post sea training

I went home for about a month after getting down from my last ship and reporting to

the office. After the completion of my leave, I went to office at Bombay and reported. They had

arranged accommodation for us in a three star hotel in Byculla. Three of us were put in a room.

The room was with A/C and T.V. We put our belongings there and went to L.B.S.College (now

known as LBS college of advanced maritime studies and research), which is located in Hay

Bunder, Bombay (near Reay Road Station).

We got our selves admitted there for our post sea training. Classes start at 0900 and end at

1700 everyday, Saturdays and Sunday being weekly holidays. We used to have our breakfast in

the hotel on SCI’s account. Lunch was at the college canteen and again dinner was in the hotel on

SCI’s account. This was the time for us to enjoy life on shore, having spent around 18 months on

board. We used to go to Matunga on the weekends for a south Indian lunch followed by a Tamil

movie.

Studies were not much different from what we learnt during our pre sea training. It was the

same subjects, but we had to study more in detail. There were assignments and tests every

week, making us study hard. But, we guys, freaked out, as usual, but making it a point to study,

complete the assignments before going out.

These classes were for four months and time passed very quickly. In between the classes,

Vidya’s marriage was also held. I rushed from Bombay only to attend the marriage and had to go

back the next day after marriage to avoid losing attendance.

Our exams were scheduled to be held in January, 2003. We had completed our classes and

were revising for the exams. During our stay there in Byculla, the famous Babri Masjid

demolition took place. We were literally trapped inside the hotel for several days, with only

bread to eat. Buildings around us were burning, as Byculla was a predominant Muslim area.

There were no buses plying. Trains were running, but only very few. Taxis were also scarce on

the roads. We had to walk the whole distance to the college to collect our admit cards for the

exam. On our way we could see many slum areas reduced to ashes, people on the streets,

without a proper shelter. There were only skeletons of buses, cars, bikes, scooters and cycles all

along the road.

Our exams came and all of us managed to fare well in the written. After the written, we had to

undergo three mandatory courses- proficiency in survival craft (PSC), first aid at sea and radar

orientation course + automatic radar plotting aids (ROC-ARPA). ROC-ARPA was a course on the

fundamentals of radar, how to operate a radar, how to use the radar for position plotting, as an

anti-collision device. It also had radar plotting, which was to use the information from radar and

plot various targets, to determine their speed, course, closest point of approach and time for

closest point of approach. ARPA is an automated system, which does the plotting and gives the

information necessary for collision avoidance.

In the PSC course, we were taught the survival techniques, when the ship is abandoned. Again,

we had to dive from a diving board and then swim to a life raft floating in the pool and board the

same. We were also taught rowing during this course.

First aid at sea taught us the basic first aid to be used on board, in case of a fall, injury, fire

accident, and other causes which may need first aid immediately to save the life. We did this

course in Malad, and the other two courses in the college.

We had one exam in Morse code, which was in use during that time. We had to decode, what

was being transmitted in Morse code, by the examiner. The minimum passing percentage for

this was 90.

The orals where, we would be examined by an examiner from the Mercantile Marine

Department were scheduled as per the availability of the examiner. We had to book for the

exams and await our turn to be examined by the examiner. It used to be a long wait for most of

us. The time would be put up and then the examiner would cancel it due to some other

appointments. It was a pain, waiting for the turn. On the day, where my oral was supposed to be,

I reached the MMD office in time for my orals. I was asked to go to D.G.Shipping office, where

the examiner was supposed to be. I went there and waited for the examiner the whole day. Since

there was some cricket match in Bombay during that time, he had gone to the stadium to see the

match. And, we guys were waiting for him, without food and water.

We got a message from him asking us to be in the MMD office for the orals by 1900. We rushed

back to the MMD office again. He first called the candidates for Master’s orals, followed by

candidates for Mate’s orals. After finishing with them, he called me and asked me if I wanted the

orals to be conducted that day or if I wanted it to be postponed to the next day. Not wanting to

continue the tension to the next day, I told him that I am ready to take the exam that day. He

then started asking me questions and after about 20 minutes or so, told me to carry on and that

I had passed.

That moment when he said that, my joy knew no bounds. I was so happy. I went out and called

home to convey this happy news to my parents.

