Green seafarers lead Manila Bay cleanup

OVER 500 seafaring cadets from seven maritime countries recently took a day’s break from their lessons on ship operations, meteorology and sea navigation aboard the international training ship T/S Spirit of MOL to assume new roles—protectors of the environment.

With their environmentalist’s caps, shovels and sacks in tow, the cadet cleanup volunteers from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam trooped to the coastal areas behind the SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City to help rid Manila Bay of as much garbage and pollutants as they could remove.

The world’s leading shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL), Magsaysay Maritime Corp., and their local partners from other maritime schools were represented by their officers and staff in the environmental activity.

Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Ma. Elena Bautista, Philippine Reclamation Area general manager and CEO Andrea Domingo, Magsaysay Maritime Corp. COO Marlon Roño and SM Mall of Asia executives also lent their support to the project.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Tokyo Executive officer Capt. Soichi Hiratsuka flew in from Japan to unveil a marker representing the company’s commitment to environmental protection and preservation.

“The main objective of this activity is to cultivate among our cadets a strong sense of care and concern for our endangered environment. We hope to achieve this by volunteering to clean adopted sites in T/S Spirit of MOL’s various ports of call,” Captain Hiratsuka said.
Owned and operated by MOL, T/S Spirit of MOL is the first training ship to be managed by a private shipping firm. The 4,878-ton vessel, which serves as a training ground for a cross-cultural mix of 180 cadets, was built in response to the global demand for competent seafarers and its fleet expansion.

MOL operates more than 800 ships of various types worldwide, and plans to expand its fleet to 1,000 by 2010. It employs over 13,000 Filipino seafarers. “At MOL, we advocate not only health and safety, but also environmental protection. Before they join our ships, we train our cadets to become seafarers who will be responsible for the preservation of our environment,” the Japanese maritime expert said.

Loving and protecting the marine environment, according to Capt. Joel Abutal, dean of the Mitsui O.S.K. Maritime Training Corp., is the lesson that they wish to impart among their cadets through their voluntary participation in clean ups of coastal areas. “We hope these cadets will be transformed into responsible seafarers who will ensure full compliance with all national and international regulations in protecting the marine environment once they join our ships,” he added.