Thomas Erlund

BIO

Chief Executive Officer at Nordic Port Services. As an add-on to my theoretical Master Mariners education from the Åbo Svenska Sjöfartsläroanstalt I have also gained theoretical knowledge in maritime economics (MSc) from Gothenburg Technical University, Chalmers. I have sailed on merchant ships and Finnish ice breakers since 1995. Sailing both under national and foreign flags (Italian and UK) where I have served in different ranks on the deck side. I have also been involved in refitting the High speed crafts SuperSeaCats I and III in the liner service between Helsinki and Tallinn. I started working ashore in 2008 where VTS operators tasks took me into the Governmental career. As my duties have been as Deputy Director and Head of the Vessel Traffic Service unit in the Finnish Transport Agency (authority) the tasks also included responsibilites as Places of refuge authority for ships and as a Maritime special advicer. My latest position (working for a company) was as Senior Vice President for Meritaito (today an Arctia Group company). My organisation of 150 specialists handled fairway maintanance, maritime engineering and aids to navigation manufactoring. From January 2020 my long time plan to become an entrepeneur finally got started and future will tell how it eventually will turn out ;). I have also had the privilege to represent and hold different positions of trust as for example the national authority for places of refuge for ships in need of assistance and as a national representative in the NATO transport group for ocean shipping. IMO Safety of Navigation sub-committee and IMO Maritime Safety Committee. IALA VTS and e-nav committee.