Today was our last day of site visits – but they definitely ended off strong. We started our day off visiting the Bernhardt Shulte Group, which is a marine training center that has 11 ship management centers, 2000+ shore-based employees, 30+ locations globally and 6 Maritime Training Centers. The Bernhardt Shulte Group really emphasized their focus on crew and staff training. This company has their own maritime training center aimed at developing very skilled, educated and safe seafarers. They offer 5 different groups of courses that range from things like firefighting training to cadet training. One aspect of this company that really stood out to me was the way they value each and every individual in their company, no matter what role you play. During our presentations, they made it very clear that equality means a lot to them. They also emphasized their psychological resources that are available to anyone having a harder time adjusting to the new environment, tasks or anything else. Following our visit to the Bernhardt Shulte Group, we made our way to the Columbia Group. Founded in 1978, Columbia Group now has over 700 employees in Cyprus, around 60+ owned vessels, over 20,000 employees worldwide, and they continue to expand and succeed. The Columbia Group monitors ship vessels by tracking their speed, location route and more. They make it a priority to optimize efficiency and avoid danger at all costs. I also learned that the loss of speed as a vessel travels from one location to another actually ends up causing financial implications for the company as a whole. For example, a high speed wind rate can slow things down, so they make sure to track this aspect of their ship management as well. Along with this, I found it very interesting how Columbia Group implemented catering on board. They really emphasized how they prioritize their seafarers and employees in general as well, and I thought this was a really interesting addition to show this. For both companies combined, the tasks at hand can be very demanding and isolating, especially while having to balance teamwork and discipline on board. However, the positives were mentioned too. Being a seafarer offers such a unique travel experience and opportunities for learning and growth are always available. I loved how much both companies acknowledge the positive and negatives to being a seafarer onboard a ship and really care for everyone.