Some say that shipping has lost its magic. The romantic notion of life at sea, where the captain (often the owner) only has to think about sailing from one place to another while keeping the ship and cargo safe, belongs to the past. The reality on board a ship is very different now, with many tasks that are often tedious and uninspiring. However, while it is true that the industry has become more regulated and bureaucratic, I see the changes in a positive light. If you cannot change the framework in which shipping operates, you need to adjust to the new environment.
I believe that the more adaptable one is, the better the chances of survival. My family has a long tradition in shipping and we have always been “early adaptors”. We like challenges and we welcome opportunities to find novel ways of doing things. We intend to continue transforming our businesses in order to constantly improve – and thrive – in the shipping industry of the future.
We are committed to providing our clients around the world with safe, reliable and environmentally friendly ship operations. Sea Traders, which specialises in the international carriage and trading of dry bulk cargoes, has been operating since 1974 and is known for its high-quality ship management services. We operate a diverse and modern fleet of 35 bulk carriers and containerships.
I think the challenges we face are more or less the same as the challenges everybody in our industry faces. One is the shortage of good-quality crew. We place great emphasis on our people, whom we believe to be our most valuable asset. We try to provide our employees both ashore and on board with a safe, healthy and challenging working environment. We therefore rise to the challenge by investing in training for our people, both in the office and in our training centres around the world.
Other challenges – or rather, opportunities – are the subdued market conditions and the increase in regulations, both locally and in the global arena. We use these as motivation to constantly improve and streamline what we do. We try to find more efficient ways of doing things by improving our procedures with the aim of reducing bureaucracy and targeting problems more directly.
Improving efficiency and processes in the company starts with improving these things in one’s own working life. My job requires me to multitask efficiently while trying to prioritise between important and more important things. There are always time constraints when you work in an industry where you need to be on call 24/7, 365 days a year. But it is a remarkable experience, with no two days being the same. Shipping, with its many challenges, stretches your limits and makes you think creatively.
In some cases, external insights and the creativity of experts can help to solve complex internal issues. We work closely with a number of classification societies, whom we consider to be our partners. The scope of our cooperation extends from the plan approval stage to regular surveys, stretching all the way to unforeseen events. We appreciate our cooperation, which is based on trust, reliability and mutual understanding. We value our relationship with RINA a lot. Many of our bulkers and tankers are classed by RINA and we plan on extending our projects with the company.