The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) said it is set to roll out a new online system to improve services for Filipino seafarers and other maritime clients.
Transportation Undersecretary for maritime Elmer Sarmiento said Friday MARINA’s blockchain-enabled automatic certification system (BEST) allows real-time processing and updating of all applications online.
“It will allow MARINA clients to pay online, track and update their transactions, and offer notifications for certificate expiration,” Sarmiento said.
The system, according to the transport executive, will also enable the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to “check upon the authenticity of documents being presented to them.”
Sarmiento said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is pushing for an online ticketing and advance booking system for passenger ships to eliminate queues most especially during long weekends and holidays.
“Because of the increasing volume of passengers since we started recovering from the pandemic, we have seen how the manual and on-the-day selling of trip tickets caused long queues and congestion in our ports, especially during the holiday season,” he said.
“With this, the DOTr and MARINA have been discussing making it mandatory for shipping lines to establish their own online ticketing system, like in the aviation sector,” Sarmiento said.
He said the DOTr is pushing for digitalization as part of efforts to modernize the maritime industry.
