 |
A Maritime Career Path Example Jo Clark |
||
Josephine Clark is the Harbour Master and marine pilot at the Port of Eden, New South Wales. She has held this position since July 2005 following a 16 year career at sea. Although always interested in the ocean and boating, the idea of a sea going career never occurred to Jo until she found herself enrolled in an economics degree soon after completing high school in Perth, Western Australia. |
||
 |
The thought of spending every day inside an office crunching numbers soon prompted her to re-evaluate her career path, and an application to join the Royal Australian Navy soon followed. At the same time, Jo also applied to several Australian shipping companies, in what was meant to be a back-up-plan, should the Navy not work out. |
|
Jo began her sea-going career in 1988, joining the bulk carrier Iron Carpentaria as a trainee deck officer. At 202 metres in length and 45,432 deadweight tonnes the ship was modest in size compared to many in the BHP Transport fleet at the time. Far from glamorous, this ship was considered a ‘workhorse’ and carried various bulk mineral cargoes around the Australian coast. Although far from the image of white uniforms and swaying palm trees, Jo enjoyed immensely her first trip away to sea. Whether washing out holds, chipping and painting on deck or keeping lookout from the bridge wings under the stars, everyday was a learning experience. The four year cadetship included semesters spent studying at the Australian Maritime College in Launceston, interspaced by trips away to sea. In 1992 Jo graduated from college with a Second Mate’s Certificate of Competency and joined the capesize bulk carrier Iron Newcastle as a qualified officer. |
||
| However the more she learnt and read about careers in merchant shipping compared to that in the Navy, the more it appealed. The pay and leave conditions were better, the ships larger and all seemed to be trading to exotic, faraway ports. But most importantly, at that time in the 1980’s, women were not entitled to serve in combat positions within the Australian defence forces. Thus a Naval career would have inevitably led to a desk job, whereas a merchant shipping career meant actually working aboard a ship. So in the end the choice was easy and Jo was fortunate to be offered a 4 year deck officer cadetship with BHP Transport.
The next seven years were spent working on a variety of vessels and trades including general cargo ships, gas tankers and chemical tankers. Worldwide voyages through Europe, Asia and the Suez Canal were a highlight, together with dry docking projects and one trip to join a ship on its maiden voyage from the builders yard. Although a sea-going career provides great opportunities for travel and adventure, the long periods spent away from home can prove difficult once family life takes priority. With this in mind, and a keen interest in the commercial chartering side of shipping, Jo enrolled in a post-graduate course in shipping business through the Australian Maritime College. This 2 year external studies course was completed during periods on leave, as well as during her spare time onboard the ship. In addition, she also obtained her foreign going Master’s Certificate in 1999. By this time BHP Transport & Logistics was in the process of down-sizing it’s fleet. Several Australian ship management companies were going through a similar down-sizing process and the resultant redundancies had cast a gloom over the industry. With an eye to the future, Jo applied for and was accepted to a seconded role within the BHP Chartering Department in Melbourne. Initially the job involved voyage planning and operations for vessels chartered to carry steel products from the BHP Steel plant in Port Kembla. However, before long she moved to The Hague in The Netherlands to work on the company’s Handysize Freight Trading desk. The 18 month period working in The Hague proved to be an invaluable experience. The job involved the chartering and operations of a fleet of handysize, dry bulk vessels trading worldwide. Day to day activities involved dealing with all facets of the shipping industry from owners, agents, ship brokers, bunker brokers, surveyors and maritime lawyers. However family commitments soon meant a return to Australia and a return to the sea. Jo accepted a job with Sydney based ship management company, Inco Ships and in 2003 was promoted to her first command, as Master of the 5,500mt deadweight general cargo ship Hakula. The Hakula was employed on a varied international and coastal trade carrying wheat, steel, pipes and bulk minerals throughout Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Thailand and Singapore. Despite her enjoyment and satisfaction in the job of Master, the lengthy periods spent away from home were loosing their appeal and Jo made the decision that it was time to start looking for a permanent job shore, specifically in pilotage. In July 2005 she began her current role as Harbour Master and Marine Pilot for the Port of Eden. |
||
 |
||
| Despite being a small port, the role in Eden is extremely varied and encompasses shipping safety, port operations, facility management and the regulatory functions of the port. Although she occasionally misses life at sea, this challenging job allows her to spend time at home whilst remaining directly connected with shipping. | ||
