Tokyo: Japan's vice minister for Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Masafumi Shukuri, has revealed that the country requires an influx of 1,000 additional Filipino seafarers per year to meet the crewing demands of its maritime industry. An estimated 27,000 Filipino seafarers are currently employed onboard Japanese ships.
Speaking at the recent Sixth Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the minister praised Filipino sailor's renowned maritime skills and identified the Philippines as the major source of shipping manpower. Accordingly, he endorsed the ASEAN-Japan Seafarers Training Cooperative Program, which aims to aid seafarers from ASEAN gain experience, competency, specialist training and training standards. [12/11/08]
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