Ambassador Carlos Salinas: Seafarers share their journey

Seafarers share their journey
Ambassador Carlos Salinas July 13, 2022 https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/07/13/business/maritime/seafarers-share...

THE International Day of the Seafarer was commemorated on the 25th of June, for the 12th time since it was launched in 2011.

The annual event aims to draw public attention to the contribution of seafarers to the global community. This year's theme is "Your voyage — then and now. Share your journey."

In the spirit of this year's theme, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim shared his seafaring career path:

"My maritime journey has enriched my life. It allowed me to gain skills as a seafarer on ships and then apply that knowledge and experience ashore. My journey took me from serving as a cadet at the Korean Maritime Academy to studying at the World Maritime University.

"I served in the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in the Republic of Korea and represented my country as a delegate at IMO meetings. Then on to the Port of Busan Authority, where I was its president, before arriving at my current role as secretary-general."

In the same message, the secretary-general encouraged seafarers to share their journeys by posting then-and-now photos on the IMO Website's Day of the Seafarer 2022 album. "This noble profession is something that I hold close to my heart," he said, "and for many of us, our voyages are the start of a lifelong maritime journey. Each seafarer's journey is unique, yet many of the challenges and opportunities are shared."

And indeed, seafarers happily obliged by posting their photos depicting their positions when they started their careers, and where they are now.

It is gratifying to see our seafarers' advancement through their photographs, and how they have evolved to second officer, from cadet to third officer, from engine cadet to chief engineer, from deck cadet to bridge officer, from junior officer to captain, from midshipman to chief engineer, from trainee engineer to marine engineer officer, to name only a few.

These visual stories are testaments to how far commitment and focus can take you.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, president of World Maritime University, expressed her thoughts and reflections on the occasion in her video message:

"With over 80 percent of world trade served by shipping, our quality of life is directly dependent on seafarers for our daily needs from food and fuel to medicines and commodities. Seafarers have faced, and continue to face, extraordinary challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On this day, we recognize, and thank seafarers for their dedication and commitment to ensuring that world trade has continued to function as smoothly as possible despite the many challenges they have faced."

Seeing the importance of seafarers in our lives, we are happy to know that among our senators' priority bills filed under the new administration will benefit our seafarers when enacted into law. Sen. Joel Emmanuel Villanueva has filed the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, which protects the rights of our seafarers to just employment terms, decent working conditions, and dignified living environments, among others. Senator Loren Legarda, on the other hand, has filed the Overseas Filipino Workers Remittance Protection Act of 2022.

Amid the focus on measures to enhance the lives of our seafarers, WMU President Doumbia-Henry has reminded us that we are still in the grip of Covid-19.

Let me add to that the looming climate crisis, which is damaging our environment, including our oceans. We owe it to the next generations to face these challenges squarely, because as French president Emmanuel Macron said, "By polluting the oceans, not mitigating CO2 emissions and destroying our biodiversity, we are killing our planet. Let us face it, there is no planet B."