Celebrating Seafarers

By Steven Jones

The Day of the Seafarer is now an annual fixture in the maritime industry calendar. June 25th is therefore a chance to reflect on the realities of seagoing, of what careers at sea can offer, and to celebrate and recognise the contribution made to all our lives by seafarers.

There can be no getting away from some of the challenges felt by those at sea, but in celebrating the work of seafarers we can hopefully move their wants and needs into the conversation and to make life better for seafarers.

By talking and sharing, we can hopefully push for the recognition which is so richly deserved. For most people it is perhaps all too easy to gloss over the importance of what shipping does. People in general tend to be unaware, they overlook the sacrifices, dedication and sheer hard work put in on ships all over the world. This special day of celebration is a chance to change that and it is a chance to cheer for crews and remember just how vital they are.

The Day of the Seafarer is about thinking of what seafaring means today, and a way of thanking those onboard or the ones who are at home for well-deserved leave. It is also our chance to tell others. To talk to our friends, families, and those who may otherwise all too easily go about their days without thinking about seafarers, because they don’t have to.

So, we need to remind people, to proudly boast of the things that are only possible because of ships and their crews. It used to be that seafarers were more apparent, vessels called closer to cities, you may see crews enjoying shoreleave and taking their “R&R”. Now, that is less and less likely. We are losing the cultural and day-to-day links to seafarers. There is a real danger that means out of sight, out of mind.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) designated day of celebration is this year based around the theme “Your voyage – then and now, share your journey”. The aim is to look at seafarer voyages, to see what they include and how they have evolved over time. To see what remains at the heart of seafarers’ reality.

The campaign gives seafarers a chance to share what resonates with them, both good and bad, so the challenges and hurdles to happiness such as crew change issues, and restrictions on shoreleave, through to the future of technology and what impact is having at sea.

#SeafarerJourney is the hashtag for the 2022 campaign, and the IMO is urging not just seafarers, but everyone to get involved. To share photos, stories, thoughts and their feelings about seafarers.

We have so much to be grateful for, especially in difficult times. It is seafarers who have kept food and fuel moving across the globe. While seafarers are still not recognised universally as key/essential works, we have to find our voices to ensure what they do is recognised.

Seafarers allow industries to flourish globally, and for standards of living to rise. It is shipping which joins us all, it is the ability to move goods, to trade, to bring people together that is at the heart of so many good things. It is seafarers who allow this, it is the men and women who brave the elements, who hone their skills, and who make the world work, and all our lives better for it.

So whatever you do, take some time to think about seafarers. Make sure that those around you know who brings the things they rely on, and to ensure that even if they are occasionally an invisible workforce, they are in all our thoughts.

Thank you seafarers of the world. We salute you.

My #SeafarerJourney

I am Steven Jones and this is my #SeafarerJourney

Perhaps the biggest impact of going to sea was about the growth I experienced in joining the Merchant Navy, and how the training, skills and challenges changed me. I was a pretty awful student, and probably if not the worst cadet ever, I gave the bad ones a run for their money. However, over time, the experiences changed me, the training began to mould me into a better person. I became proud of my skills, of the ability to navigate, and to know the stars. I was proud of being able to handle a ship, making it do what I wanted. That was a big thing, and when I felt my seafaring abilities grow, I knew I was developing too.

Another part of the #SeafarerJourney is to understand what your own role delivers for the rest of the world. So in my time at sea, I brought fertilizer to countries that were short of food. I delivered coal and iron ore. So played a part of the construction of everything from cars to buildings, and even helped generate electricity.

Most of my time at sea was spent on cable ships, and this is really where I perhaps delivered most for society as a seafarer. I laid telecommunications cables al across the globe. I allowed islands to be reconnected after hurricanes, I laid the first ever dedicated internet cable across the Atlantic. I also played a role in laying the first Fibre Link Around the Globe. For the first time, the world was truly linked, and it was seafarers that made it happen.

Having been at sea, having proudly grown my own seafaring skills, these were the foundation on which everything else has been built. I am proud of #SeafarerJourney and I know the world has benefited.