Sara: taking the unpredictable path

Sara, Head of the Emergency Response Service (ERS) at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV M&O), since March 2025, studied architecture before switching paths and heading towards the sea.

How did you go from architecture school to a maritime career?

I grew up in Tunisia, always looking at the sea. Literally! My family’s home overlooked the sea. When I began my university studies, I had two paths I could take to get to my architecture school in the morning. I would always take the long route, because it brought me by the port in Tunis. I’d stop off, have a coffee, and just look at the vessels coming in and out of the port. I’d think to myself, “Someday, I’m going to be a part of that.” I didn’t know how! 

But I looked at that as a challenge I would need to overcome. And I love challenges. I was probably midway through my studies when I decided to switch to naval architecture. I found a program in Brest, France, and I made the move.

What is your job like now, as Head of the ERS?

This is going to sound contradictory, but it’s an unpredictable job that relies on stability. The ERS team is ready 24/7 to provide an immediate response to our clients, assisting them in case of an accident. And this could mean anything: grounding, a collision at sea, an explosion, fire on a vessel, or storm-related damage. Within ERS, we have several sub-teams who are experts in dealing with a vessel’s loss of stability or strength, its mooring capabilities, or its hydrodynamics.

Our duty team’s mission is to help a ship’s captain find the best loading condition after an accident, to mitigate pollution and ensure the highest level of safety for the crew and the ship. To do so, we work with the onboard crew to gather all relevant data, create a 3D model of the ship in its current condition, and use that information to determine the best methods to improve the ship’s loading condition.

And while we are always ready to respond in an emergency situation, I want to emphasize the full technical support we can provide to our client. We do this by running tests and drills to simulate an emergency situation. In this way, we can test how both our team and the crew would respond. The best emergency response is the one that happens before the emergency can even happen.

What’s the best thing about working at BV M&O?

By far, the people I get to work with. We’re a small but tightknit team of people who are dedicated to more than just “the job.” We all have a special passion for the sea, and that unites us and our clients. One of my colleagues really emphasized this connection during a recent intervention: a client was asking us to run an extra series of loading condition tests during a particularly critical situation. My colleague told me to “imagine yourself on board the vessel. People are struggling. People are afraid. So, we can’t leave them.” It’s that kind of passion we bring to the job every day. (And yes, we ran the extra calculation.)

And in emergency situations like these, we know we can reach out to the wider workforce at BV M&O to lend their expertise when we need it. This gives us the added confidence to act in sometimes high-pressure situations, knowing we’ll find a solution.

What’s something you’d want people to know about working for ERS?

Definitely, that we laugh. You know, we have “emergency” in the title of our team, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun. Yes, we can find ourselves in stressful situations. Our interventions can last up to three weeks, and they are very tense because we need to make many quick assessments, make sure we’re getting the most accurate data from our clients so we can then offer the safest solutions. During those most stressful moments, I remember my training, and I rely on the expertise of our whole team. When you’re prepared for any situation, that brings with it confidence and a certain calm. This helps us all regroup in a tense moment and then push forward to help our clients.

I would also add a word or two about the increasingly important role that women are playing at BV M&O. Our work is all about collaboration, exchange, learning, development—these are qualities and actions that women can bring to the table. And I hope and believe that more women will find their way down this path.

What does “Shaping a Better Maritime World” mean to you?  

This ties into my last answer, I think. It’s about creating a better future thanks to a diverse team of men and women. Here at BV M&O, we have people with decades of experience working alongside younger generations, who are not only excited to learn, but also bring fresh perspectives. It’s an exciting time for maritime!