Despite having a family history of working in the shipping industry, Nuran Fatoglu – Lubmarine’s Marine Sales and Technical Engineer for Turkey – didn’t set out to carve a career in the marine sector when she started studying chemical engineering in university. But after starting her career with TotalEnergies in the fuel stations division, she found her way to Lubmarine and the multi-faceted role that she undertakes today.
To mark International Day for Women in Maritime (May 18th) Nuran shares her experiences within Lubmarine and highlights the different responsibilities she has today.
- Can you tell us how you started your career in the maritime industry?
After studying chemical engineering in university, I started working in Turkey for TotalEnergies in an engineering role where I was supporting field engineers, largely from an administrative perspective in the fuel stations division.
My family is from Giresun and we have a background in the shipping industry but initially I was not looking for a marine industry role.
However, in 2015 I had the opportunity to switch to Lubmarine, initially working as Delivery Manager - dealing with all the supply arrangements for the business in Turkey. For every vessel arriving in Turkey, we were responsible for all aspects of deliveries to the vessels such as logistics, blending and customs requirements from their arrival to their departure, covering all documentation.
It’s a role I carried out for five years before moving to a more senior position which coincided with the start of the IMO2020 legislation. This was an interesting time as I was the first contact point for many customers on daily basis and there were lots of questions about the transition through IMO2020. To be able to support our customers effectively, was important to me, so I built detailed knowledge around the impacts of the new regulation and the solutions we could offer in tandem with the support of our Marine Lubricant Engineers.
This was really the building blocks of my next move which was to be appointed as a Marine Lubricant Engineer (MLE) in May 2022. In Turkey, this is a dual role, and I work within our affiliate - TotalEnergies Turkey Pazarlama - as a dedicated sales resource for their marine lubricants business in addition to the MLE role for our direct Lubmarine clients.
- Can you tell us more about your role as Marine Sales and Technical Engineer? What are the main things you do as part of that role?
One of the biggest differences between my current role and my former one is that in operations you work on the vessels time. Everything is about serving the vessel in the moment. Now I organize my own work schedule – but as with all of the MLE team – we are always on hand to support customers when they need it.
What it is safe to say is that the role of Marine Sales and Technical Engineer is a very varied one with multiple responsibilities.
One of those key responsibilities is dealing with technical questions and enquiries from our customers. I have over 200 vessels on my portfolio so I am involved in providing technical advice and insights on lubricants as well as providing analysis reports for customers.
We also have a barge based here in Istanbul and I am often paying visits to the vessel and the team there as part of my role.
In terms of who I am working with, it is effectively all our Istanbul-based customers, owners, operators and shipyards. From a vessel perspective we mainly deal with containers and bulk carriers but also have tanker customers. There is a lot of direct customer interaction, with regular site visits and meetings which is an element of the job I really enjoy as my previous role was largely desk based.
I also deal with local business spot enquiries – from traders - mostly for vessels travelling through the Bosphorus, which sees me working on the pricing process, in addition to having responsibility for follow up forecasts and direct liaison with local import department for additives’ follow up.
One of the critical aspects of this job as I see it, is about understanding the needs of the customer and supporting them to reach their goals and needs.
- In terms of the customers you are dealing with, what is your approach to supporting them?
What I love about the ethos at Lubmarine is the focus that is placed on truly adding value to our customers’ needs and providing the type of support that makes a measurable difference.
One of the key things is that I act as a central point of contact for our Turkish customers – no matter where their vessels are sailing in the world – being there for any questions, queries, needs or problems they face.
This approach of global service, local contact means we can provide a truly personal service and are there to help them. The back-up of Lubmarine’s global network and team – provides our customers with added comfort and security. By knowing our customers, their vessels and their needs we can really provide valuable insights and support.
Trust is a key word for us and for customers in Turkey and we have clients who we have been working with for many years. I think this reflects the level of relationship we have with them.
The other important factor and something I love is that I am part of a team of Lubmarine MLE’s around the world. We connect with each other as MLEs we discuss and raise issues, discuss different markets and by sharing knowledge we can help each other and in turn our customers.
- There is a perception that the shipping industry is a male-dominated industry. What is your experience of this?
Perhaps in other organizations this is the case but I am very happy to say that both within our Turkish affiliate and within Lubmarine we have a lot of women in the team and increasingly more women taking up senior and technical roles. So, my experience is one of inclusion and diversity which I think is a real benefit to the business.
- When you are not working what do you like to do with your free time?
Out of work, I like to be with my family and spend a lot of time with them. I have three sisters and a niece so family time is very important to me.
Away from family, I love being in nature and taking walks. I also enjoy yoga and meditation and am about to start voice coaching as I enjoy singing.