my sea life

Seafarer- nature of job- part 1

2010-06-01T20:25:00.001+05:30

Let me give you the list of people involved in the running of a ship. This is almost common in all types of ships, but I limit myself to Bulk carriers and General Cargo ships, as these are the types of ships I have worked the most.

Every ship consists of 3 departments- deck, engine and catering(saloon).

The Master(Captain) is the over all incharge of the ship.

The deck department is under the chief officer. The deck officers and deck crew come under the chief officer.

Similarly, the engine department is under the chief engineer. Other engineers and engine crew are under him.

The catering department had a lot of persons, but as of now it has only two.

I shall describe the nature of duties of the deck officers and crew, in detail, as I am in that department and briefly describe about others.

The Master is basically a deck officer. He has chief officer under him who has the other deck officers like second officer, third officer, deck cadet and the deck crew consisting of a bosun(head of the crew), 3 or 4 able-bodied seaman 1 or 2 ordinary seaman and 1 or 2 trainee seaman. Some old ships may have a deck fitter, who is trained in gas cutting and welding, to do minor repairs on board.

THE DECK CADET- A deck cadet is person who is carrying out mandatory seatime to achieve his/her officer of the watch certificate. Their time onboard is spent learning the operations and tasks of everyday life on a merchant vessel. He joins the ship after completion of 3 year B.Sc(Nautical Sciences) or after one year of pre-sea training. He is directly under chief officer and works as per the chief officer's instructions. The chief officer has to train the cadet to perform all the ship board activities related to deck department. He also learns navigation, watch keeping (at sea and in port), maintenance and use of various equipments in the bridge, on deck and also the fire fighting/life saving equipments.
He has to get all the tasks done as required and get signatures of chief officer and captain before he is eligible for exams. The cadets who come after per-sea training, have got to complete their record books and other assignments, get them signed and have to send them to their institute, which enables them to qualify to write the exams.

Next is the 3rd officer, which we shall see in the next part.

tenth ship- gem of ennore

2010-05-27T20:07:00.000+05:30

I was to join this ship in a port called Jiangyin, in China. I did not know any more details apart from this. After signing my contract and collecting the ticket, I left for Shanghai via Singapore from Madras. After collecting my baggage in Shanghai airport, I went to the port by car. It took about 3 hours from there. The ship was in shipyard and this was a surprise to me.

After the initial formalities, I was talking to the guy whom I was going to relieve and he said that the ship was actually gear-less ship. They had erected seven cranes and I was more surprised when he told that a conveyor belt system was made on the port side of the ship, which went all the way up to no. 1 hold and the across the ship to extend up to the end of no.1 hold on the starboard side. The ship had an extra generator as well, which was fitted on the deck after constructing a superstructure, aft of accommodation, to supply power to the cranes and the conveyor belt system. All these things were so new to me.

Luckily, almost all the works on deck were finished, except for painting of the main deck. So, I had the time to settle down and see the ship properly. The conveyor belt system was due for trial run. The ship's light weight had to be found out since so much of steel was added.

The naval architects and surveyors boarded the ship for that. It took almost half a day for the tests to be completed. After the tests, calculations were done and the ship's new light weight was determined. Thats a very complex process, which I will not explain.

After all the work was over, the ship sailed out from the shipyard to Kohsichang(Thailand) for loading cement clinker. The seven cranes worked day and night and the loading completed in about 7 days. It was fun loading in the anchorage. There were lots of people on board, who were involved in the cargo operations. All those people stayed on board, did their cooking, washing and sleeping on board. They had put up a tent like structure on the poop deck, where they had a hotel sort of arrangement, as well. It was sad to depart, but as always, all good things have to come to an end.

We sailed out from there and went to Singapore for bunkers. After bunkering, we left for Mina Ash Shu'aybah(Kuwait), in Persian Gulf. During the sailing, the technicians were trying out the conveyor belt system and also teaching us about the operation of the same. This was a new learning experience for all of us on board.

Soon we reached Kuwait and started discharging the cargo using our cranes. The stevedores, were mostly Indians and the majority of them were tamilians. The cranes were working efficiently, when one of the crew member, who had gone up for checking, noticed that a wire was damaged. He immediately informed me and I informed the chief officer. The crane was stopped and we did the inspection again. The wire had to be changed before the crane can be used again. Chief Officer was confused and did not know how to go about the changing of wire. I told the chief officer not to worry and that I would get the wire changed. I called the deck crew and told them what is to be done. We changed the wire in few hours and cargo work resumed. All of us were happy that the job got over without any major problems. Some time later, a similar thing happened to another crane. Again, the entire process had to be repeated and this time, we were faster than before.

We changed about 4 wires, during the entire stay in this port. We realised that there was some other problem due to which the wires were getting damaged. The captain called up office and informed them regarding the cranes. Office agreed to send the technicians from the manufacturers in the next port. We somehow managed to have the cargo discharged in this port and sailed off to our next port, Al Jubayl(KSA).

This port also had many tamilians working on board. I befriended some of them and asked them to bring some south indian food, which they gladly obliged. It was nice to eat idli and dosa after quite some time. We had the same problems with the cranes. The technicians from Japan had boarded the ship and were checking on it. We managed to discharge the cargo for this port as well in 6 days and sailed out to our next port, which was the last discharge port.

Our next port was Jebel Ali(UAE), which is very nearby Dubai. We were expecting the owners to visit the ship. So got the ship as clean as possible. The owners, ETA, came with their families and food was ordered from a hotel in Dubai. It was a grand affair, but the cargo work was going on and we had to slog it out on the deck, attending to the cranes and other cargo related operations. I got a chance to go out to Dubai and went out with couple of other officers. It was ramzan time there, and so the shops were closed there. We located Saravana Bhavan and had hot idli/vada and filter coffee. It was so delicious. Next day we went in search of the canteen there inside the port and again had some south indian food. Soon we finished discharging the cement clinker and our load port was Mina Saqr, which is quite nearby.

We were supposed to load limestone for India, which was quite welcome by all the crew, as they could eat nice indian food, make phone calls. The loading was very fast and it completed in a day. We sailed out for Haldia, from there and reached Haldia in 10 days. The discharging completed in 3 days and we sailed out to Paradip, which is just 12 hours away from Haldia.

We anchored in Paradip and were there for a day before we could berth inside the harbour. Once inside the harbour,the port officials boarded the vessel. Many other also boarded the ship, as the ship was to converted into coastal from the present foreign going. We went to Haldia and berthed there.After a day of idling alongside the berth, we went to Paradip again. The ship was converted into foreign going from coastal. This happened due to some problems between the owners, TNEB and Poompuhar Shipping Corporation.

We sailed out in ballast from Paradip and were to go to China for loading. As my certificate was expiring soon, I wanted to sign off and I got my reliever on board when the ship dropped anchor in Singapore for bunkering. After a quick hand over, I signed off from the ship.

This was my shortest contract and my last ship with ETASMC.

