressed that the training will not only benefit domestic seafarers but will also capacitate them for eventual employment abroad and reinforce the country’s position as a source of skilled foreign workers.

He added that improving the training programs is expected to elevate standards and safety practices within the domestic shipping sector, adding that discussions also included the joint development of capabilities for Marina staff with NMP to ensure the institution continues to lead in maritime regulatory excellence and service.

The NMP official said that the Marina and NMP will also be collaborating in research endeavors as the two agencies explored consolidating memoranda of agreement to improve the implementation and monitoring of NMP’s three existing research-related MoAs.

Del Rosario said Marina expressed a strong interest in broadening collaborative research, recognizing its critical role in advancing maritime knowledge and practices.

He said the Philippine Maritime Manpower Factbook, produced by NMP with Marina as a data contributor, is slated for enhancements. This initiative is a component of NMP’s Maritime Resource Center and complements Marina’s digitization efforts, aiming to deliver timely and relevant data to industry stakeholders.