The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) plans to update the Philippine Merchant Marine Rules and Regulations (PMMRR) 1997 to provide clear maritime rules and regulations to stakeholders and make the Philippine ship registry more attractive.
To come up with a comprehensive regulatory framework for the maritime industry, Marina has issued a special order creating a task force to review and revise the more than a decade old PMMRR.
As such, eight technical working groups (TWGs) have been formed, with each focusing on one of the following: ship building/ship repair/ship conversion; ship safety and occupational safety/health/environment; manpower development (maritime education, training and certification); domestic shipping (roll-on/roll-off, wooden-hulled); overseas shipping (flag registry); fishing vessels; pleasure craft/special vessels/tourism application; and off-shore vessels.
The maritime authority through Marina Advisory (MA) No. 2016-14 dated August 10 is inviting interested stakeholders to join the TWGs by submitting a letter of intent to Marina.
The revision of PMMRR is “way overdue,” said Capt. Alfredo Vidal, Jr., officer-in-charge of the Office of the Deputy Administrator for Operations, at a special general membership meeting of the Philippine Interisland Shipping Association on August 22.
He said the agency is proposing to “have a book for each class of ship common to all classes,” and incorporate the latest amendments made to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, environmental ship design, ballast management, and other environmental options, among others.
Marina administrator Marcial Amaro III, during the same event, said the revamp of the PMMRR is one of his agency’s flagship programs, with a deadline for completion of end-2016.
Amaro said one of the reasons for the revision is “to market the Philippine flag as a legitimate and a responsible flag.”
He clarified that the PMMRR modification is actually a move to consolidate all memorandum circulars and international rules and regulations.
“We’re not going to reinvent the wheel. We just want to focus on things that need to be focused on in the PMMRR so we will have a better guidance on how to comply with the requirements,” Amaro pointed out.
He added that members of the TWGs will come from industry stakeholders because they have the expertise and government is “not here to compete with the private sector.”
There were several attempts over the past years to revise the PMMRR, with several memorandum orders and circulars issued to amend some of its provisions. – Roumina Pablo
