Conversation with Lewis Wedderburn-Scott – Mate soon to be Master
Lewis was interested from a young age in exploring the chance of working on ships and travelling around the world – and having successfully developed his career off-shore he hopes soon to be able to take full responsibility on the bridge as Master
“When I was at High School I was looking into careers that interested me and I could follow, and working on ships really jumped out at me. With that career I could get to travel a lot and at somebody else’s expense – and I would get to operate big pieces of machinery too. And I wanted to put things I had learned at school to work for me. Like maths, where for many it doesn’t seem to have any obvious application, but for me I could put what I learned to work on ships.”
“I really enjoyed putting what I was being taught into actual practice when on sea training.”
“As a cadet in college at Plymouth University I really enjoyed putting what I was being taught into actual practice when on sea training. At college we would for example put the operation of radars through simulations where you needed to use specific frequencies to pick up on what you wanted to identify. I found that really interesting.”
“It was stimulating studying with the other cadets as we would study together. So as we approached our final exams we would work together using flip cards to ask questions of each other. That way we could compile really good answers to questions we’d be asked in our oral exams.”
“My sponsor company operated container ships which gave me the opportunity to travel all around Europe and into the Middle East and around Asia. Not only would you experience different cultures but also got to see first-hand the different types of operations that varied quite a lot and how things are communicated with different types of traffic. And with the container ships you didn’t go to the popular tourist destinations and had the opportunity to experience the real Asia.”
“At Ningbo in China it was like someone had banged at the sky making all the stars fall off!”
“I moved on to work on luxury cruise ships where I got to visit mainstream destinations. Singapore is very interesting, and in Papua New Guinea where there are volcanoes you got to see them close to, including Ureparapara Island where you can navigate inside a dormant volcano! And it was exciting to hear over the PA announcements at Tavanipupu saying we were having to travel carefully as the larvae was coming up from underneath the water and so the depth kept changing making it more shallow. And at Ningbo in China it was like someone had banged at the sky making all the stars fall off as the radar was absolutely covered with hundreds of fishing boats!”
“I’ve worked on lots of different vessel sizes. The second container ship I was on was just shy of 400 metres in length and it carried 16,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalents) which was pretty much 16,000 containers! And sailing into Southampton with the port pilots on a ship of that size was exciting as the level of precision had to be very high with little margin for error.”
“It’s lovely getting to meet all of the locals travelling with us.”
“Out of choice I am now working as Mate on a passenger ferry up in Shetland as I wanted to try something different after six years on the bridge of cruise ships. So down in size from a 200m cruise vessel to 32m for the passenger ferry! And it’s lovely getting to meet all of the locals travelling with us. I’m studying to be Master at the moment and will move on to captaining other vessels in the future.”
“The support I got from SSTG as a cadet was above and beyond”
“The support I got from SSTG as a cadet was above and beyond. The cadet manager Steve Abrahart went out of his way to help me qualify to study at Plymouth University and which enabled me to go on and get my Mates and move on to Masters. And my Training Officer Beverley Edwards was so on the ball. Every question and query I had she answered and she helped with filling out visas and doing administration with training record books. And she would take the trouble to travel down to the university to see personally how us SSTG cadets were getting on. This one-to-one approach was so helpful. And she was always available on the phone to help solve any problems you might be having. That was great support.”
Start Your Career
Our experienced team of recruitment and training officers can provide you with help and guidance on roles and vacancies – and support in applying for sponsorship.
Boston Putford Offshore Safety Ltd
Operates standby support vessels.
Careers at sea with Boston Putford Offshore Safety Ltd.
Based:
Lowestoft, Suffolk.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of Support Vessels in both the North Sea and other areas providing Emergency Response, Supply and Underwater Exploration/Construction services for the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry.
Ship Types Operated:
Standby
Company website:
www.bostonputford.com
Britannia Aggregates Ltd
Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.
Train as a deck cadet with Britannia Aggregates Ltd.
Based:
Northfleet, Kent.
Profile:
Operates a Marine Aggregate Dredger engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.
Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels
Company website:
www.brett.co.uk
CEMEX Marine Ltd
Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.
CEMEX, an SSTG Member for 10 years.
Based:
Southampton, Hampshire.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of Marine Aggregate Dredgers engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.
Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels
Company website:
www.cemex.co.uk
CMA-CGM Ltd
Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.
.
Based:
London, UK.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of container vessels on worldwide routes transporting a wide variety of cargoes.
Ship Types Operated:
Container
Company website:
www.cma-cgm.com
Alcedo Shipping Ltd
Operates bulk carriers worldwide.
Alcedo Shipping Ltd.
Based:
London.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of Bulk Carriers on worldwide routes transporting a wide variety of cargoes.
Ship Types Operated:
Bulk Carriers
Company website:
https://www.alcedoshipping.co.uk
Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd
Operates container vessels for cargo transportation.
Deck Cadet Training with Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd.
Based:
London.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of container vessels on worldwide routes transporting a wide variety of cargoes.
Ship Types Operated:
Container
Company website:
www.evergreen-marine.co.uk
Gardline Ltd
Operates survey and research vessels.
Deck and engineer cadet training with Gardline Ltd.
Based:
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Profile:
Best in class provider of Marine Geophysical, Geotechnical and Environmental Surveys.
Ship Types Operated:
Survey
Company website:
www.gardline.com
Global Marine Systems Ltd
Operates surface and sub-sea vessels for installation and maintenance of submarine cables.
Seafarer officer training with Global Marine Systems Ltd.
Based:
Chelmsford, Essex.
