12 Main Reasons Seafarers Quit Sea Jobs

Every year, maritime institutes around the world churn out thousands of fresh deck cadets and marine engineers. Each of these young graduates has high hopes of making it big in the maritime field by becoming a first-rate seafarer someday.

With their newly attained knowledge and training, these officers embark on-board ships with reputed shipping companies, work for a few years, and attempt to upgrade their ranks. However, in spite of highly lucrative job offers, adventurous working environment, and a “globetrotting” lifestyle, most of these seafarers suddenly decide to quit their ship jobs by accepting opportunities onshore. This trend is on the rise and is now being seen in several countries around the world.

seafarer
Representation Image – Credits: depositphotos.com

As the number of seafarer quitting the industry increases every year, we ponder, what is it that propels them to quit such a respectable and lucrative career after sailing for a few years?  Though some of the reasons we found out are common and obvious, there are a few new and surprising ones as well.

After doing a survey which involved a number of sea-going professionals who have already quit sea jobs or are planning to, we enumerated the following main reasons which bother seafarers today.

Note : Kindly note that by no means we are trying to say that a career in maritime industry is not worth the efforts. In fact, we feel that a career in merchant navy is the best career opportunity one can get.

Main Reasons Seafarers Quit Sea Jobs

1. Unsettled Lifestyle

This is the most common and obvious reason as these days more seafarers want “settled” jobs on shore. At the start of the career, a seafarer would not mind having a “nomadic” kind of lifestyle, but after certain years, especially post marriage, he longs for a more stable lifestyle, especially with his family. This is definitely not a new reason behind seafarers quitting sea jobs, but it is still one of the prime reasons for professional dissatisfaction.

2. Hectic Life

One cannot deny the fact that life on board ships has become extremely hectic. With more stringent maritime regulations coming up each year, life as a seafarer has become increasingly hectic, laborious, and monotonous. Increase in paperwork, advanced training guidelines, new codes, and rigorous safety and environmental laws have made the lives of seafarers extremely hectic on board ships. Moreover, many seafarers have also stated poor management of manpower on board ships as a reason for increase in work load. Needless to say, the already hectic life on ships is becoming even more hectic every year.

3. Onboard politics

No matter how hard you try to stay away from professional or personal politics on board ships, it will get to you sooner or later. Politics and conflicts on ships not only make it difficult to work but also to socialize within the already small group of people on board. Moreover, there is a very thin line between professional and personal life on ships. This makes it even more difficult to avoid as well as deal with politics or conflicts arising as a result of differences in opinions. One needs great determination, patience, and skills to deal with difficult people on board ships, especially after having professional/personal arguments.

4. Lack of Social Life

Almost everyone who joins ships is brought up in a social environment since birth. When such people are suddenly exposed to confined spaces of ships with almost negligible social life, negative effects such as frustration, loneliness, and homesickness start taking a toll on them. Initially the life on ship might not seem bad, but as time passes, a sense of emptiness starts creeping in. Lack of interaction with people and limitations on physical movement make life more miserable on board. It takes a lot of courage and mental steadiness to keep a calm and focused mind on ship. Many seafarers eventually quit because of this reason.

5. Away from the Family

Though most of the seafarers can digest the fact of staying away from friends for few months when sailing, parting away from the family for months together is what tear their hearts apart. Some might have just started their married life while others would have recently experienced parenthood, missing those precious moments with their loved ones for whom they care the most, is what hurts seafarers to the core. No seafarer wants to miss spending time with his wife or see his son or daughter grow old without him being around. It is then that seafarers realize the importance of “family life” and “loved ones”. The pain of staying away for months is also one of the main reasons seafarers quit sea jobs.

6. Personal/ Family Problems

One cannot stay focused at work when bothered by family or personal issues. Seafarers often face this problem when they leave their family problems at shore. However, not able to attend to the personal problem and its impeding negative effects on the family, induces a constant state of worry which reduces the ability to focus on one’s duties. It’s extremely difficult to work when you are physically on the ship but mentally back at home. Moreover, what hurts more to seafarers is the inability to attend to any emergency situation or incident in their family back home. Such situations lead to extreme frustration, anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress among seafarers. Many seafarers have quit sailing because of this reason.

