Why Uisce?

What is Uisce?

How do you pronounce it?

Here’s a great explanation borrowed from an author well educated on the subject:

“Water is life-giving. We meet it from the very beginning, in the womb. We emerge into the world when the waters break. It has deep symbolic significance in Celtic mythology. It represents wisdom and the feminine. For thousands of years, the Gaelic term “Fíor Uisce” (feer-ishka), meaning true water…”

              -Eileen Ní Shuilleabháin

I’m Drew McIntyre, and I started Uisce Maritime. A name that spoke to the rich history of our craft was important to me. Having the last name McIntyre is a factor in choosing an ancient Gaelic term. There’s also a component linked to my time at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. There, I found a tradition that spoke to me, and A LOT of Irish descendants. A pride in the craft and discipline of being a mariner drew me to sea. Like many mariners, I appeared to most shoreside professionals as a gypsy. Finding new ways to learn about this business and explore our industry created a diversity of approaches from the East Coast to Alaska.

Alaska brought opportunities and challenges which grew my administrative skill. Varied experiences managing fleets of refined fuel barges, Articulated Tug Barges, freight barges, and chartered deep ocean towing sets created breadth. Managing the operation from bid through execution created depth and further curiosity. It is a truly fascinating business with so many avenues of development alongside technological evolution. It is also a business rich with creative, talented people. I have been fortunate to work alongside many people dedicated to their craft.

Running a marine based business takes these unique people. Transportation is a traditionally high overhead, high risk, low margin model. As such, things are kept lean. Often this necessary lean structure leaves little time for development. I started Uisce Maritime to support marine based companies experiencing administrative gaps. Often, these gaps appear during expansion and may not require another FTE position in perpetuity. In other circumstances, the strategic reformatting of systems to match technology and regulatory developments have a defined scope.

Uisce Maritime is a consulting firm dedicated to the craft. It is focused on delivering value to its clients through the creation of operational planning, compliance strategy, project management, market research, and innovation of administrative systems. There are boundless opportunities for growth through innovation in today’s maritime industry. Our world is changing quickly, and as mariners, we must be prepared to change with it as our forebearers have. What problems are creating change in your organization?