The number of countries recognizing training certificates of Filipino seafarers improved as the European country, Latvia, sealed a bilateral agreement with the Maritime Industry Authority recently in London, United Kingdom.

Marina, in a press statement on Wednesday, said they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Administration of Latvia for the recognition of the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates issued by Marina.

Marina Administrator Sonia Malaluan and Maritime Administration of Latvia director Jānis Krastiņš signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments.

The MOU was in accordance with regulation I/10 of the STCW Convention during the sidelines of the 11th session of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training, and Watchkeeping on 11 February 2025.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Maritime Administration of Latvia, as the recognizing party, will issue an Endorsement of Recognition for certificates granted by Marina, which serves as the certificate-issuing authority.

The pact also ensures that training and competence assessment of Filipino seafarers comply with section A-I/6 of the STCW Code, with qualified instructors and assessors meeting the required standards.

Further, the MOU mandates continuous monitoring of all education, training, assessment, certification, endorsement, and revalidation activities through a quality standards system, under section A-I/8 of the STCW Code.

Moreover, the endorsement of certificates will be carried out in line with regulation I/2, paragraph 5 of the STCW Convention.

“The signing of this agreement further strengthens maritime cooperation between the Philippines and Latvia, reinforces international maritime standards, and expands opportunities for Filipino seafarers to serve on Latvian-flagged vessels,” the Marina statement said.

Marina said that to date, the Philippines has bilateral agreements with 64 other countries on the recognition of STCW certificates, with Latvia being the 65th.