Last month I at last found myself enjoying a few in-person meetings with industry peers, including Baltic members and some non-members alike. Exciting as it was sitting outside wrapped up like crewmen on an ice-class vessel, we all spoke of the same issue of remote working and how in shipping offices, where human interaction is essential, it has been as frustrating to develop ideas. The most notable conversation was how we all need to re-engage our apprentice staff members and make sure their learning is not drastically interrupted. 

I was also very pleased to be shown around one of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution stations on the busy River Thames and learn how the RNLI have managed to stay current in training while bringing younger volunteers into the team. It is impressive to say the least that they have kept a full complement on standby at all times at all their manning stations with the daily safety and equipment checks ready to launch in case of an emergency. And, yes, there have been as many ‘shouts’ as ever varying from people falling in, capsized recreational boats, collisions and fires at riverside depots, stranded persons on rising tides, even disorientated sea-life. Thanks to their teamwork, lives have been saved, damage has been limited, humiliating circumstances have been avoided and sea-life returned to the wild (sadly not all with happy outcomes). I heard stories from members of the team and I was impressed with the knowledge of the younger members, trained not only by the RNLI but the practical experience passed on by the elders while they await a shout in the middle of the night in the crew room; they couldn’t emphasise how much this downtime mattered to them. 

If we can each spend time with our younger team members, in whatever maritime environment we are, it will be invaluable, and the industry will be richer for it.

* PIC – on board RNLI ‘E-Class’ based at Chiswick