My recent voyages as a Marine Engineer on board a bulk carrier.
Leg 1: Chennai ~ Singapore ~ Delhi ~ Bhuvaneshwar ~ Paradip
Travel!
For some its fun, for me, it’s a job. It is what I do for a living. And I have been doing it now for a long time.
This time I had been contracted on a ship trading in Asia. And I had to be briefed about my assignment at the company’s Singapore office before I joined the vessel. So I did what I, off late, was beginning to hate – Travel.
Chennai ~ Singapore:
The flight to Singapore was oddly enough, comfortable. Because I was flying Business Class. But the airline staff had no class themselves. I was woken up twice by the stewardess, once for the meals which they served, which I did not want, and again for the refreshments, which I did not want either. I wanted to relax. How can they be so insensitive to passenger needs (or in this case, no-needs)? Though comfortable, I spent a restless night. Add to that, my inherent shortcoming of not being able to sleep while traveling. And this time I did not have a book with me either.
Anyway, I landed in one of the world’s best airports – Singapore’s Changi airport.
Singapore:
One could live one’s entire life within this airport and not want a thing - Full marks to the airport, its management and its staff.
And I was prepared for what was coming next. I did not have a Singapore visa. My company had not arranged for it. They had misunderstood the technicalities of the issuance of a transit visa. However, the airport staff was most co-operative, courteous and went out of their way to assist me. I spent a good four hours in the immigration section without any regrets. My company finally managed to fax the required letter to the authorities and I walked through the gates with a visa stamped on my passport.
Singapore – what an amazing place - Small, efficient and a tourist’s paradise.
Touring was the last thing on my mind though. I reached my hotel around noon, had a quick lunch and headed to my office.
The remaining part of the day went by quickly consumed with meetings. I rushed back to the hotel, gathered my stuff and was on my way to airport in no time. I was getting late and I wanted to indulge in some duty-free shopping at the airport.
A short while thereafter I caught my flight to Delhi.
Singapore ~ Delhi:
I was tired by now. I had requested the airline to give me a seat with the widest berth and legroom and they had obliged. However, it was way off my expectations. After having flown in on Business Class I was hoping to make the best of the Economy Class, without much luck.
This flight was uneventful as it was somewhat like a Red-Eye. We landed in Delhi at two in the morning.
Delhi:
The Capital of India.
Always awake. Always busy. Noisy, and surprisingly cleaner than I had expected. Or maybe it was just the time of the night when everything looks serene and tidy.
My next flight to Bhuvaneshwar was ten hours later. I was to rest in a hotel till then. The person who was to receive me couldn’t make it on time as he was still trying to get a parking slot. Imagine that, not being able to find a parking slot in the wee hours of the night! Finally, I spotted him and he drove me all the way to the hotel.
I had a good night’s rest and in the morning the same driver picked me up and took me back to the airport.
I caught the plane to Bhuvaneshwar and continued my journey.
Delhi ~ Bhuvaneshwar:
After a long time I was flying in daylight. One can do quite a few things to kill time - read newspapers, chat-up with co-passengers, look outside through the windows with amazement at the skies, the clouds, and suddenly one finds that the plane has landed.
Bhuvaneshwar:
They also call it the Temple City. There is one in South India as well, more famous, Madurai.
The airport itself was small, very sparse with minimal facilities, but sufficient. Quite a few foreign tourists were clustered around the baggage carousel. I waited till the crowd diminished and was the last to pick up my bags. Suddenly there was a flurry of activity. A couple of SUV’s, cars and police jeeps all with their flashers on screeched to a halt outside. Some men in white ‘bund-gala’ kurtas and pyjamas, heavy gold bracelets on their wrists and mobile phones in their hands walked into the airport. From their looks it was not difficult to conclude that they were politicians.
Politicians are a species unto themselves. They walk the walk and talk the talk. God created only men and women. Politicians have simply evolved. They are mutants, like X-MEN. They look human but have powers which normal humans do not possess. And people have a general dislike for them. The one I saw in the airport was probably a Class V mutant. He had his small entourage, his security and the haughtiness that comes with the personality. But no matter what Dr.Charles X.Xavier says, Mutants, nonetheless, will never be fully accepted among normal people.
