Senior Project Engineer
I am responsible of attending ships of all types and sizes by going through all stages of repairs and maintenance works. I take the project from the quotation stage all the way through to coordinating the manpower, materials and complementary services required to follow through to completion. Once complete I also oversee the delivery of necessary documentation in terms of quality data packages and invoicing.
You can also check it out on my Linkedin profile for a breakdown of my past working experience.
Below is my work history from most recent to oldest. Most of this is featured on my LinkedIn profile but here I include a few things that are not on there and go into some more detail that I don’t bother with on the socials.
Project Manager / Senior Project Engineer – Tenerife Shipyards
2019 to present
I upgraded to Project Manager at the end of 2019 to supervise the 5 year SPS of another drill ship, this time with engineers under my supervision. I was forced to work on 2nd order delegation (assign the job to someone else and supervise/follow up with them rather than directly managing it with the on site workers).
During the pandemic and it’s aftermath the workload dropped and we were back to smaller jobs. However, as the world got back on its feet my next project was being the direct point of contact for a cruise ship that was carrying out is periodic maintenance and greater repairs in Tenerife. It was interesting to see the different heirarchical? setup on a cruise ship in comparison to drilling vessels or other commercial ships.
The next step up was moving into fabrication. What an entirely different beast. The level of preparation, sequencing and above all documentation required as well as the beaurocracy set up to keep track of all that paperwork was big surprise for me and I admit, a steep learning curve.
Project Engineer – Tenerife Shipyards
2018 to 2019
A year after cutting my teeth leading smaller scopes I was assigned to all the sporadic projects that were popping up. There was one large project ongoing which required all the project engineers, except for one: me. This meant that every new request or confirmation was passed on to me to either estimate, evaluate or execute.
It was very challenging but satisfying to realize that I was capable of handling the workload.
That summer I was sent to Las Palmas to assist in the 10 year SPS of a drill ship. It meant 15 hour days (sometimes even 6 to 23) 14 days straight followed by 22 hours back home. It was truly intense and I would sometimes fall asleep while I talked to my wife on the phone at the end of the day.
Nevertheless I learned a lot at after that project I was in charge of a group of fishing vessels, also in Las Palmas. Again, many hours but also a large amount of things learned.
Once back in Tenerife I led the 5 year SPS of another drill ship which was a much deserved breather after the intense year. It was still a large project but spread over more months and with much less stress.
The next two projects in 2019 were similar in scope but much more challenging technically.
The first one was an upgrade to a drill ship which pushed me out of my comfort zone in my understanding of piping and all that that involved: materials, isometrics, valves (what a world valves are!) and fluids.
The second one was more of a concierge service to provide the vessel with all the resources they realized they needed on the fly. It also opened up the world of paint on steel structures to me. In the end the administrative tasks of the project being on a Time and Material basis led me to take Excel much more seriously.
If there is one thing I hate it is have to do something I have already done. And having to change one thing 50 times in different locations has me cursing everyone responsible. I had to update 50 individual timesheets multiple times due to changes in agreed upon prices, days, etc. An absolute nightmare. As so I dove head first into the world of automation with Excel.
Junior Project Engineer – Tenerife Shipyards
2017 to 2018
From one day to the next I was called from this ship repair services company to help out on the reactivation of a drill ship. I witnessed just how much learning on the job is more effective than studying all the theory in class. Naturally everything made sense faster due to the background knowledge but definitely the best way to learn a profession I believe is to mix theory with practice on a regular basis. Internships during the holidays between university semesters are ideal. I would even suggest starting with the practice as this helps making what you learn at uni make more sense.
Throughout that year I started as the on site representative of the project engineer and essentially making sure that the jobs on the work site didn’t stop for any reason (making sure people were where they were supposed to be with the relevant permits, tools, that we had power supply, no collision with other jobs, etc.). I gradually took on more responsabilities such as quoting, preparing and executing several smaller scopes.
Assistant Manager + Windsurf Instructor – SURF CENTER PLAYA SUR
2012 to 2017
Upon my return to Tenerife I was starting to take on more tasks at the Surf Center. I was spending less time in the water teaching and getting more familiar with P&La, supply of materials, plans for upgrades, etc.
It was a very interesting period in which I got more familiar with what’s makes the family business work. I also updated/upgraded the website and increased our presence online.
Junior Naval Architect – Riverside Marine
May 2012 to November 2012
While I was at the yard I met the owner of the company and apparently he was aware of my eagerness to help out on any job. He suggested that once the project was completed we have a proper job interview. Said and done.
Once the project finished I did the interview and the following week I started at their offices as the helping hand to their Senior Naval Architect making the as-built drawing of a pair of catamarans that were being built.
Also, in parallel I was given the task to evaluate and plan the modification of a water supply barge to a Ro-Ro transport vessel and lengthening it from 30m to 34.9m.
As great as my time and job was in Oz, it was simply too far away from home for me to want to move there permanently.
General Worker – Riverside Marine
March 2012 to May 2012
I had always wanted to visit Australia. It was on my list of countries to go to on my broken off Round The World trip. A friend of a friend managed to get me a gig helping out at a ship repair yard in Brisbane. I was sent to help out in whichever way asked of me on a project converting a diving excursions vessel yo a ferry.
I learned a ton in those 2 months helping out welders, mechanics, painters, and everything in between.
Windsurf Instructor – SURF CENTER PLAYA SUR
August 2011 to March 2012
I returned to Tenerife and went back to my safety net which I will always be super grateful for. I enjoyed the work and was always able to save up again.
Sales Representative – Grass Roots Financial
May 2011 to August 2011
I spent a couple of months living in Bristol. I had a few savings from the aborted Round The World trip but didn’t want to deplete them so I worked as a sales rep for this debt management company. I discovered that I am not a natural sales person. The sector didn’t interest me enough to want to grow as one either.
Round The World trip
January 2011 to February 2011
In the last 2 years of uni, a friend of mine and I decided that after graduating and before getting an adult job we would go on a Round The World trip. The idea was to go India – Nepal – rest of Southeast Asia – Australia – South America – home.
In the end my mate backed out due to life so I went on my own. 5 weeks of India later I realized that I don’t have much fulfillment if I don’t have an obligation every day. Also, after the 3rd temple or palace ultimately it all becomes piles of rocks with a different story.
I broke off my RTW trip and went to Bristol.
Windsurf Instructor – SURF CENTER PLAYA SUR
to January 2011
From the age of 16, all the way through university I would help out my parents at their windsurfing school. I thoroughly enjoyed it as I got to combine two things I love doing: windsurfing and teaching.
Working here in the summer meant I was kept busy during all the holiday periods which was always high season and I was able to save money so that I didn’t have to fall back on loans or have to work during uni.
After uni I spent another year here saving up as much as I could in order to go on a Round The World trip.