' 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. The story behind this photo is a bit sad. One of those father-sacrifice stories that some of us seafarers are 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 his province. Without reaching home and without even seeing his partner and their two year old daughter, Mr Pineda embarked again as an urgent request of his shipping company. This urgency is due to the lack of seafarers available at that time because of the global Covid crisis. Some of the seafarers are in their provinces and are restricted from travelling. And some of them are locked down in different quarantine facilities in their area. Somehow, embarking a ship for a second time after a short break did not give Mr Pineda a sad thought. Instead he considered himself lucky, for he will embark again and earn money to help his family. Some of the new seafarers are waiting months and even years just to embark on their first international ship. Mr Pineda's story is not just about his own experience, but the face and story of most of us seafarers, especially the fathers, that even if Papa is tired, Papa will never give up.

*Winner of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust 2021 photo competition Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: 40 Portraits of Seafarers by Seafarers

“Winning this competition really means a lot. It will boost my confidence and inspire me to take great and meaningful shots. And having my photo on the cover of the book about seafarers makes me feel very proud. I can now finally share my photos and tell our story to the world. I hope people will see it and recognise the work and sacrifice that we make to keep this world moving forward even at this time of pandemic.” '