After some days, the result for the written came and I had passed all the papers. It was

another happy moment for me. Now I had to apply for my certificate. I filled the application

form,attached the required documents, paid the fees for the same and submitted my application

form. It took about 15 days for me to get the certificate of competency as Navigational Watch

Keeping Officer (Graduate) [NWKO (grad)]. After getting the certificate, I had to apply for

Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC). I went to the Shipping Master’s office and gave the

necessary application form for it and I got the CDC in about 10 days time. Having collected my

certificate and CDC, I went to the office and gave the office copies of all my certificates and CDC.

Now I was certified officer and could sail in ships as a 3^rd officer.

I went home after reporting to the office to take a well deserved break from the non-stop

studies for about 8 months. More to continue on my next ships as an officer.

third ship-homi bhabha

After spending about 15 days in hospital, I was discharged from the hospital. I was still weak. I stayed back at home for about 1 month before reporting to office in Bombay. They had posted me on a tanker, “M.V.Homi Bhabha”. The ship was off Bombay coast, since it was a dedicated lighterage ship and had double-banked with a VLCC, loading crude oil from that ship. I went to the ship in a supply vessel and it took about 3 hrs to reach the ship. Upon reaching the ship, I was lifted along with my baggage with the crane. I was surprised to see a batch mate of mine there. I quickly took my baggage to my cabin, changed and met the chief officer. After the initial exchange of pleasantries, I went on deck to get myself familiarised with the ship and the operation of loading which was in progress.

As I earlier said, since this was a dedicated lighterage ship, she had three big and two small fenders which could be lowered by pneumatically operated davits. The ship used to double bank with VLCCs off Bombay port, which cannot enter the ports due to their deep draft, load crude oil from them and discharge the same at oil terminals inside the port. This operation (lighterage) used to take about 15 to 18 hrs. The sailing to Bombay port was for about 3 hours and then the discharging used to take about 20 hours. It was non- stop work for us during these times.

When we were not doing these lighterage operations, we used to load in Bombay and discharge in Cochin. This was much better for us since we used to get the sailing of about two days.

This tanker had a capacity about 45000 tons which could be loaded in 9 tanks. We could load at the rate of 3000 cubic metres per hour. We had a separate pump room, where the pumps (rated capacity of one pump is 1000 cu m/hr) used for discharging, along with hundreds of valves were located. Apart from this we had many valves on the deck, which were used during loading/discharging. Since crude oil is highly flammable, there were many safety measures on board to prevent the oil from catching fire. Also since the tanks are pressurised/de-pressurised during loading/discharging, there are means of preventing the tanks from getting stressed during the operations. Inert gas (a mixture of nitrogen and several other gases) in used to maintain the pressure of the tanks, within limits and also to avoid the crude oil from getting in contact with the atmosphere.

My job during loading was primarily to set up the line for loading and to monitor the level in the tanks. Extreme care has to be taken to avoid any overflow, which may cause fire and pollute the sea. We maintain a very strict watch on the level of oil during the final stages so that we could stop at the desired level of oil. During discharging, I have to set up the line and then follow the duty officer’s instructions. Initial discharging is easy, but when the level comes down, we will have to keep a close watch on the pump and open/close the valves as necessary for optimum discharge. Once the bulk discharging is finished, we use another pump, for pumping out the little quantity left in the tanks. This operation is known as stripping. We take in ballast (sea water) /pump out ballast in/from designated tanks to maintain the stability of the ship. This process of taking in/pumping out sea water also uses pumps and lot of valves. This is done simultaneously with the loading/discharging. This level of sea water has to be monitored as well, which again has to be done by us.

We had to clean the tanks as well before going to dry dock. Cleaning of cargo oil tanks is a very complex process and took lot of time. We were working round the clock for 36 hours without sleep to complete the tank cleaning. We wash the tanks using the oil itself by special pumps which can be fixed permanently or portable. The machines are programmable and have different stages of wash cycles just like washing machines. Once the washing by oil is completed, we transfer this oil to special tanks. Then we use hot water to wash the tanks using the same machines and then pump out this water to the special tanks, which are called slop tanks. After this is done, we ventilate the tanks using blowers, which are driven by water. On a tanker’s deck no electrically operated machineries are allowed to be operated. All machineries are pneumatically operated, water or steam driven. This is to reduce the fire hazard.