I was driven to a hotel for the night as I had to undertake a long road trip to Paradip the next day. The hotel stay stretched through another night as I was informed that some more people were scheduled to accompany me on the journey. But I wasn’t complaining. Right now traveling wasn’t very high on my ‘list of things to do before I die’.
Bhuvaneshwar ~ Paradip:
Two days after I had checked into the hotel I was ready to leave. By then everyone who was supposed to accompany me on my trip had arrived. We were bundled into two MUV’s – Toyota Innovas and our journey began.
Bhuvaneshwar which is in the Indian state of Orissa is not a big city. Nevertheless, one can see modern life having caught up with the locals. Pity though that the state is in the news for all the wrong political and social reasons.
Development was everywhere. Take the roads for instance.
One thing is for sure. In the past decade, the road network in India has improved tremendously. Some serious thought seems to have been given to this. Everywhere in India one can see roads being widened and re-laid. And they are not being made randomly. The roads are well planned, with markers, medians, service lanes, properly banked, lighting which actually work, signboards, cats-eyes, milestones, telephone booths, medical and police assistance, etc – you know the stuff that autobahns and expressways are made of. After fifty years of independence the people running the country have suddenly decided to provide proper transport infrastructure. Better late than never, I say.
The trip was quite nice. The car was comfortable, the music was good, and the sights were new. Rustic images of villages flitting by, green fields, the inlaid canals, the occasional bridge, and the countryside in its splendor. And some sights were the same old – cows squatting in the middle of the newly laid roads. This happens only in India!
We took a break somewhere halfway. The guys smoked, had tea and the driver grabbed a bite. Many of us wanted to pee but there was no toilet in sight nor was there any restaurant or hotel where one could find one. So we did what a large majority of people in India do when they want to pee. We watered the earth by the side of the road in full view of the public seated in the various shops and across the road. I hesitated initially, but when you have to go, you have to go.
I finally made it to Paradip in the afternoon in a much better shape than I usually am after a long trip.
Paradip:
Paradip is a well planned port town. I have come here before in my earlier travels and have liked the place mostly because I have enjoyed Oriya cuisine very much. A city rat however would call this a sewer. Life is quite laidback and lackluster. There are no Multiplexes and malls, hangouts which we take for granted in many places.
After completing the immigration and customs formalities we proceeded to board the ship. I did however try to meet a friend of mine who lived in this town, but he was not at home, probably was at work.
Leg 2: Paradip ~ Haldia ~ Paradip ~ Singapore ~ Beihai ~ Balikpapan ~ Koshichang ~ Balikpapan ~ Singapore ~ Paradip
Paradip ~ Haldia:
And so started my voyage.
Another one.
Oh god, how many more to go?
The ship sailed from Paradip to Haldia where we were to discharge the cargo and subsequently load too.
Haldia was the promised city, the alternative to Calcutta. But in reality it is far from the promise. The West Bengal culture is so prevalent that it leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t get me wrong here. The place is chock-a-block with industries. But the social amenities belong to another era. It is typically Bengal, cheap, dirty, lazy and lacking.
The East India Trading Company had made Calcutta a hub in the eastern parts of India a long time ago. Years of silting of the riverbed and lack of foresight by the powers that be in this Indian state made navigation up the river very difficult and the big vessels could not call at this once great port.
Hence Haldia. It would be the answer to Calcutta’s problems. Seems to me now, Haldia has got enough problems of its own. Anyway, after a long stay we finally made it out of there and headed for Singapore with a short halt at Paradip to load more cargo.
Singapore:
How many times have I been to Singapore? – by sea, by air, once even by road from Malaysia.
But this time we were not to call at the port but were to anchor outside in the harbour. We were calling for supplies, bunker fuel, provisions and an impending visit by our Technical Manager.
The stay was very short. We managed to complete our mission and by the time we sailed out we were all short of sleep. We were looking forward to some R&R but were vary of our next course which could rob us of our peace of mind.
The treacherous and fickle South China Sea, which invariably tests every sailor. It is among those areas in the world where a sailor proves his worth. I rate it up there along with the Bay of Biscay off France, the seas off the coasts of South Africa and the North Atlantic during winter and of course the Arabian sea during monsoons.
