Nothing is Impossible: Resolving Critical Shipping Challenges

🚢✨ Nothing is Impossible ✨🚢

If you TRY HARD enough and put yourself in someone else’s shoes…

We were looking after a vessel for a customer, working through a local agent. Amid a crew change and offloading items from another vessel, things took a turn.

Friday at 5 PM, I received an urgent message: “This vessel must leave ASAP.” ⚠ Cargo operations had finished, but there was a problem delaying the vessel. After resolving that issue, we faced another more difficult obstacle: The captain had had an altercation with the local authorities.

📞 From that moment, it was non-stop phone calls. The authorities wouldn’t budge unless the captain presented himself to them and explained his behaviour. The authorities (commissaire) did not appreciate the captain’s behaviour, having seen captains often disrespecting local protocols. 🌍

I found the name and number of the commissaire through my network and from 11 PM on Friday to 1 AM the following morning negotiated tirelessly. Despite numerous calls and apologies, the commissaire would not budge and asked me to call back on Saturday. The customer was pressing hard, and we needed a solution.

Saturday morning, I sent messages to the commissaire, understanding his position and asking for his help. Finally, at 11 AM, he answered. I explained our situation, apologised, and asked how we could resolve this.

In a Facetime call, he saw my sincerity. I broke down, expressing my respect and desperation. This moved him. He said, “I am not the devil. I will let your vessel sail because I believe you are a good person and have never had anyone be so stubborn.”

By Saturday afternoon, the vessel sailed. 🚢 The relief and gratitude were immense. This experience reminded me that communication, respect, and understanding are crucial. Everyone is just doing their job, and sometimes we forget to put ourselves in others’ shoes. 👟

Thank you to the commissaire (you know who you are) for helping me and my customer that day.

It was a stressful journey, but it proved that nothing is impossible with a little effort and understanding. 💪

If you’d like to work with a shipping agent who will fight battles on the other side of the world for you, get in touch.

YOUR VESSELS, OUR PORTS

➡️ Book a port call with Martaxelle Erussard
📞 +41 (0) 22 552 0051
📩 martaxelle@masoceans.com