Filipino seafarers to undergo antipiracy training

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has incorporated anti-piracy modules in the training of Filipino seafarers, who are expected to reach 400,000 by the end of 2011, according to Ambassador Enrique Manalo, the country’s permanent representative to the London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Speaking before the 27th IMO regular session in the United Kingdom capital, Manalo also reported last weekend that Manila had “dispatched a naval liaison officer to Manama (Bahrain) to support the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction forum coordinating military actions of foreign navies aimed at protecting merchant shipping” in the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

The Philippines also “made a modest contribution to the Trust Fund of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia,” the envoy also told the IMO conference.

“We encourage other governments to lend their support to anti-piracy efforts within their capacity,” said Manalo.

The diplomat headed the Philippine delegation to the IMO meeting, along with an undisclosed number of senior officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Maritime Industry Authority.

The IMO is the primary United Nations agency tasked with promoting maritime safety and the protection of the marine environment.

The Philippines became an IMO member on Nov. 9, 1964. It was elected to the IMO Council in 1997 and has since been reelected to serve the body until this year. It is seeking reelection during the current session of the IMO assembly.

In his remarks, Manalo also disclosed that at least 347,000 Filipino were currently employed by international maritime fleets.

The number “will likely reach 400,000 by the end of 2011,” he said.

“Shipping, which transports 90 percent of goods in global trade, employs about 1.2 million seafarers, most of whom come from the Philippines,” Manalo pointed out.