English - Esvagt

NO. 2. 2010. SAFETY & SUPPORT AT SEA
Greenland is a new work place for
"Esvagt Don" and "Esvagt Connector"
ESVAGT has performed jobs on summer cruises off the coast of
Greenland in the first exploration drillings in a decade.
Combined with an increasing demand for oil,
developments in technology have repeatedly
changed the interest for performing exploration drillings.
Technological advances and the cost per
barrel of crude oil have for the first time in a
decade made it interesting to perform exploration drillings off the coast of Greenland. "Esvagt
Don" and "Esvagt Connector" have participated
as standby and oil spill response vessels:
- We will be part of the preparedness with
the rig "Stena Don" and the drillship "Stena
Forth”, says John P. Mejer, Operations Manager
in ESVAGT.
The jobs will take place in the very short
summer period, where Cairn Energy will drill
four wells in an area where oil deposits have
previously been found. At that time it was not
possible to make a profitable business out of it.
- It is a very special area to work in for several
reasons. Also, it is a very limited period in
which it is ice-free so that you can work - from
mid June to mid November at the best - and
secondly, we also have to be aware of icebergs, he says.
Continues page 2
Editorial
First and foremost - thank you very much for
the fine welcome. I have met many talented
employees - and what has struck me most is
the passion and engagement I find. Both
onshore as well as offshore I have observed a
huge interest in doing a good job focusing on
safety and performing the job on time. These
are very important qualities and the base for
our success. At the same time it is important
to maintain our position, and to secure our
future success, we have to cultivate these
qualities.
Throughout 2010 we have focused on
cost. We will continue doing that. We have
seen improvements on the standby market
lately. There is however still uncertainty about
what will happen to world economy.
Most experts seem only able to agree on one
thing - that it will take several years before we
are back to normal.
Again this year the ESVAGT fleet has
expanded with the last two vessels of the
C-type from the ASL Shipyard in Singapore "Esvagt Capri” and "Esvagt Christina”.
Both vessels went directly on contract even in a weak market. This again proves that
the C-type vessels have sharpened the image
that ESVAGT is known for.
Once again - thanks to all of you - I am
looking forward to working with you.
n
Søren Nørgaard Thomsen.
Continued from page 1
Moving icebergs
A total of 20 ships are involved in the project,
a Canadian company will monitor whether
there are icebergs on the way to the locations
where drilling takes place.
If they are, you should first try to change
their drift direction either by pushing or
pulling them, and if you cannot do so, then
you must quickly stop drilling and leave
location. Some of the icebergs are so large
that you cannot do anything about them - 10
million tonnes are not unusual. And then you
have to move fast, says John P. Mejer. n
2
Much focus on environmental safety
Drilling in the Arctic region has great
attention from world environmental
organizations, and the first exploration
drillings in Greenland the last ten years
are no exception:
- The Arctic is extremely sensitive to
oil spills, says Thomas Fauerby, assistant
chartering manager:
- It is much more difficult to remove
oil after an oil spill in such an area. When
the weather is cold, the oil does not evaporate and must therefore be collected
very carefully. The Arctic fauna is also very
vulnerable which certainly makes the
importance of the correct response even
more important, he says.
To ESVAGT the job off Greenland was
very important as we will make the first
experience in working in the Arctic
region – experience from which we can
benefit when going to work for ENI
Norway in the Goliath Field in 2012:
- The severe cold and total darkness
half the year and constant light the
second half of the year are very special
conditions to work under. We must learn
how people react under these circumstances, and we must identify any defect
in our equipment. The experience
becomes very important for the Goliath
operations, and it gives the job off Greenland another dimension, he points out.
NO. 2. 2010. SAFETY & SUPPORT AT SEA
Dialogue to make ESVAGT better
The liaison committee is the forum where we negotiate on
anything but wages and employment conditions. Here you meet
to make ESVAGT a better place to work.
Does the choice of TV package mean something in your everyday life?
Ask a football fan in the Champions League season, and the answer will be quite clear.
Of course it means something what is on and it means something in particular when
you are on a standby vessel in the middle of
the North Sea far away from the nearest
Blockbuster.
The composition of television packages is
just one of the areas that the committee looks
at.
