The position of today's merchant navy captain is becoming more and more challenging. But above all: more complex. More and more is being asked of the person and the captain must be able to anticipate everything like a centipede. It is an extremely versatile position, in which the work to be performed must also be performed worldwide under all kinds of circumstances. This requires professional knowledge, experience, but also sometimes support from colleagues.
It is one of the most important tasks of the Dutch Association of Captains of the Merchant Navy (Nederlandse Vereniging van Kapiteins ter Koopvaardij (abbreviated to NVKK)) to provide this professional support, which is highly valued by colleagues, in a thorough manner.
Dutch Association of Captains of the Merchant Navy
The NVKK is there for captains and anyone who has the authority to serve as a captain. Captains and their deputies are supported in their professional practice. The current captain is not only manager of the ship, but a representative of the shipping company.
The captain also has to deal with a varied spectrum of regulations, administrative burdens, arbitrariness caused by external parties and exceptionally high requirements for safety and the environment. Under all circumstances, the captain bears responsibility for the ship, cargo and passengers and must regularly respond to challenging situations anywhere in the world.
This is to ensure that the shipping company, charterer, cargo owner or contractor is satisfied. The captain is often wrongly expected to provide services for which the ship or its crew are actually not optimally equipped. It is then a reassuring thought that there is an association ashore that can support the captain in the performance of his function.