France to help boost PH maritime education
MARITIME higher education institutions (MHEIs) in the country beset with difficulties in complying with the required shipboard training of their students have something to look forward to.
The French government has committed to extend aid to improve Philippine maritime education and training (MET), which includes financing for the construction of a training ship, not just for one but up to three dedicated training vessels.
This is an auspicious development amid the strong opposition of maritime schools to the provision of the proposed Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers which requires them to acquire training ships to guarantee cadetship berths for their students who qualify for onboard training (OBT).
Ambassador Marie Fontanel and Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) Supt. Commo. Joel Abutal signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that could pave the way for Filipino students to enjoy scholarships at the French Maritime Academy.
“We can provide student exchanges, people-to-people exchanges, and maybe also help some of the students here to, one day, come and study in France. We also help them with scholarships, for example,” Fontanel said shortly after the signing ceremony at the PMMA Complex in San Narciso, Zambales, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.
Even before the MoU signing, the staterun maritime institution already received help from the French government in addition to scholarships and funding for the acquisition of a training ship in the future.
Abutal said that the French government, which he described as “Big Brother” to PMMA, has invited the nation’s premier maritime institution to attend international conferences, sponsoring their participation.
Under the MoU, both parties agreed to cooperate for the “realization of developing the maritime educational concept, technology, financing, operational application and sustenance of the Philippine Maritime industry through strengthening its foundation with maritime education and training and infrastructure.”
“Our MoU has achievable programs. And some of those achievable programs have already been done or are being continuously worked on,” Abutal said.
One of these is the recent international seminar on using ammonia as fuel for ships in line with the decarbonization thrust of the global industry.
“We don’t have that in the Philippines yet as part of our maritime education information. But we were able to get that information because the French government sponsored us to join the seminar in Singapore.”
Also, the French government bankrolled the PMMA’s participation last year in the high-level maritime security conference attended by Asian countries.