The liaison committee is the forum where
management and employees in ESVAGT talk
about everything else than the hourly wage,
agreements or similar. Diet and exercise, wellbeing, stop smoking, TV programmes, extra
net - all the things that make everyday easier –
that is the task of the liaison committee.
Claus Hangaard Sørensen is chairman of
the liaison committee and a ship’s assistant
on "Esvagt Caroline". He sees the committee
as a very good mouthpiece between on- and
offshore staff and management:
- It may be far from offshore to the office in
Esbjerg. The committee is a mouthpiece that
makes the distance a little shorter, says Claus
Hangaard Sørensen.
Makes a better work place
The mouthpiece works both ways. It is not
only the employees who use the committee
to get in contact with management – also the
dialogue from onshore to offshore may benefit from it:
- When the financial crisis was at its highest,
the liaison committee was asked to find out
how people felt we could cut down in the
best way. Dialogue is better than dictate
when we have to cut down, says the chairman.
In everyday life it is the collaborative role
that the committee works with. Everything
that makes life easier, simpler and safer:
- It is a good forum because it is not about
wages and collective agreements. We only
talk about what we all share – i.e. having
ESVAGT as a workplace and how to make it
even better, says the chairman.
When Claus Hangaard Sørensen became
chairman, he wrote to his colleagues in order
to highlight what the committee's tasks were
and were not:
- It helped a lot, but we are still
approached by people who want higher
wages or will complain about a mileage
allowance. We disregard that kind of comments because they do not belong in the
committee.
The issues are referred to representatives
and spokesmen. Some topics of course relate
to earnings and employment, that is obvious,
but people have a very good feeling of what
to contact the committee about, says the
chairman who also is fine with being responsible for some soft values:
- In some ways they are soft values, but
they are not unimportant values, he says.
Soft values
That the liaison committee does not discuss
agreements and hourly wages, but soft values
is perfectly fine with Ole Ditlev Nielsen, COO
in ESVAGT:
- The purpose of the committee is to make
ESVAGT an even better place to work for our
600 employees. The committee has focused
on well-being, safety and to make everyday
life better. We recognize that it is the soft
things that are important to make a job
optimal and that this part of business also
must be developed, he says. n
FACTS:
The liaison committee consists of 10 persons and has 2-3 meetings annually. The
chairman is always an employee, and all
ESVAGT’s representatives or spokespeople are born members of the committee.
Biking to the office
ESVAGT’s biking employees won a gift token to beef and
vegetables.
This year the campaign “We bike to work in
May” also had participants from ESVAGT. Not
many of our 600 employees have the possibility of biking to work. For the 34 employees
working ashore, it is only possible for a few of
them to go to work by bike. But many of the
onshore employees participated which we
are rather proud of:
- We have many employees living far away
from the office and they are not able to go to
work on a bike. But about 50 per cent of the
onshore personnel have the possibility and of
these 11 people have chosen to participate,
says Steffen Rudbech Nielsen, HSEQ Manager.
The 11 participants each received a gift
token of 200 DKK to Jensen’s Beefhouse and
another one of 100 DKK to a greengrocer in
Esbjerg. n
3
New CEO in ESVAGT
Søren Nørgaard Thomsen has a global vision and the heart in
Jutland. He looks forward to seeing ESVAGT’s spirit grow abroad.
It is quite odd that Søren Nørgaard Thomsen
has spent most of his professional life travelling around the world; posted from east to
west, north to south – and when he finally
returns to Jutland, to live in a suitcase.
But that is how it is right now for the
44-year-old Søren Nørgaard Thomsen, who
on 18 August replaced Ovin H. Carlsson as
CEO of ESVAGT.
And so it will be until the house in Rungsted is sold and the rest of the family will follow Søren Nørgaard Thomsen and the eldest
son Andreas to Jutland. Here their home is an
apartment and a summer house - and the
personal effects are limited for father and son
to a few suitcases:
- I was convinced that we would move to
the Esbjerg area when I started working for
ESVAGT. I could commute, but I do not think
that’s a good solution. If you want this job, it's
important to be close to the office. And I want
this job, says Søren Nørgaard Thomsen.
