Sea Life Chapter 12

Bunga Kelana Satu

3^rd June 2005 to 2^nd November 2005

This vessel was the most challenging of all the vessel which I had join, the company show me a 15 pages list of 193 oil major observation before I join the vessel.They also had to replace all the Liner for Main Engine due to crack and leakage as told by Superintendent Ang when I met him on Eagle Tucson.

“This is Mission Impossible!” I say.

“Mission Difficult will be a Walk in the Park for you.” said Superintendent.

On top of that they are also planning for the vessel to operate in America which I came to know much later. I spend two month getting the ship to good condition and manage to clear the oil major inspection with only 19 minor observations. The company informed me that they plan to bring the ship for operation in America after that.

I was surprise that they are able to arrange for USCG (United State Coast Guard) Inspection in Singapore Anchorage. The inspector was rushing for time, and with just a boat drill and fire drill he clear the vessel for America Operation which mark the start of our nightmare.

We had an oil spill during cargo discharging when the stripping line for one of the cargo pump give way due to rust corrosion, they trip the cargo pump and I went on deck to find out what is the problem. The deck crews were shock and I manage to get Bosun to help me bring the saw dust from his forward store at the bow to stop the spill from getting worst.

There are some leakage from the ship side plug as it is unable to seal tightly due to rust corrosion and we manage to discover it early and arrest it with mop before it touch the water. Captain Chowdury from Houston Office visit the ship and told office that it is not suitable for America Operation. We had long voyage to Caribbean and South America after that due to this incident.

When I first join we had problem with ballast pump suction valve, it is indicating opening and shut according to the hydraulic indicator but it is actually stuck shut inside the line. After checking the hydraulic system with no issue I decided to access the valve from the sea chest filter side with calculated risk.

It is not a pleasant experience as I can feel the pressure coming direct on my face every time a wave hit the suction side of the system. They were suppose to station one person outside to ensure my safety but due to shortage of manpower I can only use constant interval reporting to the wheel house by a walkies talkie.

There are a long interval when I was busy cutting the fishing net from the valve spindle that I am unable to communicate with the bridge and that is when they got worried and send a cadet down to check on me. I had to drill out the broken stud in order to install new bolt on the valve secure to the spindle.

After I had finish with the repair, I met the Burmese Captain Zaw Min in the Accommodation Passage Way. He was so stressful about the vessel condition that he started speaking Burmese to me, I try to listen with patient and understand that he is talking about the Deck Air Supply for their power tools to carry out deck maintenance. Suddenly he realize that I am Second Engineer and not Electrician Min Aung, I assure him that I will provide higher pressure from my main air compressor instead of using the portable deck air compressor which the company provided.

One morning we heard a loud bang and we saw the fan blade from the forward port side ventilation fan had protrude out from the trunk casing. Upon opening up, we found that the whole assembly was rusted and and the fan impeller had broken from the shaft. We had to grind off the foundation bolt before we can remove the motor for shaft replacement and repair the trunking while trying to balance the fan impeller.

I had a very heated argument with Chief Engineer when he show me the Docking Report and told me all the 20 over Fan, Turbine and Pump Impellers are already send for balancing test during the last docking. It is only possible to balance about two impellers for those big size machinery like Vent Fan and Turbo Charger, and the report show all the impellers are balance on the same day.

My prediction came truth when we are doing gas free operation at Venezuela Anchorage, the Inert Gas Fan Impeller also damage the casing when the shaft broke. Before we carry out the operation I had told Chief Engineer that the vessel configuration was different from other vessel which we had sail before. Usually one fan is only 75% of the maximum throughput but this vessel is design with 100% throughput according to the system manual.

They wanted to complete the gas free faster and so the Superintendent decided to run both fan together. The back pressure became too high and the star delta connection switching of the motor control was not long enough to build up enough momentum to overcome the inertia force.

The repair took me 72 hours and me and my crew work round the clock without any sleep or break for three days at the IG Fan Platform. The Superintendent send the Fan Impeller ashore for balancing test and true enough I win the bet and doesn't had to go home without any replacement.

It was actually quiet sad for me as I had to manage manual firing of the boiler for cargo operation later when the control circuit board got damage. I had requested for emergency spare and expected to receive it within two weeks, but the ship had been calling all the remote location port and the spare took three months to reach the ship. All my engineers had been so familiar with the manual operation that I worry they would not get use to automatic control after I fix the issue.

