Grit and Grace: Honoring Seafarers in the Face of Conflict

By Laura Germany, Vice President, HR & Administration, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association

The current crisis in the Persian Gulf, and more specifically the Strait of Hormuz, has become ubiquitously present in the global trade markets. But it is making especially visible a smaller, not often thought of community: our seafarers. While broad concern grows as the prices of goods and fuel rise, the anxiety faced by vessel crews is considerably higher. Facing not only the regular dangers of life at sea, the blockage of the Strait adds weeks if not months possibly stuck at sea, along with the very real risk of mines, missiles, and drones targeting them as they work these ships. All to get goods from all around the world to your doorstep or fuel for your car. The stresses these seafarers face are far greater than the uncertainties of a package delivery date we experience in the comfort of our homes. The grit and grace it must take for these brave vessel crews to do their jobs frankly dwarfs our annoyance with the cost at the fuel pump.

So much of the same dedication and commitment was on display earlier this month at the Women in Maritime Leadership Conference at the Cal Poly Maritime Academy, one of seven maritime academies in the United States. This is where our next generation, the Corps of Cadets, train to work aboard ships and learn to be part of these courageous vessel crews. At the conference, Commander Marc Nguyen (ret.) and attorney/filmmaker Lauren Vuong shared their harrowing voyages from Vietnam to the United States. In the wake of the Vietnam War, Nguyen arrived on a ship that carried refugees using fishing cargo nets. After witnessing the plunge of a child and their mother into the ocean, he dedicated his life to be one of service, spending 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard. His story is featured in the book From Sea to Service – a Vietnamese Refugee’s Incredible Journey to Honor his Promise. Similarly, Lauren Vuong, who at 8 was rescued by a merchant vessel, documented her journey to search for the merchant marine who rescued her and her family from a fishing vessel after 10 days stranded at sea in “Finding the Virgo.” Both of their stories, while they were in treacherous waters at different times, resonated with the audience and brought us to tears.

For the cadets listening to these stories, their future voyages at sea may differ from those of these brave speakers, but their jobs will still be isolating and, at times, dangerous. To be a seafarer is to be a person of resilience, grit and grace. Be sure to thank these vessel crews and future crewmembers.  And have a little appreciation for them before you complain about the prices going up at your local gas station.