“Every day, hundreds of thousands of seafarers are underway on ships, playing a vital role in global trade, transporting cargoes, and ensuring passengers reach their destinations safely.”
The significant contribution of seafarers to the world economy and their role in protecting the oceans was highlighted by International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim, during a ceremony to commemorate the Day of the Seafarer on June 25.
Also known as the International Day of the Seafarer, this annual commemoration was started in 2010 by the IMO. There are almost two million seafarers around the world, 490,000 of them Filipinos.
“This year we highlight seafarers’ contribution to the safety of ships and protection of the marine environment. Every day at sea, they help to enforce IMO’s environment related treaties by implementing rules on garbage, and sewage and air pollution prevention,” Lim said. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Oceans worth protecting.”
“As the maritime sector continuously works toward making shipping more environmentally sound and sustainable, seafarers play an increasingly important role in helping to protect the health of our ocean and planet,” Lim said on the industry’s accelerated support for the global efforts to combat climate change.
The International Day of the Seafarer was first held in 2010 following the publication of a revised set of international laws to ensure that all seafarers receive the same levels of training, general welfare and safety standards.
In the Philippines, a Magna Carta for Seafarers, is waiting to be passed by Congress.
Sen. Sonny Angara defined the importance of the law to protect our seafarers in his column in the Manila Bulletin: “The Magna Carta of Seafarers complements Republic Act 8042 or the Overseas Filipinos and Migrant Workers Act of 1996 as it provides the necessary provisions for the protection and promotion of the welfare of our seafarers. It is in line with the Philippines’ obligation as a signatory to the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 (MLC 2006). It grants our seafarers the right to a safe and secure workplace compliant with decent working standards, ensures their right to repatriation, establishes anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies including the creation of an on-board and on-shore grievance mechanism, and supports their career advancement by providing them access to education and training at affordable and reasonable costs.”
Angara first filed this bill in 2007, during his second term as congressman of the province of Aurora, and had continued to file it in the Senate since his first term in 2013.
Recently, Senate Bill No 2221, a consolidation of all 12 bills filed, including Angara’s Senate Bill No 640, was sponsored by Sen. Raffy Tulfo. It is the 19th Congress version of the Magna Carta of Seafarers.
President Marcos, in the recent Philippine Maritime Industry Summit 2023, said that “given that the Philippines is a maritime nation, I believe that it is time for us to make the maritime industry once again a top priority.” With that statement, there is optimism that the bill will be passed soon.
The seafarers, recognized as a vital component in the global economy, and as protectors of the ocean, deserve more protection from the law.