eSea 13 - Communication

eSeaM A R I T I M E / O I L & G A S / W I N D / C R A N E · N O . 1 3 / 2 0 1 3

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EM AGA ZINE FROM M A ERSK TR A INING

communication

R&R. The world’s most distant commuter? >The first global revolution >

An Uplifting Journey >Treasure Souqers. >

Piracy and the Cross >Frederik becomes dynamic >

A lady with no vertigo >Poopdeck 13. The last word >

content

An Uplifting Journey Rural Bangladesh can present visitors with more than a few trials and tribulations, but it can also reveal joys and satisfaction. >

Treasure SouqersFor the 21 people brought together as part of an APM Terminal’s Regional Management Development Programme, the whole point of one special exercise was to ‘shop-til-they-drop.’ >

Piracy and the Cross'We don't preach, it doesn't matter what religion anyone is, or if they have one, what matters is their welfare'. >

Frederik becomes dynamicThere was no immediate career logic or purpose for Frederik to be introduced to basic dynamic positioning, but he was there in a simulation suite with seven others manoeuvring a vessel around a pipeline with an underwater ROV looking for damage. >

A lady with no vertigoJennifer Menmuir is a trouble shooter, a woman in a man’s world and one determined to get to the top. When she gets there she now knows she’ll have a head for it since she was the first female to complete a specialist working a heights course at Maersk Training in Newcastle. >

R&R. The world’s most distant commuter?It used to take him about six minutes, if he didn’t rush. Today it takes him 37 hours 13 minutes, door to door. >

The first global revolutionThe agricultural, the industrial, the technological, three great revolutions which have shaped much of what we do today – but is there any that has changed and is continuing to change us and our daily lives as dramatically as the Social Media Revolution? >

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Every eSea is about communicating and this eSea is all about communication. Today we have access to the most exciting technology, but what turns these gadgets into tools is the ability to communicate.

What started off as a student experiment in social chat up has developed into an online society bigger than Russia and it has grown from being a way of sharing photos and gossip into an important marketing tool. In May Maersk Training joined the social revolution on Facebook and LinkedIn as well as launching an entirely new website.

So the tools are in position, the next step is to communicate.

Within these pages we say goodbye to one form of one-way communication, hello to sharing thoughts openly and welcome a way of insuring that one of the oldest of radio formats is not misused.

Now that we are global in Maersk Training, eSea reflects that with stories from Bahrain, Bangladesh and Portugal. Add to the mix a chance meeting with the head of a very special international organisation which looks after the welfare of seafarers, and you have a truly worldwide means of communication.

editorialRichard Lightbody

[email protected]

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R&RIt used to take him about six minutes, if he didn’t rush. Today it takes him 37 hours 13 minutes, door to door. The question arises, is Denis Edmonds slowing up with age, or is he the world’s most distant commuter?

The office for oil & gas instructor

Denis is most usually the dome

simulator in the Maersk Offshore

Simulation And Innovation

Centre in Svendborg; home is a

beach front house in Raglan, New

Zealand, 18,000 kilometres away.

For Denis the commute across

every timezone is worth it. In

Denmark he has a satisfying

role in training fellow oilmen

and developing cutting edge

simulation, in New Zealand he has

a happy and content family, wife

Celia, son Turi and daughter Tara

– it wasn’t always so.

The experiment of moving family

to Denmark simply didn’t work

out for the Edmonds. It was a

classic case of one form of reverse

culture shock and now every four

weeks or so, Denis has to cope

with the second form.

The first form was in taking

people out of their comfort

zones. In this case a small tight

community in New Zealand’s

premier surf city Raglan,

R&R 5

population in winter 3,200, in

summer x10. As an oilman Denis

was always a suitcase away

from work. There is no place for

a family on a rig so the pattern

evolved, as it does with millions

of working families, offshore, at

sea generally, in the military, in

construction and so on. When

Denis became a briefcase away

from work the opportunity arose

for the family to pack their bags

and go on an adventure half way

round the world – from New

Zealand to old Zealand, and a bit.

First reaction for the family

was one of excitement and

anticipation, followed by nerves

a little close to the off. There was

a period of planning, packing

and stress, a time so busy that

there was little room for doubt.

The world is a small place today,

unlike the early settlers for the

new worlds, there is going back.

That in itself is part of the problem

that might arise should spell of

the dream break.

It can be in missing family and

friends that the awakening

happens, but in many cases it is

the differences in culture which

determines, will I stay or will I go?

On paper the differences between

Raglan and Rantzausminde are

not huge. Two small seaside

communities, one with waves,

one without.

‘It was down to language, the kid’s

felt totally locked out. They made

friends, but in the classroom they

were drowning. Turi at twelve

was at one of those important

crossroads in life. Danish

education is very different in

terms of how you get to your goal,

and he was confused, in danger of

stalling at the lights,’ says Denis.

This lead the family to take the

decision to move to the UK;

Denis commuting ‘home’ from

Denmark most weekends. For

Maersk Training this was a

bonus since the new drilling

simulators at MOSAIC were being

developed by a British company

high on technical knowledge

and innovation but low on

oilfield reality. Denis spent a lot

of time working from their new

home injecting oil expertise into

the programs. By the time the

computers were perfected, the

relocation wasn’t enough and

the family, with Denis during

the week training people in

Svendborg, felt more isolated

than ever in Brighton. Sharing

a language is not the same as

sharing a culture without family

and friends. It was time for Celia

and the kids to head back home.

