The notion of spending an entire professional career at sea is becoming a thing of the past.

With the influx of Millennials and Gen Z into the maritime industry, career paths have shifted. Rather than staying at sea until retirement, many now transition to onshore roles within 15 to 20 years of starting out.

A significant number of these early “retirees” have found success in businesses while and other sought opportunities to create opportunities for others.

Among the latter are Dan Tolentino and Chief Engineer Arvin Peralta, maritime Millennials considered “young achievers,” who have chosen to serve the very industry that shaped their lives.

FINDING HIS TRUE CALLING

Dan Aldrich Tolentino grew up in a family of seafarers. With a respected bosun for a father, Dan was exposed to tales of the high seas, exotic locales, adventures, and the contrasting realities that overshadowed the perceived glamour of the job.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Dan pursued a bachelor’s degree in maritime transportation at the Philippine Merchant Marine School (PMMS), fully committed to a lifelong maritime career. However, fate took an unexpected turn.

Four years into his sailing career, Dan was involved in an accident that forever changed his life.

A mooring accident trapped his arm between steel and a mooring line. The tragic incident not only caused severe injuries requiring over 150 sutures and two years of major surgeries but also forced Dan to retire from seafaring.

During his two-year recovery period in Germany, Dan took on various odd jobs to make ends meet.

“I worked part-time as a ship’s agent, crewing staff, encoder, cashier in a seaman’s club, and even as a choir singer for church services and funerals. I did whatever it took to survive,” Tolentino recalls.

It was during this time that Dan came across a job opening with the International Maritime Employers Council (IMEC). He joined the organization as a Training Manager.

One of his responsibilities is to interview and recruit cadets nationwide for the prestigious IMEC Cadetship Program, renowned as one of the best in the Philippines. Having transitioned from a crewing manager who used to obtain cadets from IMEC, Tolentino now holds a key position, producing world-class cadets for shipping companies.

“It was an exciting and challenging time. I found myself being a conduit of opportunities for young individuals who dream of becoming seafarers, while also contributing to the industry’s maintenance of a world-class standard of merchant mariners,” he says.

While adhering to IMEC’s requirements for prospective cadets, Tolentino adds another criterion of his own—the individual’s career foresight.

“I don’t search for the perfect cadet. I look for their genuine desire to be part of this industry, regardless of their circumstances. Their willingness to succeed is what matters to me. It’s crucial for me to understand their career plans, and from there, we work together to build their future in shipping,” he explains.

Over the years of mentoring cadets, Dan has earned the moniker “Big Bro Dan” among the younger generation of seafarers. He acts as an elder brother figure to over 5,000 cadets, trainees, cooks, and electricians whom he has selected, trained, and supported since 2012.

“Regardless of the life they lead now, no matter their level of success, I find solace in knowing that I have played a part in their journey, that I have given my best to provide them with a platform, and that I have succeeded in guiding them to become world-class maritime professionals,” he shares.

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A PATH DRIVEN BY GRATITUDE

In the Philippine maritime industry, Arvin Peralta is known as an inspector for the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the world’s largest and most powerful union federation.

Unlike Dan, Arvin did not come from a family of mariners. He belongs to a lineage of engineers and became the first marine engineer and seafarer in his clan by earning a full scholarship at the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) in Mariveles, Bataan.

“I owe my education and accomplishments to the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), which established MAAP in 1998.”

AMOSUP, founded by celebrated master mariner Gregorio Oca in 1972, champions the rights and welfare of Filipino seafarers.

The scholarship from MAAP and a cadetship program with Thome Ship Management (TSM) honed Arvin’s skills until he rose to the rank of chief engineer aboard LPG and chemical tankers. It was during this time that he learned about the trials and triumphs faced by seafarers. “It made me appreciate the efforts and hardships endured by those working in the maritime industry,” he shares.

It was this sense of gratitude and concern for his fellow seafarers that led Arvin to join ITF, choosing that path over an opportunity for a land-based job. He now serves as the ITF Inspector in Manila, representing AMOSUP and overseeing the Luzon island group.

“Unpaid wages, repatriation, and unsafe or unhealthy working conditions are the most common issues faced by international seafarers. For Filipinos, concerns include blacklisting and the ‘backer’ system,” laments the chief engineer.

Arvin acknowledges that addressing these two concerns often exceeds the scope of his abilities.

“Blacklisting and the backer system have been prevalent practices in the manning sector, but they are challenging to prove. Knowing that I cannot assist seafarers who fall victim to these practices is difficult for me because as an ITF inspector, I cannot guarantee employment,” he adds.

Despite occasional frustrations arising from the inability to assist everyone, Arvin remains committed to providing all the assistance he can as a labor inspector. His optimism continues to inspire seafarers around him to forge ahead.

MANNED AND UNIFIED

Tolentino and Engr. Peralta are two maritime professionals representing different ends of the seafaring sector — one on behalf of employers and the other as a union representative. Yet, despite their personal experiences leading them to retire from seafaring, they have risen above the challenges and found their way back to the same industry, holding positions that enable and protect their fellow seafarers. These exemplary Filipinos dedicate long days and sleepless nights to paying it forward, ensuring that their seafaring dreams live on through others. – Yashika Torib