123 Experienced crew members are an invaluable resource for expedition cruise companies operating vessels in some of the most remote destinations on earth. For SunStone Maritime Group, which provides tonnage to expedition operators around the world, retaining crew is not simply about workforce stability. It is fundamental to safety, operational integrity and brand consistency across a constantly evolving fleet. “We’re all very aware the industry is fishing in a pool of crew members that is too small,” says Christian Lund, chief operating officer at SunStone. “In our specific niche of polar expeditions, retention is absolutely critical.” Lund acknowledges that SunStone cannot always compete with the largest brands on employee benefits. Instead, it competes on culture and autonomy. “We firmly believe that what really creates loyalty is everything else around your employment – your influence, your autonomy and your direct contact with decision makers,” he says. That philosophy is reflected in the management model SunStone follows for its fleet. “We are one of the few cruise operators where a captain still gets to be a captain,” says Lund. “Each captain is effectively the managing director of a strategic business unit, and the shoreside organisation becomes the support function rather than the other way around.” To make that decentralised structure viable, continuity of employees is essential. “When senior officers have been with a specific vessel for several years, that’s where you really start harvesting the fruits of them knowing their ships and each other,” says Lund. “Beyond five years, you risk complacency, and we therefore aim to fix assignments of shipboard management teams for 3-5 years. We also distinguish between lead and relieving teams, so there’s clarity about where the buck stops.” Captains are also expected to support and manage crew through effective leadership rather than relying on hierarchy, explains Lund. “We don’t want a ‘do it because I say so’ culture,” he says. “If you’re a captain in our company, you’re responsible for developing your people. If you want to replace someone, you need to show you’ve made an effort to improve performance first.” Lund also highlights SunStone’s actions during the Covid-19 pandemic as a defining example of successful retention measures. “We could very quickly have ended up in a situation where we had no crew left,” he explains. “So, we offered all crew members an interest-free loan equivalent to several months of salary. They were free to take it or not, and they would only repay it once they came back to work. Five years later, crew still come up and tell us that helped them make it through. That’s very special.” SunStone Maritime Group relies on a small pool of highly skilled, experienced crew Christian Lund explains to Alex Smith how cultivating a culture of autonomy and accountability enables SunStone Maritime Group to retain experienced crew Leadership and loyalty INTERVIEW
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