Maritime
EMSA scheduled audit deferred
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR STCW Head of Office : Capt . Eleazar G . Diaz - Officer-in-Charge
T he European Maritime Safety Agency ( EMSA ) postponed its scheduled audit for 2016 due to be held October 17 and moved it to March this year as per request by MARINA to enable the latter to concentrate on its drive to comply with the 2010 STCW Manila amendments .
Capt . Ely Diaz , STCW Office Executive Director said that MARINA decided to reset the audit to help in the preparation of the Philippine report to the IMO regarding the country ’ s compliance with the SCTW convention . This , despite the fact that a technical working panel composed of SCTW experts with the task of preparing for the audit was created . Aside from preparing for the upcoming EMSA audit , the panel will equally help the Philippines prepare its report to the IMO regarding the country ’ s compliance with SCTW provisions .
Capt . Diaz also added that in a recent officers ’ conference he equally told of the agency ’ s efforts to ensure compliance with SCTW Manila Amendments , noting that improvements , based on EMSA observations , were to be made on the following :
1 . quality standards system ; 2 . programs and course approval ; 3 . the issuance of officers ’ Cetrificates of Competence
( COCs ); and 4 . the monitoring and evaluation of training and assessment .
In that same meeting , Capt . Diaz presented a backgrounder on government efforts in enforcing Convention provisions since 1984 that included various laws and executive orders up to the malo Law , or R . A . 10635 . Authored by Angkla party-list representative Jesulito Manalo , R . A . 10635 designated MARINA as the central maritime authority that is in charge of enforcing Convention laws and provisions , correcting the fragmented implementation of the Convention by different government agencies for over four decades .
“ We ’ re fortunate in having succeeded in delaying the EMSA audit a bit . While it should have taken place last October , numerous factors and other matters that we need to comply with prompted us to move it to a later date ,” Diaz stressed .
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