The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has partnered with France to represent the Philippines in the recently held Sea Asia 2023 in Singapore and promote the development of the country’s maritime industry and “green shipping.”

(Photo: Maritime Industry Authority)

The Marina said that the French Embassies in Manila and Singapore invited and facilitated the participation of Marina to the Sea Asia 2023, the leading platform for the maritime industry to interact and explore business opportunities, from April 25 to 27 at the Marina Bay Sands.

“The event provided Marina with the opportunity to explore the latest technological advancements and innovations in the energy transition, efficient operations of ships, and zero carbon marine fuels currently in the market,” the Marina said in a statement on Thursday, April 27.

“The highlight of the mission was Marina's meeting with the French Head of Delegation, Ms. Anne Legregeois, and other officials from the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture and the French International Register (RIF) Head, Mr. Stephane Garziano. RIF commended the Philippines for providing competent seafarers, with special mention on MARINA's verification system and MISMO (MARINA's Integrated Seafarers Management Online), hailing the said network as 'the best seafarer system they have used so far,'” it added.

During the event, Marina Deputy Administrator for Planning Sonia B. Malaluan participated in a roundtable discussion on decarbonization in ship operations. It was hosted by the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, the Embassy of France, and Cluster Maritime Francais.

Key experts from various shipping firms shared insights and best practices on their energy efficient operations of ships, shipping companies’ journey using liquefied natural gas (LNG) without any safety issue, the availability of LNG bunkering vessels, some issues on the use of methanol and ammonia, regulatory policies and safety standards on the use of alternative fuels or sources of energy, and other products/solutions for voyage optimization. 

Malaluan also met with officials of the Ecole National Superieure Maritime (ENSM), the National Maritime University of France, to discuss possible collaboration on areas of maritime education and training for seafarers. 

The event also provided an opportunity for the Marina to meet and invite French companies and organizations to participate in the upcoming PHILMARINE 2023 – the only specialized maritime, shipbuilding, and offshore event in the country – to be held in Manila from June 20 to 22.

“MARINA's participation in Sea Asia 2023 highlights the agency's proactive efforts to promote sustainable development in the Philippine maritime industry and to collaborate with other countries and organizations to address areas of improvement identified by the European Commission (EC) on the country's compliance with the STCW Convention, as amended, as well as seafarers' trainings needed to ensure that seafarers are not left behind as the maritime industry transitions to green shipping,” the agency said.

Last month, the Marina had announced that the EC decided to continue the recognition of Philippine-issued Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates for Filipino seafarers, which saved the jobs of almost 50,000 marine officers working onboard European-flagged vessels.