Surigaonon is first Filipino staff captain of Norwegian Cruise Line

Surigaonon is first Filipino staff captain of Norwegian Cruise Line

Story by Yashika F. Torib
The Manila Times
09 October 2024

ANEW milestone was celebrated by the Philippine manning sector in time with the observance of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (Manamo) when the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) appointed its first Filipino staff captain last September.

Ryan James Martinez from Surigao City was promoted last September 6 while working onboard Norwegian Gem, one of the Jewel-class ships of the world's fourth-largest cruise line companies.

NCL vessels are manned by crew and officers from C.F. Sharp Crew Management.

"My promotion felt like a natural progression. I started as a deck cadet and worked my way up through various ranks: ordinary seaman, able body, quartermaster, 2nd officer, 1st officer safety, 1st officer navigation, safety officer, chief officer, and now staff captain. I believe every seaman dreams of becoming a captain, and for me, it was just a matter of time," Martinez said.

A staff captain is the second in command of the Deck Department and works closely with the ship captain.

Martinez shared that his new responsibility includes maneuvering the ship in and out of ports.

"This can be challenging due to the size of the cruise ship and lack of tugboat assistance. I carefully plan each docking and undocking, considering wind and current factors while using the ship's propulsion," he shared.

Martinez also oversees safety and security onboard, ensuring all lifesaving equipment is operational and that crew conduct is appropriate. The key departments reporting to him include the Medical, HR, IT, Financial, Environmental, Bridge Navigation, and Deck Ratings teams.

While the job entails numerous responsibilities and tasks, the 46-year-old ship officer aced his duties following 26 years of experience on NCL vessels, thus demonstrating the Filipino seafarer's hallmarks of loyalty, diligence and professionalism.

"I've been sailing since December 1998, exclusively on cruise ships with Norwegian Cruise Line. I went straight from graduating from the University of Cebu to working for NCL," Martinez said.

"Every day brings new challenges, especially regarding safety and security compliance and managing daily issues with guests and crew," he said.

Philippines stands to become the next shipping and maritime investment destination

Philippines seen as maritime investment hub

Story by Pia Lee-Brago 

Philstar Global

12 July 2024

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines stands to become the next investment destination in the shipping and maritime industry, an official said at a maritime forum hosted by the embassy in Greece.

Image by Alexandre Gonçalves da Rocha from Pixabay

The Philippine embassy in Athens led by Ambassador Giovanni Palec recently organized the Philippine Maritime Forum to promote the Philippines as an investment destination in the sector.

In attendance were shipowners and representatives from various ship management companies, maritime law firms and manning agencies that had representative offices in the Philippines.

Palec highlighted the longstanding bilateral relations between the Philippines and Greece with the two countries celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2025.

He noted that both the Philippines and Greece are maritime nations and this common ground has been a significant factor in their close relationship with the Philippines providing a huge number of skilled seafarers around the world, with Greece owning the biggest number of fleets globally and employing many Filipino workers.

He also encouraged the representatives to form an association so that as a group they could convey their positions on certain issues related to their field as this would be beneficial to both parties.

Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) administrator Sonia Malaluan gave a briefing on the Philippines’ thriving maritime industry, highlighting the latest trends and developments in the sector, the huge number of seafarers deployed by the country internationally and the Philippines’ shipbuilding industry which ranks as the fourth biggest worldwide.

Department of Migrant Workers Assistant Secretary for sea-based OFW concerns Jerome Pampolina presented the various programs of the DMW aimed at upskilling and making Filipino workers more competitive globally, including in shipping and maritime-related services.