Possible expansion
To Søren Nørgaard Thomsen the job in
ESVAGT is the right one:
- The job is a very interesting challenge to
me. ESVAGT is a big company with a lot of
good employees and lots of expertise. You
know your work. I see many exciting possibilities, he says.
Craftsmen copied
The technical skills in ESVAGT is wellknown to Søren Nørgaard Thomsen.
When he was with SVITZER, the employees of ESVAGT were an inspiration:
- We introduced the term 'craftsman'
in SVITZER inspired by what we had seen
in ESVAGT. 'Craftsman' was understood as
a skilled craftsman, a real professional.
The term ‘craftsman’ may have had a
negative meaning at a time when everyone should be generalists, but we saw it
as an expression of a dedicated and specialized employee who really knows his
trade. We saw this particularly in ESVAGT,
says Søren Nørgaard Thomsen.
4
Søren Nørgaard Thomsen at "Esvagt Charlie"
He regards an expansion of expertise a
prime target for the company which may well
become even more international in the years
ahead:
- West Africa, Canada, Mexico - there are
many opportunities for us. Not least the growing environmental awareness is an advantage
for a company like ESVAGT. We are very conscious of our environmental responsibilities,
and we're really good in the emergency area.
There will be a great demand for this experience and these skills in the future, predicts
Søren Nørgaard Thomsen.
Remember the spirit
Should ESVAGT expand, it should be done
with care to ensure that the spirit is still there:
- Our force is experience and expertise - we
have people who simply live for this company.
One of the things we have learned from 2008
when everything went fast with big expansion of the fleet was that we must remember
the culture of ESVAGT.
And the challenge is even greater if the
expansion is far away from the base here in
Esbjerg, says Søren Nørgaard Thomsen:
- But when we grow now, it happens from
a wider base. We have several culture “carriers”
we can locate in the right place so we are prepared to maintain our unique culture when
growing, he says.
He studied the culture at first hand on
board the "Esvagt Charlie" when he went offshore a few months before he started in
ESVAGT:
- I saw the operation on close hand, and I
was pleased. It is dedicated people who really
are enthusiastic.
NO. 2. 2010. SAFETY & SUPPORT AT SEA
Who-is-who:
Private:
Born and raised in the fishing village Hou
in Jutland, not a fishing family, but in his
younger years he worked with fishing.
Married to Heidi, who is a nurse.
Three children; Andreas (16), Anne
Claudine (13) and Alexander (11).
Søren Nørgaard Thomsen lives in
Esbjerg with Andreas who has started in
high school. The rest of the family will
move to Esbjerg when the house in
Rungsted is sold.
Søren Nørgaard Thomsen enjoys a
good coffee, green tea and the "wrong"
football team - he supports AaB.
Career:
Trained in shipping at AP Møller and has
been with the company for 24 years. StaOnce the alarm went off during a coffee
break. Everyone knew it was a drill and still
people ran off immediately to do their jobs.
Training took place constantly. It was impressive, he says, also lauding the teamwork
onboard "Esvagt Supporter" that brought him
offshore to "Esvagt Charlie".
Advantages and drawbacks
With many years abroad global knowledge is
an obvious strength of ESVAGT’s new CEO.
He describes his forces as a good drive and
the ability to spot a talent:
- I am glad to see employees grow with the
tasks. I love to try people out in new jobs. To
see if they can cope with the challenges, says
Søren Nørgaard Thomsen.
And what is he less good at?
- You'll have to ask some others about that,
but I am rather impatient when I have to
spend time on unconstructive talk, says Søren
Nørgaard Thomsen. n
tioned abroad most of the period except
for five years when Søren Nørgaard
Thomsen took a Bachelor of Commerce.
He has been in Chicago, Dubai, China
and Ghana, with increasing managerial
responsibilities.
Returned to Denmark in 2007 for a
job as Chief Operations Officer of
SVITZER.
Ten years for Maersk Oil without accidents
"Esvagt Preventer” has been working another year without
accidents
Ten years for Maersk Oil and 16 years for
ESVAGT – without accidents.
Yes, "Esvagt Preventer” can be very proud
of its safety work. The latest accident onboard
"Esvagt Preventer” took place before we
started making statistics on accidents:
- It is very hard work to stay on top for so
many years, says Steffen Rudbech Nielsen,
HSEQ Manager in ESVAGT:
- A year without accidents is hard work –
16 years without accidents demand much
focus from many of our employees.
