“There is no such thing as a stupid question”

A fifth-generation captain and an advocate of lifelong learning, Ann Pletschke CMarTech MIMarEST was awarded the UK’s Merchant Navy Medal for services to diversity, inclusion and wellbeing in the maritime sector in 2022. 

1 Tell us about your early career.

I still feel quite ‘early’ in my career, despite first heading to sea over 22 years ago! I spent the first 12 years at sea – the very early part of which was spent on reefer vessels deep-sea, so I feel privileged to have experienced a flavour of the ‘traditional’ deep-sea life that I’d heard about growing up – breakbulk cargo, several days or more in port, bar lunches. And also, for better or worse, no Internet, no mobile phones, no ECDIS or AIS, ballast water treatment plants, or ISPS. It’s remarkable how the industry has evolved in the past few decades!

2 What is your current role(s)? 

My role as chief vessel operator for Ocean Infinity can seem as varied as my maritime career some days. I’m responsible for the maritime aspect of our remote vessel roadmap including the marine remote practices needed for operating our vessels remotely. Quite some task considering we are building over 20 remotely-controlled vessels between 21-86m in length, as well as operating 10 smaller 8m long unmanned surface vessels. As we are a first-mover in this sector, where formalised regulation is still in development, the role involves a lot of stakeholder engagement to ensure our vessels can be operated efficiently, sustainably but also safely both onboard and from remote control locations. 

3 Describe what the job entails.

No two days are the same. I can be speaking to industry representatives or government agencies at a conference in the morning, and be engaged in competence mapping to plan remote operator training programmes in the afternoon. Some days I’m heavily involved in the maritime requirements for our vessels or control systems – such as various sea trials and testing that I have been involved in recently. Other days I’m reviewing detailed hazard logs or simulating various scenarios in our remote control centre to assess capability, ergonomics and procedural suitability. Whatever the day brings, the common threads are new technologies, maritime safety and personnel competence which align closely with my own interests.

4 How did you get to where you are now?

Although they have been talked about since the 70s, these technologies did not exist when I first entered the industry and they weren’t on my own radar. I initially stepped ashore for one year to gain experience in ship surveying. I ended up getting more passionate about maritime safety through improving ship standards, which steered me into operational and occupational safety roles as well as incident investigation and working as a Designated Person Ashore (DPA) to improve safety in the spirit ISM was intended. I started to see the larger-scale development of maritime autonomous technologies and as a mariner passionate about safety, I wanted to play a part in ensuring these new technologies could be implemented safely.

5 What inspired you to join the industry – and why? 

Almost as soon as I could speak, I was talking about being a captain. My father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great grandfather were all captains, so I’ve an impressive lineage to live up to as well as perhaps some sea in my blood. 

Captain  Ann Pletschke CMarTech MIMarEST pictured upon receiving the UK’s Merchant Navy Medal 

6 Who influenced you in choosing this industry?

One of the strongest influences were the cadets my father taught in the 80s and 90s when he was lecturing at a nearby maritime college. Watching the uniformed men and women working in the college library, and reading their task reports, I saw role models I could follow into an industry where neither gender nor age mattered. 

7 Why did you want to become a marine technologist?

After gaining my Master’s, I saw the rapid expansion of technology and how much time I was spending familiarising myself with new equipment and associated working methods. As I conducted more vessel surveys, inspections and audits, I realised that I had to keep apace with marine technology if I was to stay current and relevant in the industry. That’s when I started embracing rather than fearing new technology developments, as well as starting on the Marine Technologist pathway within the IMarEST. 

8 What are the biggest changes you are seeing right now?

Remotely controlled and autonomous maritime technologies are evolving at pace – but I’m also starting to see these technologies carving a niche into enhancing and augmenting more conventional vessel operations. Some technological changes will truly transform certain aspects of the industry in the way dynamic positioning revolutionised certain offshore capabilities. And whilst this is truly exciting, we cannot forget the mariner who is integral to this transformation. Mariners are hungry to learn more about how the industry is changing, how these new technologies work and the impact on their careers and knowledge needs.

9 And the challenges?

There are so many challenges with the introduction of so many concurrent new technologies; and the digitisation throughout all areas of the industry afloat and ashore; and the development of different ways of working and operating vessels. And I’m keeping an eye on how smaller maritime nations, and the developing world, adapt to these changes. Likewise with skills; STCW is a global standard and if a step-change is needed in mariner skills and competences to adapt to some of the industry changes, we must ensure it’s done globally so nobody’s left behind. And the wider societal challenges such as equity, representation, fairness, safety and respect; these challenges are some of the most motivational for me and drive me to continue supporting fellow industry colleagues. 

10 Tell us about your involvement with IMarEST and what you get out of it.

I joined IMarEST shortly after I first came ashore and the wealth of knowledge available really contributed to my increased understanding of marine technology. Latterly, I have been involved with the Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships Special Interest Group (MASSIG) for the past two years, and appreciate the chance to contribute to the knowledge-base as well as learning from and connecting with my contemporaries and peers.

11 What’s the best career advice you have been given? 

Never stop asking questions and never stop learning. Those who are successful are committed to lifelong learning, following their passions and thriving on knowledge. And “there is no such thing as a stupid question” is as valid for a first trip cadet or engineering intern as it is for those of us in senior positions. We should never be too shy to learn. 

12 And what advice do you give to those starting out their careers?

Be open-minded. When I started as a cadet, I never wanted to work in the offshore industry and it ended up being the sector I enjoyed the most! I was also adamant I wouldn’t work ashore and here I am, 10 years later. Maintain a short, medium and long-term plan that includes career pathways, learning and balancing with living life (also important!) but be prepared to review regularly and do an about-turn if necessary. Also, treat everyone with respect. 

13 What's next for you?

Having sworn blindly 10 years ago when I finished my MSc dissertation that I was ‘done’, I started an MEng earlier in 2022 and my medium-term goal is to learn as much as I can, whilst balancing the tightrope between full-time work, my husband and other passions. From a work perspective, I want to continue to contribute to remote and autonomous vessels being safe, mariners staying physically and psychologically safe and hopefully continuing to play my part in our vibrant industry. 

Read ‘A two-way path of self-reflection and trust’ on mentoring with a contribution by Captain Ann Pletschke earlier this year. 

To become a member of the IMarEST Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASSIG), log into My IMarEST, click on My Special Interest Groups and then tick the boxes of the SIGs you'd like to join. You can then also join the group on Nexus, our networking platform.