Thalassa Series 5

Filipino Seamen

Filipino seafarers at school, at sea and at home.

The Thalassa teams meet Fred the steward and Crispin the third engineer of the “La Tour” container ship.
In San Fernando in the Philippines, Fred and Crispin’s home country, they reunite with their families, whom they often don’t see for months on end. This episode delves into the lives of these Filipino seamen who represent a quarter of the world’s maritime industry workforce.
It also looks at a seafarers’ school in the Philippines where teenagers, mostly boys but also a few girls, learn about military-like discipline and acquire a very complete education that should lead them to take on important positions on big ships.