Ferry operator Serco Northlink Ferries have come on board as a sponsor and as the official transport provider for the Lerwick Tall Ships event in 2023. To get to know Northlink as a company and how sail training could lead to a career at sea, we spoke to Amber Johnson who works as their Marine Superintendent. Amber grew up In Unst, Shetland - surrounded by the sea she always felt a connection towards it. She got involved in sailing at a young age and got the opportunity to be a sail trainee for The Tall Ships Races back in the summer of 2010. Before this, Amber had decided to join the Merchant Navy and says her Tall Ships experience “Gave her an insight into life at sea.” and solidified her career choice.
At 17 she was a trainee in The Tall Ships Races - recalling her experience, she talks about the value of working together in a small team, with people you wouldn’t normally be around, all working together towards a shared goal. “You can’t underestimate the personal development that you can get from such a short period” she explains by telling us how in this environment you learn so much about yourself, build upon your life skills, make lifelong friends, and most importantly have fun! Amber reiterates that the experience isn’t necessarily about becoming a good sailor, it is about the opportunities it presents you and the lessons you learn. She recalls the “feel good factor” when visiting the ports, meeting the other trainees and crew, seeing all the other Tall Ships, and attending the events laid on for crews. After a tough journey, everyone lets their hair down - feeling rewarded and inspired. Amber decided she was passionate about spending the rest of her career in a similar environment.
In the same year as her Tall Ships experience, Amber made the big move from Shetland to Southampton to begin her Cadetship in the Merchant Navy. Her studies included a combination of theoretical training, exams, and time at sea. From 2010 to 2013 she spent a large proportion of her time learning practically on vessels and qualified as a Deck Officer in the Merchant Navy in the summer of 2013 - which allowed her to continue a career in the industry.
Amber’s career started with her working on offshore vessels that would service and support oil rigs - a job she did for two years before meeting a Northlink employee on a training course. As he described the job and company, stating how much of a fantastic place to work it was, Amber said “It was a lightbulb moment. I knew I needed to get a job there”. By 2015, Amber was working for Northlink as a third officer, which entailed a lot of hands-on work. Including loading the vehicle decks, maintaining lifesaving and firefighting appliances along with bridge watchkeeping duties. Amber tells us Northlink supported her career progression by providing study leave and college time, meaning she could climb the ranks and in 2020 she got her Master Mariner Certificate of Competency. In the summer of 2022, an opportunity arose to gain experience in a shoreside role as Marine Superintendent - in this role Amber does a variety of things, such as supporting vessels by ensuring that they remain in compliance and up to speed from a regulatory perspective which includes conducting audits and vessel inspections. She also spends a lot of time looking at how they can maintain and develop the company's safety culture both on vessels and across shore operations, which entails investigation of any accidents and incidents, review of risk assessments and working practises - working under the direction of her line manager, the Marine Manager.
Amber tells us there’s so much variety in her new role, and it's given her an appreciation of how things work onshore, not just on a vessel. “Northlink has been extremely supportive of me in terms of my development on a professional and personal level. Even In the community, you can see how supportive they are in terms of sponsorship and supporting local businesses”. Amber tells us working for NorthLink is like having the best of both worlds. With a typical offshore job, you are away from home, and you miss a lot of important events. Working for Northlink allows her to be close to home, and still be able to continue developing and progressing in her career in a way that’s challenged and satisfied her. When we asked Amber what was next, she replied that she hasn’t yet held the position of Master so that could be a goal for the future. Adding “Nobody ever stops learning and developing.”
Due to the fact Amber herself had such a positive Tall Ships experience as a trainee that helped to shape her career path at sea, she is “very pleased the company are sponsoring the event” - emphasising how great the return of The Tall Ships Races will be for Shetland as whole and young people on sail training voyages.
Having Northlink sponsor the 2023 Tall Ships races is a great support for the event organisers, as they are offering discounted fares for members of the Tall Ships fleet and for work contractors. There will also be a significant volume of production equipment, event facilities and performers who will need to be transported to Shetland, which Northlink is helping with in their role as the official transport provider to the event. The Shetland Tall Ships team are all delighted to have Northlink as a sponsor and as our official transport provider.
