Quotes & stories

Lieke de Korte

During my Maritime Economics and Logistics studies, I started working for Allseas in 2014 as a Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental (QHSE) Engineer. My knowledge of the offshore industry was limited to say the least, but with the idea “go big or go home”, a job interview with Allseas followed and I was hired. Upon graduation, I was offered a PhD position, but Allseas boldly suggested that if I stay, I could be the dedicated QHSE Engineer for Pioneering Spirit  in Rotterdam. It is typical for Allseas to offer a very steep learning curve to young graduates and – obviously – I never left.

Challenges all over the world

During my first 4 years with Allseas, I spent time on board all the vessels, learned the basics of the pipelay process – from enthusiastic crewmembers and my colleagues in the office – and the general set-up of the offshore industry. As part of the project team(s), you have major responsibilities at an early stage of your career, which results in a very challenging work environment and spending time in all corners of the world.

Optimising the supply of line pipe

I realised the part I enjoyed most about my work was working with the crew on board. The mentality of seafarers is catching. Hence, I made the switch to Logistics Engineer and subsequently Unit Head Logistics whilst working with the pipe haul fleet supporting the pipelay vessels. On some projects, we charter, outfit and co-ordinate more than 10 pipe supply vessels of mixed types and sizes, trying to optimise the supply of line pipe to the offshore pipelay location.

From Unit Head Logistics to Business Lead Supply Chain

Digitalisation is required to keep up with the ever changing environment. As Business Lead Supply Chain I guide the business transformation towards a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, focusing on an innovative, integrated and end-to-end supply chain. This means one day I am onboard an Allseas vessel, the next day in one of our warehouses and the remainder of the week I spend my time guiding a team of warehouse, logistics, customs and data professionals towards building the best cooperative supply chain solution.

Staying afloat

This translates to a job that provides you with the opportunity to see the world, meet new people, learn about different vessels, their on-board cultures and spend a lot of time in coveralls! How’s that for an alternative to a 9-5 desk job? Allseas is a dynamic company with challenges and opportunities for the taking, regardless of your experience. It’s the famous swimming pool cliché where they throw you in at the deep end: you stay afloat and it never bores.

Employees