MOO Torger Trige visited Bow Spring and Bow Aquarius this week, where he held a general meeting to share information and updates from the company.
“Good developments on Vetting statistics and our safety performance were discussed, amongst others. Both ships were visited while waiting at anchorage for available berths. Under such circumstances, it is quieter and more relaxed onboard compared to when alongside doing cargo operations,” shared Trige, and added:
“During the transport to and from the anchorage I caught a glimpse of a chemical tanker from another company with severe damages after explosion and fire. A reminder of the risk potential in our industry and yet another weighty argument for our number one guiding principle. In addition to crew and officers, I also met one of our Fleet Electrical Engineers onboard Bow Spring and one of our Supercargoes onboard Bow Aquarius. Busy times for everyone, that must be a good sign!”
VP Ship Operations Ship Management Svend Foyn-Bruun visited Captain Luisito Cantona and his crew on board Bow Star when she called Ulsan. The following day, Foyn-Bruun also got the opportunity to visit Captain Randy Allan Cabiao and his crew on board Bow Orion for discussions of routines, training and equipment status these first days on the new ship.
The association for international trading in oils, fats and oilseeds, FOSFA, annually holds training programs for traders in the vegetable oil business where “keynote speakers from the trade, industry and kindred organizations present the course subjects”. This year, our VP Ship Operations was invited to UK to talk about supply of chemical tanker to the vegoil industry, operational and regulative constraints, and environmental regulation to the shipping industry.
VP Technology Erik Hjortland and Manager Machinery Gunvor Simonsen Meyer visited Bow Aquarius and Bow Clipper in Antwerp.
“Clipper looked very nice to be 23 years old, both on deck and in accommodation – and the engine room was spotless.”
Erik Hjortland, VP Technology
Later the same week in August, Hjortland, Meyer and Manager Projects Veine Huth visited Flumar to inform and align on the Ballast Water Treatment project for Flumar ships, our Business Intelligence tools, and for a thorough walkthrough of IMO 2020.
Crewing and Social Officer Eva Storeide visited Bow Spring at Odfjell Terminals Houston, and met several of the Norwegian cadets that Odfjell has recruited in recent years. Niklas Paulsen and Vebjørn Bull Pettersen had their last turn as cadets, while Erik Thorvaldsen was on his first shift as Third Engineer after having sailed his turn as cadet with Odfjell (read more about Thorvaldsen here). Onboard, she also met with Master John Eirik Steffensen, Pumpman Knut Helge Schistad, Chief Engineer Per Jarle Bjorøy, First Engineer Thore Knarvik, and Lene Kristine Strøm who embarked on her first shift as newly appointed Chief Officer.
When she took over the Snapchat account for the Norwegian shipping recruitment site Maritim Karriere ('Maritime Career'), Strøm posted from Bow Spring on her way in the Pacific:
When visiting Odfjell Terminals Houston, CEO Kristian Mørch, CFO Terje Iversen, Global Head of Terminals Adrian Lenning and VP Technical Services Jan Doude van Troostwijk took the opportunity to visit Bow Cedar.
VP Fleet Management, Knut Erik Fredriksen, visited Bow Engineer in Amsterdam, and Bow Architect and Bow Fagus in Antwerp.
“I was very well welcomed on all three vessels and I had pleasant stays onboard. Safety was of course the main topic during the meetings, and we discussed that this must always be our first priority. We always have time to stop if we see or feel that something is not safe. Being efficient is about fostering a good safety culture and attitude. Crew welfare and mental health was also on the agenda. It is important to care for each other and look out for colleagues that have a hard time at work or at home. The SMTs guided me around onboard on deck, engine, gally and on bridge,” he said, and added:
I was very happy with what I saw during the inspection. The officers and crew were very enthusiastic in showing what they are doing to maintain the vessel and to bring the technical standard further upwards. I went home from my visits with a good feeling and confident that our officers and crew are doing a very good job on board to take care of our vessels. I would like to thank all involved during my visits.”
Knut Erik Fredriksen, VP Fleet Management
These visits are part of the Senior Management Visits, aiming to build closer communication between ship and shore, to share news and concerns, give opportunities for open discussions, and to keep up the focus on safety.
The past months have also seen a variation of office visits and external presentations of Odfjell:
Kristian Mørch was invited back to the Pareto Oil & Offshore Conference, an annual event gathering national and international investors in Oslo. Read the slides here: Pareto conference 2019.
State Secretary Hannah Atic from the Norwegian government’s Ministry of Trade and Industry met with Mørch to learn more about the chemical tanker market and industry. The discussion revolved around safety, sustainable shipping, digitalization, and the importance of a solid political framework in a highly competitive global industry. The Secretary also got a tour of our ships in virtual reality, hosted by VP IT Torbjørn Lussand:
Senior Ship Operator Ina Taule-Vinterstø was panelist at the ‘At sea’ conference, organized by several Norwegian seafarer organizations. The conference gathered women from a wide variety of maritime professions. The program focused on diversity in shipping. Ina took part of a panel discussing the career path from sea to shore.
“I chose a career as seafarer when I was 16 years old, and have never regretted it. During my 15 years at sea, I was sometimes the sole female on board, sometimes we were two or three. As seafarer, you have one family ashore and one on board. And after moving to the shore organization, I use my experience from sea, every day”.
Ina Taule-Vinterstø, Senior Ship Operator
Ina was joined by former Odfjell’er Lars Erik Kleiven (now Dataloy), PhD Maritime Science at Linnaeus University Cecilia Østerman, as well as Vice Admiral and soon to be head of Norway’s military mission in Brussels with NATO, Louise Dedichen.
Øistein Jensen presented our sustainability strategy and energy-efficiency initiatives when law firm Wikborg Rein gathered their maritime related customers to a Shipping & Offshore Seminar in Bergen.
Ship Management welcomed Jiang Daoru, Vice President of Chengxi Shipyard, and his team to Bergen and our headquarters. The yard is used regularly for drydocking maintenance of our ships, and met with Knut Erik, Drydocking Superintendent Yoana Leon Valdivia and Global Head of Ship Management Geirmund Drivenes.
The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association celebrates its 110-year anniversary this year, and chose to mark the celebration by highlighting some of the many professions that build the maritime industry. Among them, Fleet Performance Analyst Christopher Stene and Drydocking Superintendent Yoana Leon Valdivia:
People’s Daily Online is the biggest news group in China. Its Tencent Video streaming service has 900 million active users, the mobile news platform more than 120 million active users, its Douyin app for short videos 320 million daily users. In conjunction with the 70-year anniversary of the Republic of China, People’s Daily make a series of short films comprised of “stories in the area of economics, technology, culture, education”.
The Nordic team chose Odfjell as one of few companies to include in this series, and Harald Fotland welcomed the team at the headquarters.
