In today’s blog we asked Royner Hawerstrand, former Master and now retired, for their thoughts on a career at sea and any advice for those starting out in the industry. 

What did you enjoy most about your career at sea? 

To meet people from different occupations and share experiences. 

What drove you to pursue a career at sea?  

To see the world as 16-year-old and in the small place I grow there were quite a few active and retired seamen. 

What challenges have you faced in your career as a seafarer, and how have you overcome these? 

The most challenges I had was as a Chief Mate in chemical-cleaning, preparations, planning load different grades of cargo. 

Most of the time you are alone, but I have never been afraid to ask or research for answers. 

What advice would you give to young people who are looking to start a career at sea? 

Do your homework before you join and if you decide to join you can never find a better job. I did it for 46 years and if someone should ask ‘would you do it again?’ my answer would be without hesitation “YES”. 

You can follow the hashtag #DayOfTheSeafarer for 2023 content and come back to this blog page tomorrow for another interview.