Shipping Companies in Stamford, Conn

Professional Mariner Forum
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Hello All:

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted something in the forum here - thought I’d open up another discussion. I’m a Mass Maritime grad. Graduated with a third mate ticket. Sailed on tankers on the West Coast for about 2 yrs, then left the industry. I’ve worked various jobs since then - call centers, trucking industry, etc. I now find myself working in a call center again (for an insurance company). Working in a call center can be stressful at times just like any other job. The best aspect to the job is that it is 9-5. Work and then go home for the day, eat dinner, have some cocktails and have a few more cocktails then go to bed and then do it all over again the next day. I work with a lot of newly-minted college grads. I also work with a ton of women, too - single, married, etc. Call centers typically have a high turnover rate, too. People coming and going as it is difficult to deal with people who are frustrated and get mad at you. Nobody likes insurance companies and banks, right?

Anyway, I’m now at a point in my life where I’m - once again - trying to figure out what to do with my life. I’ve always noticed (over the years) a lot of interesting maritime jobs in the Stamford, Ct and NYC area. I’ve always wondered why a lot of companies are in Stamford, Ct. and not located in other places like Portsmouth, NH? (I live near Portsmouth and have always liked the area.) I’ve heard Stamford is kind of a dump in some parts. I’ve been there a few times myself and actually worked in Stamford for several months and ended up going back to NH because I just wasn’t comfortable with the area. Just seemed dirty, dumpy and congested. I guess if you grew up in a rural country setting and then are suddenly thrusted into an environment that is a world away from what you’ve been familiar with for a long time it can be daunting. Change is always tough, but change can be good in some ways.

Anybody have any experience working/living in the Stamford area? Do you like it? Did you like it? Seen many companies like Pacific Basin Shipping, D’Amico Shipping, Clipper Group, J Lauritzen post some interesting jobs over the years. I’ve applied for a few of them, but never got any response. I don’t think I was qualified for the jobs, anyway, but figured I’d apply to see if I’d get a response.

I’m nearing 40 yrs old and thinking that any prospect of going back into the maritime industry is well…bleak - because of my work experience.

I’ve seen many postings over the years for vessel operators, vessel operations, etc. These jobs seem really tough. Many of them require you to be available on-call 24/7. How are you supposed to sleep? I don’t get how some people are able to do some of these jobs. I’ve had experience taking phone calls in the middle of the night while trying to sleep when I once worked as a truck dispatcher. Wasn’t my cup 'o tea getting interrupted sleep.

Thinking that it might be better to try to working on myself - getting a girlfriend, etc. I have found through my work and life experience that - for some people - it depends on who you are. Even though I went to a maritime academy, I quickly discovered that I wasn’t cut out for it. Working as a ship’s officer is a tremendous responsibility.

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I think you meant to post this on: http://www.city-data.com/forum/ or reddit

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Gotta be from SUNY or KP o get those Connecticut JERB’s. Maybe Stolt Tankers.

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Are you high? That’s my idea of hell and is exactly why I work at sea.

I don’t see why it would be much of an issue. I’d imagine that the number of calls you’d get after hours would be minimal.

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Many of those positions are as “ship operator” or a similar title. With those jobs, you are the single contact for the ship to the office. Most of those ships are not operating in U.S. domestic trade, so the calls are very likely to come outside of US east coast business hours.

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From the sounds of it, you are used to a 9-5, nothing in shipping is that way. These companies want youth, because other things in life become distractions from your job and your ships - you get to worry about every phone call or email that cause a lot of social events to be put to the side for some draft survey an old man wants or some propeller gets fouled and cannot make it into the berth. You are, depending on the company, accountable for all accounting, operational, legal, and safety aspects of the ship as you are the master’s first point of contact for all commercial items, you will get calls at all times of the day at times you do not prefer and for reasons that are almost always petty. Moral of the story, you are on someone else’s clock, not your own.

Commercial operations are not for everyone, but if you are good in time management and are aggressive with managing your workload, you will find a welcoming community and all of the relationships that go with it. I loved my time in Stamford and in ops, it is a nice little city.

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Reviving this thread because it does not really answer my question;
Why does so many foreign shipping companies set up their US operation office (sometime HQ) in Stamford CT?
Is it strictly because of the closeness to NYC, or are there some other incentives offered to attract them?

