What is Shore-based Crewing? Do I know?

Crewing Abbreviations

AB – Able Seamen
BOSUN – Boatswain
Btmn – Boatman
A/H – Anchor Handling
C – Captain
Cf M – Chief Mate
CTO – Crew Training Officer
DH – Deck Hand
J Eng – Junior Engineer
Mstr – Master
OS – Ordinary Seaman
Sig – Signalman
Sman – Seaman
QM – Quarter Master
RO – Radio Officer
STCW – Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping
Off – Officer

App – Apprentice
5 Off – 5th Officer
5 Eng – 5th Engineer
4 Off – 4th Officer
4 Eng – 4th Engineer
3 M – 3rd Mate
3 Eng – 3rd Engineer
2 M – 2nd Mate
2 Eng – 2nd Engineer

What does Crewing involve?

Shore-based crewing staff are responsible for organising the working lives of seafarers. It is the shore-based people that are the connectors to the people at sea. Crewing departments are found within shipowning and ship management companies. There are also specialist crewing agencies who provide staff to shipowners and ship managers.

Due to high demand and tight supply of seafarers (who specialise in specific vessel types), there has been an increased focus in recent years on the retention, training and development of seafarers.

Recruitment – You will be involved in ensuring that vessels are adequately staffed with qualified and competent crew members and in the sourcing, selection, interviewing, and hiring of personnel with the correct qualifications, vessel experience and correct rank while also adhering to regulations and employment laws.

Retention – Retaining staff is very important. It is important to be able to retain your staff by ensuring safety, offering competitive salaries, providing career path opportunities, good training and promoting a positive work environment as well as addressing concerns.

Scheduling – You will be involved in the scheduling, rostering, and managing the deployment of crew members to different vessels or assignments. You will work closely with other departments to keep up to date with new hires as well as ensure efficient crew operations and optimise resource utilisation.

Training and Development – The role is to prepare, educate and develop the skills of crew members to ensure they can perform their duties effectively and safely. You will keep training programmes up to date and, if you are actually a trainer as opposed to a generalist crewing person, you will deliver sessions and workshops along with demonstrations and simulations. Making sure crew members are up to date with safety training, protocols, risk strategies and more.

Opportunities – This involves performance monitoring to ensure you can identify potential and provide opportunities to crew members to advance their careers, develop new skills and take on new responsibilities within the organisation to promote a supportive and engaging work environment that motivates top talent.

Welfare – This involves providing a safe environment including the well-being, welfare, and overall quality of life of crew members. This means addressing the physical, mental, and emotional needs of the crew, promoting support services to address personal and social needs, promoting health and wellness services and ensuring there are leisure activities for the crew members. Crucially nowadays, it also means making sure crew members have internet access so they can keep in touch with family and friends.

Travel & Immobilisation – Coordinating and managing all aspects of travel arrangements for crew members to and from vessels.

Job Titles Involved in Crewing Departments

In order of Seniority

  • Head of Crewing/Crewing Director/Fleet Personnel Director
  • Fleet Personnel Manager/Regional Crewing Manager/Senior Manning Manager
  • Learning and Development Manager – Senior Crew Training Manager
  • Senior Executive Crewing/Deputy Manning Manager/Assistant Crewing Manager
  • Assistant Training Manager/Senior Learning and Development Officer/Performance Management Supervisor
  • Team Leader
  • Crewing Officer/Manning Officer/ Payroll Officer/Marine Personnel Executive
  • Crew Training Officer/Performance Executive
  • Crewing Assistant/Fleet Personnel Administrator/Learning and Development Coordinator

Mealtimes With My Maritime Friends

Mealtimes With My Maritime Friends is a book which creatively combines culture and cuisine to bring insights into the lives and worlds of 60 leading lights from across the international maritime industry – and across the globe – in support of a mix of inspiring causes.

The book offers readers an immersive experience, blending step-by-step instructions, engaging illustrations, and culinary and cultural insights in an accessible, warm, and visually appealing way.

The project is the brainchild of Riviera Maritime Media’s Executive Editor Edwin Lampert who through his registered charity The Brun Bear Foundation – has done much to support The OSCAR Campaign and other maritime, community, medical, and animal welfare projects.

Mealtimes With My Maritime Friends’ ethos perfectly encapsulates the charity’s ethos: to use the power of community to create better futures. In this case, the founder of the charity, Edwin is drawing on his friends in the maritime community, to create better futures inside and outside the maritime community.

