Samantha Belfitt

"I think the personality types are pretty accurate. In my role, I am often in charge of a team of people in a practical situation such as during the mooring of the vessel and during loading and unloading of vehicles. This not only requires working together as a team but to motivate the team and organise the tasks to get the best out of the team. Safety is very important in my role as working on ship can be dangerous even when it is routine and it is my job to ensure the team is following procedures and it is important to me that we are working safely. I like challenges and looking at the bigger picture. One of my best qualities is seeing what peoples strengths are and utilising that to complete the task. I am always looking at how things can be improved as I really hate the phrase “but this is how we always have done it”. As an officer I am expected to lead from the front and be able to be hands on and get stuck in."

"My main duties consist of the navigation of the vessel between ports, loading officer in port, maintenance of vital ships equipment relating to safety, emergency equipment and training. I love the variety my work brings. I am someone who gets bored very easily and I really like how I am constantly doing something different every day. Every crossing is different even though we go between the same ports and there are always plenty of challenges. Much of my work is hands on and the other great thing is that while there are deadlines and certain things I have to do at certain times, much of my ancillary jobs I can manage myself and do in my own time and order. "

"My current role at DFDS I got through a friend I met on a career development course when I was taking my next set of examination to upgrade my licence. I have worked as a 3rd Officer, 2nd Officer and 1st Officer of various different vessels including cruise, ferry, cargo, container and even a hovercraft! But almost everyone starts this career doing a cadetship which is similar to an apprenticeship where you study in college for your Certificate of Competency and also do on the job training. This training course is fully sponsored by a company. I did mine deep sea on large container ships and I visited some amazing places! This is a career I really enjoy but I hadn’t even considered doing it in the first place. I wanted to be a pilot and I studied Aviation at university. When I graduated it was the slump of the economic crash and it was difficult to even get a job in a supermarket stacking shelves. My dad suggested it and even filled in the application for me. The next thing I know, I was at the interview for my cadetship and just a few months later I started at ship school. I figured worst case was that it would tie me over for the next 3 years while the job market got better. Little did I know, I love the job and the industry."

"My job is great as I only work for half the year. I currently work 2 weeks on/off so I have a lot of time to hang out with friends and family. Since I spend time away, I like to use my time to catch up with friends even if it is just staying in with a take away and a movie. I also do a lot of volunteering as I am a Careers at Sea Ambassador which involves talking to schools and groups about careers in the Merchant Navy. More recently I have also taken more responsibility within my trade union where I have been the Chairman of the Young Maritime Professionals Forum and I was recently elected to the council. When I am not doing any of these speeches and attending meetings, I love to just relax at home with my boyfriend and our cat and watch Netflix or play video games. "

"We work 12 hour shifts that vary depending on the day. On a typical day, I get up, shower, iron a shirt & get my breakfast, which is prepared as a buffet in the crew mess. I find my colleague to catch up with what has happened on their shift. Depending on where we are, I will start with either driving the ship or loading if we are in port. This week I start with loading in Dunkirk. I am the Loading Officer in charge of loading freight and cars across 2 decks. I am the person who points at what lane I want the car to go in on the car deck. Although it doesn’t look like it, there is a method to the loading as I must ensure the ship is stable at all times. Once loading is completed, we sail & I head up to the Bridge where I take over from the Captain & drive the crossing to Dover. It can be difficult as the Dover straights are some of the busiest waters in the world. During the crossing, I assess the traffic situation & apply the ‘rule of the road’ while maintaining the ETA & communicating with port control. Each crossing takes approximately 2 hours. Just before arrival, the Captain takes over & I go down to the mooring station to give distances while the Captain berths the ship. I am in charge of the mooring station during the mooring operations but I perform more of a supervisory role & communications while the crew do the physical work. I do the Loading again, but the ship is the opposite way round. After 4 hours watchkeeping (driving and loading), I get relived by a colleague & have 4 hours to complete my Planned Maintenance. My sphere is Life Saving Appliances, which includes lifebuoys, lifejackets, lifeboats, life-rafts and rescue boats. I have weekly and monthly checks, inspections & maintenance to perform. I need to check all the davits & grease if necessary. After 4 hours, I relieve my colleague & do another 4 hours watchkeeping. It is tiring, especially if the weather is bad or like today when it was raining & I got soaking wet loading the cars in the rain!"

"A Levels – Maths, Physics and Design TechnologyBSc (Hons) Aviation Technology with Pilot Studies (I wanted to work as a pilot or in the Aviation industry but that never happened)Foundation Degree in Nautical ScienceCertificate of Competency Officer of the Watch"