The Philippines is pursuing merchant shipping agreements (MSAs) with 16 countries, expanding from its current seven agreements, to enhance the protection of Filipino seafarers and regulate commercial shipping traffic.
Speaking at the conference session titled “Beyond the Sea: Connecting Philippine Shipping to the World through Global Partnerships” at the closing of the three-day 11th PhilMarine 2026 exhibition, Benjo Pacheco, Senior Maritime Industry Development Specialist at the Overseas Shipping Service of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), said MSAs are treaties between sovereign states that regulate commercial shipping traffic.
According to Pacheco, these agreements also facilitate the settlement of disputes, provide assistance during maritime emergencies, and ensure the application of most-favored-nation treatment between contracting parties.
He identified the countries the Philippines currently engaged in MSA negotiations or updating of existing agreements with the Philippines to include Australia, Qatar, Germany, Panama, Russia, Greece, Cyprus, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ireland, Belgium, Singapore, Kazakhstan, and Poland.
Among these, Pacheco said negotiations with Qatar are the most active, with both countries continuing to exchange documents as part of the process.
Pacheco explained that potential MSA negotiations often arise from high-level state visits and are pursued in countries where the Philippines sees opportunities for the employment and protection of Filipino seafarers, as well as prospects for expanding commercial trade. The Department of Foreign Affairs facilitates the negotiations.
The key provisions of an MSA include the recognition of the rights of third states, obligations of contracting parties, applicability of national laws, most-favored-nation treatment, mutual recognition of documents, validity of seafarers’ documents, and the entry of crew members into the territory of the other contracting party.
The agreements also provide for cooperation in cases of maritime casualties, offenses committed by crew members on board ships, payment for shipping services, application of international conventions, and mechanisms for settling disputes.
In addition, an MSA seeks to establish a Joint Committee on Maritime Affairs between the two contracting parties. These agreements are generally bilateral in nature and are negotiated separately from broader free trade agreements.
Currently, the Philippines has seven existing MSAs in force with Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cyprus, Iran, the Netherlands, Norway, and Viet Nam.
Meanwhile, Pacheco said discussions on updating the country’s MSA with Iran have been postponed due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
He added that while the Philippines is not pursuing an MSA with the United States, the two countries maintain a separate maritime cooperation framework focused primarily on security-related concerns.
