CRYSTAL POOL
Service, crystallised
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CRYSTAL POOL
Filippo Gavarone
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PROFILE
, Dire ctor
he northern most point of the Ligurian Sea plays host to the Gulf of Genoa, upon which sits the coastal city of Genoa. Historically speaking, this city has been one of the most important ports on the Mediterranean Sea. Even by today’s standards, Genoa is still the busiest port in Italy and the Mediterranean, and this is precisely where ship management business Crystal Pool is headquartered. The company began operations in 2009 when it took up the management of chemical tankers and bulkers owned by the Rimorchiatori Riuniti Group. Since the company’s creation, it has managed various vessels for different flag states, and due to its exemplary performance, has even retained this management after part of the fleet changed owners. Crystal Pool takes on all responsibility for the safe and efficient operations of a client’s vessels that are placed under the company’s management; including duties imposed by the ISM code. Crystal Pool is also part of Rimorchiatori Riuniti Group, a leading maritime transportation company founded in 1922, operating tugboats in the harbour of Genoa. Since its creation, the group has continued to expand the scope of its activities both domestically and internationally. Filippo Gavarone, Director of Crystal Pool said: “This company was started by my father Alberto back in 2009, who has a long history in ship management. Amongst those first vessels, some of them were owned by our group and our family. Back then this was a small key management company created essentially to take care of our own ships, but the fleet increased with the introduction of containers and anchor handlers.” 2
Crystal Pool
The Italian city of Genoa is home to Crystal Pool, a ship management company that is both dedicated and highly qualified: the company prides itself on its ability to manage sophisticated vessels across the globe. Holding the highest standards and an ethos of continuous improvement, the company delivers a bespoke, professional service to its clients. With a vision of wanting his company to be recognised as an industry leader, Filippo Gavarone spoke to Inside Marine reporter Jordan Yallop.
Crystal Pool
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CRYSTAL POOL
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PROFILE
Today, the company offers technical ship management services, crew management services, health, safety, environmental, and quality management services in addition to ship’s financial management services. Crystal Pool’s fleet under management is today comprised of bulk carriers, container ships and offshore vessels.
What clients can expect Crystal Pool has approximately 15 highly trained and motivated fulltime staff, while also managing on average 10 ships at any one time. Mr Gavarone said: “We want to put ourselves in the shipowner’s shoes, to try and understand what an owner truly requires; we want to be seen as an owner’s management office rather than a contracted party. Whatever discount we get from suppliers is passed to owners, and in terms of management fees, we always try to keep it simple and transparent. “With regards to this we like to be flexible and open with the client. We want to build the relationship with them rather than just providing a service.” One of the core services the company provides is technical management, which Crystal Pool describes as the core service of the business. This is geared towards the efficient operation of a wide array of asset types. This service also includes maintenance and refit support, which will be carried out to the highest standard. The company also has experience with new build supervisions, which includes a number of associated responsibilities such as evaluation of shipyards, negotiations and construction supervision. Another core tenet of Crystal Pool’s services is crew management, with the company’s agency in Genoa ensuring a pool of highly qualified crew. Further to this, the company prides itself on its ability to cope with the dynamic world of international laws and regulations, as 6
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well as being prepared for evolving demands. The pool of competent crew and officers is also certified as required, possessing the necessary qualifications for the vessel and its trade. The company also arranges crew to join the office for limited periods of time, to spend time with office personnel and understand the dynamics of working from shore. Further points of contact handled by Crystal Pool include rotation plans for crew recruitment and related procedures. This ensures crew retention and crew training in accordance with international regulations. A large part of Crystal Pool’s involvement is ensuring proper health, safety, environmental and quality management systems are in place. While the company describes its mission as “providing our customers with competent, safe, environmentally sound and costeffective services”, it’s safe to say that it is committed to continually developing its skills and systems to provide the best for customers. This includes (but is not limited to) the continued assessment of all onshore and sea staff, who are trained to industry standards to allow them to excel at health, safety, environmental and quality awareness. To promote continued excellence, the company actively encourages feedback from both employees and customers to improve services. Ship’s financial management services also come into Crystal Pool’s remit. To this end, the company is transparent in all operations and ensures close working ties with both the captain and owners’ accountants so that systems are always kept accurate. The company also ensures budget preparation, expenses monitoring, invoice payment and financial reports. “There are many different situations happening on board on a daily basis, which require a good amount of knowledge and expertise,” commented Mr Gavarone. “You must make sure you have the
right policies and procedures in place to always make the right decision; to that end, we are highly qualified to do so. We really can run any type of vessel.”
Recent challenges In light of the challenges associated with these modern times, Crystal Pool has dedicated itself to meeting the evolving requirements that many clients present. “We not only offer technical, but also commercial and some consultancy services,” noted Mr Gavarone. “We aim to be a one-stopshop, able to provide a combination of services. Potential clients need that kind of service and so this flexibility is something we have developed in the past year. Clients can change; they are not always the traditional kind of shipowner.” Mr Gavarone highlighted the difficulty the industry has faced over the last few years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; navigating the differing restrictions and regulations of countries was a new challenge that needed to be overcome. Likewise, the inability to visit the ships and crews in person – as well as the resulting challenges with crew changes and quarantines – were previously unheard of logistical hurdles. Mr Gavarone said: “The management aspect is usually better, because we have a good retention rate where we
know our crew, we know our people’s capabilities. We always try to have plans to ensure sure that we know the right person is on the right ship.” When speaking about the future, he said Crystal Pool will continue to provide a premium bespoke service to its clients and he is actively looking to increase the company’s tonnage. “We really try to adapt the business based on the requirement of the clients, and being shipowners ourselves is a fundamental part of this aspect,” Mr Gavarone concluded. n