The blowers run in exhaust mode as well as supply mode to reduce the hydrocarbon content inside the tank. We use instruments like explosimeter, multi gas detector and oxygen analyser to measure the level of various gases present inside the tank. For man entry, the level of oxygen has to be 21% and other gas has to be nil. After checking the gas content at various levels, we open the tank domes (openings on deck, which are gas tight and water tight, used for man entry). Prior to the dry-dock, we had to gas free all the tanks. My batch mate and myself had to measure length of pipelines, which had to be renewed and then draw the sketches, along with the measurements(thanks to engineering drawing and machine drawing, I could draw the diagrams easily), for the shipyard personnel to fabricate the pipelines and keep them ready. There were many valves, which were not closing/opening properly. We had to mark those valves for easy identification during the repairs.

The chief officer who was earlier on board, signed off due to some personal problems and the ship couldn’t do without a chief officer. Somehow, the office managed to send a chief officer, when the ship was in Cochin and the person who they sent was from Cochin Port Trust and was there as a pilot. He had no prior experience in tanker operations, which made things difficult for us. We had to do the loading and discharging operations, with the chief officer being a mere spectator. My batch mate and myself, along with the 3^rd officer, had to prepare the entire repair specifications for dry-dock. It was a very nice learning experience for us.

The ship was in Cochin dry-dock for about 45 days. There were major jobs like ship side painting, checking of anchor cables, and checking of all cargo tanks and ballast tanks. Lots of sludge deposits were there in the cargo tanks and some of it was removed, manually by labourers. We had to check how much they had removed, since this involved lot of money. Like, the previous dry-dock, we had to keep a check on the paint drums- received and issued. We had to show them the pipelines which had to be renewed and the valves which had to be repaired.

We were working everyday from morning 5 am to about 7 pm in the night. We used to go out to have some good food and see tamil movies in the evening. I managed to come home for a couple of days from Cochin.

Life on board this ship was very hectic, but quite enjoyable because of the very short voyages. The crew on board were of good nature and helpful. This made life easier. Since this ship was doing coastal run, we did not experience extreme bad weather.

The ship went to Karachi and to Fujairah (Persian Gulf). The port of Karachi was very good, but they did not allow us Indians, to disembark from the ship. There where security guards standing on the dock, to ensure that none of us disembarked the ship. When the ship went to Fujairah, she was double banked to a VLCC. Many officers and crew went out, but we could not go, due to the cargo operations.

This was my last ship as a TNO. When the ship docked in Bombay Oil terminal, I got the message for my sign off. I packed my things and left the ship, with a heavy heart, as I got attached to the ship after spending about 8 months on board.

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 7 months and 24 days

PORTS VISITED: IN INDIA- Bombay, Cochin, Vadinar, Sikka

FOREIGN: Karachi(Pakistan), Fujayrah(U.A.E)

second ship-albert ekka

I reported to the office and they told me that I was being transferred to an oil tanker and that I will have to join the ship at Haldia. I immediately conveyed the message to appa/amma by telegram, since there was no phone at home. I collected the air ticket and went to the airport to board the first ever flight in my life. I reached Calcutta airport, took a taxi and went to the office. They told me that there would be some delay in my joining.

I went to Saroja Chitti’s home for a visit, and after spending some time there came back to the office. I took my baggage and went in the car provided by the office to Haldia. The journey took me about 3 hrs to reach Haldia. After completing the customs and other formalities, I boarded the ship, “M.T. Lance Naik Albert Ekka P.V.C”. It was basically a product carrier, but was in the crude oil trade now. The ship was discharging crude oil there at Haldia. I changed into my boiler suit and started getting used to the ship. The ship sailed out of Haldia after completion of discharge and was on its way to Lavan Islands(Iran), in the Persian Gulf. Like my previous ship, I was keeping watches with the Chief Officer from 0400 to 0800 and then again from 1600 to 2000.

Since this was a tanker, life here was entirely different. The layout of the ship and the equipments were completely different. I was slowly getting used to the ship and the equipments. Suddenly one day morning, I started feeling feverish. I told the Chief Officer that I was not feeling well. He told me to report to the second officer, since he was in-charge of the medicines. I got some tablets for fever from him and went to my cabin. I had the tablets and tried to sleep. The fever subsided after sometime, but I was feeling very weak. The next day, I got the fever again and I was shivering too. I got some more tablets for the fever. The fever used to subside by daytime and used to increase by evening. The Captain, chief officer and second officer were confused, as to what sort of fever this was. They suspected the fever to be typhoid or malaria.

