"A Chief Cook can be the love of everyone on board"

This is the voice of Chief Cook at MANCHESTER MAERSK, Elmer Mojado Balbutin:

Chief Cook

A Chief Cook can be the love of everyone on board seeing that we can satisfy almost everyone through cooking and baking. We always think of everyone’s health, their needs and wants their likes and dislikes. We must be fair to anyone, whenever and wherever. This kind of perception helps me make my life onboard free of worries and time fly fast.

Some people say that we Chief Cooks are the most important person on board. Due to our leadership and responsibility, we can make every crew member work freely and smoothly. With the food that we serve and our dedication, the crew is encouraged to do their job nicely and well with good relations to the others all the while staying safe and sound every day.

We are the only person where “REST” is not our friend for the whole contract; it says “Every day is Monday”. Even though we literally can rest we still think of the next thing to do afterwards, and when on free time we must mingle with the colleagues. Mostly we are the radio/TV reporter for everybody seeing that we would always be the first one to know what would happen for the day and, in advance, of what to do the next day. This is because every crew member talks and tell of the routines of both the deck and engine departments.

As part of my daily routine onboard cooking and baking is my responsibility. While on duty, music is my best partner in the galley, and it helps my routine work freely and smoothly. Sometimes I use my phone to read and send messages even though our internet works as slow as a turtle. Somehow, I can manage everything while working.

Day by day the crew on board are getting closer to each other, sometimes bonding during the coffee break and even after dinner. After work at night, we invite the crew members to play table tennis or foosball, and after every Saturday steak dinner, we have non-alcoholic beer while singing karaoke. Then on Sunday after lunch, I somehow manage to play basketball with the crew, but unfortunately, the ball went overboard recently so that fun is done for now.

We are still looking at some alternative things to do in our free time at nights, playing PC games with the rest of the crew and sometimes playing on mobile phones. We also work out in the gymnasium to stay fit and at a balance, and we eat a healthy diet every day. A lot of the things we do are limited regarding the internet. When the crew needs early rest, we stay in my cabin and watch movies or series that I have downloaded at home before signing on. 

While we are sailing during this time of pandemic, a lot of things are impossible and complicated, but we must be thankful because we are lucky that we are breathing nicely and are healthy and fit. Staying onboard is the safest place for us, and less worry must be added on to the increasing cases worldwide. Here we have a lot of safety measure and precautions for battling the coronavirus.

When I was signing off from my last vessel assignment sometime in March 2020, I was one of the luckiest crew members to sign off and I had the last flight home before the total lockdown in Europe. But when I arrived at the airport in Manila there was also quarantine and unfortunately, I could not fly or travel to my family and kids because they are on the island of Mindanao. I, therefore, stayed in Manila for the rest of my vacation.

While on the quarantine period at home, video calls with my family and kids is the way to go. A month passed by the area was still on lockdown and there was limited access to establishments. My treasure box was running out because I am the only breadwinner of the family, so I started to think of options. I have a small online business and I became a courier driver which was allowed by the government. With the license to travel, I somehow managed to update my needed document for the Manning Office. When all was completed, I agreed for urgent embarkation and so they send me back on board.

Signing on wasn’t easy with the pandemic rising. I was on a chartered flight to another hosting company and everything was complicated from hotel quarantine to airport and aircraft down to the sign on the country. We have a full gear of PPE from home to port of embarkation, and I realized this will be the new normal procedures.

Sometime soon, everything will be in a new normal and I will be at home with the family. I love to go camping and on nature trips, hitting my bike on the road, go on family road trips, and playing with my dogs. I especially love family bonding.

Wishing everybody stays safe and healthy.

Elmer Mojado Balbutin
Chief Cook, MANCHESTER MAERSK