Time Spent on Board: 3 months and 28 days

Port Visited: India- Haldia, Paradip

Outside India- Mina Ash Shu'aybah(Kuwait), Al Jubayl(KSA), Jebel Ali and Mina Saqr(UAE)

mate's exam

2010-04-05T14:51:00.000+05:30

After I got down from my last ship, I decided to write the exam for becoming Chief Officer. As soon as I came home, I enquired about the starting of batches in NIPM and HIMT. HIMT informed that they would be starting a batch. Since HIMT was nearer to home, I decided that I would do the course in that institute. Just a day before commencement of the course, I got a call from HIMT saying that they can’t start a batch since they were one candidate short of the required number of candidates. I immediately rang up NIPM and asked them if they were starting the course. They told that they are starting and to come the next day with the required documents and fees. I packed my dress and books and went to Tiruvanmiyur, next day morning, with Raji. I left her there and went to Uthandi. I filled up the necessary forms, attached the required documents and paid the fees. Classes started from that day itself. Classes were from 1000 to 1300 and from 1400 to 1700. The classes were for a period of 3 months.
It was a pain to sit in the class room, listening to the lectures and taking down notes. We had to study for functions like Navigation, Cargo Handling and Stowage and Ship Operation & Care of Personnel. The subjects for phase 1 of the Mate’s course were Practical Navigation/ Chart Work, Cargo Work, Naval Architecture (Ship Stability/Ship Construction), Marine Meteorology/Ocean Currents/Ship’s Routeing and Safety/Damage Control/Maintenance, each of which came under different functions. Each paper required a different pass percentage from 50% to 70%. There was a system that a fail in a subject in a function means that the entire function has to be written again.
Even though I had studied these things during my last exams, it was a bit more advanced now. I used to stay in the week days in Tiruvanmiyur and come home on Friday evening, to go back again on Monday morning. I came back home on 25th December 2004 as usual, after completing my classes. Amma had arranged for a “Sumangali Prarthanai” on 26th. And that was the day when the Tsunami struck Madras. When I went to the institute on Monday, which was the next day after Tsunami, I came to know from my batch mates that the tsunami had caused sea water to enter the hostel areas, after breaking the compound wall.
Three months passed just like that and we had to appear for internal assessment examinations before appearing for the main examination. After clearing the internal assessment examinations, we had to apply for writing the examination in MMD. They would assess the sea time and if found eligible, one can appear for the written examinations.
I wrote the written exams in April first week. The results would come after 2 months. Meanwhile, I had joined the phase 2 classes in HIMT and was going for the classes from home. The timings were from 0700 to 1300. Many of my batch mates from NIPM came here, as the timings were convenient.
This phase had two functions- Navigation and Ship Operation & Care of Personnel. The subjects were Navigational Aids, Bridge Watch keeping, Engineering Knowledge, Naval Architecture (Ship Stability and construction) and Maritime Legislation. Luckily this time the old rule of appearing for the entire function if failed in a single paper ceased to exist.
Phase 1 results had come by the time I completed 2 months of phase 2 classes and I had passed in all the papers. Slowly phase 2 also came to an end and we had to appear for internal assessment examinations once again.
After completing phase 2 classes, I had to undergo 2 mandatory courses. They were Medical Care and Radar, ARPA & Navigation Simulator course. We were eligible to appear for oral examinations only after we have done these two courses. They were 10 days and 7 days courses. By the time these courses had finished, the exams were few days away.
I wrote the exams well and was hoping that I would clear them easily. The oral exams were in the next month and I started preparing for it. I had to refer to the internet many times to get the latest rules and regulations. Oral examination was a very tricky one. Nobody can predict what the examiner would ask. There were several examiners and each one asked in his own way.
We were supposed to know about all the subjects we had written and also about ship handling, various conventions, rules and regulations. It was really very tough preparing for the oral examinations. On the day of my oral examination, I came to know that the examiner was one of the toughest examiners, who rarely passes people. I had prepared whatever I could and hoped for the best.
I entered the room and he was sitting there with another examiner from MMD. He started asking me questions and upon my reply, cross questioned me on my replies. It was almost 1 ½ hours since the examination had started. My throat was so dry that words were difficult to come out. I was managing to answer with great difficulty. Soon, he asked me to wait outside.
I went out and was waiting for the result, with my heart beating so fast. I was called in another 5 minutes and he told that I had passed. Unable to believe, I asked him to repeat it again. He once again told me to carry on and that I have passed the exam.
This was a happy moment in my life. After all, passing this exam meant so much to me. Now I can board a ship as a chief officer. I called up home immediately and informed them. I went home so happily, after getting some sweets to share my happiness with Appa, Amma and Raji.
I went to MMD, the next day to apply for the certificate. I completed the formalities and came back home for a well deserved rest. I got the certificate in about 45 days. I was so thrilled to see the certificate. Now I was certified by the Government of India to sail on ships as a Chief Officer.

twelfth ship- brilliant corners

2010-04-05T14:38:00.000+05:30

This was my second ship with Eurasia and this time also I had to join a Cape Size Bulk Carrier in Japan. After completing the formalities like signing of contract and getting my ticket, I flew to Singapore and from there to Tokyo-Narita Airport. The agent’s representative had come to pick me up and this journey to the port, Kawasaki took about 2 hours. The ship was discharging coal there. After part discharging there, the ship discharged the balance cargo in Fukuyama, which is about 36 hours away, in Japan Inland Sea. After completion of discharge, we went to Australia for loading. The load port was Newcastle.
Loading was very fast here and loading was completed in 40 hours. This ship had a maximum cargo capacity of 106,000 MT. The discharging used to take about 3 to 4 days and we used to discharge the entire cargo in one port or two ports, which depended upon the grade of the coal. Since the ship was 25 year old, there were problems here and there but being a Japanese built ship, the ship was good for her age. It was on a regular run from Japan to Australia. During the sailings, we used to have repairs carried out to renew steel which had rusted and thinned down. Since the ship was long and old, we used to stop the ship, in case of any typhoons in the Pacific Ocean and let it pass through.
Once during discharging, I was ballasting the ballast tanks. The seaman on deck noticed water inside a cargo hold and I stopped the pump immediately. Upon further investigation it was found that a welding had given way and water had started leaking inside the cargo hold from the tank. Luckily, the crack was not very big and we managed to weld it.
Transiting the Japan Inland Sea was every seafarer’s nightmare, since there were many fishing boats, passenger ships and various other small boats crossing the ships. There were so many small islands as well, which we had to keep clear. A pilot used to be there to guide us, but it required extra effort from the navigators on board.
After 3 loading operations, we went to dry dock, in Nantong, which is a port in China. We had to sail in the river for about 8 hours to reach the port. This river has so many ports along both the sides. Shanghai lies near the place where this river and sea meet. We went to the ship yard and our ship docked. As the ship was 25 years old, there were many rules and regulations which had to be followed. Many surveys had to be conducted to ensure that the ship was in sea worthy condition.
A team of technicians had been specially flown in from India to measure the thickness of the various plating in the ship, using ultra sound. If the thickness was less than that allowed, then that portion of plating had to be cropped and renewed, after which it is tested to ensure that everything s in order.
The technicians were working throughout the day so that they could complete the gauging of the entire ship in time. In the dry dock, surveyors from classification society inspected the ship and checked the thickness and recommended renewal in many parts inside the cargo holds and inside the ballast tanks. We had to ensure that the works were carried out as required and proper welding was done. So during the dry dock, it was our job to inspect each and every place every day, take photographs and take measurements of the steel being renewed.
It was a pain going inside the cargo holds, inside the tanks and various other spaces in the ship, everyday. Checking the dimensions and welding was a bigger pain. This was not needed to be done by us, but we were instructed by the superintendent. We had to take photos as well.
I went out on days when I had night off. It was a nice city, but food was a problem. So, I preferred to eat in the ship before going out. Language was another problem in China. But the shopkeepers near the port spoke some English. I used to go out, buy some chips and peanuts, make calls to home and come back.
The time in dry dock passed like this and soon we were out of dry dock. We sailed out to Newcastle, in Australia for loading. After completion of loading, the ship came to Mizushima (Japan), where I signed off along with the Captain’s family, Electrical Officer and Fitter.
All of us left the ship and reached Tokyo in the night in a car. Since our flight was in the next day morning, all of us were put up in a hotel for the night. Next day morning, we reached the airport and boarded a flight to Hongkong. From there I came to Bombay and stayed overnight there. I had my flight to Madras the next day early morning and reached home.
This was my last ship as second officer and also with this company.

