Q&A with Captain Jacek Polak, Commissioning Capt. of Creole Spirit - Teekay

March 16, 2016

Captain Jacek Polak Successfully Delivered Teekay’s Very First MEGI-Type LNG Carrier

The Creole Spirit was delivered to Cheniere Marketing, marking a major milestone in Teekay Gas Partners’ (TGP) expansion plans.

Teekay Captain Jacek Polak on the bridge of the Creole Spirit

Capt. Polak recently sat down with LNG Shipping World to discuss his career experience and the future of LNG carrier design. Here is some of what he had to say: Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your experience working on LNG carriers and for Teekay LNG? I started my journey with liquefied gas almost 20 years ago. In 1998, I began working for Dorchester Maritime, and then with Teekay for the last 16 years. In the last 10 years, I have worked on many types of LNG ships: No.96 and Mark III, Steam turbine, Q-flexes and TFDE. And now, I have the privilege to take delivery and the maiden voyage of the first MEGI class LNG carrier – Creole Spirit. What are the most significant advances in ship technology during your career? I have witnessed most of the new technologies introduced into the LNG transportation industry in recent years. From BOG (boil-of- gas) burned in boilers on steam turbine vessels, through reliquefaction plants on Q-flex class ships and diesel electric ships (DFDE/TFDE). I’m really glad Teekay has given to me opportunity to work on all these different technology LNG ships. MEGI technology is the latest. In what ways does working on Creole Spirit feel familiar, compared to other LNGCs on which you’ve worked? LNG cargo behaves in similar ways on all LNG carriers. What is different from ship to ship is the gas management: how to handle the BOG is the key on any LNG ship. On Creole Spirit, BOG is used for propulsion. First it is compressed up to 300 bars and injected into the Main Engines. MEGI vessels are designed to be significantly more fuel-efficient and have lower emission levels than other engines currently being used in LNG shipping. Operating a MEGI class LNG ship should see a significant saving in overall operational cost to any Owner and Charterer – and I like being a part of that service! In what ways is the vessel unfamiliar, different, better? The vessel is fantastic, better than any I have worked on so far. Nothing is unfamiliar for the officers and crew on board. Senior Officers have been assigned to this vessel since the very first stage of its construction. We know all the equipment on board and the reason why it was installed. At Teekay, we take the delivery of the world’s first LNG MEGI newbuilding very seriously. “Operational failure is not an option”. We are ready to perform, to reach the goal and to satisfy our customers till the very last dot of our Charter Party. As we wrap up this first supplement on LNG shipping innovation, what are your predictions for future LNGC design? Creole Spirit is the first LNG/c of its kind – MEGI. The first but certainly not the last – Teekay has 8 more in various stages of build. I see MEGI technology as core for the shipping industry, not only for LNG carriers. Many more ships all over the world will use LNG as fuel for its propulsion – on cruise, container, bulk and crude carriers. I have no doubts about it. The technology is here today, and I am proud that we, Teekay, are the first to prove it works and to lead other companies into it as well.

Rapid Fire Round – tell us a little bit more about who Capt. Polak really is:

Teekay Captain Jacek Polak on board of the Creole Spirit

Why did you decide to become a seafarer? I grew up in a small town at the 2nd deepest lake in Poland, sailing on the small sailing boats – Optimist Dinghy class – since I was 8 years old. As a boy, I was inspired by the books of explorers, seafarers, and especially Joseph Conrad. I had a dream to become a seafarer and to enjoy great adventures, learning about different cultures and to visit many countries. Being in command of very large ocean going ships was beyond my dreams at that time … What do you enjoy the most from being a seafarer? There is no time to be bored … every day is different from the previous. Every day I find myself in different situation and I learn something new. The “sightseeing dream” from the childhood has not been really fulfilled due to the amount of required workload in port, however our job gives the excellent opportunity to meet multi-cultural people at LNG terminals we are visiting or among our fantastic crew. My record so far is having eleven nationalities during a voyage on board Methane Spirit. Any special thing you like to do during your free time, or any surprising skill? In my free time I would like to dedicate myself to my family to the fullest, regrettably it is not always the case. Apart from that, I stay in close touch with my lecturers of Maritime University (Academy), where I’m learning new technologies, testing new navigational aids which are just being introduced on some passenger ships and will be implemented on cargo ships in the nearest future, i.e. NAVDEC (Navigational Decision Support System). I also help and coach pupils from the local nautical school who need support with Colreg, celestial and terrestrial navigation classes etc. This gives me a lot of satisfaction. For myself, I enjoy all kinds of water sports: kayak, jet ski, motor/sailing boats (I have skipper licence but regrettably I do not own any boat), scuba diving. Last but not least, I enjoy construction work/projects with: wood, bricks and concrete.