Maritime Masters 2018: We catch up with finalist Francesc Gomis Domènech

Rico


Following the success of last year’s Maritime Masters Programme, we recently caught up with 2018 finalist, Francesc Gomis Domènech. 

What are your thoughts about Maritime Masters?

The Maritime Masters Programme was my first experience in a top maritime sector event. It was a great initiative, both for students of maritime-related degrees and for industry leaders, primarily as it gave me the opportunity to present and learn about new and innovative research within the sector. From my point of view, other countries with a rich maritime heritage should adopt a similar programme to the Maritime Masters in order to facilitate greater collaboration between students and the maritime sector.

What did you learn through the process?

Firstly, I learnt how to present my research in front of industry leaders. In particular, I learned how to optimise the short time I had available for presenting in order to make my presentation as engaging as possible. Secondly, through discussions with industry leaders and University professors, I learned not only about the quality of my own research, but also about the future of the industry more broadly. Moreover, the fact that other finalists presented their research allowed me to learn about other interesting topics related to the maritime sector.

What have you done since the finalist reception?

About two months before the finalist reception, I started working in the Operations Department of a shipbroker company called Odin Marine Group, in its Barcelona office. I am still working here, learning day by day how to handle post-fixture operations. Simultaneously, I am working on writing a paper derived from my master’s degree dissertation, which hopefully will be presented soon.

What do you plan to do in the future?

My intention is to learn as much as possible about the liquid bulk market – a sector I am currently working in. I would like to learn not only about post-fixture operations, but also chartering procedures and research (despite not wanting to close doors to other areas within the maritime sector). Additionally, I would like to be involved in academia with an ambition to teach at a University.

What advice would you give to others thinking about getting involved with Maritime Masters?

The most important thing is that if an individual believes that their research might be interesting to the maritime industry, they should aim to share this research in order to benefit the industry more broadly – and I really believe that the Maritime Masters Programme is a great way to do this. 

Additionally, the Maritime Masters provided me with my first experience in a top maritime conference and provided a great opportunity to start building a network that might be helpful for a future maritime career. 

What is your prediction about the future of the maritime sector?

It is obvious that the sector is changing, but it should not be a surprise as we are talking about an industry that has been constantly changing throughout history. Indeed, the maritime industry has been, and is closely linked with technological developments. The industry is already adapting itself to new technological advances, such as the appearance of autonomous shipping and the launch of blockchain initiatives. Additionally, nowadays the industry is facing some environmental issues. The International Maritime Organisation is already pushing the maritime transport industry to be greener. IMO 2020 and the IMO strategy on reducing GHG emissions from ships is huge and while small steps have been taken, more needs to be done. The big goal should be to decarbonize the maritime transport sector completely. I am aware that this goal is quite difficult to achieve, but as the industry has always been closely aligned with technological developments, I have faith that the sector may be able to deliver this. Indeed, taking into account that society is more and more concerned about the environment, the maritime industry has to make a step forward and be at the forefront of reducing pollution. 

If you could give any advice to today’s industry leaders, what would it be?

I would ask industry leaders to open doors to graduates and post-graduates who have a lot to contribute to the maritime industry. In my opinion, industry leaders have the key to facilitate the entrance of new brains into the sector and ignoring the coming generation would be a big mistake.

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