Martide blog posts about life at sea including seafarer mental health and wellbeing, life on a cargo or container ship, tips for getting on with fellow crew and more.
What is a seafarer’s job and what skills and personality traits should you possess if you’re thinking about a career in jobs at sea? It’s a good question - and there are any number of right answers, depending of course, on what type of cargo ship jobs you’re thinking of training for or applying for.
As anyone working in shore based maritime jobs knows, we take our ability to connect, send messages and emails, Google for info, make video calls, check our bank accounts and do all the other multitude of internet based jobs and admin for granted. For those working in jobs at sea - not so much.
Whether you’re already working in a seafarer job, are thinking about pursuing a career in the maritime industry or you just have a fascination with all things merchant navy, it’s always interesting to see life onboard a container or cargo ship. Check out these 13 seafarer YouTube channels.
The maritime industry isn’t without its fair share of superstitions. One such sailor superstition has stood the test of time—the “true” beginning of your seaman career is marked by an age-old ceremony, Crossing the Line.
It can be tough dealing with someone onboard who has a negative attitude or who is downright unpleasant. But you don’t have to react. Keep your composure and spirits up, practice kindness and compassion and you’ll soon spread your positive vibes from the engine room to the bridge!
At Martide we like to share our seafarer jobs on Twitter and we also follow some interesting people whose posts we like retweeting. So we thought we’d share them with you in case you don’t already follow them and you’re looking for some new, fresh content for your Twitter feed!
In an industry that is truly global and both shore-based employees and those working in seafarer jobs may speak any number of different languages, how can we ensure that messages and instructions are relayed in a concise and understandable manner?
Each year, November 5th is World Tsunami Awareness Day. With that being two days from now, we thought it would be a timely opportunity to look at the origins of this day, find out more about tsunamis, and see what you can do to observe this day.
It’s not exactly a secret that getting a good night’s sleep is essential for living a happier and healthier life - and while many on land can suffer with sleep disorders such as insomnia, how do you cope if you struggle to get quality sleep while working in a seafarer’s job?
As with any job or career, there are pros and cons, good things and bad things, people that are suited for that type of work, and those who are not - and seafarer jobs are no different. In fact, working at sea is probably an even more extreme case when it comes to the ups and downs of working life.
If you work in a seafarer job you use the internet to look for jobs at sea, for finding seafarer training and new employers and manning agents who can help you find a new contract. And for all the other things to do with your maritime career! So here are 15 of the best websites for seafarers.
Have you ever wondered what does maritime mean? And what is the difference between marine and maritime - if any? At Martide we love anything to do with the ocean, vessels, and the maritime industry - and as anyone who reads our seafarer blog or our employer blog knows, we quite like words too!
Why does the maritime industry have a skills shortage? The increasing need for seafarers with tech skills? A general disinterest in seafaring as a job? The lack of women entering the sector? The reasons are debatable but it’s clear the ratio of men to women in maritime is seriously disproportionate.
As a seafarer a huge part of ensuring time onboard isn’t damaging your mental health is making the most of the camaraderie that comes with spending so much time with a small group of people. Having time alone to catch up with loved ones via social media is crucial, but so too is community spirit.
Watchkeepers need to maintain lookout 24/7 365 but working on and off around the clock with broken sleep patterns can have an effect on wellbeing and life at sea. Here are 4 steps for Officers of the Watch to take to combat fatigue and find more balance.
As well as making sure you have the right talents and skills to work in the seafarer jobs you think will most interest you and you will be suited to there are some personality traits you also need to consider and some questions you need to ask yourself when thinking about working in cargo ship jobs.
A seafarer’s job is intense. You deal with a pressured environment with shifts and watches and you’re often cold and wet. You want your downtime to be the opposite. But how do you get to that happy place after months of working away in jobs at sea? We look at ways to de-stress when you get home.
Good communication is vital when working in jobs at sea but when you’re busy, tired or ‘not in the mood’ maintaining quality communication can be tough. That’s why we’re taking a look at ways those working in seafarer jobs can make sure they’re communicating well with folk back home. And vice versa!
Losing (or forgetting) your seafarer documents when you're traveling for jobs at sea can be a nightmare. Printing endless copies of your seafarer resume is a hassle. That's why storing them online in the Cloud makes perfect sense. Here's how to do that.
Being able to communicate is a vital part of being successful in most walks of life and that’s very true for working in seafarer jobs. The thing is you will need to communicate with people from different cultures who have different mother tongues. Here’s how to break down the communication barriers.
Seafarer jobs often require flying across time zones to get to your vessel. And chances are you’re going to be jet lagged when you arrive. The issue is you’ve arrived somewhere to start work in a high pressure environment where safety is paramount so here’s what to do to limit the effect of jet lag.
Whether you’re the stay at home partner or the ocean-going half of a couple ensuring you both feel emotionally supported when one of you is away a lot is crucial. Of course this can be easier said than done when one of you is not just 1000’s of miles from home, but also 1000’s of miles from land!
