Uniteam Marine offers an extensive range of services to ship owners and ship managers, covering full management, technical management and crew management. Managing Director John Hadjiparaskevas outlined the latest developments at Uniteam Marine in conversation with Phil Nicholls.
Uniteam Marine has the vision of being a leader in the provision of ship management services. As part of this portfolio of services, Uniteam Marine is expanding its workforce to remain the local cruise ship partner of choice in Myanmar.
“2022 was a great year for the Uniteam Cruise Services (UCS) brand,” explained
Managing Director John Hadjiparaskevas. “We were able to recruit many additional crew members to work onboard both ocean and river cruisers in response to the market bouncing back after the pandemic.”
UCS prepared all required formalities, including visa processing, and completed other processes to ensure that both existing poolers and newly selected
crews could embark their assigned vessels as scheduled. The cruise industry is working hard to come back to old strength, and passenger booking numbers are expected to reach pre-COVID levels and surpass them. UCS already has more cruise personnel onboard than before the pandemic.
UCS employs competent people for ongoing projects on river and ocean cruise ships and is still attempting to attract global clients by supplying hardworking and qualified crew from Myanmar for the up-and-coming year.
Growth and innovation
“In addition to supplying more and more crew to the cruise sector,” continued Mr Hadjiparaskevas, “our new brand,
Uniteam Healthcare Services (UHS), has started supplying personnel for medical professions to clients in Germany. With our existing logistical infrastructure, we can replicate the recruitment and ‘onboarding’ process for other industries and gain valuable experience in other potential expansion markets.”
S ince it was formed 37 years ago, Uniteam Marine has been committed t o providing the highest level of service quality to clients around the world. To maintain these standards, Uniteam Marine must keep growing and innovating. This principle includes the expansion of UHS noted above and the work of Uniteam Training.
This sister company based in Yangon, Myanmar, recently opened the new, upgraded integrated mooring station MV Uniteam Endeavour. Uniteam Training uses this station to teach safe mooring operation, maintenance and inspection of mooring ropes, accident prevention during moorings, maintenance of mooring equip ment, anchoring operation and emergency towing, plus chain locker inspection and maintenance. The station also teaches the communication and teamwork required during mooring operations.
To deliver this growing package of services, Uniteam Marine has offices in Cyprus (Limassol), Germany (Hamburg), the Philippines (Manila), Ukraine (Odessa), Myanmar (Yangon) and Singapore.
Supporting seafarers
Uniteam Marine’s 128 employees deliver an extensive range of services to ship owners and ship managers, covering full management, technical management and crew management. The company provides to clients the core support needed to operate and safeguard their vessels and achieve commercial success.
Mr Hadjiparaskevas outlined the distinct features of Uniteam Marine: “We work with our clients to build longterm relationships that achieve lasting competitive advantages. Through these strategic partnerships, we provide vital support and reassurance, enabling them to focus on their core business.
“PROVIDING A WORKING ENVIRONMENT THAT TAKES CARE OF THE EMPLOYEES AND THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS, IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR UNITEAM MARINE”
“At Uniteam Marine, we value long-term cooperation, and we work hard to understand our clients’ needs and provide tailor-made solutions to meet their specific requirements and expectations. We are committed to improving continuously by offering and helping clients adapt to change and achieve their commercial goals.”
Uniteam Marine's extensive team also upholds these commitments to partnership. “We support the mental health and well-being of our seafarers onboard, as well as our colleagues in the office,” said Mr Hadjiparaskevas. “Providing a working environment that takes care of the employees and their specific needs is a
top priority for Uniteam Marine.
“It is vital that our staff feel confident that their concerns are taken seriously. They can approach us with whatever they may have in their heart, and we will offer assistance.”
Nurturing relationships
Uniteam Marine’s level of delivery can only be achieved by having a close business relationship with suppliers, according to Mr Hadjiparaskevas: “The reliability of our suppliers and partners plays a crucial role in our daily work. Every company needs to have a solid relationship with its suppliers and partners to guarantee on-time deliveries at a competitive price.
“This can only be achieved by having a business relationship on equal terms, whereby the partner respect the needs and challenges, and communicate openly about bottlenecks and finding the best possible solution for our customers.”
Uniteam Marine has also started developing and implementing an ESG policy. It has begun several environment-friendly projects, such as planting trees on behalf of the staff onshore and onboard
“Every small step is important to protect our environment,” explained Mr Hadjiparaskevas. “At Uniteam Marine , we have committed to changing the landscape by employing dedicated personnel who will monitor the current fleet and propose improvements to vessel
owners, to lead the transition to the coming low-carbon economy. We will be able to benchmark these vessels against their counterparts and continue to improve energy efficiency throughout the lifespan of each vessel.”
As everywhere in the world, and in every business, Uniteam Marine has been affected by the current global issues. For example, the costs of flights increased dramatically after the pandemic. Since all players in the sector face the same challenges, this is not so much a competitive disadvantage, but it adds to the operating costs that need to be passed on to our clients.
“Travel restrictions have luckily been eased gradually,” continued Mr Hadjiparaskevas, “but the network
of available flight connections has still not returned to the frequencies of earlier times. This makes additional connecting flights necessary, adding to the travel time for seafarers – and the costs as well.
“Despite the rising costs, the high inflation globally and the fact that the provision of ship management services has become a lot more competitive in the last few years – with margins decreasing – I am very confident and optimistic about the future.”
This optimism and passion for the industry is evident at Uniteam Marine. “Shipping is a very dynamic field of business,” concluded Mr Hadjiparaskevas.
“Coming to the office every morning, you never know what awaits you. I love the true internationality of shipping; dealing with business partners all around the globe, making friends and f ostering business relations with different nationalities and cultures.
“This widens our horizons and helps us understand the challenges faced by others. Finding solutions that satisfy our clients is extremely rewarding.” n
