What makes us different from other companies is mainly that we, as the only company in the EU, have all the necessary permits, certificates and licenses to be able to post our staff abroad. In order to obtain such permits, certificates and licenses, we have to undergo an in-depth audit three times a year, which is, firstly, relatively expensive and, secondly, its preparation is very time-consuming. But we go through it despite of it, mainly for our clients and also because we want to operate for years, not just in one or two seasons.

Another advantage, described only briefly, includes our own transport. By having our own cars (currently 6 cars) to transport our own employees and also our own drivers (permanent), we can transport our employees to and from work abroad without any problems. even in this difficult COVID period. We are very flexible in changing crews and we can always adapt to the client’s needs.

Regarding our future visions, we certainly want to be number one inland shipping company. Even though, we are already number one in a certain way, because we are the only ones playing by the rules and it is highly probable that many companies will be dissolved by state bodies in the foreseeable future.

Another vision is called the Danube, or the Slovak section of the Danube. This section, or the Danube as such, is highly underestimated. Apart from CFT vessels, there are almost no vessels, so in the future we would like to participate in the development of inland water transport in Slovakia. Whether with our own ships sailing here, or just logistically, by arranging transport, e.g. between Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Antwerp and Bratislava ports.

Our next goal or vision is to establish a secondary vocational school for boatmen. There is no school for sailors in Slovakia, and since we do not want the sailor profession to cease to exist in Slovakia, on 31 March 2021 we are going to open the secondary vocational school of transport in Slovakia, with the study program of the boatman and greaser, where dual education will take place, which means that for 3 students will learn at school, and for other 3 months they will have internships on our ships.

Just a small note, or maybe a tip, for our possible further cooperation to think about. Our best client is the company CFT, where we post our employees on their two pusher tugs. We provide their ships with four complete, i.e. 5-member, crews consisting of first captain, second captain, helmsman, helmsman and assistant boatman. We currently have a total of 20 people there, with another 10 people to be added to the new pusher tug next year. There are many benefits of covering an entire ship. The first huge one is that with a 5-member crew on one shift and a 5-member on the other, we can reduce your total crew costs. For example, we can specify a daily flat rate, which will include a discounted price for the complete crew, food on the ship, one car, which is only for the given crew of the ship and also necessary things for the crew cabins, e.g. cleaning products, soaps, toilet paper and many others.

We believe that the second huge advantage is that we can arrange interviews in order to select people who have wanted to work together for a long time or know each other from childhood, are family or from one place, live close to each other, etc. These may be details, but that is our job. We did so on both pusher tugs from CFT, which we have been working with for almost two years, and we have only replaced one boatman there so far, but for health reasons. Another advantage is the possible determination of liability for any damage caused. When everyone has specifically defined tasks and responsibilities, in the event of a failure or loss of something from the vessel, we can determine the person liable in a moment and resolve the situation directly with this person. On CFT pusher tugs, we have one employee being in charge just of this client and specifically these two vessels, in terms of both personnel and technical aspects.