Zoutwatermensen (saltwater people)

About life on and around seagoing ships

“Saltwater people rely on each other, work hard, and are straightforward. At sea, you quickly learn that you have to do it together,” says Friso Kooijman.

Saltwater people live with the sea. They sail, live, repair, pray, and work on ships – or support them from shore to keep them sailing. They are independent and headstrong, yet know they can’t do it alone. In their world of freedom and responsibility, you have to be able to count on each other, no matter your background.

In Saltwater People, photographer Friso Kooijman captures the rugged, raw and tough life on and around seagoing ships – from shipbuilding yards to scrapyards, and from ship chaplains to captains. Wherever people with saltwater in their veins work, he was there with his camera. In powerful black and white, he conveys the intensity of life at sea.

Kooijman speaks from experience. After graduating from the Higher Nautical College, he spent several years sailing the world as a maritime officer. For the past thirty years, he has worked in the construction and repair of seagoing vessels.