“I HOPE that the fame of so noble a captain will not become effaced in our times. Among the other virtues that he possessed, he was more constant than anyone else in the greatest adversity. He endured hunger better than all the others, and more accurately than any man in the world did he understand sea charts and navigation. And his was the truth seen openly, for no other had had so much natural talent nor the boldness to learn to circumnavigate the world, as he did almost done...” Thus was Pigafetta’s eulogy on the death of Ferdinand Magellan, discoverer of the Philippines (lifted from the Laurence Bergreen book Over the Edge of the World).
Pigafetta unknowingly alluded to the character expected of a seafarer more than 500 years after. Tomorrow, designated as the Year of the Seafarer, the world will be narrating accolades in grateful appreciation of the contribution of seafarers to global progress and development in general and to each and every one in this growing society in particular. As aptly insinuated by IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez, no one can claim not to have chanced upon any object or service associated with the sea; and for which reason we thank the seafarers.
The seafarers of today can draw much in parallels from when Magellan embarked on an exploration during the Age of Discovery. A Portuguese by birth, he was a man who dreamed of conquering the seas in search of the Spice Islands. To such extent he was willing to face the risks of work onboard ships; the present day seafarers are aware of the challenges that await them when they join their ships, the only difference being that 500 years ago, Magellan sailed for an unknown territory relying on the anecdotal accounts by previous explorers on where the Spice Island lies.
The most coveted trade goods during Magellan’s time were the spices; today’s seafarers consider oil as their most essential and precious cargo. Magellan was still to locate where he can source the spices; where oil is to be loaded and discharged is planned and decided several months/years in advance. Today the routes are plotted while Magellan had to contend with the hit or miss outcomes.
Magellan left his country and swore allegiance to Spain, then the rival of Portugal, in discovering new lands for the monarchs. Pigafetta who chronicled the voyage of Magellan witnessed the travails and dangers which the armada consisting of five ships led by Magellan as Captain General had to face. The challenges he faced were not limited to the natural perils of the sea but included as well the hardships of dealing with a mixed crew, most of them of Spanish descent with less than 10 Portuguese brought in by Magellan himself, and a few others from Italy. The fact that the Captain General was an expatriate who renounced his loyalty from his country of birth was one reason Magellan did not easily gain the trust of his crew who suspected he was out to wreck havoc on the Spanish monarchy. Magellan was at the helm of the Trinidad, the flagship of the armada while the four other ships were under the command of the jealous Spanish captains and further complicated by the former’s poor facility in the Spanish language.
The opening of the markets in the trade of goods and services in this globalized era makes labor movement and migration possible, subject to agreed international standards and regulations. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see mixed crew in many of the ships that ply international waters; however, problems arising from cultural and language differences remain. Still this is a situation not worse than what Magellan faced. Mental health which is gaining much attention today was not known during those days of yore; yet, the crew in Magellan’s ships embarked on the trip hardly expecting they could return.
Although Magellan failed in his goal to personally circumnavigate the world as he was killed in Mactan island, his fleet, the Armada de Moluccas, successfully completed his dream as the ship Victoria returned to Spain a year after the fleet of five ships left the Spanish shore.
Pigafetta’s eulogy for Magellan speaks well of the same spirit and character which seafarers of the world possess. The theme of this year’s Seafarers celebration, “Carrying the world trade, carrying the risks,” were as fitting for all shipboard workers from 500 years to the present.
