Home is where the heart is
Ahmad Hassan may have sailed around the world but his heart always lies at home with those he loves.
By Filzah Athirah
Ahmad Hassan lifts the wooden handle of the feather duster and sweeps it across the surface of his display cabinet. He carefully cups each miniature wooden ship model from the cabinet in his palms and cleans them with a soft cloth, gentle as a mother cradling her baby. His extensive ship model collection clearly amplifies his love for ships and although not all were made of glass, he cares for and cleans them all with the same level of dedication and precision. “To others it may seem like a weird obsession but to me, they are a piece of memory from each country I visited,” the 72-year-old said.
Seeing the world had always been his dream. After completing his secondary school education, he put his education on hold and started work as a fisherman in order to help support his mother and four sisters. At the time, his father was the sole breadwinner of the family and being in the military meant the family only saw him a few days in a year. It was then when Ahmad started wondering about the ships in the distance and the seemingly unending sea.
PIER PRESSURE
When he was 20, Ahmad’s best friend, affectionately known as "Tam", informed him that a ship was lacking manpower and they needed strong men to become seamen and replace those who were injured. Ahmad knew this was his only chance to see the world. By then, he was a fine, muscular young man from carrying each day’s catch from the fishing ground to the market over the years. He knew nothing about ships or the responsibilities that came with working on one, but his determination to travel and to provide for his young siblings motivated him to sign up, together with Tam.
“The only thing louder than your voice is your dream,” he said as he reminisced his days on board.
It was the day the M.V. Sanaga was scheduled to sail. Ahmad had not told his mother about his intention of working on board a ship for weeks after making up his mind. After packing the barest of his belongings, he mustered the courage and broke the news to his mother.
“At first, my mother started crying and refused to let me (go) because it was a dangerous job. In the end, she told me to follow my heart and take good care of myself,” Ahmad recalled. It was hard enough for the family to see their father. Being on a ship would mean another family member missing from home.
With the family portrait folded in the breast pocket of his best shirt, he remembers ruffling the hairs of his sisters before setting out for Jurong Port with Tam.
OH BUOY
Throughout his 14-year voyage, Ahmad had sailed on many different ships. The ships ranged from bulk carriers and car carriers to oil tankers and gas tankers, to containers. Along the way, he experienced some challenges that made his heart ache for the comfort of home and his family.
Ahmad admitted that the first few months on the ship were the hardest. Although he did not get over the seasickness as quickly as he’d imagined, enduring the nausea and constant sunburn while carrying out the ship’s maintenance work was just part of the job. Being on the bottom of the food chain meant he had to follow orders and be the strong man the ship required him to be, both physically and mentally.
The bulk carrier, transporting log and timber, set out for Samarinda, Indonesia for a week. The next stop was Port Klang in Malaysia, then it was bound for Amsterdam. Ahmad remembered the incident very clearly. When the carrier was leaving Port Klang, the anchors got tangled up and punctured the ballast tank, a compartment in the ship that holds water, in its attempt to up-anchor. It caused the ship to list 25 degrees to the right throughout the 28-day journey to Amsterdam. “The captain decided there was no time to fix it since we were behind schedule. I remember being very confused and nervous to be titled slightly to one side,” Ahmad said with a laugh.
Other times that made Ahmad nervous was passing the Bermuda Triangle, going into Guatemala while it was having a civil war, and experiencing an earthquake while at a port in San Antonio, Chile. “When things get rough or dangerous, I always think of my family and pray,” he added.
ANCHORED
At the end of his 14th year of sailing, Ahmad had travelled to every continent and visited countless countries. He survived many trials and tribulations and worked in extreme conditions. He got his share of adventure and fulfilled his dreams.
He started thinking about how much his parents had aged and wondered if the company’s preference for cheap foreign labour over experienced seamen like himself was a sign to settle down and start a new adventure, with a family of his own. In 1976, he finally returned home.
