MAXIMIZING INNOVATIONS
Another challenge that C.F. Sharp faced under Rocha’s leadership was the global Covid-19 pandemic. According to Rocha, the pandemic taught him and the rest of the company that innovation, nimbleness, and agility are important tools for coping with and overcoming such an extreme level of adversity. However, Rocha pointed out that the prevailing maritime industry culture and mindset made it difficult to innovate at first.
“Our business, our industry is very… rigid… in terms of procedural compliances. Everybody needs to have, every seafarer needs to have documentary compliances, licenses, certifications. And so, generally, our business mindset was, prior to the pandemic, just follow the checklist. Don’t think too much, just stay within the box. Make sure everything is properly ticked off.
“Pandemic time comes, and suddenly the procedures for deploying seafarers completely changed. Now you have all these other things like medical, Bureau of Quarantine, Department of Health, all the airports around the world, all the seaports around the world putting up their own, different compliances and restrictions, and Covid testing requirements. So, basically, the checklist we had got thrown out the window. Everything that we knew was thrown out the window and changed,” he explained.
Rocha said that the pandemic changed C.F. Sharp from being a strict and rigid company to being a “very nimble and adjustable” company. The company had to do some introspection and internal auditing to look at what its core processes are.
“We had to throw our checklist away and then ask ourselves, ‘Why do we do what we do?’ Well, the core is that we deploy seafarers. So, we took the pandemic as an opportunity to retool our business. We had to think outside the box.
“I thought about it. At C.F. Sharp, our business was founded at a time when the only tools available were essentially pen and paper, typewriter, and carbon paper. Those were the tools when my grandfather was building C.F. Sharp. That’s what they had. They didn’t have computers,” Rocha said.
So, during the pandemic, Rocha led the company in improving and upgrading office operations and processes into the 21st century, using all the tools and technologies available now. This not only improved efficiency and productivity in terms of operations but also increased satisfaction, loyalty, and morale among their seafarers. Rocha said that the innovations adopted by the company have ultimately one goal: to improve the experience and quality of life of the seafarers they work with.
“When we asked our seafarers why they continued to be loyal to us, why they keep coming back to us—even those who leave us for other manning agencies end up coming back—they all say that they prefer us because we take care of them better. Other agencies make them wait for hours to complete a requirement. Or they are asked to go to the agency several times to complete a requirement. It’s very inconvenient, stressful, and costly for them.”
“In our case, we make sure that we deal with our seafarers efficiently so that they don’t need to wait, they don’t need to keep coming back for their requirements. Now, we use innovative tools and high-tech gadgets, email and social media, and apps so that a lot of these procedures and processes can be done online. This makes it very convenient for the seafarers and reduces their stress,” Rocha explained.
C.F. Sharp has also innovated in its dealings with seafarers by instituting a support system for seafarers and their families. For example, the company organizes seminars and gatherings that teach seafarers’ wives new skills (e.g., financial literacy seminars, cooking seminars) or give them opportunities to experience greater wellness mentally, emotionally, and physically. According to Rocha, this approach ensures that whatever wealth seafarers earn, they are able to keep and make it last, perhaps even generationally.
“A lot of seafarers, even ship captains, lose the wealth they’ve earned once they retire. We hope that by providing extra support for their families, we give the seafarers, their spouses, and children benefits and opportunities that will last even beyond retirement from a career at sea,” said Rocha.
With all these efforts, C.F. Sharp looks to be in good hands as the pioneering global manning agency in the Philippines moves forward into the 21st century and perhaps, even beyond. – FAS
Contributing Author
Palanca Awardee Ramil Digal Gulle is a person with bipolar & ADHD, a mental health advocate, and a multi-awarded Filipino poet. He is the author of five books of poetry. His career spans journalism, literature, and PR/marketing.
Contributing Photographer
Mark Joseph Barnedo, also known as “Barns,” is a versatile photographer with a diverse background in various roles such as a seafarer, writer, brand ambassador, marketing specialist, events manager, and content creator. His unique perspective and passion for storytelling make him a sought-after photographer capable of capturing captivating moments and creating immersive visual narratives.
FAS Maritime 
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