Mærsk Putting Valuable Experience to Good Use

The Mærsk Deliverer rig team has initiated seven local acceleration programmes in Angola. The goal is to train and develop local talent to take on increasingly challenging positions on-board the rig. To do so, experienced employees play a key role.

In 2014, the rig team on Mærsk Deliverer initiated seven local acceleration programmes as part of a localisation plan focusing on employing, training and educating local talent in Angola.

The experienced offshore employees have worked closely with the rig team to get the local acceleration programmes up and running. The programmes build on the knowledge and experience gained by the offshore crew throughout their career and their ability to transfer this knowledge and experience to their new Angolan colleagues.

“The implementation of the local acceleration programmes would never have been possible had it not been for the energy, time and knowledge our experienced offshore employees have put into it”, says Cathrine Pedersen, Local Content Advisor with the Mærsk Deliverer rig team.

The pressure is on

There is a lot of pressure on the experienced employees, whom now not only have to run an operation in a complex environment, but who will also have to find the extra resources to provide additional supervision to best support their training and development.

According to Waldemar Ludwicki, who works as Offshore Installations Manager on Mærsk Deliverer, the keyword is ‘shared value’. “My role is to make sure that everyone understands that the acceleration programmes build on mutually beneficial partnerships”, says Ludwicki. “I think it is important that we avoid the ‘donor-recipient scenario’ to establish relationships that form the foundation for a genuine and long-term cooperation and commitment”, Ludwicki continues.

Charles Hunter, Electrical Supervisor on Mærsk Deliverer, agrees that it is key to establish a mutually advantageous environment.

“My responsibility as a supervisor is to encourage understanding and dialogue, and to help the local employees focus on their goals and achieving those goals”, Hunter says and continues; “To achieve this, I will work to promote an atmosphere where people feel comfortable asking questions, where we can all admit to not knowing everything all the time, and where people feel reassured that if we work together, we will find the answers”.

Seven local acceleration programmes
Maersk Drilling is operating under local content requirements in seven countries and is in 100% compliance. In Angola however, the requirements are particularly challenging to comply with, as 70 % of our employees are required to be Angolan by 2017.

The primary challenge is to find local expertise. The local acceleration programmes are part of our solution to meet the local content requirements. The programmes consist of practical on-the-job training and offshore courses on-board Mærsk Deliverer, as well as onshore training.

The seven local acceleration programmes will educate Rig Mechanics, Drilling Fluid Operators, Dynamic Positioning Operators, Electricians, Material Coordinators, Crane Operators and Engine Room Responsible. All trainees are assigned a dedicated supervisor who will support the trainee throughout the programme. To ensure trainees progress according to plan, monthly performance appraisals will be conducted.