Shopping On Shore Leave: How Seafarers Head To The Mall
Many of us are making lots of trips to the mall right now, but what if you could only go shopping for just a few hours once a month? That's what life is like for container ship crews who bring the vast majority of consumer goods from Chinese factories to stores in the U.S.
First Officer Dheeraj Singh, who spends most of his time at the helm of a container ship, recently took a van ride from the Port of Oakland and headed to the mall. Singh makes regular runs from China to California to Japan and back again. "From totally white people, you are going to totally black, brown, different variety of people out there, so it's a great experience," he says.
Singh is Indian, from the state of Punjab. For his afternoon of shore leave, he's wearing a bright pink turban and a T-shirt that says USA outlined in stars and stripes. And he has a shopping list — cologne for his father, Gerber baby food for his one-year-old daughter Baani and a laptop for his nephew. While the Port of Oakland may have computers, they're all sealed inside shipping containers.
You can't really walk anywhere from the port, there's limited public transportation and taxis are expensive. So the van ride to the mall — a lift that's thanks to a group called the International Maritime Center — is a kind of lifeline with a deadline. Singh's first stop is Best Buy, and there he heads straight for the laptops. He needs the computer to be loaded with software and ready to go by the time he has to be back aboard his ship in a few hours.
Often, there's something telling on seafarers' shopping lists, says Adrienne Yee, the director of the International Maritime Center. "We know when a seafarer's due to go home when he asks to be taken to Victoria's Secret," Yee says. "They love buying the lotions and perfumes for their wife, or their girlfriend at home."
When they aren't at the mall, the seafarers from various ships hang out at the maritime center. It's a small pre-fab building — like a portable classroom you'd see at a school. There's a pool table, some computers, a little commissary and a chapel.
Yee says that's because the center isn't just about commerce. It's run by a church — the Seamen's Church Institute. "So basically we offer hospitality, pastoral care, counseling, a friendly conversation, someone to speak to," Yee says.
And there's someone to come get you. The phone rings, and it's Singh — stranded at a Burger King. Yep, even when your job is circumnavigating the globe, you can still get stuck at a Burger King. But Singh says that's not a problem.
"Frankly speaking, we are lucky, and we should be thankful to God that with these two eyes we are really looking at whole of the globe," he says.
And the Seamen's Church Institute is looking out for them.
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Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
We're going to get a little glimpse now into what life is like for the crews on container ships. They bring the vast majority of consumer goods from Chinese factories to stores in the U.S. and yet, when they hit U.S. shores those same crews head straight to the mall.
Julie Caine of member station KALW went shopping with one seafarer.
JULIE CAINE, BYLINE: First Officer Dheeraj Singh spends most of his time at the helm of a container ship, but today, he's getting into the back of a van at the Port of Oakland.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Okey-doke, have fun.
DHEERAJ SINGH: OK sir, thank you very much.
CAINE: Singh makes regular runs from China to California to Japan and back again.
SINGH: From totally white people, you're going to totally black, brown - different variety of people out there, right? So it's a great experience.
CAINE: Singh is Indian, from the state of Punjab. For his afternoon of shore leave, he's wearing a bright pink turban and a T-shirt that says USA outlined in stars and stripes. And, he has a shopping list - cologne for his father, a laptop for his nephew and Gerber baby food for his 1-year-old daughter, Baani. When he docks at the Port of Oakland, he's most excited about Best Buy.
SINGH: Electronics. In fact, Best Buy, in seamen's eyes - electronics heaven. (Laughter).
CAINE: And while the Port of Oakland may have computers, they're all sealed inside shipping containers. So the van ride to the mall is a kind of lifeline - a lifeline with a deadline.
CAINE: As soon as Singh gets dropped off at the Best Buy, he heads straight for the laptops.
SINGH: (To salesperson) We wish to buy, sir, this one.
CAINE: Singh needs the computer to be loaded with software and ready to go by the time he has to be back aboard his ship.
SINGH: (To salesperson) Sir, by 4 o'clock?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: By 4 o'clock?
SINGH: (To salesperson) Please.
CAINE: During the few hours he has to go shopping, he's not buying anything for himself.
SINGH: Shipping is one of the toughest jobs in the world - away from the family, so many rules and regulations you to have to comply with, so many rules and regulations.
CAINE: And then when you finally get a break - Best Buy?
SINGH: (Laughter). Yes. Best Buy and other things, also.
CAINE: Other things like lingerie.
ADRIENNE YEE: Well, you know when a seafarer's due to go home when he asks to be taken to Victoria's Secret.
CAINE: That's Adrienne Yee. She's the director of the International Maritime Center.
YEE: You know, they love buying the lotions and perfumes for their wife or their girlfriend at home.
CAINE: When they aren't at the mall, this center is where the seafarers hang out - about 10 of them today from various ships. It's a small pre-fab building like a portable classroom you'd see at a school. There's a pool table, some computers, a little commissary and a chapel. Yee says that's because the center isn't just about commerce. It's run by a church, the Seamen's Church Institute.
YEE: So basically we offer hospitality, pastoral care, counseling, a friendly conversation, someone to speak to.
CAINE: And someone to come get you. First Officer Dheeraj Singh calling - folks at the center call him the Captain - and he's lost.
YEE: Is that the Captain? He's at Burger King? Dan is on his way to get him.
CAINE: Yep, even when your job is circumnavigating the globe, you can still get stranded at a Burger King. But Singh says that's not a problem.
SINGH: Frankly speaking, we are lucky and we should be thankful to God that we have - with these two eyes we are really looking the whole of the globe.
CAINE: And the Seamen's Church Institute is looking out for them, welcoming strangers every day.
For NPR News I'm Julie Caine at the Port of Oakland. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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