The ship reached Lavan Islands. I was still not well. I had gone very weak. I was beginning to miss the care of Amma. I could not eat anything. The ship loaded crude oil there and left for Madras. The captain had already informed the office regarding my condition. Office had asked him to sign me off on arrival Madras and he informed me the same.

The ship reached Madras and docked at the oil terminal. I had packed my baggage and was all set to disembark from the ship. After clearing customs formalities, I reached home only to get admitted in Lady Willington Hospital for further treatment.

My stay in this ship was for just 24 days.

More to continue...........

Total time spent on board: 24 days

Ports visited: IN INDIA: Haldia, Madras

FOREIGN: Lavan Islands(Iran)

my first ship-tulsidas

This is my first ship in my life. I reported in Chennai office of SCI after 40 days of leave after pre sea training. I was to join a ship “M.V.Tulsidas” in Madras Harbour on the 4th of Jan, 1991. I left home after packing my belongings which included my civil clothes, uniform, working clothes and other essential things. All of us, Appa, Amma, Vidya and me went to the port by a taxi. Amma and Vidya were not allowed to enter the container terminal. I went in with Appa along with my baggage. Appa came to the ship with me and left soon. I changed into my working clothes and got into action.

There were two senior Trainee Nautical Officers (TNOs) there. The junior of them was from Madras. He took me around the ship and showed me what was going on. The ship was loading containers and was bound for UK after a brief halt in Colombo. As I was tired due to the running around the whole day, the chief officer told me to go and take rest. I went to my cabin and unpacked a few things and went to sleep. I fell asleep and was awaken by a call from the seaman-helmsman, at 0345 in the morning. I went to the bridge, as the ship had left harbour somewhere during the night. The chief officer asked me some general questions and explained what I was supposed to do there in the bridge. I came down at 0600 and went round the

ship to know more about the ship. The seamen came to deck at 0800 for their work. I was instructed by the chief officer to follow serang’s (head of the crew) instructions. I was asked by him to start chipping (process of removing rust by a special hammer).

That was a needed to maintain the ship in rust free condition. We reached Colombo and the ship docked in the harbour. After discharging some containers, the ship left on the long journey towards Suez, where the next halt was supposed to take place.

Days passed by. I continued to get up at 0345 everyday, stay on the bridge till 0600. Then I used to go down, assist the PoM(petty officer, maintenance) in taking the soundings of all ballast and FW tanks.(sounding is a process where we put in a small weight attached to long wire or rope into a sounding pipe to ascertain the level of the liquid in a tank). My other jobs included taking inventory of various stores on board, greasing various equipments, chipping and painting. We reached Suez Canal after about 10 days of sailing and dropped anchor. Barges came for supplying fuel oil and diesel oil. Boats also came for supplying provisions, vegetables and fruits. The Suez Canal transit was a memorable event. Ships go in a convoy, the convoy being decided by the ship type, speed, type of cargo and many other factors. The transit is under pilotage and usually it takes about 10 hrs to reach the other end of Suez Canal, which is known as Port Said. On reaching Port Said, the pilot disembarked and we were on our journey towards Europe. My daily routine was bridge watches along with Chief Officer, chipping on deck, greasing, taking inventories of stores and Chief Officer’s paper work. I had to check the temperatures of reefer containers and log it down in the log book.

We reached the beginning of English Channel and we picked up deep sea pilot, who guides us in the North Sea as it is very difficult to navigate there due to the traffic and weather conditions. We reached Felixstowe, a port in England and discharged containers there. Our next port was Rotterdam. The distance was very less and we reached there within a day. We discharged and loaded containers there and were on our way to Hamburg, which was a river port, situated in the river “Die Elbe”. The river passage was done with the help of pilots. It was very beautiful sight on both the sides of the river- green grass, trees, and beautiful buildings. We reached and berthed in the port and cargo work started, as usual. The temperature was -13⁰C. There was a thin film of ice on the river water. It was very difficult for anybody of us to stand outside for even a few minutes. The stay was longer than other ports because we had to discharge and then load containers. This was the chance to go out. I went out along with two or three crew members, all I had was a single sweater to protect myself from that sub zero temperature. This was the first foreign port I was going out and maybe that’s why I did not feel the cold. I returned back after a couple of hours only to find the Chief Officer standing near the accommodation entrance giving me a cold stare(Cold Stare because I didn’t inform him before going out). He asked me to change and be on the deck and not to enter the accommodation till the ship sails out.