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 6 months and 17 days
PORTS VISITED: IN INDIA- none
FOREIGN: Fukuyama, Mizushima & Kawasaki (Japan), Nantong (China), Newcastle, Hay Point, Dalrymple Bay& Gladstone (Australia)

eleventh ship- dias

2010-04-05T14:29:00.000+05:30

This was my first ship in a foreign based company. The ship management company was Eurasia and the crew manning company was Paramount, both of them based in Hongkong with branches all over the world. I went to Bombay for medicals, getting the US visa and signing the contract. As my US visa got delayed, I was allotted a different ship. I came back to Madras, since that ship was scheduled to reach a couple of days late at a port near Jakarta. I signed the contract in Madras office and got the tickets for the flights.
I flew to Bombay from Madras. Next flight was from Bombay to Singapore. There was a waiting time of about 7 hours in Singapore. The airport authorities had displayed that there was a small sightseeing trip for passengers who had to wait for their connecting flight. I got my name enlisted there and went out on their bus to see Sentosa Island. It was a nice place to see. I didn’t have my camera with me and so missed out the opportunity of taking photographs. We came back after completing the tour and I had some more time left to spend before boarding the next flight. I did some window shopping and finally boarded the flight to Jakarta. This was a flight of very less duration. We reached Jakarta in about 40 minutes. After clearing the customs and immigration, we waited for the agent to arrive. There were about 15 of us, including the officers and crew. Finally the agent arrived and all of us left for the port, Cigading, in the bus. We took us 6 hours to reach the port. The traffic was so bad, even worse than Madras! Finally we reached the ship. The signing off crew was ready to disembark. There was no proper handing over, since the ship was being sold. The Filipino crew and officers refused to clear even the smallest doubt. They left after some time, leaving us to find out things for ourselves. The ship was discharging cargo in this port. It was the biggest ship, I had ever sailed in. It had 9 cargo holds and could carry up to 135,000 metric tonnes of cargo. I had the additional job of radio accounting, as there was no radio officer on board. I had to prepare and send routine messages as well, to the owners, managers, charterers and other parties.
Something more about this ship, which I never experienced in any of my ships before this. All ships usually have a fresh water generator, which produces enough water for our consumption. But in this ship, that was faulty and the engineers could not get it working due to non availability of spares. So fresh water was being rationed on board. It was stored in drums, in all decks and the crew used to take water for use from those drums. Further, the hot water pipelines were of some poor PVC material. When hot water was started, these pipe lines used to leak. Because of that, hot water was kept shut, to avoid wastage and to prevent any electrical short circuit. It was fine during summer months, but was very difficult during winter.
We left the port after completion of discharging and went to Singapore for bunkering and provisions. From there the ship sailed to Dampier, in Western Australia. The loading was so fast that they completed loading the entire cargo in 27 hours. We sailed out to Qingdao (China) for discharging the cargo. The discharging was not all that fast and it took about 4 days to complete it. We sailed out to Newcastle (Australia) from there. During the voyage, we had to clean all the nine cargo holds and get them ready to load coal. We berthed in Newcastle, but were idle there as we had some problems with the ship’s generator. We had called for a technician to attend to the problem. We were there in the lay berth for 8 days before we berthed in the other berth. Loading was pretty fast here as well. It completed in 36 hours. We shifted to the anchorage were awaiting the spares for the generator to reach us. As soon as the spares arrived, we sailed out.
Our next port was Lazaro Cardenas (Mexico). We completed discharging there and went to La Libertdad (Ecuador) for bunkering. Our load port was fixed as San Nicolas, in Peru. That was an open port, with no protection from the sea and wind. There were no navigational aids as well. During berthing, there were no tugs to assist us. It was a painful process of bringing the ship alongside the berth with the mooring ropes. At berth, it was even worse. The ship used to surge because of the wind and current. Lots of ropes parted during the loading. The entire loading was completed in 4 days and we were glad it was over. Our next port was Beilun, in China.
The sailing took us more than a month. We had to sail across Pacific Ocean. I had the opportunity to cross the International Date Line twice in this ship. When we go from east to west, we retard a day and when we sail from west to east, we advance a day. After discharging the cargo in the port, we headed to Shanhaiguan shipyard which is further north for dry docking. This shipyard was very near the Great Wall of China. Many went out to see that Wonder. I was unlucky, as my watch timings did not permit me to visit.
It was early winter when we went there. The temperature was sub zero already and we didn’t have hot water to bathe. Such was our plight in that ship. After a few days in the dry dock, it started snowing and the ship was covered with snow everywhere. I had to go inside the ballast tanks and cargo holds to check the works which were going on. It was so difficult to go down the ladders in that temperature to do the checking.
My contract was almost over by that time and I was hoping that I would be relieved soon. My reliever came after 20 days in the dry dock. I was happy that I got relieved. I travelled by car from the port to Beijing, which took about 5 hours. I was lucky enough to pass a tunnel through the Great Wall of China and managed to catch a glimpse of the manmade marvel. I had a flight to Bangkok from there. From Bangkok I flew to Bombay. After changing terminals, took a flight to Madras and reached home.

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 5 months and 24 days

PORT VISITED: FOREIGN- Cigading (Indonesia), Dampier(Australia), Lazaro Cardenas(Mexico), La Libertad (Equador), San Nicolas (Peru), Beilun and Shanhaiguan (China)
INDIA- None

ninth ship- gem of vizag

2010-03-10T22:54:00.000+05:30

This was my second contract in this ship. But the ship was on coastal run, going between Madras and Vizag. After signing my contract, I joined the ship in Madras. What a state the ship was in! It was covered with a thin film of coal everywhere. There were generators placed on the deck between no.4 and 5 holds and in gangway deck. Later I came to know that the ship’s generators had problems and so these generators were there to supply power for the cranes.

The ship used to load coal in Vizag and discharge it in Madras. The sailing was very less and the port stay was hectic. Since the cranes were being used in both the ports, there was little time for maintenance. We went to Paradip twice for loading and it was a welcome change for us.

I used to do the day watches in Vizag and go out in the evenings there. In Madras, I used to do the night watches. I used to come home after finishing my watches, spend the night at home and go back in the evening. Being in this run had its own advantages. Going out was not a problem and so was the problem with food. I used to eat the ship’s food only when we were sailing or when we were at anchorage. Raji joined me in this ship and was with me for 3 months. Life was good on board, with frequent port stays. But it was also tiring in the ports, with frequent trips to the top of the cranes.

