What made you pursue a career at sea?

The sea inspires passion and is intriguing to most of us. It’s the only place where there is true peace, even in stormy weather. At sea, there are no politics, social pressures or daily routine stress – the only aim is for the crew to work together for safe navigation and operations. A career at sea is exciting and rewarding, even when considering the responsibility that comes with it.

As islanders, do you feel we have an attraction for the sea?

My family has always owned a boat and I have spent whole summers at sea since my childhood. This made my heart grow fonder for the sea – as a young boy I would spend hours watching the ships sail by and imagining how it would feel to actually work at sea.

Eventually, I started exploring this possibility – the more research I carried out, the more I was determined to pursue this career.

A seafaring career feeds on a sense of adventure and discipline. How much do these qualities influence you in your personal life?

For this career, you need high levels of dedication, determination, discipline and responsibility. There is also a lot of studying involved. Adventure is a big part of it – however, after going through the 12 months of on-board training period as part of the course, you change a lot without even noticing. After these 12 months, you will return to base more mature and responsible – it’s an experience which has taught me to be strong and mature with lots of determination and pride in what I do.

Do you come from a seafaring family?

None of my closest family members work at sea. However, both my late grandparents and great-grandparents were seafarers. One of my great-granddads was Captain in Command with the Maltese Navy and both of my granddads were Chief Petty Officers with the Royal Navy.

What were the highlights of the course?

The 12 months on-board training period were the highlight of my course. I was still 16 when I parted for my first contract at sea. I spent six months with Grimaldi on a Ro-Ro vessel trading in the Mediterranean. I returned for two weeks, then left for another six months with Feederlines on a general cargo vessel trading in the Baltic and Northern Europe – this involved navigating through thick ice and working in extremely low temperatures. At the end of my studies, I was first runner up in the 2013 Grimaldi Award.

Apart from pursuing a seafaring career, are you also interested in sailing competitively or for leisure?

Many tell me that since I’ll be working at sea most of the time, I will probably not want to sail in my free time. However, I find the thought of not having a boat to be very challenging. I’ve been saying that I’d rather live on a boat than on land ever since I can remember.

What made you pursue a career at sea?

Living in Marsaxlokk as a child, I used to be amazed by ships entering and leaving the harbour. This triggered my interest for this industry and eventually led me to study at the MCAST Maritime Institute.

As islanders, do you feel we have an attraction for the sea?

I think most people who live on an island are attracted to the sea – I certainly am.

A seafaring career feeds on a sense of adventure and discipline. How much do these qualities influence you in your personal life?

When I tell people that I work on ships, the first thing they tell me is that I’m lucky to be travelling around the world, wearing a smart uniform. But in reality, working on a ship is a demanding career and requires lots of responsibility. You have to be disciplined and alert all the time as there are other people’s lives at stake.

Do you come from a seafaring family?

I don’t have any relatives who work on ships. However, my father and some relatives have fishing boats and go fishing in their free time.

What were the highlights of the course?

I think the highlights of the course were the 12 months we worked as deck cadets on board a ship – we sailed to different parts of the world and gained valuable experience. We spent a long time away from family and friends, living and working with crew from different countries. You have to be strong as this can be tough, but with perseverance and sacrifice, I managed to complete the course.

Apart from pursuing a seafaring career, are you also interested in sailing competitively or for leisure?

Right now my main objective is to keep working as an officer on merchant vessels in order to gain enough experience at sea to be able to continue my studies and become a chief officer and eventually a captain. That said, I will consider buying a leisure boat in the future.

What made you pursue a career at sea?

I’ve been drawn to the sea since I can remember. In summer I used to spend a lot of time with my family on our boat. My brother and I got interested in navigation and we enrolled together at the MCAST Maritime Institute. During the course I studied various subjects like celestial navigation, ship stability and signals, which continued to fuel my ambition to work at sea.

As islanders, do you feel we have an attraction for the sea?

