Filipino sailors worry more about jobs

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-20 07:50

The mounting threat posed by Somali pirates is causing waves in many seafaring nations, but there has been little effect in the Philippines, which supplies the world up to 40 percent of its sailors.

Late last week, Somali pirates seized a fully laden Saudi supertanker, the biggest vessel ever hijacked, with a cargo of oil worth more than $100 million. Of the 25 crew on board, 18 were Filipinos.

Indeed, Filipinos make up 127 of the 243 sailors being held captive by Somali pirates, but there has been no let-up in recruitment at what has come to be known as Seafarers' Park in Manila, the capital.

"If they will offer to pay me twice or thrice my salary, I'll take the risks," said a deck officer, giving only his call sign "Peanut Louie", while filling up a recruitment form.

About 800 to 1,000 seafarers gather every day at this corner of a sprawling public park on Manila Bay to look for available jobs offered by some 100 shipping and manning agencies.

The increasingly brazen attacks by pirates off Africa's east coast were common knowledge among the seafarers, but there was no holding back on their eagerness to get back to sea.

Many were anxious to nail down jobs since they fear the mounting global financial crisis will begin to bite next year.

"The chances of getting caught by Somali pirates could be much slimmer nowadays because of the security measures in place. Of course, I have some fears and anxieties, but I'll take any job now because they might be hard to come by next year," the deck officer said.

About 350,000 Filipinos work on the high seas, out of a total of 800,000 seafarers around the world.

Captain Wilfredo Villanueva, fleet manager of Jubar Shipping which recruits deck and marine officers for Japanese tankers and bulk carriers, said there could be as many as 20,000 jobs lost next year due to the global economic slowdown.

"This is no joke," Villanueva said. "We're looking at a shrinking market for seafarers so many Filipinos are willing to take the risk."

Ships diverted

In another development, a major Norwegian shipping group ordered its tankers to sail around Africa rather than use the Suez Canal because pirates had seized a Saudi supertanker.

The US and other naval forces decided against intervening in the seizure of the supertanker, which was carrying $100 million in crude. Pirates also captured an Iranian cargo ship Tuesday - the eighth ship seized in 12 days.

Odfjell SE said it made the decision to divert its ships after pirates seized the Saudi Arabian supertanker MV Sirius Star Saturday hundreds of miles (kilometers) off the coast of Kenya, the most brazen attack yet by Somalian pirates.

"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," said Terje Storeng, Odfjell's president and chief executive.

"Unless we are explicitly committed by existing contracts to sail through this area, as from today we will reroute our ships around Cape of Good Hope."

"This will incur significant extra cost, but we expect our customers' support and contribution," said Storeng.

Agencies

(China Daily 11/20/2008 page11)