TikTok Influencer Sheds Light on Merchant Marine Life

Vanessa Mongiovi, a TikTok influencer with nearly 50,000 followers, is leveraging her platform to demystify life as a merchant mariner.

A civil service mariner or CIVMAR for the Military Sealift Command (MSC), Mongiovi uses her TikTok account to share insights into her career at sea, reaching a wide audience interested in maritime professions.

Aboard the USNS William McLean, Mongiovi’s role as a Yeoman Storekeeper involves supporting the Navy’s warfighting platforms globally. With 80 percent of MSC’s workforce comprising of CIVMARs, their contributions are critical to the Navy’s operations.

Mongiovi’s TikTok content provides a window into her life at sea, covering various topics such as ‘a day at work as a merchant mariner’ (1.8 million views); ‘how is the pay?’ (1.3 million views); and ‘cleaning my stateroom time’ (2.4 million views). She also addresses administrative processes for new hires within MSC.

“After six years of experience, I truly believe that merchant mariners do not receive enough recognition for what they do,” said Mongiovi. “I wanted to spread knowledge and shine the light on all that we do on a daily basis in order to supply the Navy at sea with cargo, food, fuel, mail, and everything else.”

She began her maritime career in 2018 and has since visited numerous countries and cities including Dubai, Bahrain, Spain, Scotland, Germany, Djibouti, Oman, Greece, Italy, Israel, Gabon, Senegal, Portugal, France, Croatia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and Canada.

Born in Carini, Sicily, Mongiovi immigrated to Williamsburg, VA, in 1999. She earned an associate’s degree from Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, VA, in 2015. After six years as a merchant mariner, she recalls her visit to her hometown of Carini as a career highlight – a voyage made possible through her service with MSC.

Mongiovi was inspired to become a merchant mariner by a family member who shared stories of his sea-faring life. Despite initial apprehensions about the male-dominated industry, she found the career to be fulfilling and rewarding.

“What drives me the most is being able to give people what I didn’t have coming into this job,” she said. “I came into it with no knowledge on what a merchant mariner really was. It scared me to even come into this field not knowing what it was and what it entailed. It took me two to three years to finally convince myself to go for it.”

Through her TikTok channel, Mongiovi aims to dispel misconceptions and provide valuable insights into the life of a merchant mariner. Since she began sharing maritime content, her follower count jumped from 1,000 to 39,000 within a month and a half, indicating significant interest in the merchant marine profession.

Mongiovi’s mission is to eliminate the fear of the unknown surrounding the merchant mariner profession. She hopes her openness and transparency will inspire others to explore this rewarding career path.

“I honestly do not want the ‘fear of the unknown’ surrounding this job to discourage anyone from taking a chance on this opportunity,” she said. “Therefore, that’s why my content plays a part on shining the light on what we actually do.”

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