So now Denis has to cope with the

second form of reverse culture

shock, the one faced by millions

of workers who are distant from

the day-to-day running of the

family but are expected to be a

‘normal’ parent immediately upon

returning home.

This is a challenge faced by

many. Soldiers returning to a

society without constant fear

or regimentation, seafarers and

rig workers returning to a dual-

The award for America’s Longest Commute is held by Dave Givens who each day drives from his ranch near Yosemite National Park to a Cisco’s offices in LA. A round trip of 598.68 kms. On a good day it takes him three hours there and three back, during which he consumes nine cups of coffee each way and listens to audio books. He’s been doing it since 1989 and at a monthly total of 13,171 kms the moral is, don’t by Dave’s car.

According to the United States Census Bureau there is a classification called an ‘extreme commute’ – this is someone whose daily travel to and from work takes over three hours.

6R&R

sex environment where verbal

communication is constant,

construction workers leaving the

lads, shady digs and dingy pubs to

fit back at home.

Sometimes it is the smallest

things which trigger reverse

culture shock, like simply going

to the supermarket. Many can’t

cope and faced with people and

row after row of decision making,

they blank out. For some, like

round the world yachtsman

Christian Liebergreen, the oddest

thing is not the number of people,

but how they co-habit without

communicating. Used to isolation

he finds it very odd to stand in a

queue with others scared to talk

or even smile to each other.

Communication is a key, the

main one whilst you are away. In

his married life Denis has never

really worked at home. ‘In the

early days on the rigs we had very

expensive satellite telephones

and we were allowed five minutes

a week – now I Skype almost

daily, it makes a huge difference,

seeing them and chatting. Not

quite like being there, but for a

few minutes they are there with

you in the room and you with

them,’ he says.

The other key according to Denis

is the big one, the secret of quickly

adjusting back into family life.

‘Families function around the

timetables of the kids not the

adults,’ he observes, ‘so when I get

home I slot into their timetable,

I become the third kid.’ Without

this Denis believes the home

coming would spin into chaos.

But what are the differences from

coming home monthly to daily?

‘Coming in through the door is

a big thing, I take small gifts,

that’s become part of the routine,

but not the reason for the huge

amount of attention that centres

on me, I hope,’ says Denis.

By fitting into the family timetable

rather than altering it, Denis

feels that after the first week life

reaches normality. It also takes

that time to adjust the body clock.

The final week things tend to go a

bit quieter, ‘lots of silent hugs.’

Denis will make the trip every

second month or so, great for the

frequent flyer miles, but not so

good on the jet-lag front. As most

who have travelled know, heading

westwards is normally the more

tiring, but Denis has a routine

which helps. ‘It doesn’t beat it,

but I try not to eat when flying, a

couple of glasses of wine when I

get on board, half a sleeper, arms

resting on pillows and then plenty

of water when awake.’

Lots of people travel lots in the

name of work, but in Guinness

Book of Records terms, does

anyone know of a regular

commuter who travels further

than Raglan-Auckland-Singapore-

Frankfurt-Copenhagen-

Svendborg-Rantzausminde to

reach their desk on a Monday

morning?

Danish tax laws make provision for travelling a distance to work. It’s nothing for the first 24 kms, then 2.13 ddk per kilometer up to 120 and about half that from then on. On that basis Denis would get a rebate of 38,520dkk a month – sorry Denis is doesn’t apply.

Maersk Drilling Rig Manager Vladimir Volkov is another long distance traveller – each month he ‘commutes’ for 24 hours, not quite Denis’s marathon, but he does face a greater climate and temperature change. His home is in Murmansk inside the Arctic Circle, his destination equatorial Angola.

7R&R

The agricultural, the industrial, the technological, three great revolutions which have shaped much of what we do today – but is there any that has changed and is continuing to change us and our daily lives as dramatically as the Social Media Revolution?

If Facebook were a country, it

would have the third largest

population in the world, and

based on users profiles probably

be the richest. The 1.11billion7*

who have an account are

dominated by the upwardly

mobile under 30’s, but more

and more it is seen not just as a

means of gaining and maintaining

friendships, but as a powerful and

trusted marketing tool across all

the first global revolution

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we’re all part of . . .

age groups. Originally seen as just

a chat tool, some big companies

fought shy of it until it undoubted

potential became irresistible.

Today is it an important, vital

part of how Maersk Training gets

its message across globally.

There was a time, not so long ago,

when the thought of seeing the

seven pointed star on a social

media site was as likely as the

eight most powerful men in the

world meeting in a quiet Northern

Irish hotel. No longer.

‘We needn’t be scared of it as a

marketing tool,’ says Maersk

Training’s Christian Solmunde

Michelsen, ‘that’s just one of its

many abilities because you can

filter where your message goes

and this insures a greater, more

effective penetration.’

