Maritime chaplain releases new book on seafarers’ challenges at sea

Maritime chaplain releases new book on seafarers’ challenges at sea
Yashika F. Torib December 24, 2025 " https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/12/24/business/maritime/maritime-chapla...

REVEREND Martin Otto, a German maritime chaplain and author of best-selling seafarer motivational books, has released a new e-book that tackles the wide range of issues and challenges facing sailors on the high seas.

The “Seafarer’s Mind” is a hard-hitting account that unpacks the realities of a modern version of indentured labor at sea.

These challenges are addressed by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Anti-Slavery International as a “continuum of exploitation” through modern slavery in shipping.

ILO indicators of forced labor include restriction of movement, isolation, excessive overtime, abuse of vulnerability, deception, physical and sexual violence, intimidation and threats, retention of identity documents, withholding of wages, debt bondage, and abusive working and living conditions.

Otto’s book serves as a practical guide to living in isolating and confined situations and provides hope in the often-harsh world of seafaring.

“This is the first book that I have read which provides an introspective look at what goes on in the mind of a seafarer, something many other books ignore or gloss over. Through first-hand accounts, it dissects the effect of separation from his/her family, spouse or children: the doubt, fear, confusion, and loneliness that comes with the job. It unashamedly raises questions about legacy, parenting and faith. These are the realities of the vocation and correctly need to be explored, together with the good and the glorious,” says Jose Ramon Garcia, president of Ventis Maritime Corp.

“Otto has written a genuinely important book about an aspect of a sailor`s life not normally discussed. It is a book that looks at the seafarer as a ‘complete’ person, both human and spiritual. This literary work will help many sailors navigate a safe and successful passage for their careers and their family,” he added.

The book was endorsed by international maritime personal and several Filipino maritime leaders such as Commodore Joel Abutal, superintendent of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and Rear Admiral Samuel Felix PN (ret), head of the office of cadet affairs of MOL-Magsaysay Maritime Academy.

Print copies of the “Seafarer’s Mind” will be released on the first quarter of 2026 and shall be made available to seafarers worldwide.

Otto is maritime chaplain and director of training of the Seamen’s Christian Friend Society (SCFC). His passion for seafarers started when he worked for a shipping agency in Hamburg and saw the hard work of seafarers. Later, when he left the company, he studied theology in Switzerland and the United States and eventually returned to sea to help uplift the souls of these seaborne professionals.