I haven’t lost my love for sea. Seafaring is a wonderful career; but at the right time. Where else can one pass just high school and allow the career to take you places. You could head a shipping firm, become a maritime lawyer, take up commercial shipping, become a broker, take up insurance, become an inspector, join the government……….And best of all, satiate your entrepreneurial urges. It is a wonderful career; but at the right time.
I fear the #CareeratSea slogan for the Day of the Seafarer maybe misplaced. Or mistimed!
I watched the Video that IMO has released. The video begins with a young man at his computer desk as he pushes files. He hears the Ship’s whistle blow and peers out of the window to see the world of shipping. He chose to ignore it. It could have been his life had he chosen not to be at this desk. Did he make a wise choice? That maybe the crux of this video.
A young seafarer walks up the gangplank after hugging his girlfriend good bye. He tags along a canvas duffel bag dressed ubiquitously .
He has adventure: - he negotiates raging storms. He is incharge : he directs the crane operator after checking the manifest as a seagull- the white kind- flys over.
He is in touch with his world back home : he skypes with his folks and his ship races dolphins across the bows. The white and red light house finds its place too. And was that the ships smoke room?
It is exotic : Seagulls, Dolphins and even Whales! ( The world is crying out for protection for whales from being hit by ships).
He has gone where his friends haven’t : standing at the forecastle with the silhouette of icebergs ahead, like in that famous movie and the ship cuts through thin ice ( The polar code has just been adopted) .
He has good food : the Chief cook seems very happy with his cooking.
And he the climbs on the funnel and points his arm out to something ( why funnel?, or is it not the funnel).
He has fun: The seafarers enjoy football on the ship as it passes by Mount Fuji and then the Birthday celebrations with IMO cups – with something non-alcoholic of course.
Ah! And he is home : he sights the the Statute of Liberty as he is on the bridge with his chief officer. (A Lady! Yes, this career is open to women too). It must be home because he was contend and happy as he went home. He must be an American.
And the man at his desk has had no change but for his falling hair.
The world needs our hero: our young man walks down the gangplank in his blues and is shocked to see a crowd welcome him . And then the smile comes on as he finds that there are so many jobs on offer just as he got off! He even signs up.
Very few seafarers would be as lucky. Very few seafarers would identify with the video these days. Most seafarers pay money to complete their time as an apprentice. And then pay more money to get into a company so he can earn and repay his sister , who working as a nurse in the middle east , had paid up his loan.
And it is sad that even this video alludes to seafarers being a contract worker. He has to sign on a piece of paper before he is assured of a job. And in a market where seafarers are aplenty, he might not be presented with a paper to sign. And if he has been a conscientious seafarer who speaks up, then even in a favourable market, he will not have a job.
I fear that #CareerAtSea may not be the best tag line for the day of the seafarer when many having chosen that career find themselves with no jobs. Maybe the world needs to accept that being at the desk is not as bad! At least as of now.
