Philippines-Netherlands maritime cooperation

Philippines-Netherlands maritime cooperation
Brenda V. Pimentel May 5, 2021 https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/05/business/maritime-business/philip...

Last week, I joined the virtual 21st meeting of the Philippines-Netherlands Joint Committee on Maritime Affairs (JCMA). I was extremely happy to witness, albeit remotely, the sustained cooperation between the two countries regarding maritime issues of common concern to both, specifically on seafaring.

The establishment of the JCMA came about to serve as the vehicle by which the maritime agreement (MOU) signed between the Minister of Water Transportation and Infrastructure of the Netherlands and the Secretary of Transportation of the Philippines in the late 1990s, could be implemented and the cooperation thus agreed, could be sustained.

I recall that one major area of discussion then pertained to matters of the Philippine flag registry as Dutch-owned livestock carriers were registered as part of the Philippine merchant fleet. Of course, the deployment of Filipino seafarers onboard Dutch-registered merchant fleet or those owned by Dutch shipowners, was at that time also very high in the JCMA agenda, although it was the Department of Labor and Employment that was the lead agency for implementing the International Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).

The 21st JCMA meeting demonstrates the significance of the bilateral partnership forged more than twenty years ago, notwithstanding changes in priorities and concerns as between the parties. At this time of the pandemic, the focus has shifted to adapting to the consequences brought about by health and safety protocols including that of global restriction on travel. The unexpected slowing down in world trade and economic activities worldwide greatly affected the maritime industry and consequently the seafaring sector.

About 22,000 Filipino seafarers are deployed in Dutch-flagged ships or on ships owned by Dutch nationals. It is therefore of utmost importance to both governments that Filipino seafarers remain on hand despite the global restrictions. The efforts of the Dutch government to ensure that seafarers receive utmost protection from the Covid-19 virus at the same time provide continuous employment opportunities for the latter is indeed heartwarming. Likewise, the assistance provided by the Philippine government to Dutch-operated ships which called on Philippine ports for crew change and refueling was appreciated by the government of the Netherlands.

The Philippines-Netherlands JCMA is an attestation of how bilateral cooperation promotes mutual benefits to the parties. The Philippines forged several maritime bilateral agreements with other countries and would probably be in the interest of the country to dig and examine how those agreements could be revived for a new perspective in the country’s efforts to withstand, adapt and recover from the impact of the pandemic.