But she was very generous this time and benign. We made it without a fuss and headed for Beihai.
Beihai:
Where is it? It is in southern China. I had never been here before. And I never expected to see what I saw there.
I had heard that China was developing fast but I believed it when I saw the development in Beihai. The city has everything, right down to the neighbourhood KFC and McDonald outlets. People were zipping past in snazzy cars and electric scooters, the malls were full of them, the streets were overflowing but we were the only tourists. Or so it seemed. From behind a block two white tourists (pardon my language, for lack of identity I am using a term without malice) turned onto the road on which I was walking. Then I saw an African man walk past me. And wonder of wonders I bumped into a Sardar. Is there any place left on earth where these enterprising Indians have not set up shop?
Young energetic men and women smartly dressed walking busily on the roads – a sign of prosperity maybe?
We discharged our cargo and were scheduled to sail to Balikpapan. Now where is this?
Balikpapan:
This is a city on the east coast of Kalimantan, part of one of the larger islands that make up Indonesia. The upper part of the island is Sarawak which is part of Malaysia. Further up is the rich Kingdom of Brunei.
Balikpapan was a nice place. Our ship was anchored off the coast and we had to rent a speedboat to go ashore. The fishing community lives along the coast in wooden houses built on stilts that stretch well into the sea. Almost everyone seemed to have a speedboat and a motorbike.
We spent a few days here going ashore occasionally, shopping and having fun. The pubs are happening places here too. The food was good and the people were friendly.
After loading our cargo we set course for Kosichang, Thailand.
Kosichang:
Thailand – the very name conjures up mysticism, romance and fun.
And Bangkok, apart from the vulgar innuendo, is supposed to be the the vacationer’s mecca.
We anchored off Kosichang and starting discharging our cargo into barges moored alongside. But not before some ladies of questionable repute had come onboard to offer their services which were eagerly accepted by quite a few who seemed ecstatic about this sudden departure from the usual monotonous life on board the ship.
Others such as me rented a boat and headed for the famous tourist city of Pattaya.
Pattaya.
A place designed and developed to satisfy the basal desires of any man on earth. The city is teeming with tourists, mostly men, with a local beauty hanging on their arm. Bars and restaurants, Pubs and Massage parlours are lined along every road and every junction.
The Walking Street – so named because no vehicles are allowed here. The sights and sounds which greet you are simply out of this world. Pretty young things wearing anything, something and mostly nothing gyrate to ear shattering music at every pub. The wares offered are in front of your eyes and literally – in the flesh; I suppose one could call them leather goods. It’s a sailor’s paradise.
Old sea dogs such as me, however, skirted the sensual and erotic nectar and manna offerings and haunted the bylanes where shopping of the normal kind could be done – clothes, cosmetics, household items and other boring stuff.
The other interesting activity one can indulge in here is a Massage. Any and every type of massage is available – from the immensely relaxing foot massage, to the muscle kneading complete body massage. Then there is the Thai oil massage, Facial massage, Manicure, Pedicure – the works! For the more adventurous, massages of a different nature were also available such as ‘Sandwich massage’, ‘Powder massage’ and many more of the exotic variety.
However, these are not the only attractions in Pattaya. There is much more. There is the Underwater world, which houses a large aquarium with glass tunnels allowing the visitor to see the underbellies of great sharks, sting rays, and other fishes. Also there is the hindu temple which is completely made of wood. An elephant ride takes you around the temple and leaves you at the dolphin park where one can shake fins with the dolphin and even feed it. Then there are other places which I could not go to such as the Crocodile park and zoo, the beach, the museum, etc. we also could not see the ‘Ladyboy show’ which as the name implies is a theatrical show with the entire cast made of hermaphrodite ‘Ladyboys’ – whom I guess need no explaining as to how they acquired the name.
And of course, the coup-de-resistance, ‘The World’s Largest Gem Store’. This complex probably houses more diamonds and precious stones than any other place in the world. It all begins with a guided electric car tour showcasing the history of gem mining which is simply great. After the tour one is let loose inside the store. The dazzling and sparkling jewelry is right out of some Arabian night’s scene. Gems of every variety, size, color, weight and fancy were on display and on sale. Some of us had the courage and the money to buy a few ornaments.
