She who comes from the sea – Marina Zanotto’s life as a Nautical Officer’s Assistant
When your name means “she who comes from the sea,” a career on the water almost seems destined. Marina Zanotto, a nautical science student from Bremen, is currently sailing to South America aboard the “Guayaquil Express” as part of her third voyage as a Nautical Officer’s Assistant (NOA). In this story, she shares why she left her previous career behind, what she loves most about life on board, and how she discovers hidden treasures during her free time
Now that’s loud! Anyone entering the engine room of a container ship at sea should wear hearing protection. Since the pounding of the engines drowns everything out, holding an interview here would only be possible if you were shouting. But Marina Zanotto, a 27-year-old nautical officer’s assistant (NOA) at Hapag-Lloyd, doesn’t have time for interviews down there. Around 15 freshly serviced fire extinguishers, each weighing 12 kilograms, have to be placed in various places, including near the main engine, the separators, on the lower level, and in the workshop. “It’s quite a workout,” Zanotto later says in the officers’ mess. “You really build some muscles.”
Born in Bremen, she is studying “International Ship Management – Nautical Sciences” in her hometown at the Hochschule Bremen Center of Maritime Studies. She hopes to use this all-English course of study to launch her career as an officer on board. “I actually trained as an industrial clerk and completed my apprenticeship at Georg Gleistein, Bremen’s oldest rope manufacturer – so I know my way around ropes. Maybe that was the common thread that led me to shipping,” she says with a laugh, adding: “But after I graduated, I still didn’t think I’d found the right thing yet.” Zanotto did some online research and came across the nautical studies course. The mix of theory and a large amount of hands-on, practical learning was just right for the proud owner of a pleasure craft license. “Water has always had a magical pull on me, and I love sailing around on the Weser at home,” she says, referring to river that flows through Bremen.
Parents in the ice cream shop, daughter on the high seas
Zanotto grew up in the so-called “Viertel” (literally “quarter”) in the eastern part of Bremen’s old town, which lies directly on the Weser. Her father, Giuseppe, came to Germany from a small town near Venice in the early 1990s and met his wife, Martina, there. For over 30 years, the two have been running their ice cream parlor “Panciera”. “My parents were surprised when I told them that I wanted to study and go to sea,” Zanotto recalls. “On the other hand, they know me: When I want to do something, I do it!”
Marina Zanotto, Nautical Officer’s Assistant
When you stand at the console and this unique view of the sea spreads out in front of you, it’s really exhilarating
After her first semester, Zanotto applied to Hapag-Lloyd and landed on the “Chicago Express,” a training vessel, in 2023. “With 13 cadets on board, you have to make sure you have something to do, as everyone wants to gain as much experience as possible!” she says. As eventful as the first voyage, from Barcelona to North America, was – with the shore leave in New York, swimming on the beach in Miami, and working together – she enjoyed even more the second voyage on the “Linah”, a 368-meter-long container ship of the shipping company UASC, which Hapag-Lloyd acquired in 2017. “There were only two of us as NOAs,” she says. “Bridge time and navigation, maintenance work on deck and in the engine room, plus all the safety checks on the equipment – from the hoses in the engine room to the defibrillator in the sick – I was able to get involved everywhere and learned an incredible amount.” Of everything, she was particularly fascinated by the bridge. “When you stand at the console and this unique view of the sea spreads out in front of you, it’s really exhilarating,” she explains. “Plus, there were all the buttons, levers and lights. I had no idea about their functions at first, but I quickly familiarized myself with them with the manual!"
Fully equipped in the canteen
An emergency drill is scheduled in the afternoon on the “Guayaquil Express.” In the canteen, Zanotto and Ida Lorenschatt, an apprentice ship mechanic, are supposed to demonstrate to the entire crew how to put on firefighting equipment. Both of them get into their huge and heavy firefighting suits and clunky safety boots before putting flame-protection hoods and helmets on their heads. The officer of the watch helps them put on their oxygen masks, the 15-kilogram compressed-air breathing apparatus and the radio equipment. Then it’s time to fasten the safety belt, grab an axe – and they’re ready to go! Now the fire hoses could go on deck or into the engine room, depending on where the fire is. Luckily, this is only a drill. “You can’t call the fire department if there’s a fire on the high seas,” Zanotto says. “We have to do everything ourselves."
Marina Zanotto, Nautical Officer’s Assistant
You can’t call the fire department if there’s a fire on the high seas. We have to do everything ourselves.
When asked how it feels to be one of only two women working on board, she answers: “I don’t really have any problems with that, as the crew is nice and we all get along. Even though women are still outnumbered on board, there are more and more of us!”
Finding treasures around the world
Zanotto keeps in regular contact with her friends. “Since we know have reception everywhere thanks to the rollout of Starlink, we can send each other messages or make video calls,” she explains. “I think our generation ticks differently than previous ones anyway. Many of us did an exchange year while in high school or are now studying abroad, so we’re used to longer gaps between talking.”
When she’s back home in Bremen, Zanotto sometimes helps her parents out in their ice cream parlor, where she particularly recommends the pistachio and mango flavors. But her favorite thing to do is get on her trekking bike and go on long bike rides. “And I like to go geocaching in other cities with my best friend,” she adds. “It’s a kind of treasure hunt where you use GPS data to find hiding places with little boxes containing a logbook and small items, which is a great way to get to know foreign cities.” Over the next few weeks, Zanotto will be exploring the west coast of South America on the “Guayaquil Express”. And there’s geocaching there, too!
© Hapag-Lloyd AG