Trader in the Caribbean - 2 August 2006
Welcome to the
British Trader latest webship report. I'm
Captain Dave Edgeworth, and have taken command of the
British Trader from another Dave, Captain Dave Pegg.
This is my first trip on this class of BP LNG ship. My previous trips have been on LNG carriers, but on what are call ‘Moss Rosenberg’ system LNG vessels. On those ships the LNG is stored in giant spheres, as opposed to tanks as it is on here. However the basic job of operating the ship is very similar. It’s just a case of getting the ship from one port to another safely and on time.
The ship is currently anchored here at Trinidad awaiting instructions to load a cargo, along with one of our sister ships, the
British Innovator.
Being at anchor gives us the time and opportunity of catching up on many of the tasks that form the basis of operating the ship. Maintenance such as painting (cosmetic maintenance), mechanical maintenance and safety drills are carried out continuously.
The warm Caribbean weather provides an ideal climate to paint the ship and keep her looking at her best, although as it is the hurricane season in this part of the world, we get quite a bit of showery weather.
The crew gets the chance to get ashore and enjoy visiting countries not otherwise seen. A launch has been laid this weekend for some of the ships’ crew to get ashore for a few hours to stretch their legs and have a change of scenery.
Personnel changes continue to take place whilst at anchor, with new crew joining and those that have completed their trip returning home for leave. We are expecting two cadets to join soon, here in Trinidad.
We'll shortly be sending an account of their first impressions of the ship during their initial weeks onboard. [see below - ed]
Regards,
Captain Dave Edgeworth