Masters Of The Sea

CAPTAIN Othman Ali and Captain Abdul Rahman Madon are mariners – seasoned ones. Othman, 58, has been plying the seas for 27 years and sailed round the world 11 times; 40-year-old Rahman, 20 years and four times.
For both, the MV Reef Challenger is their first commission on a "small but specialised ship." They are working together on the same ship for the first time too - as master and commander, respectively.
"The work scopes are poles apart," Othman says on the bridge as the Reef Challenger sails into the Straits of Malacca.
"The working environment is also different, and so are the equipment and instruments. You know, this is also the first time I am in command of a ship with passengers," Othman says.
Like Rahman, he has had experience commanding containers, bulk carriers, tankers and general cargo ships.
Othman served as master-in-command with Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) from 1988 to 2000. He had joined the company in 1977.
Rahman, meanwhile, was with Perbadanan Nasional Shipping Line for eight years from 1983 before leaving to join MISC until last year.
Halim Mazmin Bhd, the two mariners say, is significantly contributing to efforts to get more Malaysians into the seafaring profession.
"You've probably heard lots of stories about sailors... they drink, they gamble and they womanise. Not everything true. It depends on the individual. But because of these tales, many parents don't like their children to become sailors.
"In addition, sailing takes people away from their families. Also, these days, the ports are located away from main cities," Othman says.
As senior manager of fleet operations for Halim Mazmin Bhd, Othman is in charge of three ships: RV Mahsuri, MV Puteri Mahsuri and the Reef Challenger.
On the Reef Challenger, Rahman is First Officer to him.
"There cannot be two captains in one ship. With some decisions, there is no luxury of a discussion," Rahman explains as the ship negotiates the route to avoid a sand bar in Pulau Pangkor.
The two men's Master Foreign Going Certificate of Competency allow them to be appointed master-in-command of a ship. Both also possess supplementary endorsements from the Marine Department specific to types of ship they are required to command.
While it normally takes about 10 years to become a captain, Othman did so in six.
"I didn't really find the training tough. I felt I was ready. I was a scout as a boy. It helps, especially with the rope work," he says.
Atif Hayat K. Udumansa and Ramesh Raj, both 19, are pursuing a three-year diploma course in nautical studies at the Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALAM) in Malacca.
ALAM is the country's premier maritime education and training institution. It is a one-stop training centre which offers not only courses that lead to professional qualifications, but also various ancillary safety and management programmes.
The courses are all designed not just to meet the minimum standards as stipulated in the International Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) 1978 and other relevant international guidelines, but to exceed them.
The boys are on a one-year practical training with Halim Mazmin Bhd.
"I want to be like the two captains... they're cool," Ramesh says during a break from his duties. He is one of five cadets on the vessel, helping out with the Scientific Expedition to the Straits of Malacca.
Sheepishly, he however admits to having suffered from seasickness, and throwing up on the first day of voyage. "I was told by senior crew members not to hold it back. Malu-lah."
The Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam scholar took up nautical studies after getting to know Atif, whom he met in Port Dickson while attending the same compulsory class for driver's licence applicants.
"It's hard work," says Atif, of his duties on board. Together with the other cadets, he had had to prepare the dinghies which some of the participants of the expedition used to get to shore. They are also the boatmen on these forays.
"Working out in the gym is nothing compared to this. But I'll get used to it."
The cadets are put on a four-hour watch each. At sunrise, they sing the Negara Ku while hoisting the national flag at the stern. Likewise at sunset, they sing the national anthem while lowering the flag.
After a year with Halim Mazmin Bhd, they will return to the ALAM classrooms. Upon completion of the course, they have to submit all relevant papers to the Marine Department and then wait to be called to sit for an oral examination.
"When we pass the orals, we will then be certified as Third Officers. The same process goes on until we make it to be captains. I intend to make it as a master-in-command in less than 10 years like Othman," Ramesh says.