Christian is nanny, Godfather

and funnel to Maersk Training’s

compliment of social media, the

web, LinkedIn and Facebook. They

are all social media first cousins

but they all do different things

in differing ways. The web is the

stable mainstay of information,

where people go to find things

out. LinkedIn is a professional

club to share industry news and

job information and Facebook

is the lightening quick means

of conversing at every level,

from personal to private to

Never ending or beginning 9

Christian celebrating not another

Facebook milestone, but on striking

a big find in Maersk Drilling’s Quest

for Oil computer game – looking

on are Maersk Drilling CEO, Claus

Hemmingsen, and Jacob Raffnsøe

Petz, Maersk Training’s global

marketing manager.

The first global revolution

professional, a mixture of

messages and marketing.

You can add to that trio cousins

once removed:

• Social Bookmarking. (Del.icio.

us, Blinklist, Simpy) Interact by

tagging websites and searching

through websites bookmarked

by other people.

• Social News. (Digg, Propeller,

Reddit) Interact by voting for

articles and commenting on

them.

• Social Networking. (Hi5, Last.

FM) Interact by adding friends,

commenting on profiles, joining

groups and having discussions.

• Social Photo and Video Sharing.

(YouTube, Flickr) Interact

by sharing photos or videos

and commenting on user

submissions.

• Wikis. (Wikipedia, Wikia)

Interact by adding articles and

editing existing articles.

Christian reflects on the time

he spent in China where they

had fantastically simple way of

marketing in the shopping malls.

‘When you bought something

the assistant would put it into a

plastic bag for you – I just thought

that the colour of the bag was

random, until a friendly local

pointed out that was not the case.

The shop assistant was, by using

a particular colour, sending out a

signal to all other shop keepers.

It said what type of shopper you

were, pink perhaps determined

a bargain hunter or green a soft

touch and so on. Social media puts

everything into coloured bags, the

secret is in knowing how to read

the colours,’ he explained.

He explained that instead

of colours our profiles and

preferences, even our buying

tastes, allowed information to

be filtered into the right areas

to maximise uptake. Uptake is

not necessarily a sale of some

item, rather it is just making or

strengthening a connection.

In olden days, when the

newspaper was king of conveying

information, you could place an

ad or an article and it would pop

through the mail boxes of millions

of readers. That was in theory. Of

course the number of people who

actually read the notice was open

to question. Newspapers work on

the equation that 2.5 people pick

up and read each paper. Therefore

if sales were a million, reach was

2.5 million – but in a 36 page paper

the question was ‘how much did

they actually read and take in?’

With social media, due to the

ability to filter to the right target,

your message has more chance

of getting through. Three bulls-

eyes are better than ten darts

scattered around the board. The

important issue here is now that

you can accurately hit the centre

it is only sustainable if the content

of your message is worthwhile.

Social media is in a changeover

period from numbers to words.

In the United States 67% of the

entire population is regularly

online with some form of social

media. Based on the market and

social economy, this may be the

all-time peak and experts agree

that it is only sustainable if the

content ‘magnetises’ the users.

There are many social media

formats out there but there is only

one leader. Worldwide Facebook

rockets on, whilst in certain

areas it reflects local economic

conditions. Debit-stricken Cyprus

has seen one in ten give it up, but

over in the Yemen in one year the

number of users increased by 36%

- the implication behind this is

that Facebook is primarily a good

news channel.

‘We see it as good news for our

customers, the guys out there

Since 2011, 25 June has been globally recognised as the "Day of the Seafarer", recognizing the invaluable contribution seafarers make to international trade and the world economy, often at great personal cost to themselves and their families.

10The first global revolution

on the rigs more than anyone

know the value of keeping in

touch – if we can become part of

their information intake, then

benefiting from the whole training

process becomes easier and more

natural,’ says Christian.

We are going to draw the

strangest analogy here. Social

media today is what cigarettes

were to people in the forties and

fifties. Not that it is harmful,

although too much of anything

is, but in that the way people use

it is very similar. They flick open

a laptop or click a smartphone,

to get an info fix almost without

knowing they do it. The result

is that news, international

or personal is flashed at an

incredible speed. Share a picture

on Facebook and within minutes

from around the world you can

have more hits than an old photo

album would have had in its

lifetime.

It’s this energy which Christian

is trying to tap and control. It’s

an exciting prospect and one that

few would even dare to predict.

After all only last night I sat in

bed and watched a live discussion

programme from Sydney in high

definition, for free – one of 500

channels on my phone!

*registered users as of May 2013

The telegram, the original twitter, is dead - on 15th July someone in India will send the last telegram to someone in India. After 163 years of bringing mostly bad news, the worst news of all to the 998 employees of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India’s telegram service, is that annual losses of $23 million could no longer be sustained. The mobile has won and the telegram has had its final full stop.

India was the last country in the world to have such a service. At its peak in 1985, 60 million telegrams were sent a year from

45 thousand offices – good news often travels fast, in India bad news travelled cheaper. Informing of a death by telegram was traditionally one fifth the normal price of a service which was also much loved by runaway couples to inform families of their marriage. It is hard to argue with a slip of paper.

On a communications level, the last telegram, rings a death knell – what next, birthday and Christmas cards? After all can you remember when was the last time you received a personal letter?

