18 November 2021
Augustin VANDENHOVE
Interview
Augustin VANDENHOVE, Offshore Solution Manager – LDA
1) Could you summarise your career path and present your current position? If you have evolved within LDA, could you please specify it?
I grew up not far from Dunkerque and the seafaring profession seemed to be an obvious choice.
I started sailing on the bulk carrier Pierre LD in 2009 as a student and, from 2011, on the cable ships as a deck officer, cable officer and sometimes subsea pilot. I was then lucky enough to take charge of the end of the construction of the daughter craft Speed of Change built in La Ciotat, with which I then sailed for a few months around the islands of Port-Cros and Levant. This experience enabled me to become second captain and I therefore returned to the cable ships.
In 2020, I accepted a position on land to work hand in hand with our client ASN. It is a very interesting and rewarding experience that will end in 2022. I will then start sailing again.
2) What do you particularly like about your job?
The job of a sailor is not for everyone, it is a rhythm of life that has a big impact on the sailor and his family, we are on land for a few months and are completely available then we are not there at all, and often not easily reachable. I really like this rhythm, I appreciate the fact that I have a task to do in a given time and then I can manage my time as I wish. Fortunately, this rhythm also suits my family, who appreciate my availability when I am on holiday.
During this onshore experience, it is totally different, I am available much more regularly but much less often. This allows me to plan events on a long-term basis. As a previous contributor said, during our time at headquarters we have time to enjoy the seasons. I smiled a little when he told me that. A year later, I have come to realise the full extent of this sentence.
3) About your job: would you have an anecdote or an important fact to share?
At sea, there is a lot: an arrival in Sydney, the northern lights, the Atlantic swell that more or less rocks the crew for a few weeks, but also the encounters with all these people around the world who are often happy to receive us and share with us.
On land, the discovery of teleworking, one month after arriving, was not an easy experience but I found my feet.
4) What is your motto ?
A ship that stays in port is not in danger but is not going anywhere.