Woman Empowerment - Interview with Irem Captain

12/10/2020

1. Bizlere biraz kendinizden bahsedip hem eğitim hem de iş hayatınızın bugüne kadar nasıl ilerlediğini anlatır mısınız?

Eğitim hayatım biraz rastlantı olarak başladı aslında, liseden beri bu mesleğin içindeyim. Ortaköy Denizcilik'i seçmem tamamen bir tavsiye ve gençlik hevesi ile oldu. Lise tercih döneminde annemle birlikte bir kafede konuşuyorduk. Yan masadan bir amca konuşmamızı duyup niye Ortaköy Denizcilik'i yazmıyorsun yeri de güzel meslek de güzel parası da güzel diyince biraz araştırdım dedim ki neden olmasın denizi de seviyorum sonuçta. Hiç bir bilgim yoktu ilk başta ama sonradan farkettim ki; mesleği, denizde olmayı gerçekten seviyorum. Devamı da Piri Reis Üniversitesi ile geldi.  İş hayatımsa asıl olarak Armona Denizcilik ile başlıyor. Denizciğin hem kara hem deniz ayağını gördüğüm ve deneyimlediğim yer burası oldu.

Could you tell us about yourself and how your education and professional life in Maritime came to be?

Actually, my education life in Maritime began as a coincidence. I entered this profession in high school, and the decision to attend Ortaköy Maritime High School  was derived from good advice and young ambition. During the period in which I had to choose a high school, I was at a cafe with my mother and a man heard our discussion and asked "Why  don't you choose Ortaköy Maritime High School? The location is good and profit is good." After he said this, I said to myself "Why not?”. Essentially I love the sea. At the beginning, I didn't have any information about this profession but later on I came to the realisation that I truly loved being at sea. I continued my education at Piri Reis University. My work life began with Armona Denizcilik. It was the place where I saw and experienced both the shore and sea side.


2. Denizciliği seçmendeki en büyük pay nedir?

Denizciliğe devam etmemdeki en büyük etken aslında sabah 8 akşam 5 bir işte çalışmak ve hergün aynı trafiği çekip akşam televizyon karşısında uyuklamak istemememden kaynaklanıyor. Karada kalmanın kendine has dertleri var, ben denizin dertlerini tercih ettim.

What had the biggest impact on your decision to work in Maritime?

The primary reason I chose to be a seafarer was that I didn't want to work a typical 8a.m. to 5p.m job, to deal with the exhaustive daily traffic and to fall asleep in front of the TV every evening. Working at shore has its issues, but I prefer the issues of working at sea.

3. Seni zorlayan durumlar var mı?

Deniz herkesi zorluyor aslında özellikle kadınlara özel bir zorluğu olduğunu düşünmüyorum. Yalnızca şunu diyebilirim, pozitif ayrımcılık yapıldığında rahatsız hissediyorum. İnsanlar kadın olarak gemide bulunduğunda sürekli bir şeylere yardımcı olmak istiyorlar, oysaki zaten bir konunun içinden çıkılamadığında herkesin herkese yardım etmesi gerekir.

Do you face any particular difficulties?

Sealife is difficult for everyone onboard. In my opinion, being at sea is not particularly difficult for women seafarers. However I can say, I feel uncomfortable when people discriminate in terms of gender.  Male seafarers think female seafarers are unable to do certian things. However, if an issue seems unsolvable, everyone should help one another.

4. Çalıştığın şirketin kadın çalışanlara yaklaşımıyla ilgili neler söylemek istersin?

Bu konuda Armonada olmaktan mutluyum. Pozitif ayrımcılığın minimum düzeyde yaşandığı bir firma. Şu an tersanedeyiz görüyorsunuz. Cebimde anahtarlar var ve valf söküp bakımlarını yapıyorum ve bunun gibi bir çok iş. Şirket açısından bir ayrımcılık yok ve aksine teşvik etmeye çalışan bir yaklaşım var.

What do you think about your company’s approach towards female employees?

I am happy to work at Armona Denizcilik. It is a company in which discrimination is kept minimal. At the moment, we are at the shipyard and as you can see, I am unscrewing valves with my tools, undertaking maintenance as well as other similar jobs. In the company, there is no discrimination, on the contrary, there is an encouraging approach.

5. İlerisi için hedeflerin nelerdir?

Süvariliği alana kadar denizde kalmayı planlıyorum. Sonrasında bi kaç planım var ama tabi zaman ne gösterir bilinmez.

What are your goals for the future?

