RECENTLY, the Philippine government, via the Department of Migrant Workers, announced that it would no longer allow mariners to crew ships passing through the Red Sea. This had taken place shortly after the latest Houthi attack on a ship, one mostly crewed by Filipinos.
For geopolitics, this is a big deal because the Philippines is not the only large source of mariners. Other sources of shipping crew come from Russia and China. If Filipinos are no longer allowed to crew ships transiting through the Red Sea and adjacent areas, you can bet that Russians and Chinese will take their place, something that Western shipping companies may not like.
For decades, the Filipino mariner, along with the Filipino nurse, has played his role in the global order, but as that order changes, we are faced with two options. Either we pull out, which seems to be what the government is presently opting for, or we adapt.
What is happening now in the Red Sea and Babel Mandeb will not be isolated in those regions. It’s likely that we will see other attacks on shipping going forward. And if that should happen, I, for one, would rather not throw away our niche in the shipping industry.
We now live in a more unstable world, and that world presents new but different opportunities. Our mariners will just need to be trained differently. They may need to learn how to operate and maintain drone ships, for example, and the sooner the better.
Our governments should also reach out to those countries which are increasingly finding themselves the center of new ship routes.
Finally, and this is my favorite, Filipino mariners may also need to take up a certain amount of military training. As I’ve said in previous articles, shipping was historically a dangerous profession, with sailors plying their trade armed. If the world’s seas are becoming dangerous then Filipinos may find a new niche as security providers./PN
