When searches on "Pinoy seaman job vacancy" found their way to this site for Pinoy Entrepreneurs, it didn't come as a surprise. We have discussed Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs, including seamen, as entrepreneurs. There's also a list of 5 most inspiring OFW entrepreneurs. 

 

According to the United Filipino Seafarers, one-third of the world's shipping manpower are Filipinos. While official figures show that the total remittance of seabased workers fell way short of the remittances of landbased workers, the amount is still considerable -- an annual average of around 2 Billion Pesos in 2005, 2006 and 2007, growing every year.

 

Despite all the dangers facing our fellow Filipinos manning all kinds of ships or vessels (cruise ships, yacht, cargo, tankers, etc.) everywhere in the world, the demamd of Pinoy seamen for work abroad is still up. Just recently, on 20 July 2008, 20 Filipino seafarers manning the M/V Stella Maris, a Japanese-owned cargo ship, were seized in Somalia. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and we haven't started exploring natural maritime perils.

 

But even before our fellow Filipinos face those dangers, they already face great challenges in applying and waiting for their employment. This prompted Iliac Diaz, one of the successful entrepreneurs discussed in Joey Concepcion's NeGOsyo: Joey Concepcion's 50 Inspiring Entrepreneurial Stories, to set up Pier One Seaman's Dorm, providing clean and affordable temporary accomodations to seafarers.