Profile:
Global Marine Systems Limited, an independent marine engineering company, has been in business for well over 150 years and continues to be the pre-eminent provider of submarine cable installation and maintenance services in the world. Operating the world's largest fleet of cable ships and sub-sea vehicles, it is a market leader in marine cable installation and maintenance for telecommunications, as well as scientific research, oil, gas, utilities and the renewable energy sector. Global Marine is headquartered in the United Kingdom with regional offices in the United States and Asia.
Ship Types Operated:
Cable Repair
Company website:
www.globalmarine.group
Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd
Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.
Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd, an SSTG Member for 10 years.
Based:
Southampton, Hampshire.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of Marine Aggregate Dredgers engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.
Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels
Company website:
www.heidelbergcement.com
John H. Whitaker (Holdings) Ltd
Operates oil tankers.
Careers at Sea with John H. Whitaker (Tankers) Ltd.
Based:
Hull, North Humberside.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of oil tankers in the European area transporting fuel and oil products for ships and storage depots.
Ship Types Operated:
Tankers
Company website:
www.whitakertankers.com
Saga Shipping Ltd
Operates cruise ships.
Saga Shipping Ltd, an SSTG Member Company for 15 years.
Based:
Folkestone, Kent.
Profile:
This company operates the following types of vessel. Click on vessel for more information:
Ship Types Operated:
Cruise
Company website:
www.saga.co.uk
Tarmac Marine Ltd
Operates aggregate mining vessels extracting sand and gravel.
Tarmac Marine Ltd, trains Deck and Engineer Cadet with SSTG.
Based:
Chichester, West Sussex.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of Marine Aggregate Dredgers engaged in the mining of sand and gravel from the sea bed in licensed areas of the open sea around the UK & the Continent of Europe for delivery to UK and other European ports.
Ship Types Operated:
Aggregate Mining Vessels
Company website:
www.tarmac.com
North Star Shipping (Aberdeen) Ltd
Operates support vessels for offshore oil and gas exploration.
North Star Shipping (Aberdeen) Ltd, an SSTG Member for 10 years.
Based:
Aberdeen.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of support vessels in both the North Sea and other areas providing emergency response, supply and underwater exploration / construction services for the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry.
Ship Types Operated:
Standby
Company website:
www.northstarshipping.co.uk
P & O Ferries Ltd
Operates vehicle and passenger ferries.
P & O Ferries Ltd, trains Merchant Navy Seafarers with SSTG.
Based:
Dover, Kent.
Profile:
Operates a fleet of large Roll-on Roll-off Vessels between the UK and ports in Europe transporting passengers, their cars, and freight vehicles.
Ship Types Operated:
Ferries
Company website:
www.poferries.com
Seajacks UK Ltd.
Operates specialist jack-up vessels for offshore wind industry.
Seajacks UK Ltd, trains Merchant Navy seafarers with SSTG.
Based:
Great Yarmouth, UK.
Profile:
Seajacks UK are an East Anglian based offshore installation company committed to building the world’s most advanced and versatile fleet of self-propelled jack-up vessels equipped to service the demands of the offshore wind industry. Our on and offshore crews work in full conjunction with all of our clients, looking to provide the most cost-effective solutions in the safest environments possible.
Seajacks has a fleet of 5 GustoMSC designed vessels, all capable of installing and maintaining offshore wind farms in harsh conditions. Seajacks fleet includes; Seajacks Kraken, Seajacks Leviathan, Seajacks Hydra, Seajacks Zaratan and Seajacks Scylla.
Seajacks utilise DP2 positioning for fast and efficient rig moves, with no need for tugs means there is year round operating ability in the harsh conditions of the Southern North Sea. The DP2 systems make all of the vessels fully capable of driving their four legs into the seabed, providing them with a steady platform and ensuring they remain uncompromised by the conditions of the sea below.
Seajacks Scylla is equipped with a 1500t leg-encircling crane, incorporate useable deck space of up to 5000m², and has 8000t of available variable load. Sailing at speeds of 12 knots or over, Scylla is outfitted with 105m long legs that have the ability to install components in water depths of up to 65m.
Ship Types Operated:
Jack-up
Company website:
www.seajacks.com
CldN RoRo Ltd.
Operates freight vessels for Irish Sea crossings.
CldN RoRo Ltd, trains ETO Officer cadets with SSTG.
Based:
Heysham, Lancashire.
Profile:
As a UK cadet you will complete your sea service whilst under training on the UK based vessels serving between the UK and Ireland. The company has a fleet of modern vessels concentrating on the freight market.
Ship Types Operated:
Ferries
Company website:
www.cldn.com
WISTA International
Based:
Profile:
International networking organisation whose mission is to attract and support women, at the management level.
WISTA are pleased to announce a joint venture initiative with the Maritime Educational Foundation for the sponsorship of up to three candidates to train and qualify as Merchant Navy Officers commencing in September 2024.
The training will involve studying at one of the specialist nautical colleges in the UK, and completing sea service on a range of ship types. The training will follow one of the established programmes and lead to a degree level-based qualification in addition to all the necessary professional training.
The available sponsorship will include all tuition fees paid, the cost of training at sea and a generous allowance paid throughout the training.
Successful candidates will need to support the aims and objectives of WISTA Intentional. Attendance at a small number of WISTA events interspersed throughout the training will be required to promote this initiative to the current membership and assist in the promotion that this opportunity will provide candidates in future years.
Interested candidates should apply here at SSTG in the first instance quoting WISTA as your choice of sponsor.
Company website:
www.wistainternational.com
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E-mail: recruitment@sstg.org
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