Burcu Tekmen, Oceangoing Chief Officer – Turkey

I have been in the maritime industry for the past 9 years and I am currently an Oceangoing chief officer. My daily responsibilities include, Cargo operations: berthing and unberthing, manoeuvring, during port stay loading and disc operations cargo and ballast, daily deck job/deck maintenance planning and manage the crew, do some paper work and documentation as per company management system

What I enjoy most about my job is loading and discharging and planning and operations. I love playing the vessel and lining up for operations always keeps my mind fresh. When new cargo is fixed, I am always looking for new information. Learning new things is the most enjoyable part for me.

I have faced gender based challenges in this job. When I first started, lots of companies did not hire or support women and I tried to handle this by increasing my job knowledge so that I was more of an asset to companies. I believe that more knowledge means more respect in my job. In order to increase my job knowledge I always follow new information and always keep updated with my routine. Following and searching, learning new things and never stopping are my key secrets to finding a job in a difficult job market.

My advice to other female seafarers is to always seek to improve yourselves and be brave. The seafaring industry is another world, and you need to be aware of dangerous people in the industry.

Burcu Tekmen, Oceangoing Chief Officer – Turkey