Welcome January 2025

Dear Seafarers,

The start to the new year is always a busy time preparing for the year ahead and setting out with intent to reach our goals. Our relentless focus on our customers includes ensuring that you, our seafarers, are valued and supported throughout your daily tasks.

While V. Care helps us put your safety, welfare, and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do, we are also about to expand the reach of the Voyage Loyalty program. Look out for this over the year as more opportunities arise to get involved in this exciting initiative.

Recognising the importance of safety is central to our refreshed ‘Safety Catch’ and we often to see many of you go over and above what is required to deliver a safe vessel, so I look forward to seeing you celebrated for your attention to safe practices.

Developing and growing your skills with V. is fundamental, from the Crew Conferences planned throughout the year to our Crew Competence and Development team ensuring you are equipped to make full use of our VMS and ShipSure through online workshops.  

The Seafarers Bulletin has aimed to inform and engage our seafarers.  We always welcome your feedback or content suggestions to comms@v.group

Happy Seafaring!

Allan

Allan Falkenberg

Chief Operating Officer, Marine HR

Safety Catch of the Month Refreshed

V.Group’s “Safety Catch of the Month” award recognises seafarers or a vessel that has gone over and above what is required to deliver a safe vessel.  The purpose of this award is to promote a culture of safety rooted in openness, proactive reporting and meaningful recognition.

The current process has been running for a number of years, with the award being identified by each V.Ships office. The Safety Catch of the Month is open to all seafarers on V.Ships’ technically managed vessels. 

Following feedback from the 2024 Safety Culture Survey the Safety Catch of the Month award scheme has been enhanced to now additionally include a Monthly Group Award and, for the first time, an Annual Safety Catch, awarded by the Executive Team.

Image - Mr. Georgije Driga (3/O) from Front Classic - Safety Catch of the Month - March 2024

Ian Trebinski, Chief Operating Officer, V.Ships and Executive Team sponsor of the Safety Catch of the Month, commented:

“Recognising our safety culture onboard all our vessels is of paramount importance to everyone at V. I am delighted that this award recognises those Seafarers with outstanding safety awareness and a proactive approach to reporting “Safety Catches” seen on our vessels or equally exercising our “Stop Work Authority” policy to prevent unsafe acts and conditions. Let’s all live and breathe great HSSEQ Leadership.”

Each submission, either raised in the Seafarer App or on the Shipsure platform, is reviewed initially by the ‘local’ office and the winning submission awarded a ‘local’ award from the respective HSSEQ Manager and Managing Director.

The local winners, whose entry had the Stop Work enacted as an immediate action / intervention or was submitted via the Seafarer App, will be put forward for a Group Monthly award. At the end of the year, each Group Monthly award winner will be reviewed for an overall Annual award.

The winner of the Group Monthly and Annual awards will be chosen by V.Group onshore employees through a poll on Teams.

The Monthly Group Winners will be recognised on all V. internal and seafarer communications channels and will be presented with a certificate and a $200 travel voucher from Global Maritime Travel (GMT). The winner of the Annual award will also be recognised through communications and will receive a certificate and $2000 travel voucher from GMT.

Fleet Celebrate Festivities in Style

There have been fantastic pictures circulating from the fleet over the past month as many crews enjoyed the end of year celebrations and get set for 2025.

V.Ships Hamburgs "Northern Majestic" began with an advent calendar which they took to the next level!  The captain surprised the Bridge team with their very own calendar, while the Engine Control Room turned it into a thrilling 24-day lucky draw.  Each day’s winner got to open the door, filling the start of our workdays with laughter and motivation. Who knew a small tradition could spark so much joy?

It didn’t stop there as they celebrated the Wiper’s 29th birthday with a homemade cake, three colourful balloons, and a unique gift—a tool bucket with a stylish twist, designed by GUCCI 😉. The crew’s smiles and happiness that morning was truly priceless!

This is what teamwork, and camaraderie can look like onboard, supporting and uplifting each other, not just to work hard but to enjoy the journey. Together, we motivate the crew to give their best every day.

Many other crews shared the seasons fun in pictures, and it is always great to see our seafarers make the most of their time onboard. Happy New Year to you all.

The crew of MV Knightship with a festive feast.

The V. Photography Competition 2025

The first entries are coming in for the V. Photography Competition 2025 and what a way to start the New Year.

New Year onboard TK Hakata by Zhou Ke

Images can inspire and capture our imagination and convey so much from your lives at sea. We are looking forward to continuing to receive your entries over the next couple of months.