From one of the oldest forms of urgent communication, goodbye. Stop.

11The first global revolution

In the world of communication,

and beyond even, there are few

things more useless than a single

walkie-talkie, but even if you’ve

two there’s a huge danger in mis-

using and abusing them if you

don’t follow certain practices and

principles.

What value then a chance to

understand regulations and

rules which would ensure that

the message is clear and concise

every time? After all in offshore

situations the pressure is on and

in combating the sounds of nature

and mechanics, the message has

to be right first time.

It was a factor which didn’t

pass the observations of one of

Maersk Training’s customers in

Newcastle and they responded

with a custom-made half-day

course. ‘VHF Communication

for Offshore Personnel’ is the

outcome, a short and sharp

study of the history of maritime

communications, use of

language in VHF terms, gain

an understanding the different

types of equipment needed and a

of the Global Maritime Distress

and Safety System (GMDSS) -

an internationally agreed set

of maritime safety procedures,

communication protocols and

equipment types.

The courses which apply to the

whole fo the offshore sector,

across wind, supply and oil & gas,

kick off in July.

Hear you loud and clear

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Rural Bangladesh can present visitors with more than a few trials and tribulations, but it can also reveal joys and satisfaction. This was to be a journey of two curves, both upward.

As a journey, for me and fellow

trainer Satnam Ghotra, the start

of our first venture in Bangladesh,

was less than encouraging. We

arrived at Dhaka around noon

and our final destination, Moulavi

Bazaar was still 230 kilometers

away. Almost five hours along

a road without a median driven

by a chauffeur who thought he

was auditioning for a place in a

Formula One team, we arrived

at our hotel. The hotel was very

basic though the best in the

locality. The training venue was

45 kms from the hotel and we had

to start early the next day for the

first ever Mobile Crane Training

course of Maersk Training in

Bangladesh.

The training was to be conducted

at Basic Engineering and Dipon

Gas who were close to a big

Chevron plant which operates an

onshore gas extraction facility.

They have the contract to operate

the many mobile cranes working

on various day-to-day jobs at the

plant.

The objective of the training was

twofold, to improve competency

and to assess the practical

operations. The training was

divided into two batches; the first

batch was for ten crane operators

and five supervisors. This was

13

An Uplifting JourneyDiary of a visitor in Bangladesh

by Satya Mitra Bagga, managing director of Maersk Training in Chennai, India

Satya, centre of photograph,

on site for a spot of

risk assessment

for five days and the course was

conducted in three languages

Hindi, English and Bengali. The

first two languages the trainer

was able to speak and the Bengali

was through an interpreter. The

second batch of two days training

was for 15 riggers and signalmen.

In the meantime we shifted

to another city close by called

Sylhet which is a modern town

amongst tea estates. The hotels

were better here. In the evening

we spent time exploring the local

bazaar and having Bangla cuisine.

We also had a lot of local fruits

like litchis and blueberries. The

landscape will also remain etched

in our minds for a long time. The

surrounding rice fields were

filled with water as they were

still some days away from being

planted. Hence each of the fields

was acting as a fishing haven.

Everywhere, everyone was in the

knee depth water catching fish.

The small fish in the rice fields

make a very good curry.

The harvesting of knowledge

during the course was also extra

good. The awareness level of the

operators on safety was better

than what we expected. The

classes were very interactive

and the participants engaged

particularly on the stability

and structural aspects of crane

operation. The learning curve

and the living curve both turned

upwards and we look forward to

returning there one day.

An Uplifting Journey 14

Ten things you maybe didn’t know about Bangladesh

• The name means Land of the Bengals

• The endangered Bengal Tiger lives in the world’s largest mangrove forest

• Sonadia Island is planned to be the biggest deep sea port in South Asia

• It is the fourth biggest producer of rice

• Three quarters of Bangladesh’s exports are clothes

• It has the world’s longest unbroken beach

• It is the most densely populated large country in the world

• The national sport is kabaddi – a team wrestling game which involves holding your breath when fighting

• It has around 200 daily newspapers, but only 15% of the population read them

The harvesting of knowledge during the course was also extra good. The awareness level of the operators on safety was better than what we expected.

There are not many learning experiences where the organisers build in a shopping trip – but for the 21 people brought together for as part of an APM Terminal’s Regional Management Development Programme, the whole point of one special exercise was to ‘shop-til-they-drop.’ The trip to Bahrain’s famous souq, Bab Al-Bahrain was all part of accelerating the learning process.

Armed with a fistful of dinars and

a couple of maps, the participating

managers from all over the Africa

Middle East region were split into

three competing teams and given

a list of ‘must buy’ items and two

hours to do so.

‘It was not an easy exercise,’

explained Soumaya Khouaja,

Training Manager at APM

Terminals Bahrain where

the shopping trip introduced

participants’ to each other in

a uniquely revealing way. ‘The

treasure hunt, as we called it,

brought in many aspects we

wanted to develop, team building

and cultural awareness, and they

adapted well.’

The ‘treasure’ was concealed

in five different shops buried

within Manama’s old souq.

The ‘talent’ as APM Terminals

labels participants then had

to overcome any of their own

cultural aspects and barter for

the best price.

