• The Philippines is an archipelago composed of

more than 7,100 islands with the total coastline

length of about 18,000 kilometers. The total land
to the water ratio is 1:7, with a land area
approximately 300,000 square kilometers and
the total water area of 2.2 million square
kilometers. The population currently stands at 96
million with more than 60 percent living in the
coastal areas.
• The waters in and around the islands serve as an
important medium for inter-island and
international transportation and commerce, a
source of food and the livelihood for the
Filipinos, and home to a rich variety of marine
species and habitats, many of which are found
only in the Philippines.
BIMCO and ICS:
• The Baltic and International Maritime Council
(BIMCO) is the largest of the international
shipping associations representing ship owners;
its membership controls around 65 percent of
the world’s tonnage and it has members in the
more than 120 countries, including managers,
brokers and agents.
• The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)
is the world’s principal shipping organization,
representing around 80% of the world’s
merchant tonnage, through membership by the
national ship owners’ associations
• Since 1990 BIMCO and ICS have produced a
detailed report global seafarer supply and
demand situation at 5-yearly intervals. These
reports have highlighted imbalances between
supply and demand for seafarers at the time of
the survey and the likely situation in the years
ahead.
 The surveys use comprehensive data obtained
from:
• Questionnaires completed by a wide range of the
global shipping companies
• Questionnaires completed by the maritime
administrations of most nations
• Hard data about world merchant fleet and
assumed manning levels
• Views from a wide range of the industry
“crewing experts” on manpower trends
• Opinions on the impact of the manpower
situation at the “sharp end” from seafarers and
the other key players in the industry
The 2015 report was officially launched at IMO
on May 2016 to an assembly of officials from
the national from the maritime administrations
from most of the key maritime nations and
representatives of the maritime employers and
unions.
The following points are relevant to the
Philippines:
1. China has overtaken the Philippines as overall
top supplier of seafarers. China is now ranked
one supplier of the officers while the Philippines
is the top source for ratings.
2. The world currently has deficit of 16,500 for
officers while might increase to 92,000 by 2020
and 147,500 by 2025. As of 2015, there is an
oversupply of the 119,000 for ratings.
3. The supply-demand forecast indicates the steady
supply of officers will unable to outpace the
increase in the global demand for officers.
4. There is a more significant shortage of the
engineer officers management level and officers
for specialized ships such as LPG LNG carriers
and chemical tankers.
The Implications of the BIMCO/ICS Manpower
Report 2015
Reclaiming the Philippines’ position as the
world’s largest supplier of shipboard manpower
may not come easy in the light of the light of the
china’s population and its global economic
influence in the shipping industry. Moreover,
there is full government support for METIs and
their students are supposed by the large fleet
flying the PROC flag, among other factors.
BIMCO Manpower Report
(The global supply and demand for seafarers in
2015)
The manpower report is a comprehensive update
on the global manpower situation in the shipping
industry prepared by the BIMCO and ICS. The
report aims to provide an estimate of:
• The balance between the global supply of
qualified and competent seafarers available for
service on ships trading internationally, and the
industry’s demand for seafarers to operate the
world merchant fleet;
• Details about the composition of the supply of
the seafarers that operates the world merchant
fleet, including their nationalities, rank/roles, age
profiles and gender; and
• The anticipated future growth of the world
merchant fleet over the next ten years and its
possible impacts on the global manpower
situation.
Estimated Supply of Seafarers
The global supply of seafarers, of which
774,000 are officers and 873,500 are ratings. The
global supply of seafarers has increased over the
past five years, with both numbers of qualified
officers and ratings available to the internationally
trading world merchant fleet continuing to
increase.
Summary of estimated global supply of
seafarers 2005-2015

RANK 2005 2010 2015

OFFICERS 466,000 624,000 774,000
RATINGS 721,000 747,000 873,500
TOTAL 1,187,000 1,371,000 1,647,500
Manpower report 2015
Based on the estimates of national contributions
to the current global supply of the seafarers, the
five countries with the largest numbers of
seafarers in 2015 are shown below, estimated
five largest seafarer supply countries.
All Seafarers Officers Ratings
1. China China Philippines
2. Philippines Philippines China
3. Indonesia India Indonesia
4. Russian Fed Indonesia Russian Fed
5. Ukraine Russian Fed Ukraine
The top 5 five countries indicated by the
companies were china, Philippines and Russian
federation, followed by Ukraine and then India.
This closely resembles the countries estimated to
supply the India number of seafarers, with the
exception of Indonesia.
Rank Top Five Sup[ply Countries Reported By
Companies
1. China
2. Philippines
3. Russian federation
4. Ukraine
5. India
Estimated demand for seafarers
The world merchant fleet for the purposes of the
2015 report was defined as 68,723 ships. The
largest category was general cargo ships with
31% of the total ships by number, followed by
bulk carriers with 16% and offshore supply
vessels with 10%.
 Estimated global demand for seafarers
2005-2015

