Marina: Sharks prey on maritime students

Marine World Maritime Services, a company that threatened to have DAILY TRIBUNE investigated for bringing into the open the complaint of a maritime student over the non-release of his training certificate, has no business making money from the domestic training of students aspiring to become seafarers.

This was laid down by an official of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) in an exclusive interview on Thursday after the matter was brought before the office by this paper’s digital show Usapang OFW.

According to Samuel Batalla, executive director of Marina’s Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), the practice of manning agencies or any company fielding maritime students aboard domestic ships is both “illegal and unethical.”

“What is happening is that students are forced to pay. Schools conniving with manning agencies as middlemen is not acceptable,” Batalla said in Filipino.

He explained that the policy in a joint circular of Marina and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) requires maritime schools that do not have training ships to deal directly with domestic shipping companies for the training of their students.

Batalla said that such schools must enter into a memorandum of agreement with ship companies under CHEd-Marina Memorandum Circular 01, series of 2023, titled “General Requirements for Maritime Higher Education and Institutions (MHEIs).”

International voyage

Batalla said the only time MHEIs can obtain the services of a third-party manning agent is if the shipboard training is bound for an international voyage.

“But for domestic shipboard training, no accredited local manning agency could interfere between maritime schools and shipping companies,” he stressed.

The mother of a cadet studying at Philsin College Foundation Inc. told Usapang OFW on 22 August that her son paid P35,000 for his shipboard training provided by Starhorse Shipping Lines Inc., but the certificate’s release had been delayed.

In a 27 August phone call to Usapang OFW, an official of Starhorse said they would release the certificate on 5 September after Marine World Maritime Services transmitted the student’s payment.

When asked by Usapang OFW to comment on the student’s complaint, Marine World Maritime Services implied in an email that it would take legal action against DAILY TRIBUNE and possibly bring the matter before the National Bureau of Investigation.

Rackets abound

“There are so many rackets happening out there,” Batalla said in Filipino. “The tuition of the students in maritime schools should already include fees for their shipboard training.”

“But nowadays, shipping companies are asking for fees from students for their food and uniforms, which are supposed to be included in their tuition,” the Marina official added.

The Facebook page of Marine World Maritime Services Inc. claimed “it is a duly registered company that aims to provide quality yet affordable assistance to all its clients.”

It said its “services includes [sic] Apprenticeship Training Programs, Maritime Training Courses and all other [sic] as regards to Maritime.”

A DAILY TRIBUNE online check with the Securities and Exchange Commission did not turn up any result for a SEC-registered company by the name of Marine World Maritime Services.

A group of manning agencies contacted by this paper said they did not know of a member company going by that name.

The complaining student said he had to endure an extension of one month that was beyond the training contract.