Marinong Pinoy

25/12/2025

Top 5 Greatest Threats On Board
according to Capt. A. Lignos

The greatest threat at sea isn’t the ocean itself.
It isn’t the waves or the storms.

The real danger lies in the endless work schedule.
It’s not nature that wears us down
it’s the routine that takes lives.

1. Enclosed Spaces

The number one! Ruthless unstoppable-unforgiving! I still remember one training video that said.. if you knew that there was a madman with a chainsaw behind that door, would you step inside?

This is how deadly a space can be. One breath of the wrong air. That's it.

The first man dies from the gas.
The second dies a hero, trying to save him.
This is a coffin, not a workspace.350 enclosed-space asphyxiation deaths since 1996; IG P&I recorded 83 deaths in 2015-2020, most from oxygen depletion. Multiple studies show over half of fatalities are would-be rescuers.

2. Mooring Lines

A mooring line snaps with the energy of a bomb.
When it breaks, it cuts flesh like paper.
It crushes ribs. It splits skulls. It doesn't wound. It vaporizes.
31 dead, 858 severely injured in 5 years.

This is physics, not fate. Blend it with fatique and sleepiness and you have the perfect deathtrap!

3. The Engine Room

Contained violence. Constant vibration. Unbearable heat. Flammable fuel. Exposed voltage. Moving shafts. Machinery failure, fire and eplosion caused 79 dead from 2013. Much more severely injured.

The only surprise is that it doesn't happen more often. Especially when maintenance is skipped -This is not if, but when.

4. The Fall

Your harness is clipped in. You feel safe.
The procedure you've done a thousand times is what kills you.

One moment of distraction is all it takes.

Gravity doesn't care about your training.

5. The Fishing Deck
One of the deadliest jobs on earth. A fatality rate 28 times the average.
Between 21 and 147 deaths per 100,000 annually.
Capsized boats. Ice storms. Fatigue. A deck slick with ice and blood. A wire that can cut a man in two.
This isn't a job. It's a lottery where you lose.

But the most prolific killer has no safety procedure.
It has no warning sign.
It's the exhaustion that feels like concrete in your veins.
The isolation that eats you from the inside.
The pressure that fractures your mind.
More seafarers die by their own hand than from any single type of accident.

The silence is what kills them.
This isn't bad luck.
This isn't the cost of business.
This is a choice.
A choice made in boardrooms, not on deck.
A choice to treat human life as an acceptable loss.

These aren't stories. They are statistics.
And behind every statistic is a name, a family, a face.

Speak. Share it. Change it.

23/12/2025

A boat mysteriously appeared on a Devon beach on Sunday morning (December 21), sparking curiosity among locals about its origins.

Photographs taken by a local suggest that the craft could be a lifeboat or rescue vessel from a larger ship.

The boat's exterior signage indicates it can typically accommodate up to 19 people. An IMO number also displayed on the side, when searched on Google, reveals details of a container ship named the BF CARP.

Vessel Finder, a ship tracking website, shows that the ship has been en route from Belgium to Morocco since December 16.

Somerset Live

22/12/2025

20/12/2025

Welcome to Shanghai Port

08/12/2025

😆

22/11/2025

To all seafarers: please stay vigilant. This is a strong reminder to exercise extreme caution, especially in high-risk ports and during cargo operations. Share this with your crewmates and fellow mariners. Awareness can save lives.

Dear Admin,
I am a veteran ship captain, and I kindly request that you keep this information strictly confidential. I am sharing a personal experience involving drug trafficking that almost cost my life and the lives of my entire crew.

Our vessel loaded sugar at Santos, Brazil, for discharge in Lagos, Nigeria. During loading, the weather was intermittently rainy, and my crew noticed several stevedores standing on top of the conveyor system. At that time, we had no idea that illegal activities were being carried out on board.

