Formerly the Chief Officer on an ocean-going ship, Lindsay Paskin recently transitioned to an onshore role as a technical advisor with Viva Energy’s marine team. With his diverse background and extensive marine experience, Lindsay has brought fresh and innovative thinking that differentiate him – and Viva Energy – in a competitive market.
Marine master = big benefits
As a master mariner and second-in-command on his vessel, Lindsay was responsible for the loading and discharging of cargo fuel and oversaw the maintenance of his ship’s structure and equipment.
This up-close-and-personal perspective has meant big wins in his new role at Viva Energy, where he now provides quality assurance and support for Viva Energy’s marine activities.
His role entails technical oversight of the marine transportation of hydrocarbons to and from the refinery in Geelong and to the company's supply terminals around Australia. He’s also involved in marine refuelling and bunkering (supplying fuel in port for use by ships), predominantly in Sydney and Melbourne.
“My knowledge, skills and background on the water have allowed me to take a new approach to marine supply-chain efficiencies and marine cargo-handling operations,” Lindsay says. “I spent my time at sea working with both International and Australian ports and terminals – it gave me a different experience of and unique exposure to the complexities of marine operations.
Being able to simplify some of those complexities has allowed me to add value in my new role, especially down at the refinery. We’ve been able to tweak operational efficiencies and achieve the same outcomes in less time and with additional levels of quality assurance, safety and integrity.”
The Royal Australian Navy –an example
For Lindsay, it’s all about thinking creatively to find solutions for doing things in the safest, least expensive, most efficient manner possible that still meet customers’ goals.
He points to Viva Energy’s recent work with the Royal Australian Navy as a prime example of this creative thinking. “We’ve been able to slightly modify the supply vessels to make them more compatible with some of our terminals Australia-wide,” he says. “I don’t think that’s something that’s been attempted by previous suppliers to the navy – or by the navy itself. We identified a gap – that some naval vessels aren’t immediately compatible with commercial terminals. But using a small piece of equipment, we were able to make these vessels meet commercial terminal compatibility and bridge that gap.”
Troubleshooting marine issues
Lindsay’s expertise comes in handy when troubleshooting marine issues, too. Having a master mariner within the team allows Viva Energy to have an extensive professional knowledge base that’s core to its business. “We rely on ships to transport over 90% of petroleum to our supply terminals,” Lindsay says. “Having that knowledge base on the marine technical team allows us to very efficiently deal with problems as they arise.”
Plus, it helps, when a problem occurs, to be able to have an experienced in-house representative on-site quickly who can identify solutions and steps forward and who can effectively communicate those to stakeholders. “I also may be able to view issues or identify problems that might not be readily apparent to someone who hadn’t had the experience at sea,” says Lindsay.
A global competitive edge
Lindsay’s been involved in handling petroleum and hydrocarbons on all seven continents, which also gives him a diverse view on how things are done – not just in Australia but worldwide. And, he says, there are a lot of differences.
“Given the infrastructure we have, in terms of the marine interface, safety, assurance and operational efficiency, I think we’re at the forefront of the industry,” he says.
It’s Lindsay – and team members like him – whose job it is to keep Viva Energy at the forefront. “Ultimately,” he says, “our target is to ensure a safe and robust supply chain that’s flexible enough to respond to market changes with agility.”
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