‘We thought this was a good way

for them to touch base with the

locals and their culture, but first

of all they had to find the shop,’

explained Soumaya. Earlier she,

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A barter way to understand a cultureTreasure Souqers

The ‘talent’ as APM Terminals labels participants then had to overcome any of their own cultural aspects and barter for the best price.

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and others from the local HR

team, had selected the shops and

the items and explained to the

owners what was going on.

As a team-building exercise it

worked a treat and it was great

fun, even for those who mis-read

the map and happily bartered

away for the wrong items in the

wrong shop.

The shopping trip was only a

fraction of the seven day course,

the second regional programme

the company had held. Using

a mixture of classroom and

practical training techniques, the

21 covered safety management

and inspections, finance with

several intensive sessions from

Maersk Training’s Chief People

Skills Instructor, Ewa Poulsen,

on leadership, conflict and

performance management.

‘We thought this was a good way for them to touch base with the locals and their culture'.

16Treasure Souqers

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Piracy and the Cross

Grenaa is not without its charms; after all it does have a Netto, an Aldi and a Fakta. About 40 minutes from Aarhus it is a destination, not a pass through town. As a seaport it has a long history, an uncertain present and, but for the wind turbine industry, a shaky future. Somehow the facade of the Sømandshjem, the sailors' home, sums up the place.

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If the sailors’ home is a vibrant

contributor to Grenaa society

it disguises it well, both

physically and when it comes

to a web search. In Denmark

the organisation has a very

distinguished record in being a

safe haven for seafarers when

in port. That, along with old

schedules and an infrastructure

which made it difficult to escape

beyond the boundary of any port

town, made the home a vital part

of many a seafarer's stable social

life. Abroad Danish seafarers

rely on a separate organisation,

the Danish Seamen's Mission, a

church-based institution which

for centuries has not aimed to

save souls rather to protect

them. In 2004 the seafarers and

clerics got together to form a

body which brought together 53

Danish missions and churches

worldwide. Many seafarers of

many nationalities have, when in

foreign ports, rapped on the doors

of organisations like the Seamen’s

Church Institute, an American

cousin.

But in the 21st Century with the

church on land finding it harder

to fill pews, is there a role for the

church at sea? The answer from

Douglas, is an unequivocal yes.

As the current chairman of the

International Christian Maritime

Association, the umbrella body

to cover all missions, worldwide,

you might expect that, but maybe

not the openness of the answer.

Douglas, a quiet-spoken Irish

American, is based in New York,

where he sees the role of the

Episcopalian-lead Seamen’s

Church as everything beyond

religion. 'We don't preach, it

doesn't matter what religion

anyone is, or if they have one,

what matters is their welfare,'

he explained. As if to underline

the point Douglas was at Maersk

Training to take part in a

surviving piracy course.

'I'm here at this SPAR (surviving

piracy and armed robbery) course

because I believe that it is totally

unique, nowhere else as I am

aware do they devote time to

preparing the seafarer's mental

health, before, during and vitally,

after a piracy incident,' said

Douglas.

He explained the Seamen’s

Church’s role, ’We got involved

with piracy when it was

prevalent in the Straights of

Malacca in Asia, but when it

moved to Africa and American

ships became involved, it became

a news story and journalists

would ring us and ask if we had

the name of someone who had

been held hostage – we didn’t and

we realised that no one had done

anything to collect and collate the

effects of such an incident. Since

'We don't preach, it doesn't matter what religion anyone is, or if they have one, what matters is their welfare'.

18Piracy and the Cross

nobody was doing it we started

our own clinical study on the

effects of piracy and we involved

the Mount Sinai Hospital which

is world-renowned for examining

PSTD, Post-traumatic stress

disorder, especially after 9/11.’

’This was in 2009. What you do

when you start a clinical study is

to put out a paper assessing the

situation but when we went to do

this not only was there no study

on the effects of piracy but there

was no studies for any kind of

psychological effect on seafarers,’

he pointed out.

The past year has seen a change in

the pattern of piracy. The Somalia

coast, once the hotbed has gone

quiet whilst a newer, harsher,

even more menacing form has

emerged off the western coast.

Piracy won't go away, it probably

never has and if anything it has

diverged into other forms - a plane

hijack is piracy with wings.

'It's very much the way it is

portrayed in the news, a mishap

in America is covered, like Costa

Concordia or the toilets on a

Carnival cruise ship not working,

yet a disaster in the Philippines

with many lives lost is virtually

ignored, as if it doesn’t matter,

well it matters to us,' he stressed.

According to Douglas piracy

awareness in the States started

with Maersk Alabama and peaked

with its conclusion.

'Piracy won't go away it may

die down but what I'm seeing

on this course is the learning of

skills which go beyond a piracy

incident. These are transferable

skills, the ability to de-brief, for

instance, crosses into every

leader's repertoire of “must have”

capabilities.'

Getting back to the role of the

organisation, Douglas sees it as a

crucial link for all on board. 'We

have chaplains who go on board,

they are seen as honest brokers,

people you can trust. They have

phone cards at good prices,

change money and perform tasks

which are private, like banking

and personal, like health, roles

which are hard to fill elsewhere.'

