“Campbell Shipping has brought in a fundamental shift to the approach of developing and supporting seafarers’ welfare.”
Employee-focused and client-driven – that’s the philosophy that drives Campbell Shipping forward.
Campbell Shipping, headquartered in The Bahamas, offers not just shipping services but shipping solutions. The company was established in the first half of the 20th century by George T. R. Campbell, a Scottish naval architect, who is regarded by many as the mastermind who “singlehandedly revolutionised” the shipbuilding industry by the development of a distinctively innovative line of dry-cargo vessels.
These vessels, which were uniquely suited for volume demand and series production, propelled him to success, firmly establishing him as a legendary icon in the shipbuilding industry.
Today, his legacy lives on in the modern company that continues to bear his name, and manages a modern fleet of high-quality dry-bulk carriers, maintained to the highest industry standards, and trading globally under major charterers.
In robust shape
The Campbell fleet of handymax self-loading bulk carriers, with an average age of 4.7 years, are high-spec vessels. They are equipped with cranes designed to handle the efficient loading and discharging of a wide range of dry bulk cargoes such as iron ore, grain, steel, coal and fertilizers. Because of their unique design, the company’s fleet is able to trade to some of the most remote ports.
In addition to its traditional sector, Campbell has recently ventured into a new line of business ☆ crew and technical management for cruise liners, as well as yacht management and survey/inspection of pleasure craft, utilising its highly competent teams based out of Mumbai, India, and Nassau in The Bahamas.
The company CEO, Capt. Rajesh Dhadwal, acknowledges that post pandemic, Campbell Shipping is ready to accommodate new market requirements, with a team of resilient and dedicated staff.
“The last two years have been one of the most difficult times not only in the history of Campbell but of all shipping companies worldwide. The time has been particularly challenging for the seafarers who could not be released and relieved of their duties and connected with their families, but also for those ashore providing them with support. The credit goes to our people for their resilience and their commitment and accountability towards keeping the business going during that difficult period.”
One Team Campbell
Campbell Shipping prides itself for always putting people first. The commitment to its employees has been the foundation for the company’s “ONE TEAM CAMPBELL” environment, and the pandemic has reinforced this focus on employees even more.
Capt. Dhadwal explains that a new position was created of Chief Culture Officer (CCO) for which Mr Homi Bharda has assumed responsibility ☆ a trained, certified life coach and psychologist who has developed soft skills training programmes for the mental wellbeing of seafarers and their families.
“Campbell Shipping has brought in a fundamental shift to the approach of developing and supporting seafarers’ welfare. The key is to create an environment of well-being for the seafarers at sea rather than focusing on individual issues and solving situations in a tactical manner,” he says, pointing out that crew welfare is as important as safety on-board, the two being directly related.
Campbell support to seafarers is provided face-to-face, on board the ships. “No part of the training is digitised as we believe in personal touch to the seafarers and this is what is yielding greater response and results,” adds Capt. Dhadwal.
These efforts have not gone unnoticed. For considering crew welfare as important as safety onboard, in April 2022 the company was nominated for the Crew Welfare Award by Safety4Sea, the world’s leading source of insight on safer, smarter and greener shipping.
In addition, Mr Bharda himself was recognised and awarded by MissionToSeafarers, a Christian welfare charity serving merchant crews around the world, for his work in the category of shore-based efforts towards seafarers.
Environmental responsibility
Respect and support for its staff have driven Campbell Shipping’s growth over the years. But so have solid business relations. “We have flourished in terms of our key joint venture partnerships, jointly owning and operating ships, as well as in terms of partnerships with our suppliers,” says Capt. Dhadwal.
In this context he highlights the cooperation with Aderco, a specialist in fuel treatment solutions that improve efficiency, maximise uptime and reduce emissions, a company with over 30 years of experience in the marine industry and focused on helping companies in their transition to a more environmentally- friendly operation, a key task within the industry.
“Working towards the de-carbonisation and environmental performance of our ships is one of our priorities, and we have been ensuring compliance with the IMO requirements well ahead of the time,” notes Capt. Dhadwal, adding that like every company in the marine sector, Campbell is closely monitoring fuel technology developments.
“New fuels would bring a truly tectonic paradigm shift, similar to when the industry shifted from sails to oil. However, as yet nobody can predict what the fuels of the future will be. They will certainly have to be ecological but also commercially viable and globally available. In our sectors, where relatively small vessels with small fuel capacity move on a variety of routes to the most remote destinations, this is yet to be achieved.”
Technology driven
Capt. Dhadwal points out that while people have been and always will be the core asset of any business, the future will be increasingly technology-driven. To this end, the company has invested in a state-of-the-art ERP system, and has migrated to MARIAPPS, an award-winning IT solution to form a backbone to all its ship management functions, for the greater satisfaction of its clients.
“We are committed to excellence in the delivery of services to our customers. This is accomplished through understanding the needs our customers, adhering to high ethical standards along with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the risks associated with the environment that we operate in.”
Reflecting on the months ahead, he says: “Growth will definitely be on our minds. We are looking to expand services to new clients as well as to expand our fleet. The last two years have been purely about keeping the existing business going. Now that we have come out of the pandemic, it is about forging key partnerships and looking at business expansion.”
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