The good result from "Esvagt Preventer” is
not less impressive by the fact that the ship
was laid up several times in 2009 which earlier
has resulted in some uncertainty.
- It is well done to be able to keep the level
after having been laid up. It says quite a lot
about the crews and their safety work, says
Steffen Rudbech Nielsen.
n
5
Contract in the Barents Sea shows
ESVAGT’s ambitions
The 10-year contract with ENI Norway on a new special
designed ship confirms ESVAGT’s position among the industry
leaders. Prospects are promising.
A contract containing 10 years of solid work
and an option on another five.
Yes, it was a good occasion when the
chartering department served cake to the
office when the contract with ENI Norway on
standby and preparedness work in the Barents Sea was signed.
- It is the largest single ship contract ever,
which we have entered into, says Ib Hansen,
head of chartering in ESVAGT.
Of course there is always a cause to celebrate when large jobs are entered into. But
the job which ESVAGT’s SX123 ships will be
facing in the Goliath field in the far north of
Norway in mid 2012 contains much more
than that:
- Firstly, it will confirm that ESVAGT is
among the best in the industry. Not just in our
opinion, but also in others. We were in tough
competition with several other companies
including several Norwegian companies - and
we won the contract. It shows that we are
trusted with difficult tasks, says Ib Hansen:
- And then it opens some very interesting
perspectives. We know that many future
projects will take place in similar areas. The
fact that we participate from the start will
give us an advantage in the future, he says.
FACT :
Tough climate
Located in the Barents Sea 85 km northeast of the Norwegian city of Hammerfest, boasting of being the world's northernmost town, the Goliath field is not just
a resort area.
The Barents Sea has a very harsh
climate. It is so far north that there is midnight sun most of the summer and dark
almost all day most of the winter period.
Moreover, cold and humid - in
January there may be icing 16 percent of
the time.
6
Important experience
The work in the Goliath field is so far north between 71st and the 72nd north latitude where working conditions are extreme in
many respects.
Partly, large parts of the year there is
either midnight sun or total darkness. Partly
the circumstances are so that ships are in risk
FACT :
Heated deck
ESVAGT and ENI have started co-operation on operations in a very rough climate. ESVAGT ordered a custom-built
ship of the type Ulstein SX123, a type
which is among the most advanced ones
in terms of equipment for environment
protection and safety, and at the same
time capable of operating in the Barents
Sea. The ship is de-ice classed, which
among other things involves heating elements in the hull and deck, to avoid icing,
and heated room for the FRBs.
The ship is able to undertake 370
survivors and has both an FRB and a
daughter craft, which can operate under
adverse weather conditions in 10 meter
high waves.
There will be a crew of 12, and crew
changes will take place every 28 days.
The ship is built in Bilbao, Spain, at
the Zamakona shipyard.
of icing very fast if the ship is not specially
equipped with de-ice devices, and if you have
no other special protection. And the Arctic
nature is very vulnerable and here the ships’
environmental preparedness has a high
priority:
In other words, both a huge order and a
enormous and challenging task, says Ole
Ditlev Nielsen, COO in ESVAGT:
- There are some very interesting perspectives for us in further development of skills to
work in the area and under these circumstances. We have the opportunity to gain
experience in operating in the Barents Sea both with the tasks, equipment and manpower. The work conditions are extreme, and
there is a lot of developmental work here, says
Ole Ditlev Nielsen:
- Some of the competences that ESVAGT
have today, such as fast launching of FRB and
picking up survivors within a few minutes
really make a difference under these conditions. We expect that there will be an
increased focus on oil exploration in the Arctic.
The experience we get from the Goliath field
will be an advantage for us in future work in
the Arctic.
n
FACT :
Must take care of fragile nature
The Barents Sea is a part of an environmentally highly sensitive area. Therefore,
in addition to the safety tasks of the
standby operations, there is also much
focus on emergency tasks. ESVAGT’s new
SX123-ships have a design and equipment which make it possible to collect
and store up to 1,500 cubic meters of oil.
