Filipino seamen toil, take their chances in the world's 'sweatships' despite risks

LAST May, seven Filipino seafarers died in a boiler-room explosion on board the luxury cruise ship the SS Norway, which was then docked in Miami after a week-long Carribean cruise. On April, four more Filipino mariners lost their lives in an explosion aboard the tanker Efxinos, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Because one of every five seafarers onboard international ocean-going vessels today is Filipino, the likelihood is that every major maritime disaster in the world would involve a Filipino. The shipping industry is one of the most dangerous in the world, but despite the risks, hundreds of thousands of Filipino seafarers are eager to work abroad, lured by higher wages and the promise of foreign travel.

They are, however, losing their competitiveness in an increasingly demand-driven shipping industry. China and Eastern Europe are offering their seafarers at a lower cost. Filipino seamen today remit $1 billion back home every year, and the government and manning agencies are understandably worried. To remain competitive, Filipino seamen are being asked to trade off some of their benefits. This two-part series of the media NGO Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) examines the costs of such trade off and the dilemmas Filipinos face in the currently tight global market. ALECKS PABICO, on behalf of PCIJ, contributes this two-part series for the OFW Journalism Consortium. Read more