But no amount of wealth could probably satisfy the desire to own such stones. Truly amazing! This is a place where no woman can ever be satisfied, nor should she be left alone. I can imagine my wife running amok among the counters, getting herself worked up and cursing her fate for having a husband who cannot buy her a couple of diamond necklaces worth a fortune and a few bits of sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and other quartzy stuff.
Strange, how women can become orgasmic about such little shiny rocks. Men will always see them as they are – rocks! But then, lets not talk about women – they are the most misunderstood and at the same time ‘difficult to understand’ creatures on earth.
Pattaya is a showcase of women, for men. Couple it with the gemstore, the shopping and other attractions – there you have it – the perfect vacationing spot. If you are a bachelor, this place can corrupt you. And if you are a married man, then too, it can corrupt you. Beware!
Balikpapan:
Back again - this time for loading more cargo. However, now nobody was so interested in going ashore. After having been to Pattaya, this place seemed so boring.
Singapore:
Once again we halted here briefly for picking up provisions, stores and bunker fuel.
And as we passed around the harbour we could see perhaps a million ships anchored off the coast. Exaggeration aside, there were so many ships here – some small, some big, some absolutely huge. From the seemingly puny Tugboats, the larger Supply vessels, the dirty and cluttered Fishing vessels, the lifeless barges, Cargo ships, the ubiquitous Bulk Carriers, the huge Container ships, the empty and otherwise deeply loaded Oil Tankers, the fancy, clean and nicely painted Gas carriers, the tall Ro-Ro ships, the strange looking High-Lift vessels, other special purpose ships, and even some Passenger ships and ferries.
This was truly a seafarer’s hangout. What a spectacular sight!
Sometimes I wonder, when Columbus set out for discovering America in his wooden boat, did he ever imagine one day there would be such steel monsters hulking near every port.
Ah! Ships.
A sign that man has conquered the sea. Or so it would seem.
For some they are workhorses, essential for trade and commerce. For some they are a means of livelihood. For others they are a mode of transport and travel. And for some they are a status symbol, imagine owning a 20-foot yatch with gleaming handrails and a white hull!
For people like me – aw! Forget it.
Ships.
Decades ago, one could have related them to adventure, bravery and fun. Nowadays, the ship is only a machine. Sailors were once thought to be mavericks, uncouth, drunkards, womanizers and carefree. How times have changed! Now they are professional, highly trained and competent workers.
We thought we would conquer the sea and control it. Quite the contrary! The sea has conquered us, controlled us and changed us.
Singapore ~ Paradip:
Leaving behind the bustling harbour, we set course for Paradip passing through the Malacca Straits due north-west along Indonesia and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The next day, we received caution notices to keep a look-out for pirates and take appropriate measures.
Pirates? Did you just say Pirates? And in this age?
Suddenly one is thrown back into to the world of Capt.Jack Sparrow and his Black Pearl, the Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones locker!
But that was ages ago. What now?
Well, for the uninformed and innocent, here is a shocking truth – Pirates exist. Even today! In the Singapore straits, off the Indian coast, off the Indonesian waters, all along the West African coast, the Bangladesh waters, and lately the Somalian and east African coast.
What do they want? The same as always – money, valuables, goods, cargo, stores, supplies, etc. These savages come in their puny speedboats and overcome a gargantuan steel ship. More often than not they are armed. Off late they have taken to capturing the entire ship along with its crew and then demand ransom from the owners for the release of both. No one spares a thought to those hapless sailors who have been taken hostages by these pirates. Many have also died at their hands. But who cares?
