To return to sea

Vladimir Gerasimenko, the Third Officer of a chemical tanker, turned to the Seafarers' Union of Russia for assistance. He applied to SUR to get compensation for occupational injury he sustained while working on board a Panama-flag vessel, he suffered a traumatic amputation of part of his phalanx. The seafarer accidentally got his left index finger caught in a rotating compressor wheel while charging rescue equipment balloons. 

Having consulted with the SUR Chief Technical Labor Evgeny Khizhnyak on getting compensation from the employer, Vladimir Gerasimenko told about himself and his short experience at sea. 

Vladimir Gerasimenko is the Far East native, in 2013 he graduated from the Maritime State University named after Adm. G.I. Nevelskoy, but decided that the seafaring was not right for him. Having worked for 10 years on shore, he wanted to return to a sea career to see faraway places. 

Vladimir renewed his documents, and after a long period of job searching he got lucky. He got a job as a Third Officer in a small shipping company.

 - That's how I got on the 5,000-gt vessel. We sailed to the North, supplying gold mining villages in the Magadan Region with fuel, - he told. - Then there were voyages to China and Singapore. In contrast to the desolate North, the seas of Southeast Asia seemed like a maritime megalopolis, chock-full of vessels, various boats and fishing nets. We bunkered these vessels with fear: the Chinese smoked right during bunker operations. We could make them stop smoking only with the assistance of an interpreter.

He also remembers well the twelve-hour pilotage along the Argentine River Parana. Their vessel was delivering fertilizers to many small local ports. The the vessel loaded soybean oil cargo in Argentina and headed to Africa. Vladimir Gerasimenko still regrets that he was unable to take a video of the whale migration they came across on the way to Senegal. "Believe it or not, but there were at least 30 whales in that pod!" he told.

However, the delight did not last long: having arrived at the port, the crew had to wait three weeks for unloading. During that period, there was no time for rest, as representatives of the local authorities became frequent visitors.

- It's well known that in Africa they try to make money off seafarers: they find fault with every little thing. I remember one case when some huge dark-skinned men came on board of our vessel and immediately began to look at the medicines. They found one that was expired, we had to pay them off with juices from the galley, - the seafarer recalled.

Food is a separate matter. The thing is that Vladimir is a vegetarian. No secret, that there isn't many vegetables and fruits on board vessels. Therefore, a vegetarian cannot have an additional portion of salad instead of meat meal because all crew members should eat a balanced diet. - I have to stuff myself with pasta. At sea, even tomatoes are not a joy, they are like a plastic, and taste about the same, - the seafarer complained.

By the way, while the injured seafarer collects documents needed to get compensation and enjoys his first visit to the Northern capital, he is already receiving calls from the shipowner offering him to return to his work on board the vessel. In the meantime, he looks back with nostalgia to his last voyage, and especially the multinational friendly crew. And despite numerous challenges, he wishes to see the starry sky and the sunrise from a vessel again. So, upon getting his things ashore done, he will definitely return to the sea.