Nuevitas, Camagüey, Nov. 17 - His hands are calloused by the strength of time. The sun and salt accompany him every day, and in his 23 years as a stevedore at the Tarafa port in Nuevitas, Mariano Romero Feria finds purpose in the work he does. Each experience is a feat.
"We have set a national record here of almost 14,000 sacks. I have had several experiences: the rice ship for which I received recognition, just like for a fertilizer ship that came in here, and we unloaded it in less than 24 hours.
We went to Matanzas to unload a fertilizer ship, and in a 12-hour shift, we unloaded almost 18,000 sacks of potassium. These are experiences that stand out because that amount of sacks has never been achieved," specified the port worker.
"Now I'm working the morning shift because this ship is coastal and is for extraction, so we don't work at night. We only work during the day and in the afternoon.
I have always wanted to stay at the port; I like working, I enjoy my job. I never say no to anything. Most of the guys look up to me; I inspire them every time they come to my warehouse and see how a man with so many years can handle that amount of sacks, and they want to be like me in the future," added Romero Feria.
The Nuevitero also mentioned, "I have been in other places helping with other tasks, but nothing compares to this; I have always liked being a stevedore. In my 23 years here, I have always worked inside the cargo holds of the ships, and that's what I enjoy. If it were up to me, I would unload them in a day because I put myself in the shoes of the people waiting for the rice from the warehouse."
Mariano Romero Feria's practice is being multiplied in the new generation of stevedores—a task of strength, humanism, and well-being for society.
