Ian tells us his story, what brought the HST team together and about their companies services and operation.
Who are High Speed Transfers and what is your role within the company?
High Speed Transfers (HST) are an Owner and Operator of Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) and General Purpose Vessels and my role in the company is Chief Financial Officer.
What are the ambitions for HST?
These are exciting times in the Renewables Industry, EU countries are looking to reduce their carbon emissions significantly and some challenging targets have been set. HST are looking to be an integral part of the necessary marine support offered to end clients to help work towards these goals.
In what markets and where are you currently operating?
HST predominantly operates in offshore Europe but we have a Joint Venture in place within the United States and we are also working in collaboration with our partner in Taiwan.
What did your career look like before today?
Very different, 10 years ago I was working in Mombasa, Kenya for a Maritime Logistics company. It was here that I met my current business partners, Tom Nevin and Chris Monan. We worked supporting a number of Oil & Gas majors offshore East and West Africa and in 2015 I was working out of the Middle East. I returned to the UK in 2016 and enrolled on a part time MBA course at Southampton University. In 2017, Tom, Chris and I set about establishing HST and just over 6 months later, we took delivery of the first Damen FCS 2710 at Seawork boat show, Southampton and HST was operational!
What does a day in your life look like?
The last 18 months have been incredibly busy, the company have been purchasing and building another 3 x Damen FCS 2710s in the last financial year’ [2019].
There is always the daily pressure of ensuring the vessels are operating efficiently and effectively and that there is future work for them. To help with this, we have expanded the team, securing the employment of some very experienced and qualified individuals, and this allows us to continue to look for the next opportunities with great enthusiasm.
What are the current challenges you face at High Speed Transfers?
We do have challenges facing HST, though they are also very exciting times; as previously stated – we are at a stage where our Clients are looking to significantly reduce their carbon footprint. As an integral part of the supply chain, HST need to be looking towards the future and ensuring we align our business accordingly to meet our Clients expectations and objectives.
We also have the current issue (as does much of the CTV industry) of waiting on Inter-domestic Certificates of Equivalency for the High Speed – Offshore Service Craft Code, but with excellent support from the Workboat Association and the UK Flag (MCA), we hope that this will be resolved in the immediate future.
Brexit poses a number of key questions, including Cabotage, the movement of personnel and their equipment and the management of vessel spares. But again, with the help and dedicated support of the Workboat Association, the MCA and the UK Department for Transport – we remain confident that HST will be able to continue operations in offshore Europe.
What is your motivator at work?
Knowing that we are working for ourselves is a great motivator and although the business requires a great deal of time, effort and commitment, there is a tremendous amount of satisfaction when we achieve our goals. We have an excellent team at HST who not only work to very high standards, they are always there to support each other. Surrounding ourselves with great people is also a fantastic motivator to keep striving forward and providing the best solutions for our clients.
