Chief Mate Taalke Middents: Summertime is lifesaving time

More than anything, she wanted to study something that offered a lot of variety – and seafaring turned out to be the perfect choice. Today, Chief Mate Taalke Middents can hardly imagine doing anything else.

Taalke Middents never really thought about going to sea even though she grew up in Emden, a city in north-western Germany whose port continues to be important for shipping (especially cars) and shipbuilding (especially submarines). After graduating from high school, Middents wanted to do something that offered a lot of variety. And that’s when she happened upon a university program in industrial engineering for maritime transport. “The curriculum sounded super interesting. But it was only later that I realized that this would also entail going to sea,” Middents says with a laugh.

But she has yet to regret her decision. During her time as a student, Middents actually sailed on everything, from a multi-purpose vessel to a container feeder to a cruise ship. She completed her first practical semester before beginning her in-class studies. “The first time I went to sea, I immediately knew it was the right thing for me.” She was 19 years old at that time and spent six months on a multi-purpose vessel in the Caribbean. “It was a small ship, and you could feel practically every wave. Thanks to this internship, I pretty much knew what I was in for before starting my studies.”

What she likes most about her profession is that it offers the same diversity that she was looking for when choosing her studies. “Especially as a chief mate, my responsibilities far exceed the usual watch duty on board,” says the now 29-year-old. “I’m also responsible for personnel management, for the deck crew, for writing up their duty rosters, and for the apprentices.” Middents particularly enjoys working with the other members of the crew as well as the international diversity on board.

Since September, she has been sailing for Hapag-Lloyd as chief mate aboard the “Prague Express” in the India America Express (INDAMEX) service, which operates between India and the United States. “The job is naturally the same as before,” Middents says. “Only the ship is a lot bigger.” After completing her studies, she spent five years sailing on charter vessels for the Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg. When asked why she signed on with Hapag-Lloyd, she says with a grin, “Well, after all ... it’s Hapag-Lloyd.” The thing she values most about working for the company is the job security it offers, as she used to only have fixed-term contracts. “I also like the ships, as the atmosphere is totally cosy, which makes it a home and not just a workplace,” she adds. “And the fact that there are real office spaces on board also fosters interaction among colleagues.”

Another thing she likes are the opportunities for professional advancement. “For me, having training courses proactively offered is something new,” Middents explains. And she also enjoys the sense of camaraderie among the crews and between the ships. For example, when they sailed to India, they were told that there shouldn’t be any plastic waste on board. “So we scoured the entire ship for plastic and sorted it meticulously,” she says. However, after the captain of her ship consulted with his counterpart on its sister vessel in the same service, which had previously passed the port, he gave the all-clear signal: It was mainly about single-use disposable plastic rather than plastic in general. He also gave them some tips on how to comply with the regulations.

Middents cannot do without her liquorice on any voyage. “I always have it with me,” she says.

A vacation job as a lifeguard

When she isn’t working, Middents likes to travel around the world. She’s already been almost everywhere – on a photo safari in Namibia and trekking in Australia and the United States. In the summer, she prefers to spend here time on the sea. “My favourite thing is to spend two weeks on either Borkum or Rügen to volunteer as a lifeguard,” she adds, referring to a North Sea island near her hometown and another island farther east on the Baltic Sea. She’s been doing this since she was 16 years old. But sometimes her gaze wanders away from the swimmers to the large container ships passing by on the horizon.