ALL-FILIPINO CREW TO MAN HELLESPONT TANKERS 

6 November 2007—Two newly-commissioned tankers owned by a European shipping company will be manned by an all-Filipino crew, consistent with a policy adopted by the company since 2004. 

Hellespont, a European shipping company with offices in Germany and Greece and a manning agency in Manila, has been hiring all-Filipino crews for its tanker fleet since 2004, making Filipino seafarers stand out from their peers in the industry.

This tradition will continue as two newly-commissioned Hellespont tankers unveiled on 28 October 2007 at the New Century Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, in Jingjiang, China will commence long term charters with The Sanko Steamship Co. Ltd. Of Japan later this year with an all-Filipino crew composed of between 22 and 26 members led by Captains Mardario Miquiabas and Albert Bartilad. 

In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Cataumber Brady lauded the decision of Hellespont to hire only Filipinos to man its vessels. 

“We are not only very proud of their skills at sea but also of their vital contribution to the global economy at large, as without seafarers there would be no shipping industry,” Ambassador Brady said at the christening ceremony of Hellespont’s new  tankers,  “Hellespont Protector” and “Hellespont Providence”. 

“The Philippines is the biggest seafaring nation in the world. With about 245,000 active seafarers the Philippines represents over 22% of the world’s seafarers. Our mariners add US$2 billion to our economy per year and are an important factor to the development of our nation.” 

Aside from top executives from Hellespont, the christening ceremonies were also attended by officials from the Mexican and Greek embassies in Beijing, Seatramp Tankers, Inc., HCI Capital and Sanko. 

Showing its confidence on Filipino skills and manpower, Hellespont also imported Filipino workers based in Dubai to help in the construction of the two vessels in China. 

In a speech delivered at the Asian Institute of Management on 19 October 2007, Basil Ph Papachristidis, chairman of Hellespont, recognized the role of the Philippines in international shipping. 

“All eyes are on the Philippines and its institutions of learning to sustain the rapidly growing demand for qualified officers and engineers, men and women with a world class-education, motivation and skills, capable of providing safe, reliable and efficient transportation services, while respecting increasingly stringent port state, flag state and classification requirements, and customer expectations,” Papachristidis said. 

“If the Filipino seafarer rises to the opportunity presented by his importance to world shipping, and the importance of shipping to the world economy, and if the (Philippine) government and employers wisely manage the most valuable resource that Filipino seafarers embody, there are almost no limits to what (the Philippines) can achieve as a maritime nation,” Papachristidis stressed. 

Hellespont currently employs around 600 Filipino seafarers, but this figure is expected to grow to 1,500 in two year’s time, the company said. 

With the addition of the two new vessels, Hellespont now operates 11 tankers. Hellespont is also awaiting the commissioning of another tanker and the construction of 14 other vessels to join its tanker fleet. END

/Gary