As the Poseidon Challenge settles into its second year, its Chairman Stephen Van Dyck looks back at a successful first Poseidon Challenge Day in Singapore in March 2006, and looks forward to the second Poseidon Challenge Day in Houston on 28 March 2007. "The Poseidon Challenge is a bold invitation to all those involved in the shipping industry’s chain of responsibility to commit to continuous improvement," he says, "and at the same time to commit to working alongside and cooperating with all partners in the chain."

The Singapore Poseidon Challenge Day attracted some 250 participants from right across the tanker industry. Some started the day off wondering exactly what it was all about. By the end of the day nobody was left in any doubt.

The Poseidon Challenge Chairman Stephen Van Dyck emphasised that this initiative is a long-term part of the work programmes of all those who adopt what it stands for, as they aspire to achieve continuous improvement, and set (and achieve) new goals of excellence - including striving to achieve zero fatalities, zero pollution, zero detentions.

"It’s about improving the way we run our businesses. We need to have people here who really want to be here, who want to make a difference. Basically it’s all about changing what we do. If you do what you did, then you get what you got."

Tsakos-owned schooner Mania in Greece in the lee of Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon

"Each and every participant is here to make a commitment to continuous improvement and to make it stick," he said. Keynote speaker Graham Westgarth, President of Teekay Marine Services, Teekay Shipping (Canada) Ltd., made it very clear how we should approach Poseidon Challenge in a whole-hearted and enthusiastic way.

"Poseidon Challenge is about an obsessive and sustained commitment to best practices, a willingness to embrace change, an openness and desire to learn from our mistakes ... Ultimately if it is not supported by time, energy, money and passion, it won’t work. We have to walk the talk."

Both men are talking about learning from the past and changing the way we do things, and they stress that doing both of these things unreservedly and with full back-up is the key to success.

The Poseidon Challenge encourages people to work together, and to work effectively together with other sectors. Participants have in common the desire to make a difference in the way they, their company and their sector work. This includes the ambition of encouraging spiritual motivation.

Emmanouel Vordonis, Vice Chairman Poseidon Challenge, Executive Director, Thenamaris Ships Management Inc, emphasises the human side of this initiative.

"Revitalising our spiritual values will take us beyond fundamentals to a higher level of excellence. The Poseidon Challenge can re-import our heart and our soul into management systems and into our human behaviour thereby bringing us nearer to achieving true excellence."

The first Poseidon Challenge Day was presented in a publication (available on INTERTANKO’s website) which summarises the expressions of support, enthusiasm and commitment made by leading influential and authoritative figures of the maritime world, who met in March 2006 in Singapore. The publication was introduced to the media on board the Tsakos-owned schooner Mania in Greece in the lee of Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon.

It is not often that we get the opportunity to spend so much time in a constructive yet relaxed atmosphere with so many journalists who know the shipping industry well. Present on the Mania to support the Poseidon Challenge and to spend time with media representatives explaining the concepts and ideas behind it, were Stephen Van Dyck, Chairman of the Poseidon Challenge (and Chairman of INTERTANKO); Emmanouel Vordonis, Vice Chairman of Poseidon Challenge (and Executive Director of Thenamaris Ships Management); Nicky Pappadakis of AG Pappadakis & Co Ltd, Chairman of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) and Chairman of INTERCARGO; Yiannis Andreopoulos, Technical Adviser to the Union of Greek Shipowners; Levent Ballar, General Manager of the Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association (TURMEPA); Bill O’Neil, Secretary General of the IMO 1990-2003, President of Videotel; Bill Box, INTERTANKO’s Communications Manager and Regional Manager for Greece and Cyprus. (See picture in Out and About).

Setting the tone for the Poseidon Challenge in 2007 are two senior executives from two leading tanker owners who will give the keynote presentations for the morning and the afternoon sessions of the second Poseidon Challenge Day in Houston. Former senior managing director of NYK Line, now Adviser to the President, Michio Tamiya, and OSG Senior Vice President Bob Johnston, both members of INTERTANKO’s Executive Committee, will talk on a number of different facets of continuous improvement in practice in their companies. Seeing such a strong lead coming from among their number, to take steps proactively to address the big problems of the day, will be a great inspiration and encouragement to many of our Members, Associate Members and others.

All photos: George Konstantopoulos