Greek ship owner Nicholas G Fistes, also known as Nick Fistes, is the new chairman of INTERTANKO (International Association of Independent Tanker Owners). As of January 2007, this powerful association has 250 members; all independent tank owners who are not affiliated to any company or state. Together they control more than 2500 tankers, totalling 210 million dwt.

This is almost 80 percent of the world's independent tanker fleet. That is not all.  INTERTANKO also has around 300 associate members. This consists of companies that have an interest in shipping oils and chemicals.

Nicholas Fistes's fruitful association with INTERTANKO dates back to 1994. In 1994, he became a member of the INTERTANKO Council and three years later he was vice chairman of the Hellenic Forum rising to become its chairman in 2003. He held this post till 2005. He has also served as a member of its Executive Committee from 1997 to 2006.

Way Forward
Nick Fistes, now as chairman, has chalked out a four-point agenda to further the goals of INTERTANKO. Addressing the delegates when taking over the mantle from former chairman Stephen Van Dyck, he said, "I want actively to encourage the wider involvement of our membership in INTERTANKO's work. Firstly, by fostering a greater awareness of the vital work our committees do in protecting and furthering the interests of our members and in providing technical back up to our Council as it formulates the Association's policies. Secondly, by ensuring a greater involvement of, and commitment from, INTERTANKO's 120 Council members. This is the governing body of the Association. We want its voice to be heard"

So, Mr. Fistes would like to ensure that the INTERTANKO's governing body of 120 Council members is more visible. He hopes to harness the vast pool of expertise, knowledge and experience of the council members to promote INTERTANKO's interests. He is also keen that the other members remain aware and updated about the work of INTERTANKO.

His second goal is to take care of the human element. While almost USD 50 billion has been invested in buying new tankers, he feels not enough has been done to take care of the welfare, comforts and need of the human beings who work on it. There is a critical shortage of seafarers and part of the reason is the lack of berths for cadet trainees on ships.

There is already a policy in place wherein new ships will include space for cadet berths in their design. He is pushing for more cadet berths on the tankers as well. 

He is also strongly in favour of onboard training facilities. These include not only trainers but also provision manuals, DVD equipment, separate learning classrooms on the ship complete with desk and chairs. He is very clear about the reasons for this. For one, he points out, no one likes to spend his leave on training; so going ashore simply to get trained usually meets with some internal resistance. If it is held onboard, it becomes a part of the daily routine and is more likely to hold attention and therefore, be more successful. Most importantly, it would provide learners a better opportunity to apply their skills to real-life situations.

Already, he has initiated talks with shipbuilders and the International Maritime Organisation to take up the issue to exempt cadet berths and training facilities from calculations of gross tonnage. This small incentive may go a long way in bringing about the changes he desires. 

What disturbs Mr Fistes most is that few are aware of the importance of the shipping industry. So, improving the industry image is high on his agenda. Although many of its officers are voluntarily members of Helmepa (the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association), general public is hardly aware of the fact.

Though European Commissioner Joe Borg (Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs) told him recently that he was pleased with INTERTANKO efforts to improve the image of the tanker industry, Mr Fistes believes it is not enough. He wants to reach out to the next generation, the school students, and make them aware of what this industry is all about, what it does and how it does. He wants to focus on increased visibility for the shipping industry, so that more youngsters can be motivated to join the industry.

One of his plans already being put to practice is to send uniformed masters to the classrooms to talk about their work and the critical role that shipping plays in global trade. Not only is there a shortage of seafarers, in some departments the shortage has reached a crisis stage. So, Mr Fistes hopes this endeavour would help promote the shipping industry as a viable career choice.

Finally, Mr. Fistes plans to expand the Poseidon Challenge, an initiative of INTERTANKO that was started three years back. The first Poseidon Challenge was held in Singapore in March 2006 and the second one this year in Houston, again in March. The Poseidon Challenge requires organisations and companies involved in any shipping activity to voluntarily commit to improve standards in the safe and clean carriage of goods by sea.

Its goal is zero fatalities, zero pollution and zero detentions. In short, it is a continuous effort to make seafaring vastly safe, keep environmental damage to the minimum, prevent avoidable delays and make effective use of resources. The idea is to change the way the shipping industry sees itself. It should go beyond the narrow, short-term goals of profit and look at its role in impacting the world - its environment and people.

Facing The Challenge
These are laudable aims indeed and Mr. Nicholas Fistes is well equipped to take on the challenge. He has the knowledge, the expertise and the experience to tackle the myriad roles he is called upon to play.

A graduate in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne University in UK, he travelled across the Atlantic to join the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M. I. T.) in the US. From here, he got his masters degree in Ocean Systems Management.

He started his career in the USA as a Naval architect and Marine engineer. He was also involved in various building projects in the Far East. In 1986, he was put in charge of the first chemical project of Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises Ltd in Piraeus, Greece.

When Seachem Tankers Ltd was formed in 1989, he held various management positions in the company till 1996. The following year, he returned to Greece when he was made the Managing Director of Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises Ltd. This company is one of the oldest and largest maritime companies in the world and specialises in the management of LNG carriers.

Its services include purchasing and crewing, technical operation and maintenance and safety and environmental procedures.

In 2002, he was appointed CEO of Coeclerici Ceres Bulk Carriers (CCBC). A year later in March 2003, he again returned to Ceres Hellenic as the CEO. Last year, he started a ship management company Newfront Shipping S.A.

He is also on the Board of a number of holding companies of the Ceres Shipping group such as TankLog Ltd., GasLog Ltd., and DryLog Ltd. and on the Executive Committee of Euronav N. V.