Aznar Shipping Helps Address Visayas Seafarer Shortage

Cebu-based operator provides free onboard training to more than 200 cadets, addressing a critical bottleneck in the maritime workforce

For many maritime students, completing a degree is only part of the journey toward becoming a professional seafarer. The more difficult hurdle can come afterward: securing the required onboard training and sea time needed to qualify for a maritime career.

That training gap is becoming an industry concern in the Visayas, where domestic shipping plays a critical role in moving passengers, vehicles and cargo between island communities.

Cebu-based Aznar Shipping Corporation is responding by opening onboard training opportunities for more than 200 aspiring seafarers for the coming academic year, providing cadets with practical experience aboard its inter-island vessels without charging apprenticeship fees.

The initiative goes beyond company manpower requirements. It addresses one of the persistent challenges confronting the Philippine maritime industry—the availability of training berths that allow maritime students to translate classroom instruction into actual shipboard experience.

A study by the National Maritime Polytechnic found difficulties among maritime higher education institutions in deploying cadets, citing the inadequate number of domestic ships qualified for onboard training, limited access to ocean-going vessels that accept cadets, and the commercialization of onboard training in domestic ships.

Against this backdrop, Aznar Shipping has partnered with maritime educational and training institutions, including Palompon Institute of Technology, University of Cebu, University of the Visayas, Philippine Maritime Institute in Bohol, and Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro, to provide students with actual onboard exposure.

The company said more than 200 cadets will benefit from the program for the upcoming academic year.

Bridging the training gap

Industry estimates cited by Aznar Shipping indicate that Central Visayas has about 525 active shipping vessels requiring approximately 2,625 officer-level personnel—1,575 deck officers and 1,050 engine officers.

The estimated shortfall of 1,446 officers represents a gap of about 55 percent against the required officer complement, including 938 deck officers and 508 engine officers.

While such industry estimates should be viewed within the broader national maritime workforce picture, the numbers underscore a basic problem: ships cannot operate safely and efficiently without a reliable pipeline of properly trained maritime professionals.

For maritime students, meanwhile, the shortage is not simply about employment at the end of their education. They first need access to vessels where they can complete the practical training required to move toward professional certification.

Aznar Shipping President and CEO Kyle Alexander Aznar said the company wants financial circumstances to be less of a barrier for students pursuing the profession.

“The future of Philippine shipping depends not only on modern vessels and stronger routes, but also on the young seafarers who will operate and sustain the industry,” Aznar said.

“We want to make sure that financial limitations do not prevent hardworking and deserving cadets from getting the onboard experience they need. If they have the discipline, grit, and perseverance to pursue this profession, we want to help open that door for them,” he added.

Training where shipping actually happens

The significance of the program is also tied to the nature of domestic shipping in the Visayas.

Aznar Shipping operates inter-island services connecting communities across the region, including Danao City in Cebu and Isabel in Leyte, Bogo and Palompon, and routes linking Cebu and Negros Occidental. Its current network includes passenger, vehicle and cargo services across the Visayas and Mindanao.

For cadets, such operations provide exposure to the realities of domestic maritime transport—from vessel operations and safety procedures to navigation, engine-room work and the day-to-day discipline required aboard a working ship.

The experience is particularly relevant to students who intend to build careers in the domestic maritime sector, where shipping remains essential to regional mobility, trade and supply chains.

The Philippine Ports Authority reported 82.42 million passenger movements in Philippine ports in 2025, highlighting the continuing scale of maritime transport in the country.

More than a company manpower issue

The larger question is whether the Philippine shipping industry can sustain the workforce required to support expanding domestic connectivity while maintaining standards for safety and professional competence.

For shipping operators, training cadets requires time, vessel capacity and the commitment of experienced officers and crew members to supervise and mentor students.

For maritime schools, access to training berths remains a critical component of producing qualified graduates.

And for students—many of whom come from families that cannot easily absorb additional training costs—an unpaid apprenticeship can determine whether they are able to complete the path from maritime education to professional employment.

Aznar said the cadetship initiative forms part of its broader effort to contribute to maritime workforce development.

“Inter-island shipping is essential to the Visayas economy because it moves people, vehicles, and goods across island communities,” he said. “As demand for reliable shipping grows, the industry must also ensure that there is a strong pipeline of trained maritime professionals who can support safe, efficient, and responsible operations.”

The value of the initiative, therefore, is not measured simply by the number of cadets accommodated.

It is in helping address a structural industry problem: giving Filipino maritime students a practical pathway to become the officers and professionals who will eventually keep the country’s inter-island shipping network moving.

For an archipelago whose economy depends heavily on maritime connectivity, building that pipeline is not merely corporate social responsibility. It is an investment in the country’s transport infrastructure, workforce and long-term economic resilience.