 As a child I used to listen with excitement at the stories my dad told me of when he was at sea. It was these that put me on the path to becoming a marine engineer. At 15 I replied to a Shell advert in the national paper and at 16, once I had completed my GCSE’s, I enrolled at Warsash Maritime College. The next 3 years were spent learning the industry and gaining the experience and knowledge required before I could become a fully fledged marine engineer. These 3 years turned out to be better than imagined with the course including much more than just lectures. I spent a large amount of time in the workshops learning many practical skills, fire fighting in the mock up engine room and rescue boat courses. It was even more exciting than I expected. However one of the best parts of my training were the trips to sea. My first trip will probably remain the most memorable due to the combination of first time nerves and the worldwide trading pattern. This all meant that at 16 I was not only working on a ship bigger than I had ever imagined but I was visiting ports in Europe, Australia, Japan and China. The highlight of the trip was the ships refit period where we spent a month in Singapore watching the engine room and deck equipment begin stripped down and overhauled. A 100,000 DWT tanker on blocks is not something you see every day! My Cadetship then came to end and I was promoted to Fourth Engineer. This was a slightly daunting yet exciting step. Once I had settled in, I found the work and the voyage incredibly satisfying. Where else would you be comfortable with such responsibility at the age of 19? I continued working as fourth for a few trips but found the urge to continue my education. At this point I went to Plymouth University where I studied to gain an honours degree in Marine Technology. Thankfully this move did not mean the end of my time with Shell as they allowed me to take a career break and provided me with the opportunity to return to sea during my vacation periods. I have now completed my degree and I am back with the company full time, focusing on progressing within the fleet and hopefully even shore side thanks to the opportunities with Shell. So far Shell has provided me with a career that has included travel all over the world on a range of product, LNG, DP vessels, LPG and crude oil tankers. They have provided encouragement and assistance in gaining high levels of industry recognised qualifications and due to the immense size of the Shell Group I have no doubt Shell will provide me with many career paths in the future.
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