Page 25 - 2022 - Q4 - Minerva in Focus

Interview with Mastro Pantelis Tsirlis To your mind, what are the pros
and cons of working on board a
newbuilt vessel?
Mastro Pantelis Tsirlis has served as a Chief Engineer for over 20 years. He, as well, has par-
ticipated in the deliveries of many newbuildings at the Samsung Heavy Industries ship- On the one hand, working on board a
yard. He has been part of the Minerva family for two years and has taken delivery of both newbuilt vessel has a lot of positive
Minerva Kalymnos and Minerva Amorgos. points. Firstly, you feel as if you are part
of a young organization. It is a great
pleasure to experience this first-hand
and an opportunity to strengthen your
skills since you have to compete with
new technologies and the latest industry
designs. Enthusiasm for the new vessel
pushes you to put everything in the
proper order to make this newborn or-
ganism operational. On the other hand,
it is a demanding process that requires
sacrificing more time and energy. Greater
attention needs to be given to everything
until time allows you to start placing
some of your trust in the vessel.

What are the particularities of
LNG carriers when compared to
different types of ships?

The greatest particularity of LNG carriers
is the cargo they transport, which gen-
Minerva Amorgos What were your feelings while erally needs to be managed with great
attending the delivery of Minerva
care, but primarily to be maintained at
managed Amorgos? ultra-low temperatures. Such demanding
management is achieved through the
To be honest, even though it was not the
proper and safe use of state-of-the-art
to trigger first delivery of an LNG vessel in my ca- equipment.
reer, Minerva Amorgos managed to trigger
indescribable feelings in me. A mixture of How can someone be a good
indescribable excitement, interest, and responsibility, manager and leader onboard
all at the same time. I was wondering how a ship? What advice would you
feelings in me the next days onboard and what the fea- give to the younger officers of
tures of this newly delivered vessel would Minerva?
be. I anticipated how the vessel would
behave under all circumstances, and I First of all, a good leader should be ap-
thought about what had to be done for proachable and a great listener. That en-
the team to remain one step ahead and sures that no warning signs will be missed.
make things work successfully. Also, to be a strong leader, you must be
Ιnterview with communicative and promote a strong
Pantelis Tsirlis What are the additional duties/ spirit of teamwork onboard the ship.
responsibilities of the Chief Moreover, an effective leader empowers
Chief Engineer, Minerva Amorgos
Engineer when taking delivery others by placing confidence in their
of a new LNG carrier? subordinates and giving them the free-
dom to do their jobs well and get better
The Chief Engineer is the leader of the at them. They allow space for others to
engine department. He is responsible share their ideas where appropriate.
for the efficient and safe operation and I would advise younger officers to main-
maintenance of all machinery and cargo tain a positive attitude at all times and
systems on board and the safety of his make a point of teaching instead of giv-
team. He must ensure that all the ship’s ing orders. Last but not least, good lead-
systems function smoothly and the ship ers set clear goals and engage in open
has been delivered in excellent condition, communication.
always reflecting the company’s standard.

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