It would be easy to stand

outside the building in Grenaa’s

Strandgade and think, it is a part

of history, that seafarers are a

happy self contained society,

but a quick visit to the Seamen’s

Church website reveals that there

are traditional things and values

which still need attending to.

As Douglas pointed out, seafarers

are a disenfranchised people,

perhaps not forgotten but

certainly he believes not fully

recognised or supported for

their contribution in making the

world go round. It may seem odd

in technology-driven 2013, but

today the Seamen’s Church is

appealing for volunteers to supply

home-made woollen scarves as

Christmas gifts to seafarers. Get

your knitting needles out.

From the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network website:

‘Seafarers, who are responsible

for transporting 95% of

the world's goods, are

frequently overlooked and

forgotten about. With the fast

turnaround of ship in ports,

being on board for 10 months,

reduced crew numbers and

increased workloads, the lives

of seafarers are often tough

and hard. Seafarers face long

periods away from family

and friends with limited or no

communication for weeks on

end. Shore leave can be severely

restricted, particularly for

certain nationalities. Welfare

facilities and services both

onboard and ashore can be a

lifeline for seafarers.’

19Piracy and the Cross

Communication comes in many

forms – the pirate’s flag told

a message, china dogs on a

window in certain Danish ports

told visitors that the man of the

house was at home or at sea,

depending which way they faced,

and in Glasgow housing estates

in the Sixties a packet of washing

powder on the kitchen window

blatantly said ‘old man out’ – OMO.

Then there are the warning red

flashes on tankers and tanks

logged by the IMO. Each has a

number on it which relates to

an international code. We, as

individuals, usually don’t know

exactly what they are without

reference to the log, but what they

are universally is something to be

treated with extreme care.

Instructor Per Mazur was taking

the first course that Maersk

Training had ever conducted

in Portugal, a Shipboard Safety

Workshop. In a break they went

to the small café for lunch. In the

car park opposite the café the

owner had decided to offer the

local delicacy, grilled sardines – al

fresco.

The 1866 30 on the red flash

indicates that the barbeque

is about a spark’s flight from

an unknown volume of highly

flammable resin solution. Resin-

basted sardines? Per opted

for a quick photograph and a

sandwich, three city blocks away.

Warning: Hot Food Available

20

If there were an award for ‘the most unlikely participant on a course’ then 26 year-old Frederik Lawetz would be in the frame. There was no immediate career logic or purpose for him to be introduced to basic dynamic positioning, but he was there in a simulation suite with seven others manoeuvring a vessel around a pipeline with an underwater ROV looking for damage.

Frederik has spent a lot of time

in maritime education, but after

only 14 weeks employed at sea,

he found himself unable to work

due to a back problem. It was not

an accident, but the recurrence

of an old weakness which brings

prolonged period of pain to his left

shoulder.

Frederik becomes dynamic

2121

So whilst his girlfriend studied

physics at Copenhagen University

and was engaged in normal

student activities, all he could do

was to sit in their flat listening

to traffic and watching daytime

television. He was, in his own

words, deeply frustrated.

It was a frustration highlighted

by the shortage of sailing time

he’d put in with Maersk Tankers.

‘I really was enjoying it, and can’t

wait to get back, but the sore

shoulder needs time to repair

itself and I expect to be out of

action for more than six months.’

Frederik’s frustration caused

him to search for something

to do, but that wasn’t easy

or straightforward. Danish

legislation draws a line between

being off ill and being out of work.

For the later you are encouraged

to use the time to study to

improve yourself for the former

you are not normally allowed to

do so, placing recuperation well

ahead of education.

The young seafarer, who started

off his career studying to become

a dual officer before opting

for the bridge as a navigator,

spent his free time talking to

his personnel officer in Maersk

Tankers and his union. The union

found some money in a special

fund and told Frederik he could

use it to broaden his education

as long as he found something

which didn’t hamper his physical

rehabilitation.

Impressed by his determination

Camilla Støchkel in sales at

Maersk Training in Svendborg

and operational manager Tonny

Moeller, suggested the five-

day introduction to dynamic

positioning and, borrowing a

friend’s flat in Svendborg to keep

costs down, he was in.

‘It was great news because I

was more than frustrated, I was

becoming depressed because I had

just nothing to do all day. I found

myself just lying in bed.

DP is not something which will

help Frederik at Tankers, but the

ticket is open for five years and at

his age you just don’t know where

he might be by 2018. It is very

specific, but like all knowledge it

will give him a broader view of

the life at sea.

‘There’s a lot of theory, especially

on how to program and sitting

at home with a manual is

difficult, but once you get into the

classroom and have the computer

in front of you, it is very different.’

The timing of the course was

perfect for Frederik. After the

Friday finish he’d be heading back

to Copenhagen and a new flat.

‘My girlfriend’s been spending

the past week hauling boxes and

unpacking – we’ll I couldn’t help

anyway, could I?’

I really enjoyed sailing with Maersk Tankers, and can’t wait to get back, but the sore shoulder needs time to repair itself and I expect to be out of action for more than six months.

I was becoming depressed because I had just nothing to do all day. I found myself just lying in bed.

There’s a lot of theory, especially on how to program and sitting at home with a manual is difficult, but once you get into the classroom and have the computer in front of you, it is very different.

