Lifang Ng

Lifang Ng holds a bachelor’s degree in Maritime Studies. She joined MOL Chemical Tankers (“MOLCT”) in 2016 as Post Fixture Coordinator.

 The Post Fixture division plays a crucial role in ensuring accurate billing for the shipping service provided. This encompasses generating invoices immediately after shipments, calculating laytime and demurrage, and engaging with stakeholders to confirm details and resolve disputes.

 Currently, as a Manager, Lifang oversees and manages the Middle East Team, which handles post fixture tasks for cargoes transported from the Arabian Gulf to Asia/Europe, as well as from Asia to the Arabian Gulf.

 She is also responsible for monitoring the team performance, ensuring the team’s understanding of company policies and procedures through clear instruction. She also serves as a liaison between her managers and her subordinates facilitating smooth communication to make sure that the team is aligned with the company’s goals and objectives.

Alex Roy Mamode

Alex ventured into the Maritime and Shipping Industry inspired by his island upbringing in Seychelles and deep connection to the sea. In 1998 he moved to Singapore to pursue nautical studies, where he completed and obtained all his deck certificate of competencies and later a Master’s degree in Maritime Studies. He sailed on various vessels for about 17 years, with the majority of his experience being on Oil and Chemical tankers.

In 2014, Alex decided to leave sailing and pursue shore-based role while advancing his studies in Maritime and Shipping. He started as a QHSSE Superintendent (QHSSE: Quality, Health, Safety, Security and Environment) and was also wishing for roles closely involved with Chemical Tankers Operations.

“The opportunity came when I was offered and accepted the position of Senior Marine Superintendent at MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) in March 2020, at the beginning of Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges of adapting to a new work environment, especially working from home, I managed to overcome them thanks to good teamwork and support of my colleagues.”

His current role at MOLCT is a Manager in the Marine Department, where his responsibilities center around monitoring vessel activities and providing support to other departments on marine, technical, and operational matters by liaising closely with all the Ship Managers and other stakeholders as required.

Jami Graves

I am currently doing chartering on the Trans-Atlantic Eastbound route in the Houston office. My main responsibilities range from coordinating with our contract customers to negotiating spot cargoes for each vessel from the US Gulf to Europe.

I had no prior background with the shipping industry, nor did I ever think this would be an industry I would end up in. I went to “Texas A&M at Galveston” where I discovered a business major that was related to maritime. This intrigued me as I have always wanted to be in the sales/logistics industry while also having a passion for the ocean. So, I approached it with an open mind and stuck it out and am very happy with where I am now, having such an important role in the global chemical supply chain.

Miklas Lindgreen

I coincidentally bumped into the shipping industry as I chose to study a bachelor’s degree in International Shipping and Trade at Copenhagen Business school. Even though I did not have much knowledge about the shipping industry and ship operations, nor any family member working in the industry, it was the international aspect and never sleeping industry that caught my interest.

After completing my Master’s degree in supply chain management from Copenhagen Business School, I was prepared to advance my career within the shipping industry. I decided to choose MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) and applied for a position within the operations department. Right from the initial meeting with the company, I was introduced to both the core values of the Europe Division and global organization, all being something that I appreciate and try to live by.

In MOLCT, there is ample room for growth and learning, and any questions I had during my training have never been left unanswered. It is ingrained in the company’s DNA to care for every employee and foster an environment where everyone can thrive in their daily lives while maintaining the work-life balance, which is highly valued in today’s world.

Yien Chen Liang

Yien Chen joined MOLCT in 2016 as fresh graduate with no maritime background.

“Shipping was a whole new world to me, especially with parcel tanker being a relatively niche section of the industry. I was lucky to have the chance to join as Chartering Executive with no experience. The company has allowed me to gain strong fundamentals in shipping. The more I learn about the shipping industry, the more fascinating it becomes.”

Stainless steel chemical tankers carry a wide variety of cargoes, quantity ranges from a few hundred metric tons to over 10,000 metric tons.

Our shipments usually involve more than one cargo and the parcelling nature of our business requires one to have a vast business network and capability to maximize profit by optimizing voyages, cargo sizes, co-loads, and port rotation.

Currently, as Manager, Yien Chen is doing chartering for Transpacific Eastbound department which handles cargoes from Asia to the US. Chartering’s main responsibility is to solicit cargoes for vessels and maintain good relationship with customers. She also experienced vessel operations as a part of her training to learn about voyage optimization and operational expenses.

Yien Chen was handling the Asia/US West Coast trade lane that has a relatively higher ratio of COA (long-term contract) instead of fixing spot cargoes, which involves a lot of coordination among Singapore, Houston, and Tokyo offices. While Tokyo and Houston offices assist in the day-to-day communication with Charterers, Singapore office, as Headquarter of Trans Pacific East Bound route, makes cargo allocation plan and decisions to fulfil these Charterers’ requirements (later/earlier arrival/ cargo readiness/ tank top/ plan shutdown, etc.) on several vessels.

