20 January 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Athens cited the inclusion of Dr. Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr. Administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), in the British newspaper Lloyd’s list of “Top 100 Most Influential People in the Shipping Industry of 2013.”

Dr. Mejia is number 95 in the list in view of the reforms that MARINA is undertaking to improve the "training certification, and watchkeeping” for Filipino seafarers.

As the lead agency, MARINA, together with other implementing agencies such as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Department of Health (DOH), National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), has instituted reforms to ensure the Philippines’ compliance with the standards set under the Seafarers Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (SCTW) Convention.

The Lloyd’s list gave the top credit for the year 2013 to "The Seafarers” for their service to society and for the sacrifices and risks they undertake in doing their jobs. The first 10 in the list are as follows;

(1)     The Seafarers

(2)     Emanuele Lauro, Scorpio

(3)     Nils Andersen and Soren Skou, AP Moller-Maersk and Maersk Line

(4)     John Fredriksen, Sea Tankers Group

(5)     John Angelicoussis, Angelicoussis Shipping Group

(6)     Roger Janson, Cargill Ocean Transportation

(7)     Gianluigi Aponte, Mediterranean Shipping Co.

(8)     Angeliki Frangou, Navios Group

(9)     George Economo, DryShips

(10)   Maria das Gracas Foster and Sergio Machafo, Petrobras

The complete list can be viewed through the following Internet link: http://www.lloydslist.com/”/news/top100/. END