Oslo’s Torvald Klaveness group is looking worldwide for engineering students to put on board its vessels this summer.
Stock-listed Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) and its privately owned affiliate Klaveness Ship Management (KSM) are offering the paid shoreside and at-sea post this summer for master’s degree students in maritime subjects, or recent graduates in relevant engineering programmes.
The purpose of the training programme is to give potential staff hands-on knowledge of the Klaveness fleet, with a special focus on vessel decarbonisation projects.
Klaveness’ internship programme has traditionally targeted Norway’s top engineering school, the Trondheim-based Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU), but now Klaveness is looking beyond Norway’s borders. The applicant need not speak Norwegian, KSM managing director Geir Frode Abelsen and KCC chief executive Engebret Dahm told TradeWinds.
There are no guarantees of a permanent offer, but the programme has fed several graduates into the organisation in the past.
Abelsen told TradeWinds the focus is likely to be on decarbonisation projects that students begin to develop during the shipborne stage.
“Normally the job would start with a week at the head office to be introduced to both KSM on the technical side and KCC on the commercial side, followed by five to seven weeks on one of our ships,” he said. “Possibly the candidate will write their master’s thesis for us.”
Traditionally, the company has looked to NTNU, which was Abelsen’s alma mater when it was called the Norwegian Institute of Technology.
“To my knowledge, we have always taken Norwegian speakers before, but now we are opening this to any English speaker,” he said.
Norwegian applicants will normally be able to find housing for themselves during the onshore period in Oslo, but different arrangements could be made for those coming from further afield.
“For example, the candidate might spend his shoreside period in our Singapore office before catching one of our ships for a voyage from Singapore,” Abelsen said.
Programme veteran
The Klaveness website asks candidates for a video application and latest grades by 12 March.
KSM operates 16 KCC specialised panamax-size combination carriers but also offers third-party management and supervision.
One recent veteran of the programme, Jean Sissener, told TradeWinds he sailed on the 72,562-dwt combination carrier Bangor (built 2002) in 2018 and uses the information in his daily work as a project developer in Oslo.
“I followed a programme of work made by KSM, staying with different parts of the engine and deck crew at various tasks, and on the bridge, and was given detailed introductions to the different systems,” said Sissener.
“It is very useful in your daily work to have been on board and to know the vessel you are going to be working with.”