Then I realised my mistake of going out without informing Chief Officer. As soon as we sailed out Chief Officer ordered me to start chipping on the deck, it was very difficult even to hold the hammer due to the cold. We came back to Felixstowe loaded some more containers and came to India via Suez Canal. Our first port was Bombay.

Both of the senior TNO’s signed off for the exams and a Third Officer joined the ship to perform the duties of Second Officer I had to look after the Third Officer’s duty in addition to my other jobs which meant that I had to work for at least 18 hrs a day including 8 hrs of navigational watches on the bridge (from 0800 to 1200 and 2000 to 2400). After discharging there the ship came to Madras. I managed to come home for a couple of hours. I was so happy to see my parents and sister. From Madras the ship went to Haldia (port in Hoogly River). We discharged the balance of containers there. We loaded containers came to Madras, loaded here and then some more in Colombo before proceeding towards Suez Canal. On our way to port Suez just before entering the Gulf of Suez we were asked to stop the ship by US Naval ship. They asked all the crew members to assemble in the poop deck (the after portion of the ship). After taking the head count and ensuring that all the crew members were accounted for we were escorted to the officers mess room and were asked to remain there until further notice, two security guards were posted at the entrance to ensure that nobody goes out. They checked the Ship’s Certificates, Cargo related documents and all spaces inside the ship before allowing us to proceed, all these procedures took almost a full day and we were all inside the mess room for the whole day. All this was due to the ongoing war in the Persian Gulf and to ensure that no help goes to Iraq or its allies. After crossing Suez Canal we went to the same ports

discharged/loaded and came back to India. After discharging in Bombay, Madras and Haldia the ship went to Colombo for Dry Dock. I had to prepare the dry dock repairs specifications before the ship reaches dry dock which was a very tiresome job as I had to take measurements in several places.

On reaching Colombo we entered the dry dock and the dock gates closed as soon as we were tied up. Divers went inside to check if the ship was in position. After this, the water was pumped out of the dock. After some time the shipyard personnel confirmed that the ship was sitting on the blocks. Now the ship was given shore power. The Ship’s generators were stopped which will remain so, till the ship floats again. People started cleaning the ship side with high pressure water to remove growth on the steel plating. Once the cleaning was finished, they started sand blasting the ship side areas where rust had formed. This was a dangerous job. It took quite a long time to get the blasting completed. Once the blasting was finished, inspection was carried out by chief officer, shipyard engineer, paint supplier representative and company superintendent. Once found satisfactory, primer was sprayed all over. This was followed another coat of primer. The underwater area was coated with a special paint called anti-fouling paint, which prevents under water growth. All the painting is done under careful supervision of the ship’s staff, paint supplier representative and shipyard engineer. The humidity must not be too high.

The paint will have to be applied to specific thickness, which will be measured by instruments specially made for the purpose. We will have to keep a check on the paints received and paints issued. Other work on deck included changing of hydraulic pipelines, renewal of steel plating on the ship side, as this was dented and had to be renewed as per instructions from the class surveyor. The anchor cables were ranged down in the dock and the thickness of each link was measured. Links, whose thickness was less than the required, had to be renewed. The entire anchor chain was completely blasted to remove the rust and painted. Each anchor had 10 shackles of cable(1 shackle= 27.5 mtrs). The chain lockers were completely cleaned and

painted, before picking up the anchor chain.

