our PEOPLE | At work
“Whether it is getting ‘totally lost’ on the Madison Maersk or having to be retrieved from a departing vessel by a pilot boat after losing track of time, there’s no doubt John’s enjoyed his eventful first twelve months as a Port Sales Engineer”.
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urning up at the Rotterdam office late and totally unprepared we can't have made much of an impression on one of our newest, and also one of our youngest Port Sales Engineers (PSE). Suggesting we might as well drive around the port so he could point out the different terminals, none of which we would be able to actually enter without somebody’s forgotten passport, in the space of these ten very embarrassing short minutes for us, John showed a personality trait he has in abundance. Charm. A friendly attitude, outgoing, a happy demeanour, whatever you call it, people skills and the ability to put total strangers at ease in often awkward situations is a real asset in this job. We would later find out during a group dinner at an Argentinian steak house (yours truly is a vegetarian) that it is something all our PSEs seem to share.
his working life with alternative, non-nautical ambitions, (John actually studied marketing and communication) he soon entered the industry that dominates this port city. Starting his maritime career as an assistant cargo surveyor, he then joined Stolt Nielsen, working in ship operations before joining us. Currently visiting two or three ships a day, some bulk vessels, but predominantly tankers, and for the most part in Rotterdam, John works alongside experienced PSEs Ralf Fondse and Ronald Laaksonen covering the entire Netherlands. Now just over a year into his new role, his enthusiasm for his work is infectious. “I think it’s Though he began
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H e l m M ag a z i n e
the best job. I really like to go on board the ship”, he says. Making the stuttering all-day otterdam rush hour car journey R towards the second Maasavlakte site past the seemingly endless chemical, dry bulk and container terminals, the time is quickly filled by John’s experiences. Whether it is getting ‘totally lost’ on the Madison Maersk or having to be r etrieved from a departing vessel by a pilot boat after losing track of time, there’s no doubt John’s enjoyed his eventful first twelve months as a Port Sales Engineer. However, there have been pressures too. Right from the outset. “In the beginning when I started it was
quite difficult because you’re nervous to go on board by yourself, to do a test and then have to explain the chemicals to the Superintendent or Chief Engineer, and make them believe you know a lot”, he says laughing. Often crewmembers’ English is also poor, making John’s job even more difficult. An added stress is that whatever tests he administers or assists with are overseen by the h awkish gaze of the crew who are ‘checking everything you’re doing’. Maybe they think they might get duped if they don’t pay attention and there might be an element of them wanting to cover their own backs. Irrespective of the motives, it can’t be easy testing boiler water or cooling water systems in an engine room huddle of crew who don’t speak your second language. In addition, even when the test is done, convincing the crew on a course of action can be a struggle. “After we do a test on the boiler water or the cooling water systems, then we check the values and based on
the values we advise whether additional chemicals are needed, or alternative chemicals. For example, when we went on board last week we advised that they should change their chemicals over to a newer version, that’s not always so easy”, he explains with a grin. Seemingly taking it all in his stride, including the flat tyre we suffered on our way back from the Maasavlakte 2 site, and the subsequent solid hour we had to wait at the repair shop, patience seems to be another key virtue our port sales engineers have in abundance. As for starters, just getting on a vessel in the busy port of Rotterdam to fulfil an order can be difficult. “Sometimes when we go on aboard it’s at the same time as the bunker barge comes alongside the vessel and then they obviously prioritize the bunker ship and it can then take some time before we can do the chemical service or whatever it is we’re there for. If the vessel has just arrived it’s better to wait for a few hours and come back”, he says. Inconvenient at best, infuriating at worst, hanging around to get the job done does however offer PSEs the opportunity to get proactive and use another fundamental skill, sales technique. Self booking into the International Ship and Port Facility Security system so they can make an introductory ‘courtesy’ visit to additional vessels to hand out information and answer any questions about our products, this often pays dividends in the end. Even if they are modest, and sometimes only culinary. “Most of the time they don’t have questions there and then, but sometimes we’re lucky and they need a small thing like couplings, or a high-pressure cleaner, or parts”, he says. Adding, “It can be difficult if the super