42
A CAREER IN STORAGE MEMOIR • KEITH JACKSON, RECENTLY RETIRED FROM HIS ROLE AS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR AT INTER TERMINALS, LOOKS BACK OVER A NEAR 34-YEAR CAREER IN THE TANK STORAGE INDUSTRY
MY INTRODUCTION TO the world of bulk liquid storage was when I was in the British Merchant Navy and sailing the world in various tankers. During my eleven years’ service my primary duties as navigator were regularly interspersed with operating the cargo systems and maintaining deck
in the early 1980s. Having spent a sleepdeprived week discharging vegetable oils in Vlaardingen before sailing a stormy North Sea in ballast to Teesside, we arrived at Simon’s Seal Sands terminal to load caustic soda. At that stage I didn’t appreciate the challenge of operating a loading terminal.
and Marketing with a day-release option, which was just as well because shortly after I spotted a vacancy for a trainee manager for Simon Storage at Seal Sands. I applied, got the job and that was the start of my career with Simon Storage, latterly Inter Terminals.
equipment, as well as managing the deck crew after becoming Chief Officer on chemical carriers. On reflection this was excellent training for what was to become my career of nearly 34 years. My first real encounter with what was then Simon Storage was from a chemical tanker
All I thought they had to do was get the product into my cargo tanks - how wrong was I! Following redundancy from the Merchant Navy aged 30, I sought to equip myself for a shore-based career. This led me to enrol on post-graduate diplomas in both Management
TOMORROW’S WORLD In my early years with Simon Storage I was introduced to the different facets of the business and in 1988 was asked to compile a paper on what the 21st century terminal would look like. I still have a copy and it’s interesting to reflect on how much
HCB MONTHLY | SEPTEMBER 2020
