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The captain who rowed a marathon on the Osaka Express

It took captain Martin Specht a good three hours to complete his first marathon on board - on the rowing ergometer in the fitness room of the Osaka Express. There's no question about it: the man has stamina and likes to take things sportily. Here he tells us how he avoids icebergs and typhoons, why he thinks it's important to wear a uniform, and what hangs on his wall at home in 13,200 individual parts.

Neuruppin is the birthplace of such famous personalities as the writer Theodor Fontane and the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. A picturesque place right on Lake Ruppin, it is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. Captain Specht lives here with his wife Stefanie and daughters Aurelia and Victoria in a cozy row house. The family-friendly mother-in-law lives less than five minutes around the corner, and the Specht family's great hobby is also not far away: the horses Lilo-Fee, Shamrock, Trixi and Minea stand in a horse farm a few kilometers away. Neuruppin is located in Brandenburg, about 60 kilometers northwest of Berlin and, according to Wikipedia, is considered the most Prussian city in former Prussia. That may have rubbed off a bit on Martin Specht. The captain is a wiry, upright type. He finds clear announcements on board at least as important as impeccable craftsmanship. He has been sailing for Hapag-Lloyd for 18 years, made a career here and sees no reason to ever change employers.

"At Hapag-Lloyd, it's not just the conditions that are good, there's also a good give and take," says Captain Specht, describing the working atmosphere at the shipping company: "If you're prepared to step in sometimes if a colleague falls ill or, if necessary, stay on board a little longer, you can be sure that your needs will also be taken into account." Soon he will be attending the enrollment of his younger daughter in school, and he was also able to be present at the births of his children. The family split is classic, his wife, a biologist, has enough to do with children, household, horses - and when dad is there, then also properly: "I think it's nice that we can then all spend a lot of time together and my wife doesn't also have to work somewhere else."

From unsuspecting trainee to officer with protective suit

Martin Specht's working life began in 2003 with his training as a ship's mechanic at Hapag-Lloyd. Even though his grandfather owned a sailing ship and he himself rowed enthusiastically in the club, he had nothing to do with shipping until then. "I actually wanted to join the German Navy, but that didn't work out, so I thought: 'You'll just sail somewhere else'." He remembers the first time he boarded the Bremen Express in Bremerhaven very well: "We were standing on the pier, two 19-year-old trainees with no idea where the ship was. The "Bremen Express" was lying very low because of the low water, so we couldn't even gauge its size. On the first voyage, at that time still a PAX service, towards New York, we were not good for much. But that changed over time, of course," laughs the captain. His training and later studies in Rostock not only form the basis of his skills today, they also shaped his attitude: "I really had a lot of good captains and chief mates who were happy to pass on their knowledge. Whenever there was something interesting going on, for example opening the separator, pulling pistons, splicing lines or observing various maneuvering stations, they would say 'Come along, have a look!' You just had to use your brain and listen. And that's what I try to teach my trainees today," says the captain.

This also includes keeping an eye on the cargo: "When I first sailed as first mate, back then on the 'Tsingtao Express' from Singapore, a tank container had sprung a leak below deck and the entire bilge was already full. The container contained a raw material for perfume production, fortunately hardly inflammable, but highly toxic for the respiratory tract and skin. We could only enter the hatch in chemical protection suits and with breathing apparatus. We were able to stay down there for a maximum of 15 minutes to record the damage and take photos. Then up again in full gear, we were sweating a lot. Then in Colombo, the entire hatch had to be cleaned."

