We are glad to share an interview with Surajit Chanda, VP, Technical (In-House Fleet) and Mikkel Boesen, VP Technical (Technically Outsourced Fleet) to hear about their experiences working at Hafnia and the transition from working at sea to working on shore.
At Sea (Before):
- What was lifelike at sea
Surajit Chanda: I joined my first vessel in January 1986 as a 5th Engineer. Back then there were almost no procedures, job descriptions or guidelines, all junior staff had to learn the hard way. If you were lucky, and you had good seniors, learning and development was possible. But most often, you would have seniors who would bully and scold you and expect you to find your way yourself. When I got to the senior ranks, I made it a point to mentor and train junior staff, just like the good seniors that had shaped my initial years at sea. In general life was peaceful, there was hardly any communication with the office due to high costs, no emails, only telex and fax. We were expected to sort out all our problems onboard, using our own common sense and experience.
Mikkel Boesen: I started my career at sea in August 1991 as a cadet. At the time, it felt like such an exciting opportunity, even though shipping wasn’t something I had always imagined myself doing. In fact, I grew up on a farm -but when the chance came to join a tanker – an LR1 – with one of the larger tanker shipping companies, I grabbed it!
My first vessel had a fully Danish crew, which was fun but also very different from what you see on ships today. Back then, there were roles you don’t really find anymore, like stewardesses who would serve meals and clean cabins – similar in some ways to the messmen we have today.
- What were some of your best experiences?
Surajit Chanda: The most memorable experience I had was on the World Phoenix, a VLCC in 1998, as 2nd Engineer. We had a bottom end and crosshead bearing failure on main engine unit 4 at sea. Investigations revealed that a nut or bolt had been left inside the piston during the last overhaul, this piece was banging around in the piston oil cooling space until it became small enough to pass through the oil channels and wipe out all the bearings. It took us 2.5 days to remove the 5.5 ton connecting rod from the engine crankcase, lock the crosshead and piston, cut off the unit and finally start the engine on 5 units. We finally reached Singapore on our own power, MAN told us that they had seen 3 similar failures in the past, but we were the only ship that didn’t use a salvage tug. It was a great feeling, nothing felt impossible anymore.
Mikkel Boesen: The whole experience as a cadet was incredible. On my very first voyage I joined a naphtha trader that carried cargo from the Persian Gulf to Japan. The voyage lasted 46 days, and at one point the vessel made a detour to Copenhagen. That meant I got to spend Christmas in Denmark and my father got to come onboard, which was a rare and special moment to have a parent see me working on a big tanker.
During my cadetship, I sailed on four different vessels over a span of 21 months: a bulk carrier, a multipurpose liner that ran from the U.S. East Coast to West Africa, and two tankers. Each ship was different, and that variety shaped me early on.
After graduating in 1996, I joined the same company as a third engineer. From then on, I worked across multipurpose vessels, bulk carriers, and predominantly tankers. I considered myself fortunate never to sail twice on the same ship as it meant constantly meeting new people, being exposed to different working cultures, and learning to adapt quickly.
Transition from ‘Sea’ to ‘Onshore’:
- How did you transition from working at sea to working on shore?
Surajit Chanda: I believe I had made a good name for myself during onboard audits and with the technical staff in the office. There was a major management change in the office in 2001, around 9 shore staff were let go and there were a few of us who had been handpicked from the sea staff to join. I was the first Indian sea staff to join the technical team in the office, back then there were only British, Hong Kong Chinese, Koreans and Singaporeans. I recall being involved in multiple work groups and projects with Andreas, he too had then just joined the office a year back and was learning the shipping trade.
Mikkel Boesen: My final time at sea was in 2012, but the transition really began earlier. In 2007, I took a role onshore as an independent surveyor and superintendent for about two and a half years before returning to sea again.
In 2012, I came ashore permanently. The office reached out and asked me to apply for a position as an assistant superintendent in Copenhagen. Honestly, I was relieved, because at that point I was ready to leave life at sea. I had been sailing as a second engineer for quite a while, and promotion felt uncertain where at the time you never really knew how close or far you were from moving up.
After 17 years at sea, the decision was more about professional growth. Coming ashore gave me the chance to build on my seagoing experience while finally moving into a role where I could develop further.
- Was it always your ambition to build a career on shore?
Surajit Chanda: I did have plans to quit sea after doing a year as Chief Engineer, my intention was to join my father’s business. He ran a company called Mid Sea Marine, which specialized in mechanical, piping, electrical and weaponry system installations for Naval and Coast Guard vessel ship buildings at various shipyards in India. After I got seconded to the office, I decided to get this international exposure for 2 years and then join Dad’s business. Over time I started loving my job and the life in Singapore, solving problems and supporting ship staff is quite addicting.
Mikkel Boesen: No, it was not always my ambition to build a career on shore. At the time – I was focused on doing well at sea. That said, I don’t think I would have stayed in tankers forever if there hadn’t been good growth opportunities. For me, the decision to move ashore came more from professional reasons related to personal growth.
On shore (now):
- How have your experiences at sea been useful in your current onshore role?
Surajit Chanda: Yes definitely, having sailed for 16 years, 6 years with the same company meant that you knew the vessels, engine, machinery, culture, processes and more importantly the colleagues at sea. Life at sea is a distant memory now, spending 24 years in the office means what I have lost in technical knowledge, I have gained in management skills. Even so, sailing experience helps you understand the hardships sea staff face, frequent bad weather, multiple inspections, critical cargo operations, new technology and a multitude of regulations to comply with. I have immense respect for ship crew, they are our frontline staff, and we must support them the best we can.
Mikkel Boesen: I probably couldn’t do this job without it. I have always believed that you need to see enough of life at sea before making the transition. That’s why I often tell colleagues who are still sailing to have ambition, but also to make sure they truly master their rank before moving ashore. There are always exceptions, of course, but in general, you need to understand the backstory of how things work on board if you want to make sound decisions ashore. It also gives you a clearer long-term vision. I was promoted to senior officer fairly early, and while I valued that responsibility, I sometimes wish I had more time to enjoy the role before moving up.
I joined Hafnia in 2015 and what drew me in was the chance to be part of building something new. At the time, we were bringing in external ship managers – three of them initially – and taking newbuilds into operation. I was coming from a very large organization, but Hafnia back then was a lean team, where big decisions could be made quickly and where we had the freedom to shape our own roles. After five months in Copenhagen, I was transferred to the Hafnia office in Malta where many of our newbuilds were flagged – where I was essentially working on my own, representing about 25% of the operational technical department. In 2018, I moved to Singapore, and then in 2023, I returned back to Copenhagen.
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