As we approach the final stages of production, Edwin wanted to share with you the opportunities available to show your support for the project and the causes it will benefit.
The Brun Bear Foundation is inviting its supporters to become official supporters of the recipe book in one of three ways:

  1. £100 Supporter Package:
  • Two complimentary copies of the book, signed by the author.
  • Your name listed in the book’s acknowledgements section as a valued supporter.
  • An invitation to an exclusive drinks’ reception and dinner for the book launch.

To place your order please click here

2. £500 Supporter Package:

  • Your company logo listed in the book.
  • Two complimentary copies of the book, signed by the author.
  • An invitation to an exclusive drinks’ reception and dinner for the book launch.

To place your order please click here

3. £1,500 Supporter Package:

  • A full-page advert in the book, which includes your company logo listing.
  • Two complimentary copies of the book, signed by the author.
  • An invitation to an exclusive drinks’ reception and dinner for the book launch.

To place your order please click here

By becoming an official supporter, you not only gain visibility within the maritime community but also contribute to the Brun Bear Foundation’s mission of creating better futures through the power of community. The foundation has already donated thousands of pounds to various local, medical, and animal welfare charities, and your support will help us continue this important work as well as a new award programme we are sponsoring focused on marine life conservation.

In addition to these support packages, we are also actively seeking to engage relevant companies within the maritime industry, such as marine catering companies, food suppliers, and other businesses that share our passion for culture, cuisine, and community. If you know of any companies that might be interested in supporting this project, please let me know, and I will be happy to reach out to them.

Thank you once again for your valued contribution and ongoing support. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of many through this project.

Seniority vs. Quantity: Spinnaker’s insight into where maritime professionals are from

In April 2024, the Maritime HR Association released the 7th annual market analysis report on Nationalities.

The purpose of this report is to look at the national split of the 2023 salary survey and indicate which nationalities are predominant in different job families and why.

Indian nationals are most represented

Having one of the longest coastlines in the world (more than 7.5 thousand kilometres) and thus located at the intersection of one of the busiest shipping routes in the world1, India offers 23% of all maritime jobs collected in the 2023 salary survey. This is 13% more than the second largest benchmark country, the USA (10% of all maritime jobs are created there), and 1% more than in 2022.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Indian nationals make up more than a quarter (29%) of all nationalities represented in the survey.

We can see a strong Indian presence in Technical & Marine, Safety & Quality, Commercial Operations and Crewing job families. It is Crewing where we notice the largest percentage of Indian nationals – 39%, with manning roles being slightly more common than training.

Although globally Indian maritime employees are at the forefront of the most senior positions accounting for 20% of all Managers and 17% of all Directors, if we look at the Indian sample separately, only 2% of all Indian employees are Directors and 8% are Managers.

Interestingly, in the majority of MHRA job families, a comparatively larger proportion of all Indian incumbents can be found in junior positions. With this rise in new maritime talent we have all reasons to expect a promotion potential in the next years.

Northern Europe leading the way

An entirely opposite picture can be seen for Danish and Norwegian nationals. Similar to 2022, their overall presence is not particularly prominent, barely reaching 2%; however, they fill 12% and 10% of Executive Leadership positions respectively. If we look at all Danish and Norwegian employees represented in the 2023 survey, 16% and 12% of them work at Director level, and 22% of both nationalities perform Managerial roles. This statistics hints at the continuous Scandinavian maritime leadership and its further rapid development.

The UK is very well positioned in the survey being in the top-3 benchmark countries and thus retaining its strong presence in global shipping. British nationals are in top-3 of nationalities collected in the survey accounting for 14% of all Managers, 16% of all Directors, and 14% of Executive Leadership professionals.

The overall Western European sample is not very large. Only in freight trading do we see Swiss and German nationals to be at the leading positions.

Same as in 2022, Eastern European presence can be noticed mainly in Crewing with 5% Ukrainian and 2% Polish nationals.

Overall, global maritime nationality split continues its 2022 trends, however we’ll keep an eye on its further dynamics in the face of the ongoing world challenges.

To read more on the topic please contact our benchmarking team at [email protected].

