PBBM: Maritime industry needs to adapt to change

By Charles Dantes

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that the country’s maritime industry needs to adapt to new technologies and secure emerging opportunities through the upskilling of the country’s seafarers.

During the “Shaping the Future of Shipping-Seafarer 2050 Summit,” the President stressed that the Philippines is at a “turning point” in the maritime industry.

“To facilitate this shift, there is a need for the shipping industry to adapt and integrate new developments into their fleets, starting with the retooling of existing ships and the building of newer and more modern ships equipped with these new technologies,” Mr. Marcos said.

He also claimed that investing in the improvement of the country’s shipping workforce would work wonders in opening new opportunities in the maritime sector. He added that to make this improvement, all stakeholders of the industry must work together.

“With all hands on deck, we must come together to envision and shape the future of the industry and global trade for the next 25 years,” he said.

The President also reiterated his directive to the Maritime Industry Authority and the Commission on Higher Education to work closely with the shipping industry on the upskilling and reskilling of Filipino seafarers to prepare them for the shift from the use of conventional fuel sources to green ammonia.

Filipino seafarers remained the back-