Yes – this explains why many Maltese people can swim very well and have a passion for water sports. During summer the beaches in Malta are full of families enjoying the sea. Moreover, having the best harbour location in the Mediterranean attracts many merchant ships and cruise liners, which sustains our tourist industry.

A seafaring career feeds on a sense of adventure and discipline. How much do these qualities influence you in your personal life?

My job might look adventurous and interesting – however, it takes more than that to pursue a career at sea. You need discipline to build a strong character, which is important for this career. Leadership is another value that supports you when you are out at sea, especially when you need to take important decisions swiftly.

Life at sea is full of adventure, although there are times when you feel bored and lonely as you are far from family and friends. You have to be strong to face all types of challenges in this career – it makes you a strong and independent person who can transform challenges into opportunities.

Do you come from a seafaring family?

My dad used to work in water sports and he was very supportive when I decided to pursue a seafaring career.

What were the highlights of the course?

During my studies I was introduced to new topics such as general ship knowledge, coastal navigation and radio communication. My favourite subject was coastal and celestial navigation because it gave me a strong knowledge of navigation.

During my on-board training period, I was able to apply all that I had learnt during the first year of the course. In my third year, after completing the sea training, I was able to better assimilate the theory of the various topics. Our seamanship training and lectures enabled me to perform my work better and with more precaution, especially at mooring stations.

Apart from pursuing a seafaring career, are you also interested in sailing competitively or for leisure?

If I had to be given the opportunity to sail in competitions, I would definitely go for it. It would be a new adventure.

What made you pursue a career at sea?

I spent my childhood summers on boats with family and friends. I remember I was fascinated by navigational equipment, charts and machinery while the idea of visiting foreign lands by sea rather than by air would make me so happy.

Once, while sailing to Port El Kantaoui, I spotted a massive whale just metres away from us. I had never seen such a large creature before. On our way back, we even saw dolphins jumping around right under the bow.

The desire to pursue a seafaring career was further strengthened when I went on a cruise and, during the captain’s night gala dinner, saw how much a Ship Master was respected. Eventually, I did my research and decided to pursue a career at sea.

As islanders, do you feel we have an attraction for the sea?

I certainly do. Most Maltese have a special connection with the sea, either through business or pleasure. I believe that as an island, our fondness for the sea is part of our identity.

A seafaring career feeds on a sense of adventure and discipline. How much do these qualities influence you in your personal life?

All seafarers are adventurous to some extent – I personally never back out of an adventure especially when it comes to exploring what to me was previously unknown. However, a sense of discipline is a must – I embrace it daily and believe in structure and organisation as part of the path to success.

Do you come from a seafaring family?

I have family members who connect with the sea as a hobby but not as a profession.

What were the highlights of the course?

My studies at the Maritime Institute included training in navigation, applied science, chartwork, general ship knowledge, meteorology and other subjects. After successfully completing my studies and the required apprenticeship period, I found employment and am currently working on board ships travelling to countries such as Italy, Spain, the Canary Islands, France, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and many others.

I enjoy maintaining my watch on the bridge while at sea and monitoring the loading and discharging of cargo while in port. Having control of the vessel for eight hours a day is a huge responsibility and is greatly rewarding. Among other duties I’ve performed over the years, my job mostly involves maintaining life saving appliances and fire fighting equipment as per SOLAS requirements and having them fully functional and ready to use at any instance. I’ve also been involved in co-ordinating and providing drill training for the crew as well as passage planning, chart and publication corrections, taking care of bridge equipment, GMDSS radio equipment, ship’s pharmacy, and formalities with authorities such as customs, immigration, quarantine and others related to arrival and departure clearance of the vessel. I also train and teach cadets on board, helping them develop into trustworthy officers.

Apart from pursuing a seafaring career, are you also interested in sailing competitively or for leisure?

I’ve done my fair share of sailing for leisure in the past but never competitively. I tend to prefer the faster vessels which are propelled by machinery rather than sail.