MONDAY

AFTER THE HOUR LONG MORNING drive to the city I make a quick stop for coffee and head into Northern Marine head office in Clydebank, Glasgow. It is a routine Monday beginning with an early morning conference call with our team in Mumbai. We discuss the fleet training agenda for the week, and recap on our position with the training programmes for the crews aboard the newbuild tanker vessels, as well as compliance reports for STCW implementation in 2017. I spent last week in Gothenburg on the Stena GROW Programme, which we also discuss. Following the call I leave to visit the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh to prepare my visa for an up-coming Cadet Seminar in St Petersburg.

TUESDAY

MOST OF MY DAY IS SPENT finalising the details of a special programme we have been working on. For the past 6 months our Training and Recruitment teams have been working on a project to initiate a trainee ratings programme for Stena Line operations in the Irish Sea. After many meetings with maritime colleges and trips to London to meet with the Merchant Navy Training Board, we are now ready to submit a Training Programme which will be opened up to local communities that the Stena Line fleet serves. Before leaving the office for home I briefly meet with the Operations team in Northern Marine Ferries to discuss fleet developments and future training requirements. It’s an early start tomorrow, so I take the evening to relax. For me, this is a brief walk with my dogs.

WEDNESDAY

IT IS A 4.00 AM START to be at Glasgow Airport for the first leg of my journey to St Petersburg. I use the quiet time during the flight to prepare final notes and make small adjustments to my presentation for the Cadet Seminar tomorrow.

THURSDAY

WE MAKE OUR WAY TO Makarov University to meet with the latest intake of Stena cadets. In less than one month they will join our vessels to begin their sea-going training. This is our opportunity to induct the cadets to Stena. We discuss the company, their careers and the White Book. This is a particular highlight of my role-meeting the cadets, discussing their future, sharing experiences I have had and trying to prepare the trainees for what lies ahead for them. One of the university’s recently-graduated cadets who is joining our fleet as a deck officer gives a presentation on his time with the company so far and the future that lies ahead for him. We finish the event with a meal and an informal Q&A session before joining senior staff from the University for an evening meal to discuss the developments within the University.

FRIDAY

THE END OF ANOTHER BUSY WEEK approaches. I travel to London from Russia to meet with the UK Chamber of Shipping and the Merchant Navy Training Board to discuss training matters which are developing in the industry at legislative and best practice levels. Here, we have an opportunity to feed into the legislation and ensure that the voice of our sec-tors in the industry are heard. Following the meetings, I head back home to the south-west cost of Scotland. The weekend forecast looks good, so I am planning to head to the North of Scotland to attempt another of our famous Munro mountains.