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.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
tenth ship- gem of ennore
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)
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)
Monday, April 5, 2010
mate's exam
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.
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
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)
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
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
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
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
ninth ship- gem of vizag
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
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
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)
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)
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