Many Danish seafarers struggle to find the balance between having an exciting and challenging job and also having a family life that holds together. At the tugboat company Svitzer, they have found a model that works.
Most Danish seafarers have probably had to miss various important family events because they were on a ship far out on one of the world’s oceans. At Svitzer, an A.P. Møller owned tugboat company, the seafarers do not have the same challenges. Here, employees can better combine family life with an exciting career at sea.
“Our Danish tugboats operate primarily in Denmark, Sweden, and Bremerhaven in Germany, so if something acute arises on the home front, most can be home within a relatively short time. And with planning, we can usually also find a replacement, so one can attend round birthdays, or if one has an important doctor’s appointment,” explains Sonni Rix Laumann, who is head of Svitzer’s business in Denmark.
Svitzer’s Danish seafarers sail on ships with Danish crew and are on the so-called DIS arrangement. Furthermore, they have a work rhythm called four weeks out and four weeks home.
“Our tugboats are power machines with 5,000 horsepower that help ships safely in and out of the Danish and Swedish ports. The crews consist of three to five seafarers, so you work in relatively small teams. When you work and live so closely together, we make a virtue of building well-functioning teams that lift together and fit together socially. Some crews have worked together for many years, while others are completely new constellations,” adds Jonas Mehl Thorborg, who is Svitzer’s Crewing Manager in Scandinavia.
Values at the center
Most Danes are familiar with Mærsk’s value of timely diligence. As part of A.P. Møller Holding (which also owns A.P. Møller – Mærsk), Svitzer shares the same values as other Mærsk companies. They are not for show but for benefit.
“We actively use the values in everyday life to navigate by, ensuring that our decisions pull in a direction that supports our vision of being leading within the maritime service industry,” says Sonni Rix Laumann and continues:
“For example, ‘our employees’ is a core value. It’s about attracting and retaining the right employees. But it also means that we must create a motivating work environment where people enjoy coming to work and have fun together. To know what that entails, we need a culture with two-way communication. When you put all this together, it means in everyday life that we have a lot of dialogue between the seafarers and the office staff. We make a virtue of listening to each other, understanding concerns, and together finding sustainable solutions. That is why I say that Svitzer is a very value-laden company where presence is pervasive.”
You can read more about Svitzer at
