Capt Antonio T. Ladera III affinity to sea began as a teenager when growing up in coastal community of General Santos city. Young Antonio tried taking up engineering studies at MAPUA at insistence of his parents, but after a year enrolled himself to take up a course in marine studies at FEATI. This was part of his great destiny at sea. Capt Ladera is married to Esperanza D. Ladera who worked with AMOSUP for three decades. That’s where he met her and they took their plunge into marriage.

In a tête-à-tête with Dr Radhika Vakharia from Marex Media, Capt Ladera came across as a humble, affable and assertive persona who loves to explore various cultures, traditions and customs. His closeness to his family is what made him go back to Philippines, where he continues sharing his expertise through his various professional associations. In his capacity as President of VShips in Manila, Philippines and VGroup Director for Industry Relations he is instrumental in taking VShips close association with the Philippine Government Agencies on related Maritime Issues.

What made you take up administrative and leadership positions after sailing for more than a decade?

Being a seafarer allows one to perform myriad roles and gather a plethora of experiences at the same time. It is indeed been an enriching and proud feeling to be part of the profession. Grabbing an opportunity and plunging headlong, I took the leap and it’s only being another facet of my fulfilling career. Seafaring is not a permanent job, it has its own shelf life and thereafter one has to venture and look out for new opportunities. I was fortunate to pursue Master’s degree at Ateneo School of Professionals, and thereafter share my knowledge and expertise with young cadets at training centres. Taking up leadership role after many years of sailing helped me re-establish my connections back in Manila. So the transition from sea to ashore was indeed organic and it has been a beautiful journey.

Crewing and Manning is a very crucial task, what challenges do you face in crew management?

There is an estimated workforce of 1.5 million working on the world’s ships. This sizeable group has to place in their right capacities to ensure excellent results. I see three major challenges that are currently faced by the industry. The first one is to reduce cost while increasing efficiency, second ensuring greater flexibility to crew and thirdly retaining staff in the shipping industry. The Covid-19 pandemic created an unprecedented crew change crisis and the crew management industry did respond to it fairly well.

How important are non-technical skills on part of the seafarers?

It’s imperative for seafarers to be excellent in their non-technical skills, which includes communication, leadership, decision making and situation-awareness skills. These skills affect how one interacts with others and complete the tasks. The safety of ships and people on-board depends on how effectively the crew on-board can deal with various challenges from time to time. Good seamanship, self-reliance and a sense of responsibility play a huge part in keeping the vessels and seamen safe. The non-technical skills received great focus during the pandemic when the situation around the world was very precarious. But still it is a long way to go.

What practices do you have in your company for ensuring crew retention?

It is very important to attract real talent who are qualified, experienced and diligent. For crew retention we look at developing crew and employee engagement. I believe that an engaged worker is less likely to leave and is more likely to go the extra mile to give better results. This should be complimented with employee recognition.

What were the challenges that were encountered during the pandemic and how were they resolved?

Due to its inherently global nature, shipping was severely affected by the pandemic. It became more of a humanitarian issue than just professional responsibility. Seafarer welfare never received so much attention as it did during the pandemic. Challenges were many like disrupted crew changes, repatriation of crew, physical and mental health, lack of global consensus and so on. The concerns were resolved through allowing flexibility for ship owners/managers to divert ships and call in ports where crew change is possible. Easing family concerns through regular updates and communication towards the well- being of their members on ship was also a way of pacifying crew on-board.

Capt Ladera exuded a positive impression. While he is still exhilarated with his life at sea and the many opportunities it brought him, he is excited to continue his journey for years to come. He signed off with a smile despite an entire day at office, followed by this interview in the evening. Capt Ladera left with smile, reminiscent of the say Nothing shakes the smiling heart.

Marex Media