1 Sun, S. (2023) Topic: Maritime ports in India, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/11584/maritime-ports-in-india/#topicOverview

Article written by Daryna Rozum, Reward Consultant, Spinnaker

Diving into a legal career

Legal Abbreviations

PQE – Post Qualification Experience
SQE – Solicitors Qualification Examination(s)
LPC – Legal Practice Course
QWE – Qualifying Work Experience
CPR – Civil Procedure Rules

Working in the Law – Types of employer and types of shipping law


Private Practice (Law Firms)

Contentious = Handling Disputes (Dispute Resolution)

  • Litigation
  • Arbitration
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) such as mediation and conciliation

Non-Contentious

  • Finance
  • Company law
  • Transactional work

Dry Shipping (contractual work)

  • Charterparties (vessel performance, unsafe ports, delays, on/off-hire, laytime & demurrage, bunker payments, etc etc)
  • Ship arrest
  • Cargo claims / bill of lading work
  • General shipping contract work

Commodities / International Trade

  • Buying and selling of goods / cargo
  • Letters of credit

Wet Shipping (also known as Admiralty, also known as Casualty)

  • Bumps and scrapes
  • Pollution, collisions, groundings, sinkings, salvage, explosions/fires, etc

Ship Finance (sale & purchase and newbuildings) also known simply as ‘asset finance’

Construction & Conversions (Shipbuilding, Offshore Construction, Conversion of ships to offshore facilities)

Marine insurance and reinsurance

P&I (marine liability insurance)

Yachting

Energy and Oil & Gas is something we’re starting to do more of.

P&I Clubs

P&I clubs are (for the most part) mutual marine insurers (mutual meaning that they are owned by the ‘members’ who insure with them). Other than law firms, they employ more shipping lawyers as P&I and / or FD&D Claims Handlers than any other type of employer.

Staff employed by P&I clubs:

  • P&I Claims Handlers
  • FD&D Claims Handlers (legal expenses cover, known as “defence work” but actually providing legal costs for both pursuing and defending claims not otherwise covered by P&I itself). FD&D stands for freight, demurrage and defence which is historical terminology really.
  • Underwriters
  • Loss Prevention Staff

In-House employers

Employment with any of the following:

  • Shipowner
  • Oil Major
  • Charterer / Trader
  • Port
  • Regulatory body
  • Insurance company / insurance broker
    …… any many more

What can NED’s bring to your company?

The established practice of using non-exec directors is proving even more beneficial than ever before. The wealth of knowledge and support they bring can provide fresh perspectives on those everyday business challenges in a more cost-effective approach than that of a full-time director. It really is a win win.

Employing a non-executive director (NED) can have countless benefits for the company including:

  • Neutral Viewpoint: The NED provides a separate stance from that of the regular daily procedures of the business, which can be advantageous in determining original approaches and resolving issues.
  • Capability & Knowledge: Non-executive directors often provide an array of expertise from numerous industries and perspectives. This can supply significant direction and support which can be valuable especially during organisation disruptions and strategic future planning.
  • Governance: NEDs play a fundamental role in corporate governance, guaranteeing that the business operates ethically and remains compliant with policies and procedures outlined. The additional management allows for clarity and accountability within the company.
  • Risk Management: Non-executive directors can contribute to the detection and supervision of risks. Their impartial point of view allows them to calculate risks analytically and advise constructive risk mitigation approaches.
  • Enhanced Integrity: Having respected personalities contributing as non-executive directors can increase credibility in the opinion of stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, and officials. This position can indicate a steadiness with the company and the corporate principles.
  • Networking Prospects: NEDs will generally have extensive networks of connections within the industry. Benefiting from these connections can uncover additional opportunities which could benefit the company going forward. Great networking and business development. This could be through potential collaborations or business enhancement proposals.
  • Development of Strategy: Non-executive directors can influence the improvement of lasting strategic strategies by providing planned supervision and challenging expectations. Their outside view can assist in anticipating and adapting to adjustments within the market or sector.

By having non-executive directors on your board, you can add significant value to a company by bringing independent oversight, strategic guidance, and diverse expertise to the boardroom.

To find out how to identify the most appropriate NED for your business, call Teresa Peacock to discuss.

