VDR President Dr Gaby Bornheim said: „The decision is an extremely important step towards ensuring quality standards and fostering international cooperation in maritime transport. Filipino seafarers also make up an indispensable part of crews in the German shipping sector. Thanks to the European Commission’s decision, there will finally be planning security and dependability now for the future as well.”
Filipino seafarers represent a key group of the skilled workers deployed on ships around the world and in great numbers. In fact, roughly 50,000 Filipino seafarers are working on EU-flagged ships alone. Their expertise and skills are vital for safe and efficient maritime transport.
The EU’s decision is additionally an important signal to other countries that also want to train seafarers and recognise their seafarer certificates. „Maintaining high internationally applied quality standards in the training and certification of seafarers is essential and a necessary prerequisite for the safe operation of our ships,” Bornheim continued.
The VDR would like to thank the European Commission and the Philippine authorities for their dedicated cooperation and efforts to ensure a consistently high level of safety and quality in maritime transport.
More information on the decision can be found at:
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news/maritime-transport-commission-continues-recognise-filipino-seafarers-certificates-2023-03-31_en
About the German Shipowners’ Association
The German Shipowners’ Association (Verband Deutscher Reeder, VDR) is responsible for representing the common business and social policy interests of German shipping companies at federal and state government level as well as in relation to European and international bodies. Founded in 1907, the VDR merged with the Association of German Coastal Shipowners in 1994. With a membership of more than 150, the VDR represents the majority of Germany’s merchant fleet. For more details, visit www.reederverband.de.
