My name is Pavel Trus. I’m a Master Mariner. I’ve spent most of my life at sea – started as a cadet and worked my way up to captain. I’ve served on all types of vessels: bulkers, container ships, supply vessels, DSVs, accommodation ships… you name it.

Big crews, big responsibility. And the more experience I gained, the more I realized one simple truth: maritime safety isn’t a checklist. It’s what decides whether your crew comes home – or doesn’t. With time, your standards evolve. You expect more from your crew – better knowledge, better performance. You expect more from yourself. But what really started bothering me was that many maritime service providers didn’t seem to hold themselves to the same level. They’d show up onboard, do the bare minimum, hand over a paper, and leave. No real inspection, no real commitment to safety compliance. And it wasn’t rare – it kept happening, over and over again.

I can train my crew. I can lead them. But when a so-called marine safety specialist shows up onboard and clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing – I’m left with no real options except to say, “No thanks.” And even then, what choice do you really have?

The turning point came during what should’ve been a routine marine safety inspection. We were due for our annual LSA (Life-Saving Appliances) and FFE (Firefighting Equipment) checks. That day, we had four different companies onboard: one for FFE, one for LSA, one for loose lifting gear, and a fourth claiming they could handle everything. The result? Total chaos. Endless emails, miscommunication, people stepping on each other’s toes. That’s when I thought – enough is enough. This isn’t how safety in the maritime industry should work.

Safety at sea is not something you outsource to whoever’s available. It’s not something you do just to tick a box. It must be done right – like you would for your own crew, your own vessel, your own family.

That’s when the idea to start something of my own took shape.

We already had OJ Crew, a crewing company I built with my cousins. It was doing well. So the name came naturally: OJ Safety. Same foundation, same mindset – just a different side of the same mission: to raise the standard of maritime safety services.

Now we’re building a team of real professionals. Not just guys with certificates, but people who know what they’re doing. We don’t cut corners. We train, we test, we double-check. We follow Class requirements, Flag State regulations, and IMO (International Maritime Organization) standards – but most importantly, we follow common sense safety principles. Because when something goes wrong at sea, there’s no time to flip through a manual.

OJ Safety isn’t about marketing or buzzwords.

• It’s about making sure things work when they matter most.
• It’s about peace of mind for the Master.
• It’s about protecting the crew.
• It’s about doing the job right – because someone’s life might depend on it.

That’s it.
That’s why I started this.