Moreover, the equipment contains infrared cameras and radar that can detect
hidden spills, and a ROV - a remotely
operated vehicle - so you can inspect
areas below the surface on close range.
NO. 2. 2010. SAFETY & SUPPORT AT SEA
Be careful on the stairs
It is often on the stairs you hurt yourself on ESVAGT ships.
But it is not because of the stairs - it is your behaviour that should
be changed
There is a double handrail, optimal non-slip
pads, perforated steps, backing and a black
and yellow marker stripe on the side.
Stairs on ESVAGT ships are optimized
safety-wise and approved in any way.
Yet it is often here people are injured
when they are injured on an ESVAGT ship.
During the past three years, the stairs have
been mentioned in ESVAGT’s safety statistics
rather often:
October 2008 fall on a ladder, August
2009 fall on the stairway, in March 2010 fall on
stairs, in March 2010 another fall on a staircase and August 2010 fall from a ladder. In
addition to this, several near-misses, where
you either fall without hurting yourself or
have fallen, but have managed to grab the
banister. Common to all these events is that
they happened in fine weather, or even when
the ship was in port.
It's just not good enough:
- The stairs are like taken out of a safety
catalogue, and we've even made them extra
safe by requiring special staircase-suitable
footwear for the crews on board. In my opinion we have done everything we can improve
safety on the stairs, and still people fall off
them, says Steffen Rudbech Nielsen, HSEQ
Manager in ESVAGT.
With coffee and paper
When you have a complete safety optimized
arrangement which people still hurt themselves on, you have to look somewhere else.
Steffen Rudbech Nielsen is convinced that
it is all about behaviour:
- It is of no use that we do everything possible to secure the stairs in every conceivable
way when people think they can climb up
and down with a cup of coffee in one hand
and papers in the other ....
And, sadly, this is how accidents take
place.
HSEQ has analyzed the incidents and accidents that have been in ESVAGT - both on
stairs and in all other areas: Nearly 100 percent of the accidents are caused by employees showing a wrong behaviour, says Steffen
Rudbech Nielsen.
The attitude has to change
For the HSEQ department there is no doubt
that in future the company will continue to
focus on one thing: Changing the behaviour
of our employees:
- We have arranged our work in such a way
that our employees can go to work safely and
get home safely, and we take the responsibility for this. Therefore, it is just so annoying
when it still fails because people have an
inappropriate behaviour and take chances. It
is the only risk factor we cannot immediately
change, says Steffen Rudbech Nielsen.
He stresses that it is human to show inappropriate behaviour, and through time to
change behaviour to the more uncertain:
- We've probably all tried to run an unnecessary risk - driving too fast, go through a red
light, standing on a ladder or something else,
perhaps a little foolish, but nothing happened.
But next time we dare even more. It is very
common and you are not a bad person
because of this, he says:
- But when things go well, a quite natural
thing happens - that you get experienced in
being uncareful. Something like walking on
stairs may then be a potential danger. If you
forget it, you may get hurt.
This is why ESVAGT has focus on
behaviour on board the ships.
- You cannot write a procedure on how to
behave on a staircase. It is absurd. But we can
use many of the rules and guidelines we
already have, figuratively. The rule that you
must never run on a ship, unless there are
really compelling reasons, should be spread
out to all employees in ESVAGT - to hurry
slowly, says Steffen Rudbech Nielsen.
He would also like to stress that the
human barrier 'care' is meant in a positive
way:
- We still have a macho culture where we
find it a little fussy to worry about the
colleague’s laces or that a colleague behaves
badly on the stairs. But it is not. It should be
okay to say to each other that you should be
careful.
n
FACTS:
Safety awareness part of safety meetings
To focus on the optimal behaviour, all
ships are now required to have safety
awareness as an item on all weekly safety
meetings.
HSEQ wants safety awareness to be
an integrated part of the masters’ seminars or have a get-together on the topic,
so good behaviour will become a natural
thing to all of us
7
Olav left fishing for IT
Ólavur Olsen - or just Olav - is head of ESVAGT’s IT department.
Before that, he worked with many different things in the company.
"That is not so hard”
The phrase is often used when someone
has solved a problem and boasts of it. A difficult screw cap with beetroot, programming of
the new hard disk recorder, a successful
lasagna: When people laud the work, they say
just "that is not so hard ..."