A Deep Dive into your Vessel Knowledge

Types of Vessel Abbreviations

ATS – Salvage Tug
AHTS – Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessels
AHTV – Anchor Handling Tug Vessel
AT – Ocean Tug
ATA – Auxiliary Ocean Tug
ATR – Rescue Tug
AK – Cargo Ship
AO – Oiler or Fuel Oil Tanker
AOG – Gasoline Tanker
BAK – British Cargo Ship
Bg – Barge
CS- Cable Ship
dd – Dry dock
FPSO – Floating Production Storage and Offloading
FSO – Floating Storage and Offloading Unit
FSRU – Floating Storage Regasification Unit
GTS – Gas Turbine Ship
HLV – Heavy Lift Vessels
LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas
LPG – Liquefied Petroleum Gas
LGC – Liquefied Gas Carriers
Lo-Lo – Lift on Load off
LAS – Lighter Aboard Ship Vessels
MT – Motor Tanker
MV- Motor Vessel
OSV – Offshore Vessel
PSV – Platform Supply Vessel
Ro-Ro – Roll-on Roll-off
ROV – Remotely Operated Vehicles
RRFV – Ready Reserve Force Vessel
ULCC – Ultra Large Crude Carriers
ULOC – Ultra Large Ore Carrier
VLCC – Very Large Crude Carriers
VLOC – Very Large Ore Carrier
VLBC – Very Large Bulk Carrier
YT – Harbour Tug
YTB – Large Harbour Tug
YTL – Small Harbour Tug
YTM – Medium Harbour Tug
YCD – Fuelling Barge

Dry Bulk Vessels

Dry bulk carriers are designed to transport non-liquid bulk cargo. They are responsible for transporting raw materials around the world. They have open cargo holds and are usually equipped with specialist cargo handling equipment.

Tanker Vessels

Tanker ships are designed to transport liquid cargo. They have multiple compartments to carry different liquids simultaneously and are constructed so they don’t cross-contaminate. They are responsible for delivering necessary supplies of essential products globally including oil and chemicals.

Container Vessels

Container ships are designed to transport standardised cargo containers. The containers are stacked onto the ships and carried to ports worldwide. These ships are categorised by their capacity which can range up to 20,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). These ships have revolutionised the way goods are transported by sea and are easily transported to trucks or trains.

Breakbulk Vessels

Breakbulk vessels are vessels in which transport cargo or goods that cannot fit inside regular cargo bins. They are usually transported in bags, boxes, crates, barrels or palettes. These vessels are usually Ro-Ro vessels or Lo-Lo vessels.

Heavy Life/Project Cargo Vessels

Heavy Life vessels transport goods or equipment that are tedious to break down or are oversized. The vessels are equipped with the cranes and necessary equipment to load and unload these goods. Best vessels to transport these goods are Multi-Purpose or Heavy-Life vessels.

Offshore Vessels

Offshore vessels are specifically designed for serving operational purposes such as oil exploration and construction. These vessels can also provide necessary supplies to the evacuation and construction units that are located at sea as well as the movement of crewing personnel to and from the operational areas.

P&I and Insurance: A guide to the abbreviations

P&I and Insurance Abbreviations

B/L – Bill of Lading
C/P – Charterparty
COFR – Certificate of Financial Responsibility
FD&D – Freight, Demurrage and Defence
H&M – Hull and Machinery
IWL – Institute Warranty Limits
K&R – Kidnap and Ransom
LOU – Letter of Undertaking
P&I – Protection and Indemnity
PI – Personal Injury

Types of Insurance

P&I – This type of insurance provides liability coverage for clients and their third-party liabilities arising from the operation of the vessel. Claims can include bodily injury, property damage, wreck removal and more.

H&M – Hull insurance covers physical damage to the vessel including, hull, machinery, equipment and fittings. This can be from situations arising from collisions, sinking, fire and natural disasters.

K&R – Kidnap and Ransom insurance is a specialised type of insurance that covers companies and individuals against financial losses and liability associated with kidnapping, extortion and related threats.

FD&D – This type of insurance, often simply referred to as ‘Defence’ provides financial protection against the legal expenses of pursuing claims and defending claims which are not otherwise insured under the P&I category. FD&D cover is discretionary and isn’t always taken out by shipowners with their P&I cover.

War Risks – This type of insurance covers damage or loss caused during warlike actions. This can include acts of terrorism, civil unrest, armed conflict, piracy and more. This type of insurance is also not part of standard marine insurance and is purchased separately.

Cargo – This type of insurance protects all goods when being transported against loss or damage whilst in transit. It covers theft, damage, sinking, fire and environmental hazards.

Freight – This type of insurance can also be known as freight forwarder’s liability insurance and this covers the liability of the freight forwarder against loss and damage to goods while they are in their care. It’s a lot like P&I cover for shipowners.

