Sector Spotlight: Sinclair Pirie, Chief Officer

In the last of our Sector Spotlight on Maritime Careers, we hear from Sinclair Pirie, who is the Chief Officer and Relief Master of the Varagen. Orkney Ferries operate the lifeline inter-island ferry service between the Orkney Mainland and the North and South Isles - the Varagen serves Sanday, Westray and Stronsay, alongside the Earls Sigurd and Thorfinn.

Orkney Ferries are currently running a recruitment campaign for their next cohort of Apprentices. If you're interested in a career at sea, make sure to apply on the Orkney Ferries website before the 27th July!

Also, look out on Monday for which sector we'll be featuring next.

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Can you describe a typical day in your role as Chief Officer?
A typical day involves arriving about an hour before departure, so about 6 am. I then look at the manifest for the next trip we are doing and plan the load around the bookings, positioning Dangerous Goods/Heavy Loads/High Loads in certain areas of the vessel. We move onto the ramp for loading, where I check with the Stevedore what has turned up and load the ship accordingly. Once loaded we sail as close to sailing time as possible.

As Mate, and as Master, I either navigate the vessel to or from the destination. Once berthed I make sure the vessel is discharged and loaded properly again. I do this part of the job up to 3 times a day, but often with more than one port visit per sailing. I also get the opportunity to berth the vessel at whichever port is suitable to the ongoing operations. Both Trevor and Mike, the regular Captains, are very good at giving me the opportunity to berth the Varagen whenever I would like to, I just have to ask. If I’m filling in as Captain I’ll do nearly every berthing of the vessel.

When we have some time, on route or in port, I make sure any planned or fabric maintenance is carried out by the deck crew. The lads are good and know what is required most of the time, so I only need to ask them to do something if it’s more urgent or a priority. If there are any defects I have to fix them or report them so they can be fixed. If these jobs involve Permits and Risk Assessments I issue the permit and check the Risk Assessment is correct for the job in hand.

I also have to look at the day and make sure the guys have enough time off during the day. I often have to make sure they get their rest hour so that we comply with legal requirements.

We have drills to carry out weekly and I make sure that we are drilled in every scenario that is required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Should we have an accident/ incident onboard I will be the person to investigate and fill in the paperwork for this too.

We finish usually around 8pm depending on the which route we are on and if there’s been any delays for any reason, such as weather, cargo, incidents or anything else.

How did you end up in this role?
I started as Summer Steward on the Varagen in 1997, between leaving the KGS and starting College in Glasgow. I had a place with Clyde Marine at the Glasgow Nautical College, now Glasgow City College, so I knew I was going to work at sea if I could successfully complete my Cadetship. I was sponsored by Gulf Offshore and finished my cadetship successfully in 2001. I worked in a lot of foreign countries during this time: Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Germany, USA, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain, Faroe Islands and Iceland, and I was even shipwrecked in Venezuela in 2000.

Once I finished my Cadetship I worked for Gulf for 8 years, again travelling a good bit to the USA, Egypt, India, but mainly in the UK Offshore Sector or in Europe. I then went to work on a Drilling Rig for a Brazilian company for about 4 years. I spent about 6 months in Singapore at shipyard, but the rest in Brazil on Drilling Rigs flying to and from Rio de Janeiro and Macae. It was a long trip from Orkney. I then went to work for Seadrill, a Norwegian Drilling company, on a rig west of Shetland. Which actually involved more hassle travelling than going to Brazil. I was there for 5 years until 2017 when I left to join Orkney Ferries.

What is the best thing about your job?
The best bit of my job is working in the good weather, working with a good, capable crew and getting to manoeuvre the ship.

What is the worst thing about your job?
Working in the bad weather during the winter, squeezing a lot of things into the car deck and you always have unexpected challenges in one form or another.

What skills do you need to undertake your role?
In my role you need to have once eye on what is going to happen in the next week or two, so planning tasks and routines ahead of time based on weather forecasts etc is important.

I need to be able to lead a team which involves good communication with the deck crew.

I need to have good administration skills as there are reports and logs to fill in and these must be done as accurately as possible but be concise at the same time.

I need to have attention to detail to ensure tasks are carried out correctly and know how to do the jobs myself.

I need to be flexible but have good judgement to know when I’ve been as flexible as I can be and make the correct decision at the correct time as I see it.

I have to be calm under pressure when there is an emergency, incident, or accident.

I try to approach everyday as a learning day. There is always something to learn from every instance whether it’s a big thing or a small thing, positive or negative. No two days are exactly the same and you have to try to give yourself the best opportunity for success.

What qualifications do you have?
I have a Ship Master’s Certificate, several industry qualifications that are a requirement to work in the industry. I must be medically fit, so there is a medical assessment to pass biannually.

At school I got 8 Standard Grades and 1 Higher. The Higher I passed was one that I took because I liked it and not because it was useful to me. The useful Highers I took I failed.

Would you recommend this job to young people? If so, why?
Working in this industry the days are long, but the time off is good. I prefer to work for two weeks, then have a prolonged period off rather than work 9-5. There are going to be jobs in this area in the future because there aren’t the number of people going to work at sea as there used to be. It takes effort to get the qualifications in the industry if you want to progress and the way to do it isn’t the same for everyone. This is good because it means that it’s never too late and you can do it at your own pace, but you do have to put in the work.

If you make it into the right area working in the industry can lead to the opportunity to see a lot of the World and get paid for the privilege. I have been to places and seen things I would never have gone to otherwise.

Visit Orkney Ferries on:
Website: https://www.orkneyferries.co.uk/
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