52-year old Ólavur Olsen has said "that is
not so hard " all his life.
But he has generally said so to himself
before finding the solution. When there still is
a job, a challenge or problem - and where no
one yet knows the solution and therefore not
really knows how hard it actually can be.
- I usually say "we will find out '. So I have to
live up to it. And usually, it turns out that the
task could be solved, says Ólavur Olsen, who
is currently IT Manager in ESVAGT:
- Normally, I find a solution. And the more
times you say "that is not so hard" - it turns
out not to be so hard anyway – it makes it
easier to take on new tasks.
From trawler to ESVAGT
Ólavur was born on the Faroe Islands - Icelandic mother and Faroese father. When Ólavur
was 1½ years old, the family moved to Esbjerg
where his father was a fisherman, his mother
was a fulltime housewife - and learned Danish
by reading the Katzenjammer Kids - and Ólavur became Olav.
At 15, he was ready to join his father in the
fishing industry, and he went to sea in search
of sandeel and Norway pout and the hope of
earning really good money. But it was not that
easy - the first three weeks he got 600 DKK.
Fishing became better, and Olav had
some good years. Along the way he went to
nautical training school where he became a
fishing skipper of 3rd degree:
When working as a fisherman Olav was
independent, he went bankrupt and to sea
again on the trawler "Betty Børsmose". And
that lead to a job in ESVAGT:
- I think that Ole Anderson was a partner in
"Betty Børsmose" at that time, and when I was
looking for job in ESVAGT, they saw that I had
been on board the trawler. Then they phoned
Thorvald Børsmose about me and I got a job
as mate, says Olav Olsen.
One day he joined "Esvagt Charlie" which
was the first ESVAGT ship with a computer:
- It was a 386 model and I was fascinated
by it. So I played around with it and decided
to know more about it. Then I bought my own
computer, a used 286 model which was worth
70,000 DKK when it came on the market, but
now could be mine for only 1000 DKK, says
Olav Olsen.
Interest was aroused, and soon the office
onshore learned that on board "Esvagt
Charlie" was an employee who could operate
the computer and even had created his own
spreadsheet programme that could be used
for the ship’s accounting:
- I was asked if I could make such a programme on all ships, and I said yes. And then I
had to find out how to do, says Olav Olsen.
Computer tasks increased. Accounting
programmes in the 1990s continued with
course databases and personnel management systems and several other tasks:
- Every time I said 'yes, sure I can' - and so I
had to find a solution. And sometimes I definitely did not know how to do. So I went to
the library to get books about the subject, he
says.
Computers were interesting
Non-specialist knowledge an advantage
In ESVAGT Olav sailed both as mate and ship’s
assistant. The job was originally only as mate,
but as he was a bachelor and used to long
days of fishing, he liked extra trips.
The many computing tasks came together
with the work as a mate and this was not a
good combination.
FACTS:
Ólavur Olsen is divorced and lives together
with his sister in Esbjerg. He has a
16-year-old daughter who also likes the
sea - she has joined a continuation school
with shipping as the main topic.
He spends virtually all spare time on
golf, and it goes well: The first time he
struck a golf ball, he did it as a slap shot
from the ice-hockey game. The ball went
200 m. After a year of golf, he has handicap 14.
He also likes to go to rock concerts.
8
Olav on Breinholtgård Golf Club after a match.
Olav stands to the left.
NO. 2. 2010. SAFETY & SUPPORT AT SEA
Therefore, in 1998 Olav was permanently
employed in the office. First, with IT in the
finance department, then a period of six years
in HR, and since January 2007 as IT Manager.
- I went to school for nine years, then
obtained a fishing skipper 3rd degree and
some courses, says Olav Olsen:
- But I've been sailing. It means I know
what is needed out there. And as a fisherman,
I know when something does not work, one
earns no money - and that's not good. That
mentality has certainly helped me, says Olav
Olsen.
If he should engage an employee in the
IT-department, would he pick out a person
with a similar diverse background?
- Basically, I would probably not go to the
harbour to look for an IT-employee, but you
never know. We need a person with a
non-professional background for the types of
task we have, says Olav Olsen. n
My
– and yours!
