Seeing through the smiles of seafarers

Seeing through the smiles of seafarers
Yashika F. Torib March 2, 2022 https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/03/02/business/maritime/seeing-through-...

STRONG. Stable. Cheerful. These are the typical images associated by the public with Filipino seafarers. Many believe that their happy disposition and physical strength at work are such that they could simply laugh off the rigors at sea and endure some more.

In the eyes of Matthias Ristau, however, the story of the Filipino seafarer is different from what is seen on the surface.

Ristau is a German pastor who was recently elected as the new secretary-general of the German Seamen's Mission or Deutsche Seemannsmission (DSM), evangelical pastoral care and social institution for seafarers.

He is responsible for managing a network of more than 700 full-time volunteer workers across the world.

"Filipino seafarers are always smiling. They maintain this façade of a strong, burly man and refuse to show any signs of weakness. But if you'll only take a closer look, you will see a different story. You will find it behind their smiles," he said in an interview with The Manila Times.

Ristau observed that a seafarer's mind is like a cauldron of worries, brimming with concerns at home, at work and for their health.

"They are under so much mental pressure and yet they do not talk about their problems, not even to their families. Some of them have concerns over their working conditions, others have problems with their colleagues, and then there are legal questions and worse, a few would get hospitalized in a foreign country. For all these cases, many of them would prefer to keep things under wraps rather than worry their families who, in turn, would call or write all of their family problems to the seafarer, which only adds up to their worries," Ristau shared.

The German pastor, for almost 10 years of providing pastoral care to seafarers of different nationalities, has learned to read between the lines and share the load of worries they carry with them.

His advocacy of upholding seafarers' rights and dignity, especially during difficult times, created a bridge of respite and trust between the church and the mariners.

"Even during the days when I am supposed to rest, I would immediately go to the port the moment I learn that there's a ship full of a crew that needs some help. We will bring food, warm clothing, sim cards, chocolates, their favorite chicharron or Lucky Me noodles wherever they may be in Hamburg, even if they are isolated in a hotel due to a Covid-19 infection. Some friends would sometimes laugh and wonder why I am hoarding so much Lucky Me noodles," he quipped.

"I understand the level of isolation seafarers undergo while working at sea. They are cut off from the world. Since the pandemic started, almost all of them were not allowed to have shore leave, thus, keeping them to work and live on the same floating metal box for years on end," he shared.

"Some people thought that seafarers on international ships were the ones responsible for the spread of the pandemic. This is nonsense. Seventy-five percent of the seafarers we have interviewed revealed that they are not allowed to leave the ship. Only the seafarers kept the world's supply chains running even through war-torn areas where aircraft wouldn't fly in. They are under so much stress and yet they hold the lines of logistics open for all of us."

It is through his deep sympathy to the unheard and unseen plights of the seafarers that made the pastor go out of his way to bring a taste of home at a time when seafarers cannot go home.

"Even during these times, I always see the Filipinos smiling. But given the chance to sit and talk, you could easily see the smiles waver as they open on worries that hound them, the most common of which is sheer homesickness. This is made worse by isolation at sea. They probably got so used to this situation that they opt not to talk about their problems anymore," he said.

Ristau's innate empathy for the feelings and needs of others was also what led him to be elected as the new secretary-general of DSM. He recently became publicly known for his work for more than 150 seafarers from the South Pacific island state of Kiribati, who were stuck in Hamburg for months due to the pandemic.

"Dignity, social justice and faith are the principles I stand for — principles that are inclusive, especially for those who are excluded by society, such as the indigents and women. I believe seafarers belong to these minorities as well.

"[When] we cannot solve their problems at our level, I refer them to the appropriate organizations, agencies or unions. There are times, though, when seafarers do not seek answers. They just need someone who will listen and have an open dialogue with them. This is a great deal more important for someone who's been isolated for a very long time. It is what we bring to them — a simple sense of home and respite from the harsh realities of the sea," he concluded.