Captain Bapat: Master of the Sea & the Road
With a taste of adventure and a hunger for the open sea, a young Siddarth was inspired to follow in his uncle’s Master Mariner footsteps. The additional incentive of good pay and seeing the world made a life at sea much more attractive than the typical doctor track. After pre-sea training and an apprenticeship as a deck cadet, he started sailing in 1996 and he hasn’t looked back. Now, after 28 years at sea and 16 in command, he is himself a Master Mariner with a fulfilling and challenging career.
A typical day for Captain Bapat involves overseeing all aspects of his vessel, including everything and everyone onboard. It’s his duty to ensure the safety of the ship, of his crew, and the cargo. Navigating the ship involves more than just coordinates – he must also navigate international and local maritime laws and regulations, coordinate with port authorities, communicate with shore offices and make sure it all goes smoothly. Then there’s the paperwork. Overseeing maintenance and repairs, record-keeping, budgeting, and compliance with company regulations keeps a Captain abreast of every detail of the vessel. “As they say, never a dull day at the office!”
Despite the minute attention to detail the job requires, Capt. Bapat loves the freedom of the open seas and the opportunity to travel to different places around the world, which satisfies his sense of adventure. Another favorite aspect of his work is the social and mentoring side, finding: “great satisfaction in fostering camaraderie amongst my crew, practicing and mastering the skills required for navigating the waters while at sea, or alongside other professional colleagues.”
Captain Bapat was first placed with Scorpio in 2000 and spent a few years as a 3rd and then 2nd officer, and then returned to “the Scorpio family” as a captain in 2016. He has stayed ever since, appreciating the care of the crew with timely reliefs and “on-time remission of salary.” He also appreciates the support Scorpio gives for “running smooth operations”, including and the ease of approaching shore management, and the trainings and seminars which gives a chance to level-up an meet with colleagues and make friends.
The most memorable moment in the captain’s career came when he received his command after so many years of hard work. But the Master knows that you don’t get to that position on your own. He stresses the importance of teamwork, networking and constant training. He encourages cadets to take entry-level positions in shipping companies or ports to learn “valuable insights.” And for an edge in excelling in the industry, Capt. Bapat recommends to always up-level yourself with courses and trainings on the latest technology and industry trends, and to network with professionals at every opportunity.
In his off time, you won’t find him without his e-reader, catching up on the latest books. But when ashore, he is an avid biker and amateur photographer, exploring the open road and experimenting with his DSLR camera and drone: “there is nothing more liberating than being out on the road with friends, exploring and experiencing the places and people around me.”
