TradeWinds talks to two 2016 MaritimeONE scholars in Singapore who have entered the shipping workforce. They share their experiences and reveal whether the expectations they had at the outset have been met.
Lynn Quek
Quek had no knowledge of shipping until she found out about it through an industry outreach in her final school years.
“I looked into it and discovered Singapore was a port city and shipping was one of its strong suites, and decided to give it a shot,” she explained.
Quek signed up for the maritime studies programme at Nanyang Technological University, which she described as covering a broad spectrum, but very generic.
It was an internship at Berge Bulk that really solidified her enthusiasm for shipping: “I went on board a Berge Bulk vessel and that really sparked my interest.”
It was relatively easy to get a job after graduating in 2018. Within a month, she joined Lomar Shipping, where she works today as a fleet operations officer handling the company’s containerships.
Lomar, she said, provides opportunities for employees to enhance their careers. Shortly after joining the company, she was sent to the UK headquarters for a one-week attachment, something she found worthwhile.
“That allowed me to speak to the senior management and gain knowledge,” she added.
“Now I really want to sail on a ship for just one voyage, to do the dirty work, do what the crew are doing. I believe doing the work hands-on really helps me understand what is going on.”
Quek sees a good career path ahead of her in shipping and would eventually like to move into the commercial/chartering side. “That is the direction I would really like to explore.”
Aloysius Tay
Tay knew he wanted a career in shipping from an early age.
“My dad used to be a sailor and I always listened to his stories about travelling to other countries and seeing different things,” he recalled.
“Singapore prospers in shipping, and as I am a techy kind of guy, I decided to take up marine engineering.”
He joined a programme run by the UK’s Newcastle University in conjunction with the Singapore Institute of Technology.
Although Tay initially looked at being a ship’s engineer, a desire to stay close to his family saw him opt for the shipyard route.
Through his MaritimeONE scholarship he was linked up with shipyard giant Sembcorp Marine, which hired him immediately after graduation.
Three years later, he works there as a commissioning engineer under the project management department: “I commission all the machinery and make sure it is working fine in respect to other equipment on board.”
Tay said the marine engineering field is getting even more exciting as the industry moves towards cleaner fuels, such as LNG, renewables and batteries.
“It is very dynamic, always changing and keeping up with the times. Before, it was always about getting trade moving faster. Now, it is about doing it in a cleaner way.”
Tay is now involved in the planning phase of a dual-fuel bunker tanker newbuilding.
“It is something new that we’ve never done. There is always something new to learn.”
