News has
just arrived via ship's email. More personal problems as what my sister emailed
to me. To keep being professional, (in some extent too professional) I will not
discuss minute details. I can only write that me and my sister are in a lot of
financial trouble lately - not directly but indirectly, Bills, debts and
financial matters have been piling up in huge overwhelming waves just to keep
mom alive and maintain her dialysis treatment. Worst part is that my sister is
taking all the "wrath and all of its fury" on the situation, I have
no exact news on how is she holding up nor how bad it is - but from the looks
of it and analysing the situation, my conclusion is - REALLY OVERWHELMINGLY
BAD.
It is my
estimated that by the time I finish my contract, I would be arriving in the
middle of a shit storm back home and I'd be having my hands full clearing it.
Honestly I'm already starting to picture myself in a bad situation by the time
I finish my working contract here on conti Greenland and got back in the
Philippines. For now I feel totally helpless and could only read the house news
via ships email and hear my sister take all the beating on the financial
trouble. Regardless of the situation , My sister has my full support , whether
it be financial or other related matters.
In other
news …
On October
25th, Captain kolev called in a short meeting at the bridge - deck department
personnel only. The meeting was all about what happened on the recent flag
state inspection on St. Petersburg Russia, obviously he wasn't happy that the
port authorities found some inconsistencies on the visitors log. The first
three entries to be specific on which it was only written that immigration
officials came in and their names were never written down.
Captain
Kolev and chief mate Bayev insist that under all circumstances , that visitors
logbook must be properly identified and all people coming on-board should be
inspected and identified. May sound very easy for them , but in reality its
more complicated than what these soviets think. In anyway gangway watchman has
no "police power" to hold anyone on the gangway entrance , especially
if it's a Russian immigration official that has a 45 calibre hand gun placed on
the holster - in actual practice , you'd just let them thru and write down
their name in the visitors log. It may all sound proper to question and hold
people but let us remember that this was Russia and Russian's aren't the nicest
of things compared to the Dutch , or even the western Europeans and hate being
put hold on one place, chances are they might point the gun at us , Captain
Kolev should remember that it will be the gangway watchman that will be shot
and not them . Probably there's a rumour going on that the reason why the port
state authorities was very critical about this was because the captain never
even bothered to be generous nor offer any drinks (for short bribe's) to the
authorities.
Going back,
it was a good thing that the time it was written down it wasn't on my work
shift or else , I would get all the flak.
Following
day.
There was a
fire drill , the drill was very typical and we didn’t do any actual drill at
all because of the bad weather and freezing temperature. Basically it was just
simply a standard lecture about a SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus)
equipment and testing it out. Before the lecture started chiefmate bayev
noticed the appearance of my helmet , apparently questioning the safeness of my
headlight and ask if I could show some sort of "safety certificate"
of such on the equipment. Of course I said yes and even added that I have a
manual over this equipment, and its certified to be used in tanker ships as
what it says on the manual and on the pamphlets in sunny euro brochure. Anyway
to avoid any more chatter, it was agreed on the conversation that I won't wear
this gear when the Vetting inspector is around as a precaution.
Soon after
the brief conversation after the drill, few of my co-workers started telling me
that I shouldn't use the damn thing at all (whether deck maintenance or at
port). Despite what some of my co-workers tell me about it, I'm not fazed at
all on using it, and if must I'm willing to put the extra effort in arguing on
the use of my "PELI 2640 ATEX Category 3 certified " headlight if
needed.
For the
ignoramus co-workers of mine, I specially selected that headlight for use
because of the characteristics being an ATEX Category 3 Certified equipment and
not on the fact that it looks good around on my safety helmet.
The
incident is caught also in video as evidence, (it was recorded on the last part
and good thing I was wearing a "Spy Camera" during that incident)
Problem
with us sailors is that , most people often (and if not always) get jealous on
other peoples equipment especially if I'm wearing unconventional gear. Stuff
that is not commonly used by a typical average Filipino Juan, like I said and
posted several times on my blog the equipment I used does not in any way
contradict the "safety working" guidelines . The only problem here is
the nasty nature called "Crab mentality" (or simply say human
jealousy). I find it rather ridiculous
that they had been around for decades and yet they haven't developed any tools
or equipment to make their working conditions better. I find it surprising that
despite being in the 21st century , a Filipino sailor hasn’t evolved anything
beyond a simple chipping hammer , coveralls and a helmet , hmpf ! Most probably
us Filipino's are busy using our grey matter in creating rumours and defuncting other people works rather than
inventing something. Filipino's are genius in respect but not in the way of
inventing something like scientist or engineers do.
Years back
I remember that most Filipino sailors told me that I can't use any ordinary
flashlight around for work and it has to be "instrically safe", if
it's going to be a privately owned flash light it should be the expensive
"PELI" brand nothing more. Years fast forward - now that I got a
"PELI" brand and took the efforts of acquiring it despite the cost , STILL people around
me tell that's I shouldn't use the
fucking thing at all. GOD DAMN MOTHER LOVING COMMIE !!! What the fuck is
the problem with Filipino's eh ???!!! Clearly and without mistake it only shows
that Filipino human nature of jealousy. If their own kind gets a better stuff ,
they get angry.
