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Media Release: March 8, 2007
Australian Winner – The Veuve Clicquot Award 2007: Captain Suzannah Vaughan
Suzannah Vaughan, 2007 Veuve Clicquot Award WinnerSuzannah was less than one when she first ventured to sea on a voyage from Italy to Western Australia. Many hours were spent up on deck as a baby in the arms of her father - who took her up there regularly to cure his sea sickness!
The experience had a marked effect on Suzannah whose love of ships and the sea grew to become a lifelong passion.
Suzannah has always had a great spirit of adventure. Her favourite childhood games were played with her elder brothers – ‘pirate ships’ and Lego boats across the family pool.
When the Square Rigged sailing vessel STS Leeuwin was built Suzannah was awestruck. She was determined to sail on the vessel.
In an early entrepreneurial move she embarked on a small business opportunity making gingerbread men with her mum to sell at the school canteen and raised the voyage fare in four months!
As soon as she turned 16, Suzannah was off on the adventure of a lifetime, climbing the masts and taking the helm of Australia’s largest Sail Training vessel.
She was asked to return to the vessel by the Master as a volunteer watch leader and was put in charge of a watch of ten trainees. In this role she taught all aspects of shipboard activities from basic navigation, climbing aloft to running the galley! Most importantly she was responsible for ensuring the trainees made the most of this unique opportunity to develop themselves and realize that their perceived limitations were largely the result of their own minds.
In 1991 Suzannah was selected from a field of over 1,500 applicants to represent Australia on the National Square Rigged Sailing ship STS Young Endeavour on a World voyage to celebrate the quincentenary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America. This voyage formed the crucible for Suzannah to make the transition to a professional mariner.
Adventures encountered whilst crossing the Indian Ocean, battling ferocious headwinds in the red sea, encountering third world poverty and human crisis in Northern Africa at such a young age (18) had a profound affect upon Suzannah.
This voyage focused her to achieve her goal of becoming a ship’s captain and leader to improve performance whilst ensuring human and environmental needs are embraced.
Suzannah’s voyages have included the rounding of Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, world circumnavigation as well as extensive trading through Asia and the Caribbean in the Oil business.
In 2002 at age 29, she began her career with Australian FPSO Management, and became the first Australian Female Facility Supervisor (Master) of a Floating Production Storage and Offtake (FPSO) facility.
She led the fastest ever conversion of an Oil tanker to FPSO in charge of more than 700 men of different nationalities in the Keppel Shipyard, Singapore.
As a strong supporter of Environmental Sustainability, Suzannah ensured that environmental technologies that resulted in lower emissions and greater fuel efficiency were embraced. She developed an environmental training program for all personnel who work on the project.
By this time she had also completed a Bachelor Degree from UWA and a diploma in Nautical Science at the AMC in Tasmania.
Suzannah’s focus on leadership and teamwork, coupled with business acumen has resulted in Australian FPSO Management developing new technologies such as a unique cyclone proof hose mooring in Dampier, WA, as well as studies to maximize production and minimize time spent off the riser (tanker mooring) to evade tropical cyclones.
Her leadership and special attention to human factors, particularly in an all male environment has led to higher levels of retainment of personnel and increased job satisfaction in the company.
2005 was a year of difficulty for Suzannah. A death in the workplace followed by serious personal illness, requiring five hospitalisations, the tragic loss of a young friend and separation from her husband forced Suzannah to take stock of her life.
“These situations make you reflect on your true values,” she says. “Your core beliefs are challenged and only you have the choice and the power to make your next decision. To recover ... you must decide honor the memory of those that are lost, and create inspiration for those that are here with you to enjoy this life and experience the exhilaration of sustainable success.”
In 2006 she became the first female and youngest ever Offshore Installation manager of an Oil producing Facility in Australia at the age of 33. She says it is not known if there are any other females in this position globally and, interestingly, the percentage of females in the industry in Australia is less than 1% and has not changed for over 15 years.
Suzannah currently performs a dual role for Australian FPSO Management – Offshore Installation Manager and Marine Superintendent.
As Offshore Installation Manager she spends three months of each year aboard Four Vanguard, a floating production, storage and offtake facility, based off the North West Coast of Australia, approximately 80km north of Onslow. Operated by Australian FPSO Management, Four Vanguard is a converted double hulled trading tanker of 94,000 dead weight tonnes which has been fitted with specialised equipment including a 53m flare tower. It produces up to forty thousand barrels of oil a day and has a storage capacity of more than 600,000 barrels. Suzannah is fully responsible for Four Vanguard's multi-million dollar off-shore facility and has absolute authority over her all male crew when on site.
Suzannah spends the remainder of her working year onshore, as Marine Superintendent. The Onshore Marine Superintendent is responsible for the safety of personnel and integrity of the offshore facilities. In consultation with the Facility Management Team, Suzannah is responsible for the co-ordination of all onshore support of marine activities of the facility. She is also responsible for managing the interface between offshore operations and support services in Perth and for the planning of major marine maintenance programs and shutdowns.
Suzannah is strongly committed to her community. She still volunteers on STS Leeuwin and has recently been appointed as a board member of this organization.
Media enquiries: please contact
BLACK Communications - 02 8399 3005
Naomi Parry - 0411 623 423
Brooke Tabberer - 0409 844 467
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