The Joy and Perils of being a Seafarer

Shining a light on the lives of seafarers, joy and hardship of life at sea, dealing with death and negative emotions. Liz Lagniton, Philippine correspondent, interviews 37-year veteran Captain Manolo “Noli” Ebora.

Homesickness, loneliness, boredom, depression, sometimes piracy and harassment are among the perils and struggles seafarers have to endure every day for six to 10 months as they sail the high seas transporting important goods across the globe.

Like many Filipino seafarers, Manolo “Noli” Ebora, 56, knows full well the hardship of the sea after spending 37 years dealing with these realities since his first voyage in 1984.

As a cadet, Ebora first boarded a bulk carrier transporting goods from Asia to America and Europe and, on a daily basis, the young Ebora often worked 12 hours performing various duties, like maintenance of the deck and at different areas of the ship until his muscles ached.

“I was assisting the chief mate at that time so I could learn the officer’s duties, then from 4 pm to 8 pm, I would go to the bridge for afternoon duty,” Ebora recalled, comparing the experience to that of going through the eye of a needle.

“I endured the feelings of isolation, homesickness, seasickness caused by the vessel’s erratic motion on waters,” recalled Ebora, adding that he considered it a test of character and dedication in order to fulfill his ambition of becoming a ship officer, maybe even captain.

He rolled with the punches until he conquered such trials at sea.

Today, Ebora has been the captain of an oil tanker for more than 11 years, the Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker S Puma owned by a Greek shipping company, his 26th command to date.

You could see a glint of pride in Ebora’s eyes as he sat at the bridge of the S Puma anchored in China during an online interview with the Maritime Fairtrade.

“My current ship is a tanker. We load million-dollar worth of chemicals, oil, and methanol. We transport this cargo to their destinations in Malaysia, Singapore, and China,” Ebora said…