"Focus on the horizon"
The IMarEST’s Marine Professionals at Work Photography Competition entries show how exciting, challenging and creative maritime careers can be.
The IMarEST has received a stunning assortment of entries to the Marine Professionals at Work Photography Competition 2023, depicting the working lives of marine professionals. Launched to educate and inspire the next generation about opportunities in the marine sector, the entries capture an eclectic mix of careers. You might have seen some of these in the new ‘Careers Corner Series’, shared each Friday across IMarEST social media platforms. Prepare to be dazzled!
James Jumalon’s winning image is accompanied by an inspiring piece of writing: “5.30am and I get up early, have a cup of coffee, shower and get ready. A chilly morning in Cadiz, Spain, where we are having the most anticipated period in a ship's five-year cycle, the dry dock. And for a container ship, a perfect time for container socket shoe maintenance, making us the cobblers of the shipping industry.
“For 13 years, I have repaired and fabricated container socket shoes for a lot of ships and it keeps getting challenging. Moulded roughly about the size of a lunch box and made of 10 millimetres thick of steel, four of these can support weights of more than 200 tons – around 8-10 stacks of a 40ft container, or 50 adult Asian elephants.
"However, a small crack or deep corrosion on one of the members can lead to a catastrophic loss of containers under heavy weather conditions that can pollute the oceans. In the worst-case scenario, it can capsize the ship, stressing the importance of thorough maintenance and repair. It accentuates the value of working as a single unit, as the three would create an imbalance of weight and stress distribution.”
Read more of James’ working day aboard a container ship here in Sunrise Sparks.
A deck cadet sponsored by BP Maritime Services, Nicole Theodorou SIMarEST looks forward to the day when she’ll be a qualified officer carrying out watches on the bridge and in charge of the cargo of LNG which BP gas carriers transport. Her career advice? “For anyone interested in following a similar career path to myself, find a sponsoring company that matches your beliefs and ideals and just go for it!”
Oliver Flanagan SIMarEST is a marine biogeochemistry PhD student at the University of Southampton and is captured preparing samples of particles from the smoke produced by hydrothermal vents. The sample are then analysed for metal content in a trace metal clean room at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. “The data”, says the third-year PhD student, “may help us to better understand how metals, like iron, critical for photosynthesis and carbon dioxide drawdown, behave in our global oceans.”
Are you interested in a challenging yet rewarding career in vessel management? Here’s vessel manager Simon Jackson pictured during the dry docking of a 200,000cbm LNG carry last year. The ship was 15-years-old, so this was the third special survey. Our Associate Member might look relaxed, but the project involved “a change of underwater paint scheme, so full grit blasting of the hull was required prior to the application of six coats of paint. Both main engines overhauled with the installation of 12 new cylinder liners and pistons, and a ballast water treatment system installed. Both propellers removed for survey and lots of new pipework. Cargo pumps and valves overhauled, cargo tanks inspected, and new anchor chains fitted.” Phew!
Aldrin Ulep SIMarEST is a navigating officer with Maersk A/S. Recently promoted as Third Officer, his advice for anyone aspiring to work in ship navigation is to “have fun learning and enjoy the process of achieving your goals. Focus on the horizon and keep sailing forward!"
On LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram? Follow the IMarEST on your favourite social media channels to see many more amazing entries to the Marine Professionals at Work Photography Competition 2023. Get involved by sharing your day today, by tagging #imarest, #inspirethenextgen, and #careercorner.
The IMarEST inspires, supports and develops young people considering a career in maritime through the Sea Your Future programme. Please email [email protected] if you’d like to know more.