For the crew of Tern Land, it is easy to feel that safety and the working environment are given high priority by the shipping company. This makes sense on several levels, according to the management.
Green solutions are high on the agenda in the global shipping sector – and numerous other sectors and industries – these years. New types of fuel, sails, batteries, and other measures to reduce ships' emissions are eagerly sought by shipping companies and the IMO alike.
Danish-Swedish Terntank is no exception in this context, and as the Danish Shipowners’ Accident Insurance Association has spoken to CEO Claes Möller about, the company with its Danish head office in Skagen and Swedish base on Donsö outside Gothenburg has taken a firm hold on the possibilities.
But what does all this actually mean for the crews of the shipping company's vessels? UFDS had the opportunity to talk to a selection of the crew on Tern Land about this, when the vessel recently made its way to Fayard north of Odense to be equipped with wing sails, which you can read more about here.
'Almost perfect' focus on safety
On the bridge, we encounter Master Jacek Mania from Poland, who has been with Terntank for over 20 years and doesn’t hesitate in praising his employer's high focus on safety on board.
»I can only say that it is really good, almost perfect. The ships are great, the equipment is top-notch, the security system is of the highest standard I've seen, and the accommodation is excellent. A lot of valves and many other elements are automated, so there are fewer opportunities to make mistakes,« he says.
The long seniority is common for the crew members we meet on the ship, and Claes Möller also emphasizes that the shipping company's retention rate is sky-high, close to 100 percent.
As an experienced seafarer, Jacek Mania enjoys getting his hands om some new equipment, just as the four wing sails are an exciting addition to the operation of the ship. For the crew, there is not much work with the sails; control is automated and virtually all possible maintenance takes place at the shipyard.
»We can adjust them manually if we want, but they should be fine themselves, and if the wind gets too strong, they will be lowered automatically. So, it's very easy for us, and I don't see how any risks could arise around the sails, on the contrary, they will probably stabilize the ship a bit in high seas,« he says.
About doing things right
One of Jacek Mania's colleagues on the bridge is second mate Keirk Talabo, who, like his captain, is full of praise for both Tern Land as a workplace and Terntank as an organization, where he has been employed for just over five years based at home in the Philippines.
»It's a great place to be, we have a strong team spirit and are good at taking care of each other. Especially on a new ship like this, the conditions are nice, and it's fun to be part of trying out some new stuff, for example with the sails,« he says.
In the engine room, Keirk Talabo's compatriot, Christian Gutierrez, is on the payroll as 2nd engineer, and in line with his colleagues at Ternholm, he points to safety as the basis for the work on board.
»It's about doing things right, with the right equipment, proper procedures and so on. Here in the engine, we work with high pressure and high temperatures, so we follow the guidelines and take it easy to avoid accidents,« he says.
»Safety and strong performance go hand in hand. If you have high safety, people perform well, that's how it is.«
Tryggve Möller, board member and senior advisor, Terntank
High safety means strong performance
For Christian Gutierrez, too, a new ship equals a good working environment and an exciting time with a lot of new things to learn in terms of handling equipment and the digitized processes that will make everyday life easier in the long run.
»It's nice and easy to press some buttons on some screens, but at the same time you have to focus in order to get to know the automated systems properly early on. So, we are excited to see how it’ll all work when we are in normal operation, also with the sails,« he says.
With 10 years in Terntank behind him, Christian Gutierrez greatly appreciates being part of a company on a scale where management is relatively easy to access and you can talk openly about things. This applies, among others, to board member and senior advisor Tryggve Möller from the owner family, who is also on board alongside his employees.
To both UFDS and today's four guests from the Danish Maritime Authority – several of whom have sailed themselves – he underlines Terntank's approach to safety.
»Safety and strong performance go hand in hand. If you have high safety, people perform well, that's how it is. If you have a clean vessel with no oil spills in the engine room, you won’t have a fire and people won’t slip. And if you have a good crew that looks out for each other, then people will stick around for decades,« Tryggve Möller says.