Remember there are three key themes in this year’s competition: People, Places, and Communities Afloat.

People – Our people are the most valuable resource afloat, and we are looking for your portraits that best capture your fellow seafarers, at work and play.

Places – Shipping is global and many of our seafarers chose this lifestyle to see the world. Where have you been this year that captured your imagination in an image?

Communities Afloat – The seafaring community is strong, as is the sense of community we have on our vessels with shared experiences and activities in day to day life. Have you taken any images that encapsulate this sense of community?

The 2025 photography competition is open to both Seafarers and Shorebased staff.

Safety and wellbeing are paramount so any images that are not compliant with V.Groups policies and procedures cannot be shortlisted.

The winning picture from each category will receive a travel voucher to the value of USD 250, to be used on tickets purchased from Global Marine Travel (GMT). 

All shortlisted pictures that meet our safety guidelines will be posted on our Instagram page for our followers to help decide the most popular photograph.  The winning images will be those with the most votes within the stated period.

The winners will be announced in April 2025.

Entries are open and look out for further details at:

https://www.vcrew.com/v-group-photography-competition-2025/

V. VP - What’s that?

The V.Group Verification Program (V.VP) sets objectives that seek to continually improve our safety, operational, cultural, and business performances in a manner that aligns with and reflects the expectations of our customers, industry bodies, and legislative organisations.

The V.VP metrics are issued annually, and reviewed every quarter as each year progresses, to provide all V.Group colleagues – onboard and onshore – with a single reference document and set of goals that assure our constant, flawless service delivery. There are currently 44 metrics, of which 33 are scored by actions of the at vessel level. Scores are calculated from 0-4.

The V.VP helps us prioritise, capture, and measure key performance areas that sit under our V.MS and other industry expectations. The V.VP is published within the V.MS and the document can also be accessed directly from V.NET / V.WAY.

The V.VP Scorecard on ShipSure BI – the view of shore colleagues.

We want to share the top performing vessels monthly within the Seafarers Bulletin, to highlight best performers and why they are performing well under the V.VP, with the help of  Adriana Woodcock, HSSEQ Operations Performance Analyst, who shares her thoughts on the past year.

“It’s time to celebrate the achievements that have elevated V.VP to new heights. Ending 2024 with a Group score of 2.04, up from last year’s 1.79, reflects the dedication and hard work of every team member onboard and ashore. This success is a collective effort, and while there are too many to name individually, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you!”

Here are the standout performances and that drove this remarkable progress for December:

Top Performing Cluster: Middle East- Excelling with a score of 2.83, Middle East cluster has consistently pushed the envelope, setting a benchmark for excellence and demonstrating impressive growth and operational efficiency.

Outstanding Office: Boston-Boston office has maintained a robust and impressive performance throughout the year, finishing with a leading score of 3.02, setting high standards across our operations.

Leading Fleet: Cope/VGB-With a remarkable score of 3.43. Cope/VGB fleet continues to be at the forefront, exemplifying outstanding management and operational prowess.

Exceptional Vessels: A special shout-out to our six top-scoring vessels, each achieving a perfect score of 4.00 for December. Congratulations to the dedicated crews and management teams of Seaways Enterprise, Seaways Wheat, CSL Kajika, CGAS Jaguar, AM Power, and African Fjord.

Our sights are set on even greater heights with the goal of reaching a stable Group score of 3.00. With your continued hard work and teamwork, we are confident this milestone is within our grasp.

Each month we plan to share the top performing vessels within the Seafarers Bulletin and highlight why those vessels scored highly within the month.

BGI Novorossiysk Crew Operations move to Georgia

At the end of 2024 BGI Novorossiysk finished its operational activity as V.Group moves from Russia to Georgia. Crew Operations of BGI Novorossiysk Office shifted to BGI Offices located in Tbilisi and Batumi. The team will continue managing the crew for the same vessels with same Ship Management Offices and clients.

The BGI Novorossiysk office operated since 1993 with over 1500 seafarers under operational activity at times. The professional staff ensured that no crewing tasks could not be solved by the highly experienced team. We wish the whole team every success in their new base.

Voyage Loyalty Prepares for Global Launch

Voyage Loyalty is V.Ships exclusive loyalty and rewards program for Seafarers, which demonstrates our appreciation for their commitment and that their loyalty is valued. 

Following a successful pilot period, which saw over 85% of eligible Filipino seafarers become a member, we are now able to expand the program beyond our pilot community.

