On a September morning in Helsinki, our representative climbs the crystal-encrusted steps of the MSC Meraviglia, a 300-metre cruise ship, to greet the captain. A colleague in Imatra clambers up a rope ladder to the 80-metre RMS Saimaa dry cargo ship with the same aim in mind. The third correspondent oversees the Crownbreeze vessel as it loads sawn timber destined for the UK and a fourth is in Naantali to see the Mastera tanker unload a shipment of crude oil.
C & C Port Agency Finland is a team of 20 experienced professionals. We welcome our ships in every seaport in Finland and on the inland waters of Lake Saimaa. We offer the captain our help as soon as the ropes have been knotted around the berth.
The greeting also means that the captain can relax having completed the sea crossing, handing over responsibilities to the agent who, under the high-vis jacket, turns out to be a courier, tour guide, interpreter, lawyer or even, if necessary, a therapist.
Those prone to sarcasm may say that the ship’s agent is a specialist who does not need any particular competencies as long as they are able to sort everything out. Of course, we should not exaggerate: eventually, we will come across something we cannot do.
Text Kimmo Kuukka