7. Rise in Maritime Piracy

Though several steps have been taken lately to fight piracy at sea, incidents involving pirate attacks and high-jacking of ship’s crew occur almost every month. The threat of piracy attacks is ever increasing and seafarers are obviously scared in spite of availability of weapons to fight them. No one wants to risk their lives or put themselves in danger by sailing on ships which ply in piracy affected areas. The fear of pirates is also stated as one of the many reasons by seafarers for leaving ship jobs.

8. Health Issues

Sailing on ships requires meeting stringent medical and health requirements. As strict as the rules to be meet before joining the ship are, it’s an irony that life on board ship is not even close to healthy. Erratic sleeping schedule, excessive working stress, unfriendly environment, unavailability of fresh food, and inadequate medical facilities drastically affect seafarers’ health. Moreover several seafarers also have to quit sailing once they are diagnosed with conditions which might require immediate attention in times of medical emergency. Many also complain about the increasing difference between work and rest hours, in spite of laws demanding proper distribution of them.

9. Reducing shore leaves

One of the main reasons people join merchant navy is the lure to see the world. However, in the past few years there have been a sudden reduction in shore leaves that are being granted to the seafarers. With faster turnaround time of ships at ports and scheduled maintenance procedures, seafarers are not allowed to go out on ports. Also, many VLCCs and large capacity ships don’t even come to the port for discharging or loading, giving no chance to seafarers to refresh themselves away from the ship’s environment. Such consistent sailing with less or negligible opportunities for shore leaves have frustrated several seafarers who have eventually quit sailing.

10. Lack of Shore Jobs

This cause might sound a bit contradictory, but this is also one of the main reasons why seafarers quit the field early in their career. Though most maritime institutes and experts promise adequate on-shore opportunities for seafarers, those wanting to shift to shore find it difficult to get a worthy job. Most of the companies ask for good amount of experience at sea, in order to get a job in their on shore office. Moreover for a good managerial position on shore, either one has to do an MBA or take up some equivalent courses. Seafarers find it difficult to get back to studies after certain point of time, especially when they are bound by family responsibilities. Many seafarers are now able to foresee this and thus change their course very early in their career. However, compromising on the salary is one thing they have to accept sooner or later.

11. Reducing crew members

With the financial crisis looming over the industry, shipping companies are utilizing every technique possible to cut back expenses and overhead costs. In an attempt to do so, the number of crew members on ships is being reduced to compensate the necessary expenses. As a result, mariners are experiencing substantial increase in work load, without any increase in remuneration. This trend has been seen almost across all shipping companies around the world. The higher demand of work load with same or negligible increase in payment is also making several seafarers quit sea jobs.

12. Stringent Maritime Laws

Stringent maritime laws have made lives of maritime professionals difficult, especially for those at the management level. Many seafarers in the past have been imprisoned, heavily fined, and suspended as a result of such laws. Officers at the management level are the ones who often bear the brunt of these laws and are therefore constantly at stress while sailing. This has been one of the main reasons for the acute dearth of maritime professionals at the managerial level.

Apart from the above mentioned reasons, seafarers have stated several other factors which force them to quit sailing. However, the above mentioned ones are the most commonly stated ones by professionals across all ranks.

Are there any other reasons which make seafarers lose interest in sea jobs? Let us know.

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About Author

Raunek Kantharia is a marine engineer turned maritime writer and entrepreneur. After a brief stint at the sea, he founded Marine Insight in 2010. Apart from managing Marine Insight, he also writes for a number of maritime magazines and websites.

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42 Comments

  1. Hi.I’m Anthony from Mumbai.I have completed my B.E. in Information Technology last year from Xavier Institute of Engineering,Mahim.I would like to know if I’m eligible to join the Merchant Navy.From what I have researched,only mechanical and marine engineers are eligible to appear for pre-sea training courses.Please help.Cheers.

  2. Hi my name is Deepanshu i would like to that am i eligible to join marine becouse i got 56% in 12th science maths or not than pls assist me that which type of course or diploma i can do in this filed….recently i am doing bca 3yer

  3. After reading the report and discussion on the Different Frustration of SeaFarer’s, would you still pursue your ambition to become a seafarer in the future? Why?

  4. A seafarer’s life isn’t different from that of a ‘slave’, he is exploited by his employer. Today’s seafarer is helpless because the flag registry of the ship on which he serves is currupt.

