MarinePALS and SEAker have signed a Philippine distribution agreement to connect digital cadet training records with verified sea service. The planned integration will bring evidence of practical training and time spent on board into a single seafarer profile.

For shipowners and managers employing Filipino seafarers, the aim is to make it easier to follow a cadet’s development and check the work recorded during a placement. Connecting training tasks with sea service would provide a fuller account of that experience.

The most important feature of the MarinePALS Digital Record Books is that learning content is provided for every task. The content is made engaging by inserting many videos, illustrations and infographics within the text.

The agreement names SEAker as MarinePALS’ preferred Philippine distribution partner. SEAker reports more than 119,000 registered Filipino seafarers, with the new service planned to roll out in the coming months, beginning with new cadet intakes.

The electronic record books are based on the structured shipboard training programme developed by the Global Maritime Education and Training Association (GlobalMET). They cover deck and engineering cadet tasks, with learning material explaining the work cadets are expected to complete.

MarinePALS’ wider learning content will also be available through SEAker, with progress recorded in each seafarer’s profile. This material supports professional development and does not replace mandatory STCW certification courses delivered by accredited training centres.

Captain Pradeep Chawla, founder and CEO of MarinePALS, said: “Hectic schedules, and inadequate manning levels often lead to a situation that the senior officers are unable to spend any time with the cadets. The learning content in these books is a solution to ensure that the cadets receive the underpinning knowledge to achieve competency in each of the tasks.

Captain James Nikko Hosana, founder, president and CEO of SEAker System Technologies, said: “It takes a lot of effort for a Filipino cadet to get a berth and complete their training. We want them to have a record of that work which stays with them as they move from one ship to the next. Keeping it in their SEAker profile, alongside their verified sea service, should make it easier for them to show the experience they have gained.”