In a world where traditions often shape professions, some individuals rise above challenges to carve their own niche.
Coming from a family of boat captains on both the paternal and maternal side, Captain Didi’s maritime life was in his blood.
“My maternal grandfather was a captain, even my father was a traditional captain. And my uncle and my cousins from that side were also captains and so it’s something that I hold very dear”, he explains.
Beginning his professional career in 1977, in rescue and fire services in Hulhule’ Airport. Reflecting on this period, he recalls being brought to Hulhule’ international airport, then under construction, and commencing different trainings prior to his graduation from secondary school. There, he and his peers underwent various training program. Those who refused, were expelled to other islands under the stringent regulations of the time.
“I took part in firefighting training in Singapore as one of the first to undergo such training” Didi said.
However, after a 5-year tenure at the airport, Didi moved on to the tourism sector. Having completed his Diploma in Hotel Management, he served as an Assistant Manager at an island resort, now the Sheraton Maldives, for roughly six years.
“But, even then, my target was to study in a technical area. I had it in my heart, it was my plan and target to study and succeed in a technical area”, he admits.
Despite the family legacy, opportunities remained scarce in Maldives at the time. Undeterred, he stepped on his first job with no prior knowledge, relying solely on the on-the-job-training that would later become the foundation of his expertise.
Captain Didi holds a foreign-going Master’s certification approved by the Maldivian government and a specialized certification in Unlimited Masters Certificate in Dynamic Positioning from the London Nautical Institute.
“My initial DP training began with an induction course at Konsberg, Sweden, focusing mostly on DP systems. Then I completed my advanced simulator training after six months, gaining eligibility to work independently for a month’s time, before I was signed off by a licensed supervisor, who then referred his verification to the London Nautical Institute, who formalized course completion and authorized certification”, he states.
His career took an important turn upon securing an opportunity in Qatar. Over the course of a 13 year period, he gained numerous experience in the Gulf region. Working primarily in the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain working on a variety of vessels including bulk carriers. Container ships and offshore support vessels oil and gas operations. But the demands of undertaking specialized training in Dynamic Positioning (DP) became increasingly rigorous challenging. This training included underwater surveys, submarine cable installations, gas and oil operations and advanced simulator sessions. All of it came at the personal cost of being away from his family.
In 2019 he returned to the Maldives, securing a position with the same company he worked for in the Gulf region, which had expanded to the Maldives. This gave him the chance to lead maritime and tourism operations locally. His role encompassed implementation and monitoring quality assurance, daily departure checklists, documentation, amongst others. The most important thing for him at the time, was being close to family.
“Unlike previous times, working in Maldives with my family close by was a bonus for me”, he states.
But it came with it’s own set of challenges.
“Training in the local sector lagged behind international standards, with limited awareness of ISO practices and maritime labor conventions. Internal audits were conducted every three to six months but gaps in enforcement and monitoring remained”, he states.
Challenges persisted supervising a team of 76 staff members, in terms of awareness and adopting best practices to meet international standards.
“As the Operations Manager, I do my best to ensure we are not lagging behind in terms of implementing international standards in our practices. We conduct trainings to improve awareness. These trainings are conducted by accredited training academies and include hands-on classes, video tutorials and refresher courses”.
As an ex-co member of the Amari Association – an NGO dedicated to promoting the maritime industry in the Maldives, he continues to advocate for better training opportunities and greater awareness of the industry practices.
“The practices underlined under the maritime labor convention is still developing within our community. The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation should do a thorough assessment and maintain standards for surveillance to ensure proper monitoring”
Captain Didi
Captain Didi’s experience depicts how the maritime sector remains underutilized.
“Some Maldivians don’t believe that it is a lucrative career abroad and pays well. Back in the day, at the early stages my daily wages were around 700 USD as a DP Master. What applies to any other field applies here as well. The more you learn and specialize the more opportunities you can create with a career in maritime, even overseas”, he elaborates.
One of the reasons, as per Captain Didi, could be the misconceptions within the community.
“Many people perceive that a career in the maritime sector lacks prestige. They don’t understand the amount of training and education that goes behind developing such skills”, he remarks.
Another area of concern is the lack of regard for proactive measures and conforming to regulations.
“People fail to exercise caution even in the event of bad weather. They don’t pay heed to the white, red or yellow alerts that are announced and continue travels. Unless overcome with an accident, nobody seems to actively play an active role in ensuring safety, which is concerning”, he adds.
The introduction of Maritime Rescue Forum and other similar initiatives could however, minimize these issues and enlighten the community. Captain Didi highlighted the invaluable efforts by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) in paving the way for improving existing issues.
Captain Didi’s experience highlights the immense opportunities within the maritime industry. His journey from a novice to a leader in the field, has played a key role in shaping the future of maritime operations in the Maldives. His journey emphasizes the potential that remains in the maritime sector – if only more people dared to navigate it’s waters.
