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Marc Tézenas
technical department
Setaf Saget,
France
Under what circumstances were you recruited by SETAF SAGET?
I'm a graduate of ENSIETA*, a multi-disciplinary generalist engineering school in Brest. As I have always been drawn to the sea, during my third year in college I chose the ship-building and offshore option. When I finished school, I was lucky enough to be hired by Setaf. I started out by going to sea for a month on a bulk carrier to gain some hands-on experience with operations and life on board ship. Then I joined the technical department, which includes eight people, where I'm responsible for monitoring the series of ten 58,000-ton bulk carriers ordered from the Sinopacific shipyards in China.
What does your job consist of?
Initially, I monitored the plan approval phase for this series from Paris. My mission was to make any necessary changes on the standard model proposed in order to make it into an efficient vessel that could meet our operating needs and offer maximum productivity for loading and unloading operations; a vessel that will age well, that will be easy to handle and maintain for 30 years, for the most limited operating cost possible.
Now I'm based in Yangzhou in China, at the shipyard where construction started on these vessels in July 2008 and is slated for completion by 2012. I'm part of the team that monitors the construction to make sure the project runs smoothly. In particular I'm in charge of making sure our design changes are incorporated and that they comply with our requirements. To do that, I'm in touch with the different departments of the shipyard (design, production and quality), with which we enjoy a genuine partnership relationship, which contributes to the good production quality.
Are you glad to be doing this job?
I was very lucky to be hired for this position. At the age of 24, monitoring a vessel from its design to completion is really a great opportunity! I was also lucky enough to be in a friendly team that works in perfect synergy. I'm very well supervised and guided by very demanding people with vast experience who like to share their knowledge. Setaf is a booming business in a buoyant market. It enjoys great autonomy within BOURBON. I don't know the other entities that well yet, but I'm proud to be in such a dynamic group, which can offer a lot of career opportunities for a young person like me.
* École Nationale Supérieure des Ingénieurs des Etudes et Techniques d’Armement (advanced national engineering school for research and weapons techniques)
Careers in the offing
I was sailing with the Bourbon Hera as Chief Engineer when I heard for the first time about the Ulysses project, that's the name of the program that will be installed. I had already used this type of program in other companies, and recognized the effectiveness, so I was interested in participating in the start-up of the whole project and, one thing leading to another, I ended up with a shore-based position.
At BOURBON, my career has taken a new turn: I have been promoted to captain, I earn a better living and I sail modern vessels...