Go all out for the rest of the year with FIT4SEA

"The year is coming to an end, and now is the time for the final push. Give your training an extra boost so that you and your colleagues can really work up a sweat and compete for the great prizes," says health promotion consultant Anna T. Rasmussen from SEA HEALTH & WELFARE.

GO ALL OUT FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND WIN GREAT PRIZES WITH FIT4SEA!

The FIT4SEA competition ends at 00.00 on New Year's Eve. So now is the time to give it an extra push if you want to win the 2022 competition and beat all the other participants.

FIT4SEA is SEA HEALTH & WELFARE's annual sports competition where seafarers and ships in the Danish merchant fleet compete for the most kilometers and hours covered in a year in the disciplines of running, walking, cycling, cross-training, rowing, and weight training.

You can participate in as many of the above disciplines as you like. Both your training results on the ship and at home count towards the competition. Remember, there are big prizes at stake for first through fifth place in each discipline, as well as first through third place on the ships.

In addition, you will receive a nice FIT4SEA t-shirt when you complete 100 km or 4 hours in one of the disciplines. If you complete three disciplines, you will receive an additional prize. For every 25 km you complete, you will also earn tickets for the prize pool at the end of the year, where many cool prizes will be drawn.

Read more at shw.dk/fit4sea

BENT HAS BEEN GIVEN A QUIET GALLEY WITH A VIEW AND MORE SPACE

The galley of the newly built fisheries inspection ship NORDSØEN has been designed with an emphasis on good workflows, efficient equipment and the well-being of the ship's cooks.

By Kirstine Thye Skovhøj, journalist · Photos Hans Ravn

When Bent Borup Winkel, the ship's cook, stands in the galley of NORDSØEN, the newly built fisheries inspection ship, he has a view as far as the eye can see and he can follow his colleagues' movements on the ship. This was not possible on VESTKYSTEN, the old inspection ship, where the galley was located amidships. There, he could only just see the ocean surface through the high-positioned portholes.

"I get plenty of daylight in the new galley and can see all the way around – both from the galley and the pantry. From the pantry I also have direct access to the aft deck. I can also easily go out and get some fresh air. That's a huge bonus. I am the only one in the galley, so it is really nice to be able to follow what is going on aboard. I don't feel so confined and cut off anymore," says Bent Borup Winkel.

The galley is much larger than the one on VESTKYSTEN, and this also means that there is much more cleaning to do. "I just have to get used to it and make it part of my daily routine," says Bent Borup Winkel. He has been the ship's cook on VESTKYSTEN for two and a half years and, together with the rest of the crew, boarded the newly built NORDSØEN in August 2022. The crew consists of three crew teams, who are typically at sea for 10-12 days at a time.

Bent Borup Winkel has been on a trial voyage and has just returned from his first trip in normal service when SEA HEALTH & WELFARE visits the ship. It is the cook's job to serve all meals aboard and he is still getting to know the new galley.

"The ship is still so new, so some things need to be adjusted and adapted. It cannot be any different. We need to be exposed to different situations before we can see how things work in practice," says the ship's cook.

Breakfast and meals are served on a large side table in the mess room when the crew is having "build-your-own meal" such as burgers and hot dogs. Lunch and dinner are always served directly on the long dining table, from where the crew can enjoy the view.

Want more focus on a healthy diet at sea?

Get help from SEA HEALTH & WELFARE

A healthy diet promote well-being and good health – both physically and mentally – and are important components of a good working life at sea.

Contact health promotion consultant Anna Tofte Rasmussen for help and inspiration to:

• Develop a dietary policy that takes into account, for example, different cultures and religions • Create hygiene awareness and galley layout • Focus on a healthy and nutritious diet • Obtain food recipes and new dishes

Visit shw.dk/kost-og-ernaering to learn more.

During his first trial voyage, the weather was very rough, and it turned out that, among other things, the new dishwasher needed some adjustment.

"The trays with tableware hit the sides because the ship was rolling. The dishwasher lid was also knocked all the way open, allowing the trays to slide out and fall to the floor. Overall, the ship moves in a completely different way than the old VESTKYSTEN." A few tweaks to the dishwasher and some brackets to stop the trays have solved the problem.

Modern aids and better work conditions A waste room just around the corner, so that waste no longer has to be dragged from the bottom of the ship and up onto the deck in all weathers, is one of the new features on the ship that Bent Borup Winkel highlights. The pantry, located right next to the galley, houses three large refrigerators, three freezers, three cupboards for dry provisions and a cupboard for bowls and dishes.

"It's noticeable that I now have everything close at hand. I also no longer have to run to the forehold to find the peeled tomatoes. The same goes for our detergents, which we now keep in a cupboard close to where we use them."

In the pantry near the exit door to the aft deck a table is placed with a sink next to it – a so-called scullery. It's the cook's preferred workstation for preparing vegetables and cutting meat.

"Another new feature that will eventually facilitate workflow is having a provision crane aboard. This crane is brilliant because it means we can have goods delivered on pallets and then lift them directly onto the aft deck. From there, it's very easy to carry it into the pantry," he says, continuing:

"Things are more modern in the new galley. For example, we also have an oven that automatically dispenses two types of soap during cleaning. It's a real advantage that I don't have to fiddle with strong oven cleaners."

The natural inflow of light and the efficient halogen spots in the ceiling also help to create a better working environment, but seen through the eyes of the ship's cook, the biggest and best change on the new ship is that it is so quiet and calm. Literally.

