Day of the Seafarer 2016

(source - http://www.imo.org/en/About/Events/dayoftheseafarer/Pages/Day-of-the-Seafarer-2016.aspx)

Two-thirds of the surface of the planet Earth is covered by water. Statistics state that around 90 % of world trade is done by sea. Today, we are honoring this group of men and women who do the hard work in sailing (or running) the global economy.

In 2010, The International Maritime Organization (IMO), through The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), held a conference in The Philippines to update the existing code that will reflect the modern and the technological advancement in the maritime industry. The changes in the STCW were named 2010 Manila Amendments.

In addition, the treaty declared 2010 as “Year of the Seafarer” and nominated 25^th June of each year as the “Day of the Seafarer” through The Attachment 3 to the Final Act of the 2010 STCW Conference Resolution 19 with the heading Day of the Seafarer.

It stated among other:

“Recognizing fully the unique contribution seafarers from all over the world make to international seaborne trade, the world economy and civil society as a whole,

Recognizing equally the considerable risks seafarers shoulder in the execution of their daily tasks and duties in an often hostile environment,

Mindful of the deprivation to which seafarers are subject through spending long periods of their professional life at sea away from their families and friends,

It encourages Governments, shipping organizations, companies, shipowners and all other parties concerned to duly and appropriately promote the Day of the Seafarer and to take action to celebrate it meaningfully.”

On the IMO website, the present Secretary-General Kitack Lim, who is from South Korea, said: “this year, on the June 25^th, the Day of the Seafarer, we are once again asking the people of the world to show their appreciation for the seafarers that quietly, mostly unnoticed, keep the wheels of the world in motion.”

Today’s celebration is on its 6^th anniversary. This year’s campaign theme is “At Sea For All”. This is to let the world know how and why seafarers are indispensable to all. Seafarers serve not just fulfilling their own professional career advancement or being partner of the shipping industry. The services they render and those products that gets delivered worldwide definitely affect everybody.

Mabuhay ang mga 

Pinoy Seafarers !!!

#AtSeaForAll #DayOfTheSeafarer #HappySeafarersDay #25June #PinoySeafarer

A Life That Matters

Picture taken in Constantza, Romania last 08 June 2015

When your age is numerically equal to the size of your waistline, it surely does need a serious deep reflection and ACTION! I’m going to celebrate my birthday onboard with my crew today. I will do my deep reflection later. Meanwhile, I would like to share a poem by Michael Josephson that I read way back in 2014. Tell me your thought about it. May God bless us all.

A LIFE THAT MATTERS

Michael Josephson

Live a life that matters

Ready or not, some day it will come to an end

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days,

All things that you collected, whether treasured or forgotten,

Will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, to-do-list will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from,

Or on what side of the tracks you lived at the end.

It won’t matter whether you are beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender or skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?

How will be the value of your days will be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought,

BUT HOW YOU BUILT,

Not what you got,

BUT WHAT YOU GAVE

What will matter is not your success, but YOUR SIGNIFICANCE.

What will matter is not what you learned, but what YOU TAUGHT.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, 

Or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others

To emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but YOUR CHARACTER.

What will matter is not how many people you knew

But how many will feel a LASTING LOSS WHEN YOU’RE GONE.

What will matter is not your memories,

But the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is

HOW LONG YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED

BY WHOM AND FOR WHAT.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s not a matter of circumstance, but BY CHOICE.

Choose to live a life that matters.