Personal Injury – This type of insurance covers bodily injuries suffered during maritime activities. This can be crew members or passengers and other personnel involved.

Marine Liability – This type of insurance covers a broad range of liabilities associated with liabilities arising from collisions, pollution, salvage, towage and more. P&I cover is marine liability insurance.

Charterers Liability – This type of insurance covers and protects charterers from liabilities arising out of their operations and contractual obligations from their activities. It offers protection against unforeseen circumstances and potential legal disputes.

Cyber Risk – This insurance comes from the increasing risk of the digitization of maritime operations. This provides coverage for losses resulting from cyberattacks, data breaches and any other cyber-related incidents.

Fixed Premium – This refers to the type of insurance policy where the amount paid by the insured remains constant or fixed for a specified period of time, just as with your own home or car insurance. This differs from the variable cost insurance typically offered by P&I clubs where the amount of premium, known as calls, is estimated at the beginning of the year and topped up with ‘supplementary calls’ if the P&I club has a shortfall.

Roles within the Industry

Claims – Responsible for handling and managing insurance claims, ensuring the policyholders receive fair and timely settlements whilst also protecting the financial interests of the insurance company. Claims handlers will investigate the incidents which may involve gathering evidence and collaborating with others.

Underwriting – Underwriters assess and evaluate risks associated with insuring vessels, cargo and the marine liabilities. They will analyse insurance applications, determine the terms and conditions and then set appropriate premium rates. They will decide whether to approve or decline an application as well as suggest modifications of insurance risks.

Adjuster – Responsible for investigating and evaluating insurance claims relating to marine incidents, determining the extent of the loss and negotiating the settlements. Adjusters analyse the insurance policy and determine the scope of coverage and then negotiate with claimants / policyholders and other parties to reach an equitable settlement.

Broker – Brokers act as intermediaries between insurance companies and clients seeking insurance coverage. They represent clients in the search for the most suitable insurance coverage as the market can be very complex. They will conduct research and analyse the products and policies to meet their client’s needs best.

Do you know your shipping abbreviations?

Shipping is FULL of abbreviations and acronyms, and this can really fool some people. We thought, what better way to help people out than to create a list of commonly used shipping abbreviations? Test your friends and colleagues. See if they know their maritime shipping abbreviations.

Industry Bodies:

ASBA – American Shipbrokers Association
BIMCO – The Baltic and International Maritime Council
FIATA – International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations
IACS – International Association of Classification Societies
ICS – International Chamber of Shipping
ICS – Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
IMO – International Maritime Organisation

Classification Societies:

ABS – American Bureau of Shipping
BV – Bureau Veritas
CSS – China Classification Society
CRS – Croatian Register of Shipping
DNV – Det Norske Veritas
IRS – Indian Register of Shipping
KR – Korean Register
LR – Lloyds Register
NK – Nippon Kaiji Kyokai
PRS – Polish Register of Shipping
RINA – Rina Services S.p.A.
TL – Turk Loydu

General Shipping Abbreviations:

AWB – Air Waybill
B/L – Bill of Lading
CBM – Cubic Meter
CIF – Cost Insurance & Freight
CIP – Carriage & Insurance Paid to
C/P – Charterparty
CFR – Cost & Freight
COGSA – Carriage of Goods by Sea Act
COA – Contract of Affreightment
DAP – Delivered at Place
DAT – Delivered at Terminal
DG – Dangerous Goods
D/A – Disbursements Account
FOB – Free on Board
FEU – Forty-foot Equivalent Unit (a forty-foot container)
FCL – Full Container Load
LOI – Letter of Indemnity
L/C – Letter of Credit
LCL – Less than Container Load
LRIT – Long Range Identification Tracking
MOA – Memorandum of Agreement
MARPOL – International Convention of the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
NVOCC – Non-Vessel Owning Common Carrier
P&I – Protection and Indemnity (as in P&I club or P&I insurance)
SOLAS – Safety of Life at Sea Convention
TEU – Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (a twenty-foot container)
T/S – Transhipment
TC – Time Charter
WS – Worldscale

Recruiter Spotlight – Candidate Success Stories: David Tubb

Being in recruitment, it is important to hear what candidates have to say about their experience and how they are getting on. One of our most senior recruiters, David Tubb, who has been here for over 13 years, recently heard from two previously placed candidates at Navigate PR to hear about their experience, how they found the process and how their current role is going. We thought it was about time we showed off candidates in the industry and the glowing work of our recruiters.

