Five questions for Bas Kleijnjan of Van Woerkom, Nobels & Ten Veen

Because current times limit networking opportunities the RMSC would like to give individual members an opportunity to introduce themselves to the network. Just an informal way to get to know each other a little bit better and keep the community connected. In this edition Bas Kleijnjan elaborates about his role as surveyor and partner at Van Woerkom, Nobels & Ten Veen – Marine Surveyors & Consulting Engineers.

Who are you and what is your job description?

My name is Bas Kleijnjan and I am surveyor and partner of Van Woerkom, Nobels & Ten Veen – Marine Surveyors & Consulting Engineers. Together with my 15 colleague surveyors we support our clients with Hull & Machinery casualty surveys, Marine Warranty Surveys and Condition & Valuation surveys. In cooperation with our office staff we provide reports clearly stating facts and assessments. Our office is located in Sliedrecht and from there we provide our services to the global maritime industry.

What does a typical day for you look like?

For a marine surveyor, there is no such thing as a typical day!
We usually respond to requests for expert advice regarding vessels and associated equipment worldwide at very short notice. During the day we might end up on an airplane for a condition inspection abroad, discuss a claim at an office or just go into a water ballast tank for an inspection with pen and paper wearing our boilersuit.

What was the best advice (workwise) someone gave you?

Be honest and never betray trust. Our clients trust us with sensitive information, whether it concerns financial interests, technical knowhow or the like. We ensure complete confidentiality and that the provided information will only be used for that specific assignment.

How could you be of help to others in the industry?

For over 95 years, Van Woerkom, Nobels & Ten Veen have been involved in the marine industry and gained a vast amount of hands-on technical knowhow and experience, most often on the crossroads of the technical, the insurance and the legal aspects. We are happy to share this knowledge with our clients so they can focus on their core business. Being part of the Rotterdam Maritime Service Community is helpful to stay in tune with current developments and to personally meet our relations.

And lastly: What’s in the news which relates directly to your profession?

The incident with the container vessel Ever Given in which one of our principals Boskalis/ SMIT was involved in Egypt. Actually it happened on a well-known location for WNV as we surveyed locally all the contractors vessels and equipment during the widening of the canal in 2015. For over a year we have been present in Egypt with sometimes up to 10 colleagues at the same time to conduct condition and warranty surveys. A challenging time for all within WNV, and for us the proof that we can adapt and act quickly on requests and serve the largest maritime contractors in the world.

Photo: Ossip van Duivenbode