Focus on Tallinn

Getting to know a bit more about the Tallinn Office with Sven Varushkin, General Manager.

When did Foreship establish the Estonian office? And why in Tallinn?

“Foreship founded the Tallinn branch in October 2016 to strengthen the ties with shipowners, shipyards, and marine equipment suppliers in Estonia and support the development of locally based marine engineers.”

“Before the opening of the Estonian office, I was working with Jorma (Kaldasaun) and Kristjan (Kaups) at Foreship Headquarters in Helsinki, and the opportunity came to move back to Tallinn and expand our brand in the Baltic region. Thanks to the good cooperation between Tallinn Technical University and Aalto University (in Helsinki), we were also able to bring on board some of the young talented students to the Tallinn branch.”

How many employees are currently located in Tallinn?

“Currently, there are eight employees in the Tallinn office: 4 Project Managers and 4 Project Engineers; all of them are involved in structural projects.  Examples of current projects include drydocking conversions like hotel revitalizations, sponson ducktail additions, and bulbous bow modifications. We also take care of Newbuilding projects as owner consultants.”

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

“I previously worked in a Marine Engineering company in Tallinn (MEC), where a good kick-off raised my interest in shipbuilding. After completing my studies at Aalto University in Helsinki, I had a summer trainee position at the Helsinki Shipyard and undertook my thesis work at Foreship in January 2007. I have been part of this company ever since. Currently, I head the Estonian branch as General Manager and am fulfilling my duties as Project Manager and Key Customer Manager.”

What do you enjoy the most about working for Foreship?

“When I started working at Foreship, I immediately felt welcomed into this small, friendly, and helpful family. Since then, the company has grown a lot, but it has maintained its family spirit and supportive environment. I wanted to recreate the same in the Estonian branch, and we’ve been successful in that everybody is happy to come to the office and do their job. Also, one of my colleagues – Oliver – brings his dog Toto to work, and he has become a great addition to the team, keeping us company and bringing joy to our everyday routine.”

“What keeps us highly motivated is the good feedback we get from our customers, so our main priority is to keep an excellent level of customer satisfaction by bringing our top-notch expertise and high-quality standards into our work, which I believe are some of the most important characteristics that differentiate us from our competitors.”

Foreship OÜ is located in the modern Öpik building within sight of Tallinn Airport, Lake Ülemiste, and Tallinn Old Town.