A Trubute to the Merchant Mariners...
A Trubute to the Merchant Mariners...
Hi this is a post by Anirudhda(originally written by Hendrik van Hemmen. I thought every
mariner should read it.....so here goes..
A Trubute to the Merchant Mariners...
Hendrik van Hemmen
As a marine consultant I have the pleasure of slowly dragging myself through the
airport security line.
This provides me with ample time to observe chipper airline crews with their
roll-on bags and uniforms sail through the crew-only line, and wonder why I, as
a paying passenger, am not extended the same privilege.
It makes no sense from a business point of view. Why does the service provider
enjoy greater privileges than the customer? As a customer, I should blame myself
for not protesting more loudly.
But as a person who serves the marine industry, the ?crew only? line is even
more deeply troubling. Why do aircraft crews enjoy this privilege while similar
privileges are not extended to ship's crews?
In worth, stress and skills there is no comparison. Airline officers basically
work an eight-hour day, sleep in comfortable hotels and, in essence, have no
maintenance, management or operational worries beyond flying the plane from
point to point with detailed instructions provided through outside assistance.
If something on the plane does not work, they fill in the gripe sheet and leave
it to the ground crew to deal with, without worrying as to whether they can take
the plane out the next day or not.
How sharply this contrasts with ship?s crews.
After slugging themselves across the ocean standing day and night watches for
many days, they arrive in port and are interrogated, inspected, investigated and
treated as suspects by the port they arrive in. They do not get to leave the
ship so they can sleep in a hotel room, but instead work long hours until the
vessel is ready to leave again. They do not get the benefit of repair and ground
crews that ready their ship for the next trip. Instead they stay aboard and do
it all themselves. Ship?s crews are not just ship drivers; they are very highly
skilled individuals who perform a huge number of different tasks. While there
are ranks and task divisions aboard a ship, in fact, with today?s small crews,
ship?s officers are jacks of all trades and master of most. What is incredible
is that, considering the number of various tasks that officers are engaged in,
there are actually people out there who can perform all those tasks.
To a large extent this is related to the ship?s crews? traditional ability to
make do, and to bear the load in silence. Shipboard employment is not for the
faint of heart and those who can handle the load simply are not the types to
complain. Still, as an industry, we know there are rumblings from the crews and
our difficulties in attracting young people into the seafaring profession are
probably a sign of our neglect.
Actually, today we are facing a crisis in ship crewing. Some argue that young
people are no longer interested in the hardships at sea. This is possible, but I
do know there are still plenty of young people who are willing to undergo
hardship if it includes commensurate respect and compensation. There are still
plenty of young people who endeavour to become astronauts, commandos,
firefighters and police officers, and none of those professions can be
characterised as high-paying or low-stress.
While we know there is a shortage of seafarers, very little research related to
crews? motivations is taking place. One exception is the Shiptalk crew survey
programme that is presently underway*, and hopefully this very worthwhile effort
will shed more light on this complex subject. (If you have contact with ship?s
crews, please encourage them to do this survey. Our industry desperately needs
the data to be able to attract the next generation of seafarers.)
What does the preliminary data show? It points to factors such as increased
paperwork, schizophrenic job description, lack of shore time, lack of training,
excessive work hours and lack of rest.
But regardless of the results of the survey, we will fail in finding the next
generation of seafarers if, as an industry, we do not insist on better treatment
and greater respect for crews.
At this stage there are no simple answers but every journey starts with the
first step and in this regard let me suggest that at the next ship visit, when
you ask to see the master or one of his officers, that you do not judge them by
their dirty coveralls, puffy eyes and their limited success in making themselves
understood in your native language.
Instead, realise that you are not talking to just some random labourer, but
rather that you are talking to a hardworking ship's officer who, with his
shipmates, has just hauled thousands of tonnes of vital materials across the
ocean. That this officer is not just a boat driver but a person skilled in
foreign languages, works with technologies that you might have never heard of,
is able to perform managerial, security, legal, commercial, operational, repair,
maintenance and reporting tasks that you might have never heard of, is able to
do it far from his home and his family and does it 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
I cannot think of a way to provide these officers with crew-only privileges, and
I doubt it would impress ship?s officers, but, as an industry, we will be well
served if we provide them with the respect they deserve in any other way we can
- X
0 Hendrik van Hemmen, this something good you have written, This is far different to compare a passenger airliner with a ship that is carrying cargo. To have a better comparison compare the cruise/passenger liners with passenger airline officers. That will give a better contrast.
CAREER IN MERCHANT NAVY MERCHANT NAVY FORUM
