The president of the National College of Seafarers, Roberto Pineda Piedra, highlighted to La Estrella de Panamá that the legislative discussion on the modification of the Merchant Marine Law must guarantee the protection of job positions for Panamanians in national waters.
“The most sensitive issue for seafarers is nationality, professional practice in national waters. Our position is that these positions are preferably occupied by nationals,” said Pineda, who added that, in the event that there is not enough local personnel to cover the demand, the window could be opened to foreigners temporarily.
The reform proposal is currently in a subcommittee of the National Assembly and is expected to be taken up in the next legislative period.
At the international level, Pineda stressed that the situation is different, since the Panamanian fleet admits crew members of various nationalities as long as they comply with the requirements of the Maritime Authority and international standards.
The debate occurs in parallel to the initiative presented on February 20, 2024 by the then Minister of the Presidency, José Simpson Polo, who introduced before the plenary session of the National Assembly the bill that modifies Law No. 57 of 2008, with the objective of strengthening competitiveness and keeping the country at the forefront of the maritime sector.
Simpson at the time explained that the sector faces internal and external factors that have affected its competitiveness, which is why an exhaustive review of the legal framework of the General Directorate of Merchant Marine was carried out.
The process, he said, included a working group with unions and State institutions, in which 188 articles were reviewed: 70 were modified, 10 were eliminated and more than 12 new ones were proposed, all approved by consensus.
Among the main changes are the digitization of navigation licenses with QR codes and electronic signature, the flexibility of the flag system, the creation of a registry of resident agents of the vessels and strong sanctions against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. It also seeks to strengthen the transparency of the Vessel Registry and guarantee legal certainty in cases of ship cancellation.
“The project, considered one of the pillars of the current administration, will strengthen our position in the international market and promote the competitiveness of the Panamanian registry,” Simpson said during the explanatory statement.