"There's no noise or shuddering, so I don't feel the vibrations up through my legs like I did on the old ship. This ship is so quiet that it's hard to tell if we're in port or sailing – unless, of course, the sea is rough. My legs feel less tired in the evening and I'm much less tired in my head. There was really a lot of noise in the old vessel."

Three tips from the ship's cook

When ship's cook Bent Borup Winkel plans the menu and prepares the meals, it is important for him that the food is healthy and tasty.

1. TOP UP WITH VEGETABLES

Use more vegetables than meat in stews, bolognese and the like. It keeps meat consumption down, it's healthy, and it's far more interesting and tastier to serve, for example, meat filling for tortillas with lots of vegetables than it is to serve boiled carrots on the side.

2. BE CREATIVE AND AVOID FOOD WASTE

Vary the way you make classic dishes by using what needs to be used. For example, blend lots of vegetables into the tomato soup, top up the classic chicken soup with kale and vegetables or invent an entirely new dish with what needs to be used.

3. SERVE SLICED FRUIT

Fruit that is sliced e.g. apples, pears, and melon is much more tempting than a bowl of whole pieces of fruit. Serve sliced fruit for all breaks and diced fruit for breakfast to sprinkle on yoghurt or skyr.

Source: Bent Borup Winkel

The stove can be raised and lowered to suit the height of the cook and the height of the pots in use.

Head of maintenance Poul Grupe in the engine room, showing the double elastic suspension of the engines. On the ship there is a battery pack in a special battery room. The battery pack is charged by the surplus power production that occurs when the ship is sailing. The photo shows Stefan Schmidt, 2nd engineer.

A quantum leap towards a better work environment

The crew of NORDSØEN has settled into a brand new workplace, where reduced noise and vibrations contribute to a healthier work environment.

By Kirstine Thye Skovhøj, journalist · Photos Hans Ravn

Sleeping aboard has improved and work life at sea has become considerably quieter after the Danish Fisheries Agency took a brand new inspection ship into service. So says Poul Grupe, head of maintenance on the newly built NORDSØEN. A modern and customised ship built to the highest standards to carry out voyages primarily in the North Sea and Skagerrak.

"The ship is built with good materials and to the highest standards. A lot has been done to reduce noise - especially from the engine," Poul Grupe explains:

"It's a hybrid ship that has a battery pack that allows us to run on pure battery power when the batteries have been charged by the diesel generators or using shore accommodation part of the ship or in the engine."

Poul Grupe and his colleagues experience the reduced noise and vibration as a huge improvement in everyday life. In the engine room in particular, everything has been done to limit noise and the ship is insulated so that the sound does not travel around the ship. The ship's high comfort level is due in part to double rubber-suspended engines and extra insulation in the decks and bulkheads.

"Almost everything in the machine is suspended on rubber blocks. This means, among other things, that there is rubber both under the engine and under the frame on which the engine stands in the engine room," says Poul Grupe.

power when possible. It reduces the noise enormously. People can get a good night's sleep and we don't have hellish noise in the

A lot of new work ” routines have to be established when you settle into a brand new workplace. Throughout the development project we established work groups in which all crew professions were represented. ”

The ship must be able to go on sea voyages for 20 days at a time, which means that it will never be possible to sail solely on silent battery power.

"We use diesel on board as battery power alone is not sufficient. At times we lie idle for many hours a day doing boarding operations and fisheries inspection. In those situations, we can run purely on battery power instead of using the diesel engine."

Poul Grupe has been employed by the Danish Fisheries Agency for 30 years and has been deeply involved in the project of constructing a new inspection ship.

The new vessel will be in service for the next 35 years, and therefore everything technically possible has been done to create a modern ship with good facilities.

"It has been built to the highest standards. This ship represents a quantum leap compared to where we came from.

Especially in terms of noise. We spend so much of our work lives here. It's not an 8-4 job where we can go home and lie in our own bed and have peace and quiet. During one third of the year the ship is our home, and that's often in very rough weather. I'm about to have spent 10 years of my life on the Fisheries Agency's ships," Poul Grupe says and continues: "You can compare our new vessel to one of these state-of-the-art cruise ships, which are incredibly quiet to be on and which are almost noiseless, enabling them to sail very close to whales, for example."

NORDSØEN is a full 15 metres longer than VESTKYSTEN, the former inspection ship, and stabilisers have been installed to make it significantly easier to conduct operations and rescue expeditions in rough and bad weather.

There are three internal combustion engines onboard. The AC system, which can also function as a heat pump, ensures heating of the accommodation when the ship is in 100% electric mode.

"It is a win-win situation when new technologies and innovative ship design are considered together with the requirements of the environment in which the crew will work," says Torsten Mathias Augustsen, technical manager at SEA HEALTH & WELFARE. He stresses that it is positive if this approach spreads to other new vessels.

"The good work environment in ships starts long before the crew even boards. In carrying out the design requirements for building a ship, it is possible to incorporate solutions that address many different aspects that contribute to creating a good work environment for the crew."

SEA HEALTH & WELFARE offers advice on all aspects of crew welfare. This includes legislation, design requirements as well as requirements for training, equipment and procedures, and advice on the challenges experienced when operating Danish merchant ships.

Stefan Schmidt, 2nd engineer (left) and AB Rune Arnbjørn (right).

A good work environment benefits everyone

The NORDSØEN, a newly built fisheries inspection ship, is a textbook example of how the well-being and health of seafarers is taken into account in every detail, says SEA HEALTH & WELFARE.

Torsten Mathias Augustsen, SEA HEALTH & WELFARE

See more at shw.dk