Queenie Fe Cabalan, Third Officer Jr. – Philippines

I’m in charge of the 0800-1200 and 2000-2400 sea and port watch. My daily responsibilities include maintaining the safe navigation of the vessel and monitoring the progress of cargo operations. I am also the officer in Charge in the mooring station for each arrival and departure, in charge of the Port documents and formalities and maintaining the operational readiness of the fire fighting equipment onboard.

I could say I love many things about my job from the the daily doses of beautiful sunrise and sunsets, to the excitement every navigation, and seeing new places and especially meeting different kind of people in different parts of the world. One of the challenges that I faced onboard is being looked down on my capabilities without being given the chance to fully do the job. They’d belittle me and undermine what I am capable of just because I’m a woman and that I’m not meant for sea life but just to be a housewife. I know I am more than that, so I just smiled at them and let my actions do the job. I continued to do well and made sure that they were wrong with what they were thinking. One change that I want to advocate in the seafaring industry is to give more opportunities to women in the maritime field, to provide a safe space for them to fully showcase their capabilities and harness their full potential at sea. My advice to other female seafarers is to take it one day at a time. It ain’t an easy journey. The work can be demanding, the weather can be rough, your workmates can be a pain in the ass, but don’t let it all consume you, focus on what matters and then you’ll realise you’re already far from where you started and be proud of yourself for not giving up.

Queenie Fe Cabalan, Third Officer Jr. – Philippines