A sense of freedom and fellowship

“My name is Arne. I am 44 years old, and I come from Estonia. I’m the captain and owner of the ship MV MISTRAL. I’ve always had an interest in the maritime trade, and I’m always looking for adventure. Owning your own vessel gives you more personal freedom. You choose what you want to do, and no one gives you orders or bosses you around. Earlier on, when I sailed as captain for other companies, I didn’t always feel like I was being treated fairly. Working for others, you have to fit into their mindset, but when you own your own ship, you can follow your own compass. This gives me a sense of freedom. I work for 2-3 months followed by 2-3 months at home, but as the owner of the ship, I must be constantly available. Since it’s a small vessel, my second captain takes over all my duties when I’m not on board. As captain, he is also responsible for all safety matters. Naturally, I’m always available on the phone, and I have my contacts and documentation available on my computer at all times. So when I’m home, things usually run smoothly without me. I have an external shipping company that takes care of the cargo, so all I need to do is follow the ship’s operations from the sideline.

Seafarer since 1993

I enjoy being captain. I feel at home in our village in Estonia, and I have no plans of moving. I’m married and have a daughter who is five. I’ve sailed since 1993, and in 1997 I got my first maritime certificate. That year I also started at the maritime academy. I then found hire as mate on a coast guard vessel, and later I switched to an anti-pollution vessel.

Keeping the crew happy

As captain I’m responsible for everything, but a central part of my job is to make sure that the crew is thriving. My strategy is not just to push them like many others do. I always try to be friendly towards my crew to avoid conflicts and make sure that we can overcome challenges together when we need to. We all respect each other, and we all know our responsibilities. We aren’t all best friends, but we are co-workers, so we treat each other with kindness. We also keep a proper tone on board. We never yell at each other, and in that way we keep our motivation and moral high. This means a lot to me.

Challenges

The worst part of life at sea is to be away from your loved ones. But for me it has become easier over time. Most of the time, I have a steady online connection, so I can do video calls every day. This makes a huge difference compared to the early days before the internet. Using a phone was expensive back then, but now the money is not an issue, and the modern technology makes the distance bearable. When I’m home, I can be with my family all the time, and that really works well for me!”

The crew on board MV MISTRAL is a mix of nationalities and this suits Arne, the captain, well.