Once during loading in Vizag, the wire parted and the jib of the crane fell down on the cabin of another crane. The crane operator had a very close shave with death. He quickly escaped from the cabin, or else he would have been smashed into pieces. The jib was dismantled, taken to a workshop, the bend straightened and then fitted back. The cabin of other crane had to be made again.

Another time, the ship was in Madras, discharging cargo. I was at home and eating my lunch. Suddenly, I got a call from the chief officer, asking me to come to the ship immediately.Both of us rushed back to the ship. A cyclone has formed in Bay of Bengal and it was to cross coast near Madras. The port authorities had instructed all ships to vacate the berth and go to the anchorage or sail away. So we vacated the berth and went to the anchorage to drop anchor. The wind was very strong and so the anchor was not holding. The Captain thought it prudent to sail away into the deep seas, rather than drop anchor and wait for the cyclone to weather away. Trying to avoid the cyclone, we kept on sailing for a day till we were near the coast of Srilanka. Then we turned back and headed to Madras. The cyclone had cleared away by then and we berthed to discharge the remaining cargo.

Our next cargo was fixed as iron ore, which was to be loaded in Madras. So we went out to the anchorage once again to have the cargo hold cleaned. It took us two days to clean the cargo holds. Then, we berthed in the iron ore jetty and started loading cargo. My passport had expired by then and I had to sign off, since the ship was going to China for discharging and dry dock.I had my baggage packed and ready to disembark. But there was no sign of the reliever. The customs office would be closing by 1800 and I had to clear my baggage before that. The agent told me not to worry about the reliever and asked me to bring my baggage down, so that we could go for the customs clearance. I went along with him, got the clearance and then came outside the harbour, took a taxi and came back home.

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 5 months and 2 days

PORTS VISITED: IN INDIA- MADRAS, VIZAG, PARADIP

FOREIGN: NIL

eighth ship- gem of paradip

2010-03-10T19:56:00.000+05:30

This was my second ship with ETASMC. I signed the contract and was all set to join the ship in Singapore. I was in the office, waiting for the ticket. The ticket came so late that I had just enough time to come home, pick up my baggage and leave for the airport. The chief engineer was also joining with me. Both of us boarded the flight and reached Singapore. From the airport, we went to the boat terminal by car and from there to the ship, which was in anchorage, by boat. The ship was taking provision and bunkers when we reached. Soon, we picked up anchor and proceeded towards of Gulf of Thailand.

We anchored in the port limits of Koshichang and were supposed to load cement clinker there. The loading, which was from small barges, took around 5 days to be completed. The cargo stevedores and other people stayed on board, cooking their own food, eating it and sleeping on their hammocks. It was nice to see them leading such a life. After completion of cargo works, we sailed to Ghana. We were tied up to buoys in the port of Takoradi. Discharging took place into small barges which cam alongside. We part discharges there and went to another place called Tema. Here the ship’s crew operated the cranes for discharging, which is not usual.We completed discharging and went to a port, Lome, in the neighbouring country, Togo. We loaded there and came back to Tema again. After discharging, we went to Owendo, in Gabon, for loading manganese ore. After loading the ship went to Dunkirque, in France.Raji joined here, with other joiners.

From Dunkirque we sailed out to Aviles in Spain. We loaded cargo there and went to Bremen, Germany to discharge the cargo. We managed to go out for some time in Bremen. I bought a beautiful cutlery set there. Our next port was Murmansk, in Russia. The port was at latitude of about 70˚, the highest latitude, I have ever been to. After nearing the coasts of Norway, we had daylight for about 22 hours a day. The sun just seemed to set and within few hours it was back in the horizon. It was a fantastic experience.

As soon as we berthed in Murmansk, the Russian immigration authorities came on board. They checked everybody’s passports and CDCs. As Raji was not having a CDC and a Russian visa, they instructed her not to attempt to go out. Because of that, I was also on board. We went to Gijon, Spain for discharging. After completion of discharging, we went to Dakar in Senegal (West Africa) for loading. This was a place well known for notorious activities and very few people went out. During unberthing, tugs were assisting us. A rope parted suddenly and because of that, the ship lost control and banged on the jetty. There was a huge dent on the shipside. Luckily, there were no cracks on the ship’s plating. Surveyors were called for and they inspected the damage. They had recommended that the plating must be cropped and renewed at the earliest. Since the ship was going to dry dock very soon, that was not a big issue.

We sailed from there to Capetown for fueling. I saw the table mountain when the ship was berthing. It was a nice view of the Table Mountains, with a cloud top. We went to Vizag, which has become so frequent for me. On arrival Vizag, I had completed more than 5 months and since the ship was going for drydock, I opted to be relieved there. I signed off there with Raji and flew back to madras.

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD:5 months and 15 days

PORTS VISITED: IN INDIA- Vizag

FOREIGN- Singapore, Kohsichang(Thailand), Takoradi(Ghana), Tema(Ghana), Lome(Togo), Owendo(Gabon), Dunkirque(France), Aviles(Spain), Bremen(Germany), Murmansk(Russia), Gijon(Spain), Dakar(Senegal), Cape Town(South Africa)

seventh ship- gem of vizag

2010-03-05T23:11:00.000+05:30

This was my first ship, after I resigned from Shipping Corporation of India. This ship was owned by West Asia Maritime Limited and managed by ETA Ship Management Company, Madras. Since the office was in Madras, it was easier to join ship. There was no need to go to Bombay. I was supposed to join this ship in Korea.WAM had bought this ship from her Croatian owners and we had to take over the ship from the Croatians.

I signed the contract and was scheduled to join the ship in Pusan, South Korea. Everybody, except for the Master and Chief Engineer was supposed to join together. We officers were from Madras and the crew was from Bombay. We had to fly to Bombay and then all of us had to fly to Pusan. Our route was Bombay -Bangkok - Hongkong – Seoul.We went to Hongkong without any problems. But the flight had landed late in Hongkong and so the connecting flight had left without us. We approached the airlines staff, who told that they would make arrangements for us to stay in Hongkong and put us in the next flight to Seoul. We were almost out of the terminal, when a person came to us and told us to take a flight to Bangkok and from there to Seoul.So, we had to fly back to Bangkok again. We boarded a flight and reached Seoul, after a long flight. A bus was ready for us and it took us to Pusan, which was about 5 hours drive. The ship was in anchorage and so we had to board a boat, which took us to the ship. It was late evening by the time we reached the ship. The crew and officers, who were leaving the ship, left shortly, even without proper handing over.We picked up anchor and started proceeding towards high seas, when the engine broke down. The sea was rough and wind was very strong. Due to this the ship, started rolling very badly. Things started banging and breaking in the cabins, bridge and other places. There was total chaos in the ship. Crew members started wearing their lifejackets and were getting ready to abandon the ship, if needed.There was a tiny reset switch, which nobody knew in the engine room. After several phone calls to the old owners and the new owners, the chief engineer traced out the small reset switch and reset it. The engine started after that. Everybody thanked their lucky stars and heaved a sigh of relief.

