Deployment of RP seafarers continues; many from Cebu

By Rinnah B. Flores

THE economic meltdown of 2009 did not affect the seafarers and the maritime industry.

Even now, the maritime industry is starting strong for 2010, according to Capt. Nicolo Terrei, Elburg ShipManagement Philippines managing director.

Records at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed that in 2009, there was a 26.5 percent growth in the number of seafarers deployed to 323,384, from 261,614 seafarers in 2008.

Seafarers make up 25 percent of the total deployment of overseas Filipino workers.

“Filipino seafarers are very good performers. In our client vessels, the youngest captain is from the University of Cebu (UC) who graduated in 1998 and got promoted to captain three years ago,” said Terrei.

UC is one of the universities where seafarers hail from. Elburg gets most of its cadets from UC, the University of the Visayas and Cebu State College of Science and Technology (CSCST).

The seafarers it gets from Cebu become high-ranking officers in its vessels.

Elburg ShipManagement Philippines is an international provider of crewing and management services to vessels, 95 percent of which are Italian vessels.

Office

It opened its Cebu office two years ago but has been in the Philippines since 2005. It now provides seafarers to 170 vessels worldwide. Fifty percent of those seafarers are from Cebu.

With more quality cadets coming from Cebu, Elburg’s goal this year is to provide all Cebu cadets with the necessary processes here, so they do not have to go to Manila.

It also plans to extend its agreement with Italian Maritime Academy in Cebu. The academy provides assessment and training of seafarers.

Elburg is also exploring other institutions in Cebu that not only provide maritime cadets but also engineers, electricians and hotel management students. It is already planning to make agreements with UC and CSCST to develop tailor-made courses for their cadets.

To cater to more cadets and provide more services to them, Elburg moved to a new office on the fourth floor of the City Savings Bank building across Sto. Niño Church, Cebu City.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 24, 2010.