Perspectives

by Thomas Billet

In January, I decided that a summer internship would be a great way to complement my Naval Architecture studies.

Being in my third year of five at the University of Strathclyde has given me many transferrable skills that I am keen to demonstrate in an unfamiliar environment.

Risk assessment is closely linked to the design of vessels, and I’m hoping to learn everything I can to develop a well-rounded skillset in whichever career path I decide to follow.

With Marex’s close relation with the marine sector I am hoping to increase my familiarity with the rules, regulations, and industry as a whole as well as contribute some of my knowledge gained throughout my studies.

My course involves engineering science and the fundamentals of naval architecture, which develops engineers capable of dealing with engineering challenges on a wide range of marine vehicles.

I started by trawling the internet, looking for companies whose website drew me in.

What inspired me the most about Marex was their innovative approach and constant drive to change the status quo.

Their awareness of the market and commitment to the client seemed to let them go above and beyond, and offer a service other companies hadn’t even considered.

I was excited to find out more and try to incorporate this into my skillset as a naval architect.

The world of risk management

Reading the case studies on their website, I was introduced to the world of risk management.

My first impressions are that it was full of thought experiments. What can go wrong? How can this fail?

After thinking about this for a while, a report would be written up and presented to the client.

But following my first interview, I realised risk assessment was more like an approach to a problem than a solution.

Everyone is trying to achieve the same goal of optimising the business model while keeping within the regulations and keeping everyone safe.

An engineer does this by ensuring structural integrity and minimising consequences in case of failure.

With a slightly different mindset, this can be applied to risk management where the consequences are not only suffered by the construction but the personnel, reputation and income of the client.

The outcome

Following the successful interview, I have just completed my first week of working with Marex.

The depth of this industry is just now beginning to settle in. The enormous size of the numerous reports being completed each month by the employees is staggering.

With the sheer volume of deliverables, working to a deadline seems irrelevant and you have to be firing on all cylinders at all times.

Waiting until the last week to complete a report is a thing of the past for me, especially when human lives are depending on the submission of your best work.

This seems like an interesting industry and while I currently feel like I’m in over my head, I am excited to start being able to keep up with my many experienced co-workers.

I am currently working on trying to figure out one report type at a time to not be overwhelmed and am hoping to become a valuable asset to the team with my knowledge of naval architecture and fresh set of eyes on the industry.