A shore-based and a seagoing organisation
Concordia Maritime can be divided into a shore-based and a seagoing organisation. The shore-based organisation consists of only a small number of employees; in 2010 two persons were employed in the parent company. Services are instead purchased from our partners. The seagoing organisation is much larger. At the end of 2010, there were 353 seagoing employees. All shipboard employees are employed under the terms of ITF agreements (International Transport Workers’ Federation). Shipping is very much an international market in terms of both business and competition, but it is also an international labour market for seafarers. There is a large demand for trained and experienced seafarers and it is expected to increase still further due to, among other things, the large number of seafarers retiring in the next few years. Being able to attract skilled and experienced officers and ratings is dependent on, in addition to competitive salaries, having a long-term approach and a good reputation as an employer. Personnel turnover during the year was about 17 percent, which is relatively low compared with industry as a whole. As part of its work on continuing to be perceived as an attractive employer, Concordia Maritime has a benefits program for the seagoing employees and their families. The cost of this program during the year amounted to SEK 3.0 million.
Continuous competence development
In addition to comprehensive international regulations, there are also strict internal requirements and routines for ensuring safety on board. In order to ensure that our own and our customers’ quality, environmental and safety demands are met, we work continuously on developing competence. The training activities provided are both general and specially adapted for a specific vessel.
MIKAEL LUNDHOLM, DECK CADET, TELLS HIS STORY
Personal facts
Name: Mikael Lundholm
Age: 26
Education: Studying Shipping and Logistics at Chalmers University of Technology
Week 1: Become acquainted with the workplace
The first week on board for a trainee consists mainly of becoming acquainted with the ship. I have to learn to find my way around and learn the ship’s measurements and properties and prove that I actually know what to do if the alarm sounds. We’re gradually getting to know each other, me and the ship. I get the chance to show what I can do and trust is gradually being built up. After the first week on board, I feel at home and ready to begin my practical training. One of the first tasks was to update nautical charts of distant places on the side of the world. A very suitable job for deck cadets.
Week 2: Next port of call Bejaïa
I try to get as much as possible out of the hours we spend out at sea. To get experience of being a follower and hanging over somebody’s shoulder and at the same time making sure that I follow the rules at sea and the company’s policy documents, yes, there are a number of those. School was nothing compared with learning all this. 2nd officer Dario, 3rd officer Ivan and Junior Officer Charles do their best to get me to understand celestial navigation, that’s navigating according to the sun and stars. Chief Mate Dimitri answers all my questions about freight operations in a friendly voice. Captain Sasa shares his experiences of ship manoeuvring. While we were discharging cargo on Tuesday, we had a pleasant surprise. We were supposed to sail from Algeciras to Bejaïa. The next port was calling us; full speed towards Bejaïa. When we entered the port, the pilot shouted and yelled at a group of about 20 people and linesmen on the quayside. Complete chaos, but Captain Sasa had the situation under control. We’ve only been here a few hours but I’ve already learnt a few Algerian words: ”Siga retts” must mean something like “Hi, how are you?” or “Good bye”, because everybody says it here.
Week 5: Seven pallets of food
So now it was Monday and seven pallets of food arrived just before lunch. It took nearly two hours for me and some crew members to get everything on board via the gangway. There’s a special crane on board for this job but oil quays are seldom long enough for the deck crane to reach them. Good thing that there was a nice crew who were more than willing to give a hand. Time flies and it will soon be Christmas. Rumour has it that Christmas dinner will be something out of the ordinary. I wonder where we will be celebrating Christmas Eve. Riskområde för fartygskapning
Week 8: Thank you Penguino
It has been a brief but loving relationship between me and the Stena Penguin. A love affair for two months. A lot of water has flowed under the keel. The ship has a really great and young crew, which I believe contributes to the open atmosphere. The officers are all very competent and the ratings work very hard and struggle not to think about their families so far away, both in time and distance. Like all ships with a multicultural crew, language can sometimes be a barrier. But gradually a way is found to communicate and work together in a spirit of understanding – we call it Penguino.