Yeah! Welcome to the real world of shipping. The average John Doe does not read about the misfortunes affecting the sailors. He comes to know about the industry only when there is a catastrophic accident or an oil spill on the seas which is more often than not sensationalized by the media. It took a Titanic to make everyone think of safety on passenger ships. It took a major oil spill from a ship off the coast of U.K. to make the world work out guidelines for safe carriage of oil cargoes. Even then nothing was done to improve the working conditions or life for seafarers. On the contrary things become worse. More and more tighter rules were brought in. In the 90’s the ISO codes for maritime industry were implemented. This brought with it a plethora of paperwork, documentation and not to forget ‘stress’. And in the new millennium the aftermath of 9/11 introduced stringent security measures. All this has made life on board ships so much more rigorous. Gone are the days when you could see a swashbuckling, drunk and amorous sailor. Nowadays you get to see glorified clerks, yes-men and puppets dancing to tunes of their masters sitting in plush offices ashore. It is said that in the good old days, the ships were made of wood and the men were made of steel; nowadays the ships are made of steel and the men are made of wood!
Some would believe that to be so true.
Ah! Enough cribbing. Let’s move on.
We finally made it to the port of Paradip again. After the usual we headed for Haldia.
Haldia:
The highlight of my stay in this drab port was the coming on board of my family. The company had permitted my family to sail with me on the ship for a short while. After a lot of formalities they finally boarded the ship. Needless to say I was absolutely ecstatic. And so was my family.
We headed back to Paradip for loading some more cargo and then we were off on another voyage.
Leg 3: Paradip ~ Singapore ~ Beihai ~ Guangzhou ~ Taboneo ~ Singapore ~ Tuticorin ~ New Mangalore
After our usual stopover at Singapore for supplies we headed to the now familiar port of Beihai.
Beihai:
Whatever thoughts of sightseeing we had of this city were chucked out of the ship as soon as we came alongside the port. The first people to come on board were the health officials. They conducted a thorough check of all personnel onboard. Are you wondering why? – well for Swine flu, of course.
After having been affected by SARS some years ago, China has decidedly improved its health regulations and quarantine procedures for visitors.
Everyone tested negative and were cleared off. But we were not permitted to go ashore. That dampened our spirits more than anything else especially my family’s as they had hoped to see this Chinese city.
So we hung on at anchorage and waited to sail away to some better port.
Our next voyage would take us to the ship repair yard. The ship had been in service for about two and a half years and the mandatory visit to a service yard was coming up. So we headed to the city of Guangzhou where one of the yards with dry-docking facility was booked for us.
Guangzhou and Drydock:
Guangzhou, I am told is the third largest city in China. We sailed to this port city and headed up river to the yard berth. After a couple of days at anchorage we were towed into a floating drydock. The ship was tied to the dock and the water from the dock was pumped out. As the dock was drained, the ship gradually sat on blocks which were placed on the floor of the dock. After all the water had been taken out, the dock labourers and ship repair staff came on board.
A ship out of water is a strange sight indeed. A steel behemoth exposing its underbelly!
Men scurrying about painting its hull, attending to its every needs, fitting it with new stuff, trying to make it new again. A drydock is a beauty parlour for a ship – trimming, demucking, cleaning, waxing, painting, etc. After all the service she has put in she needs some due tender loving care which she gets before being put back into use.
A drydock is a busy place. Heavy machinery everywhere, the decks are cluttered, the accommodation is a mess, workers are moving around here and there, electric and welding cables snaking the length of the ship, fire hoses rigged at various points, steel plates and fixtures dotting the decks, the anchors and chains strung out on the dock floor, the ballast tanks manholes are uncovered and the tanks are being inspected, the hatches are open, the engine is getting overhauled, the boilers are being surveyed, the propeller is getting polished, the rudder is being checked, the hull is being blasted and painted and so much more.
In between the crew try and find time to get out of the rut and go ashore and do some R&R and also some shopping. Needless to say, I got to take my family ashore a few times and they loved it. Their experience of China would now be memorable. And they shopped without break. Street shopping in the nearby city of Wangpo was a tremendous outing for my family. The local cuisine was great too. We even tried out some Chinese muslim food. The shopping malls are chock-a-block with shoppers and stuff on display is amazing. One could buy anything and everything. No wonder the ‘Made-in-China’ tag is so ubiquitous nowadays. No one could speak nor understand English but then shopping speaks its own language – the language of money.
All around the drydock many ships were tied up to each other – ‘doublebanking’ as it is termed. Some were inside similar drydocks getting attended. This place teems with ship repair yards.
