OUT OF SIGHT, NOT OUT OF MIND
40 portraits of seafarers by seafarers
Launched on 25 March 2021, OUT OF SIGHT, NOT OUT OF MIND – the second ITFST photography competition – was a continuation of the project to amplify seafarers’ voices and raise the profile of the seafaring profession beyond the maritime sector. During the pandemic, despite their critical role in global trade, seafarers were severely impacted by closed borders, extended contracts, restrictions on shore leave and limited access to vaccinations.
The 2021 competition continued to showcase the great work of seafarers that play such a vital, yet unspoken role in the worldwide shipping industry and shine a light on the human stories behind the lens. To show the seafarers at the core of the maritime industry, the 2021 competition was focused on portrait photography, showing seafarers as the true face of shipping.
2021 was also the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the ITFST and so forty photographs were selected and included in a special, limited-edition book which was presented to a distinguished list of people in countries, governments and leading organisations across the world whose influence could have a positive impact on the living and working conditions of seafarers. The winning photo, “Papa is tired…” by Aljon Manlangit provided the cover image. Each of the contributing seafarers also received a copy of the book alongside cash prizes.
With a foreword written by the, then, IMO Secretary General Mr Kitack Lim, the book was a celebration of the sometimes-invisible workforce powering the world’s shipping industry, and the book was accompanied by a formal exhibition of the photographs at the IMO Assembly meeting in London in December 2021.
The seafarers featured in the book challenge you to see them as individuals, people who take pride in their work, have families that depend on them, and who aspire to lead fulfilling lives. They are the maritime professionals delivering vital food, fuel, medication and all manner of consumer goods around the globe who are proud of their work and deserve much greater respect and recognition in the world beyond maritime.
The Winner
Best portrait of a seafarer
Papa is tired, but Papa will never give up By Aljon Manlangit, Ordinary Seaman, Philippines
Location: Kavkaz OPL, Taman Russia
A portrait shot of my colleague wiper Wendell Pineda, a native Filipino citizen, after their work in the Inert Gas System together with the engine crew. Behind this photo is a bit sad but more of a father-sacrifice story that some of us seafarers is experiencing right now. In which after his first contract as an engine boy, he embarked again for the second time with less than 3 weeks in his country staying only in the quarantine facility in their province.
OUT OF SIGHT, NOT OUT OF MIND – 40 portraits of seafarers by seafarers
View the forty images selected for inclusion in this prestigious publication, a celebration of the sometimes-invisible workforce powering the world’s shipping industry. The seafarers featured in this book challenge you to see them as individuals, people who take pride in their work, have families that depend on them, and who aspire to lead fulfilling lives. They are the maritime professionals delivering vital food, fuel, medication and all manner of consumer goods around the globe who are proud of their work and deserve much greater respect and recognition in the world beyond maritime.