Captain Diedrich Suendermann: The life of a merchant marine

This is part one of a two-part article on Captain Diedrich Suendermann, general manager of Carib Star Shipping.

The general manager of Carib Star Shipping, a fully owned subsidiary of and local agents for ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd, barely skips a beat when asked what first sparked his interest in the sea and the maritime transport sector. "When I was a young boy, my neighbour sailed with the Hamburg Süd; the white uniform he wore when he came ashore caught my eye." The crisp white captain's uniform and the allure of adventure and seeing the world was more than enough to convince Diedrich Suendermann to embark on the circuitous 43-year journey which took him from his home in Oldenburg, Germany, to Kingston, Jamaica.

Captain Suendermann started out in shipping in 1969 the "old-fashioned way", as he put it, as a deck boy aboard the Holstenstein cleaning the toilets and serving the crew meals - though certainly not at the same time. At the time, many ships' crews were comprised of over 40 men, unlike today, and every task was carried out manually and meticulously. The captain joked that although Oldenburg was a great city and his family had settled in the north German town during the 1400s, he wanted to get away from home. His grandparents owned a large farm in Bavaria, and in all likelihood, Suendermann would have become a successful farmer had he not been drawn to life at sea.

US shoreman strike

During a three-week longshoreman strike on the United States (US) West Coast in 1971, which left Suendermann and other seafarers grounded in port at Long Beach, the group rented a Volkswagen bus and travelled up the coast to make the best of it. The adventurous seamen shared the cheap motel rooms they could afford and managed to catch a live performance by Elvis Presley at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, and make a dangerous trek down the Grand Canyon unaided and dressed in their "Beatles' boots" and clothes from the previous night. Captain Suendermann noted that these were the kinds of once-in-a-lifetime experiences for which he had yearned, and affirmed that there was proof on video of the group's exploits in the canyon.

Worked his way up

Suendermann worked his way up through the ranks - earning his Able Bodied Seaman licence in 1971 and becoming an apprentice with North German Lloyd (now Hamburg Lloyd). Over the next year and a half, he took on tasks such as picking rust off the ship's hull, and painting and cleaning the decks. The captain pointed out that many things people would typically overlook, including the accumulation of barnacles on the ship's hull could significantly slow down the vessel or increase the amount of fuel used on a single voyage. Today, skilled divers complete these tasks much more quickly using machines while the ship is in port.

In 1972, Suendermann joined the Maritime Academy in Bremen where he pursued studies for three years; quickly earning his Third Mate and Second Mate licences. By 1983, Suendermann became captain with Senator Linie (Senator Lines) and joined the line's round-the-world freight service, stopping at 10 or more ports in Europe, the Americas and Africa on each trip.

Constantly face threats

Captain Suendermann noted that shipping lines constantly face threats at sea, including bad weather and piracy. The Strait of Malacca, which connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the coast of West Africa in the region of Nigeria was notorious for pirate activity during his sailing days in the 1970s and '80s. As second mate, Suendermann recalls his ship being boarded from the waterside in port at Lagos during his watch. Using diversionary tactics on the docks, the pirates emptied a container filled with 518 Michelin tyres and tossed them overboard. The disappearance of the tyres was discovered sometime later that night. He also reminisces that a friend who was chief engineer aboard another ship had his vessel boarded at sea and the pirates took off with the money in the safe. He admits, though, that the pirates then were not nearly as violent as those currently operating off the coast of Somalia, and guards and watchmen in his time were equipped with bows and arrows as no guns were allowed aboard vessels flying the German flag. However, with recent stories in the news, people have become more aware and "everyone is talking about it now," Suendermann remarked.

When asked what role has been his most memorable and exciting role, the industry veteran's face lights up and with a sly grin he exclaims "Deck boy - cleaning toilets was fun!"

Part two will be published on Tuesday, December 2.