Our first loading was in Australia. On our way to the loading port, we had to navigate between the Great Barrier Reef and the coast of Australia. It was nice to see the coral reefs, every now and then. The sea water looked so clean, that we could see the reefs submerged inside the sea. We loaded there and came all the way to Vizag for discharging.After 15 days of anchorage, we berthed. Raji had come along with another officer’s wife and his father. She stayed on board during the port stay. Owners came on board and saw the ship. We went to South Africa from Vizag for loading. During loading, one crane had a major repair. It took almost 24 hours to get it working.We went to Vitoria, Brazil for discharging.On our way to Brazil, we experienced very rough seas, with wind speed of about 70 knots. The ship was barely moving during that period. We completed discharging and went to another port in Brazil, Rio Di Janeiro for loading. Before loading, we had to clean and wash all the cargo holds and the next port was not even a day’s sailing away. The crew demanded extra overtime for doing that in a short time, which the Captain did not agree to. All the officers and engineers got into action and we started cleaning a cargo hold. Meanwhile, the Captain talked to the office and the crew, after which they agreed to clean. By this time we had completed cleaning one cargo hold. Somehow, we managed to clean all the cargo holds just before arrival. We were loading steel products and so that took time. I went out along with other colleagues and saw the world famous Copa Cabana Beach.

It was a long sailing of 40 days to our discharge port, Port Klang (Malaysia). Till date this is the longest nonstop sailing I have done. Raji joined me there, along with two more families. This is the first time she was sailing. We went to Singapore from there. Raji and myself went out to Serangoon Road, had a nice south Indian tiffin, went around Mustafa Center and came back. Next port was Hongkong. We were in anchorage there. We went out once there also. Next discharge port was Kao Hsiung (Taiwan). The sea was a bit rough and because of that, Raji had seasickness.

After completing discharging in Taiwan, we went to Australia, again. It was a very long anchorage here. We had to wait for 15 days to get berth. I was lucky to go out here too. I did some shopping with Raji and came back. The ship was almost set to sail back to India, by the time we came back.

We came back to Vizag and it was more than 6 months since I joined the ship. I got my reliever here in Vizag and signed off along with Raji.

This was the first time I was working on contract and it was quite a nice experience, particularly with lots of tamil speaking people on board.

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 6 months and 9 days

PORT VISITED: INDIA- Vizag
OUTSIDE INDIA- Pusan(S.Korea), Hay Point(Australia), Richards Bay(South Africa), Vitoria & Rio Di Janeiro(Brazil), Port Klang(Malaysia), Singapore, Hongkong, Kao Hsiung(Taiwan), Dalrymple Bay(Australia)

