“Even as a little girl, I knew I wanted to go to sea. My father worked in inland shipping and as a child of Zeeland, I saw plenty of seagoing vessels. After listening to a sales pitch by the Maritime Academy, I was sure: life at sea was the life for me.

Learn a lot

I started working for Wagenborg as a trainee. We travelled from Rotterdam to Svalbard, Canada, Brazil, Finland, Algeria and Spain before returning home. I learned a lot and saw a lot, the crew was nice and the work was pleasant. In short, I enjoyed myself and I wanted to work for Wagenborg. I was hired in 2015.

Variety is fantastic
I do sometimes find it frustrating to be stuck on a ship, of course, and it can be inconvenient to be away from home for so long, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Loading operations in ports, navigating busy waterways, deck maintenance during an ocean crossing: the variety is fantastic, and so is the travel. It’s amazing to board in Canada with ice all around the ship and then two weeks later to be wearing shorts in the Gulf of Mexico.”