Alexandros Kaymenakis

Moved between the design office in Shanghai and the Shipyard in Taizhou, but primarily spent time in the shipyard. The new buildings from the previous year were still progressing, so daily inspections continued. These inspections were now more complex, going from primarily weld inspections the previous year to now including machinery inspections, sandblasting and painting inspections and pipe pressure tests. Testing of various systems on board that were now ready to test. These experiences helped further my practical knowledge of engineering adding to my theoretical knowledge of these tests obtained in university.

Spent time in the refinery again where I was tasked with daily inspections of machinery including pumps, boilers, generators and separators. The company had also began the construction of a major tank farm which I regularly visited to inspect the progress as well as pipe plans. This project showed me the details relating to the storage of various types of oil at such a massive scale, highlighting the differences associated with the storage of heavier products such as heavy fuel oil compared to lighter products such as kerosene.

Worked on the maintenance and classification society change of a vessel in Port Khalid. The ship had already completed a dry docking where major hull works and main engine overhauling were completed, so focus was now on the auxiliary machinery, deck works, safety inspections and inspections associated with the change of classification society. I was tasked with finding and compiling key documents and certificates needed for the class change, and also was tasked with inspections relating to safety equipment, the ballast tanks and the cargo tanks of the ship

During this month in China, the time went from being spent in the design office the previous year to being spent primarily in the shipyard. The ships designed the previous summer had entered the building stage and so daily jobs included meetings between the company and the shipyard to discuss daily goals, inspections of blocks after weldings had been completed. There were also many visits to factories and offices of companies providing machinery and other equipment required on board. These experiences all helped show me the importance of being able to communicate and plan effectively as well as teach me some negotiation skills which were used to finalise prices and other contractual details.

Worked alongside engineers in an oil refinery both in the control room as well as on site in the machinery areas. Tasks changed daily but included maintenance of boilers, generators and pumps. Also helped with inspections relating to the refining column as well as tank feedstock switches. Aside from learning technical specific details, this internship taught me the importance of a completely different field to what I was used to, which is essential to the shipping industry among many others.

Worked with skilled and experienced naval architects who were in the process of designing new ships. The ships included oil tankers of various sizes (80,000 dwt and 50,000 dwt), a 50m offshore supply vessel, and a 55m super yacht. This internship helped me further my existing knowledge on certain design softwares, while also helping me learn about a few new ones.

During this internship, I spent more time with the technical, safety and purchasing departments of the company. The daily meetings and operations helped me further my technical knowledge as well as learning how these departments work together to ensure proper ship operations are carried out. I studied the company safety management system (SMS) as well to understand the importance of safety on board ships and what common procedures are included.

Worked primarily in the office with occasional visits to vessels for inspections. Participated in daily meetings usually regarding plans for the day with some meetings being with other companies. Shadowed primarily the operations department, which helped further my knowledge of trading and all the complicated logistics associated with ship operations.

Worked as an Assistant superintendent during the dry docking of a VLCC. I helped oversee the overhauling of machinery, day to day jobs, sandblasting and painting of hull. The ship was also undergoing a change of classification society which helped me learn about the inspections related to this change.