  5. Sir,
    I am completed diploma in mechanical engineering & I have two years of experience in automobile industry I have interested to join merchant navy is it better for me or I stay in automobiles industry please give me suggestions

  6. Good afternoon sir
    Presently am doing GME course in TS Rahman mumbai. Whether I will get job o not after completion of GME course.
    Whether placement companies check engineering results or GME course results
    Please response me sooonly am planning to quit the course if I dont have job opportunity

  7. Sir ,
    I am marine engineer and sailed on the ship for one contract i want to quit my job because I am pure vegeterian and i do not want to get involve in unavoidable fishing (killing of fish) i.e. fishes trapping inside sea chest and strainer and dying. Where i can get advise for this question ?

  8. I am deck cadet going to ship for 1st time…as I have got my job after 2 year of completion of my academic ,so in midway between the 2 year I started preparing for upsc examination and now my full focus is on that thing is it possible to prepare to study there for at least 6 hrs a day

  9. I enjoy “Messing about on boats” and I always saw a career in Marine Engineering as something I could settle in to, especially with the existence of sophisticated Command and Control circuitry. Instead, I had a long and rewarding career in Railway Signalling. I spent much of my career on my own where you avoid contact with others and hence miss out on negative interaction with others. Given today’s World financial status and the cost of ever increasing legislation in both safety and environment the pressures that are brought to bear on Marine Engineers must be increasing dramatically. This would not be a good recipe for a long and stable Marine career and I am pleased that I am not looking for an assignment. It won’t, however, stop me enjoying “Messing about on boats”.

  10. I think a big reason for Seafarers quitting sailing has been omitted. Pay and Benefits. I graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 2001 and I was making less as a new hire 3A/E was make in the early 1980s. Merchant sailors used to sail for 20 years and retire easily with their homes paid for and a nice retirement to live off. This was compensation for the sacrifice of time away from family and the physical toll the lifestyle takes on the body. The way wages and benefits have been cut and slashed, you can no longer retire after 20 years and it is hard to rationalize the time away if you have to work into your 60 anyway. The salary separation between shore based work and commercial shipping used to be so large that many people would go for the money. Now, in many instances, the gap in salaries is so close that people value time with their loved ones over a few thousand dollars!

  11. Hello sir.,
    I am Ilesanmi paul temitope from Nigeria. I studied Marine Engineering in a college in nigeria. I need placement onboard sea going vessel for my mandatory CADETSHIP in engine department.
    Thanks sir.

  12. I am a marine engineer who served a full 30 year sea-going career at sea. Was apprenticed in a naval dackyard and by the time I reached 28 years I gained my Class 1 certificate as Chief Engineer serving on LNG and Crude Oil tankers. I have no regrets and wish I was younger to go back to sea. We did not have certain commodities and the proper tooling and equipment there is on board ships of today. Admittedly the only problem is certain boredom but one has to accept it. I enjoyed every minute of it and wish I had the chance to go back. When I came ashore I spent 14 years carrying out Port State Control inspections and found out how many anomalies exist from improper crewing, language communication between crews, misunderstanding and crews who are not familiar enough with the operation of ships and their equipment. My time on board ranging from contracts of 10 to 12 months on board. However I had the opportunity to take my wife on board when it was feasible, now it is difficult for a number of reasons. Rules and regulations including certain unnecessary paperwork overloads the seafarers and lack of leadership and maintenance work on board makes also life difficult for many indeed. To attract the proper seafarer for a career at sea, one has got to receive the proper training whereby the individual has start with the understanding of integrating and adjusting himself to the shipboard environment from his cadetship onwards. I wish I could write more but a sefarers life is either you are fit for it or not.

  13. Hi Raunak. Nice article.

    My husband’s a captain on VLCCs with KOTC. I’ve sailed with him through the late eighties and early nineties and have enough sea-time to be second mate, or so my husband says 🙂 It was fun because we went to interesting ports, had lots of shore leave in every port and wonderful camaraderie on board. There was a smoke-room where we all watched movies together after dinner. Sailing out of port meant people could sit back and have a couple of drinks, which began to be questioned after Exxon Valdez.

    I remember dry dock was great fun. After work everybody would take the ferry to LIsbon (from Lisnave) and stay till the last ferry was to leave. The port guys arranged road trips to places of tourist interest over weekends. They even gave us tickets for a bullfight!

