At 33 years old, Jean Rose Pintal stands on the bridge of a Maersk vessel as Chief Officer, entirely in command and in her element. The hum of equipment, the open sea stretching in all directions, and the quiet thrill of maneuvering a massive ship are where she feels most alive. Her journey to this point was not a straight path, but a testament to her resilience and determination. It was not a family expectation, but she charted her own course.

Chief Officer Pintal grew up in Davao City, the youngest child in a middle-class family from Mindanao. Her father was a seafarer himself, but instead of encouraging his children to follow in his wake, he advised against it. “He was against the idea of his children going through the same profession and life as he had,” she recalls. “Because it’s not very glamorous.”

Instead, her alma mater—the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP)—opened the door to the maritime world. “It promised and offered me a full scholarship and a bright future,” she says. It was the chance of a lifetime for a young woman in 2008, unsure of her next step. “If I failed to get into the academy, I would have abandoned the thoughts of becoming a seafarer.” She graduated in 2012.

Over the years, the young chief officer has worked her way up the ranks, her proudest accomplishment being what she considers the ultimate success: “a happy family that [a seafarer] will be able to spend time with, with little worries and a stable future.”

Her current position is both a professional and personal triumph. “I am very proud to be an efficient Chief Officer who is also well-liked by everyone,” she shares. But more than recognition or titles, she finds joy in the daily moments. “I very much enjoy driving the ship,” she says. “When I’m up at the bridge, having the conn, having perfect control of the vessel (with a view to boot), I always get cheesy and start thanking the Heavens for such a life.” Her passion for her work is palpable, making her a role model for many aspiring seafarers.

Still, the life of a seafarer is not without its challenges. Among them is the distance from loved ones. “Being away from family and friends, people and things from home that you want to spend time with”—this, she admits, is the hardest part.

In her downtime onboard, Jean Rose stays grounded through simple routines. “At the risk of sounding boring, I must admit that going to the gym and watching K-dramas are my favorite pastime,” she laughs. “In most cases, I watch a drama while at the gym. I don’t have much free time, so I must multitask.”

Describing herself as a simple, straightforward person—“What you see is what you get”— Chief Officer Pintal is also known among her colleagues for her approachable nature. “Some of them may not know how silly I get about random things,” she says.

But beneath that silliness is a steel resolve. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, she’s had to contend with questions—not just about her competence, but about how she got to where she is. “With the present drive for diversity in seafaring, my qualifications as a Chief Officer and future Master have been slightly marred with questions,” she says. “Did I get to where I am because I’m good at my job or because I’m a woman?”

She answers that question with work, not words. “I overcome this every time by being myself, working hard, and being genuine.” The judgment is repetitive but not insurmountable. “I’m sure someday we all will be able to change the stereotype if we keep going.”

Her strategy is simple: honesty, hard work, and a competitive drive. “I always have this urge to work harder than most on board,” she says. “So I easily take it out of the ballpark.”

Jean Rose Pintal didn’t grow up dreaming of ships. But when the opportunity came, she took the helm and never looked back.

Conributed Photos: Jean Rose Pintal | @seawomansays