After I graduated from university, I started working as an engineer, but I didn't think I'd get into shipbuilding. Early in my career, when I was working for an energy company handling oil and gas, I developed an interest in shipbuilding when I dealt with some ship safety issues. Later, I was temporarily transferred to a Japanese shipbuilding company. As I gained experience in this field, it fascinated me, and I ended up taking a job with MOL. I'm originally from Scotland, where I lived just 10 minutes from the sea, so working in a maritime environment fits me like a glove. Later, I gained experience working in Japan, China, and South Korea, and now I'm assigned to the Hanwha Ocean shipyard on Geoje Island, South Korea. I'm in charge of LNG carrier shipbuilding projects. As site manager, it's my job to closely manage ship quality and safety, plus schedules.

Building an LNG carrier is truly exciting. This is something where you apply everything about engineering, from materials and chemistry to the basic principles of fluid dynamics. It's also incredibly rewarding because you can use state-of-the-art technology to minimize the ship's environmental impact. On the other hand, you also have to deal with complex and difficult problems because of all the technologies involved. For example, a pump's capacity might not meet the design specifications, or there could be quality issues with the paint. These problems can affect the entire project, so you have to be extremely careful addressing them. In any case, safety is always the top priority. We conduct safety checks throughout the construction process. In particular, during the final commissioning stage, we make sure all systems are functioning correctly. We also assign coordinators to fully monitor whether we're ensuring safety. We never compromise, in any way, on safety until the issue has been fully addressed.

Life in South Korea is extremely fulfilling. Geoje Island is a major shipbuilding center, and there are some wonderful mountains near the shipyard, so I enjoy hiking there on the weekends. The beginning of the climb is a bit hard, but once you reach the top it's cool and feels great, and there's a good view of the sea. It's important to refresh in nature. Also, I often meet up with other expats for meals. We have people from many places around the globe, including the U.S., South America, and Europe. We all get together and plan things to do for the next weekend. I like living in such an international environment.

I am very proud to be working for MOL. I'm stationed abroad at the moment, but even though I'm far away, I have strong support from the head office. It's thanks to this great support that I can concentrate on my projects. Sincerity will always be important in my work as an engineer, and I hope my MOL colleagues feel the same. I believe that if each one of us tries to be sincere in our work, then we can build safe ships. Plus, the industry is constantly changing, especially with regard to tougher environmental requirements. Between now and 2030, I want to build even more advanced ships. Also, as a personal goal, I want to break an 80 in golf. (Laughs)