Meet Our Masters:
Captain Badr Farid
Badr Farid has been sailing since 2007. He started as a deck cadet onboard passenger ships, became a chief mate onboard a high-speed craft in 2013 and spent 6 years as a Harbour Master Officer for the National Ports Agency before joining Svitzer Morocco on 1 October 2018.
Over the course of his career, Captain Badr Farid, has worked onboard Cargo vessels, bulk carriers, tankers, Ro-Ro ships, passenger vessels, and high-speed crafts. In 2018, he started as a Trainee Master onboard Svitzer’s tugs in Bahrain. In January 2019, he moved to the Tangier Med 2 (TM2) operation in Morocco where he continued his training until officially becoming a Master in September 2019.
During his training in Bahrain, Badr Farid worked onboard Svitzer Pella and Svitzer Karak. Sharing his memory of taking control of a tug for the very first time Badr recalls:
“The first time I took hold of the steering lever onboard one of Svitzer’s tugs I knew it was the new career path I wanted to pursue. I’m a person who thrives on challenge and I knew straight away that the towage industry would provide me with a lifetime full of tests and growth."
During training, Badr practiced push and pull operations on different kinds of vessels including tankers, bulk carriers, car carriers, navy ships, cruise ships, platforms, barges, and container ships. After Bahrain, he returned to Morocco where his training journey continued onboard Svitzer Al Hoceima.
On 11 September 2019, Badr Farid was promoted to Master of Svitzer Al Hoceima. Since then, he has been working for the TM2 operation. When asked what he likes most about being a Master, Badr simply stated:
“The sense of adventure that we feel each time we begin an operation. As a captain, I constantly operate outside of my comfort zone. It is almost impossible to become fully comfortable in the towage industry because the conditions are always changing in the blink of an eye. The ships that we assist are always different, their structures, the assistance that they require, and even traffic situations. Every job has its unique risks and considerations, and no day is ever the same.”
Captain Badr’s three primary responsibilities are the tug, the safety and health of his crew, and the safe handling of ships that frequent the TM2 Port. When it comes to the biggest challenges of being a captain, Badr shares:
“One of my biggest challenges is balancing the work the tug does, with ensuring that all crew members are safe, taken care of and that we coordinate well together. Ensuring that everyone is satisfied and that their needs are met is integral to a safe and successful watch.”
Finally, when asked where he sees himself in the future, Badr explains that he hopes to grow within the company, stating:
“I’m passionate about my work and result-driven. I’m eager to be part of a company that recognises the efforts of its employees and feel that it’s keeping me motivated and willing to give the best of me…Ultimately, I would like to enhance my managerial skills in order to get an onshore position within Svitzer or to be a Training Master and participate in training new and young Masters by developing their manoeuvring skills and sharing my know-how and expertise with them.”