Working in seafarer jobs can be challenging, both physically and mentally, even just on a regular basis. So it makes sense to try and keep the obstacles you need to deal with to a minimum while you’re working in jobs at sea. And that means avoiding certain things which could get you into trouble.
We know when you’re working in seafarer jobs you’re busy around the clock but for those moments when you do get some personal time in between watches or shifts, even though you’re miles away from land, there are still plenty of things you can do to chill out and keep yourself entertained.
A huge part of jobs at sea is traveling abroad. And that’s not just for people who work in actual jobs at sea - plenty of jobs in the shipping industry involve travel and whether you’re employed in the types of maritime jobs ashore or those that take you offshore, it’s good to stay out of trouble!
If you’re in a relationship and one of you is away for months at a time working in jobs at sea it can be hard on both of you, and for a variety of reasons. Martide looks at some practical ways that people who work in seafarer jobs - and their partners - can keep their relationship happy and healthy.
When even some of the biggest and best known companies in the world have fallen victim to cyber attacks from hackers, it pretty much means that none of us are safe - and that's both on a business and a personal level. If you're working in jobs at sea, here's how to stay safe online.
Losing your documents on the way to jobs at sea is a nightmare with a knock on effect on you, the vessel and crew. Meanwhile losing your luggage (or the airline losing your luggage) is a pain to deal with when you’ve got so many things to think about and do. Here’s what to do if it happens to you.
If you’re a seafarer with a joining date for a job at sea lined up in the future no doubt your mind is full of the things you need to do to prepare for embarkation. With that in mind Martide has compiled this handy list of 9 things every seafarer should do before they leave home to join their vessel
Modern life is stressful but maritime jobs and life on a container ship come with their own challenges. It can be hard for seafarers to get used to life at sea, to switch off and spend time away from home. So how can crew stay mentally healthy?
If you’re a stay at home partner in a relationship where one of you is working away from home you don’t need us to tell you it can be hard. Some days you're fine yet other times you struggle to cope while your partner is living life on a cargo ship thousands of miles away. Here's how to handle it.
Working in seafarer jobs comes with many pluses. The travel, seeing nature at its most awe-inspiring, and the friendships created when working in jobs at sea. But like any job, whether on land or sea, there can be the odd downside. And one of those, as some seafarers will tell you, is homesickness.
Jobs at sea are demanding. They take a certain person to cope with the physical aspect of the work. But being mentally strong as well as physically fit is crucial. So what do you do when someone on board’s behavior is sucking all the enjoyment and positivity out of your life on a container ship?
It’s no secret that maritime jobs are demanding. They’re hard work and can be tough both on body and mind. But those working in seafarer jobs have numerous reasons to take pride in the career path they chose. And it is this sense of pride that can help you through days that feel tougher than usual.
Have you ever noticed some people prefer to rant and rage whatever the situation? You’ve probably been on board with seafarers like that. But being nice improves life on a cargo ship. It’s a strength to be kind, not a weakness and it’ll make you the seafarer everyone wants to work with - and hire!
Often those working in seafarer jobs find they spend more time at sea than at home. This means as well as missing your family and friends, you also have to deal with practical issues from afar or in a short space of time when you’re ashore. So how can you cope with working away from home?
If you get seasick you may hide it from fellow crew. But there’s no shame in admitting you struggle with this aspect of jobs at sea. Nelson was a sufferer and Charles Darwin spent as much time as possible during his five year voyage on the Beagle on land! Read Martide’s tips for beating seasickness.
Life on a container ship means perks of the job for seafarers - ones that people working in shore-based positions can only dream of. And one of those perks is the opportunity to visit new countries on shore leave. But how can you make the most of that often all too short, time on land?
There are so many different shipping terms out there that we thought it was time we wrote a blog post that dives into them. But because there are so many nautical words and maritime phrases, we decided that the best way to do this was by one letter at a time. Let's check out the letter C!
If you’ve been checking out our other blog posts about nautical terms, you might be interested in this post which covers maritime words and phrases that begin with the letter D. So let’s take a look at everything from DWT and davits to dunnage and duty!
Do you see yourself living life on a container ship? Are you considering a career in the maritime industry? Maybe you just want to know what life on a vessel is like? Our office-based coworker recently spent a week on a cargo ship and this is a unique insight into day-to-day life at sea.
If you’re a regular reader of our posts, you have probably already stumbled upon our nautical glossary posts in which we cover different maritime terms and phrases. We’re now almost halfway through the alphabet so today’s post is going to take a look at our shipping dictionary from G through to I.
There are so many different shipping terms out there that we thought it was time we wrote a blog post that dives into them. But because there are so many nautical words and maritime phrases, we decided that the best way to do this was by one letter at a time. Let's check out the letter B!
There are so many different shipping terms out there that we thought it was time we wrote a blog post that dives into them. But because there are so many nautical words and maritime phrases, we decided that the best way to do this was by one letter at a time. Let's kick things off with the letter A!
If you’re curious to find out the meanings of some more weird and wonderful words to do with shipping, sailing, seafarer jobs, merchant navy ranks and vessels, keep on reading as we explore some nautical words that start with E and F.