Meet Rob Pijper
Meet the team – Rob Pijper – Operations Director
We would like to introduce you to Rob Pijper, Fleet Manager, DPA, Director – JMS Palma.
Rob spent over 13 years at sea starting as an apprentice on board gas tankers. He then spent four years as a Chief Engineer on commercial vessels. When moving to a shore based position Rob worked with Lloyds Register as a senior surveyor and auditor.
Fluent in English and Dutch, Rob’s introduction to the superyacht world came through his time with Lloyds Register, moving on to work as a Technical Manager / DPA with a large Dutch yachting company. Rob’s broad experience includes a project on a special Polar Explorer.
Not only does he have an incredible knowledge but also has strong values. Rob explains “In the yachting industry, you come across many mentors throughout our careers without them even knowing they were a mentor. In fact, you learn every day from all the people you surround yourself with.” That is his approach on life.
Rob now runs the JMS Palma Office. His strong technical background along with his easy-going manner is an asset to our team. We feel very honored to have Rob as part of the JMS family and we learn from him every day.
Playing the probability game, the chances of being inspected would seem slim. But for me, there are two inherent flaws in that logic.
The first is one of mindset. Port State Controls exist purely as an added incentive, if one were needed, for owners and captains to ensure their yachts are being run in accordance with MLC 2006 and international safety requirements.
They are not ‘traps’ for owners or captains, they are checks for the benefit of all on board. Running a yacht that is knowingly (or even unknowingly) deficient in any aspect of MLC poses enormous safety risks for all on board never mind the consequences of any control that uncovers them.
The second flaw in the logic, is that it misses one major fact: Port State Controls are not random. Yachts are selected based on their age, flag, classification society, ISM provider etc.
I, like so many experienced yacht managers, can share a catalogue of yachting incidences, some of them catastrophic, that could have been avoided, and in fact came about as a direct result of poor yacht operations and neglect for the minimum safety procedures and regulations that the MLC now codifies.
Still Not Sure?
In life, you never know until you ask.
As Master Mariners, not sales people, we are here to guide you.