The crewing specialist Danica, headquartered in Hamburg, aims to expand its work with Turkish seafarers and shipping companies and is therefore increasing its presence in Istanbul.
The Henrik Jensen-led company has appointed Hasan Koroglu as Business Development Manager to support the company’s growing activities in Turkey. The move, which has now been announced, is described as “part of Danica’s wider strategy to expand its international network”.
Istanbul has long been seen as a gateway between Europe and Asia and has developed into an important maritime center with a strong ship management community, a pool of skilled seafarers and a growing offshore sector, according to a statement on the appointment. The decision to expand its own presence in the country “reflects the increasing demand from shipowners and managers for local support”.
Founded in its original form in 2019, the company says it works with a pool of more than 1,400 seafarers and has offices in Athens, Limassol in Cyprus, Odessa in Ukraine, Manila in the Philippines, Batumi in Georgia and Mumbai in India. A branch in St. Petersburg in Russia was closed after the start of the Russian war against Ukraine.
In Istanbul, Koroglu, who has many years of experience in crewing and offshore recruitment, will strengthen relationships with ship operators and drive the development of new business opportunities. Danica CEO Jensen said: “Turkey has always been a maritime nation and Istanbul is now a center for ship management and crewing. It is important for Danica to have a presence in this region and Hasan’s market knowledge will help us achieve this. His local knowledge, combined with our international reach, provides a solid foundation for supporting ship operators working in and with Turkey.”
When working with seafarers, well-being and physical and mental health play an increasingly important role in addition to the usual travel and wages coordination. Charles Watkins, founder and CEO of the medical-psychological service provider Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS), which is also based in Hamburg, recently made it very clear on the HANSA PODCAST that, despite all the achievements of our time, seafarers still have problems with stigmatization, loneliness, trauma and other mental difficulties. For him, taking cultural and religious differences into account is a central component of his approach, as is psychological support. Watkins speaks of “Western arrogance” and digitalization as a “double-edged sword” and clearly criticizes the working conditions on board, manipulated forms and overwork.
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