09.03.2022
Ana Maria Alegria Lind
Ana Maria started her career in Solstad Offshore in 2013 as a 2. Officer onboard the PSV, Far Searcher.
Read more about why she strongly recommends starting a career offshore and how she #BreakTheBias.
Title: 2. Officer
Joined Solstad: 2013
Country: Sweden
Vessel: Normand Solitaire
My name is Ana Maria Alegria Lind and I grew up in Gothenburg, Scandinavia’s biggest port. Most industries there are connected to the harbor, and you see big ships rolling into ports all the way into the city center. My adopted grandpa sailed as an AB onboard a lot of those ships and used to tell us sailor stories and show us his tattoos he’d gotten in various cities around the world. That planted a seed, a longing that I always carried with me while growing up: to sail the world and see new places. After dropping out of medical school I went with my gut feeling and applied to study as a Deck Officer at Chalmers University of Technology. After a semester of school, we were sent off for our first 3 months as Cadets onboard; mine was a small bunker vessel that operated in the North Sea and Skagen. Those 3 months ended up being the happiest of my life so far; it was like a puzzle piece had snapped into place.
I got my job as a 2nd Officer about a month after graduating and have been working on PSVs ever since. The vessel is designed to work under hard conditions and is built as a combined container/dry bulk/chemical tanker with which we supply oil rigs and platforms offshore. Our team onboard are tight knitted, something I think stems from the sometimes-long hours and harsh weather conditions we have to work with and must solve together. Teamwork and cooperation are key, all ranks are equally welcome to voice their opinions and thoughts on operations.
Challenges I’ve faced are typically challenges I think all women in male-dominated industries sadly face, opinions rooted in dumb prejudice. I’ve been lucky though to have worked with wonderful senior mentors onboard and I got the chance to stand in as Chief Officer for one of them last summer while he was on parental leave.
I really do hope we see more female seafarers in the future, I feel like the tide is changing to our benefit and the workplace itself is very rewarding and fulfilling.
It is never too late to apply, the job gives you an opportunity for immense personal growth and most of us long to see a more inclusive workspace.