I am planning to work onboard until I get my Masters license. Afterwards I have some plans but we never know what the future brings.
 
 
 
 

 

Atlantis Antao

11/10/2020

Atlantis Aldabra becomes Atlantis Antao.
There are routine deliveries into a charter and such that are life-time-experience. The one of Atlantis Aldabra was so unusual as it could be. However, many helping hands were supporting the transition into a different legislation, different flag and the change of the classification society and we want to especially thank the Marine Administration, our consultants, our office and the ship’s crew for the patience and the efforts they showed to make something possible we had heart beat on in respect of the chunk of problems there were at the door and the time we would need to perform the transition.
 
Thanks to all

 

Enjoying the last rays of sun

02/10/2020

The commercial team came together for a drink in the evening, enjoying the last rays of sun.
We send our greetings to all our colleagues and hope we will be able to host you again next year for our ‘Taste of Summer Party’. Stay safe!

Atlantis Armona is at North Africa

01/10/2020

Atlantis Armona send it’s greetings. She is finalizing one of her north Africa voyages.

With Great Sadness...

29/03/2020

It is with great sadness that we announce that our friend and colleague Captain Semih Falay has suddenly passed away. 

Semih suffered a sudden heart attack on the night of March 28th 2020.

We are sad not only at the loss but at the loss of an exceptional individual who, when he entered the company, shaped and maintained a largely new team under improved systems. We deeply regret the loss it brings to his family, his life partner Kiymet and his 17-year old son Mete. Our thoughts and grievances are with them in these very tough times.

Born in 1971, he studied at the Navigational High School in Istanbul where he obtained his Master’s certificate. He spent ten years at sea, four of which he served as Master Mariner. He later worked ashore at two different Tanker Management companies starting as Deck Superintendent, being promoted to the DPA/CSO position, and eventually became Managing Director. Thereafter, the Master Mariner had a short period back at sea before joining Armona Denizcilik in June 2016 as Chief Technical Officer.

He made important strides in improving the team-spirit, organization and efficiency of the Technical Management and Crewing Department. We will always remember him as a cheerful, energetic man who always found ways to make us laugh. May he rest in peace.

Company Response to Covid-19

27/03/2020

At Atlantis/Armona, we have a history of rising up to difficult occasions, and building strength in times of adversity. When the global outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19) knocked on Turkey’s doors, Top and Senior Management took immediate action for both office staff and on-board crew. Within only 7 days of the first case being detected in Turkey, management implemented a Contingency Plan in which all Office Staff were required to work from home, effective immediately. Internal inspections were postponed, Superintendent visits were limited and all meetings and in-person training programs were cancelled.
 
Equally stringent and prompt safety measures were taken on-board where crew were instructed to follow strict protocol set out in our Covid-19 Risk Assessment and Outbreak Management Plan. This includes maintaining impeccable hygiene levels, utilising all essential PPE, isolating those with symptoms, washing hands frequently, maintaining a safe distance from one another and not disembarking the vessels. Temperature’s of any external representative boarding the vessel is also being checked, and entry is refused if there is any sign of illness.
 
All vessels were supplied with provisions sufficient for the upcoming 3 months, as well as masks, gloves, sanitizers, cleaning detergents and thermometers, all of which are used by both staff and any necessary personnel boarding the vessels. On-board services have also been minimised and subject to approval by our management.
 
Crew change-over was also limited, leading to increased contract periods for Officers and Engineers. Coronavirus training was provided to crew, and a number of Safety Flashes and Campaigns were issued in response to the Coronavirus. Topics include how to cope with the anxiety induced by this pandemic - as panic can spread faster than the virus itself, how to maintain hygiene standards and ways in which to maintain a positive outlook and mental health.
 
These measures were taken to ensure the health and well-being all of our employees and to prevent the further spread of this virus in to our wider community, whilst also maintaining prosperous work. We wish you and your loved ones good health, and look forward to us all resuming our daily routine at the office and on the vessels.

New Year’s Celebration

27/12/2019

The Armona Denizcilik & Atlantis Tankers family celebrated the upcoming New Year of 2020.

It was the third celebration in our new office. Drinks were served at the bar on the 6th-floor terrace and Schnitzel were prepared by Burcu Restaurant. The festivities started at 15:00 and lasted till 21:30. A mixture of international charts and nostalgic Turkish music set the scene for some excellent dancing.

We want to thank all of our hardworking and loyal staff for their achievements and will power they have shown in 2019.

On behalf of the Atlantis/Armona family, we wish you a healthy, safe and prosperous 2020!