22Frederik becomes dynamic

Maersk Training conducts Dynamic

Positioning courses on many levels

– including introduction, basic,

assessment, advanced, refresher

and technical as well as specialist

for drilling and new buildings.

There is also a seatime reduction

programme aimed at fast tracking

officers in this important modern

maritime area.

Jennifer Menmuir is a trouble shooter, a woman in a man’s world and one determined to get to the top. When she gets there she now knows she’ll have a head for it since she was the first female to complete a specialist working a heights course at Maersk Training in Newcastle.

Twenty five year old Jennifer a

Siemens graduate trainee, from

Falkirk in Scotland was the only

woman on the course but she’s

used to being in a minority, after

all her master’s degree in Aero-

Mechanical engineering had

fewer than 10% of women on the

course. However her two days at

Maersk Training took her a long

way from books and calculations.

‘I’m currently getting grounding

in the technical aspects of the

industry and my training at

Maersk and Siemens Wind Power

Training School is invaluable in

giving me confidence with some

of the practical job aspects – such

as working at height and safety

training required for working in

wind turbines,’ she said. ‘I’m now

looking forward to getting started

in my new role and having greater

responsibility in the industry. I

hope I can show other women

that a career in the wind industry

has many opportunities and is

an interesting and challenging

option.’

Jennifer secured her role at

Siemens in Newcastle as part

of its much-prized two-year

graduate programme, where

she will work in a number of the

company’s businesses, including

within Siemens Energy sector.

Stuart Cameron, managing

director at Maersk Training

in Newcastle, said: ‘Numerous

studies show that women make

an important contribution to any

company’s bottom line and those

organisations with women in the

boardroom and in senior positions

perform well. Currently the wind

sector lags behind in terms of the

number of women working in the

industry and we would like to see

more females entering the wind

job market.’

A lady with no vertigo so she’s heading to the top

23

eSea library To go back in time and access articles from

previous issues, simply click on the photo of the edition.

The numbers in front of the articles is the the eSea issue.

For direct access click on the article title

eSea 1 Instructors’ back to sea programme - Sea Time Reduction announced - Vetting for Supply - New Deepwater Horizons open up

eSea 2New Towmasters’ course gets full simulation treatment - Deepwater course piloted - Wind industry - Drill instructor gets back to the well head

eSea 3MOSAIC II announced - Offshore wind, the new challenges - West African pilots use simulator to deal with the ‘big boys’ - CraneSIM in Vietnam - Piracy through the ages

eSea 4MT launches new website - Chinese in big safety push - Rig crane put in a box - Safety and People Skills build platform emergency course - how to communicate across cultures

eSea 5Maersk Training pennant raised in Dubai - Platform crews pilot Emergency Response course - How to be best in Vetting class - Danger of computer over reliance

eSea 6MOSAIC II, the ground is broken - Rig participants up to elbows in some very special mud - Semi-sub crew learns anchor handling - West African pilots start payback

eSea 7Chinese Container crews look to safety - Rig crane simulator tested - Esbjerg’s new facilities - MOSAIC II update - DP sea-time reduction - Coffee Break with Bent Nielsen

eSea 8Titanic Edition looking back at 100 years of increased safety and improved training - the lifeboat revolution - man overboard - spreading knowledge - tomorrow’s seafarers

eLibrary

eSea 9$15million Phone call - Wrappers off MOSAIC II - 5 Year drilling package - Tomorrow’s leaders today - Family comes too - Learning in luxury - Danish Olympians teambuild

eSea 10Breaking the ice, a new route in navigation - crane simulation arrives - Newcastle’s drop in course for the high life - the silent disease, loneliness - Chinese catch safety bug

To go back in time and access articles from previous issues, simply click on the photo of the edition or use the QR code.









eLibrary












eLibrary












eLibrary












eLibrary












eLibrary












eLibrary












eLibrary




eSeaM A R I T I M E /O I L & G A S/ W I N D/C R A N E · JA N UA RY 2013

macondo – a lesson unlearnt? the worlds most advanced offshore simulation complex >�

the most socially isolated person on planet earth? >

training to avoid skyfall >

captaining a floating town >

combating stress with underwater rugby >

11










eLibrary












eLibrary




eSea 1

eSea 10

eSea 9

eSea 12

eSea 8

eSea 7

eSea 6

eSea 5

eSea 4

eSea 3

eSea 2

MARITIME

1 DP Sea Time Reduction

7 DP Sea Time Reduction

1 Vetting for supply

2 Towmaster course

3 West African pilots’ eye-opener

6 West Africans payback time

10 Ice breaking through world short-cut

11 Captaining a hotel

12 Bridge and engine room in sync

12 A new look at mooring

O&G

5 Rig crew responds to an emergency

6 Semi-sub crew handling anchors

9 The $15million phone call

11 Macondo – a lesson unlearnt?

6 Mud course

12 North Sea, experts look to bright future

WIND POWER

3 Wind industry – new challenges

12 The father of wind power

12 A2Sea’s new windcarrier

12 Olsen team get specific training

CRANE

3 CraneSim in Vietnam

4 Rig crane in a box

7 Rig crane simulator tested

SAFETY

4 Container industry in big safety push

7 Chinese container crews show huge progress

MISCELLANEOUS

3 Piracy through the ages

5 Training in Dubai

8 Titanic edition looks at progress since 1912

9 Choosing tomorrow’s leaders

9 Turning a course into a family holiday

10 Loneliness, the problem of isolation

11 Underwater rugby, combating stress

eSeaM A R I T I M E / O I L & G A S / W I N D / C R A N E · N O . 1 2 / 2 0 1 3

wind powerWindmills - never ending or beginning >�Poul la Cour. Father of Wind Power >Olsen band crack safe operation >The Floating Table >Bridge and Engine in Sync >Door Knobs to Safety >The North Sea Glory Story > 12


