Chapter 1 – Emergency Relief

Chapter 1 – Emergency Relief

“There she is. Have a safe trip”, says the driver, stopping as close as possible to the MV Hedmark, a crude  oil tanker. The vessel, owned and managed by Nor Tankers, a Norwegian company based in Oslo, will leave New Orleans for a seven-day trip to Houston, Texas, in a couple of hours. Lukasz Lewinski steps out of the car. It has been a long trip from his house in Gdynia, Poland, to the Gulf of Mexico. He thanks the driver, grabs his valise, and moves over to the gangway. A tall man in hismid-twenties shakes his hand. “She’s in very good shape. There shouldn‘t be any problems whatsoever. Oh, by the way, I’m Ivan. Welcome aboard! The old man expects you in 30 minutes.”

Business as usual aboard ships: Ivan Makarov, the Hedmark’s 2nd engineer, is relieved by Lukasz. However, this time it is an exceptional case: Ivan has to fly home to St. Petersburg, Russia, on compassionate grounds and will be back in eight days.

A couple of days ago in Oslo: Nor Tankers crew operator Eifrid Gunnarsson, 25, opens HansaCrew’s manning state feature to find a solution. Then she has a conversation with her Senior Crew Operator Gisela Bratseth: “Gisela, I think we have to fly somebody in. Look, Claas Jensen, the 3rd engineer, does not yet hold a 2nd engineer license. But I’ve found a 2nd engineer who could be the one.” Gisela walks over to Eifrid‘s desk and takes a look at Eifrid’s screen. “I guess you’re right. Let’s see: pushing thirty, already has a chief license, lots of experience … go ahead, Mr. Lewinski is the right man.”

Of course, the exchange is associated with a lot of administrative work. As a crew operator, Eifrid is always busy booking flights and accommodation for a number of crew members of various ships. She is also checking occupational and other certificates, passport information, and much more. In former times, gathering all the information needed, passing it on, and making the right decisions and arrangements used to be a complex process requiring a lot of manpower. Today, HansaCrew provides comprehensive information at a glance and, thus, saves time and workforce.

As for Lukasz, Eifrid uses HansaCrew to first check Lukasz’ availbility, then to make sure that Lukasz meets both ship and OCIMF requirements, and finally, to verify that he holds a valid US C1/D visa and a passport valid for at least another six months to allow him to enter and leave the ship in US ports. After opening a scan of Lukasz’ health certificate in HansaCrew, Eifrid has also prompted him to update the document in advance of his trip as it will be required for his subsequent assignment.

Aboard the Hedmark: Lukasz has dropped his valise and proceeds to see Thomas Kowalski, the captain, and Chief Engineer Yevgni Petrov for his briefing. “As you may know, there will be an audit at the end of this trip. But I guess you’ve been through this before.” says Captain Kowalski, a seasoned sea dog in his early fifties. “Good thing you’re already holding a chief engineer license.” adds Petrov. “I understand that you’re moving on to RTFlex training right after this trip?” Lukasz answers: “That’s right. I’ll be going to Oslo for the training before my first service as a chief.”

Once again, a number of organizational tasks need to be performed in advance. At Nor Tankers’ headquarters, Eifrid has already booked Lukasz’ training, flights, and accommodation. Now, one task is left: preparing the briefing for Lukasz’next assignment. But first things first: the Hedmark sets sail for Houston.