83 APFC is committed to developing its ferries and training its crew members to ensure it offers safe and comfortable services to passengers safety standards consistent across a growing fleet. Workforce development also underpins how FastCat is addressing the maintenance bottlenecks, inconsistent classification standards and skills shortages that Pastrana has previously flagged as risks to ferry safety across the region. The company has partnered with a local government unit to launch a maritime high school track within the Philippine public school system, contributing curriculum support and opening its vessels for student immersion. “We believe young people should experience maritime careers early if we want to inspire future seafarers, engineers and maritime professionals,” says Pastrana. FastCat has also opened conversations with maritime schools and training institutions to build a stronger talent pipeline reaching beyond the domestic sector into the global maritime industry. “The future of ferry safety depends not only on better vessels and regulations but on investing in people,” explains Pastrana. That belief in collaboration extends to Pastrana’s seat on the Interferry board, which she describes as both an honour and an invaluable learning opportunity. Bringing together operators, shipbuilders, classification societies and regulators from around the world, the association offers what she calls a rare willingness among peers to share openly across borders. “It feels very much like a family united by a shared commitment to safer, more sustainable ferry operations,” she says. That family gathers this year for Interferry’s 50th Annual Conference, running from 31 October to 4 November in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme ‘Stronger Than Ever… Together’. Pastrana plans to bring a Southeast Asian perspective on modernisation, digitalisation and decarbonisation, alongside a call for the policy consistency she believes underpins long-term investment. “Ferry operators can only make long-term investments in modern vessels, digital technologies and sustainable solutions when the regulatory environment is stable, predictable and aligned with global best practices,” she says. “As we celebrate Interferry’s 50th anniversary, there has never been a better time to come together and help define what the next 50 years of ferry transportation will look like.”
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