After a few
days …….
Couple of
days have passed since my last entry and the ships current position is now
drifting somewhere in the middle of Gibraltar waiting for company orders on
which country will it discharge its cargo. In the meantime, deck maintenance
personnel (myself concluded) are doing the usual routine work of rust chipping,
polishing , Painting primer paint to the area.
Speaking of
maintenance related issue , I haven't discussed yet that even a simple
maintenance related work could be so complicated here. On the big fact that
there is only one functional (and working) jet chisel and Cup brush on the
whole entire ship. I had no idea why the management doesn’t even bother buying
an extra or two on maintenance tools at all, personally I think the management
can buy those tools if needed be , but the problem here is that ships officers
here namely the soviet chief mate and captain are more interested in being a
schmoozer in the company and isn't exactly interested of even mentioning to the
company the needed tools and spare parts. Probably they figure that if they can
push the workers here "beyond the limit" of working with just the
most primitive tools, they'd get some
extra nice flowery perfume on their name in the company.
As a result
, were stuck here using the old and un reliable chipping hammer to get the rust
off by banging it. Really primitive way of working for the maintenance. Anyway
what do I expect from this soviets eh ? Their more interested in achieving
goals and skipping out (and perhaps totally ignore at all )the smaller
important details - the ones that really matter.
In other
news
Officially
my stay and expiration of my contract is just only around almost less than two
months from now. If my memory serves me correct my working contract will expire
by December 27th this year but being home before Christmas or perhaps before
new year would be skeptical due to CSM / Careers company policy. Anyway I don’t
really mind at all to be hanging out here for a little time longer maybe I
could make something beneficial out of it after all my finances are really bone
dry for the moment.
On November
7 2014, this ship has finally berthed to Algeciras and in such short notice.
It’s a good thing that bringing up all the mooring ropes (loose rope) are much
easier on storage rather than being stored. It took us only as little as an
hour in pulling all the eight mooring ropes in standby (both forward and aft)
and at around 3pm we've finished all the equipment that will be needed. As
payback for the aft mooring team about what happened last time (I mentioned on
entry "Snow Flakes" )It was decided that we leave the canvass cover
on the aft winches and let the AFT mooring crew remove it themselves.
At about
6:30PM , despite the initial information that berthing will be at 10pm or to
the least expected that any activity regarding berthing will begin at about at
least 8pm, I was surprised that I was
"ringed" on my cabin phone that early. Upon answering I was
told that we have to heave anchor in a few minutes. I heard that after heaving
the anchor , our lovely pathetic soviet captain was too anxious to start the
work - much to my annoyance. Damn Bulgarians !!!
Had a minor
problem on the middle part of mooring operations in the aft, a slight confusion
to be specific about connecting those lines. Apparently O.S. Dinglasa keeps
saying that there was no need for me to connect the other heaving to the other
as the length was sufficient enough to reach the other side (mooring wharf) ,
while the 2nd mate, pump man Sepulveda and A.B Ganub kept saying that I should
now connect the lines while there still time. Adding more annoyance was that
these people can't make their minds up and keep saying contradicting orders
like for example I should tie the other end to the monkey piece end , while the
other says I should connect it on the other end - resulting to more confusion.
Damn fuckers can't really make up their mind. To my annoyance after that , I
left O.S. Dinglasa and others on how to figure things out on the heaving line
and grabbed my metal hook and just stayed position near the winch along with
fitter Chaingan.
On the
forward mooring team has its own share of problem during that time as well,
From what I heard over the radio. Our Bulgarian Captain keeps pushing around
the crew there and saying that there too slow in mooring , enough to displease
the folks there. Like I said the problem with these people is that they're
saying things that are "easier said than done". Bulgarian dumbass
thinks that mooring wires and rope are "hand-held" equipment but in
reality it's so heavy that it takes both hands and at least two persons to drag
the damn thing.
Things got
really messy to the point that aft mooring crew had arrived and assisted them
on the mooring. From my perspective by the time we arrived , the breast line
(soft ropes, mooring arrangement 3:2:2 ) was the ropes that were being moored.
We assisted them and finished the job.
When me and
A.B. Layos got back on the locker room to change coveralls , I briefly went
outside to get my gloves and saw 2nd engineer Maksym Plokhotnichenko and asked
me on what happened on the forward mooring and what took them so long, I
replied plainly without giving any details that there some problems
encountered. After hearing that "Maksym" said a nasty remark saying
that these "crew" are lazy and took them a long time to finish. I
never said any word on his remarks and kept quiet but it was clear to me that
it was very rude to say things like that , I was there and helped the forward
mooring crew finish the job and does he have any idea on what kind of shit
storm people are handling there ?? How could he say that ?!
When I went
back to the locker room and A.B. layos ask what 2nd engineer Maksym was talking
about, I said "you don’t wanna know, You'd just get pissed about it"
.
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| Size of actual mooring rope in comparison with an adult human hand, do they have any idea on how heavy this shit is ??? |
