22 June 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe J. Lhuillier met with Mr. Luis Jales of Wilhelmsen Ships Services and Mr. Paulo Dias of Orey Comércio e Navegação, S.A. on June 18 as part of the Philippine Embassy’s effort to develop a good working relationship with shipping agents based in Portugal.

Located on the Atlantic Coast, there is a large traffic of ships crossing Portugal’s maritime domain and frequent visits by cruise ships in its ports. Given the large number of Filipino seafarers serving as crew onboard vessels all over the world, the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal frequently deals with cases of Filipino seafarers being medically evacuated at sea by the Portuguese Navy for treatment at Portuguese medical facilities.

A close working relationship and development of a network of contacts among the shipping agents based in Portugal has enabled the Embassy to respond in a timely manner and more effectively carry out its responsibility in terms of ensuring the welfare and attending to the needs of Filipino seafarers, whether they are in distress or simply transiting through Portugal to join their ship or after the completion of a contract.

In addition, this close working relationship with the local shipping agents has facilitated the Embassy’s effort to conduct overseas voting registration for Filipino seafarers onboard ships which are on port call in Lisbon. Since the start of the voter registration period in May 2014, the Embassy has boarded more than 50 cruise ships in Lisbon Port and registered over 3,000 Filipino seafarers for next year’s national elections. The support and cooperation of the local shipping agents have been instrumental in the Embassy’s efforts to secure permission from Ship Masters to board their ships and conduct overseas voters registration for the Filipino crew. END