Now she oversees the Asia/US Gulf route, which has higher coverage on spot cargoes. It is a dynamic market that requires to follow closely on the market trend, cargo movements and monitor competitors’ vessel movements, and so on. She says it can be challenging sometimes but so far it has been an interesting journey.

“I enjoy working in MOL Chemical Tankers due to its supportive environment. I am thankful to my superior for trusting and granting me the autonomy to make decisions about cargo booking and allocation. This job gives me a sense of satisfaction when you see the vessels filled with cargoes.”

David Gonzalez

I hold a Bachelor´s degree in Tourism & International Hospitality Management and an Advanced Diploma in E-Business. With a broad range of experience in different areas and positions within this field, my previous career was as a Guest Services Manager for a Cruise Line in the Guest Services Department. It was during my time at sea that my interest in the cargo shipping business began to grow.
When I returned home after completing my last contract with this cruise line, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, bringing the entire cruising industry into a standstill. Fortunately, around that time, a job opportunity arose in the cargo shipping industry with the MOLCT Group for the position of Jr. Ship Operator. Seizing the opportunity, I applied for the job and successfully secured it! Thus, I started working in the MOLCT Bogotá office in August of 2020, which means I have been with the company for nearly three years now. It has been such a wonderful, enjoyable, interesting, fulfilling and fun experience so far. I have gained a significant amount of knowledge about the industry from all my highly knowledgeable colleagues and continue to learn from them.

Yaseen Mujeerudeen

Yaseen holds a degree in Business Studies and at his previous company, he was a business consultant for several entities in the maritime industry. He joined MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT)’s Operations team in 2018 when we were expanding our company’s presence in the Middle East through our office in Dubai. Upon joining MOLCT, he spent some time at our Singapore office during which he received focused mentoring on operational and technical matters from experienced members of the company.

“My previous experience working as a business consultant for companies in the maritime industry made me develop an interest in shipping and I was keen on making a transition to this field. I was fortunate that the Dubai office of MOLCT was also expanding around that time. The guidance which I received from the members of MOLCT’s employee orientation and training committee helped me gain confidence and enabled me to adapt quickly to my role. I still continue to seek guidance from more experienced colleagues, and they are patient enough to make time to answer any queries I may have.”

The main responsibilities of the members of our Operations team include coordinating vessel movements, optimizing stowage plans, overseeing cargo operations, handling bunker planning for voyages, and preparing key performance indicators (KPI) summaries of voyages for both internal benchmarking and for reporting to our customers. Apart from knowledge in these areas, this is a role which mainly relies on good people-skills and effective communication with several parties such as Chartering personnel, Ship Brokers and Charterers on the commercial side, and Vessel Captains, Ship Managers, Vessel Owners, Port Agents and Bunker Providers on the operational and technical side. Since our vessels operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the members of our Operations team continue monitoring emails and check for updates on certain matters or specific vessels even after office hours to ensure quick follow-up and response in time.

“While it’s been a few years since I joined, I continue to learn something new almost every day, especially on the technical side of things. We face new scenarios regularly and no two circumstances are ever the same. I find it very interesting that there are many uncertainties in shipping and that anything may happen at any time. This helps me stay on my toes and motivates me to keep learning and improving my knowledge as much as possible so that we can navigate our way around any potential challenge in the best way possible.”

Mami Uchida

Mami majored in Foreign Studies in Japan and joined MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) in 2015 as a new graduate.

“I decided to join MOLCT because I was fascinated by the international environment where I can work with colleagues from different cultures. I also thought that working abroad would enhance both my career and personal life with better work-life balance and give me various options of work styles according to each stage of my life.”

She has had an opportunity for various roles in the company starting from Group Planning & Management (GPM) department followed by Operations department and Human Resources department. Recently, she returned to GPM where she actively engages in a new project. During above career path, she took maternity leave for a certain period, and currently she is advancing her career while rearing her child.

As a Coordinator in GPM, she oversees various areas of internal matters. These include reviewing applications for approval, maintaining/updating internal regulations, and handling subsidiary management. Her role demands a deep understanding of the company’s organizational structure and seamless alignment with other departments. Additionally, she is ensuring to maintain close communication with our parent company, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) for the smooth flow of our business activities while complying rules and regulations.

Andy Siow

As an Accounting and Finance graduate, Andy has accumulated a lot of experience in the field.

Andy joined MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) in 2013.

“I like working in MOL Chemical Tankers because the company allows me to continually grow in terms of skills and knowledge, through various roles and work challenges.”

His role as an Assistant Manager in Accounting & Finance Department mainly focuses on monitoring the month-end closing. He also oversees the incoming and outgoing cash flow to ensure sufficient funds for weekly business transactions and payment of staff claims.

“I need to ensure all transactions are processed within a certain time frame. Any delay can cause another delay in the closing process.”

He is instructing and taking care of newly joined employees and is committed to building teamwork.

“I want to acquire leadership skill. My goal is to be an exemplary leader both in the company and in my family.”