ESVAGT is a workplace where many people with different backgrounds and education have their daily lives.
But do we all know what each of us
really work with? And how we got there?
ESVAGT News gives us a possibility of
saying hallo to each other. With the series
of articles “My ESVAGT”, we want to
portray your colleagues – and maybe
you, too!
Project day with partners
On "Esvagt Christina”, our partners got a demonstration of the
work performed by the C-group ships. Mutual knowledge is
important for the collaboration.
Mid June, ESVAGT invited partners from the
shipowners’ association, classification companies and the Danish Maritime Authority to a
project day onboard "Esvagt Christina".
The purpose was to show how a C-type
ship works – and many tasks were demonstrated, says COO Ole Ditlev Nielsen.
- We spent a whole day together going
through all functions and possibilities of the
C-type. An engaged crew showed how to pick
up survivors with the new FRBs developed by
ESVAGT; dacon scoop where we pick up survivors in a net, save-canon which is a canon to
shoot lines to other ships and the pneumatic
line throwing equipment which can do the
same, but on a shorter distance. We showed
every kind of task that the C-type can do, says
Ole Ditlev Nielsen.
Our guests also saw the accommodation,
equipment, bridge including an advanced
plotting system for making search patterns
in an evacuation situation, hospital and
many other things, and they were particularly impressed with the fast picking up of survivors by use of the FRBs:
- It is important to us to show our partners
in detail what we work with. It is easier to
understand each other when we know our
different work areas and daily life, therefore
this was a good opportunity to show our way
of operating, says Ole Ditlev Nielsen.
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9
"Esvagt Christina" in Esbjerg
The last in the series of 10 C-class ships from the ASL Shipyard
was also the far best. "Esvagt Christina" came to Esbjerg and
went on charter in Norwegian sector.
Well done by the ship’s assistants
"Esvagt Christina" went from Singapore to Esbjerg via Cape Town and Las Palmas - ESVAGT
chose to sail south of Africa because of the
pirate threat in the Gulf of Aden - and the trip
took 55 days.
En route the ship was tested, checked,
lubricated and fitted, and in Esbjerg network
computer, satellite, davits, FRBs and daconscoop were installed.
Then the ship went on charter in Norwegian sector to ConocoPhillips, and Kim Wium
felt really good about sending it off:
- The ship’s assistants have done a fantastic
job on the trip home. Everything is greased,
cleaned, cared for and tested. On other ships,
we often experienced that when coming to
Denmark, no hatches could be opened
because of corrosion. But here everything has
been checked. Mess room, workshop,
storeroom and a whole lot else have been
checked. The ship’s assistants have really done
a good job and fixed it perfectly, says Kim
Wium. n
"Esvagt Christina” came to Esbjerg in June –
the last ship delivered to ESVAGT from the ASL
Shipyard in Singapore – and it is a really good
ship:
- "Esvagt Christina” is working perfectly.
Kim Wium has tested the ship on the last
part of the trip from Singapore to Esbjerg.
On the trip to Esbjerg he became very
familiar with the ship and corrected some
defects and shortcomings.
They are always present on a new-building as was the case with "Esvagt Christina” –
FACTS:
With "Esvagt Christina" the building programme of the C-class ships at the ASL
shipyard has been concluded. A total of
10 ships have been delivered from ASL
for ESVAGT, and co-operation between
the two companies went really well.
10
but on "Esvagt Christina” there were not that
many, and ASL should be lauded for their
work:
- On the last trip from Las Palmas to
Esbjerg we did not have a single faulty alarm
apart from the ones we had started ourselves
when testing the system. I have never experienced that before, says Kim Wium
The defects were a.o. that the terminal in
the wheelhouse was turned upside down; the
cold and hot tap in the bathroom was
changed; the plug to the external speaker
was turned upwards so it would be filled with
water after about a minute's work in the
North Sea.
The hospital was finished in Esbjerg
because the location of the cabinet made it
impossible to get the suitcases onto the
shelves:
- Considering the amount of working
hours building the ship, there were really very
few defects. Definitely only minor problems,
says Kim Wium.
