Thursday, November 4, 2010

New COC for Tanker officers proposed

A group of seafarers will ask the Senate Committee on Labor to revise current Government procedures involving the issuance of Certificates of Competencies particularly to officers of the tanker fleet which is led by the Amigos-Marino, explained that streamlining the process will greatly benefit Filipino seafarers and address the shortage of officers for the tanker industry.

In an interview, Amigos-Marino point person Capt. Rey Valeros explained that the current process that subject tanker officers to specific training programs is a ‘let down’ on the industry and run counter with the minimum requirements asked by the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW).

As of moment, Filipino tanker officers could not board international-going vessels due to the limitation clause of their COC as issued by the PRC. The limitation clause, on the other hand, requires COC holders to present at least a three-month sea experience and the specialized training on the kind of vessel the officer intends to board.

The STCW, on the other hand, only requires that a tanker officer can have an unlimited COC as long as it could present at least 3 months sea service in any kind of tanker or has undergone specialized training for the kind of vessel he is going to man.

As a proposal, Amigos-Marino is putting forward the use of the Certificate of Receipt of Application (CRA) for boarding tanker officers while waiting for their COC and likewise pushing for the adoption of the specialized training or the sea service for the issuance of unlimited COC.

The group is set to present such proposals to Senate Labor Committee head Sen. Jinggoy Estrada in a hearing scheduled this November and in the process will also asked a resolution ordering PRC to redo their current processes to accommodate the proposals.

Meanwhile, PRC brushed off the proposals and would continue with the current process until ordered otherwise.

Source: HARBORSCOPE September-October 2010 issue

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