THE CALL OF THE OCEAN
Emma Johnsen had originally planned to steer clear of a maritime career, but ultimately she could not give it up. The call of the ocean was too strong. BY BJARNE LAASTAD // PYX
Emma Johnsen (23) from Randaberg, outside of Stavanger, grew up amongst seafarers. Her grandfather was a harbour pilot and her father and brothers worked on everything from tankers to anchor handlers to oil rigs. It’s no wonder she has a close affinity with the maritime sector. Nevertheless, Johnsen wanted to go her own way. “I always pictured myself working within the media industry, and thus chose media subjects in high school. However, I realised that the journalist dream was not really for me, and eventually I started thinking about the old sea tales my grandfather used to tell me. Growing up, I was always told how amazing life at sea can be. Stories about the wonderful and unusual working life and camaraderie on board, and about seeing the world. In the military, I finally got a chance to test life onboard. I mustered on the Coast Guard vessel Nordkapp and was allowed to sail in the Barents Sea and around Svalbard. It was incredibly educational, and I enjoyed every second of it. We were on fishing inspections and had several different drills. It was exciting, and had me longing for more”, she says. With a Bachelor’s degree in nautical education from 34
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Høyskoen på Vestlandet (HVL), Johnsen’s path towards a maritime career had begun. “Without a trade certificate, a bachelors degree was the natural path for me to take. I applied to many places, but my choice was easy once I was accepted at HVL in Haugesund, which is quite close to my home at Randaberg”, she says. Johnsen is now into her third year and has chosen Integrated Practice as her study option. Integrated practice means she will have an internship period as a cadet for two months, and she has gotten a place on the subsea vessel Edda Flora, which is currently on an assignment in Turkey. “I’m really looking forward to it”, she says. “Down there I get to work with two different shifts. Previously, I had a summer job at Rødne, on a passenger ferry in Lysefjord. That was a lot of fun, but I wanted to experience the offshore life, which for many years has been an important workplace for my family. As a cadet, I get more experience and valuable sailing time in my log book. It’s also exciting to work with people of different ages”, says Johnsen.
