Can you share with us your Odfjell story?
I joined Odfjell as Marine Superintendent in 2010. After about one year, I was appointed as Marine Manager and have held that position since. I have a sailing background from another company called Seatrans. I sailed from the mid-90s until 2008, before working as Marine Manager, also at Seatrans.
I decided to join Odfjell mainly because of its good reputation as a large chemical tanker company. I also looked into the opportunity of working abroad, as Odfjell has offices around the world.
What do you consider to be the highlights of your career?
The day I was promoted to Captain was a big moment for me. I was really proud to call myself a Captain after so many years at sea and after finishing the schools and all these things. I think that was the highlight of my working career.
In Odfjell, being promoted to Marine Manager was something I appreciated a lot.
I also consider as highlights all the times we manage to have good results in vettings and when we avoid serious accidents. These moments are really rewarding for me and my team.
As a manager, I am lucky to have good and self-driven superintendents working for me.
As Marine Manager, what are your highest priorities for the rest of 2020?
These are strange times we are in right now, and we have had a lot of challenges.
My biggest goal for the rest of 2020 is to be able to – in cooperation with everyone in Odfjell – avoid having any COVID-19 incidents on board any of our ships.
I'm continuously pushing oil majors, our clients and everyone else to stop doing vetting inspections at this time. There are times when the inspections still have to be carried out, so we need to be careful all the time.
Preventing the virus from coming on board any of our ships, while ensuring that our vessels are compliant and approved by customers at a time like this are our focus right now.
And so far, we have done a great job.
I cannot put into words how impressed I am by everybody, especially the people on board and how our vessels have coped with this situation. I think you are handling this extraordinary situation in a truly professional way, finding solutions to avoid or at least minimize contact with people from the outside.
The solid cooperation between our leaders is equally impressive. They have given us adequate information and have taken the necessary actions that have helped us handle the pandemic and its challenges.
How do you see the Odfjell fleet in the next five years?
I believe we will continue with all the work we are doing, especially with digitalization and newbuilding programs.
I think that Odfjell can look at a bright next few years. This will require hard work from everyone, of course. I believe that we are on the right path to cope with the challenges that we will face in the future.
I also think we are stronger than a lot of our competitors, at least.
How can the seafarers contribute to the achievement of these goals?
The worst thing for our business is to get people injured on board our ships, so the main thing is to avoid accidents. If you can do that, and avoid causing pollution of the oceans and the environment, then the customers will prefer using an Odfjell ship. That is something each and everyone can contribute to, both here onshore, as we support the vessels the best way we can, and onboard.
If you can continue doing what you are doing – being professional, staying safe, following the procedures and taking care of each other – then you are already making a huge contribution. We have now closed 300 days without any LTIs, so it has been fantastic! If you keep up this good work, I am sure that we will together have a bright future ahead of us.
Who is Jan Ove outside Odfjell?
I am a family man; I like to be together with my family. I have two big dogs – Bernese mountain dogs. And I have a caravan which we use on trips and camping as often as we can.
I’m also a sports fan – I like to see everything of sports, though I do not play any.