We discover that the fuel oil control piston are leaking and need to service, Chief Engineer ask for the company to send the repair kit as I had carry out the servicing of the control system when I did my docking of Eagle Boston. As Chief Engineer smoke and drink a lot, his hand are shaky and I had to be the one adjusting the control air pressure from 3.5 bar back to 2.0 bar after we complete the servicing of the pneumatic pistons.

The vessel also not discharging with Inert Gas System when I first join, I found out that the three way pneumatic control valve had been damage and would not be able to control the vent of the inert gas when the pressure became high. I did not have any spare for it so I had to modify another similar one to fix the issue.

We had become expert in mechanical seal as most of the pumps doesn't have any spare for overhaul, we had a treasure chest in the work shop where we keep all the unknown spare inside. We would go to the treasure chest and savage any useful part and assemble a modify mechanical seal for most of the pump repair.

I had raise the requisition for the shaft and mechanical seal, but due to delay of the supply of spare I am only able to get the machinery working condition from 30% to 70%. I was suddenly told by the office that I had to sign off after 5 months as I had already overstay my temporary permit from the Malaysia Port Authority.

Sea Life Chapter 3

American Pegasus

24^th February 1998 to 7^th July 1998

I join this vessel as a Fourth Engineer for the first time, Fourth Engineering Eddie Batch Mate Raphael was there to guide me. This is the sister ship to Orion with a lot of similar setup, the voyage and the people onboard are very interesting. The vessel seldom do STS operation like other vessel because of it's machinery problems, the voyage are fixed to three short voyage to Mexico and one long voyage to Venezuela.

It was the first time I met Chief Officer Vijay, and he always left his collection of magazine in my room whenever he sign off. I met him again later on another ship and the deck crews seem to know who to look for to get their entertainment whenever Chief Officer sign off. Professional Third Engineer Wee always bring me out in Mexico for drinking at the disco pub, and Deck Cadet Randy is the party animal who always try to get me drunk.

The similar incident happen to me and Raphael like what happen to me and Eddie during the major overhaul of the Air Compressor, I thought he would have clear the crankcase while I went to get the lubricating oil, he thought I would have clear the crankcase before I pour the lubrication oil. So when we test run the air compressor we heard a loud noise and quickly stop it and open to check. A hammer was left inside and lucky other then the wooden handle of the hammer got damage everything else seem to be ok.

I was busy trying to rectify the Fuel Oil Purifier issues during one of the Cargo Discharging Watch when the Superintendent Vern from the Houston Office came for a visit. He was happy to see a hard working engineer working on machinery maintenance during cargo watch and try to get my attention by making remarks about me making the manual dirty. I just ignore him and continue working on the purifier so that it will not affect my cargo operation watch keeping.

Later when Chief Engineer came down to control room to welcome him he ask me about the proper opening and closing of the steam valve during cargo operation. I told him usually we just use the valve key to open and shut taking care to crack open for warming up to prevent water hammering of the pipe line. He say he notice that a lot of valve gland are leaking and we should have carry a spanner along and loosen the gland before we operate the valve and tighten it back after operation. I told him there are so many valves we had to open and shut during the preparing of cargo operation so we do not have time to loosen the gland for every valve we need to open or shut.

After Raphael sign off an Indian Fourth Engineer came to take over, since I am familiar with most of the machinery I let him choose what he is confident of. I was surprise that he choose purifier instead of boiler or air compressor, but later I found out that he did not know any of the machinery well.

The incident happen one night during one of the cargo operation after I hand over my watch and went back to my cabin for shower. After having my late dinner at the mess room I pass by the cargo control room and ask Chief Officer when the cargo discharging will complete as I will need to take bunker sounding for the completion of cargo operation and departure of port. Chief Officer look very stress and told me that the engine room inform him that the boiler had trip and all the cargo pump had to stop until they rectify the issue.

I was surprise that they did not inform me or the electrician about the boiler issue, so I just call electrician and told him to meet me at the boiler panel to trouble shoot the issue. When I went down to engine room I saw the Fourth Engineer keep repeating the procedure of resetting and firing of the boiler even after so many fail attempt, I ask him how many time he had to try before he would call me to open the burner unit to check.

Electrician came down and start opening up the burner unit with me, he test the ignition spark while I clean the rotary cup. I notice that the rotary cup was spinning very smoothly which is not normal, we open up the casing and found the belt from the motor to the cup was broken. After replacing the belt the boiler start up normally and I went down to see if the Fourth Engineer already open the dumping valve to the condenser at the cargo pump platform.

I really got a shock when I found that he is trying to start back the cargo pump and want to hand over the control back to the cargo control room. I told him he had to open to dumping valve first to ensure that the flow is constant before the boiler trip again due to high pressure cut out. He just ignore me and ask me not to interfere with his cargo watch and continue to start the cargo pump, I storm out of the engine room and electrician went to look for Chief Engineer to inform him of the whole situation.

