Hubby and Wifey's Blog

     Life onboard the vessel is exciting and amazing. Every crew have there own reasons to work here onboard the vessel even we are far from our love ones. Some crew (like me) depend on the higher salary than working on our country, some of the crew want to see the other country for free, Some of us work here because there relatives are merchant mariners too (blood line mariners), some collect ahemmm for further use and to make yabang to there barkadas, some of us collect different kind of money (like me). Any reason any idea we are still on the same job and on the same line.

            Onboard the vessel you can meet different kind of people, traits, belief and religions. We, as part of the crew and as a professional we respect what ever you are specially the religious part. It is difficult to tackle when it comes to religion. To be kept safe and respectful we don’t talk about our belief and religions just for the sake that we must be as one on the working fields. Personal hygiene is the most important part of them all. As human and the most intelligent mammals on earth we know how to clean our self. Filipinos are one of the countries that support the personal hygiene. We clean our self and we don’t leave any traces of “odors” while we are walking in the alleyways. Let’s just say some of the crew have there own life style and personal hygiene. I experience other nationally that when they walk in the alleyway their odors remain for an hour. We call them “I can’t see you but I can smell you”. I love jogging everyday so that I’m always using our thread mill in gymnasium. The hardest part is when this different nationally crew uses first the gym and when he leaves the gym his smell will remain till tomorrow. It’s so cruel that they can’t smell them self, how stinky they are. We Filipinos as professional we don’t tell them that they are so stinky. We just understand there situation that they inherit the smell since they where babies. We hope that when they are onboard the vessel they must understand that when they engage on different nationalities it means they have different hygiene too. In the first place we can’t tell them that they are like this because they are very immature, they look them self they are 1^st class human but when you go to their country I prefer our squatters area than there squatters area.

            As of now we are still on anchor here in Persian Gulf. Very far from the island about 60 miles or more and we don’t have any network signal to communicate to our love ones. Our current position is 27-01.5 N / 051-15.1 E. Current wind force is 8.2 knots and the sea state is about force 1. Temperature here is very high and in the afternoon it reaches 38 deg centigrade. The crews are very exhausted on the high temperature but what can we do. This is part of our contract and working fields, which means we must do it. That’s the good part in Filipino crew; we tackle any kind of job here onboard because we are here to do it. Yes sometimes we argue on the jobs but still we do it nice and clean. Because of the long stay on anchorage we already reach the critical limit on our fresh water. Our master decided to shut all faucets to save water. Our master have an alternative idea to give water to the crew by placing drums on every deck and put water every 1530 hrs everyday to save water. Our daily water consumption when the faucets are open is 4 MT a day. As part of the crew we understand it but this different nationality (I can’t see you but I can’t smell you) always argues that why we don’t use faucet to have clear water. Hello Mr. stinky if you remember, your one of the highest rank Engr. Here onboard the vessel and you told to master that we already on critical level so the master decided to have a water discipline. This crew always argue why not order water from the company because we don’t have water to wash our boiler suits. Mr. stinky you know that we don’t have any voyage order so how come that the company will pay for a water barge only?. Mr. stinky always argues the provisions are going to finish. We are on anchorage and no voyage order what can we do? The order of the company is too stay on anchorage and wait for voyage order. Mr. Stinky argues that why we don’t sign off in Ras Tannurah and I want to go home right now. As per company order Ras Tannurah is not a convenient port and the company will wait of a “convenient port” to sign off the crew. Mr. stinky insists that Ras Tannurah is a convenient port and he argue with the Captain. How can the Captain do anything when the company says “NO”. Mr. Stinky say to crew that our Captain is useless because eh can’t do anything. How can the master do anything when the company says “NO”. For me If Mr. Stinky like what the way he want he must be a Master not Engr. It’s was pity for him that he chooses to be an Engr. Not to be a Mate to become Master of the vessel. If he only knew what the master are doing everyday to solve the problem but how? It’s because he is Engr. He only knows what’s on the engine side not internal communication for Master of the vessel. Before, he wants everything to be fixed. Please take a bath before approaching us because you stink when you are getting angry. The crew will follow the schedule of the company, not the company will follow the schedule of the crew.

            Again we respect the tradition and traits of other crew but how can we respect it if he doesn’t respect us.