Malaysia Need 43,000 More Seamen to Remain Competitive

PORT KLANG (Selangor,Malaysia), June 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia need 43,000 seamen for the booming local shipping industry which is crucial for her international commerce. Malaysian Marine Department director-general Capt Ahmad Othman said, currently, there were 49,000 local seamen in the local shipping industry while another 43,000 places were filled by foreign seamen. He said this to reporters after launching the 2012 National Seaman Day Celebration, here, Monday. He said among the benefits that could be obtained as a seaman was visiting foreign countries, wherever and wherever their ships docked, without needing visas. They only use their Seafarers' Identity Documents issued by the Marine Department, valid for five years for local seamen, and one year for foreign nationals working on Malaysian ships, he said. Ahmad also launched on Monday a new seaman card without chip and an insurance coverage scheme for seamen under MAA Takaful. He also handed scholarship to 11 local seaman to pursue courses as engineers and navigators to help enhance their competitiveness. -- BERNAMA