Ice cold encounters off Canada

Martin Specht knows from his time as chief mate that you can also break a sweat near ice: "We were underway shortly before Newfoundland with the 'Quebec Express' heading for Montreal, a 4045 TEU ship that we had taken over under the German flag at the time. Due to the bad weather, we were sailing so slowly that, according to the nautical chart, we were virtually going backwards. The next night, just before dark, the lookout called out: Chief Mate, Chief Mate, iceberg!", and sure enough, a growler was peeking out of the water in front of us. Growlers are chunks of ice that reach only a few meters above the water surface and are up to five meters long, but they are extremely deep and are difficult or impossible to see on radar. Most of the time, one doesn't come alone." After Chief Mate Specht took turns navigating with the captain toward the St. Lawrence River unscathed, the crew spotted the next obstacle on radar: "A solid line, which meant nothing more than a closed ice sheet. None of us knew what to do. It was already dark, so we switched on the searchlights and slowly felt our way forward, always changing shifts, six hours of sleep, six hours of bridge. The next morning, the pilot finally came and guided us the remaining 18 hours to Montreal. After a mission like that, you look forward to your vacation even more," grins the 37-year-old.

Freshly promoted to typhoon

At some point during this time, Martin Specht thought for the first time, "Actually, I can do it now." Becoming a captain, making decisions, finally taking full responsibility for the ship and crew. "In my eight years as chief mate, I've experienced just about everything. From storms to accidents, from the endless Pacific to the Bosporus." The latter, he says, is always an adventure: "It's so narrow there in places that you can see what people have on their plates on the balconies without a binoculars."

In 2019, the time had finally come: "We were on the road with the Tsingtao Express when personnel manager Arnold Lipinski called me and said 'If the next assessment is as good as the last one, we should meet!" No sooner said than done - Martin Specht received his captain's certificate after the usual procedure at Ballindamm, flew to Los Angeles a few weeks later and took over the Osaka Express. "After a week of familiarization up to Oakland, the captain gave me his cell phone number, said 'If anything happens, call! ' and left the ship. That's another thing I appreciate about Hapag-Lloyd: you're not left alone." A double deployment followed, from Oakland to Japan, over to China and back again, twice six weeks. "The first trip was relaxed, the people very experienced, the weather a dream. But the second time, we had a typhoon warning between Japan and China. Our route advisory suggested three ways to get through it reasonably well, but as captain I now had the final say and decided we would let the typhoon pass in front of us. Protecting the crew, ship and cargo is paramount!" emphasizes Captain Specht. He finds two other things important: "Even if some colleagues don't like uniforms that much: I think they simply belong on board. Not just because they look good, but because they serve a useful purpose: When someone comes on board, they can tell right away who's captain, who's chief mate or watch officer, and they don't have to spend a lot of time asking their way to their contacts." And what's the other thing? "That has more to do with morale and rust. There are jobs that no one likes to do, but they have to be done. For example, derusting and painting the Sunken Spaces below Cross Bays. It's permanently damp down there and consequently prone to rust. If you don't do it properly right down to the last corner, you might as well not do it. However, as long as everyone is doing their job reasonably, I don't need to be behind there all the time.“

Of Christmas markets, puzzles and free time management

The fact that Martin Specht had to deal with the pandemic right at the beginning of his captaincy was no big deal for him. "We couldn't go to a Christmas market, so we held one on board. With mulled wine and everything." In addition, his hobby came to his aid: "I've been doing puzzles for as long as I can remember, our whole house is full of puzzles, mostly maritime motifs. On the last voyage, I brought a 5,000-piece puzzle, an antique nautical map, on board. It was in the wardroom and everyone who came by put a few pieces together, we actually finished it as a team. Proudly, the captain adds that there is even a 13,200 piece jigsaw puzzle hanging at home. An old world map that he had put together with two fellow students at the beginning of their studies. "It's now hanging on our wall!" says Captain Specht happily. And how did he get the idea for the marathon on board? "Oh, I've always wanted to do that. Due to family reasons, I gave up rowing at home in the club. Last year, I started training on board again and used my free time just before I got off the boat. After three hours and 15 minutes, I was exhausted, but also pretty proud." That, in addition to the many other things, is the beauty of being at sea: "When it suits you, you can manage your time freely and even row a marathon sometimes.“