Our Origins
The Fairmont and Magsaysay group of companies was established in 1948 by its founder, Robert C.F. Ho.
These affiliated companies and their subsidiaries are involved in ship owning, ship operations, ship management, manning, training and services built upon a global pool of human resources.
Through the years, Fairmont and Magsaysay continue to build upon the foundations of experience with dedication to their commitment to excellence.
Magsaysay People is Born
During the 1980’s, the changing demographics of traditional maritime countries meant that ship owners could no longer count on a supply of their national crew and began to source seafarers from Asia. And since Magsaysay had a pool of officers and crew for the Fairmont-Magsaysay fleet, and the training facilities to develop people to man ships, Magsaysay was tapped by international ship owners as its manpower source.
In 1970, Magsaysay embarked on a program to professionalize its human resource services, investing in technology to develop its first generation Seafarers’ Management Information System. It also invested in the first Norcontrol Radar Simulator to enable the Magsaysay Training Center to train officers for the forthcoming STCW Certification requirement.
By the early 1990’s, it became clear that the focus of manning of Filipinos would expand beyond ratings to officers, so Magsaysay, in partnership with Fairmont and Mitsui OSK Lines (Interocean of Greece and Skaugen of Norway were part of the original incorporators), invested in a non-profit foundation to build the Magsaysay Institute of Shipping. The Institute’s goal was to develop Filipino cadets from maritime colleges into world-class seafarers and to prepare them to become officers.
By the late 1990’s, Magsaysay expanded beyond Deck and Engine personnel and developed the capacity to man cruise vessels. This service began with a Skaugen owned “Pearl of Scandinavia” where Magsaysay pioneered in developing hotel personnel outside of the concessionaire system practiced at that time.
In 2007, the Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts was established with the curriculum from Johnson and Wales University of the United States.
Magsaysay also partnered with PASAT to expand its source of people to Eastern Europe with an office in Croatia. It also established a partnership with Meranti-Magsaysay to provide personnel from Indonesia and set up the Meranti-Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts in 2008.
It established a representative office in Shanghai for Chinese personnel and will also embark on training in China and in other parts of the world that provides an abundant pipeline of talent to its principals and clients.
Today, Magsaysay is the world’s most awarded human resource company in the shipping industry being conferred with numerous awards including the Lloyd’s List Maritime Asia’s Best Manning Company of the Year in 2005 and 2007.