Henrik Bisbo is a Master Mariner with a very long background in shipping spanning close to 40 years. Almost 20 years at sea have been followed by 20 years in shore-based positions in Asia, West Africa and Europe working with container operation, training & education and crew management in companies like A.P. Moller-Maersk, Marstal Navigationsskole & Thome Ship Management. Henrik is based in Singapore where he has lived with his family during several periods since 1995.
In February 2014 he took up a position as Head of Tanker Crewing Operations for Thome Ship Management in overall charge of the safe manning of approximately 150 tankers of all types. This past November he became General Manager Crewing Operations, Safety & Training for The China Navigation Company.
Leah Kinthaert: Do you feel there is enough on offer in terms of career progression for the industry to appeal to potential seafarers?
Henrik Bisbo: Yes. Any seafarer today with good qualifications and the right level of ambition will have opportunities both at sea and ashore. Personally, since coming ashore 20 years ago, I have worked for a very large shipping company, a maritime training academy and I’m now a ship manager. Everywhere I have worked I’ve seen ex-seafarers filling in positions on almost all levels from office assistants to directors. What is perhaps lacking is communication of these career prospects to young, potential seafarers, convincing them that they are not necessarily stuck at sea for life.
LK: What qualities do think are the most important in crew members?
HB: Interpersonal skills, openness, a positive attitude, curiosity, a wish to grow and then, of course, the proper professional qualifications.
LK: How do you see the industry changing in terms of attaining and retaining crew in the future?
HB: It’s flogging a dead horse, but the industry needs to realise that young people are accustomed to a certain lifestyle including internet connections, frequent interaction with family and friends and equally frequent changing of jobs/careers. It is necessary to sell a career in shipping using all the modern tools of social media, etc. and then keep it up. Because the turnover rate of staff, both at sea and ashore, is bound to go up. Retention rates will surely suffer, but if shipping really wants to attract the best, shipping will have to adapt to the times in which we are living. It is still, to a large extent, an old boys’ industry.
LK: How is the way in which crews are trained changing?
HB: There is increasing focus on the “soft skills” or people skills and with good reason. The reasons for the need for this focus are the multi-cultural environments on board and ashore – this is not new, but the challenges are increasingly appreciated, and it all starts with the ability to “handle” other people. The new generation, not least the European segment, does not tolerate the older, more authoritative way of managing. They are used to what is known as a “negotiation culture”. In other words, things and situations are negotiable (to a certain extent of course – you don’t negotiate if the ship is sinking!) and they need to be convinced by arguments and actions, not by a title. It’s also a “show, don’t tell” approach – i.e. show through your actions that you are capable, and then they’ll respect you. “Soft skills” is a huge subject, but these are a few of my takes.
LK: What improvements do you feel need to be made with ways in which to train crew?
HB: Apart from training in people skills, it is imperative that the basic training is not neglected. We are seeing too many deck officers who are not sufficiently familiar with the Rules of the Road and engineers who lack basic technical skills and knowledge. I do not believe that we can go further in the direction of e-learning and distance learning. We still need the majority of the training to be instructor lead, engaging the students/participants and involving a lot of hands-on training.
