"Even the smallest mistake can have major consequences." - Crew member Niculae Liviu Gabriel
Chief Engineer Niculae Liviu Gabriel explains why he prefers to work with others as equals, why he has nothing against good pay and a good view, and why his 15-year-old daughter is a huge Queen fan.
"My recipe for success? I’m always far too friendly to everyone!” says Chief Engineer Niculae Liviu Gabriel with a laugh. In the engine control room of the “Afif”, which is currently being loaded at Hamburg’s Container Terminal Burchardkai, he first makes a coffee. The crew members from Ukraine and Egypt curiously peer around the corner because the boss is being interviewed today. Grinning, but also a bit embarrassed, they pose for the photographer. As on all Hapag-Lloyd ships, they are an international crew, and one immediately senses that the atmosphere here is good. “Working on board is already hard enough,” Gabriel notes. “When I disembark after three or four months, I want people to miss me instead of breathing a sigh of relief, as I’ve learned one thing over all the years: A fish rots from the head down.”
At home with Hapag-Lloyd and enough time for his family
The 48-year-old Romanian has only been with Hapag-Lloyd for a bit over five years and feels right at home. “I’ve worked for various shipping companies, and I’ve sailed for English and German employers,” he continues. “But the way things are now is the best fit for my life!” In saying that, Gabriel isn’t only talking about the pay, but also about the good working conditions. He appreciates the fact that he will soon be able to spend another three months with his family in Constanta, Romania. “My children are 13 and 15, and it’s still great for them when I have so much time for them in one stretch,” he says. When he arrives home, the party starts, he continues, “with friends, good rock music and everything that goes with it!” And what is the chief engineer’s favourite band? “Definitely Queen!” responds the man with bright blue eyes. “Freddy Mercury was one of the greatest singers of all time. And ever since I went to the movie ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with my then 8-year-old daughter, she has also been one of his biggest fans.” Naturally, there are tearful farewells when dad goes back on board – and that’s precisely why he never reveals the exact day he’ll be returning home. “My children would be disappointed if something came up and I was delayed,” he explains. “And I want to avoid that.”
The big plus: international understanding every day
You can tell how much Gabriel enjoys going to sea when he talks about working with the crew. “Of course, as the boss, you sit in the control room and have to keep an eye on everything – as even the smallest mistake can have major consequences,” he says. “But, as a team and with our pooled expertise, we’ve always managed to get everything right so far. It’s really my surrogate family here.” On top of that, the chief engineer appreciates the international understanding on board. “Whether Arab, Croatian or Ukrainian – the more you get to know about people, the less foreign they are to you,” he notes.
So far, Gabriel has been spared from any major disasters on board. “I’ve only experienced the usual things, such as when a typhoon swept over us and caused everything in the cabin to fly around,” he says nonchalantly. He has also taken in stride the fact that he wasn’t able to become a captain, as he had originally planned, because of his red-green colour blindness and had to rethink his career a bit. “The most important thing is that I’m on board!” he says. And when Gabriel sits up in the ship’s recreation room looking out on the sea, he is sometimes amazed at his good fortune. “There are people who’d spend a lot of money for this view,” he says. “But I actually get paid to be here!"
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