When Jens Lassen was still working for V. Ships, his boss told him his greatest strength lay in his steady handling of crisis situations. But in Lassen’s view that strength is not much to brag about. “The secret is to avoid crisis situations,” says the managing director of Shipowning in the Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group.
Jens Lassen is responsible for the day-to-day running of a fleet of 135 ships and barges “in the safest and most cost-efficient way possible,” as he puts it.
He has always had a commitment to the safety aspect, – all the way since he started his career in DNV 23 years ago. When he took the job at Stolt-Nielsen two years ago, he immediately introduced his safety commitment. His focus on safety is his answer to avoid crisis situations. Now he is once again working alongside his former DNV colleagues on an extensive three-year safety management project for Stolt-Nielsen, enabled and supported by DNV.
He says his stint of six years at DNV was a good start to his career. “I was lucky and allowed to design my own development and familiarisation programme,” he says.
Through DNV he gained more than just relevant experience. “I was involved in a large number of projects in a relatively short period of time. Also I got to know a lot of colleagues who are still useful friends and contacts, so I know which doors to knock when I need help,” he says.
A passion for safety
Now he has knocked on one of these doors because of his commitment to safety, for which there are many reasons.
“I have a personal passion for safety,” he says. “Firstly, I think we owe it to our employees to focus on safety by giving them the training and tools to be able to ensure their own safety. Secondly, our customers want and demand safety. And thirdly, it’s the cheapest and most cost-efficient way of running ships in the long term. Many people think differently. But if you do the total cost equation, that’s what you find out,” he says, continuing: “If you think accident prevention is expensive, you should try an accident.”
Thorough safety management meant bringing in DNV: “DNV adds a tremendous amount of value,” he explains. “They possess specialised knowledge which organisations like mine traditionally do not have. Typical questions they can answer are: ‘How do we measure safety?’ DNV has people who have done PhDs in this. They bring measurements and structure to the issue. They also have a lot of experience in change management and project management, which shipowners do not have, in my experience.”
He adds, “Besides, they have industry statistics and industry knowledge which are not readily available to us. And they are an independent third party and can give valuable guidance on issues such as project progress and measurements.”
He says that his company, and indeed the entire maritime industry, is moving towards improved safety and social responsibility. But the changes cannot come from the top down. As an example he mentions the Texas City Refinery fire in 2005, when 15 people were killed.
“It’s interesting to see the predicament of BP and Lord Browne,” he says. “The board of directors and senior management focused on safety and the environment, but the organisation was still not geared to this. This leads to major failures.”
Maritime revitalisation
According to Mr Lassen, there is something to learn from this: “In the shipping business we have a number of nationalities and cultures serving on our ships, and there’s room for improvement in safety standards worldwide. We operate complicated equipment, often in a hostile environment, which, from a management point of view, represents an enormous challenge.”
The maritime industry must revitalise itself. Mr Lassen compares it to other industries.
“The aviation industry is a young industry from which we have a lot to learn, particularly from its attitude to safety and operational excellence.”
He points out that the entire aviation industry is focused on accident prevention: “Their existence is absolutely dependent on safety, and ours should be too.”
Optimistic
However, Mr Lassen is very optimistic about the future of the maritime industry. The shipping business, particularly on the oil production and chemical side, is in a transitional phase that started in the 1990s and is continuously getting stronger.
“There is a much greater focus on corporate social responsibility including safety and environmental protection. I think this is overdue. It’s an incredible, interesting and challenging transition, and it’s a privilege to be a part of it,” says Mr Lassen.
As for his newfound role as a DNV customer, he is enjoying the experience: “I’ve tried to be a good customer, as far as I’m able, although I am rather demanding.”
Text: Kaia Means
Date: 2007-06-07