Category: Martin’s Blog Entries

June 9, 2017

How a hamburger affects your wage – Part 1 of 2

I was asked some time ago by a crewing manager, what a proper wage for a seagoing Marine Engineer should be. An answer was given, one that I detail in Part Two of this post, but in general, I could not answer her adequately, and it took me quite some time to mull it over; here’s what I think. As...

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May 14, 2017

A pain in my… arm

We were in a maintenance period at the company’s dock in Quebec City, doing a fair bit of heavy stuff, things were moving fast and the pieces were big.  The pain started just before ten in the morning, in my right elbow, not quite at the tip, but very near it; I could feel the exact spot where the pain...

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February 14, 2017

Official start of the end of Canadian seafaring

Attached is a press release by the European Ship Owners, gloating about the exciting new opportunity that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will represent to their businesses. Meaning this is the official start of the end of Canadian Seafaring. Specifically mentioned in CETA, and boasted in the owners’ press release, is dredging activities. I am a Chief Engineer...

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February 9, 2017

Immigration adrenaline

Several years ago, in the project Blue Riband, I proposed many new ideas to address a shortage of marine professionals on ships and ashore. The project was meant to highlight shortcomings that I observed in the Canadian marine industry (but worldwide too), propose solutions, and mostly start a conversation. I needed to get those ideas out of my head, so...

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November 24, 2016

Making shipping great again (?)

GCaptain and others media sources are reporting that Wilbur Ross Jr. , a “78-year-old contrarian (who) has made a fortune betting on troubled banks and distressed assets in industries such as steel, coal and textiles” (from G&M), is being considered for the post of Secretary of Commerce (aka Minister of Trade). Some highlights of his Wikipedia page, include 24 years...

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October 31, 2016

“Gentleman’s Agreement” and how they affect professional Canadian seafarers

Ontario – “Yours to discover” We were in port unloading, nearby, a well-known ship was in the dry-dock, getting repairs done. I thought to myself, what a great opportunity to dispel some myths, and have a look at this vessel, and perhaps “drop my name in”, as I had heard of the wages and conditions being “decent”. Once on board,...

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October 1, 2016

A sea of garbage

When we are out for a walk around the neighborhood, I feel dismay sometimes at the amount of litter I see. Once in a while the boys and I will grab garbage bags and go clean up around the neighborhood and its community mailbox, a high traffic area that seems to attract litter. It is important for me to reinforce...

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June 21, 2016

Dealing with Transport Canada: bring patience and cash

Over the course of my 20 year career as a professional mariner in Canada, I routinely deal with Transport Canada, the certification authority in Canada. Some of my peers find these interactions akin to going to the dentist, sure they are useful, but not that pleasant. This post is about one of my recent interaction with Transport Canada Marine Safety...

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