I joined BP as deck cadet in 1977. My first ship was
British Inventor, which was a large crude-carrier. Cadetships were a bit longer in those days and I qualified in 1981, with my first trip as 3rd Mate on
British Willow which was a 20,000-tonne oil products carrier. I’ve stayed under the BP umbrella right from the start – for over 30 years. I’ve been lucky enough to have served on a good variety of ships, so I’ve never found the need to look elsewhere.
My first LNG ship was
Northwest Shearwater, when I was Chief Officer, in 1991. I was able to attend the shipyard in Japan during the final months of construction of
Shearwater and I found it hugely educational.
I was one of the two chief officers when the ship was new. It was a very exciting time for BP Shipping; it was the first LNG ship in the company, and the start of a whole new side to the business. I’d had some gas experience as 3rd Mate and again as Chief Mate on the LPG ship operated by BP – the
Gas Enterprise – but LNG is a different world altogether.........
Find out more about Captain John Dunne, how he runs his ship and his recent voyages
here