Abstract: Between the late nineteenth century and the Second World War the global commerce of British, French, and German shipping firms relied heavily on seamen from South Asia, China, the Middle East, and Africa. This article focuses on the little-known story of Somali seamen from Northeast Africa on European steamships. As a particular category on the labor market, Somalis were subject to stigmatization. Somali seamen, moreover, became associated with a specific segment of maritime labor in the engine rooms of British tramp ships. In this sector, however, Somali firemen operated as individuals rather than bound by their origin or ethnic identity in the globalizing maritime labor market of the time. The analysis explores the recruitment, journeys, and employment patterns of Somali firemen, before arguing about their agency in connection with the structuring of global labor markets and in the context of colonialism.