The Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica: the passengers – almost 2,700 of them – on board the cruise ship Rotterdam have chosen a tropical itinerary. They enjoy all manner of luxuries and entertainment on board the Holland America Line’s vessel. A large crew is on hand to ensure that their stay on board is taken care of, right down to the last detail. The technical staff alone numbers 90 men and women. Colin de Jong (23) is one of them. He is a third engineer and has just joined Holland America Line. “I’ve only just graduated; this is my first voyage. Although this isn’t my first time on the Rotterdam; I already did an internship aboard her.” Stefan Dullaert (52) is the chief engineer; he heads the technical department to which Colin belongs. He too started at the bottom of the ladder, but he now has 30 years’ experience working on board cruise ships. “Since I started, there’s a lot that’s changed, for example as regards regulations. And vessels have also become much more complex.” The ‘vital organs’ of the vessel As a third engineer, Colin is currently on the morning watch, together with the first engineer. “While I’m on watch, I spend part of my time in the engine room and part in the control room.” In the engine room, he keeps an eye on the ‘vital organs’ of the vessel. “Are there any leaks? Are the pressure and temperature correct? I also check what’s necessary in terms of maintenance.’ In the control room, he keeps an eye on the situation from a bank of computer screens. ‘You’re always thinking in terms of cause and effect: I establish something, but why is it like that? It’s a kind of puzzle.” Stefan maintains an overview and isn’t as busy. At least… if everything is running smoothly from a technical point of view. “But I don’t get bored, mind you. Meetings with the heads of other departments, a lot of paperwork, and keeping an eye on orders and budgets. I get loads of e-mails and there’s always a project on the go.” With your hands Stefan began learning the trade from a young age. “My father was a chief engineer on Holland America Line ships. As a boy, I was mad about ships and was sometimes allowed to go along on a voyage. I loved it, and I realised just how exciting my father’s work was. So I soon realised that I wanted to go to maritime college too.” Stefan attended the Willem Barentsz Maritime Institute on Terschelling. Colin also studied there, although the programme is now organised differently. Stefan: “In my day, the programme was fully integrated, so you learnt both the technical side and the officer side. In the end, I opted for the technical side.” Colin did so too, although he’d already specialised during his training. “For the first 2 years, you study both the technical and officer sides, but then you have to choose. I like working with my hands, so work in the engine room appealed to me the most.” There’s a lot you need to know The technical work on board is very extensive: power management, energy generation and recovery, the waste water system, the watermakers, automation, air conditioning, the refrigeration and freezing system, and the upcoming switch to LNG. Engineers need to understand all these systems. Stefan: “When you first start out as an engineer, there’s a lot you need to learn, and it’s a huge challenge. You gain unique know-how and experience compared to in a shore-based job, where all those systems are separate areas of work. Here, we expect engineers to know everything.” Colin: “You never know what’s in store for you. But because you’ve built up know-how about a particular system, that doesn’t really matter. You know how it’s supposed to work, so if it doesn’t work, you know how to find out why not. Actually, you’re doing jigsaw puzzles all day long.” Stefan: “It’s not much fun at first, because you’ve no idea where to start, but as you gain more experience, it becomes more and more enjoyable.” Colin: “You then realise that it’s better to start by finding the edges of the jigsaw puzzle.” A single team Colin thinks it’s important for his work that his immediate superior gives him clear guidance. “If I know in advance what’s expected of me, I can often sort out the problem myself. I’m pretty resourceful, and if I don’t know something, I know who to ask.’ Stefan: “I think it’s important that we work as a team. If there’s a problem, then let me know, no matter how young or old you are, and even if you’ve made a mistake. And of course I’m always receptive to good ideas.” Colin: “On board, it feels to me like “a single team with a single mission”. The others also started out as third engineers. I never hear anyone say, “Well, you ought to know that”.” All the data Colin learns a lot from his superiors, and despite all his experience, Stefan learns from the juniors too. “They often surprise me with the way they tackle things. Besides actually being at sea, I’m currently working on an automation project. When I look at how they work with it, I notice that they use trends and separate screens for everything. They look at all the data they have available, whereas those of us who’ve been at sea for a long time may not be able to make full use of that data. So I’m still learning.” ←