Meet the crew: INDRĖ VAŠKYTĖ
Vilma Songailaite, Marketing & Communications Manager, and Aiste Tunaityte, Digital Content Specialist, in Klaipeda have interviewed colleagues that work on our Baltic routes to share an authentic glimpse into the work onboard the ferries.
The interviews show that everyone plays an important role in the operation to ensure an excellent customer experience.
This time, Indré Vaskyte gives a glimpse into her maritime career and the most memorable events that happened aboard. One of such events is, of course, the birth of a baby on board the ferry. She herself had a hand in welcoming the baby to this world.
After I left school, I wanted to find a job with a flexible schedule to fit with my university studies. I was hired by a company that cleaned the passenger area of the ferry while berthed in Klaipėda. I spent two years working for that company before joining DFDS. At DFDS, I worked my way through all service staff positions from cleaning cabins to my current job as a Service Manager. Having been on each step on the career ladder, I now understand the specifics with each position that enables me to share experience and advice to my colleagues.
Life at sea Working at sea is not the same as a conventional 9-5 job where you can go home and forget about work. You spend the whole month ‘stewing in the same pot’ and it may be mentally challenging for some. Therefore, being sincere and understanding are key to maintaining a positive attitude and team spirit. Working at sea is not just your job, it becomes your way of life, so my family is already accustomed to my schedule. I have wonderful parents who are very supportive and a phone call to my mum is really the best therapy session.
Baby on board The baby was born at night when we were heading to the port of Kiel. I got a phone call from the first officer who asked if I could find any medical specialists on board. When I got to the cabin, I immediately realised that basic first aid knowledge would not be sufficient. In the event of an emergency, we consult medical specialists over the phone. A helicopter was dispatched, and we requested any medical specialists among the passengers to come forward to assist. However, everything happened very quickly before the helicopter reached the ferry.
Among the passengers was a paediatrician from Germany who examined the mother and helped deliver the baby. We followed all her instructions and sighed with relief when the mother and her new-born baby were transported to the hospital.
In moments like this you switch to a different mode: you just do what you must do. Once a passenger comes on board the vessel, he or she becomes our responsibility and we must give everything we can to assist in case of emergency.
I was impressed by how calm and collected the mother was. We can only rejoice at the fact that everything went well and the new-born girl will have a unique birth story. This experience will live long in the memory of all the crew members.