A 2nd Engineer’s view: working on our new methanol-capable vessels

What made you want to be part of the crew on board these new vessels?

I feel this is the future and this is my chance to contribute and to be part of something really special. Not only sailing the vessel, but to be a part of the innovation. I hope we inspire others in the shipping industry to follow our course, reduce emissions, and decarbonize!

What are some of your impressions of your new crewmates?

There were many new people for me and new cultures, so I was especially glad to meet them. All of them are really professionals in their different areas.

I am a Second Engineer, so one more step for me before becoming a Chief Engineer. So, I was especially pleased to meet Hans, my Chief Engineer – this is a guy with huge experience, and I will learn a lot from him!

You have been with Maersk 10 years and over 20 years in shipping - what do you think has changed the most over the past two decades?

You know, everything has changed! A lot of this is due to technology and automation, which has been the biggest jump. Artificial intelligence is a good example – neural networks. So, systems that learn by themselves and can adapt to changing conditions, without the need as in the past for people to manually step in or reprogram due to planning changes, the weather, etc. Today we get better decisions that happen automatically, especially with small and simple decisions so we can focus on the most important topics!

Do you feel our crew are prepared to work with these new technologies?

Maersk is doing a good job training crews and making sure they can operate the new systems. It shows that we care about each person, that he or she will be ready and prepared for new challenges and for working in different ways on new innovative ships. Careers in seafaring are changing a lot, and Maersk has a big commitment to make sure it brings its crews along.

How have you found the realities of seafaring over so many years, compared to what you expected when you started your career?

I'm actually very happy to work at sea even after so many years. I’ve had the chance to grow as a person and to develop new skills aside from just running the vessels. For example, you get a lot of time to work on soft skills like communication and teamwork when you are at sea for many weeks with a crew.

I think I'm in a place where I make a good living, and where I can apply my skills as the very technically minded person I am. For me, this is the place!