How the Desert Led to a Passion for Marine for NTI's Newest Risk Engineer

For NTI’s newest Risk Engineer, Chelsea Neely, her interest in marine began in the most unlikely of places – the Western Australian desert.

While working at a café in the Pilbara, the then-19-year-old was offered a trial working on a ship loader. It was there, while operating machinery, tying up vessels, and boarding and scheduling ships that Chelsea discovered a passion for all things shipping and marine.

“It began with a ‘right place, right time’ moment and having the right attitude to get in and give anything a crack; and I just loved it,” Chelsea said.

“I loved working on the wharves, boarding the ships. I loved the culture and the rapport. We worked really hard, but we all helped each other out.”

At just 23, Chelsea became the youngest supervisor ever in Port Hedland and the first female operational supervisor.

“I think back to that time and something that I’m really proud of is how the culture and mindset has changed from where women weren’t as accepted, to now where the workforce is shifting toward 50/50,” Chelsea said.

Diversity isn’t the only major change Chelsea has seen in her career, with technology taking a front seat.

“When I first started operating with ship loaders, we had a little bucket that we used to lower down with a rope to the Chief or the Vessel Master, and then he’d put the load plan in and we'd wind up the bucket and fax off the plan to the office. 

“Nowadays, things are becoming more digitised. We’re seeing the potential for automation, digitisation, and how this might lead to improved processes, efficiencies and the reduction of damage or loss.” 

When the now mum-of-two returned to Melbourne early last year, she began work at a shipping line before being approached by NTI for the Risk Engineer role.

“What most excited me about the opportunity was being able to utilise a lot of my diverse experience. I have been in bulk cargo, dangerous goods, very operationally focused roles. The NTI role is a unique one which allows me to utilise that experience, while having an impact on other people's businesses and representing the industry.”

As Risk Engineer, Chelsea helps organisations optimise processes, operate more efficiently, and improve safety.

“Broadly speaking, risk engineering is underutilised and perhaps not fully understood, in the marine space. There’s a real opportunity here for insureds to make a difference to their bottom line,” she said.

“With my experience I can help organisations review their processes, and help reduce the potential for incidents, for example cargo losses, which may impact a company’s finances, scheduling, and reputation.

“I’m passionate about working with our customers in their business to understand their operations, including critical factors of supply chain, any pain points of their day-to-day, and safety concerns to help them deliver to their customers as safely as possible.”

Chelsea began her role at NTI in October 2024.