One night when I was keeping cargo watch, Chief Engineer came down to control room and offer keep cargo watch for me. I thought I got sack from my duties when he finally say the Fourth Engineer had been working on the Purifier for three days but unable to solve the issue. He want me to take a look and see if I can locate the problem, I went to the Diesel Engine Platform beside the control room and start assembling the purifier.

Chief Engineer came out to observe my work and ask if I need to replace any Rubber O Ring. I told him the Fourth Engineer had already change two full set of Rubber O Ring and the existing one condition are still ok as it is new. I notice the top discharging pipe assembly were not tighten properly before the test run and a locating pin had shear off causing the pin hole became elongated.

I had to tap the screw thread on the hole and replace the locating pin with a screw so that the proper function of the purifier can be ensure. As I test run the purifier I notice that the solenoid valve SV11 which control the outlet is not closing, this had cause the water seal unable to hold during the initial start up of the purifier. I inform Chief Engineer about the issue and told him that the electrician had to open up the solenoid valve to check tomorrow.

Chief Engineer assure me that he is expert in solenoid valve and ask me to get him a screw driver for him to open up the solenoid valve. A spring jump out of the assembly as he open and he panic quickly searching for the missing spring at the Diesel Generator Platform, he finally found it and give to me asking me to pass it to electrician the next day. As expected the electrician make a very big fuss about Chief Engineer trying to open up the solenoid valve without informing him, he would not able to get a replacement spare if Chief Engineer had lost the spring.

I was lucky that I only sail four months on this vessel as the company inform me that I had to go Japan to deliver a new ship. I will only get to rest for a month before I fly to Japan where I met Third Officer Dennis which became a very close friend.

Sea Life Chapter 2

Neptune Crux

26^th April 1997 to 29^th November 1997

After I completed two and a half year of my national service, I thought of quitting my sailing career. I took Diploma in Computer Studies during my national service and work for about six month in the IT industry. But I realized that office desk job was not suitable for me, so I join back as fifth engineer and join the vessel in Singapore with an Indian Chief Engineer. It was a smaller product tanker as compare to the Alfamex Crude Oil Tanker of my Cadet Ship, the voyage are tramping around Asia and Middle East region and should be more interesting than the fix STS operation in America.

The first Loading Port was Keelong Taiwan, we arrive at the anchorage and met with force 10 typhoon. The famous Technical Superintendent Tiger Tan visit the vessel during the one week anchorage and wanted to lower the life boat in extreme weather condition. Burmese Third Engineer got Sea Sick after trying to rectify the releasing mechanism of the hook and came to engine control room looking for a replacement. Fourth Engineer Eddie also very prompt to sea sick so I was the only choice left, I manage to board the life boat quickly due to my previous army training and the Superintendent was very impress.

But due to not getting enough sleep the night before because of maneuvering duties and the constraint and stuffy environment, I do not have the mental power to fight the sea sick. Chief Officer Manji send some cold drink down for us it was nice but my stomach just can't hold the orange soft drink and throw up outside the life boat. They thought the paint from the life boat had peel off when they saw orange patch floating away from the life boat, then the Superintendent saw me vomiting at the side and decided to get me up. I had to lay down on the roof of the life boat for a while for some fresh air before I recover my strength to climb the ladder.

The Bangladesh Second Engineer is very afraid of the Superintendent, got a few occasions he saw the Superintendent coming into engine from one of the stairway and he quickly escape from the other stairway. I was helping Second Engineer updating the PMS (Planned Maintenance Schedule) in the ship office at night after our dinner and the next thing I know I am alone with the Superintendent in the office and Second Engineer was nowhere to be found.

The Superintendent like to chat with me while we make coffee near to midnight, he say not much local are willing to sail anymore and we are rare breed like endangered species. There is a China Cadet who join before me, he is not happy with the life onboard as he had to work very hard. He told me he use to work government job in Suzhou and all he have to do is just to show his face in the morning and he can do whatever he please for the rest of the day.

 

Fourth Engineer Eddie always suffer under the Bangladesh Second Engineer, I became his assistance when I join the ship helping him on various maintenance for Boiler, Air Compressor and Purifier. Got one occasion we were ask to replace the lagging material for the boiler and while he is removing the rivet with a drill the asbestos fell on him and he was scratching all over for a week or so like the monkey king.