Now, Ahmad’s granddaughter, Nurul Amalina shares the same dream he had – to travel the world. “I’m always fascinated by the never-ending stories he has about every country and it made me very curious,” the bright-eyed 22-year-old said. “Though I think I would just stick to the conventional way of travelling - by plane,” she added with a laugh.
Seeing the world had always been his dream. After completing his secondary school education, he put his education on hold and started work as a fisherman in order to help support his mother and four sisters. At the time, his father was the sole breadwinner of the family and being in the military meant the family only saw him a few days in a year. It was then when Ahmad started wondering about the ships in the distance and the seemingly unending sea.
PIER PRESSURE
When he was 20, Ahmad’s best friend, affectionately known as "Tam", informed him that a ship was lacking manpower and they needed strong men to become seamen and replace those who were injured. Ahmad knew this was his only chance to see the world. By then, he was a fine, muscular young man from carrying each day’s catch from the fishing ground to the market over the years. He knew nothing about ships or the responsibilities that came with working on one, but his determination to travel and to provide for his young siblings motivated him to sign up, together with Tam.
“The only thing louder than your voice is your dream,” he said as he reminisced his days on board.
It was the day the M.V. Sanaga was scheduled to sail. Ahmad had not told his mother about his intention of working on board a ship for weeks after making up his mind. After packing the barest of his belongings, he mustered the courage and broke the news to his mother.
“At first, my mother started crying and refused to let me (go) because it was a dangerous job. In the end, she told me to follow my heart and take good care of myself,” Ahmad recalled. It was hard enough for the family to see their father. Being on a ship would mean another family member missing from home.
With the family portrait folded in the breast pocket of his best shirt, he remembers ruffling the hairs of his sisters before setting out for Jurong Port with Tam.
OH BUOY
Throughout his 14-year voyage, Ahmad had sailed on many different ships. The ships ranged from bulk carriers and car carriers to oil tankers and gas tankers, to containers. Along the way, he experienced some challenges that made his heart ache for the comfort of home and his family.
Ahmad admitted that the first few months on the ship were the hardest. Although he did not get over the seasickness as quickly as he’d imagined, enduring the nausea and constant sunburn while carrying out the ship’s maintenance work was just part of the job. Being on the bottom of the food chain meant he had to follow orders and be the strong man the ship required him to be, both physically and mentally.
The bulk carrier, transporting log and timber, set out for Samarinda, Indonesia for a week. The next stop was Port Klang in Malaysia, then it was bound for Amsterdam. Ahmad remembered the incident very clearly. When the carrier was leaving Port Klang, the anchors got tangled up and punctured the ballast tank, a compartment in the ship that holds water, in its attempt to up-anchor. It caused the ship to list 25 degrees to the right throughout the 28-day journey to Amsterdam. “The captain decided there was no time to fix it since we were behind schedule. I remember being very confused and nervous to be titled slightly to one side,” Ahmad said with a laugh.
Other times that made Ahmad nervous was passing the Bermuda Triangle, going into Guatemala while it was having a civil war, and experiencing an earthquake while at a port in San Antonio, Chile. “When things get rough or dangerous, I always think of my family and pray,” he added.
ANCHORED
At the end of his 14th year of sailing, Ahmad had travelled to every continent and visited countless countries. He survived many trials and tribulations and worked in extreme conditions. He got his share of adventure and fulfilled his dreams.
He started thinking about how much his parents had aged and wondered if the company’s preference for cheap foreign labour over experienced seamen like himself was a sign to settle down and start a new adventure, with a family of his own. In 1976, he finally returned home.
Now, Ahmad’s granddaughter, Nurul Amalina shares the same dream he had – to travel the world. “I’m always fascinated by the never-ending stories he has about every country and it made me very curious,” the bright-eyed 22-year-old said. “Though I think I would just stick to the conventional way of travelling - by plane,” she added with a laugh.