14 Reasons: Why Ship Owners Prefer Filipino Seafarers and How They Exploit Them

Why most of the shipping companies prefer Filipino seafarers ? How they exploit them ? Here are some reasons:

1.Seafarers by Nature:   Filipinos have natural mariner’s instincts and always work cheerfully despite their months of separation from their families
2.Dedication and Discipline: Ship owners often resort to contract substitution, a umber of years of service in the shipping company is hardly considered and they can also be easily discharged.
3.Hard-Working: Filipino seafarers have more stamina and work physically more on board the ships. Most of the ship owners refuse to admit responsibility over the seafarers’ injuries.
4.Flexible: Filipino seafarers, willingly perform duties that are not part of their contracts and ship owners take advantage of that. They are subjected to excessive working hours or are ill-treated.
5.Reliable and Loyal: As Filipino seafarers are reliable and loyal, ship owners take their own time to release them from Somali pirates.  To compensate for this piracy risk, ship owners are generous enough, to give ‘double pay’ while sailing through unsafe Gulf of Aden off Somalia.
6.Work for less Salaries: Filipino seafarers are often paid less salaries than that was promised to them.
7.Fluent in English: Filipino seafarers have good command over English language and have good communication skills.
8.Highly trainable and Adapt to changing Environment: Filipino seafarers easily adapt to new technologies and to the changing environment.
9.Problem-solving capability: Everyone including the captain, display ingenuity in dealing with problems. So ship owners do not find it necessary to stock up spares in the ships.
10.Attitude: The Philippine Islands were a Spanish colony from 16th century. Mixed colonial influences have enabled Filipino seafarers to make friends easily with foreigners and their combined Asian and Hispanic cultures have turned them into the most lighthearted workers. They easily get along with fellow crew members and value the seafarers life at sea. All-Filipino crew of M/T Team Venus saved 12 Ukrainian crew of M/S Star Admiral under severe weather conditions.
11.Follow and Respect the laws:  twelve Filipino seafarers of M/T Clipper Trojan and M/V Windsor Castle have helped the prosecution of owners and operators of B.Navi Ship Manning Services and Clipper Marine Services who illegally dumped toxic wastes into the ocean. Here is the commendation by the Senate of the Philippines.
12.Patience and Tolerance: Despite racial discrimination on board ships, Filipino seafarers continue to work with patience and tolerance.
13.Sacrifice their life: In the SS Norway explosion one of the most fatal cruise-ship accident in the United States, seven of the eight who died were Filipinos. Also the heirs of Anthony Allas, a seafarer, who died due to urinary bladder cancer were not paid any compensation by the shipping company. Even the court has ruled out the compensation.
14.Women: Women Filipino seafarers work mostly as waitresses in cruise vessel and they get as low as $50 a month. They augment their meager salaries with tips given by passengers. Shipping companies prefer to employ more female than male waiters.

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