We also once ask to replace the canvas trunking for the Air Conditioning Unit at the upper level, while we were tightening the bolts and nuts, a small 10 mm spanner fell inside. We look at each other, shine the torch light to see that the spanner never land close to the blower impeller and decided to forget about the whole incident as it will be too much trouble to open up the whole blower casing just to get it back.

A Malaysian Deck Cadet Joe became very close to me because we speak the same dialect Hakka, the other Engine Cadet Eric join later and we became the Iron Triangle due to our friendship. I found out later that I did not get to meet Third Officer Dennis as he had sign off before I join, but fate manage brought us together when we deliver a new vessel in Japan a few years later.

After Joe sign off another three China Deck Cadet join, one of them is from Guangxi and two of them are from Suzhou too. So the five of us became the lowest form of life on the ship and always sit at the same table for our meals.

The vessel went to a lot of places, from Korea to Middle East and even Sri Lanka toward the later part of our voyage. Middle East was very hot and dry, I bet with Eric to see how long will it take an Ice Cube from the Mess Room to melt on the Deck. Eric guess 3 minutes and I guess 1 minutes, to our surprise it disappear withing 10 seconds.

We encounter a lot of issue there, the cooling pump filter were choked by sea weed. We had to remove the filter to clean every hour and the valve can only be force shut with the help of chain block. We also had to clean up all the sand inside the engine room which is blow in by the blower, I was told later that they actually sold the sands as a souvenir as the sand got 7 different colors for each different state.

We saw a lot of crabs floating on the surface and manage to hook a few with just aiming the weight and projecting the lines of hook to get it by chance. We saw a lot of bird migrating during the season and they decided to rest on our ship, the deck cadets had a hard time cleaning bird shit on the deck after they left.

We saw volcano eruption when we pass by Sumatra, and the Second Mate is skillful enough to navigate between two ten stories tall wave and sail in between two wall of water like Moses splitting the red sea.

We arrive at Pusan Korea and Burmese Third Engineer want to find Ginseng Chicken Soup, as we are unable to speak their language we had to act like a chicken to make them understand what we want. It is like the Radio Officer cannot take Beef and we had to act like a pig to order Tacos which is Pork instead of Beef in Mexico during my cadet ship.

I fall sick after we departure Korea, I pass out blood from my urine and had high fever, they suspect Kidney Stone and send me to an hospital Dubai for check up when the ship arrive. I was suppose to carry out the video scope inspection but the company call the agent to cancel the medical examination as it is too expensive. The doctor prescribe some medicine to clear my kidney stone and by the time we arrive Sri Lanka I am already alive and kicking.

They still insist on sending me to a clinic in Sri Lanka to complete the video scope examination but the clinic doesn't have the facilities to do that and the urine test result only show infection which is probably cause by the stone scraping the passage when passing out.

Sri Lanka was a very dangerous place, I had to walk an hour passing three security check point before I reach the town. Every time the security guard ask me the three standard questions of Who am I? Where am I from? And Where am I heading? I start to question life and did some soul searching on what is the purpose of life.

Some vendors came onboard ship to sell precious stone, Chief Cook brought two ruby and later found to be fake when he bring to town for verification. I brought some cat eye, sapphire and topaz from town at a cheaper price but never really bother verifying it as it is just a souvenir. I also brought some cray pottery bowl for my mom and a leather bag for my sister.

Chief Cook sign off at Sri Lanka with Bosun and two AB (Able Bodies), they were lucky that the hotel they stay got bombing by the Tamil Tiger just a few days later after they fly back Singapore.

Superintendent decided to send the whole valve block for the stripping pump for replacement, it took eight of us to carry the parts down to pump room. We had been doing mechanical seal replacement for the cargo pump every month as the stripping pump is not working and using the cargo pump to strip will cause the mechanical seal to run dry and damage easily.

The ship went to Suez and all of us were very excited to visit the Pyramid in Egypt, the Captain refuse to grant shore leave and everybody were disappointed. We also did not get shore leave when we are in Japan too, and maybe is retribution that our ship bang into the jetty when we are going along side and three different loading master came onboard each day to ask for cigarettes to compensate for the damage to their railing.

The Captain decided to lock himself inside the room and never went for his meals, Chief Officer use Master Key to open his cabin to ensure that he is still alive and nicely sleeping after we left port. Most of the people doesn't like the Captain, he was selfish enough to cut ration to get bonus from the office. Only meat and rice were order for other race provision and dahl and chapati for his own race, no fruits or vegetable for months and constipation became a common issues for all onboard.

A lot of the staffs decided to request for early sign off to shorten the period of their suffering and I am the few lucky one who manage to sign off from the vessel when it reach Singapore.