Enjoying life at sea

Told to missionary to seafarers Jørgen Knudsen

“My name is Ivan, and I am from Kaliningrad. I am an engineer, and my job is to repair and maintain the engines whenever necessary. It is a good job, and I’ve worked as engineer for twenty years now. I have a wife and an eight-year-old son back in Kaliningrad.

I work at sea because there aren’t enough jobs back home. This is my first contract on this ship, and I’ve been here for two months now. My previous ship, Laguna, went out of business. I needed a new job, and, luckily, this ship needed a new engineer. I enjoy working alongside different nationalities, although the language barrier is a challenge. But despite this challenge, we usually find ways to communicate. I used to work in an all-Russian crew for years where we all spoke the same language.

Being away from home for a long time is not too difficult for me. I enjoy being at sea, and my family is used to it. When I am home, I am fully present. Other parents need to go to work every day and can only be with their kids on the weekends, but as a sailor, you get to spend more time with them. Also, today’s modern technology makes long distance communication a lot easier even at sea. Before the internet, things were more complicated. If you were lucky, you had a chance to call home, but when you came home, your kids almost didn’t recognize you.

I’m an orthodox Christian and I go to church when I’m home. It gives me peace of mind.” •