THINK BLUE AND GO SEA

Andromachi Demetriou 2nd Officer, Stena Line ApS

I was almost “born” on a cruise ship since my mother has worked for a Greek cruise ship Company for the last 27 years. For as far as I can remember, all of my early memories have come from cruise ships rather than a normal kindergarten.

I was always fascinated by life on board, so when I turned 18, I enrolled in the Aspropyrgos Public Merchant Maritime Academy in Greece. After successfully completing the first semester of university, I embarked on my first cruise ship, sailing primarily in the North Baltic Sea and Scandinavian countries.

Despite the challenges I was facing as a young woman on board, I felt for the first time in my life that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. That feeling kept motivating me and kept me doing what I was assigned to do.

Aside from the knowledge that my education and experience provided me, the most important thing that I have learnt is human behaviour, namely how to work and cooperate with people of different nationalities in such a small environment.

The most challenging aspect of the job is eating, and dealing with people of different religions, nationalities, colours, and mentalities. When you realise you have to live with certain people, you begin to understand that there are far bigger things beyond yourself. During the years 2018-19, while graduating, I worked as a ‘Personal Assistant’ to the CEO at an office ashore in a German-Austrian shipping company that owned cargo ships. However, by 2020, I was back working on cruise ships as a second officer, but owing to the pandemic, I had to change sectors in the industry.

There's an old Greek saying that goes,

"If you don't follow the signs of your life, your life will follow the signs. " And keeping that phrase in mind, I was hired as a 2/O by Stena Line, a company that operates roro-passenger ships that connects Europe. Here, I am given more responsibilities than I have ever had before, which makes me feel extremely grateful to be a part of the shipping profession.

During my career, I have served as the General Secretary of Cyprus Marine Club. I have also represented the Hellenic Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy at the Poseidonia Exhibition and participated in a Nautical Institute panel.

My vision for the future is to serve the shipping industry from a different point of view and to “Sea the change”!