One day, there was a holiday for the shipyard. All the officers of the ship were taken on a picnic by the shipyard to Kandy, a hill resort nearby. We saw the famous tooth temple (Lord Buddha’s tooth is kept there). We went to a falls nearby and had a great time. We returned back in the evening. I managed to go out quite a few times during the stay in Colombo. I visited a temple nearby, went to the beach, and had good idlis and dosas there. I also bought some Ceylon tea for home.
The dry-dock was finally over after 1 month. The ship was shining like a brand new ship, and having completed all the trials and surveys, we sailed out from Colombo.
We loaded in India and went on a voyage to Europe again. There, we loaded steel products, machinery parts, pipes and other break bulk cargoes. I went to two new ports this time, Swansea, in Wales and Antwerp, in Belgium. Other ports were the same old ports.
Loading of such cargoes took more time and so got more time to go out and see the world. Lots of precautions had to be taken during the loading and lashing the cargo, to prevent them from becoming loose and damaging each other or the ship, which can lead to a major catastrophe.
After loading, we came to India, our first port, as usual being Bombay. Upon berthing in Bombay docks, we got a message from Office that I was being transferred to another ship. So they had asked the Captain to sign me off and asked me to report to the office.
I packed my belongings and got ready to leave the ship. It was very difficult to leave the ship, as it was my first ship and I had got so much attached to the ship. Tears were literally running out of my eyes, when I was disembarking the gangway (ladder used for entering/leaving the ship) .
With a heavy heart I got down with my baggage, saying good bye to all those people with whom I had worked for 8 months. After all, they had taught me what a ship is and how to work.
My Chief Officer said that his right hand is going!!!

More to continue.......


TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 8 MONTHS AND 3 DAYS


PORTS VISITED: IN INDIA- Bombay, Madras, Haldia                        
OUTSIDE INDIA : Colombo, Suez, Port Said, Aquaba, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremen, Muscat, Marsaxlokk, Swansea

PRE SEA TRAINING

I have always wanted to share my experiences at sea with everybody. And thus this write up.

My pre sea training started in Sept 1990 at the country’s premier shipping company,

The Shipping Corporation of India’s training centre, Maritime Training Institute,

which in located at Powai in Mumbai. The training was for a period of 3 months. Our

batch was made up of about 40 guys from different parts of India. We were all put in

in the hostel in MTI.

Our morning starts early at 0530. We assemble outside our hostel, where we were

made do physical training excercises, running make us fit for the tough life ahead.

After this, we were given time to have our breakfast and then reassemble for our

march towards the main block which was about 1 km away from the hostel.

Classes were conducted in the subjects of stability, principles of navigation, practical

navigation, cargo work, meteorology, seamanship, electronics and electricity by

master mariners. We had practical sessions in seamanship, where we were taught

seamanship techniques which included rope work. Our classes normally ends at

1800, after which, we spend our time studying. We have to switch off the lights by

2200 hrs.

After one month of training, the epaulette ceremony was held for us, were we were

presented with the first ever epaulettes we were going to wear by the CMD of SCI.

Every Saturday, we were taken to the IIT, Powai swimming pool for swimming

classes. We were made to swim with life jackets on, at first and then without

lifejackets. After this we were taken on ship visits to Bombay port, where we went on

board various ships of SCI and learnt what a ship looked like and how the various

departments of the ship functioned.

Sunday was the weekly day off for us. We were allowed to go out and come back

before evening. The tamil guys in our batch used to go to Matunga for some good

south indian food, watch a tamil movie there and return by evening.

We were taught yoga and karate to increase our stamina and level of physical fitness

from the second month onwards during the mornings, instead of the physical

excercises.

We had to undergo certain courses like basic first aid, personal survival techniques

and basic fire fighting during the pre sea training as well. Theory as well as practicals

were conducted for these courses. For personal survival, we had to dive from a diving

board 5 m high into the swimming pool and swim towards a liferaft and board it. And

this was qute a nightmare for many of my batchmates.

For fire fighting, we were made to crawl through a maze sort of arrangement with our

eyes blindfolded. The entry and exit were through different places. Our progress was

being continuously monitored, so no chances of cheating. The next part was using

different types of fire extinguishers on different types of fires. After this we were

made to wear breathing apparatus and carry a dummy from the top of the mock-up to

the bottom. After finishing this, we were made to enter the mock-up from the top, go

inside and come out from the bottom and fire was in full rage inside, making seeing

virtually impossible. The final test was going inside the mock-up with the breathing

apparatus , extinguishing the fire and carrying the dummy all the way down. And

believe me, this is really very difficult.

After completion of three months of such vigorous training, we had to undergo exams

in all the subjects, written as well as orals. After the exams, was the passing out

parade, where we were given our certificates by the CMD of SCI.

Thus ended our pre sea training on December 09^th, 1990 and we were all ready to

face the high seas in all its glory and fervour.

More to continue on the ships I served, so far.