    My husband and I have talked about each of your 12 points at some point in time over the past thirty years. Admittedly, there is more paper work and no radio officer on many ships, and no social life as people bring their favourite shows in their laptops and watch them in isolation in their cabins. You can do all the socialising you want during the months you’re home, even if you can’t get a limited social life going on the ship; usually you can find one or two people you gel with, regardless of where you work, despite the ubiquitous politics present in our workplaces. Re #1, it need not be an unsettled life if you work for a company that gives you 3 on, 3 off. You can stay in touch with family using just a good cell phone, plus skype, and your wife or parents can manage most exigencies. All the software engineers who live and work here (Bangalore) don’t seem to see their families much either!

    Last thing: you can manage your food and exercise if you have the will.

    Sailing, either as captain or as chief engineer, is a better job than many others. Actually, it’s a good job. I can see why my husband loves his job even though he grumbles about it now and then.

  14. I am graduate in marine Engineering from Nigerian Naval College of Engineering and also I graduated from petroleum Training Institute Warri Delta State Nigeria. I need offshore employement

  15. What r the jobs we can apply after leaving sealife related to marine only ?? Why the BSc nautical degree is not considered for other jobs?

  16. Another thing at least from the US side of the maritime industry is the fact that some American Officers have this mistaken belief that the laws somehow do not apply to them and thus act like power mad tyrants while on board. Obviously this will have an effect on junior officers and unlicensed crew, and thankfully is not common(although many cadets have told me in the past few years that their own instructors are trying to tell them that they are God while on a ship).

    Another thing is the fact that many companies don’t like to give fair pay for the work being done, although in hindsight that’s more of the unionized parts of the industry, which may or may not reflect on the non union parts in regards to pay vs work performed.

    There’s many different reasons for both the officers and unlicensed crew to leave the industry in general but as a current AB in the US Merchant Marine I would say the twelve listed reasons are probably the most universal ones that apply to both licensed officers and unlicensed crew.

    Very good article. And I would also agree with the author – do not let this article push you away from a maritime career. It is a very good opportunity for most people and while it is not an easy career path it can be rewarding in many ways.

  17. Many a port have suspended totally , the concept of “shore leave” in the name of “security”. After days n weeks of sailing at sea it is most distressing for a sraman to be along side but not allowed to step ashore and sail back to sea again on few weeks voyage.

  18. Do you know food allowance for Ship’s crew is 7 to 8 usd per day since last 7 to 8 year… do you know if someone tells ship owner of you don’t have accommodation at all then wind resistance will be less resulting in fuel saving and the owner will immediatelyrics decide to do away with accommodation from new builds..Do you know in a regressive step many companies have increased contract duration for seniors sighting bad market.. do you now bright students and metro city boys take seafaring as a last career choice. Do you know in almost all shipsychology gymnasium is a dark small suez crew cabin… do you know after 25 years at sea a Master or chief engineer has to travel in economy class for 18 hours to join ship. Do you know after 24 Hours economy class travel if owner had to keep a Master in hotel for 1 day while waiting for embarking ship.. at a rate of usd50 for a room in china manning department considers it as wasteful expenditure. Do you know most companies have a manning department without a single seafare. There are many more reasons why experienced seafarers do not like to continue and take this as an alternative means of earning.. above all do you know most of these celebration of marine day and seafarers day are only enjoyed by shore staff and parasites for drinking partying and gettogether with poor seafarer setting in the back seat listing to the stupid speeches…

  19. hello dear seafarers.
    nowadays working on board is very difficult. there are 112 reasons to leave the sea but anything is better than “looking for hungry family”,that’s why shipowners dont care (actually) about seamens life on board the ship.

  20. Excellent article and is exactly what is happening on board.I am a second engineer who left sailing due to the above mentioned reasons, to be more specific due to the points 2 and 3. Poor management of work force results in overloading of few and relaxation for the rest.It is easy to work on board a ship but difficult to survive from internal politics . Moreover shipping companies (management companies) are considering seamen as slaves with no respect to his dignity and values.

  21. I too agree with Anil. A very important factor is missing on ship – Human rights at sea

  22. Dealing with a crooked union that steals from its members forcing to work for low wages, pension and vacation. It’s not worth going to sea anymore to many rules and regulations also they don’t care about our safety nothing was done for the El Faro victims people died and the families had to settle for peanuts. It’s a horrible job

  23. Hello Anish ,
    Could you please tell me the requirements and how to apply for jobs in Cruise or passenger ships?
    Thanks in advance.!

  24. Another major reason is that promotions have slowed down drastically through the years. Earlier you could be a captain at 28 to 30. Now people wait till 40 to get command. Old codgers paying for their grandchildrens foreign university fees keep sailing like leeches and refuse to make way for the younger generation. That is a fact. Most seamen of the past have kids who can’t stand up om their own two feet and need daddy all the time. I have sailed with masters and chief engineer over 65 paying for their grandchildrens university fees as their own parents are happy go lucky parasites.

  25. I find the above article by Raunek Kathuria extremely relevant to the Mariners who have quit sailing or are planning to do so. I can very much co-relate each and every single line to myself, that Kathuria has written. I must say that the writer has deep insight into the professional and personal psyche of a mariner. I had quit sailing in 2010 when I was sailing as Third Engineer and have been struggling to find a decent break on shore but I hardly see any good opportunity for a Marine Engineer on shore. My humble request to my Mariner friends is that if anybody can help in getting a shore job, may please help and my sincere advise to those who think of quitting sea career is that be doubly sure if you can find a shore job else do not quit sailing….Thats the best career…no matter how hard it might feel….

  26. MARITIME UNIONS WILL BE GONE SINCE MOST SHIPS WILL BE UN MANNED BY 2020>> THATS THE END OF MERCHANT MARINES WORLD WIDE

    IF AMERICA SEZ NO THE COMPANIES WILL LEAVE AND SHIP THE GOODS THROUGH CANADA SEE YOU TUBE ROLLS ROYCE FUTURE SHIP SHORE SIDE CONTROL CENTER.

    MIKE SACCO IS ON HIS WAY OUT AT SEAFARERS LIKE HIM SIU WILL BE NO MORE DOWN SIZED UN MANNED SHIPS cant wait to see mmp and meba go down the kan with the siu!! nwo new world order

  27. @Tick: That is a wild prediction. Most of the ships will not run under Automation (assuming by unmanned you mean the same). It will take time to get such ships to dominate the shipping sector.

  28. hi

    about outomated ships – one that is far from the industry might think that a ship can be operated from afar.
    maybe the 1st outomated ship will sail by 2020 BUT the regular ships will stay for meny years to com.

    in my opinion a full outomated ship\fleet will need much better and cheeper saterlight comunication then is curently available on the market.

    today’s ships (atleast the few that i was to) have poor but yet expensive comunications with the shore.
    sending a medume size file is nearly imposible (say 5mb), even after squizing and shrinking to minimum…

    if all the data that is generated on board -‘lookuot’ by video,radar picture, and handrets of other sensors and controls will be transmited via saterlight – i think it will be easyer to keep the crew onboard.

    not only that, but the sea is a very un-frenly enviroment for electronics , storms ,specialy if for few days as in ocean crossing -can produce vaiolent rolling that will rock any loos mooving part that wasent properly secured – and if left un atended for days or weeks it will brake or be damaged for shure.

    afcuores the salty water , salty sea sprey in the air, and extrime and rapid tempeture shifts -sailing from camada/n.europe to suez-canal and panama in the tropics for example… will have there toll as well.

    *****

    most peple in the developed world are now used to have instant and nearly free comunication – that alows to keep in tuch with family and frends and provide entertainment as well.

    on the ships that i sailed on it was imposible to get a personal e-mail letter(!). calling home by saterlight phone was extrimly expensive(1usd per minut), and extreamly dificult due to voice dely, bad signal, lack of privecy – phone is maunted on the navigation bridge etc’.
    (comparing to the normal onshore standarts that is taken for granted for most every day peple)

    i sinsirly beleave that having a 24/7 free wi-fi on board will have big positive impact on seaferes life.

    all passanger’s vessels have internet available (atleast for some extent) becous NO SAINE PERSON will putup with beeing complitly cut off from family, frends, news, facebook, youtube, google and civilization in general….

    in curent times seafers call home/wife etc about once to twice a week, and even then only for short “i’m ok” type conversation. – by 2018 standarts – when we all used to cheep and available comunications at ALL TIMES the ships have ALOT to catch up with the rest of the world.

  29. I appreciate your research result ,which pointed out the major reasons why seafarers quit life at sea . I quit after 6 years in Maritime profession ,when I was Second Officer.

    I agree with the reasons you pointed out .When it comes to my particular reasons to quit Unsettled Lifestyle,Hectic Life,Onboard politics and Lack of Social Life are major ones . I enjoyed the adventure , nature and visiting a number of Asian countries .

    I feel that the Human rights knowledge and accountable is very poor onboard the ships. External legal and Civil rights protection should be strong ,otherwise the Capitalist ship owners will keep exploiting seafarers.
    We all have to come up together for improvement of seafarers life at sea.

  30. Hi,

    I am a master mariner who quit sailing after 18 years of command and now a retired life.

    Life at sea is tough these days, not only because of perils that normally are at sea but also because of shore staff who just mess around to gain some points or bonus … Such one’s are mostly those who left sea prior completing 10 years (gross) of command or 10 years sailing as a CE. These are the ones who mostly are the problem makers for sailors as per my experiences… Those who have sailed beyond 10 years in command or as ce, are the better ones that I could rely on for advice in need.

    But just follow the following as a captain and chief engineer … I write this basis my experiences at sea and hope it helps my fellow sailors (captain and chief engineers and all others) ….

    01 … Irrespective of commercial or operational pressures, crew always first.

    02 … Navigation is an art, do it slowly.

    03 … Ce runs the ship, Capt is the silent witness (I mean Atman) … If you follow this, then no deck engine problems ever.

    04 … There cannot be two captains on board … ship will get totally messed up if this is not complied … Maritime Law only says, “Master and his crew”.

    05 … Never be shy to use your authority, and if you are afraid, then step down from rank.

    06 … Following must never be short or delayed or denied … remittances, sign off, aircon, food, water … Just keep these 5 minimum things right, you would have very few complaints from crew.

    07 … All stores are ship stores … Just follow this and there shall be no interdepartmental problems.

    08 … Never trust people ashore and definitely not on phone or WhatsApp. Email back up for telecom is most important. I know of people who got fired after following a superintendent’s phone call and that too without an email backup.

    09 … The worst ones ashore are the pilots … You even pay for their mistakes.

    10 … Unless the shipboard team is a cohesive one, the ship is always in peril … make sure this never misses out.

    11 … Never fail to take advices from anyone, however the choice of following those is your own prerogative … Sometimes even a deck cadet or a TME can give very fantastic ideas.

    12 … it’s very lonely on the top, especially in problems … ship is of others until everything is running fine, but when a serious problems arises, the ship always returns back to her master .

    13 … break stress of staff with regular parties … a happy staff is the cause of a good running ship.

    14 … CE and master are best friends … When this happens, all unnecessary problems stay at bay.

    15 … Never go ashore with an anchor intact in the bows.

    16 … Never kiss another with an anchor intact in your bows.

    17 … Never accept blame for damaging anything because you have no training for damaging ship or machinery. Tell those bastards to train you how to damage a ship, prior blaming you.

    18 … People sitting ashore are incapable of running your ship … So don’t expect much from them if a serious problem happens. In a real problem,They will all be looking at you like penguins look at the sky for answers.

    19 … Medivac is free for you … Just remember this and never shy away in calling a MRCC if needed to medivac a sick crew. With this a very precious life can be saved.

    20 … don’t try to be a bloody hero … Never force ice, never force weather and never force crew.

    21 … 100 good jobs have no value, after just 1 bad one …

    22 … Sailors never shy away from work, until they are fingered badly.

    23 … Once in a while and if you can afford … Have the deck cadet in engine room during major maintenance so he knows all his life, that life is not easy there … And have the TME on bridge in critical navigation, so he also knows that Life is pretty tough there. This will help them when they rise to master and ce and they would have more understanding of the problems of the other department.

    24 … If you have to go to heaven, then you have to die … there is no other way to go to heaven … Thus if you have a tough sea life, better you are placed professionally when you become master and ce. So accept problems as launch pads for a future glorious career, because no ship is a cake walk.

    25 … Never shy away in asking if in doubt, nobody is disrespected for this reason.

    26 … Every navigation operation is different, there are no fixed rules of ship handling as you work in a very dynamic environment. Only thing that is constant in nature, is her eternal change, which makes the navigation environment a very dynamic one.

    27 … There is no harm in saying “I am sorry” … Humans who do not make mistakes, would only be God’s.

    28 … Knowing your scope of authority is as important as acknowledging your limitation of authority.

    29. Ship is the safest lifeboat, keep her safe always because she is the best hope.

    30. Don’t bother about what shore people think about you because you don’t need their votes … You are a professional, be such.

    31. Ships are like beautiful ladies, Just keep her neat and tidy prior arrival port.

    32. Fools walk into storms, wise sailors always keep at least 200 nautical miles off.

    33 . Capt, CE, C.off, e.off, Bosun, cook, fitter have no departments, they are of the ship.

    34 … That Capt who does not take care of machinery, is not a real Capt… That CE who does not take care of deck, is not a real ce. Keep such nincumpoops in check.

    35. An excellent sailor, is always arrogant and with a lot of professional pride. This is an absolute fact about sea.

    36. Sailors never complain until the water reaches their nose height, so ever complaint is an important one.

    37. Not knowing the law is no excuse. No job is complete without completion of paperwork.

    38. . I lost two course mates to sea … Both because of stress … one died during navigation … another died in engine room workshop. Plus my own OOW collapsed on bridge once (He called me in emergency at night, and by the time I reached in about 2-3 minutes that it took to rush to the bridge, the OOW was already collapsed near the radar … it took some time to revive him) … So I always told everyone so they can beat stresses of the job … If it is beyond your control, pass the stress to those who are paid to handle it, let them also do some bloody job.

    39 … 90% inspections are passed in Capt office itself, provided the inspector does not find anything wrong from the gangway till capt office. Keep this area perfect in each inspection, everything else will fall in place provided capt can handle him well … If you cannot convince an inspector, divert him or confuse him.

    Lau

  31. Is it true that large whales , big fish are dying by ship strike and running propeller? I came across some website about this subject. Why IMO not bringing stringent rule for such issue? ( Like speed limit for ship, limit on propeller rpm and maritime organisation should do some research regarding this.)

  32. Totally agreed with the comments by Anil, V. Lau, Dinkar, and specifically with the thoughts of Sangram….

  33. Hi all…..can anyone tell me if it is possible to get employment or serve aboard a ship [any kind – cargo/passenger/cruise etc] without any experience please ? ……and if so,how a person goes about finding such employment ? — as a simple deck hand or porter or whatever the marine terminology happens to be…..hope somebody can answer this query…thanks.

  34. Every day, a small ant arrived at work early and starting work immediately, she produced a lot and she was happy. The boss, a lion, was surprised to see that the ant was working without supervision. He thought if the ant can produce so much without supervision, wouldn’t she produce more if she had a supervisor!

    So the lion recruited a cockroach who had extensive experience as a supervisor and who was famous for writing excellent reports. The cockroach’s first decision was to set up a clocking in attendance system. He also needed a secretary to help him write and type his reports. He recruited a spider who managed the archives and monitored all phone calls.

    The lion was delighted with the cockroach’s report and asked him to produce graphs to describe production rates and analyze trends so that he could use them for presentations at board meetings. So the cockroach had to buy a new computer and a laser printer and recruit a fly to manage the IT department. The ant, who had been once so productive and relaxed, hated this new plethora of paperwork and meetings which used up most of her time.

    The lion came to the conclusion that it was high time to nominate a person in charge of the department where the ant worked. The position was given to the cicada whose first decision was to buy a carpet and an ergonomic chair for his office. The new person in charge, the cicada, also needed a computer and a personal assistant, whom he had brought from his previous department to help him prepare a work and budget control strategic optimization plan.

    The department where the ant works is now a sad place, where nobody laughs anymore and everybody has become upset. It was at that time the cicada convinced the boss, the lion, to start a climatic study of the office environment. Having reviewed the charges of running the ant’s department, the lion found out that the production was much less than before so he recruited the owl, a prestigious and renowned consultant to carry out an audit and suggest solutions. The owl spent 3 months in the department and came out with an enormous report, in several volumes, that concluded that “The department is overstaffed.”

    Guess who the lion fired first?

    The ant of course “Because she showed lack of motivation and had a negative attitude.

    —————————————-

    Taken

  35. The reasons for increased
    numbers of seafarers quitting the jobs well explained and valid.
    No solution have been suggested. It should be better to provide the solutions as well in consultation with all concerned.

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