"As a Superintendent it is my job to find the right solution to the obstacles that a vessel encounters in the daily operation, to prevent a ship from going off-hire. That is really interesting. There are so many different installations on board and the vessels are of course located all over the world. If a vessel has a problem, the first thing to do is to determine the problem. Then the big puzzle begins. How urgent is the problem, where is the vessel going to load and unload, how long will she be there and can I have the right people and materials there? After that, it is my job to bring the right people together to solve it. 
 

Diagnose the problem
The people on board are my ears and eyes. The biggest challenge is to get the right information from them. For example, one time a ship contacted me. The motor didn't work, only the cadet spoke English. Fortunately, that is different nowadays. They managed to start the engine with screwdrivers and sailed into the harbor in the middle of the night. When I got on board in the morning, we rethought the matter. A part they had already replaced turned out to be broken. Then I am happy that I can help a crew to get out of a vicious circle. As a Superintendent with multiple ships under your management, you will see some imperfections more often than the crew on board. That way you can often put your finger on the sore spot more quickly. 

Efforts are paying off
I work at Wagenborg since 2007. I attended the Maritime Academy in Rotterdam. After that I started as a Maintenance Engineer in the offshore: 5 weeks on, 5 weeks off. I wanted to finish my projects and was tired of working in 12-hour shifts with transfer of work. I also noticed that the conversion periods between projects were the most interesting and fun for me. So I decided to switch to Wagenborg. I like it here very much. Finishing your work yourself is much more satisfying. I also like the fact that Wagenborg is a family business. Humanity, contacts with colleagues and long-term thinking suit me. I'm not here to just do my thing. For example, I did the Spaarne, Schie and Slingeborg for more than 10 years. As these vessels got older, I have preventively replaced various installations together and at the request of the crew, resulting in a more reliable operational management of the ships. It's great to see that your efforts are paying off.”