The latest Wallem Fleet Officers Meeting in Kochi, organised to coincide with the opening of its new office in the city, offered employees the opportunity to commemorate the company’s 120th anniversary and look towards a future in which the human element will play a greater role than ever. 

In April 2023, Wallem Group held its annual Fleet Officers Meeting in Kochi, India. With The Future is Human as its theme, the event gave over 100 seafarers in attendance the opportunity to commemorate Wallem’s 120th anniversary while participating in interactive sessions on safety and human and operational excellence, both on board and ashore.

In shipping, 120 years in business is a landmark worth celebrating, and Wallem is rightly proud of its heritage as the world’s first third-party ship management agency. Since its foundation, it has worked diligently to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective ship management and technical services to clients worldwide. As a performance-focused, equal-opportunity company that takes care of its staff, Wallem is considered one of the best employers in the industry, with an average seafarer retention rate of 88%.

Yet Wallem is never content to stand still.  April also saw the inauguration of a new Kochi office, which adds to the company’s existing capabilities in ship management. In the heart of the city, the facility is equipped with the latest technological infrastructure and staffed by highly experienced domain experts with Wallem Ship Management Senior Operations Manager, Capt. Sanio Radhakrishnan as Head of Kochi office. 

This regional base brings together Naval Architects, Marine Engineers, and Master Mariners among others, who assist Fleet teams with tasks such as vessel performance monitoring - contributing to decarbonisation objectives whilst meeting the new emissions regulatory requirements.

With a special focus on tankers, it will deliver technical assistance and data-driven support in vetting and port-state-control inspections. Crucially, the Kochi office provides a base in southwest India from which the company can monitor and seize untapped opportunities in the local market.

Diversity is as much about gender as it is culture. The gender-equality gap is an all-too prevalent aspect of shipping today, and it is something Wallem is looking to address by recruiting more women in key office roles. In the Kochi office, for example, it is  proud to have Naval Architect Anjali Manoharan leading the vessel performance team. Wallem is  also committed to increasing the presence of women seafarers across its fleets. Women constitute just two per cent of the global seafaring workforce, but Wallem is hopeful that this share will gradually increase in the years ahead.

For now, Wallem will continue to deliver high-quality services to its international customer base and ensure that the company is well equipped to manage the ships of the future. To this end, the expertise of its people – and especially its seafarers – will be crucial.
 

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	Issue 84 of Robban Assafina (March/ April 2023)