Rank 2005 2010 2015

Officers 476,000 637,000 790,500
Ratings 586,000 747,000 754,000
Total 1,062,000 1,384,000 1,545,000
Manpower Report 2015
Whereas the estimated demand for officers and
ratings increased between 2005 and 2010 by
33.8% and 27.5% respectively, the trend of the
demand for officers has appeared since 2010.
Estimated supply and demand situation in 2015.
 Benefits In Maritime Profession

“Seafarers and the Philippine economy”

Filipino seafarers have become a vital
component of the overseas Filipino worker
(OFW) economy. Remittances from all OFW’s
are major source of US dollar earnings,
contribute significantly to stabilizing the balance
of payments, prevent foreign exchange
instability, the serve as a buffer against drastic
devaluations of the peso which could lead to
inflation.
 Added Benefits For A Career In
Maritime/Shipping
Maritime professionals having enjoys high
salary wages and are exempted in paying income
tax while earning it on board ships, they may see
the world free including free access to travel,
accommodation, and food.
Prospects In Maritime Career And Shipping

1. Ship Building And Repair

The arrival of foreign ship builders in the
Philippines propelled the export growth of
Philippines- made ships in the international
market. After being recognized as the fifth
largest shipbuilder in the, shipyards established
in the Philippines are now building more ships
of the larger tonnage capacities like bulk
carriers, container ships and passenger ferries.
2. Ship Operations And Management
The job of shipping operations manager within
the maritime industry is a very rewarding and
interesting position. In this role you would be
part of a team of people who are responsible for
the day to day operations of a vessel, which
means that your daily tasks would be very hands
on.
3. Port Operations And Management
What’s it like working as a port operations
managers? A wide range of cargoes, each with
their own specific handling and terminals every
day, the port operations manager is responsible
for the smooth transition of that cargo, so that it
reaches its destination on time.
4. Ship Surveying And Inspection
A marine surveyor (including “yacht & small craft
surveyor “, “hull &machinery surveyor” and/or
“cargo surveyor”) is a person who conducts
inspections, surveys or examinations of marine
vessels to assess, monitor and report on their
condition and the products on them, as well as
inspects damage caused to both vessels and cargo.
5. Offshore Industry
Due to ever rising demand for oil and gas in the
world today, the global offshore oil and gas
industry has been growing by leaps and bounds.
The rising cost of oil and gas prices holds great
promises for the industry in coming years.
6. Maritime Education And Training
Preparation of seafarers to face the rigors and
challenges of the career ahead of them is vital –
and so maritime education and training is the
bedrock of a safe and secure shipping industry.
High quality, practical skills and competence of
qualified seafarers - keeping vessels safe,
protecting the environment and keeping vessels
safe, protecting the environment and was
keeping trade flowing.
7. Philippines Navy
Philippine navy officers serve on board ships
and submarines and manage the day-to-day
operations of a vessel. They are also responsible
of the welfare, training and development of the
people under their command. If you can
motivate a team, slow leadership and want a
career that will take you all over the world, then
becoming a Philippine navy officer may suit you
well.
8. The Philippine Coastguard
The Philippine coastguard is responsible for the
Philippine implementation of the conventions
with regards to oil pollution, prevention,
mitigation and control through the conduct of the
marine pollution monitoring and control,
enhancement of PCG capability and oil spill
response operations and enforcement of all
marine environmental laws and regulation.
9. Maritime Industry Authority
By virtue of presidential decree No. 474 this
office adopt and implement a practicable and
coordinated marine industry development
program (MIDP) which shall include among
others the early replacement of obsolescent and
uneconomic vessels, modernization and
expansion of the Philippine merchant fleet,
enhancement of domestic capability for
shipbuilding, repair and maintenance; and
development of reservoir of trained manpower.