Meet a Ships' Officer

A career at sea – a job with no borders

Article from NORDEN News 

An education as officer means four intensive years of regular shifts between theory in the classroom and practice on the bridge and in the engine room. Once training is completed, the world is at your doorstep.

”It was not written in the stars that I was to have a career at sea, as my family has no tradition for work at sea,” says Simon Olesen, apprentice officer with NORDEN since 2003.

”In the ninth grade, I took my one-week work experience training on board the training ship Georg Stage, and that was my first time on board a real ship. I found it a very interesting experience and wanted to pursue this type of work, but decided first to take a higher preparatory diploma after the tenth grade,“ he continues.

Drawn by the sea

”But while I was studying for my higher preparatory diploma, I was so drawn by the sea that I was allowed to complete a five-month training voyage with Georg Stage to the Faroe Islands, Norway and the Orkney Islands, which only whetted my appetite even more. I discovered that I liked working and travelling at the same time, that there are a number of tasks that you have to do every day, but that no two days are alike. So a career as an officer was an obvious choice for me,” explains Simon, who started his officer’s training in August 2003. His voyage with Georg Stage meant that he was credited the first six-month training voyage and was allowed to start immediately on the workshop training school.

“Hands-on”

”There we were taught craftsmanship, and learned to mend machinery ourselves. The courses are a mixture of theory and practical skills and include materials science, workshop skills, machinery maintenance, electrical science and welding. I like this combination of theory and practice, knowing how things should be done and being able to do them, as well – the hands-on experience,” he adds.

All around the vessel

Then followed Simon’s first practical training at sea on board the product tanker m.t. NORDAMERIKA. The practical training takes place on NORDEN’s tankers, exclusively. This type of vessel provides the most versatile training as tankers are subject to a number of strict requirements as to the crew’s knowledge of safety and cargo handling.

At the time, NORDAMERIKA was carrying petrol products in the Mediterranean. The route went through Spanish ports, the Suez Canal, Italy and Algeria. On this journey, Simon had a taste of the work of a seaman.

During the first practical training period, one of the objectives is to become familiar with every part of the vessel. On the bridge, Simon got to know the instruments and was given an introduction into the many processes involved in readying the vessel for arrival and departure. He was also given a written assignment to describe the various functions of the vessel. This gave him a broad overview and taught him all the technical terms.

In the engine room, Simon’s first practical training period was spent doing general maintenance work on pumps and electrical equipment. In addition, he helped the engineer with odd jobs.

“Sea legs”

On your first long journey you also typically find your ”sea legs”, although Simon had already found his on his journey with Georg Stage.

”Finding your ”sea legs” takes a little time, but it’s about adjusting for movements with your legs – a bit like skiing – so that you do don’t feel the vessel rocking as much as it actually is and you therefore avoid getting seasick or physically tired,” explains Simon.

New disciplines and simulator training

Simon’s second theoretical training period took place at the maritime academy Maritimt Uddannelses Center Vest in Esbjerg, Denmark. This part of the training, which in future will take place at SIMAC in Svendborg, Denmark, took 12 months.

The courses go into more detail on the subjects already covered by the earlier courses. In addition, a number of new disciplines are introduced, including maritime law, cargo handling and stowage, engineering, meteorology, vessel administration and communication.

“The theoretical training was hard, but very educational. It is constantly kept in mind that the things you learn have to be of practical use to you on board. Therefore, there are many practical exercises, including simulator training of navigation and troubleshooting. In navigation, you learn to determine your location by means of radar and other tools. You must learn to plan a voyage from beginning to end, e.g. set the course, calculate times of arrival, distribute cargo, etc. You also have to be able to use old-fashioned charts and a sextant – just in case,” Simon explains.

Crossing the Atlantic four times

Simon then had two stints at sea – first six months on board the Aframax crude oil tanker m.t. NORD STEALTH, followed by four months on board the product tanker m.t. NORD PRINCESS. At first, NORD STEALTH was fixed on charter in the North Sea between England, Norway and Germany. This was followed by four Atlantic journeys in the period just after hurricane Katrina, when the US demand for oil was increased.

”This period gave me a good understanding of the work involved in loading and discharge operations and taught me to use my theoretical skills in the real world,” he says.

Passing the equator

Then followed four months in warmer climates. Simon signed on to NORD PRINCESS in Rotterdam at the newbuilding’s first discharge after delivery from the shipyard in China. NORD PRINCESS was to be employed in tramp trade for the Norient Product Pool. The first leg of the journey was from the Netherlands via Gibraltar, Algeria, Turkey and the Suez Canal. Next, the voyage proceeded through the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, south along the coast of Africa past Kenya and Tanzania to South Africa (see the description of this journey in NORDEN News, summer 2006 – link p. 443 

Many port calls

”Quite a few times along the way, the vessel was at port, waiting. As an apprentice on board with fewer scheduled duties than the fixed crew, I was able once in a while to take a couple of hours off to visit the various port towns. It probably sounds more exotic than it really is. Of course, you do get to see the world, experience other cultures, different types of weather and landscapes when the vessel calls at port. But you do always have a lot of fixed tasks to do, also when you are at port – so you rarely go ashore for more than a few hours,” Simon explains.

Fire drill

During the second practical training period on board a vessel you have to complete a number of exercises – such as describing how to perform a fire drill. Much of the communication on board takes place through Standard Operating Procedures to ensure that everything is done properly according to regulation and best practice and that tasks are performed the same way on all NORDEN’s vessels. As an officer, you must be able to communicate rules and instructions clearly and unambiguously to the seamen, orally and in English, which is the official maritime language due to the many nationalities on board. Simon also had plenty of opportunities to try this out in practice.

After NORD PRINCESS’ arrival in South Africa, the destination was back toward the Persian Gulf and then the Far East. Simon signed off in the Persian Gulf at Dubai and headed home for his last period of theoretical training period at SIMAC.

Training through scenarios

Most of the training during the final theoretical training period is based on scenarios and cross-disciplinary projects, and simulators are used in training. For instance, you have to learn to:

• Bring a vessel from A to B (taking into account weather conditions, the season, the cargo and the rules applying in the wa¬ters you will sail in);
• Calculate route and arrival time, loading and discharging times, fuel and oil requirements;
• Handle unexpected incidents such as the breakdown of a central engine part. What to do about the problem – and how?

During the theoretical programme, trainees are required to write one large written assignment on a subject of their own choice. The programme is completed with exams in the subjects of mechanical engineering, navigation, electro technology and cargo handling.

Two educations in one

”Overall, I find that my training as a junior officer provides me with a lot of opportunities. It is a great way of obtaining a dual education – we are trained for the engineering aspect as well as for work on the bridge. Naturally, as junior officers we don’t possess the same competences as senior officers. We have a basic all-round knowledge, but are not experts in any subject. We can choose either to continue along both lines or to specialise,” Simon says.

”I don’t know where I will end up in the long term. As a newly-hatched junior officer, you initially sign on for a three-month journey as a navigator or as an engineer. If I could choose anything I wanted, I would probably like to start off in Northern Europe or the Mediterranean on a small product tanker. There are many port calls and something going on all the time, which is what you learn from,” explains Simon.