7 minute read
DevCom | The Colors of the Brave
WRITTEN BY MDPN. DANIEL JUSTINE BELONIO PHOTOS BY CHESTER ALAN BACHOCO
The great azure oceans have always charmed humanity ever since the dawn of their existence, as it can be furious and gentle because it is where the ruthless and imposing Poseidon dwells, as his realm gave birth to gods, goddesses, and monsters alike. Such as Charybdis who currently endures an unending thirst for the sea, as she creates whirlpools to swallow sailors who are unfortunate enough to get too close to her, thus meeting their horrifying ends, and Scylla who stays close to Charybdis near a narrow strait, vaguely luring sailors into a false sense of relief and then feasts on them. Poseidon’s realm is unforgiving for humans, yet there are brave individuals who will dare venture into his inhospitable domain.
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Humans are regarded as the brave ones that come in diverse personalities and in prism colors, they will stop at nothing even if it is a god or a powerful monster blocking their path, they tread on ignoring such entities because they know that they are lucky to be blessed by their presence. Chester Alan O. Bachoco is one of these individuals regarded as the brave, 24 years young, he is able to face adversities with his head held high as he continues to walk and slay within Poseidon’s realm.
The medium that the brave uses are ships— a top peak product of human creativity, engineering, and craftsmanship. Ships are used for various situations and they differ in design, purpose, and unique qualities. The world of the shipping industry is not for the faint of heart, as it is where time is literally money, as it has been growing steadily for years through trade, transport, and charter. As the backbone of world trade, it is estimated that 80 percent of all goods are carried by sea and it is stated that the value of the global maritime container trade is estimated to be worth 60 percent of all seaborne trade. To put into account, it is worth 14 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019. This is such a huge load and expectations the brave has to carry and keep standard.
PROUD HUES. The LGBTQ+ flag flutters for equality and diversity aboard Bachoco’s vessel.
With this steady growth, they require a huge demand of brave or maritime employees, such as deck officers, marine engineers, and ratings. The recruitment process of the companies that employ them is extensive, strict as they may appear but it is for the advancement of the company and the safety of the crewmates who will be their companions for the duration of their contracts. Enter Maersk Line or Maersk SeaLand, a Danish integrated shipping company, active in both ocean and freight transport services. Maersk has been at service since its establishment in 1904 and has grown to be the largest container shipping line and vessel operator in the world. They have hired 83,000 employees and made revenue of 39.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. The world’s leading company Maersk must have to employ high-quality employees. This proved to be a hurdle that they need to overcome if they want to continue dominating the world of the maritime industry, as their scope is limited and is holding them back. In response to this, Maersk developed a policy that will help them conquer this problem, it is called the “Diversity and Inclusion Policy”. As Maersk said in their Policies and Target “Why would we only hire from 50% of the global talent pool?” and further added, “Increasing the gender representation of the talent applying to work for Maersk means that we are able to hire from the widest talent pool”.
Chester Alan O. Bachoco’s comment on the Diversity and Inclusion Policy of Maersk.
Diversity and inclusion policy have been showing progress since 2018. As they stated in a section of their Sustainability Report 2019 as to why is it important, that “It is a basic obligation and a core element of our values not to discriminate against our employees. Discrimination bars people from living up to their full potential creates inequality as well less stable and prosperous societies. We also want to leverage the competitive advantage that diverse teams and inclusive cultures can bring to our business.”
They have done a milestone in the maritime industry, employing 2 women out of the 8 men that are on the board of directors, and more representation of other genders in the senior management. They have further targets in 2023 such as “Three women on the Board of Directors if the Board consists of less than twelve members, and four women, if the Board consists of twelve or more members” and “Target for senior management representation of 1) women and 2) persons from countries that are not in the OECD high-income countries list” these targets symbolize the progress that they have cultivated through their efforts and the value that they truly give to their employees.
Now in 2021, they are further endorsing LGBTQIA such as participating in world pride 2020 and 2021 announcing that they are proud sponsors. Such as painting their containers with the colors of the rainbow flag and will have a tour around the world, this huge endorsement has received a lot of positive reactions online in different communities and in the maritime industry as a whole.
These rainbow containers do not only represent the LGBTQIA community but also represent that the world accepts them for who they are. The employees will have the opportunity to see and sign the units with encouraging words that motivate and empower such as “Stronger together #ALLTHEWAY” written by the employees at NWC – Area Salops. This heart-warming activity really brings us together that we are one and we can overcome our differences together.
Nanneke Visscher, Customer Success Manager in Rotterdam also commented: ‘’So proud to be part of this! ALL voices should be allowed to speak, ALL voices should be truly heard and ALL voices should equally count. Be the change!’’ plenty of employees have been sharing online with their photos of the rainbow containers and their encouraging words and signatures as a sign they approve, using the hashtag #InclusionAllTheWay.
Chester Alan O. Bachoco’s comment on the Diversity and Inclusion Policy of Maersk.
This is also a great humanitarian work, as the units were involved in delivering relief and cargo to the hurricane survivors in the United States in the past year 2020. As Maersk clients have shown great interest in the use of these wonderful rainbow containers, these units will be used for a long time to come.
It is humbling to see that these rainbow containers only started with two skillfully painted units in July 2020 join the fleet, now they number greatly as they continue to embark through the Netherlands, visiting the country’s landmarks, as well in locations where participating customers and partners are located, and lower growers Jan de Wit en Zonen, who was proud to participate in the initiative.
Chester Alan O. Bachoco then said “It’s very hard coming true for the first time, there are a lot of struggles that I faced because not everyone will accept you the way you are, still I am grateful to the people who accepted me. As a member of the LGBTQIA community working onboard came with its own set of struggles, especially on mixed crew vessels where some nationalities are accepting and some are conservative, but for me, I don’t care if they accept me or not, as long as you know yourself and doing an excellent job in being respectful and at work, the right people will commend you and appreciate the hard work you have devoted. We are here, we make a stand as a human being and we will prove it to everyone.”
Poseidon appreciates the change in humanity, he will still continue to be ruthless, but with full respect for this accumulation of feelings and devotion of humans thirsting for change, and will be forever grateful to witness such an amazing act that he thought gods and goddesses can only achieve.
STEP UP! Bachoco enjoys the acceptance and inclusivity of his vessel.
