When MarineTraffic was asked whether anyone in its UK office would be interested in supporting this year’s Seafarers Awareness Week, Key Account Manager Ricky Nilsson answered the call.
For those unaware of the cause, Seafarers Awareness Week is a nationwide initiative organised each year by Seafarers UK to raise awareness of the importance of maritime to the UK economy. This year the focus was on promoting UK maritime employment opportunities. Ricky sat down with the Oxford Times and Seafarers UK to discuss all things MarineTraffic and how he found his path to maritime.
S UK*: How long have you worked in the Maritime industry?
RN**: When I joined MarineTraffic in 2015 it was my first role in the industry. I’ll admit, before working for MarineTraffic, I had no idea how big and important the maritime industry was to both the British and the global economy.
S UK: What is MarineTraffic?
RN: In short, MarineTraffic is a fast-growing, Athens headquartered technology company that allows businesses and ordinary members of the public to track the world’s ships. Our web service tracks 163,000 vessels a day and is used by 6 million visitors every month.
S UK: What does your role at MarineTraffic involve?
RN: My primary focus is to develop and maintain sales contacts. To build on the strong working partnerships we have with leading companies in the maritime industry and to keep up to date, and relevant, in a market that is changing with new technology. My role takes me around the world, visiting clients and promoting the company’s services at conferences and trade shows.
S UK: What skills do you feel it takes to perform your job effectively?
RN: It is important to be able to see new opportunities when they become available, both with improvements from internal technology and from new ideas presented by my clients. I take an active part in the discussion on how our client’s ideas can move from the sketch board to live product with the assistance from AIS data.
S UK: Oxford is a long way from the coast, why has MarineTraffic decided to set up business here?
RN: It’s true, Oxford may be about as far as you can get from the sea in the UK, but it’s an important hub for MarineTraffic. The city’s world-renowned reputation for scientific research has meant we’ve been able to tap into Oxford’s rich innovation resources, working with Oxford University and even the Satellite Applications Catapult hub at Harwell science campus.
S UK: Why is the work MarineTraffic does important to the maritime industry?
RN: About 80 per cent of all international cargo moves by sea at some stage in its journey. Our service brings this to life: you can see the entire world’s ships on our screens, where they’ve been and where they’re going, not to mention photos of the vessels, technical details, their nationality and much more. It’s hugely popular for the relatives of the millions of seafarers who can track where their loved ones are. We also work with governments to help track illegal fishing as well as support the work of charities and NGOs.
S UK: What can the UK maritime sector offer those interested in a career in the industry?
RN: I think the UK’s maritime sector offers a huge number of exciting careers, it’s not just about going to sea. In my case, it’s all about combining the latest developments in big data and analytics with the ships at sea. Data is a fast-growing business – MarineTraffic has doubled year on year since I’ve been working here – and there will always be ships at sea.
Ricky and the rest of the team at the MarineTraffic offices in Oxford are part of the estimated 957,300 people across the UK whose jobs are supported in some way by the maritime industry. If you are interested in finding out more about Seafarers Awareness Week, visit this page.
*S UK = Seafarers UK
**RN = Ricky Nilsson