It is Tom's second internship and he is about halfway through now. The time spent on the bridge has almost been completed and soon he will 'move' to the engine room. “The technical work, that's where my heart lies. That is why I wanted to do an internship on an Anthony Veder gas tanker. We have a great deal of technology on board, both in the engine room and on deck. And there is a lot involved for the officers when loading and unloading. So there’s plenty to do.”

Ethylene Tom sails on the Coral Parensis. This vessel transports ethylene, which is used in greenhouses to speed up the growth process of fruit and vegetables. It is also an important raw material for plastic. The tanks of the Coral Parensis can hold 7,500 m3 ethylene. In liquid form, that is; as a gas it would take up 482 times more space. Ethylene liquefies at the right combination of pressure and temperature and in our case is transported at temperatures of -100 to -103 degrees Celsius, so it’s important to cool it on board and keep it cold.

Strictly prohibited Safety is an important issue on board, if not the most important. “Ethylene is a liquefied gas and because of a possible explosion hazard, likely ignition sources such as mobile phones and open batteries are prohibited on deck. Only approved equipment is allowed. We communicate by radio, for example.” Swerving Tom feels completely in his element on board. “On the bridge I assist the second officer. Or rather: I do the watch and the helmsman keeps an eye on things. It is incredibly instructive. I studied for four years, and now I can finally put all that knowledge into practice. It's like driving lessons: you learn by doing it. At sea, it is very important to keep a safe distance from other ships. When I see a ship coming, I have thirty minutes to make a decision. I know from my internship that if I decide to swerve immediately, it is very safe, but we also get very far off course. So the trick is to swerve as safely as possible, but also to get back on course as quickly as possible.”

Solve it yourself Although life at sea was not something that Tom learnt on his mother's knee, the secondary vocational education course for ‘maritime officer on all ships’ at STC in Rotterdam was a logical choice. “I wanted to do something in engineering. When you get the opportunity to do that on the biggest machines in the world, it is of course fantastic. And the shipping industry appeals to me. You have to deal with things yourself. You can't just go to the supermarket if you haven't got something. But that ensures that you are creative. You have to make do with what you have on board. What I also like about this profession is that you get to see a lot of the world. Of course you miss being at home, but on board we have WiFi so I can e-mail and app. And in the ports we have 4G and I can make calls.” Further study After this internship and a passing grade for his internship report, Tom will have finished his studies. And then, get down to work? “No, I want to continue studying for two more years: after the summer I will start the higher professional education ‘maritime officer’ course. That is good for my own knowledge and employers are increasingly asking for people with a higher professional degree. And then out to sea, preferably on a gas tanker.” The future What the distant future holds, of course, remains to be seen. “I would prefer to stay at sea as long as possible, in the engine room. Hopefully until I retire, but I'm not thinking about that right now. I do save, that's what I was taught at home. Once I'm working, I'm going to investigate my pension.” ←