sixth ship- ravidas

2010-02-27T00:02:00.004+05:30

I joined this ship, ‘Ravidas’ in Madras and the ship was loading granite blocks for Italy. The cargo work was almost over and securing of the blocks was going on. Within a couple of hours, the ship was ready to sail. I finished the departure stations and went to sleep. This was my first ship as second officer. Even though I did not have the certificate as second officer, I had to do the second officer’s job on board. At sea, my watches were from 0000 to 0400 and 1200 to 1600. Apart from this I had to look after the ship’s medicines, nautical publications and also had to do the voyage planning. In ports, my watch was from 1800 to 0600. As my first ship, was a sister ship of this ship, I did not find any problem in getting used to the ship. But this ship had cranes, whereas Tulsidas did not have the cranes.
Few years ago, this ship had met with a collision, near the south coast of Srilanka, which caused a major damage to the ship, near no. 3 cargo hold. The ship was towed and repaired and now it looked as good as new.
I came to know from other crew members that the previous second officer was not doing his duties properly and was caught sleeping when on duty by the Captain. Because of that, the second officer made an excuse to get down and so was hospitalised for nothing. I started a new phase in my career as second officer. This ship was also doing the UK run, which was so familiar to me, now.
Life was good as a second officer. I did not have to go on deck to work, apart from the port watches. The Captain was very friendly. He had an electric cooker in his cabin and often asked to make sambar in his cabin. The Ch. Off was a couple of batches senior to me and we were almost like friends. The other officers were also quite friendly and we used to have a nice time watching movies together in the evenings.
Time flew so fast in this ship, because of the good crowd we had on board. Once, when the ship, had gone to a place called Civitavecchia, in Italy, the port had some holidays. I went to Pisa along with 3 other officers. I saw the leaning tower of Pisa. It looked amazing. The journey was made in trains and buses. Without knowing a single word of Italian, we went all the way to Pisa and came back.
When the ship came back to Bombay, after a voyage to UK, I went to MMD, Bombay and got my Second Mate’s Certificate and I was a full-fledged second officer now. I informed Appa and Amma of the same. I bought sweets and distributed it to the ship’s crew. I also bought some sweets for Appa and Amma, as the ship was to call Madras after Bombay.
Another time, as soon as we crossed Suez Canal and entered Mediterranean Sea, the sea became rough and the ship started rolling up to 45˚ on either side. Since the ship, was carrying general cargo, this rolling is dangerous for the cargo and the ship. We tried altering the course, but the rolling continued. It was like that till we entered Atlantic Ocean. Luckily, the cargo remained as it was and no damage had taken place.
There was a volcano, in Mediterranean Sea, which had very recently erupted and we altered course to go near the mountain to see the volcano. The eruption had subsided, but we could see smoke coming out.
The ship went to Norway and Sweden, during one of the voyages. The passage was so beautiful, with small islands on both sides, covered with greenery. The port in Norway was very close to the town. It was hardly 5 minutes walk from the ship. I used to go out almost every day for a stroll. It was almost similar in Sweden. Nature at its best can be seen in such places. During the winter, we were in England and the port was closed for Christmas. We had nothing to do, as it was snowing heavily. This was the first time I was seeing snow, even though I was seeing sub-zero temperatures right from my first ship. The whole ship was covered with snow and so was the jetty. We young officers decided to make the most of the snow. So we went to the jetty and made a snowman, decorated it with cap, tie and other things and took lots of photographs. That’s one memorable thing in my life.
After a couple of voyages to UK, the ship was routed to Far East, a place I never had been. We completed discharging in Haldia and then started loading for Japan. I was off watch and was sleeping. All of a sudden, the Captain called me and told me that Calcutta office had got a call from Madras office, saying that I have to contact home urgently. I was shocked, not knowing what to do. I went to the town, called up home and spoke to Appa. He said that they had seen a girl for me in Tiruvanmiyur and that they liked the girl. Appa gave the phone number of their home and asked me to call her father and speak to him. Not knowing what to speak, I called up that number and told that I was Prakash and told that Appa had asked me to call. I don’t remember what I spoke, but the call was for a few minutes only. Then, I called up Appa and told him that I had talked to them. Appa told that he had posted a letter along with a photo of the girl. I told him that I will see the photo and let him know my decision.
The ship sailed for Japan via Singapore. I got Appa’s letter there in Singapore and I saw Raji’s photo. When I went out in Singapore, I called up Appa and informed him that I like the girl’s photo and that he can proceed further. I bought a watch for Amma, a gold chain for Appa, the Sony music system, which I had all these years and a world band radio. From Singapore the ship went to several ports in Japan. I saw the city of Kobe recovering from the earthquake. It was a sight to see the vast rumbles of concrete being cleared there. I also went to Osaka, where I saw the world trade center. I went up all the way to the 57th floor and saw the sprawling city of Osaka. The ship also went to Taiwan, before coming back to India.
The ship berthed in Bombay and I was happy. The reason was Appa and Amma would be there in Bombay, the next day, along with Raji and her parents. I had told Appa that I would come to the station to receive them. I finished my port watch and left for Dadar station, only to find the train running late. The train arrived about 3 hours late. I saw Appa, Amma get down from the train. Following them were Raji and her parents. I saw Raji for the first time in my life. I was very much excited on seeing all of them. But I had to leave for ship. With a heavy heart, I left for the ship. I told Appa that I would come to Mulund the next day and that all of us would go to Thane to see Raji.
I could not wait for the next day morning. After finishing my watch, I left for Mulund and reached there by an auto. All of us went to Thane to Raji’s Mama’s place to see her. We saw all of them there and I managed to talk a little to Raji in private. Extremely happy, all of us returned back to Mulund. I had told Appa and Amma that I liked the girl and to go ahead with other formalities.
I returned back to the ship, extremely tired, but excited and happy. Next day, Appa and Amma, Raji and her parents were supposed to come to the ship. But due to bus strike, Appa and Amma could not make it. I waited for them in VT station and they reached there. I took them to the ship and showed them around. I introduced them to the Captain and other officers on board. The ship sailed out of Bombay the next day. These three days in Bombay were so tiring and hectic, but unforgettable moments. I had met my life partner and that too in an innovative way.
We went to Kandla, loaded part of the cargo and then came to Tuticorin. The ship was in anchorage and was expected to be in anchorage for another 10 days. When I was casually speaking to the Captain, he told me that if I wanted, I could go home and come back before the ship sails. I was happy on hearing that. We were running short of fresh water and so we had asked for water. A barge(small boat ) came alongside us to supply water. The Captain called me as soon as the barge had come and asked me to get ready to go home. I got down in the barge and they took me to the fishing harbour. I went outside the gate and I got a lift from a guy and went to the bus stand. A bus for Madras was coming out and I jumped inside the bus. I was home next day morning.
Appa called up Raji’s father and told him that the next day was auspicious day and that we can have the engagement on that day. Appa rang up all relatives and friends and informed them regarding the engagement. How fast things developed! I was going to be engaged and that also all of a sudden. Next day evening, Raji, her parents, sisters and few of their relatives came to our home and the engagement took place in a simple manner.
Appa had developed hernia and the doctor had advised him to get operated as soon as possible. With my presence, Appa had the operation done and he was home, the next day after operation. Vidya , Pasupathi and Pavitra went back to Bangalore via Pondicherry.
We celebrated Diwali nicely. It was nice to be back home and spend some days at home after 10 months. I went to Tiruvanmiyur to see Raji, before going back to Tuticorin. The ship left for Mangalore few hours after I reached the ship. I conveyed my sincerest thanks to the Captain for letting me go home.
We completed the loading in Mangalore and then went to Marina Di Carrara, a place in Italy. I went out there, ate the real Italian Pizza and later called up home and Raji’s home. Raji informed me that her grandmother had passed away. Vidya’s mother-in-law had also passed away. We went to Bilbao, in Spain and from there to various ports in Europe. I bought a diamond ring for Raji in Antwerp. This period of life was so interesting. I used to write letters to Raji and she used to reply back. Every port, I used to go out to make phone calls.
After completing discharging and loading, we came back to India. We were in Bombay inner anchorage, discharging cargo. We used to have boat service for the crew to go ashore. I went out, one day, after completing my watch. Since Raji’s birthday was nearing I thought of giving her a present. I bought a churidhar and couriered it to her. Since I had requested for relief, I had my reliever on board. I had also asked the Captain to relieve me after some days so that I can complete the time for my next exams. Captain was more than happy to have me on board.
We went to Madras from Bombay and I got a chance to visit Appa/Amma again. During one of those days, the clothes for the marriage were purchased. Raji came home and we showed her all those things, which we had bought. Again, I lost my sleep, but was very happy. We left Madras and our next port was Vizag. I told Captain that I would like to get down, to which he reluctantly agreed. He was saying to me to get Raji on board and that he would get us married on board (Captains have the power to get people married and that is legally valid). I knew that he was saying it just like that. But it showed the immense love he had for me. Such Captains are very rare to find now. We arrived and anchored in Vizag. I hosted a sign off cum marriage party for all the ship’s officers and crew. That was one memorable party I had in my entire sea career. We berthed after five days and those five days were the longest five days in my life. As soon as we berthed, I told Captain that I have to go home. With lot s of reluctance, he arranged for me to sign off. I cleared customs and immigration and was put in a hotel foe the night. I rang up home and told that I would be coming back to Madras the next day morning by flight. Next day morning, I reached Madras and everybody was waiting for me. Raji was there too, to welcome me. My parents and her parents must have let out a huge sigh of relief to see me back, two days before the wedding.
With this ship, I ended my career with Shipping Corporation of India.

TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 11 months and 25 days

PORTS VISITED: IN INDIA- Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Haldia, Vizag, Kandla, Mangalore
FOREIGN: Suez & Port Said(Egypt), Marina Di Carrara(Italy), Hamburg(Germany), Uddevalla(Norway), Arendal(Norway), Antwerp(Belgium), Bilbao(Spain), Swansea & Middlesbrough(U.K), Singapore, Kaohsiung(Taiwan), Kure, Uno, Kokura, Kashima, Kobe & Osaka(Japan)

