Author Topic: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians  (Read 24774 times)

Offline Kelvin Davies

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #30 on: February 16, 2010, 08:27:14 AM »
Well said!
I have lived and worked with many nationalities over the years and the Filipinos were great with their "can do" attitude. If there was a problem, they would find a way around it while my fellow Europeans would sit and moan about having to wait for spares etc.
As a result of working with these guys for some years and being married to one for 14 years (past tense!), I was fairly competent with Tagalog.
One night, when leaving Hull on the ferry to Rotterdam, I was chatting to a couple of the crew as the ferry manoeuvred through the locks. The crew were using bow thrusters, presumably to keep the ship properly aligned, responding to instructions from the pilot. Their boss (Greek) came out of the warmth and was shouting instructions at them, totally unnecessary as the crew were responding to the pilot. The crew were just grinning and making remarks in Tagalog which only they and I understood. The Greek was saying to me things like he has to keep on their backs otherwise the ship would never run.
They were saying to me things like he thinks he runs us but we just do our own thing and everything runs smoothly.
It was really quite funny.
It was a freezing cold night but they didn't stop smiling and cracking jokes the whole time.
The real tragedy is that employers pay these people less than their western counterparts.
Why? If it is worth paying a European officer x thousand dollars to do a job, then it must be worth paying an Asian officer the same amount to do the same job with the same level of competency.

Offline Morten

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #31 on: February 16, 2010, 10:39:17 AM »
I'm not going to get into this discussion again, however, I'd like to follow up on this story.

The danish labor organisations have released numbers today about the officers who will be leaving the company. The total number comes to 140 officers, however, the interesting thing here is that the tactic backlashed quite badly. The idea was to get rid of 170 danish junior officers, however, they have ended up loosing 90 senior officers, and only 50 junior officers.
And the large number of senior officers asking to stop, isn't somthing the company has asked for, they didn't have any other choice. Of the nearly 400 who was offered the package, only 153 took the offer and 140 got it (the company apparently has plans for the remaining 13).

So, will be interesting to see what this will lead to!

Offline Captain Ted

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #32 on: February 28, 2010, 08:58:45 PM »
As all big companies once they managed the company to the verge of bancruptcy they doing things which in the long run are not good. The joke is in shipping, always the SAILOR is blamed for high cost , in this 800 danish officers, not the very same managers which flying in lear jets around the world like drunken sailors and ordereing ships like total drunken sailors with no common sense whatsowever. One port Captain of Maersk in any foreigen country with free House/car/flying home regularly is more expensive then the half crew of the ship. Most probaly also Maersk has 5000 employee,s ashore but the 800 SAILORS are the guilty ones.
Once greed takes over, the down fall follows ,as can be seen in todays shipping buisiness, HAPAG LLOYD is prime example, total mismanagment
but now living off government subsidies, Let THEM go bancrupt and the rest will survive easy, incl another few german container lines who went nuts the last decade !!!!!!
NOW!!!,,,if we could get rid of the sailors,,how safe shipping would be !!!!!!!!

Offline Per Steinar

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #33 on: June 25, 2010, 08:56:05 AM »
Hello

Offline Per Steinar

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #34 on: June 25, 2010, 08:58:37 AM »
Hello there.
I have some queston, and hope some good answer.

I find on net some price for what a crew earn, from Captain - officer and seaman, but i can

Offline Michael van der Meer

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #35 on: June 26, 2010, 08:53:58 AM »
I see a heavy discussion with a lot of opinions regarding to this subject.

I am working at Maersk Line in Rotterdam, in charge for the Asia-Europe schedules while in Europe, having frequent contact with the masters, officers and chief engineers, so I can comment on the difference between Asian or European crew.

I must say that there is almost no difference in quality. You obviously see a difference between a Danish or Dutch master who has been in the company (Maersk / P&O Nedlloyd) for a very long time with a lot of experience in the company, while a Asian master who perhaps just have been in the company for 1-2 years. But, this has nothing to do with the capability of managing a ship.

As everywhere in the world, you have high and low 'quality' employees, also on board, but this has absolutely nothing to do with the nationality.

Also would like to comment to the earlier post of CaptainTed, that the 800 sailors at Maersk are the victim of the crisis, well, as a Maersk office employee I can say that Maersk also cut a lot in the offices around the world during the last year!

To conclude, we, in the Western world, are just having bad luck our living standard at this side of the globe is more expensive compared to Asia or Eastern Europe.....remember the move of the shipbuilding industry: Netherlands was the shipbuilding country long time ago...they lost business to the 'cheap' Japanese...Japanese losing business to the Koreans, the Koreans are losing it right now to the Chinese and East Europeans....

Perhaps some day the circle will close and we will build ships again  :-D
Michael van der Meer

All posts, views, comments etc., are my own.

Offline Gerrit1973

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #36 on: July 01, 2010, 04:43:03 PM »
As long as vessels arrive in RTM and terminal-planners need to explain Loadstar to the Chief, 1st, 2nd and 3rd officer of a PS-class vessel, or have to ASK them to check lashing, torsion, bending, etc... I respectfully disagree with the statement above...  :-?
My imaginary friend thinks you have serious mental problems...

Offline Morten

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Re: Maersk to replace danish officers by asians
« Reply #37 on: July 01, 2010, 09:19:34 PM »
That's the post I didn't want to write! Had written a similar post, but since people reacted so strongly on my last post on the subject, I thought - why bother?! I have worked with an Indian officer who was prepared to admit dangerous goods onto the vessel without the proper paperwork (or placarding) because "we were only going to have it on board for a few days". And we weren't talking cotton or charcoal or something benine like that, but about organic peroxides. I do not want to work on a vessel with people like that!

People will believe what they want, but my personal experience from m

 

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