MANILA, Philippines — Amid rapid global shifts toward automation, decarbonization, and regional geopolitical tensions, Norway has offered strong reassurance to the Philippine maritime sector: Filipino seafarers will remain essential to global shipping, provided they are equipped to lead the technological revolution.
Speaking at a media briefing following an official tour of the Norwegian Training Center (NTC) in Manila, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide directly addressed concerns over the future of maritime labor in an evolving industry.
"As far as I know, there will still be a need for people on ships," Eide said, dismissing fears that automation will displace human crews on long-haul routes.
"There will be some very specialized niches of fully autonomous ships, but I don't think long distance. So you will need people on board. But of course, the skills they need will be more and more advanced."
Eide pointed out that the transition toward green energy—including dual-fuel vessels capable of running on low-carbon alternatives like ammonia and hydrogen—demands entirely new safety and operational standards. Ammonia, while a viable zero-carbon fuel, poses toxicity risks, whereas hydrogen carries high flammability risks.
"If you build the technology of the future, you also need to build the people of the future, so that they are able to adapt during their career," Eide stressed, noting that a 20-year-old seafarer today will operate vastly different vessels by age 50. "What I understand here is that the training center already incorporates this technological revolution... those who are in the front will also typically be the winners of the future. If you cling to the past, someday you will feel left behind."
Eide added that modern seafaring goes beyond fuel switches to encompass route and speed optimization, weather routing, and just-in-time port arrivals to minimize emissions—all high-end skills being integrated into NTC's curriculum.
NTC Chief Executive Officer Captain Svend Foyn-Bruun received Foreign Minister Eide and outgoing Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines Christian Halaas Lyster at the Manila facility before joining both diplomats for the briefing.
Reinforcing Eide’s remarks, outgoing Ambassador Lyster highlighted the deep historical trust between the two nations and active collaboration with local regulators like the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).
"And just to underscore what the foreign minister said, I think the Philippines is in a very good position to continue to provide high-class seafarers in the future, and that's also why we have a close cooperation with MARINA and other entities in the Philippines to also help and support on that side," Lyster said. "So I think the Philippines is in a very, very good position, and I think the Philippines and Norway, given our historical ties of maritime, is also in a very good position, even though the world [is changing]."
CEO Foyn-Bruun added that NTC remains dedicated to delivering advanced digital and technical training so Filipino seafarers stay ahead of these regulatory and environmental shifts.
Shared geopolitics and decades of industry collaboration
Beyond technological change, Foreign Minister Eide highlighted geopolitical headwinds and regional friction, warning that the world is transitioning from decades of open trade into an era of rising protectionism—a trend both Norway and the Philippines strongly oppose.
Eide reaffirmed Norway's unwavering alignment with the Philippines on freedom of navigation, UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea), and territorial integrity in the West Philippine Sea and Scarborough Shoal. He also cited shared concerns over global choke points, including the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea disruptions in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
"Over half of all the people employed on Norwegian-owned ships are Filipinos," Eide noted. "We are geographically far apart, but it's really a country that is close to our heart, close to our politics, and close to our economy."
This trust is grounded in decades of history. Norwegian shipowners were among the first international operators to employ full-Filipino crews on ocean-going vessels.
To support this workforce, the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NSA) established NTC in Manila in February 1990, making it the first training center globally to receive quality certification from Det Norske Veritas (DNV).
Through the NSA Cadet Program launched in 1993 in partnership with premier local maritime academies—including the University of Cebu, Lyceum of the Philippines University–Batangas, and DMMA College of Southern Philippines—the initiative has funded full scholarships and guaranteed international shipboard apprenticeships for more than 6,000 Filipino merchant marine officers.
