Life At Sea
Kurtis
Company: Shell Ship Management Limited (SSML)
College: Warsash Maritime Academy – Southampton Solent University
Position: 3rd Officer
Age: 22
Whilst in Sixth Form completing my A-levels everyone was encouraged to work hard so as to gain entry to University. I never planned on sixth form college let alone University and then there was the issue; what subject to take, and how would I fund it? I didn’t want a huge debt, and my family couldn’t support me.
I had no links to the merchant navy, and although I grew up in an area of such high naval activity (between Portsmouth and Southampton) I didn’t have the slightest idea of what the merchant navy was. Having participated in a lot of sailing in the Solent, I was acutely aware of the big ships and their overwhelming presence and their ability to squash me! However it never occurred to me that somebody is driving them and it may have travelled from the opposite corner of the world. I then learnt that the merchant navy offered the prospects of job security, career progression, and excitement.
While taking my A levels I found an advert in the careers office, it was from a shipping company that was recruiting for Deck Officers. The whole deal seemed very professional and the thought of travelling around the world for free, doing a job where no two days were the same appeared very exciting. I received confirmation from the company saying I had been offered a job; however this required me to go to a training establishment and get a degree whilst getting paid a salary. For the first time I wanted to go into higher education. I didn’t start the college course for four months so whilst working on a building site I saved money to fly to Australia, ended up having a mini gap year, and living the dream. The prospect of being paid essentially to go to University alongside the excitement for future prospective travels was the only thing that brought me home to the UK.
I trained in Warsash at the Maritime Academy and the course was divided into college phases and sea phases. I made many good friends during both phases and got to travel to places around the world that I’d never even dreamt of. There are many rules and regulations that must be complied with, and it takes a while to understand the reasoning behind why certain things are done in a certain way. This all has to be learnt in college and then put into practice when at sea; from this point of view I found the course satisfying as I was able to see why we were covering all these topics. The college phases are tough in a different way cause you live on low wages however compared to other students we were actually quite well off.
The hardest part of the job is the separation from loved ones but with tour lengths getting shorter and technology improving, it is now easier than ever to communicate with those at home. There are satellite phones, and internet access enabling the use of email, social network sites and video calls.
Another benefit of life at sea is the time available at home or on holiday, getting paid. There aren’t many careers that offer 6 months paid holiday a year, especially with the salaries that some companies now offer for senior officers. This career is one of great diversity, there are many options available. You can work at sea forever and rise to the rank of Master or Chief Engineer on a variety of vessels such as small supply vessels, Large VLCC’s, specialist ships, luxury cruise ships. If for whatever reason this isn’t for you there are plenty of opportunities to work ashore. Having met and seen people in high positions within the industry ashore, it’s inspiring and has given me motivation to push my career knowing that these jobs are achievable.
The lifestyle and environment you have when at sea, and the people you meet become good friends. For the months you’re together, these people become your family and working onboard becomes a lot easier if you embrace that concept. Due to international crews you essentially have family from all around the world, gaining greater insight into different cultures with different life priorities. The beauty of the Merchant Navy is that it is one of the oldest careers so naturally there is a huge sense of tradition and pride, when you qualify you wear your uniform, and the day you get your officers stripes, they should also be worn with pride as you’re carrying the heritage and you’re representing those who have worn the uniform before you.