Domestic shipping executives are now asking the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to relax its regulations when it comes to hiring crew members, as the current rules are designed for international-going vessels — the reason why there is an ongoing scarcity of personnel manning domestic vessels.

During last week’s forum at Bai Hotel Cebu, shipping stakeholders revealed that local vessels remain docked due to the lack of qualified domestic seafarers.

During the forum, shipping executives emphasized that some routes vital to island economies have become unsustainable under current manning rules.

“Marina has yet to provide clear guidance or even acknowledge the need for an alternative set of domestic standards. Operators are in limbo,” a shipping executive, who wished not to be named, said.

Industry groups argue that the application of the global Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) protocols, originally designed for international, ocean-going vessels, is misaligned with the needs of short-haul, inter-island operations using small ships under 250 gross tonnage.

The result, they said, is the exclusion of hundreds of experienced crew members who lack a formal four-year maritime degree but have served as vessel patrons, captains, and officers for decades.

“We have the manpower, we just can’t legally deploy them,” the executive added. “Many of our best men are being forced to retire early or take jobs abroad.”

Some shipowners have had to fly in captains from Manila or Mindanao just to meet regulatory minimums, a solution described as “neither sustainable nor safe.”

Clamor echoed

The call for reform echoes what was aired publicly during the Philippine Coastwise Shipping Association (PCSA) general membership meeting last 5 June, where stakeholders challenged Marina to stop treating the domestic industry as a mere extension of international shipping.

At that meeting, Transportation Assistant Secretary for Maritime Villamor Ventura Plan pledged to bring industry concerns to the Marina leadership. He acknowledged that current regulations “need recalibration” and stressed that the Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers allows Marina to create distinct frameworks for domestic operations.

Asec. Plan also confirmed that meetings with Marina administrators are being scheduled in the coming weeks to craft policy reforms that reflect operational realities in the local sector.

Shipping stakeholders are pushing for a two-track licensing system — one aligned with international STCW standards, and another geared toward domestic qualifications and experience-based certifications.

“Countries like Japan, the U.S., and China already have separate domestic frameworks. There’s no reason why the Philippines — an archipelago — can’t do the same,” said another shipping manager based in the Visayas.

Stakeholders also criticized Marina’s failure to include industry representatives in the drafting of the Magna Carta for Seafarers’ implementing rules and regulations, despite earlier commitments to consult with local operators.

“The clock is ticking,” said a Cebu-based operator. “If this remains unresolved, we may be forced to reduce service or abandon unprofitable routes, and it’s the island communities that will suffer first.”

Asked for comment, Marina STCW Executive Director Samuel Batalla said that they are looking into the reports of the continued lack of qualified domestic seafarers.

Batalla said that they are reviewing the matter, as they have to prioritize safety.

“Currently, the situation is being carefully evaluated. I cannot give my reaction as yet, particularly the issue of safety matters,” he added.