Our Dry Bulk Team consists of dedicated employees who are committed to delivering reliable and fully integrated shipping services. Meet a few of our employees below. Find out more about what they do at Clipper and how they bring value to clients.
“I work in the operation department at our Copenhagen office. In 2020, I graduated from the two-year trainee program and chose to continue as an operator. That implies handling the vessels’ worldwide voyages, enabling me to increase my knowledge about foreign ports. In my work, I constantly strive to provide the best possible service to our clients. Concerning keeping them posted on loading, discharging progress, and vessels’ movements during the sea passage.
One specific thing I like about my job is that the outcomes of my decisions are visible. It is clear how they affect the voyages compared to optimizing the cargo plan for the highest income, making the best bunker stem, and speeding the vessel most economically. I thrive in cooperation with the various vessel stakeholders, such as the captain, the crew, agents, and the technical managers with whom I have a responsibility to update and align all operations. As an operator in Clipper, you are not solely limited to operational aspects but get inclusion in many facets of a voyage. For instance, you get involved in legal affairs and laytime calculations to elevate your insight and understanding of the complete journey.”
“I’m part of the chartering department in our Houston office, and work to service clients, all over North and South America, to provide tailored freight solutions. We strive to be flexible, and put the clients first, in order to build and maintain long-terms relationships.
In our day-to day, we work in close collaboration with the other chartering desks, in Copenhagen and Hong Kong, in order to strategically position our tonnage best possible. We negotiate contracts with clients, not only for spot shipments, but also for long term contracts of affreightments (COA).
Our Houston chartering desk have full authority, which makes us agile, and able to react quickly to changes in the market to change our exposure. The responsibility and trust, given by our headquarters in Copenhagen, is one of the things I appreciate the most about my position. Besides that, one of the other things I value the most, about my role, is that I can literally walk into the office every morning without knowing what the day will bring, my days are never the same. This kind of excitement is difficult to find in any other industry. Lastly, covering the whole American market, also means, you get to travel to various countries and ports, to meet and to develop relationships, with new and existing clients. Another, favorite part of my work.”
“I work with our parceling services from the Far East back to the Atlantic, the US Gulf and the Caribbean Sea area; more specifically, I am responsible for planning and preparing the back-haul voyages either for the vessels in our pools or using market tonnage. That means I need to keep informed on what the market is like, what are our targets and which vessels need to be ballasted for the back-hauls to the Atlantic. To do so, collaboration is key; I keep in touch with the charterers about market levels and consult with my colleagues from the other hubs on which cargo is about to be shipped so I can help prepare the voyages.
Teamwork is an essential part of my job. I plan the voyages and do the necessary calculations first, and then we discuss internally and decide how many and what voyages we will book. It’s a great advantage that Clipper has a flat structure; it means I have the authority to take certain decisions that allow me to be more efficient at my job. For example, sometimes our clients change some of their cargo, and suddenly it can no longer be loaded on board. I must be able to come up with solutions in such situations, whether that is finding a substitute cargo or switching from a bigger to a smaller vessel. It is empowering to be able to take charge of your tasks and to know that you are trusted to do so.”