Student Studies Shipping

It's a safe bet that Knox College senior Derek Hayes understands more than most folks about the complexities of transporting a shipload of oil from one point on the globe to another.

Hayes, an economics major from Fairfield, Iowa, picked up the knowledge during a 2009 summer internship with a Norway-based shipping firm, where brokers serve as intermediaries between ship owners and anyone who wants to move goods. Brokers bring the two sides together, assisting them in negotiating terms of what often are multimillion-dollar contracts.

Hayes worked in Oslo for Fearntank, the oil tanker division of the international shipping services group Astrup Fearnley, also known as Fearnleys.

While based at Fearntank's operations desk, he served as a trainee, "which essentially means I had to learn everything before I could actually do anything," he says.

Getting His Sea Legs

He found the learning curve to be pretty steep.

"If you live in Norway, you are affected by the sea. Since Viking times, this country has been a hub of maritime expertise," he says. "Everybody in the (Fearntank) building inherently understood things like ship size, how you measure cargo, how cargo is unloaded. I didn't know any of that."

Hayes at first hunted for information in books, but he soon concluded that the best strategy was simply to pepper his colleagues with questions. Before long, he knew enough about the ship brokering industry to formulate more insightful queries and delve into the details of how brokers develop -- and maintain -- good relationships with business associates.

"Brokers are very much at the mercy of what happens on those ships because they have to smooth things over when things don't go right," he says.

Off-hours Excursions

While working in Norway, Hayes lived with Fearntank broker Kjell Andersen, his wife, Katarzyna, and their dog, Oskar. The Andersens happily showed their guest some of the country's scenic attractions.

On one occasion, Hayes tagged along on a visit to Loen, about a six-hour trek by car from Oslo. He was impressed by the breathtaking views of Norway's fjords -- sea inlets formed by glaciers.

"That's the big draw of the drive. You take six hours, and you look at these fjords as you drive all the way to your destination," he says. "It's pure beauty."

Hayes also spent some of his off-hours hiking in the mountains, attending theatrical performances and touring museums. His favorite was the Norwegian Maritime Museum.

"There's a ton of information about ships and the history of naval activity in Norway," he says.

Lessons Learned

Hayes, who hopes someday to operate his own company, says working in Norway gave him a sense of how business is conducted in different parts of the world.

"That was huge," he says. "In America, it's one way. In Europe, it's another way. In Asia, it's another way. To learn all those little intricacies was really fascinating."

"And I gained a lot of knowledge about an industry for which information is not very prevalent. It's very hard to find data on the shipping world without actually being involved with it somehow."

Hayes, who plans to apply for a full-time position with Fearntank, says the internship helped him improve his interpersonal skills. Being part of the Knox College community, including serving as president of the Knox chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity, also has contributed to his personal growth, he believes.

"It's stretched the way I think," he says of being at Knox. "It's allowed me to see every side of a problem or an issue ... and to understand where everyone's coming from in a situation so that problems can be resolved smoothly and effectively."

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 47 states and 48 countries. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.