PS> Yes I did try googling it, but it appears that google think shipping = freight forwarding.

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From my understanding, decades ago it was all located in lower Manhattan. With the advent of the Fax and then email, you didn’t have to run paperwork, like charter parties, back and forth between offices that were in the same building or at least close by. Companies moved out of NYC because NYC is way too expensive. Many set up shop in Stamford, but there are a few scattered around in other parts of the NY metropolitian area.

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Tax rates between Connecticut vs New York play a role I imagine. The same goes for hedge funds, alot of the hedge funds set up in CT, get the location of being right outside of NY and pay less taxes. I imagine this has at least something to do with it. I’m guessing Stamford could have decent infrastructure for commercial vessels, fleets, docks, shipyards etc and then it makes sense. Are there that many companies stationed in Stamford CT?

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I could well be mistaken, but not really sure that Stamford is a big commercial port city. . . . you know, like New Haven. . . .but it most certainly is in the proximity of NYC. . . . .

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Thanks. It is not only Shipping companies that is attracted there apparently. I think you are right that lower taxes has something to do with it.
Local Port facilities, Shipyards etc. is not an issue for the type of Shipping companies that is located there, since they are operating worldwide, with hardly any ships registered in (or calling at) the Port of Stamford Harbour: http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/review/USA_CT_Stamford_Harbor_3627.php

PS> I notice that Stolt-Nielsen move their tanker operation staff from Stamford/Norwalk CT to Houston to be closer to their actual US operation hub though:

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I believe that IBM led the corporate move to the Stamford area decades ago. It’s a nice area to live without big city problems, and moving offices out there eliminated the time comsuming commute to the NYC. Land and office space was relatively cheap. Way back when, Connecticut had much lower state income taxes and real estate taxes. Of course, it’s also close to NYC.

Today, Connecticut, along with NY, has one of the highest state income taxes. However, NYC has an additional city income tax.

Stamford has no significant port, actual shipping, or shipyards. But it is a long established international ship management center. Probably 99% of the ships managed from Stamford are foreign flag and trade worldwide. Stamford’s biggest attraction today is the large number of staff with shipping business experience living in the area.

If the ship management business were looking for a new place to go today, it probably would not be Connecticut. Coastal states near major cities , but with no state income tax, like New Hampshire, Delaware, Florida, Texas, or Washington would be a lot more attractive. As would low tax states like Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Alabama. Actually, nice areas of NE Pennsylvania are already populated with daily commuters to NYC.

Houston makes sense for an office because it is a relatively low cost city with lots of cheap labor with fewer rights, lower taxes, and it’s one of the world’s largest ports and a major international center for the oil industry.

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Agreed 100%. Houston makes a ton of sense, especially since its petrochemical capital of North America. Just look where Exxon and Shell are headquartered. I’ve done work with a Mexican company Marinsa based out of Ciudad del Carmen, they opened up their US offices in Houston. The decision was between New Orleans and Houston, and after due diligence they chose Houston (correctly so I might add) cheap flights with 2 major airports, low tax rate and politicians that realize a giant portion of their tax base is Oil and Gas. Of course that makes more sense for them being based in Mexico.

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I have been living in Houston for over 30 years now. . .not really my favorite place in the world, but the cost of living is VERY reasonable, lots of jobs in the maritime/energy industries (I tend to work in both), no state income tax, low housing costs. . . my kids got a decent public education (both on their own, college grads, home owners). . .it is just. . .so. . . FLAT. . . . .

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Move to Colorado!!
(Or come to Western Norway, definitely not FLAT)

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With all due respect, people who think Colorado is all or nearly all mountainous have never driven through eastern Colorado.

The other thing about Houston is the humidity. Thank god for air conditioning.

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Then go to wherever you find suitable mountainous areas in Colorado, with dry air and cool temperatures, even in summer. (Aspen??)

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The mountains are in the western half of the state. If you look at a map, Denver, located on the front range (as we call it) is almost in the middle of Colorado. Everything east is treeless and fairly flat. Home to grazing range land, crops, and wind farms.

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image

Yeah that John Denver was full of shit

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Aspen is for rich people and ski bums.