fifth ship- nancowry

2010-02-24T23:19:00.002+05:30

After getting medical fitness from the doctor in MIOT, I reported to Madras office and got medical fitness from the company doctor. I was asked to report to Bombay Office. I went to the office and was checked up by the chief medical officer. After he declared me medically fit to join ship, I was posted on a passenger cum general cargo ship, M.V. Nancowry. I had to join the ship in Madras and so I flew back to Madras again. Appa and Amma had left for Bangalore, as they didn’t expect me back in Madras. I went to Madras office and reported to them. The ship was due for arrival and so I had to wait for a day or so. I went to Sugavanam Mama’s home in Mylapore and celebrated Bhogi with them. Later that day, the ship had arrived and I joined the ship.
The ship was doing regular run between Madras and Port Blair. I took over as third officer from the guy who was TNO in my previous ship and now AWKO. This was a completely different type of ship. The second officer was the same guy who was in my previous ship and so I was feeling kind of comfortable. The ship had the capacity to carry 1200 passengers and had two cargo holds. On the way to Port Blair, we used to carry onions, potatoes, provision items, etc required for the people there. On its way back to Madras, we used to carry scrap items, mostly. The number of passengers was less when I was there on board, but I heard people saying that it used to be full during the vacation periods.
Apart from the normal crew, who worked on board, there were about 100 persons, who worked for the private caterers(who cooked for the passengers, cleaned the passenger spaces and served meals to them). There was an officer, who was known as welfare officer. It was he who attended to the passengers’ complaints/suggestions/welfare. The purser officer, was also a familiar person, since he had sailed with me in my second ship. There were two assistant welfare officers, who assisted the welfare officer. There was a doctor on board as well, assisted by a nurse, since a doctor is a necessity in passenger ships. Since the run was between Madras and Port Blair, most of the crew were from Madras or Port Blair and so Tamil was more freely spoken on board.
The passengers had different types of accommodation like bunk class, third class, second class, first class and deluxe. The charges were about Rs.400/- for the bunk class and were about Rs.2500/- for the deluxe class. We had separate accommodation for the ship’s crew and officers. The passengers were not allowed to come into our accommodation spaces. They could come to the bridge and see us navigating, if we gave permission. As my watch was from 0800 to 1200, during sailing, I used to have people coming and seeing the bridge. The dining spaces were also different for us and the passengers. There was a swimming pool for the passengers, with a bar. Since the ship was in Indian coastal run, there were no alcoholic beverages available.
The ship had 10 lifeboats and many life rafts. I was again, in charge of the LSA/FFA items on board. There were lots of fire extinguishers as well. The ship had sprinkler system installed to combat fire. The doors in between decks were self closing, to prevent fire from spreading. All these things were not familiar to me. I took some time to know the ship, its equipments and their working. Besides, we had ramps, as well, for loading provisions and other utility items required for passengers.
The voyage from Madras to Port Blair took 56 hours, in good weather. Sometimes, the ship used to go to another island, Car Nicobar, to alight passengers. The passengers used to disembark when the ship was anchored there, since there were no facilities for berthing.
Port Blair was a small port and the ships which come there are those ones, which ply in between the various islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Port Blair is not so big city, but it is like mini India. I went out along with other guys, but missed the show in Cellular Jail, due to my watch timings.
In this ship, we have to lower and manoeuvre the lifeboat every time in the ports before a nautical surveyor. I had to get into the boat, as it was my responsibility to make sure that the boats were in perfect condition.
The passenger ship has to have its underwater portion examined once a year and it was due, when I was on board. The docking wad done in Madras and the bottom was examined. When, the inspection was over, the ship was getting ready to leave the dock. The dock was getting flooded with water and the ship had begun to float, but not fully. The Pilot gave a wrong instruction to the tug and because of which the ship’s bottom came into contact with the huge blocks placed below and it got holed there. The ship came out, but had to dock again.
I used to go home, when the ship was in Madras. That day, when this happened, I had told Amma that I would be back in the evening and that I wanted ‘Adai’ for dinner. It was almost towards the end of my watch, when I was called by the Captain. With him was a person from Madras office. That person told me that I had to go and join a ship, Ravidas, which was berthed nearby and was due to sail later that night to UK. The second officer on board that ship was not well and he had to be hospitalised. A ship cannot sail without a second officer and Bombay Office had sent instructions to Madras office to have either me or the second officer with me transferred to that ship. To my bad luck that second officer had gone out and so it had to be me who had to go to Ravidas. I immediately packed up my things and on the way to that ship, rang up home and informed Appa/Amma that I was being transferred to another ship and that the ship was leaving India that night.
Such things do happen in sea life and one has to be prepared to face them.
What happened in Ravidas? That will be in the next part...

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 1 month and 26 days

PORT VISITED: IN INDIA- Madras, Port Blair
FOREIGN- NONE

post accident

2010-02-23T23:28:00.003+05:30

The hospital was in an old building and it was in the first floor. The ward boys came down and took me in the narrow and steep steps to the clinic. It was a Sunday and there was no doctor there. I was given a pain killer tablet to reduce the pain by the nurse, whereas I was asking for a pain killing injection. The nurse told me that she can’t give the injection, unless the doctor says so.
X-rays were taken. The boiler suit was cut and removed. My other belongings like my pen, watch and pocket diary were removed and kept elsewhere. The doctor had come by this time and I was injected some pain killer and sedative. The next day morning ,I was taken to the operation theatre. I didn’t know what happened after that.
When I woke up, I was in a room, covered by a blanket. I could sense that my right wrist was bandaged and my left shoulder was strapped. There were guys from the ship around me. I asked them not to inform my parents about the accident, but the office had already informed home.
Amma and Pasupathi(my brother-in-law) flew to Bombay that day evening. On seeing my condition, Amma started crying. Pasupathi went to the nearby shop and got me a t-shirt and pants, which I have with me till date.
According to the discharge summary, which that doctor gave, I had a fracture of the lower end radius (extra articular) with a fracture of the ulnar styloid on the right side and a fracture neck of humerus on the left. I was operated and a percutaneous ‘K’ wire fixation for the radius and a tension band wiring for the ulnar styloid was done. The left shoulder was strapped.
Next day morning, we went to the ship and collected my baggage and I bid adieu to my colleagues on board. When we were walking on the main deck, I showed Amma and Pasupathi, the cargo hold where I had fallen into. Pasupathi immediately broke into tears. I can still remember that, after all these years. I cleared the customs and came back to the hospital to keep the baggage. After that, we went to the office, to collect the balance of wages in the ship and to collect flight tickets to Madras. The Fleet Personnel Manager saw me and exclaimed that I was lucky to get through this serious accident with just a couple of fractures. I must thank God for saving my life. Back home, Appa was talking to Rangan Mama (ardent devotee of Satya Sai Baba and his close friend) and Rangan Mama was saying that Baba had helped me in getting away with this fractures. It could have cost my life or I may become incapacitated for the rest of my life.
We reached home after the flight and I was so happy to be back home to see Appa, Vidya and little Pavitra.
I went to Madras Office, got a letter from them and went to MIOT (which was there inside Vijaya Health Centre) and met Dr. Ramdass. He advised admission for further treatment. I refused and told him that, if needed, I shall come from home. He told me to come every day for physiotherapy.
I started going to the hospital for physiotherapy for my left shoulder. After 6 weeks, the POP in my right wrist was removed and I started doing physiotherapy for the right wrist also. But, I could not turn my wrist fully and had pain while doing so. I told the doctors regarding this and they advised me to get admitted for investigation. I got myself admitted and they performed surgery again on my right wrist, removing the ‘K’ wire and the tension band wiring. Again, I had my right wrist under POP. After 4 weeks or so, the POP was removed and I started doing physiotherapy. The wrist had healed well this time and I could use my right hand as before. The left shoulder was still having the residual stiffness. This stiffness would reduce with time is what they had told. But they had also told me that it will not be 100% back to normalcy.
It was almost 6 months before the doctors declared me fit to join ship.
Its more than 15 years, since that accident now. I am still working in ships, even after that major accident. I cannot lift my left hand to the fullest extent, but do manage to do all my works on board.
God favours the brave and with me it is perfectly correct.

fourth ship- state of orissa

2010-02-23T23:07:00.003+05:30

I reported to the office after completion of the holidays. I was given accommodation in a hotel near the harbour and asked to come to the office everyday till they allocate me a ship. I did paper work there, which was mostly filing. This lasted for about a week or so. I was posted on a general cargo ship,” M.V. State of Orissa”. The ship was on the UK route, which was not a new thing for me.

After completing the joining formalities, I joined the ship, my first ship as an officer.As a third officer, I was responsible for the Life Saving Appliances-Fire Fighting Appliances (LSA-FFA) of the ship. At sea, I had to do watches from 0800 to 1200 and 2000 to 2400. Apart from this, I had to spend at least 4 hrs everyday towards the maintenance of LSA/FFA. In port, I had to do watch-keeping from 0600 to 1800.

