Philippine Transmarine Carriers Inc vice chairman and chief executive Mr Gerardo Borromeo was elected as the new president of InterManager,an international ship management trade association of 91 shipping companies running about 5,000 vessels and some 250,000 crew members.
Mr Borromeo is the first Filipino to be elected unopposed for the top post and will serve a two-year term.He succeeded Alastair Evitt,the managing director of UK-based Meridian Marine Management.
With this development,InterManager has joined the ranks of shipping industry organizations that recognize Asia's growing maritime influence and have looked east for leaders.
The decision follows other high-profile appointments of Asian executives with Japanese Koji Sekimizu leading the International Maritime Organization since January and Masamichi Morooka taking over as chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping since May.
Mr Borromeo in an interview with Manila Standard said that he brings the value of his Asian roots to InterManager.He said that"I am honored to be the first Filipino to be appointed InterManager president,given that Asia now supplies more than half of the world's seafarers and nearly half of the world fleet is under Asian control.I will be able to interact with Asia more closely but at the same time I will be expected to retain a global focus."
He said that PTC one of the largest crew management companies in the country,deploys more than 33,000 seafarers annually.
Mr Borromeo believes his crewing experience was another key factor in his appointment.He said that"The human element is a key driver.We are at an interesting crossroads between ship management and crew management.Ship management is not just about safe shipping,but also about pushing the management capability on board ships."