Norwegian shipper puts up permanent home in RP

Norway ’s tanker fleet operator, Odfjell, tried out Filipino seafarers 23 years ago using local ship manning companies until it decided to put up its own manning agency in the country, the Odfjell Philippines Inc.

From less than 30 Filipino sailors back then, Norway ’s Odfjell S.E. now depends on Filipinos seafarers to crew 51 of close to 100 tankers crossing the globe regularly.

And just to show how determined the Norwegian fleet is about in keeping a lasting relationship with Filipino seamen, it forged a training partnership with Wartstila Land and Sea Academy to establish the Odfjell Academy in Subic Freeport to improve the skills training and development of its seamen.

In 2005 it partnered with J.B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University in Bacolod , Negros Occidental to establish a cadetship program, which finances the education and training of over 100 cadets in the Bacolod campus, 25 of them on 1-year onboard training.

Last September 8, Odfjell Philippines Inc inaugurated its nine-story state of the art building along Leon Guinto St. in Manila, which includes a comfortable lounge and kiddie center, to make the families of sailors comfortable waiting for their departure.

The Norwegian-based officials who flew in for the building inauguration were: Jan Arthur Hammer, president/COO of Odfjell Tankers AS of Bergen , Norway ; Helge Olsen, SVP and head of Ship Management, Odfjell S.E. and Kjell Arne Johansen, owner’s representative in Odfjell Philippines Inc. Instead of the ribbon cutting, Manila Deputy Mayor Jose Silva and Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines Stale Torstein Risa jointly unlocked the padlock linking the symbolic ship’s chain for the building’s opening.

Now, Odfjell Philippines has 2,000 crew members working on board the fleet and in various positions in the shore organization.

“Having a new office to house crew operations is certainly a good start for the young and established company,” proudly stated Lourdes Halog, president/CEO of Odfjell Philippines .

She disclosed that Odfjell Philippines has tied up with a local developer in constructing a “condotel near the new office to provide comfortable accommodations for signing on/off seafarers and those visiting the office for various reasons.”

Halog said Odfjell Philippines will continue to exclusively deploy Filipinos to work alongside northwestern European seafarers on its vessels. “The company will ensure competitive salaries, benefit packages and excellent career opportunities for its seafarers for them to securely plan ahead for themselves and their families,” Halog said.

“We like the Filipino seamen because they are dedicated, hardworking and they are diligent with their work. They are open to suggestions,” Hammer said.