A workplace full of growth opportunities
Meet Bram van Mastricht
28 DECEMBER 2024 | #COLLEAGUES
Meet Bram van Mastricht, our planner and recruiter. From a young age, Bram was exposed to the inland shipping industry through his father. While he didn’t initially envision a maritime career for himself, that changed when he joined Marlow Navigation, a company that provides crews for seagoing vessels and manages ships. At just 18 years old, Bram worked as a ship clerk, moving through ports and discovering a whole new world.
“Being on board ships truly sparked my interest. Working with people and organizing things gave me positive energy,” Bram shares. At Marlow Navigation, he conducted crew inspections and maintained personal contact with crew members to ensure their satisfaction and explore areas for improvement. He organized crew changes and delivered the necessary gear on board. “After nearly four years in this role, I gained a lot of experience and was ready for a new challenge,” he says. When there was no opportunity available in the crewing department, Bram decided to explore other options.
This led him to AMS Barging, where he now works as a planner and recruiter. In this role, Bram is responsible for creating crew schedules and conducting interviews with potential candidates. “I schedule interviews, assess if candidates are a good fit, and send out offers,” he explains. His daily interactions with the ships are diverse: sometimes it’s something simple like arranging a doctor’s appointment, while other times he needs to resolve issues when someone is dissatisfied on board. “In those cases, we work together to find a suitable solution.”
Bram describes his work as dynamic and challenging, especially because of the ever-changing schedules. “The only constant is change. This means acting quickly, coordinating with the fleet, and ensuring efficient operations with the right qualifications on board.” One example is deciding on the crew composition: “We constantly consult and make sure that we are work compliant with laws and regulations, and whether someone needs to join the crew whenever this is needed.”
What Bram appreciates about AMS is the small-scale nature of the office, which fosters strong connections among colleagues. “You get the chance to be involved in other processes. When the chartering desk was understaffed for a week, I stepped in and learned a lot,” he says. AMS also offers plenty of training opportunities, with every employee attending two training sessions annually. Recently, Bram obtained his ADN certification to deepen his understanding of regulations in the tank and container shipping sectors.
Bram is also inspired by AMS’s forward-looking mindset. “They aim to operate as sustainably and competitive as possible and are working on new projects with advanced technologies that fit the operation. The open atmosphere in the office and the willingness of everyone to help each other stand out to me.” Bram sees ample growth opportunities at AMS: “We’ve conducted assessments to map out everyone’s strengths so we can maximize the team’s potential and empower individuals. It’s amazing to achieve the best results together as a team. Yes, I see myself growing further in this organization.”
