The Marine Society & Sea Cadets

01 February 2006

It has been a long time from my last summary. When last I wrote we were clearing Dondra Head, heading west en route to the Suez Canal with orders for Gibraltar to bunker, and then onward to Point Fortin, Trinidad.

After Dondra Head we were instructed to slow down from our 19.0kts to a more economical speed, which we found to be 8 kts at 40 RPM. We increased speed to transit the waters off Somalia and into the Red Sea, through the Bab el Mandeb Straits and, once safely inside, we reduced back down to the economical speed, heading on up to the Suez Canal.

One day out from Suez a phone call brought fresh instructions. “Head for Malta to anchor and await orders”. A few hours later these were changed. “Head to Cyprus to anchor and await orders”. There was a possibility of a cargo for Korea out of Damietta, Egypt, but this would not be available until the 27th December. It might come forward though.

Cyprus! It sounded pretty good. A check of our chart folio showed that we did not have the required charts. There were two destination options; Limassol or Larnaca. Both lay a mere 20 hours north of Port Said. It was necessary to get hold of the charts as soon as possible and the Suez Agent provided these for us before we cleared the Canal. They were corrected and up to date as well, which was a bonus.

Unfortunately, we had been arranging stores at Gibraltar, along with personnel changes. All these arrangements now required changing. There was mail to be diverted - personal mail, particularly important to all onboard – and this proved challenging. On the plus side, we had a known minimum seven day period at Limassol, but after that, orders could easily change, the cargo fall through, etc.

As it turned out we managed an excellent stay at Limassol. The anchorage was very close to the old dock. It afforded good shelter from winds from the west and north and also had good holding ground. The weather reports showed gales off Malta and I was certainly happy that Malta had not been our waiting point.

On the down side, the anchorage was small for a ship of our size. With the Troodos Mountains in the background looming over Limassol, with beautiful calm weather we certainly had nothing to complain about. Launches were easy to obtain and there was plenty of opportunity for shore leave for all. This was the first opportunity for ship’s staff to get ashore within the last 3 months, so it was particularly welcome.

When seen from the waterfront the British Trader dominated the anchorage. If nothing else, it was a good PR exercise for BP and LNG vessels. We were able to take away our Lifeboats and Rescue boat whilst at the anchorage.

It proved difficult to arrange contractors to attend the vessel though, mainly due to the time of year. The local Agents and chandler made up for this though by providing an excellent and friendly service.

The 7 days soon came and went with no confirmation of orders. ”Just remain at Limassol”. Okay! “Everyone happy?” Oh yes!! Then instructions were confirmed. Damietta. Load date, 27th December. This would mean we could remain at Limassol for Xmas, heave up on Boxing Day and be at Damietta for 0600Lt Pilot 27th. Perfect.

We would be at anchor for more than 14 days though. To maintain the guarantee for our special hull coating (Intersleek) we would have to heave up and steam for a 4-6 hour minimum period. Too long at anchor – more than 2 weeks – and growth would begin to accumulate at the water’s edge. This would cause us to lose speed once underway due to the drag effect, which would in turn cause increased fuel consumption for a given speed, rendering the vessel inefficient. We duly heaved up anchor on the 22nd December, headed off for 24 hours, giving us an opportunity to make fresh water at the same time, and returned to anchor again on the 23rd.

“Can you heave up now and head for Damietta immediately?” was a request late afternoon on the 24th. We still had ship staff ashore at this time, who would not be back for another 4 hours. Cargo systems had yet to be tested. Fortunately this request was retracted and we were able to go through our 2 day and 1 day checks prior to loading, and still have our Xmas at Limassol. We sailed on the 26th as planned.

Xmas proved a very pleasant affair. The sea was calm and it was a warm day. The Catering Team produced an excellent Christmas Meal. The Filipino Crew traditionally have their meal on Christmas Eve. They have a buffet featuring a complete roast pig. The Officers on the other hand have the more formal sit down affair, complete with Christmas Crackers, terrible jokes, etc.

Sated and raring to go, we heaved up on the 26th, said our goodbyes to Limassol and headed off for Egypt.

Damietta 27th. We arrived on time at the Pilot Station at 0600Lt, having tested the engine astern prior to picking up the Pilot. This is an important test prior to arrival at any pilot station or anchorage. It has not been unknown for a ships engine to fail to go astern which could cause much embarrassment and effectively ruin your whole day. Loading at Damietta went very smoothly and by 1200 28th, we had sailed for the Suez Canal once again.

Safely anchored at Port Said anchorage V7 by 1445Lt, it was then a matter of awaiting a convoy number. At this time we also awaited various officials to attend for paperwork formalities. We never know for sure which of the officials will come out to the anchorage or when they will arrive. This all adds to the “experience” that is the Suez Canal.

The problem for the Master is that never knowing when the officials will arrive, it is a question of do I or do I not take a break. Murphy’s Law says that they will arrive when you least expect it. Being able to catnap (or power-snooze) is an asset for a seafarer. Fortunately this has never been a problem for me. In the event both the Suez Canal Inspector and Officials from Suez Canal Security (complete with Geiger counter) boarded. They each completed formalities and left within 10 minutes of boarding, although they boarded an hour apart.

At 2215Lt we received instructions from Port Said Port Control to heave up to 2 shackles on deck for 2300Lt. Engines were made ready, gears tested and we were duly ready for 2300Lt. Another 50 minutes went by before we were instructed to heave up and proceed. Our position in the Convoy? No.9. The last one.

We cleared the Canal and were full away on passage by 1700Lt on the 29th. On our way south through the Gulf of Suez, out through the Straits of Gopal and into the Red Sea.

New Years Day 2006 found us passing southward back out through the Bab el Mandeb Straits into the Gulf of Aden, on our way for Gwangyang, S. Korea once again.