Some people say it's all about the money. And for me, it's about the money too, along with 98 other things why I love working on ships. So on one starry night, with a cold beer in my left hand and a few more bottles behind me, this idea popped into my head. I...
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OFW Hospital Adds More Services, Still For Free
The OFW Hospital is the country’s first hospital dedicated to Filipino migrant workers and their families now expands services while keeping its promise of free health care. This initiative came as a way of thanking our modern-day heroes, the OFWs, for their immense...
No More Quarantine Upon Arrival For Fully Vaccinated Travelers
Effective February 01, 2022, the Inter-Agency Task Force no longer requires mandatory quarantine for arriving seafarers, OFWs and other passengers. IATF Resolution No. 159 laid out new guidelines for entering travelers as long as they met certain...
Philippines Reigns as the Number One Provider of Seafarers
Philippines continue to dominate the world’s seafaring market in a recent joint study conducted by BIMCO and ICS. While the Russian Federation persists on the second spot, Indonesia, China and India respectively lands on the third, fourth and fifth place. Global...
Expectations When Joining Your Ship Despite Having the Vaccines
Coronavirus vaccines are now available in many countries especially in Europe and the US. In fact, they already started mass vaccination to flatten the daily rise of cases. Many countries are also slacking their quarantine measures as a means to restart the economy....
MARINA-approved Training Centers in Visayas and Mindanao
Training centers in Visayas and Mindanao regions prove to be helpful for seafarers since majority lives in provinces. However, there are only a few training centers in Manila which are able to build branches in those areas. This could be due to the fact that many...
Fighting Guns with Guns: Private Maritime Security Companies Protecting Vessels Against Piracy
Using the services of private maritime security companies became well considered during the height of pirate infestations in the year 2009 to 2011. Since vessels are vulnerable to boarding in the high seas, the use of armed guards were an option in preventing attacks....
Get Hired Using These Seaman Jobsites and Apps
Just this year, seaman jobsites quickly became the new normal for sea-based job applications. This was the kind of hiring process that I prefer ten years ago. Actually, I tried this approach few years back. I emailed 100+ local manning agencies hoping to get hired....
What is a Bosun? Duties, Career Path, & Salary on Merchant Ships
A Bosun is an unlicensed head of the Deck Rating Department. He is primarily responsible for various deck operations on board. Generally, his job is to keep the vessel’s hull in good condition. Although he’s in charge of deck maintenance, he is also under the...
The New POEA Eregistration Version 2 – Update for OFWs and Seafarers
Dubbed as eRegistration Version 2, POEA recently made a soft launch of their newest online platform for overseas workers. It replaces the old (well, not really) e-registration system we’re using. One of my reader commented on my previous “e-Registration how-to”...
How to Recover Your MARINA MISMO Account- Forgot Password, Email Address and SRN Number
If you're looking for solutions on how to recover your MARINA MISMO account, you've come to the right place! I had a friend who forgot his whole account information while on board. He was planning to re-validate his Certificates of Proficiency (COPs) and decided to...
Autonomous Ships Ready to Sail and May Soon Replace Seafarers
Major players in the maritime industry are developing autonomous ships. Because of the exponential growth of today's technology, these vessels will sail in the not too distant future. We already have autonomous cars and remote-controlled planes. Shipping industry will...
Best Watched At Sea: 60 Shooting Stars an Hour Perseid Meteor Shower
Meteor showers are one of the most fascinating objects to see on the night sky. These swift, beautiful, fiery fireballs are often difficult to encounter unless one has the patience to see them. I feel you. Just one distraction could cost a lifetime of remorse. It’s a...
Seafarers- Heroes in Need of Saving Part 1
Much have change since I started out my sailing career way back September 2009. A few months more and I’ll be 10 years in this industry. Yet a few years longer and I’ll leave this pelagic life to the next generation of young, ambitious seadogs. Seafaring is not my...
Learn From My Mistake: How I Failed My First US Visa Application as a Cadet
Seasoned seafarers know that having a C1/D US Visa is a huge plus on our employment. Most shipping agencies nowadays prefer to hire seafarers with Schengen Visa and US Visa. Both are very enticing to them especially the latter one. However, it is not always glorious...
You Might be Spending too Much! Choosing the Right Seaman’s Boarding House for Your Budget
Seamen from different provinces always stay in boarding houses or seaman’s dormitories. When it comes to choosing a boarding house, I always go for the amenities in relation to the rate they charge. Experience tells me that expensive doesn’t always mean the best, and...
A Seawoman Shares Her Dream of Becoming a Captain
Last February 2018, Seaman Memories had an exclusive online interview with Miss Hiroka. She is the first female Deck Officer in a Japanese Chemical Tanker ship. She told us how she conquered her profession which is dominated by men since the beginning of time. Like...
Why Do Captains Go Down With Their Ships When it Sinks
The axiom “Captain goes down with his ship” is an old maritime tradition in the seafaring world. Perhaps, the most famous act was made by Captain Edward J. Smith of the RMS Titanic which sank in 1912. The Captain holds the overall responsibility on a ship. His...
False Myths About Seafarers That People Actually Believe
There are false myths about seafarers that make them popular these days. Many people, especially the young ones, are attracted to this career. They perceive seafarers as wealthy, uncomplicated, cool and leading an easy-going life. This is one of the wrong belief they...
Seafarer’s Top Roaming SIM Cards For Internet, Calls and Texts
Seafarers nowadays demand frequent connection to their loved ones. The introduction of roaming SIM cards and WIFI internet made our world smaller and smaller as connectivity with our family becomes more accessible. Unfortunately, WIFI internet is not yet fully...
How to Join the NSA Philippines Scholarship Program
One of the most prestigious maritime scholarship in the Philippines or even abroad is the Norwegian Shipowners Association (NSA) Philippines Cadet Program famously known as the NSA Scholarship. If you want pursue a career at sea, applying for a scholarship is your...
Day of the Seafarer – A Tribute to All Seafarers Worldwide
Today is the Day of the Seafarer. It’s the day for all Seamen, Seafarers, Mariners, Sailors, Navigators and Sea Dogs. We are called with different names by different people. We travel and move the world to go forward. There are no such things as too dangerous, too...
Message from a Summa Cum Laude Graduate of BS Marine Transportation
We can be the best if we will give our best. I had the worst initial episodes of my life when my family had broken up when I was a child. It’s a misfortune but it had driven me to reciprocate my father's mistakes. At young age, I've seen and experienced how hard it is...
POEA Online Registration System to Replace SRC
POEA Online Registration System will replace the old Seafarer's Registration Certificate according to POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued guidelines on Online Registration Of Seafarers in compliance...
Ang Kwento ng Buhay ni Dudong Seaman
Everybody gets a chance to meet the sea during their lifetime. Oo, lahat ay may pagkakataong makapunta sa dagat, be it as someone who waddles in the beach for a vacation, isang pasahero ng barko, manlalakbay, sayantipiko, mangingisda at marino. But the person who...
Prohibited Items Not Allowed in the Airport When Signing on or Off
Natapos mo na lahat ng trainings mo. Nakapagbakasyon ka sa Puerto Princesa kasama ang buong pamilya. Nakadalo kapa sa graduation ng iyong anak at nakabili ng bagong sasakyan. Ngayon kelangan mo nang bumalik sa barko upang magtrabaho at kumita ulit. O di naman kaya,...