7 minute read
Acting as a linking pin
Peter Cherneski, Operations Manager at N-Sea.
Peter Cherneski, OPeratiOns Manager at n-sea
For many people in the industry, n-sea is knOwn fOr diving serviCes. hOwever, aCCOrding tO Peter Cherneski, whO jOined the company in august last year as Operations Manager, this is only part of the truth, as the company has much more to offer. he is eager to refute this inaccuracy, educate, and expand the truth.
All photos courtesy oF limit FotograFie unless stated Otherwise.
The basis of n-sea lies in the noordhoek diving company that was founded in 1957. the company made a fresh start in 2011 as n-sea, after some stressful months aiming at a further expansion of activities. mr cherneski elaborates, “n-sea originates from a company that for many years had a good reputation in inshore and offshore diving services, but throughout the years we have developed ourselves into a integrated subsea service provider. since mid-last year and the change of management, a new bright future is now on the horizon. today, we offer a wide range of survey and iMr services to civil and offshore contracting communities and the energy sector, focusing on the international oil & gas and renewable industry.” for mr cherneski, this incomplete image is not strange. “Many customers of the past have made use of our diving and survey expertise
and over the years they thought of us as a diving or survey company. it is one of our main goals for the upcoming years to change this perspective.”
We listen and then deliver in july 2019, n-sea made an organisational change with the appointment of arno van Poppel as Chief executive. Mr Cherneski soon followed him and left his former employer Boskalis, solutions, and prior to this, subsea Cables & flexibles. “with Mr van Poppel entering n-sea,” mr cherneski says, “the company has made a major new step in its development that i would like to describe as ‘we listen and then deliver’. instead of an asset-based organisation, we are more and more solution-driven, working with a customeroriented focus. together with our clients, we search for the best combination of our >>
extensive skills, tools, and expertise to solve their problems. we are an integrated solutions company. we are aiming at new markets with this approach, , but of course we also take care of our existing customers, even the ones we did business with a long time ago, as they should all become aware of the fact that we can do more than they might be aware of.” telling the market about the various services n-sea has to offer sounds easy, but this is not always the case for Mr Cherneski. “strict tender procedures are becoming increasingly common use in our market. this results in a high level of normalising and standardising of business proposals. as a result of this, it is not always possible to explain all we have to offer.”
Opportunities throughout the years, n-sea has built up a long list of references in the offshore industry, offering services in the field of survey & data management, inspection, maintenance & repair (iMr), construction & installation, diving & rOv services, and uXO management. the oil & gas industry remains important although, according to mr cherneski, the renewables market is offering ample opportunities too, especially in iMr services for subsea cables and in uXO. he explains, “within the rapid growth of the upcoming offshore wind market, cables are more or less overlooked, which is unjust as they are a vulnerable and crucial element for the transport of the generated electricity, as well as for the throughput of data. this is why regular inspection of the cables is important. apart from this, a lot of explosive material from world war ii still lies undiscovered alongside the coastline of most north sea countries. Before the construction of windfarms and cable infrastructure can start, a careful uXO survey is thus necessary. luckily, with the energy transition, the offshore market is picking up again, and the oil & gas industry is also recovering. new opportunities are waiting for us, for example in the detection, identification, clearance, and removal of chemicals. Challenges also exist, such as the growing importance of it and artificial intelligence. with this in mind, we invested in a new upgraded data centre for the processing, interpretation, reporting, and storing of encoded data that has been collected. in addition to the delivery of concise and clear reports, we can provide our customers with valuable information during the commercial and operational phases of a project. this will help them to optimise their processes.”
Avoid to overpromise although n-sea has a lot of knowledge, skills, and equipment at hand, mr cherneski states that the company is not afraid to look for help and partners. he explains, “Our goal has always been to come up with an integrated solution that best matches our customers’ demands. in doing so, we always avoid to overpromise and if we do not have the capability ourselves, we look for someone else to join. Only the right team with the right partners will enable you to act most powerfully.” for this, n-sea has built up a strong relationship with many experienced and trustworthy partners, including BOdaC. “BOdaC,” voices Mr Cherneski, “is a leading uXO risk mitigation company, certified in uXO surveying, identification and neutralising explosives in the marine environment. after working closely together for several years, we formed a joint company with them in 2016 and recently, it has even been decided to re-brand the jv as independent entity uXOcontrol.”
Names and numbers “n-sea has a long history,” comments mr cherneski, “and we are not the same company anymore as we are constantly developing ourselves. it is important to keep
the goods things, though we should not forget to give room for new perspectives as this will keep us ahead in our league. although we have grown as an organisation throughout the years, we still consider ourselves a relatively small company. this reflects in the fact that we all know each other’s names and numbers. we can still act fast and flexibly towards market demands and we place a lot of value on strong partnership with our partners, both on the customer and the supplier side.” n-sea might have expanded its services over the years, but one thing always remained the same: a continuous focus on safety. Mr Cherneski continues, “working offshore, especially subsea, obviously requires a high sense of safety. in this respect, we keep telling our people to work hard, but to come home safely. this may sound logical, but one cannot afford to be careless in harsh and hazardous circumstances at sea, so it is very important to keep on reminding our team to work both safely and securely. this attitude has giving us a good reputation, both among our staff and customers, as well as with insurance companies.”
Linking pin Mr Cherneski has been active in the offshore industry for decades, with
experience both in bigger and smaller organisations all over the world. he acknowledges that both types of companies have their pros and cons. “One of the most important advantages of bigger companies is the availability of ample financial means. But this does not always imply that it is easy to innovate, as it is often hard to change the direction of a larger company. smaller companies are much more flexible and eager to change when opportunities arise. Because of the smaller size of the organisation, it is also easier to see each other’s qualities. in our industry, a lot of work takes place at sea and there is always a risk of an undesirable distance between offshore and onshore staff. we should not forget that most offshore work can only take place with the help of people at the office. they, for example, look for business opportunities, they make the necessary preparations, and they keep the process going. i have always preferred to work as a kind of linking pin between offshore and onshore activities to eliminate this distance and at n-sea, i can fully act in this role. so far, this gives me a lot of pleasure and spirit.”
i. n-sea.com
