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With Foreship’s cruise ship refurbishment workload growing fast, and passenger ship newbuilding projects re-emerging, Olli Somerkallio has returned from a period of voluntary study leave to pick up the reins as company Chief Operating Officer.
The return of Olli Somerkallio coincides with an acceleration in the pace of work at the naval architecture and marine engineering firm, where his influential role in delivering consistent, high quality design and project management services has been critical in sustaining Foreship’s reputation for excellence.
Given the extent of its cruise ship activities, Covid-19 understandably brought a dip in workload at Foreship – a lull which offered Olli the opportunity to return to pursue his interest in sustainable forestry. Through 2022, Olli immersed himself in a studying for a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture and Forestry) at the University of Helsinki which is set to culminate in a Thesis on the Ecological Footprint of Certified Palm Oil Plantations.
More than a passion project, Olli says he won’t be satisfied until he adds a Master of Science to his M. Sc. in Naval Architecture, but also reflects that lessons learned from studying sustainable best practice are not a million miles from the work that is increasingly keeping Foreship busy.
“Our knowledge and expertise on decarbonisation is reflected in the growing contribution projects involving energy saving, batteries, alternative fuels, fuel cells and carbon capture make to Foreship revenues. Sustainability is a core challenge in every area of human activity and the scale of the challenges facing maritime transport means, while I will continue to work towards my Masters, there will always enough to keep the day job stimulating!”
