VP Fleet Management Knut Erik Fredriksen conducted a short visit on board Bow Cardinal at Rotterdam on October 12. During the visit, he shared some company updates, delivered a presentation about safety focusing on safety campaigns and our LTI performance, and addressed questions from the crew.
The crew was very happy with the visit, and were satisfied with the presentations and the information shared during the gathering.
Senior Technical Superintendent Alessio Contran paid a visit to Bow Prosper, his first since he took charge as the vessel’s superintendent earlier this year. He took the opportunity to discuss various matters with the crew, from safety to strategy and company values, to maintenance and energy efficiency.
“It feels remarkably good to finally be able to come onboard and meet with the officers and crew. It is inspiring to see the dedication and commitment they show in their work.”
The Brazil Branch of The Nautical Institute, currently headed by our colleague in Flumar, Quality Manager Vinicius Madruga Santos, celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 22. As Chair, he hosted a full-day event headlined ‘The Future of Offshore Brazil’. The conference ‘investigated what the next 50 years will look like for Brazil’s maritime economy’, and the program covered sessions on dynamic positioning operations post-covid, diversity, the expectations and uncertainties of the new generation maritime leaders, and of course, decarbonization.
"Skills, training, and vessels will all look different as we move to a more digitally connected and greener future. This event offered a chance to hear what shipping experts and leaders in Brazil think of the changes and opportunities that lie ahead for the country’s offshore industry. Our event in Brazil achieved its goal and demonstrated our ability to continue contributing to the shipping industry efficiently and professionally. We will continue promoting maritime professionals' inspiration, knowledge, and leadership."
The Brazil Branch is one of the fastest growing branches of The Nautical Insititute and represents the largest single cluster of members in South America. Catering to a broad range of maritime professionals, it is made up of cadets and seagoing Masters, pilots, Chief Engineers, DPAs, consultants, officers and surveyors. The conference gathered several high-ranking authorities of the Brazilian Navy.
VP Technology Erik Hjortland, representing Odfjell, delivered a ground-breaking presentation on decarbonization at the 'Creating Currents Together' event in Manila on October 13.
“We must stop silo-thinking – decarbonizing one sector might transfer the emissions to another sector and increase the net global emissions. We must make sure that we, in our desire to go green, are part of the solution, not the problem. Our best holistic contribution in the current energy transition phase is to further improve on energy efficiency until sufficient renewable energy is available."
The conference was hosted by the Norwegian Shipowners' Association, the Norwegian Embassy in Manila, Norwegian Training Center and the Philippines-Norway Business Council. The event was a part of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl visit, and gathered around 350 participants from many world-leading Norwegian and Filipino companies in the maritime and energy sectors.
In a recent interview at the Marine Money Week Asia, Laurence W. Odfjell discussed the way forward for decarbonization in shipping. In a phase where the question of future fuels is unanswered, he highlighted that shipowners can still make an impact by using available technology and putting new innovations to the test. “By focusing on energy efficiency, most of us can make a difference by acting now.” Watch the full interview:
Seventeen colleagues from Houston, Durban, Singapore, Dubai, Mumbai and Bergen gathered in Dubai for the first in-person summit in three years.
Within three days, participants looked into each of our trade lanes, shared inputs from each regional hub, and discussed strategy on how to balance the CoA portfolio with the current fleet size and the projections for the future. The discussions also covered the company’s approach to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and its internal and external implementation.
“The agenda included strategic discussions for the various trades, as well as fresh input from the various regions on what happens on the ground locally. The feedback from the sessions were positive, and the participants were very happy to be able to meet again with the pandemic behind us. Getting together face to face has a great value and on this occasion there were quite a few colleagues that actually met in person for the first time. The group is fueled with new energy now and look forward to new challenges in a very positive market environment.”
Hans Christian Rabben, VP MEIA
The US/South America group held a two-day summit in Bergen late August. Colleagues from Santiago, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Houston and Bergen gathered to share updates and discuss status on the various trades, competition and markets, customers and forward strategy.
"It was also a great opportunity to unite the team and meet in person again, as we had not met as a group in almost three years."
Nils Ole Lekven, VP US-South America
Odfjell'ers are regularly invited to hold keynotes and take part in panel discussions at various events - here are some of the latest:
VP IR Bjørn Kristian Røed presented Odfjell at the annual Bergen Chamber presentation of major Western Norway companies.
In addition to the Creating Currents conference, VP Technology Erik Hjortland talked energy-efficiency at a Bergen Shipowners' Association member meeting, at the Shipcon 2022 conference, the bunkers conference IBC, and at various meetings with DNV Maritime, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, Intertanko, FRAMO, Exxon, SINTEF, and more.
Senior Advisor Corporate QHSE Heike Beerbaum presented Odfjell's take on how to comply with the Norwegian Transparency Act at an Incentra SA Council Meeting.
Below a recording of a keynote CSO Øistein Jensen held at the Sustainability Live event in London, where his session was scored top six among 70+ speakers. Øistein has also participated in numerous panels and held keynotes at events such as the Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) expo, Reuters IMPACT, SAFETY4SEA and the 1Sustainability Conference.
The first drydocking course in two years was held in Bergen, attended by a total of 15 participants: Captains, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers, Engineers and Drydocking Advisor. The course, facilitated by Manager Drydocking Yoana Valdivia and Manager Technical Support Oddvin Ertesvåg, focused on the Shipboard Management Team’s (SMT) roles and responsibilities in the drydocking process.
Seven candidates for promotion to Captain and Chief Engineer participated in the three-day internship program at the headquarters in Bergen. During the course of the program, the participants met with colleagues from Operations, Chartering, Technology, Purchasing and HSSEQ, among others, to build relations and convey mutual expectations. At the end of the program, each of the candidates presented proposals for strengthening the safety culture on board, and their contributions as future Captains and Chief Engineers.
Several seafarers and Odfjell in the Philippines personnel participated in a short course by Norwegian Hull Club's Loss Prevention and Emergency Response, entitled Master and Pilot: Learning from Incidents.
Facilitators Morten Aalén (Head of Loss Prevention & Emergency Response) and Snorre Halvorsen (Executive Senior Advisor) shared the key elements that need to be considered during a crisis, and some best practices in dealing with emergency situations.
Twelve Management Level Officers completed the first Odfjell Leadership Training (OLT) conducted in Manila in more than two years.
Program conductors John Meling and Torbjørn Rogde (former Interim VP HSSEQ) of Seascape helped the participants become aware of their management and leadership behavior and provided them with tools to develop their positive leadership characteristics through group sessions, case studies, and role plays.
