Home at sea - Father & Son Uzliakov
How did you end up in the Maritime world?
Aleksei: I live close to the second largest freshwater lake in Europe, Lake Onega, and this was also a point that made me choose my path. My grandfather often took me fishing in a small boat. At the age of 12 I joined the Maritime Club for young people who are interested in the maritime industry.
We learn a lot of interesting things there, how to tie knots, how to rig the sails, how to use the flags, some nautical subjects and so on. In the summer we sail on a small vessel, belong to the club, through the lakes and rivers and can perform some duties on board and see/visit some other interesting places and cities. It was a time of vivid and unforgettable impressions. Based on these impressions, I chose my future profession and enrolled in the Nautical College.
Matvei: My name is Matvei. I'm 20 years old and have just started my career as a seafarer. Now I am a 3rd year student at the Nizhniy Novgorod Maritime Academy. My father works as a captain and I've heard a lot of interesting stories from him about the life of a seafarer and I was really interested, which is why I chose the same way. In my first ship practice I was on two ships “mv Alice" and “mv Greenland" as a deck cadet (thanks a lot MF Shipping Group for such opportunity!). It was an unforgettable experience!
What was the best moment in your career so far?
Aleksei: Several moments that shine in my memory, one of when on board one of the vessels when we passed under the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, our vessel was the last cargo ship to enter Sydney's commercial harbour (commercial harbour has been moved away from the city) and at the same moment it was a 75th anniversary celebration of this bridge, lots of people on land and on small boats, helicopters flying around, fireworks, laser show, it was really attractive to see. Another great moment was my first voyage as captain. It was exciting.
Matvei: It was the moment I boarded the vessel everything looks very unusual to me and I want to know how the ship is constructed and how the crew work there.
What do you think is the biggest change coming in the near future?
Aleksei: We live in a rapidly changing world and technology is developing so fast that some things that were hard to imagine 10 years ago are already our present, especially in the maritime sector. Green technology, LNG and electric powered ships, autonomous ships, sails back on some merchant vessels, and some more interesting solutions will certainly appear on ships within the next few years, as well as stricter regulations regarding emissions/pollution from vessels.
Matvei: I think it's going to be autonomous vessels and ports soon. There are a lot of prospective projects in this direction, but we are still far from complete automation. I think seafarers will be in demand for many years to come.
Matvei: "I'm proud to have chosen this profession and starting the path to my dream!"
If you could have become anything, would you still have become a captain or would you have made a different choice?
Aleksei: I don't regret anything that has happened in my life and I wouldn't want to change anything, even if I had the chance.
Matvei: It's hard for me to imagine myself in any other profession and if I had the chance to change everything, I would.
What advice do you have for the new generation?
Aleksei: Try to learn something new every time, stay positive and look to the future with optimism.
Matvei: I think I'm the new generation and the advice I'd like to give myself is "If you have a goal, go for it".
