Spil Vass

About me

I was born/grew up in: Montreal, QC, Canada

I now live in: Montreal, QC, Canada

I completed my training/education at: BA in Sociology, Concordia University

What I do at work

My key activities during the day include monitoring vessels at each step of the voyage. I make sure they receive proper instructions regarding loading, discharging, transit speed/route. My goal is to make sure they execute the voyage as close to pre-voyage plan as possible. I also work to make sure they complete the voyage within the budget and timeline they were given. I also troubleshoot any issues that come up. This could be during the operation of the voyage, during loading or unloading the cargo. After the voyage is finished, I will do an audit of the voyage. I check to make sure that the decisions made during the trip were the right ones. I will then carry over any lessons learned to future voyages.

My career path is

After I finished university, I studied graphic design. I worked as a graphic designer for about 10 years. Then I joined a shipping company doing graphics for them. I found the shipping industry to be very interesting. As a result, I looked for an opportunity to shift away from design and into shipping. I was successful and was able to build on my previous experience as well as learn new skills as I worked at different roles in the shipping industry. In my current role all, my training is internal.  My current employer provides lots of resources and opportunities for me to continue to learn about the different roles that I am interested in.

I am motivated by

I find my career to be very relevant and challenging. There is constant learning and opportunities to grow knowledge. Trouble-shooting issues and solving problems is very fulfilling.

Most exciting aspect of the job is the global reach our operations cover. We have vessels sailing the entire world. This creates issues that have economic, geo-political, and agricultural factors that can effect our operations. Staying on top of that is a worthwhile challenge.

How I affect peoples’ lives

I help make sure that our fleet performs at its peak and in a safe manner. This means we are profitable and that keeps a lot of people employed.

Outside of work I

I enjoy reading, playing hockey, and spending time raising my kids.

My advice to others

I would encourage young people to explore opportunities in shipping. The shipping industry has many dynamic factors that make for an interesting career!