Last-mile LPG and petrochemical gas carrier operator: 47 pressurised, semi-refrigerated and ethylene vessels; offices in Singapore, Copenhagen, Manila and Tokyo.
I was signed off a vessel on the pretext of transferring me to another one and was told to wait at home for two weeks. I was not sent back for two months, and I was not paid my salary for those two months. I contacted the company immediately and was told that the transfer had been sent, but after five days they said a digit had been entered incorrectly and sent it again.
I am on my second contract with the company. The salary is a downside, as is the small vessel tonnage, but crew changes are arranged on time. The interview is demanding, which means that people entering the company for the first time are not completely inexperienced.
I joined the company as a second engineer on a tanker in 2016, when it was called Epic Shipmanagement. The crew was entirely Indian; their professional level was low, but they were good people. Everything else was fine. It was an excellent company for starting out and for people who are not aiming to advance very quickly.
I worked on one of BW Epic Kosan’s vessels. When I joined, there were more than 120 defects, including several serious ones, and I continued finding new defects afterward. The vessel had sanitation problems, including toilets that had to be flushed with a bucket, as well as a severe fly infestation. Contracts were not completed on time, and the office appeared to be poorly organized and understaffed.
I completed a contract as a Third Engineer. Some of the vessels are in poor condition and have a small deadweight, although I was assigned to a good Japanese-built vessel. My crew change was carried out on time. The crews are very mixed, which sometimes causes problems with the food. The crewing agency provided interview preparation materials, stayed in regular contact, and helped reduce the stress of the employment process.
I am working my first contract with the company. The main disadvantage is that the vessels are small, but crew changes are carried out on time. The company provides 50 GB of internet per month at a good speed.
I sailed as Chief Engineer on one of the legacy small-tonnage vessels. What I found was direct discharge of machinery-space bilges overboard, against MARPOL and against everything a chief engineer signs his name to. I refused to continue, involved the ITF, and left the vessel early. From what I saw and heard across the fleet the practice was not unique to my ship — one fleet vessel was caught for exactly this in the Mediterranean. I have since warned colleagues off, and those who listened found better contracts elsewhere.
I came from another LPG owner where a soft drink appeared once a fortnight, and had been warned this company was rock bottom. The opposite: fridges full of cheese and cold cuts, yoghurts and soft drinks at will, shrimp weekly, a buffet Saturday. The one thing holding the place back is salary — raise it and the turnover would stop.