Fleet manager with a passion for networking

Agustin Diaz Jr. is our personality profile for this issue of Caribbean Maritime. Mr Diaz has a wealth of experience in the towage sector and has worked for major tug operators across the region, not only in his native Curaçao but also in Panama, the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Being fluent in four languages has no doubt helped Mr Diaz move effortlessly around the Caribbean. But it's his acknowledged skill in the somewhat esoteric art of managing a fleet of tugboats that really sets him apart.

Q. Where were you born, where did you go to school and what did your parents do for a living?

A. I was born in Willemstad, Curaçao, where I attended a Catholic high school. My mother worked in the airline industry. She started her career at Pan Am and ended it in 2005 after working for over 15 years with KLM as crewing officer. My father started his career as a school teacher, but he soon entered local politics where he spent 16 years altogether as a member of parliament and eight years as minister of the former Netherlands Antilles. He retired in 2010 after a 15-year job as port director at the Curaçao Ports Authority, which he founded in 1981 as the minister of economic development responsible for the port.

Q. In terms of higher education, where did you attend university or college and what did you major in?

A. Since Curaçao is part of the Dutch kingdom, it is quite common for young students to leave the island after finishing high school to attend college or university in the Netherlands. At the age of 18 I departed to Rotterdam to attend college at Hogeschool Rotterdam & Omstreken in an attempt to become a maritime officer. After the initial year, I realized that navigation was not really what I wanted to do. I changed course slightly and embarked on a journey to study international logistics engineering at the same college, which – combined with an additional NIMA business marketing study – laid the foundation for the career I have in the shipping world today.

Q. When growing up, did you have a clear idea of what career you might choose?
A. Yes. Ever since I was a small child, I felt the lure of the sea and its ships sailing in and out of our harbor, bringing cargo and connecting continents. Growing up in Curaçao made it impossible to ignore all the harbor traffic going on in the middle of downtown Willemstad. It made me wonder: how do the logistics behind it all work? At a respectable second place on my mind was the beverage industry, especially the marketing behind it. I see doing business development in the shipping industry as a fusion of both passions: shipping and commercial. Knowing the right people, making new contacts to discuss and develop business; isn’t this one of the main reasons we all love the CSA?

Q. After finishing your education, what was your first job?

A. My first ‘real’ job was as a marketing assistant at a hedge fund administration office in Amsterdam, where I worked for a little more than a year. Before that I worked odd jobs via an employment agency at a market research company during my college years.

Q. How did you become involved with tugs?

A. It was in 1994 after my first year studying for maritime officer in Rotterdam. I was given the opportunity to spend a summer vacation working at the local tug company in Curaçao. Coincidentally, that was around the same time I realized I was not interested in becoming a sailor, but that I would rather contribute to the maritime industry from the shore side, maybe even in another segment. In 1997 I received an invitation from Damen Shipyards to attend the ceremonial launching of the tugboat ‘Lima II’ in the Netherlands, which was purchased by KTK in Curaçao. At the time, this revived my passion for tugs. A few years later, I moved back to the island, where I started working as an assistant manager at the government-owned KTK Tugs. Back then, in 2003, tug services in Curaçao were shared with SMIT and KTK Tugs had a fleet of two tugs. During the seven years’ experience considered as my first involvement with tugs, KTK became the sole tug operator in all ports of Curaçao. The fleet grew from two to eight tugs and the company expanded its horizons with multiple long-term bareboat contracts in Venezuela and a harbor towage contract that is still ongoing with Colon Container Terminal in Panama. This growth was due to great company teamwork and strong labor unions, local government and public support. The displayed growth would not have been possible without the operational back-up from other regional tug companies such as Remolcadores Dominicanos (now Svitzer) and Intertug, with whom a cooperation agreement was signed during a CSA conference in Curaçao in May 2006.

Q. When did you join Svitzer and what’s your present role with the company in Santo Domingo?

A. I joined Svitzer in October 2015. My first day at work for Svitzer was at the CSA conference held in Cartagena. The Santo Domingo office is responsible for the Caribbean market. My role is to develop new business in the Caribbean while assisting other regions when needed. There is constant communication and information sharing between regions.

Q. What has been your best decision since you joined Svitzer Caribbean?

A. I believe there are no good or bad decisions. I’m most proud of the decision-making process that we follow in Svitzer. It allows the key members to take a comprehensive approach to find consensus in the most viable option to choose. The process may be tedious sometimes, but it always gives good results when followed well.

Q. Is it a big challenge to oversee the Svitzer Caribbean fleet of 18 vessels across 14 ports?

A. Once you know the industry and the organization from the inside out, every challenge is taken as an issue to be solved. It might look difficult initially, but in the long run there is always a solution. We aim to further expand our fleet in the Caribbean.

Q. Does your fluency in Dutch, English, Spanish and Papiamentu come in useful?

A. It’s a tremendous advantage because it removes all barriers, allowing me to easily communicate with the large majority of people and have access to information in most markets. In our company, it plays an important role to speak multiple languages.

Q. What are your main aims at Svitzer Caribbean in the year ahead?

A. To grow organically and consistently through the months by focusing on a global support, but always keeping in mind a local approach to business implementation.

Q. As someone who worked in the maritime sector of Curaçao, Panama, Cartagena and Santo Domingo, how different are their business environments?

A. Each of these countries has its own unique way of doing business, growing from their traditions and culture. All of them have their own special touch. I have learned from my father to respect and nurture cultural differences, making them part of my experience and growth. Naming specific differences would feel to me as labeling. We are one people.

Q. What do you like most about the time you spend in the Dominican Republic? Or are you just too busy to enjoy?

A. A tricky question. Besides the fact that I truly enjoy working with the Dominican team at the office, I do enjoy the Dominican culture, the Dominican people, the Dominican music, the Dominican food and the Dominican beer and rum. It all blends together creating good vibrations.

Q. Which one person in the maritime sector do you most admire?

A. My father, friend and mentor, Agustin Diaz, for his incredible network built during his career in the maritime sector, his achievements for the ports of Curaçao and international contributions through AAPA [American Association of Port Authorities], where he chaired the association for a year. Because of him, his guidance and expert introduction into the maritime sector, I now have a career that is not only fulfilling and successful but motivates me to improve and do better each day. He is a true inspiration.

Q. When your time in Santo Domingo comes to an end, would you like to return to Curaçao or would you be happy to move elsewhere?

A. I hope to remain part of the Svitzer team for many years to come as there are still missions to be accomplished. If that means that I would need to move across regions, that would not be new to me.

Q. How do you relax outside of work?

A. I have two kids aged four and seven. My wife and I spend a lot of quality time with the kids along with the rest of the family doing all kinds of activities. We love the soccer World Cup. Unfortunately, the Dutch team did not qualify. So, come July, I will be passionately cheering for my wife’s country, Colombia. Panama will be strongly supported as well.