Kim Wium resting while "Esvagt Christina"
has ramps for the FRBs fitted in Esbjerg
NO. 2. 2010. SAFETY & SUPPORT AT SEA
New employees
Claes Skov Jensen, 36, and former
ESVAGT employee, was back in Esbjerg
as from 14 June 2010.
Claes is qualified as a marine engineer from Esbjerg and has been sailing
in J. Lauridsen A/S as a trainee, second
engineer, chief engineer and head of
maintenance.
After that Claes had three trips with
"Esvagt Sigma” as chief engineer and
then he went to Norway to work for a
Norwegian shipping company for three
years.
Claes lives on Fanø together with his
wife, Rikke, and their children Markus
(10), Laura (7) and Mads (4). He spends
his time off with his children and on
restoring a house.
Steen Nygaard Madsen, 51, was
employed on 1 August 2010 as a
Project Manager in ESVAGT.
Steen is qualified as a blacksmith
in Esbjerg and has been working in
different shipyards and in the Danish
offshore sector.
In 1989 Steen qualified as a
marine engineer and has been working in Maersk Line as a chief engineer and in A.P. Møller Technical
Organisation as a Fleet Manager
with focus on repair, maintenance,
rebuildings and economy. In 2003/2004
Steen was working in Maersk Line Limited
in Norfolk.
Steen lives in Hjerting close to
Esbjerg with his wife Helle and their two
boys, Nicolai (18) and Mikkel (13). The
spare time is mainly spent on family,
sport and friends.
Birgitte Juul Nielsen, 46, and employed
in ESVAGT on 1 May 2010 as a FPO (Fleet
Personnel Officer).
Birgitte was a bank clerk, but has
spent the last 20 years in the offshore
industry. She started as a receptionist,
was later in purchasing and has spent
the last 16 years with A.P. Møller as personnel responsible for the crews on
drilling rigs.
Birgitte lives in Varde, is married to
Søren and mother of two daughters;
Kamilla (20) and Rikke (16). Birgitte and
her family spend their spare time on jogging and fitness.
Svend Toft, 53, by 14 July 2010
employed in the logistics department.
The first 30 years he spent in Aalborg,
but he has lived in Esbjerg since 1986.
Svend has been working in the
retailing trade for about 30 years.
He is happily married to Bente
through 28 years, has two children - Louise, 27, and Kasper, 22.
He spends his spare time on handball, music and a puppy of 7 months.
Svend is a volunteer in “Natteravnene” (a non-profit organisation looking after young people going to pubs
and night clubs).
Jesper Sjørvad, 47, was employed in
ESVAGT on 1 June 2010 as a Marine
Superintendent.
Jesper is qualified as a ship’s officer
and has been working with the shipping
company Mortensen & Lange, the ferry
companies Mols Linien and Scandlines.
Since 2003 he had been teaching at
Falck Nutec in Esbjerg. The last three
years he has primarily been working
with emergency management.
Jesper lives in Tjæreborg with his wife Lonnie and their children,
Anna (11) and Johs (10).
In his spare time he
likes to drive his motor
bike and play bass. He
also likes jogging, biking
and is sometimes
reminded that house
and garden need to be
handled as well.
11
NO. 2. 2010. SAFETY & SUPPORT AT SEA
River Rafting in Esbjerg Harbour
For one day ESVAGT extended the fleet with water cycles at the
Lions Club sports festival in the harbour.
On 21 August 2010 ESVAGT went to sea in a
somewhat different vessel that what we
usually do.
In connection with the Lions Club
arrangement ’Esbjerg Rafting Cup’, ESVAGT
should compete in relay race on water cycles
against teams from Café Cozmo, Port of
Esbjerg, RB Regnskabsbureauet (an accounting company) and - a local game - SVITZER.
About 50 ESVAGT employees had a fun
day either as participants or audience.
n
ESVAGT-NEWS PUBLISHED BY:
ESVAGT A/S
Adgangsvejen 1
DK-6700 Esbjerg
Tlf.: +45 33 98 77 00
Fax: +45 33 98 77 05
E-mail: mail@esvagt.dk
Website: www.esvagt.dk
12
EDITOR:
Anette Sørensen
LAYOUT:
Webservice
TEXT:
Sune Falther
PRINT:
Tarm Bogtryk A/S