The Philippines is emerging as a 'laid-up' area for marine vessels, resulting in the creation of more jobs for Filipino workers.
As several foreign cargo ships have reduced their number of shipments due to the global economic crisis, the Philippines is emerging as a 'laid-up' area for marine vessels, resulting in the creation of more jobs for Filipino workers, the Manila Bulletin reported. Labour Secretary Marianito Roque said Filipino workers could fill in the job positions in the docked ships to handle maintenance and security operations.
He said some 30 ships and 15 more vessels employing Filipino seafarers and skeleton crews have docked in the ports of Subic Bay in Zambales and Davao, respectively, due to lack of demand for cargo.
The seafarers onboard the ships, however, could lose their jobs after the vessels are laid up at the ports for longer periods, according to Capt Gregorio Oca, president of the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen"s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP).
?Those to be affected by the economic downturn are the ratings or seafarers without ranks in the ships and not the maritime officials.
Ericson Marquez, co-chairman of Joint Manning Group (JMG), said the laid-up ships may not necessarily disembark all of its personnel amid fears of losing their crews to other ship owners.
?They are also afraid to lose their manpower resources because they have to train again the seafarers that they will hire for their ships. And cargo vessels can be obtained in a short period of time,? he said.
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