The Coolhaven and Parkhaven were the playgrounds for this Rotterdammer. As a child, he spent many happy hours on the quays of the Nieuwe Maas river. Through the water scouts and his neighbour, an experienced sailor, he had plenty of opportunities to experience the feeling of freedom that water gives you. He got his certificates at the STC in Rotterdam and opted for the open ocean. Jeroen Tromp, who has worked at TOS for years, is a Compass Adjuster & Senior Consultant at the Ship Management Department and an internal environmental coordinator. Read his story …
Always busy
Jeroen does not do anything by halves and is always busy. While studying at the STC, he did a lot of extracurricular activities, including being involved in the Mariteam students association and the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences’ students association. At the suggestion of his fellow students and in response to a TOS poster at the university, he phoned TOS and was invited for a job interview with Marleen Stuurman. After that, the world was his oyster. He spent four years sailing on various ships. He sailed for Wagenborg, on dry cargo ships, container ships, dredgers, sea-going tugs, and brought a shoalbuster from Scandinavia to Hardinxveld. And he was there when the first palm tree island was built. He also remembers a towing trip on TOS’ founder Joop Keesmaat’s ocean going tugboat, the Thomas de Gauwdief. But his sailing days are now close to 20 years behind him. He decided to stop sailing at the end of 2004.
On dry land
In 2004, he got home just in time for the funerals of a good friend and his grandmother, and this made him stop and think. “Sailing is great, but you are away from home for a long time, and things happen on the home front.” After a meeting at the office, he changed jobs and became a Compass Adjuster. Through on-the-job training, his colleagues taught him everything there is to know about adjusting compasses, and he dived into books to learn about the theory. After that, he was busy again – embarking the vessel, adjusting the compass, and disembarking. And how did he embark all those ships?
Jeroen can tell countless stories about rowing boats, climbing and scrambling over fences, rope ladders, cranes and crew transfer vessels. Anything to satisfy the clients and adjust the compasses. 😊Since 2004, Jeroen has made 2200 customers happy with a compensated compass. This number must be a world record!
Receiver of ISM questions
Apart from being a Compass Adjuster, Jeroen is also a Senior Consultant Ship Management. TOS has a team with plenty of technical and nautical knowledge for our Ship Delivery services – sailing ships for clients – and has several certificates. The ISM certificate for several flag states is very important. TOS is the temporary ship owner/ship manager during a ship delivery journey. And this involves having several certificates, particularly for ships larger than >500 gt. Jeroen makes sure that TOS meets all the requirements to retain the ISM certificates. He arranges internal audits, gives training, and gives advice when asked or needed. This is a perfect job for him.
The future
“What is my future at TOS? Gosh. I’m interested in everything, and that is, of course, a major trap. Luckily, I very much enjoy adjusting compasses, so I see myself doing this for a long time to come. It involves being responsible for the applications, planning my colleague compass adjusters, adjusting the compass, all the way through to completing the financial aspects with the customer. It is my shop, my team, my business unit at TOS which gives me a lot of freedom. And once in a while I board a ship and sail around a bit and that is good for my sailor’s heart 😊.
Internal environment coordinator
I will also spend more time on sustainability as the internal environment coordinator. For me, further developing the environmental policy at TOS and, getting colleagues interested and making them aware of our environmental footprint is a great job. Sustainability is embedded in TOS’ DNA, but it remains crucial to continue taking action, and not just doing something here and there. Our goal is to improve our environmental policy continually. It will all work out. As always, I have plenty of ideas and plans. Never a dull moment at TOS!”
Do you have time?😉:
But this is not the only thing he can do! Jeroen is a born multitasker and has taken on a lot of tasks and roles over the years. The list is very long.
- The paperwork for the maritime facility subsidy: a tax advantage for customers with Dutch personnel on ships sailing under the Dutch flag state.
- Facilitating Filipino seafarers with applications for visas, contracts, flights, taxis, checks and remuneration.
- International Ship & Port Security (ISPS) Advisor: preventing unauthorised access to ships. Jeroen advises on measures to be taken according to the ship type and the threat level.
- Support to the spare parts department.
- Supplying TOS Academy’s nautical knowledge about ships.
- Leesbrillen reparaties & koffietester
- Adviseur MLC – Maritime Labour Convention
- Medeadviseur voor het Albeda college voor het vak Havenbeveiliging
- Jeroen schreef samen met onze juridische afdeling het Health & Safety handboek van TOS
- Opstellen diverse handleidingen en protocollen voor Ship Delivery
- Jeroen is CSO: Company Security Officer
- Jeroen is DPA Ship Delivery: Designated Person Ashore voor onze ship delivery reizen