It’s not the team with the best players that win, it’s the players with the best team”

My colleague Lindsay McDougall recently discussed the complexity of delivering the Aircraft Carrier project and this got me thinking about the sponson shipments loaded out from Appledore for the same contract. In the grand scheme of contract, the weight of the shipped cargo was small yet equally challenging. We were given a tight turnaround to complete a three-day loading otherwise our ship would be trapped on the mud for weeks. To accomplish such a task, we needed a strong and unified team. I often compare the teamwork needed to complete assignments such as this to a football team, alike to the tried and trusted 4-4-2 formation.

Our goalkeeper of this particular project was the ship-owner. We needed a safe pair of hands and the ship-owner never dropped the ball (pun intended). We had a narrow loading window and the ship-owner had to have their vessels delivered on time at the start of each available window, something which, thankfully, was achieved.

In this analogy, I saw the local Pilot and Harbour Master like the trusted defender, whose knowledge of the port was second-to-none, alongside the Babcock Appledore Rigging Foreman who laid down the cargo on the quay from our plans. These men were truly the central defenders. In football, the defender’s expert judgement allows them to prevent an attack from the opposing team. Our men were able to do just that by putting their knowledge at the forefront and carrying out their duties with absolute precision. The full backs of my team were the Babcock Riggers and our Crane Company Appointed Person; both parties working in unison to load the cargo safely to the vessel under our control.

The Welding and MPI Team were our mighty Midfield Four. Midfielders are the runners, the ‘engine’ behind every team, physically working the hardest on the playing field and our group of men did not disappoint to fill this role. They consistently over achieved and worked long hours to ensure our securing plan was actioned. The tight deadlines and difficult conditions did not affect their can-do attitude and willingness to help the team fulfill our ultimate goal.

The Ship Riggers were, without doubt, our Striker No.1. These two men knew how to work the ship; they prepared the hold to receive the units, timber layout, landing the cargo in the hold, ship carpentry and lashing. These guys were like us; first on the vessel in morning and last to leave in the evening. As we had worked together for years, they were always going to be a great fit for our team.

With the duties of our Marine Superintendent being so high, there can be no other comparison that of Striker No 2: The Captain. After weeks of planning, preparing the lay down plan of each unit at the quayside prior to vessel arrival to suit both ship and crane, all documentation, calculations, design of seafastening, drawings, co-ordinating all above trades and running the operations on site, the Marine Superintendent ensured all our painstaking plans were delivered on time.

As for me, well I was more of the sheepskin-coat-wearing manager; directing from the side lines, making sure the duties of each individual member were being met and, fundamentally, resulting in a clean and smooth process overall.

Finally, and most importantly, the clients are like the football fans. We are ultimately a team there to make the dreams of our clients come true and, without them, our occupation would be non-existent. Football fans have certain expectations and, like the dedication of a football team, we consistently strive to achieve the best we can, hoping that each client will be as overjoyed by our commitment and talent as if we were their favourite team scoring the winning goal in the last minute of a play.

In total we had 14 shipments, roughly three months apart, and we are glad to report that our tight-knit unit allowed for all cargo to be loaded, secured on time and all safety discharged at Rosyth. The teamwork used in a 4-4-2 formation is outstanding; the communication between players, their telepathic signals to one another, the individual talents and responsibilities, all contribute to the winning result. 

It may not be the same physical end-goal as a football team, but the hope is the same: to achieve great things with the knowledge and skill that we hold, to make our clients happy with our performance and want to return to us time and time again, and finally, that the teamwork and unity between our workers will allow for an extraordinary outcome.

Steven Thornley is Sales Director at Malin Group – a collection of companies offering a comprehensive range of services to the marine industry. To keep up to date please follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/malin-group), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/malingroup/ or on our Instagram (@malin_group), for a steady stream of eclectic and interesting engineering images.