MANILA -- Ninety one cadets from the inaugural class of the MOL-Magsaysay Maritime Academy (MMMA) graduated Tuesday and will become full-fledged seafarers as third officers and third engineers.

Opened in 2018, the MMMA, a premier maritime education institution equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, is a partnership between Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and MAGSAYSAY Maritime Corporation (MMC). 61 of the cadets will be joining MOL while 30 will go on board Magsaysay-operated vessels.

MOL Group CEO and President Takeshi Hashimoto said seafarers remain in demand, despite challenges globally including the pandemic in 2020 and recent attacks in the Red Sea, brought about by the conflict in the Middle East.

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“[The] global economy is expanding. We are quickly expanding the size of our Manila office and also we are recruiting so many Filipino people in international offices like Singapore, London, Tokyo,” Hashimoto said.

MOL is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. It is headquartered in Japan and operates about 800 vessels globally. 

Hashimoto admitted that the conflict in the Middle East is affecting logistics. But the shipping company can cope by diverting its vessels.

“The situation in the Middle East is actually becoming worse day by day. And we need to divert almost all our fleet to avoid the passage through Suez Canal. And it creates a very big deviation of the route and also to the additional cost, mainly for the firm," he said.

"So that, it is a bit painful for the shipping logistics industry. So to protect the vessel and the seafarers, we continue to avoid the navigation for the time being. At least, my analysis is at least one or two months or three months. It quite depends on the political situation of the Middle East. The good point is we have enough number of vessels,” Hashimoto explained.

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In a speech, new Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) chief Sonia Malaluan lauded the partnership of MOL and Magsaysay in its efforts to raise the quality of maritime education in the Philippines.

It can be remembered that the jobs of around 50,000 Filipino seafarers were threatened after the Philippines failed to fully comply with EU standards, including the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW). 

But after a series of coordination sessions, the EU recognized Manila’s cooperation and commitment to improve the system for training and certification and decided to allow Filipino seafarers to continue working in EU-flagged ships, for the time being.

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“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr just signed Executive Order number 55 adapting the Maritime Industry Development Plan of 2028. One of the core programs [is] promoting highly skilled and competitive Filipino maritime workforce, with a target outcome of increased reservoir of qualified and competent maritime human resource who are future-ready,” she said.

The MMMA is only one of two Maritime schools in the country that has simulation facilities for the practical training of cadets, a requirement for the STCW. Although not required, it also has an actual ship engine that allows practical training as well for would-be maritime engineers.

The MMMA however, only accommodates a maximum of 300 students. This ensures that all graduates will have a position in either an MOL or Magsaysay-operated ship. Magsaysay Group’s President Doris Magsaysay-Ho is hoping more companies will invest in the training of seafarers.

“Hopefully more and more companies see the value of paying money for training and then of course what happens is after they get trained that company has to be committed to help that person go up the rank,” Magsaysay-Ho said.

All of MMMA’s graduates start their careers as third officers or engineers, a position that earns around $3,800 or over P200,000. Non-officer positions including that of rating seafarers and ordinary or able seamen range between $800 to $1,200.

MMMA’s inaugural batch has eight female cadets. Among them is 24-year-old Lovely Joy Principe from Quezon, who is also one of only three cum laudes in the batch. She will soon be boarding a cruise ship in Europe as a third officer and she hopes that more females will be inspired to enter seafaring.

“It’s giving equal opportunities to everybody…I hope I could be a captain someday…Ang driving force ko po sa industriyang ito is that matulungan ang aking pamilya habang nalilibot ko ang mundo……” Principe said.

MMMA students pay a tuition of P160,000 per semester, but this already includes board and lodging, uniform, health insurance and miscellaneous expenses. 

The 13-hectare campus is located in Dasmariñas, Cavite. For their fourth year, students are required to take part in a 12-month onboard training equivalent to 40 units and worth P80,000.

MMMA President Dr. Michael Morales said they are offering a "study now, Pay later" program for students who might not be able to afford their fees.

The MMMA requires, however, a payment of at least P10,000 a month for room and board.

Latest statistics from the Department of Migrant Workers show that the Philippines already broke the pre-pandemic deployment record for seafarers. 2023 saw the deployment of 578,626 seafarers which is higher than the 2019 record of 507,730.