They call us “shippy wives”
It sounds simple. But behind those words lies a world of adjustments – holding down the fort alone, celebrating birthdays on video calls, marking festivals missing someone very special and whispering prayers before every voyage.
I’ve always believed: “We don’t just marry a man. We marry the sea too.”
Because when he sails, a piece of our heart sets sail with him.
Every seafarer who joins a ship makes a silent vow: “I’ll come home safe and sound to my loving family”
The sea demands a lot – from them and from us.
The past few months in the seafaring world have been especially challenging.
Tensions in Gulf region, longer voyages, fatigue and the relentless battle against loneliness.
The world sees goods on shelves, but it doesn’t see the engineer in a scorching engine room or the officer on a dark bridge, vigilantly watching so the rest of us can sleep peacefully knowing we have our supplies being met.
It’s a tough job – one of the hardest.
What We Need Most Is Assurance – and a Promise Kept
When your loved one is an ocean away, all you want to hear is: “Are they safe? Are they cared for? Will they return the same way they left not just physically but emotionally too?”
I heard something from OSM Thome’s Group Managing Director, Mr. Tommy Olofsen, on the SMI Podcast with Ship Management International: “We make a promise not just to the seafarer, but also to their family – to bring them home in the same condition they set sail, if not better.”
It’s a simple phrase, but it embodies everything. It’s a promise carried every day not just once a year, but on every voyage, for every seafarer and every family waiting at shore.
That moment stayed with me.
Grateful to Ms. Karla, for reminding that duty of care isn’t just a word in a manual. Also thinking of Sanja who was always accommodating and caring for her seafarers, I loved the connection she had with the teams she was managing. I only knew these people through conversations they had with hubby and they have remained the face of the company for me. This adds to the list of people I met at the seminar last year Mr. Ranga, Capt. Mehta and the training team Mr. Devesh, Preksha, Michelle, Bruce and so many others. Many from Mumbai office Chetan, Mansi, Saroja and Maniraj whom I know personally and appreciate their professionalism. Maritime industry is very different and needs different ways of handling, an art that will always require appreciation when it is due. As it is said that catch people doing the right things rather than just look for opportunities to complain when something goes wrong. I am an advocate of the same, have learnt this through experience as I have been working in the people industry for almost three decades.
One Ocean, One Thread
I’ve had the privilege of meeting seafarers – my husband’s colleagues from different nations: Croatian, Montenegro, Filipino, Ukrainian, Bangladeshi, Indian, European. And you know what? They are all the same.
Gentlemen. Simple. Kind.
Tough on the outside because the sea demands resilience. But soft and vulnerable on the inside.
They miss home just as we do.
Share food, cover each other’s watches, celebrate events – birthdays, festivals and everything worth celebrating.
Nationality fades away onboard; out there, they are just ‘crew’- a great team.
Some have become like a family Capt. Mikic, C/E Petar and Ruslan and the list keeps getting longer. So glad to have met them. In fact the person who recieved me onboard on my first visit to hubby’s ship was C/E Ciprian, he created an exceptionally wonderful moment of truth and Capt. Mikic was a perfect gentleman. Finally saw my man and there was the happiness of seeing a loving husband and a wonderful master mariner Capt. Rajesh Kumar Todiwan. Grateful for their love, care and enthusiasm. In fact Petar feels like one of our own boys. That’s the common thread that unites us all – at sea and ashore.
To Every Family Waiting
If your sailor is away right now:
And to the companies listening: a brief, honest update to a family provides months of strength. A promise kept offers peace of mind.
We shippy wives may be quiet, but we are strong.
We pack the bags. We keep the home. We nurture faith.
And we wait – because behind every ship, there’s a heart waiting at shore.
And that heart believes: “All’s well.”
To all sailors and every seafarer – stay safe.
The sea is vast, but you are never alone. And we at home are never alone either.