Since, I was used to doing all these, right from my first ship; I found it easy to do my routine jobs. The ship was discharging general cargo in Bombay. We completed discharging and left for Madras. I used to finish my port watches and come home to spend the night. After Madras, the ship went to Calcutta. Completed discharging there and loaded cargo for UK. We came to Madras, loaded some more cargo and left for Suez. After crossing Suez Canal, the ship headed towards UK.

After we discharged/loaded in ports there, we sailed to India via Suez, to discharge and load in India. Things were normal till the winter time. When we were sailing towards Suez, with cargo loaded for India, the ship was in Bay of Biscay and we encountered very heavy seas and the ship was rolling upto 40˚ on either side. Due to the rolling, the lashing of pipes stowed in no.1 cargo hold tween deck broke and the pipes got free. The pipes smashed drums of chemicals kept on either side. The chemicals were dangerous in nature and had spilled all over the cargo hold. The Master had to report the incident to Office and the ship was diverted to Bilbao (Spain). We were berthed there and a superintendent from London Office came to assess the situation and to sort things out. The port workers refused to enter the cargo hold because of the dangerous nature of the cargo and so did the ship’s crew. The chief Officer, 2/O, myself, 4/O and cadet were inside the hold to remove the drums and pipes. The ship’s crew operated the cranes. The pipes were taken out first. Then the drums were removed, including the damaged drums. The gas inside the cargo hold was just too much for us, making breathing very difficult. Somehow we managed to remove the drums. The chemical was transferred to new drums and re-stowed again. Proper lashing was taken and the pipes were kept in position and they were also lashed. Thanks to our lucky stars, that nothing serious had happened.
Just a couple of months before, another cargo ship which had encountered bad weather and the lashing of cargo got loose, damaged the hull and the ship sunk in Bay of Biscay. Only a few of the crew members managed to escape.

When the ship reached India, an enquiry was held on board and all officers had to give written statements, as to what had happened. After discharging the cargo in Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, the ship came back to Madras for dry-docking.

It was about 30 days of stay in Madras. I used to come home, almost every day after finishing my watch-keeping. I got pass for Appa and Amma and showed them the ship. The dry-docking went as usual. This was my third dry-docking experience. It was a nice experience to do a dry dock in Madras.

Once, we loaded onions in bags for Colombo from Bombay. This was the first time I was seeing anything edible being loaded in a ship. Srilanka was facing severe shortage of onions during the new year of 1994.

During one of our trips to UK, I went to London for sightseeing. The ship was in Swansea and we had port holidays. Five of us went to London in train from Swansea. It was about 2 hours to London. We reached London- Paddington station and from there took a bus, which was especially for sightseeing. After completing the sightseeing by bus we went to Madame Tussad’s. It was an amazing experience over there. We saw statues of many celebrities there and took photos standing next to them.

I had completed more than one year by the time the ship reached Bombay and had applied for relief. Office had informed that I would be signing off, when the ship berths. The safety equipment survey was due upon berthing and I had all the things nicely arranged and labelled in the bridge. It was monsoon time in Bombay and the ship was at anchor, inside the inner anchorage. I got a call early in the morning at around 0700 from the 4th officer. This was not normal and I rushed to the bridge. When I went to the bridge, I saw the Capt, Ch. Off, 4th Off and Cadet already there and they seemed to be tense. I saw around the ship and had a clue as to what had happened.The ship had dragged anchor and was aground. Other ships around us were heading in a different direction.

The Ch.Off asked me to take the sounding (depth of water) around the ship and also to check the drafts. I took the cadet and one senior crew member along with me and took the soundings and drafts. As soon as I saw the drafts, I was very sure that the ship had run aground. I informed the same to Master and Ch.Off. Master informed the office regarding this and also informed Bombay Port Control. I was on the bridge, checking the bearings, ship’s heading and the distance to land at regular intervals. Shortly, a pilot came on board and a tug came some time after. As it was flood tide, the ship started to float. Ch.Off was forward, trying to heave up the anchor. The tug gave a push and the ship was fully floating. But during the push, the bottom of the ship came into contact with a rock in the bottom and the fuel tank there was ruptured. We could see oil coming out of the air pipes.
The port control asked the ship to shift anchorage to some other position far off. We reanchored there and had to clean the oil so that it doesn’t enter the sea. Crew members refused to work. It was pouring very heavily at that time. It was us officers, who did the cleaning job.

Next day, early morning, the port control, asked us to proceed to the pilot boarding area, as we had to berth. I was very happy, that I would be getting off, in a day or two. We picked up anchor, proceeded towards the pilot boarding ground and the pilot took us inside the docks. Once, we berthed, I had to be on watch, since it was day time. We were expecting other surveys like load line and safety construction too and so workshop people boarded the ship.

Cargo work resumed in some cargo holds. The workshop guys wanted to test the rubber packing of no.3 cargo hold. So the hatch covers were closed, but forward part of tween deck was open, since cargo work has been taking place. I went inside the cargo hold with one of those guys, with a torch. The crew started hosing down on top and we were inside, checking for leaks. When they were hosing down the forward part of the hatch cover, the workshop guy wanted to go fwd to check for leaks and he started walking forward. He was not aware of the open tween deck and had he taken some more steps, he would have fallen down. Realising that he may fall down, I quickly went up to him and dragged him away. In the process, I lost my balance and I fell down into the lower hold. It was a free fall, about 35 feet into the cargo hold and I landed on top of some of the cargo boxes. By then, he had alerted the people on top and they opened the hatch covers to find me lying on top of the cargo. Somebody came inside and asked me, if I was ok. I told that I was fine, but could not move my hands. A stretcher was arranged and it was lowered inside the cargo hold. I was put on the stretcher and the crane started lifting me up. I was feeling lots of pain in both my arms, due to the jerky movements, that I started shouting. They stopped it and then tied ropes to the stretcher and slowly lifted me up. I was brought up to the main deck. The Ch. Off had come and he saw me. He asked me where I was feeling pain. I saw that my right wrist was badly deformed and that I had severe pain in my left shoulder. I told him that I was feeling pain in my right wrist and left shoulder and apart from that, I could not feel pain elsewhere. He asked me to move my legs, which I did. He must have realised that my hands were fractured. So he told somebody to bring some splint and some bandages. He tied my arms so that they can’t move.
I was taken out of the ship to a jeep of some workshop and they took me to some hospital (I don’t remember the name of the hospital). I was shouting in pain all the time. The hospital authorities refused admission as this was an accident case. The Ch.Off, contacted head office and they asked the Ch.Off to take me to a hospital in Charni Road.

What happened next? Read it in the next part...

TOTAL TIME SPENT ON BOARD: 1 year and 22 days

PORTS VISITED: IN INDIA- Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Haldia, Paradip, Vizag
FOREIGN: Suez and Port Said(Egypt), Rotterdam(Holland), Antwerp(Belgium), Dundee(U.K), Bremen and Hamburg(Germany), Swansea(U.K), Dunkirque(France), Uddevalla(Sweden), Port de Bouc(France), Civitavecchia(Italy)

post sea training

2008-04-26T13:58:00.002+05:30

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

2008-04-24T19:03:00.003+05:30

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

2008-04-22T13:42:00.003+05:30

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

2008-04-16T00:08:00.005+05:30

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

2008-04-07T14:01:00.002+05:30

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.