Margaret Mentz
PR Account Manager, Navigate PR

Working within the Marketing, Communications & PR sector.

What do you do in your current role?

Navigate PR is a public relations agency that caters to the maritime and related industries. I joined in November 2022 as an Account Executive and was recently promoted to Account Manager.
As a communication strategist, I am responsible for crafting editorial content for trade magazines, creating social media posts, and formulating and executing communication strategies for our clients, to name a few. Each day is unique, as I work with a diverse range of clients, including insurance companies, salvage operators, search and rescue organisations, and others.

How did you get your role?

David from Spinnaker reached out to me about the Account Executive position at Navigate. He was extremely helpful and provided valuable information about the role requirements. Initially, I was unsure if I was the right fit as I lacked experience in the maritime industry. However, David explained the job responsibilities and it piqued my interest. I decided to apply and, as they say, the rest is history.

Is this your first role within the maritime industry? If so, what attracted you to the sector?

This is my first job in the maritime industry. I have always been passionate about communication in all its forms, and the sheer size of the maritime industry attracted me to it. There are so many different aspects of the industry that I knew it would be a challenge to familiarise myself with and try to become an expert in various areas. I don’t think I will ever know everything about the shipping industry, but it is fascinating how everything in our lives is linked to the industry.

What do you love about the maritime industry?

I love the dedication of people in the industry—whether it is decarbonisation, the welfare of seafarers, or new regulations introduced—it shows that the industry has a lot of passionate people. And my work depends on people who can appeal to different interests and passions. I enjoy meeting clients and find each organisation and company I work with fascinating and interesting.

Did you relocate for your role?

I had various other roles before working in maritime; I relocated to the UK from South Africa 10 years ago.

What is one piece of advice or a fun fact you would tell someone about the maritime industry?

Oh boy, there are so many! But a fun fact is that the shipping industry plays a crucial role in transporting approximately 90% of the world’s trade. This highlights not only the global economy’s dependence on maritime transport but also the industry’s proficiency and ability to move vast quantities of goods across the world’s oceans. Most of the products we use in our daily lives, such as clothing, food, and technology, have likely been transported by ships, making the maritime industry an unsung hero of our globalised world.

I would recommend Spinnaker to anyone wanting to make a career or industry move! My overall experience was fantastic. I really appreciate David’s knowledge of the industry and the job offer; he was extremely friendly and conscientious.

Cyndi Cheng
Account Manager, Navigate PR

Working within the Marketing, Communications & PR sector.

What do you do in your current role?

I’m responsible for managing a number of maritime clients ranging from Baltic Exchange to class society to maritime tech companies. My primary role involves creating and maintaining positive relationships with clients and trade media, so as to develop and strengthen positive media exposure and brand reputation for them, via PR and communications.

How did you get your role?

I got my role from David Tubb at Spinnaker. My experience was great. To be very honest, I said no for the role when David called me the first time (he has cleverly spotted my profile online). He successfully convinced me to give it a try in the first call. And throughout the interview process, I have received a lot of guidance and updates – I was informed clearly on next steps and my expectations were well managed.

Is this your first role within the maritime industry? If so, what attracted you to the sector?

Yes. I like how international and diverse the maritime industry is. I can see myself leveraging my 12+ years’ PR experience working in Hong Kong and London covering the Greater China and European markets, as well as learning a lot at the same time. Moreover, focusing on the corporate and trade client sectors also aligns with my career trajectory.

What do you love about the maritime industry?

Besides everything above, I love how welcoming people are in the industry. There are loads of very knowledgeable people who are in the top game of their roles won’t hesitate to share their knowledge. I often heard people saying that nobody knows everything about the maritime industry as it’s so broad, this makes me want to contribute something. It’s also common to see people from all walks of life so you don’t feel too much as an outsider.

Did you relocate for your role?

I moved from Hong Kong to London just before I got this role so I wouldn’t say I relocated for this role. I wish I knew the difference in job titles (and associated job duties) between Hong Kong and the UK, and also the expected salary range. It helps to set expectations when looking for a job in a new country.

What is one piece of advice or a fun fact you would tell someone about the maritime industry?

Nobody knows everything so just ask questions, make connections and have a laugh together!

Margaret Mentz
Cyndi Cheng
Navigate PR