Thirty-one Captains, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers and Second Engineers joined forces with Ship Management and Tankers for an extensive seminar covering widespread topics originating from both the Ship Management Department, Odfjell Tankers and our IT department.
“As always, what matters most is the safety of our crew, ships and the environment. This year, we had also an extra focus on mental health among seafarers and the impact attitudes have on the performance of a ship”, Global Head of Ship Management, Geirmund Drivenes, said.
When welcoming the attendees, the Global Head of Ship Management said:
“I am humbled by the amount of accumulated experience gathered in this room. This year, our main focus at the conference is as always: Safety. In addition, we will focus on mental health among seafarers and the impact attitudes have on the performance of a ship. We need to focus on these issues to secure that our seafarers are safe and thriving, and that the climate onboard is as positive as we want it to be.”
The Captain’s workshop was opened by Drivenes and Harald Fotland, introducing the main concerns and subjects for discussions.
Instructor John Meling from Seascape has held leadership courses for thousands of seafarers through the years, and at the workshop he discussed the Captain’s role in maintaining and cultivating good — and the right — attitudes on board. Psychologist Olav Kjellevold Olsen made an impressive presentation on the topics of mental health among seafarers.
“Leadership is about influencing others by your own behavior, and this includes attitudes. Attitudes are contagious: leaders are observed and evaluated by others. We can influence attitudes by being a good role model, encouraging positive attitudes and challenging negativity. It’s important to build the team feeling, that everyone trusts each other and feels like an important part of the team,” said Meling, and added:
“Well-being and mental health are connected with efficiency and safety. All of these are needed to build a happy ship.”
John Meling, Seascape
CEO Kristian Mørch opened the Officer’s conference on Wednesday, and set the tone for the coming days by encouraging everyone to share experiences and give input, at the conference and any other time – “whether small or large concerns and suggestions; all are appreciated”.
He also highlighted safety:
“It doesn’t matter what we say, it matters what we do. I hope you will join me and carry this in your heart, that we do not compromise on safety. We should all rely on the fact that we go to work safe, and come home safe. This is the only focus that matters at the end of the day.”
Kristian Mørch, CEO
The program included updates from different sections:
Digital initiatives and IT strategy were covered by VP IT Torbjørn Lussand, who especially highlighted the importance of being on the alert for potential digital security threats, from e-mail scams to infected USB sticks:
“There is no such thing as perfect system protection. The last line of defense is with each and every one of us. We have to be alert and proactive.”
Torbjørn Lussand, VP IT
Bjørn Hammer, Global Head of Tanker Trading, talked about market development, contract renewals, and trade and commercial strategies: “We have not pursued low rate COAs and thereby increased our exposure to the spot market. We do not want to be dependent on one single customer in a given trade lane. We have today a diversified customer portfolio with more than 90 different COAs.”
“Right now, we are in the middle of a major contract negotiation period. Strong focus on safety, vetting results and customer acceptance is key to profit. Our efforts to reduce time in port is among the projects that are also recognized by our customers as a strong selling point.”
Bjørn Hammer, Global Head of Tanker Trading
“Successful planning of four main deliveries will reduce Odfjell’s purchase and logistics cost significantly”, reiterated Krister Bendiksen, Manager Procurement. He also called on the shipboard management teams:
“Numbers of orders varies from 200-500 per vessel per year. It is important that we learn from each other, plan well in advance, and place large and few orders.”
Krister Bendiksen, Manager Procurement
Kristoffer Ramstad, Senior Fleet Performance Analyst, explained the rationale behind the continuous upgrading of Orca:
“Our organization relies on high quality data – data discipline is simply essential. That is why we have implemented new features in Orca to improve the workflow between applications and to reduce the complexity tied to regulatory compliance.”
Kristoffer Ramstad, Senior Fleet Performance Analyst
“The ChemGuard software governs PPE in cargo operations. It is developed by Odfjell and found in the Commodity Book. ChemGuard is programmed with health hazards of all chemicals carried, and states PPE per cargo operation scenario. It will be a time saver and a tool for unified safety”, explained Harald Bauck, VP Risk Management, who also challenged the officers present:
“Experienced personnel are accountable for their leadership in safety; they must Walk the Talk.”
Harald Bauck, VP Risk Management
At the conference workshops, the Captains and Officers discussed, posted questions and shared input on how they can best be supported by the shore organization.
The workshops covered the following:
The 2019 conference for the NWE Captains and Officers was wrapped up after three days:
“Remember, it doesn’t really matter what we say, it is what we do that matters.”
Geirmund Drivenes, Global Head of Ship Management