Voyage Loyalty is going global which means there are no longer any nationality restrictions. However, the program does cost money to run and therefore only Officers who are part of an owner’s pool that has subscribed for Voyage Loyalty will be able to join initially. 

If you are eligible to sign up, you will see a Voyage Loyalty icon on your V.Crew App in the coming weeks, and then you simply have to accept our terms & conditions to sign-up. 

Seafarers who sign up to the program will enjoy exclusive benefits, special offers, and the opportunity to earn exciting rewards through earning and redeeming SeaStars.

SMDC joins Voyage Loyalty

SMDC has recently partnered with Voyage Loyalty to bring exclusive benefits to its valued members. This collaboration allows Voyage Loyalty members to enjoy special privileges, including exclusive discounts, priority access to SMDC properties and personalized services designed to elevate their lifestyle.

Together, SMDC and Voyage Loyalty aim to create more rewarding experiences, offering greater value and opportunities for members to invest in a premier home or property.

V.CARE: Wellbeing Webinars

We started our programme of wellbeing webinars for 2025 with an orientation led by Training Superintendent, Andrew McGurk, with Saloni Singh from ComPsych showing you all the support services available to you and your families through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

You can catch up with the EAP orientation and previous webinars below:

https://vimeo.com/1049342320?share=copy

Are you aware of all the wellbeing resources available to you?

Both the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and inspiration for your wellbeing can be found on the V.Care website, or available through the V.Crew Connect App.

You can also join the V.Care Facebook page to hear from other V. seafarers and families about their journey with V.

ShipMoney

The ShipMoney App will now promote a new service, the eSIMCrew App by Megga Telecom, offers crew members preferential rates and exclusive promotions to stay connected affordably wherever they go without having to physically change their SIM card.

This enhancement on the ShipMoney App under ‘Mobile’ and choosing ‘eSIM’ will direct crew members to download the eSIMCrew app through their mobile devices. Every ShipMoney cardholder can get their first eSIM FREE with special promotions.

eSIMCrew App instructions are attached. A special introduction message was sent on January 6th to each crew member informing them the details and offers to support them with this new offer.

If you haven't yet obtained your ShipMoney card, speak to your Master today.

ShipMoney: we want your feedback!

We want to hear from ShipMoney users on what you think about the ShipMoney card. Please complete the following survey, in complete confidence, and let us know the positives and negatives of having a ShipMoney card. All responses will be collated and use to improve the service provided by the ShipMoney team. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/shipmoneynov24

Healthy Corner

Creative Ideas to Use Limited Fresh Produce

Below are some ideas to make the most out of limited fresh produce on board:

• Soups & Stews

Soups and stews are an excellent way to use up vegetables. Chop up any remaining vegetables, add some herbs or spices and a source of protein (beans, canned fish, etc.). Soups can be made in large batches and last for days.

• Smoothies & Juices

Fruits nearing their end of life can be blended into smoothies, which are a great way to pack in nutrients and enjoy a refreshing drink.

• Vegetable Stir-Fries

Stir-fries are a quick and easy way to use vegetables. Combine them with protein (canned fish, eggs, etc.) and a simple homemade sauce made from some low salt soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Serve over rice or noodles for a nutritious, satisfying meal.

• Canned Fruit Desserts

Use fruits that are nearing spoilage for simple desserts. For instance, stewed apples or pears can be served with a sprinkle of cinnamon if available or added to porridge for breakfast.

Alternative Options for Fresh Produce: Frozen, Dried, and Canned Foods

You can rely on frozen, dried, and canned foods when fresh produce is limited. These items are easy to store and are just as nutritious as fresh foods when prepared properly.

• Frozen Vegetables & Fruits

Frozen vegetables are a great substitute for fresh produce. Frozen fruits can be used for smoothies, porridge, or desserts. They are a healthy and convenient way to ensure that you have access to essential nutrients while on board.

• Canned Food Items

Canned items such as beans, tomatoes, and tuna can be used in a variety of meals. Beans can be used in soups, stews, or salads, while canned tuan makes a quick and nutritious salad or sandwich.

• Dried Grains & Legumes

Dried grains such as rice are versatile and have a long shelf life. Dried legumes such as lentils or chickpeas, can be easily cooked into soups, stews, or salads. They are excellent source of fiber, protein, and they require minimal preparation.

• Nuts & Seeds

Dried nuts and seeds if available are a great source of healthy fats and can be used as snacks or incorporated into meals. They are easy to store, provide energy, and can be added to salads, porridge, or baked goods.