Poopdeck 13

THE LAST

WORD

The other day I sat in a meeting and

after ten minutes, quite frankly was

lost. It was in quick-fire Danish. Then

someone moved to a flipboard and

wrote down some of the headlines,

it was like a fog lifting. I couldn’t see

the horizon, but at least I could see

the sea.

Danish is two languages, one spoken

one written, and like a code they

only properly combine and reveal

themselves within the heads of the

five million Danes, and a few gifted

foreigners – of whom I’m not one. I

usually only receive any glimpse of

clarity from the written version.

But even the written word has its

foibles, Google Translate is a clever

tool, not one to plan an international

document around, but useful. It does

have a growing sub-culture with

people publishing funny translations

and seemingly a team of midnight

elves from Google repairing the

damage as quickly as they can. For

a couple of days this week if you

typed in, in Danish, mænd kan køre

bil - kvinder kan køre bil up popped a

translation suggesting that women

cannot drive! But it appeared on

Facebook the elves got on to it and

now everyone can drive.

It can also tamper with history

when you opt on the web for a

translation. This is from the About

Us for the Danish cartographers,

Weilbach:

'The foundations of the company

were laid on November 24, 1755,

når flag, sail and compass maker

Iver Jensen Borger set up his

own maritime supplier business

in Copenhagen, Denmark. Iver

Jensen Citizen specialized

in the production of nautical

instruments'.

So Iver Jensen becomes a citizen,

yet strangely only on the second

mention of his name.

I am however in great debt to one

retired teacher, Anni, who for

about three hours a month for

the past two years has patiently

listened to the assorted ramblings

of an aging Irishman. The Irish

are not renowned for their grasp

of logic, so she was quite brilliant

in the way she hung on in there,

throwing smiles of encouragement

rather than the normal local

approach which is to grimace in

disbelief that anyone can be so bad

at their mother tongue.

Eighty percent of the population of

Copenhagen speak English. I’ve yet

to meet any of the 20% - maybe my

walk is characteristically foreign,

but I’m sussed in virtually every

shop before I open my mouth.

Of course making an effort is

important. So the other day there

I am in an organic bread shop next

to the royal palace, trying to blend

in and look Danish. I point, in a

Danish way, to the display in the

window and say ‘Pain au chocolat,’

with mild overtones of Charles

Aznavour.

‘Anything else sir?’ she replied.

‘I’m sorry but how did you know

I’m not Danish?’ I asked.

‘You said it in an English way.’

‘But it is French!’

‘You said it in an English way.’

There I was thinking I was more

Maurice Chevalier than Michael

Cane, she looked over my shoulder

and said ‘Næste?’

So outgoing remains a problem, but

I remain indebted to Anni for the

privilege of understanding in full

a little cameo later in the pain au

chocolat day.

I was in the silent zone of an

intercity train, and at the main

station an elderly couple got on, the

woman indicating to me that I was

in her seat by placing her suitcase

between my legs. I smiled and

moved.

Her husband nestled himself in to

where moments earlier I’d been

sitting and they started to talk as if

the batteries in their hearing aids

were on their last journey. It being

the main station the train often

waits quite a while, and after a

minute a blonde business lady put

to one side her Apple and stood up.

‘Do you realize you are in a silent

zone?’

‘Yes we do,’ replied the old man.

‘Then please be silent, that’s why

WE chose to be here’ the blonde

forcefully replied.

‘But the train’s not moving!’

‘Moving or not it’s still a silent

zone!!’ she shouted making more

noise than the old couple.

By now two other passengers

had joined in and the old man

continued to talk to his wife, and to

the ever more forceful demands to

shut up.

The train moved off and an

uncomfortable calm took over the

carriage, until that is an on-board

announcement welcomed us to

Danish railways.

From my original seat there was

one moment defining sound.

‘Shuuussshh!’

Richard Lightbody

Poopdeck 13: The last word 26

ContactEditorial issues and suggestions:Richard Lightbody - [email protected]

Names and emails of those able and eager to help with specific enquiries arising out of this issue

Sales enquiries Aberdeen (UK): [email protected]

Sales enquiries Brazil:[email protected]

Sales enquiries Esbjerg (DK): [email protected]

Sales enquiries India: [email protected]

Sales enquiries Middle East:[email protected]

Sales enquiries Newcastle (UK):[email protected]

Sales enquiries Norway: [email protected]

Sales enquiries Svendborg (DK):[email protected]

Or visit our website www.maersktraining.com

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eSea 13 - Communication

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