Loading was completed within the scheduled time, and we sailed safely toward Lagos. Upon arrival, we were instructed by the agent to wait at the rendezvous area for a few days until all pre-arrival documents were cleared. Once cleared, we berthed and discharging operations began immediately.

On the third day of discharging, my crew discovered two sacks of unknown contraband inside Cargo Hold No. 1. They reported it to me right away. As I proceeded to inspect the area myself, the Chief Foreman confronted me halfway and warned me to keep quiet — or my crew and I would be killed. Fearing for everyone’s safety, I immediately contacted the local agent for assistance.

The local agent came on board to assess the situation, but he too was threatened and told to remain silent or his entire family would be killed. The two sacks — estimated at about 200 kg — were secretly removed using bulldozers ashore. Afterward, the stevedore team was replaced by a different group, signaling that the “operation” was already completed.

Based on what I witnessed, this recent publicized incident is likely just collateral damage to cover up far larger shipments. The corruption is deeply rooted — from the lowest level up to higher-ranking authorities. They present these cases to the public as though they are actively combating drug trafficking, but in reality, the real operation continues behind the scenes.

From my observation, the charterer, shipper, and receiver all appear to benefit from these illegal shipments, putting seafarers in extremely dangerous and vulnerable situations. This is a sophisticated syndicate, and seafarers like us are left exposed to life-threatening risks.

______

To all seafarers: please stay vigilant. This is a very strong reminder to be extremely careful, especially in high-risk ports and during cargo operations. Share this with your crewmates and fellow mariners. Awareness can save lives.

# # # # # #

15/11/2025

⛴️ A passenger ferry carrying 165 passengers collided with a tanker in Singapore.

30/10/2025

Dollar Exchange:
1 USD = 59.13 PHP

OFW: Yay, mataas na ang palitan!

Family in PH: Yay, mataas na rin lahat - presyo ng kuryente, tubig, stress!

Dollar is strong but Utang is stronger!

Dollar is not Dollaring!

16/09/2025

AB’s Story: Fifteen Years at Sea

I’ve been an able-bodied seaman for fifteen years now. Some people say, “Wow, ang tagal mo na sa barko, dapat officer ka na!” But not everyone’s journey is the same. Not everyone climbs the ranks. Some of us simply stay where we are—not because we’re weak, but because life brought us here.

When I first joined, I had dreams of becoming an officer. I studied hard, I listened, I tried to keep up. But along the way, family responsibilities piled up. Every contract, I sent my allotment home, and slowly I realized: maybe my role isn’t to chase stripes on my shoulder, but to make sure my kids can wear uniforms of their own in school.

Life as an AB is not easy. My hands are rough from years of rope handling, paint, rust, and steel. I’ve climbed masts under the scorching sun, held on to the deck while waves slammed hard, and spent sleepless nights on lookout, staring at nothing but darkness and lights from distant ships. The sea has been both my battlefield and my teacher.

There were times I almost gave up—times I asked myself, “Hanggang kailan pa ba ako magpapagod?” But then I’d see my children’s graduation pictures, or hear my wife’s voice on the phone saying, “Kaya mo ’yan, mahal.” And I’d realize that my sacrifice is not in vain.

Fifteen years at sea taught me this: being a seafarer is not about titles. It’s about resilience. It’s about waking up when your body wants to sleep, doing the dirty jobs that no one sees, and still finding pride in the small things—like a freshly painted deck, a safe voyage completed, or simply going home alive after every contract.

I may not have reached the highest rank, but I’ve earned something else—respect for my hard work, dignity in my sacrifices, and the quiet strength that only the sea can give.

To the young ones dreaming of officer’s stripes, go for it. Chase your goals. But also know this: even if you remain an AB, an oiler, a cook, or a wiper—you are still the backbone of every vessel. Without us, the ship cannot sail.

So to my fellow seafarers, whether you’re a cadet, officer, or rank-and-file—saludo ako sa inyo. We are all sailors of the same sea, fighters of the same storms, and dreamers of the same home.