MANILA - The Department of Transportation on Wednesday said the Philippines has again been included in a global seafarer group's "white list" which is a recognition of the country's high standards in training seafarers. 

The DOTr said the Philippines' inclusion in the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) White List, entrenches the country's status as a major provider of world-class seafarers.

The IMO White List signifies that seafarers trained and certified in the Philippines meet the rigorous international standards set by the IMO Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention, the DOTr said citing the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

"Our goal is to entrench the position of the Philippines as the Maritime Capital of the World by continuously supplying the global maritime industry with high standards Filipino seafarers," said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista. 

Last year, the European Union said the Philippines has made "serious" developments to comply with maritime labor requirements and the the EU will continue to recognize certificates of Filipino seafarers. 

This was after the EU warned in preceding years that around 50,000 Filipino seafarers working in European vessels were at risk of losing their jobs because of the country's repeated failure to pass the European Maritime Safety Agency.

"After the 2022 IMO Independent Evaluation, the DOTr through the MARINA has exerted efforts to consistently implement and monitor the corrective actions for the benefit of almost 50,000 Filipino seafarers employed by European-flagged vessels," the DOTr said. 

The IMO has confirmed that the Philippines has fully complied with the relevant provisions of the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention.