Ever wished you could travel to places like Brazil, Finland and Kenya as part of your job? These are actually common ports of call for maritime officers like Mr Tan Chin Woo and Ms Norhayati Harun who ply the ocean routes to connect tight knit supply chains in the global economy.
Working on vessels like oil tankers and container vessels, these seafarers ensure that the world enjoys a steady supply of food, energy and goods, from furniture to the latest smartphone. Here, they share insights on their job and why it is a fulfilling one.
Accidental seafarer who enjoys the peace at sea
As a younger man, Mr Tan Chin Woo had tried his hand at different career tracks. He was an administrative executive at an interior design firm before running operations at an events company. At one point, he was even training to become an air traffic control officer.
However, as he neared the end of his 20s, Mr Tan wanted to enter a profession with deeper expertise and a structured career progression. A “fortunate accident” led him to a new career track when he visited a maritime job fair.
“I was walking around, and went to queue at a booth that was giving out free churros. Next to the booth, the Wavelink Maritime Institute (WMI) had an exhibit about a seafaring career. So that was how I found out about this opportunity,” laughs Mr Tan.
Several factors cemented Mr Tan’s decision to become a seafarer. The WMI booth explained how the maritime industry offered robust training and an attractive salary scale for seagoing officers. It also helped that he had been a National Cadet Corps (Sea) cadet in his school days, and had some experience with sailing and seamanship.
After less than three years as a cadet at WMI under the Tripartite Maritime Training Awards (TMTA) programme, Mr Tan obtained a Certificate of Competency (CoC) Class 3 and is now a third officer. His chief responsibilities are keeping the ship, her cargo and crew safe during her voyage around the world. When on watch, he navigates the ship and ensures the cargo is properly secured. He also ensures the shipboard equipment is well-maintained.
It is an unconventional job with some unique perks. “I can wake up 10 minutes before my shift, brush my teeth, wash my face and go on watch,” shares Mr Tan.
The job has also helped him to save money. Because he can sail for up to six months at a time, “there is no avenue to spend my salary”, says Mr Tan. “It’s quite satisfying to see the money grow in my bank account after each month.”
However, there are also some downsides to a seafaring life. Since he is posted to an assignment for months at a time, it often means forgoing some milestones in the life of loved ones, such as birthdays and anniversaries. Such is the professionalism of seafarers who must give up their personal time to be at sea for the duration of the planned voyage.
Mr Tan does enjoy his downtime during the months in between sailing assignments. This gives him the flexibility to go on longer holidays and plan major life events like purchasing a house or getting married.
In the future, Mr Tan intends to further his training and obtain a CoC Class 1, which would qualify him to be a captain of a ship. But he also acknowledges that after that, he may transition into a job ashore to meet his life goals to get married and have kids.
But in the meantime, Mr Tan is enjoying his time at sea. “There are days when we are crossing the Indian Ocean and you don’t see another ship for a hundred miles. It’s really peaceful out there.”
Female engineer who is not afraid to speak up
Family played a big role in inspiring Ms Norhayati Harun. Her cousin was a naval architect in a shipyard and her stories appealed to Ms Norhayati’s problem-solving personality and interest in engineering. “They inspired me to take up a not so conventional career path,” she says.
Now, Ms Norhayati works as a fourth engineer when she is contracted to sail. Her duties include taking care of diverse equipment required to run a modern merchant ship, including the fuel systems, the pumps, the air compressors, the ballast tanks, the fresh water generator and even the sewage systems.
The engineering team “ensures that the machinery is running as it should”, says Ms Norhayati, who has been a seafarer for seven years since 2017. Without marine engineers like Ms Norhayati, the crew would not have clean water and fresh air.
Furthermore, without engineers’ maintenance, the ships would literally be dead in the water. “In a way, I’d like to think that my job contributes to the timely delivery of goods worldwide, ensuring the good health of international supply chains,” says Ms Norhayati.
Following her marine engineering studies at the Institute of Technical Education, Ms Norhayati applied for the TMTA programme, where she trained as a professional seafarer and obtained her Certificate of Competency (CoC) Class 5.
“My time under the TMTA programme has allowed me to be a more confident, patient and competent engineer,” notes Ms Norhayati.
As a woman, Ms Norhayati cuts a striking figure aboard, in a working environment that is still mostly male-dominated. “Often, I am the only female seafarer onboard,” confirms Ms Norhayati.
That has not prevented Ms Norhayati from doing her job well, by being patient and working hard to prove herself. She is also not afraid to speak up for herself and voice her concerns.
“I establish boundaries from the get-go. If I feel like the situation has gone beyond my limits, I will notify the management.” Her company takes harassment seriously and the shipping industry has also moved to hire more women and highlight their contributions.
Despite the challenges, Ms Norhayati has found her sailing career rewarding. The biggest motivation for her is “the ability to provide for my family,” she says. When she has a tough day at work, she can video call her loved ones and enjoy a “boost of motivation to carry on.”
There are even moments of awe and beauty. During shore leave, Ms Norhayati visited a safari in Mombasa, Kenya. “The big open landscape that many animals called home was breathtaking. The sight of elephants roaming freely, lions basking in the sun and giraffes gracefully moving across the plains was truly unforgettable.”
Ms Norhayati is now back ashore preparing for her CoC Class 2, which qualifies her to become a more senior engineer. Ultimately, Ms Norhayati has dreams to be the most senior engineer on board, the Chief Engineer.
But she is not ruling out the many shore opportunities for her, like a surveyor or inspector in a ship classification society, or in a shipyard like her cousin. “With seagoing experience, opportunities are abundant in both the private and public sector,” shares Ms Norhayati.
Source: The Straits Times