I also saw a very peculiar sight happening everyday on the river. Some people dressed in colourful costumes and finery were traveling in very long boats called dragon boats, which were also decorated with flags, rowing to the beats of drummers. These boats would go up the river in a convoy and then return back the same way. It seemed like some kind of ceremony being performed. When I asked the locals about this they told me that every year in this particular month and this particular week they would undertake such boat rides to honour the river god. He said one could see this happening on every river in China. All this was a novel experience for me and I felt fortunate to have witnessed it.
At last the departure day dawned and the water was pumped into the dock to float the ship again. Once afloat we were towed out of the dock and then we set sail on our own for the next port of call. After a flurry of activity in the drydock and many days of humans tampering with its innards and looks, it was time for the ship to dictate its terms again.
We now headed for the Indonesian port of Taboneo.
Taboneo:
This port is one of many such ports dotting the Indonesian coast. Indonesia is a country blessed with natural resources. Many mines have thus been set up there to exploit all that nature has to offer.
This port turned out to be a dampener too. We anchored outside the harbour and barges filled with coal came alongside. Our cranes were used to load the coal inside our cargo holds. As a result of this procedure we were unable to get to the port of Taboneo and hence were stuck on the ship once again.
We finally made it out of Taboneo and headed to Singapore for supplies. Thereafter we headed to the Indian port of Tuticorin.
Tuticorin:
Very close to the southern tip of India, facing the island country of Sri Lanka, is the port of Tuticorin on the Indian east coast. Being sheltered from the Arabian Sea this port is fast developing into a major port in India. And it could get busier once the ‘Sethusamudram’ project materializes. Ships could then come to Tuticorin via the ‘Adams Bridge’ or ‘Ram Sethu’ as it is called in India – the mythological bridge built by Lord Ram and his monkey brigade – the ‘Vanar sena’.
We sailed straight into the port and were tied up to one berth immediately.
We stayed here for a few days discharging our cargo of coal which we had brought from Indonesia. In the evenings, I went out with my family and visited the famous Infant Jesus church, and our Lady of the Snows. Later we had some sumptuous south Indian food.
Before we left the port, my family got off the ship. School holidays were over and their short adventure on this ship also came to an end. But I am sure they carried with them memories of time well spent, new places visited and novel experiences. They flew back home and I was left alone on the ship. How I wished to go home with them. But I still had to complete the duration of my contract on board. So I stayed.
Tuticorin ~ New Mangalore:
Our next port of call was New Mangalore on the west coast of India. After we left Tuticorin we rounded the Cape Comorin. This is an anglicized term for Kanyakumari – the southernmost tip of India. One could say that the Indian subcontinent ends here. This short turn took us from the Bay of Bengal thru the Indian Ocean and into the Arabian Sea within a day.
The Arabian Sea was in no mood to greet us. In fact she was in her foulest mood. The South-west monsoons were setting in. This is the worst time of the year to come into this sea. The strong winds and the heavy seas will humble and overwhelm even the biggest and largest ship. Our steel ship suddenly becomes a tin can, tossed around, pitched up and down and generally thrown about in every direction.
One can easily identify a born sailor. If you see him tottering around on the deck with the ship’s motions then he still has a long way to go. But look at those guys who walk on the tilting deck immune to the gyrations of the ship. They seemingly have a balance mechanism which is fine-tuned to the ship’s movements. No amount of pitching and rolling can shake them. Here, we can spare a thought for all those fishermen who go out to sea in puny little boats made of wood, who get tossed around with the spray but still manage to bring back a boatload of fish along with their life and limbs intact!
Anyway we finished our business in Mangalore and set sail for China once again.
A couple of ports later we made it to Kosichang in Thailand where I finally got off the ship. By now the traveler in me just wanted to find a place called home and rest.
As one great person once said, I too can truly say, “I saw more than I could remember; and I remember more than I could see”.
Travelling is man’s innate instinct. He was born to travel. Some have turned this desire into a vocation, some into a profession, many more have made it a way of life and some bear it grudgingly.
Musafir hoon yaaro, na ghar na thikaana.
