May 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25
MARITIME WORKFORCE
Looking closer to home A London-based shipping company could boost the employment of British officers if the UK government backs the SMarT Plus training support package proposed by Nautilus and the Chamber of Shipping. ANDREW LININGTON reports…
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Expanding British shipping companies are something of a rare marine species. But Londonbased Union Maritime has chalked up spectacular growth in the decade since it was launched — and now it could be expanding its contribution to the UK seafaring skills base. Established in 2006 by former Morgan Stanley trader Laurent Cadji, the company had modest origins — centred around west Africa and a lightering operation servicing Nigeria in particular. But it’s now got a fleet of 37 ships — ranging from 7,682dwt to 76,752dwt — with over a dozen added to its books in the past 15 months, and further expansion being planned. It is now the largest independent product and chemical tanker company in the UK and its operations have also evolved to include bulk carriers. The tanker fleet continues to have an African focus, concentrating on the carriage of clean petroleum products and light chemicals, while the bulkers tend to trade between Africa, Brazil and the Mediterranean.
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There is an attraction in having people who have come right through the company from sea to shore
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As a tonnage tax company, Union Maritime has — from the outset — taken on cadets in line with the training commitment. The firm presently has 41 cadets at various stages of training — and it is adding its support to the industry calls for the government to adopt the SMarT Plus training support package tabled by Nautilus and the Chamber of Shipping last year. Mike Powell, the company’s head of marine operations, says the SMarT Plus proposals will ensure that the initial investment in training is not lost — by helping operators to cover the
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cost gap between British junior officers and those from other countries. ‘Our cadets were originally employed through Clyde Marine on other ships,’ he explains. ‘However, as we embarked on fleet expansion and had internal discussions we recognised that this was a resource we were not tapping into and that our growing global footprint gave us the opportunity to put our own cadets on our own ships.’ As well as creating cadet training berths on its ships, Union Maritime has also developed a programme to monitor their progress and to identify the most talented. ‘That’s our most important obligation,’ says Mike, ‘and we see the potential for youngsters to come through their training, into the fleet and ultimately to come ashore as superintendents.’ ‘There is an attraction in having people who have come right through the company and that will be the ideal outcome for us,’ he adds. ‘The cost differential between UK senior officers and those from other countries is not so marked as it is for juniors — and in the shore-based environment there is very little to choose between them. ‘The cost differentials between nationalities are being eroded, but it is most acute for junior officers and SMarT Plus will address that — helping companies like ours to take our best talent all the way through,’ he says. ‘It won’t be a silver bullet for the industry, but it will make a very significant contribution to the employment of British officers. ‘I’ve heard all the arguments about tonnage tax companies and the employment of UK nationals, and in some respects I have a lot of sympathy for them,’ Mike admits. ‘However, if you are running in a business where the markets have been dire for a long time the choice is simple — it’s a harsh reality of a business or no business.’
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Union Transport uses the Marshall Islands and Liberia as flags for its fleet, and Mike says this reflects the ‘service-orientated’ approach of both registries and their efficient administrative processes. ‘I think the UK suffers from a bit of complacency about our standing in the world,’ Mike says, ‘and emerging maritime centres
Mike Powell, head of marine operations at Union Maritime
have been able to look at our great legacy and approach things with a blank piece of paper.’ However, Union Transport should serve as a ‘good news story’ for British shipping, he argues. ‘It’s a family enterprise whose great growth record is a superb testimony to the tonnage tax regime.’ Fleet expansion means that the company’s next cohort of cadets is likely to total around 20, Mike says, and the firm has also started an internship scheme offering places for two City University maritime operations and management MSc students each year. Mike — who joined Union Transport in March 2015 — exemplifies the way in which seafaring careers can open up all sorts of opportunities ashore. He had a 13-year seagoing career serving in all ranks to master, starting as a cadet with PanOcean Anco and serving with Iver Ships before coming ashore to work as a cargo superintendent. He went on to be a marine consultant and surveyor, and a maritime lawyer with Stephenson Harwood, before serving as maritime director with the Confidential Human Incident Reporting Programme, and heading marine operations at companies including BP, Glencore and Maersk. Today’s cadets are coming into a very different industry from the one he joined 38 years ago, but Mike says he recognises the potential insecurity of seafaring employment. ‘I’ve had a great career, but I think I was ahead of my time with the “gig economy”,’ he reflects. ‘It may not offer stability, but it is a fantastic industry to get into — and especially the maritime services sector, which the UK continues to excel at.’
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25/04/2017 13:21