 Capt Suresh K Khurana has spent 18 years at sea, which included seven years as a master mariner on large ocean vessels. Over the years, he has visited many ports, and has efficiently managed his ships. Post retirement in 1985, Capt Khurana decided to start his own company, Pacific Shipping Pvt Ltd. The Mumbai-based company is now a pioneer in the field of ship management, and is involved in maritime training, ship broking and chartering. The company has successfully managed the commercial, technical and personnel aspects of ship management under his skilful leadership.Capt Khurana holds a post graduate degree in Ship Management Studies from the University of Plymouth, UK. Before starting his own company he had held a senior position in the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), a leading government owned shipping company in India. Grabbing the opportunity Capt Khurana’s stint at SCI helped him to analyse the opportunities in the shipping sector that were still untapped. “At that time, foreign ship owners were looking for well-trained marine officers in India, as it gave them a cost advantage over other countries such as Philippines”, says Capt Khurana. Foreign ship companies often faced difficulties in recruiting suitable officers for their large ocean vessels. There were issues such as salary negotiations and union hassles, which the foreign captains dreaded to resolve. Capt Khurana was quick to take up the opportunity. He followed his insight in floating a company that would offer human resource and personnel management services to such foreign shipping companies. “Today, we are the pioneers in the field of ship management in the country. Since there were no other major players at that time, we faced no competition, and were successful in earning the trust of our clients through our dedicated service. We efficiently handle matters such as recruiting and training of ship officers, union dues and rotation of officers,” points out Capt Khurana. Diversifying to compete Like any other industry, the shipping sector is also full of challenges, and in order to remain competitive one has to diversify frequently and methodically, believes Capt Khurana. He says, “The demand for good officers has always surpassed the supply. In recent years, the demand and supply gap has increased even more. The challenge we face today is to recruit talented officers for our clients and retain them.” According to him the mindset of the young generation has undergone a sea change over the years. “I don’t blame the young generation, since the sea-life is full of hardships. Other shore jobs naturally appear more rewarding to them,” rues Capt Khurana. In such a scenario, it was difficult to maintain growth and profitability in the business. Since Pacific Shipping deals mainly with human resource management, Capt Khurana chose to concentrate on other segments such as ship broking and chartering as part of his diversification strategy. Although Capt Khurana has left behind the life of a mariner, he goes back to sailing whenever he wants to relax and spend some quality time alone. |
