LIFE AT SEA

                                                !!!   LIFE AT SEA !!!

Hello readers!!!

Good day to you all!

First and the foremost ,I  would like to thank the Editors and Board of Trustees of the Prabhu Tarun for giving me this opportunity to pen down before you my experiences of 42 years of Sea Service and present the harsh  realities faced by a seafarer and his family!

Yes, it gives  great visual delight to the viewer to see  the smart uniform  being donned and hear about the  handsome earnings in dollars, but ,  to earn that , a common man may not realize the hardships faced by us seafarers and the sacrifices we have to make to sport  that smart uniform ,  earn and travel around the world.

Well, I joined The Shipping Corporation Of India way back in May 1974 as a Trainee Marine Engineer  and was subsequently posted as a Jr. Engineer (Fifth Engineer Officer)on the MT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU, a one  lakh ton cargo carrying capacity tanker which in those days was the biggest ship in the Indian fleet owned by The SCI Ltd.

This tanker was converted into a bulk carrier in Japan and we proceeded to the USA to load grain (wheat) for India.On our outward passage, we were without cargo (on Ballast) and crossed the Pacific to reach Portland, USA. We loaded 90, 000 tons of wheat from three different ports in the USA , Portland, Seattle and Tacoma and sailed back for India .

Now, we were fully loaded and hardly had any freeboard (the distance in terms of height between the main deck and the sea level).As we were crossing the Pacific, the same Pacific Ocean which was like a lake, on our outward voyage had turned into a deadly monster raging with  waves rising up to the bridge(navigation deck) at a height of almost 70 feet and the main deck almost submerged under water with the waves crossing from one end to the other.

A very scary scene indeed :When our Captain realized that we were heading into a storm , we tried to turn the vessel 360 degrees, so that we don’t head into it and the storm passes from the rear end of the vessel (Aft).   By then, it was too late and can you imagine a huge 1 lakh tonner with a 22,700 BHP (HORSE POWER) engine, making  -2 knots! Not moving forward at all but being pushed back.These are trying times for us engineers as we have to ensure that the engines don't stop.  Quite a large number of ships have gone down because of engines failures. So , we had to keep the stand-by generator running as well as all the other stand-by machinery in readiness and be very vigilant in the engine room. We were being tossed and turned with heavy rolling and pitching. For 3 days, our cooks could cook nothing  being  difficult to place  utensils on the hot plate.   Thus,we had to survive only on dry provisions like bread , butter, jam ,biscuits etc .We literally earned our bread and butter !!!! Don't you think so? Well , the climax was on the second night . After my duty hours had finished at  midnight, I  was relaxing in my cabin ,when  suddenly, there was a lot of commotion  in the alleyway.  I saw one of the crew members running towards the bridge with a  life jacket and shouting “JAHAJ PHAT GAYA". The Emergency Stations alarm was sounded .  Can  you imagine our state of mind  ???!!!! We all ran down to the crew accomodation and were shocked to see the alleyway full of sea water and  pouring  endlessly in from the steering gear compartment.

This is when I learnt how to keep cool and handle such emergency situations from my Chief Engineer Mr.A.K Singh and Captain T.S.Khara .  This very combination of KHARA-SINGH saved our vessel. The hatch cover on top of the steering gear compartment had opened due to heavy vibrations caused by rolling and pitching and sea water waves were just gushing in. Someone needed to go up on the deck and shut the flap . Our Chief Engineer himself tied a life line and with the help of another crew member went up on the deck .In those  furious conditions , he  managed to shut the hatch cover and arrest the gushing sea water and thus saved our lives.Those days there was no Internet, no WhatsApp, no satellite phones .  The only communication was by means of radio by Morse Code and we had lost contact with land for 3 days. Our ship the MT. JAWAHARLAL NEHRU was reported missing . It was only after the storm had subsided , we could establish contact again .Since our ship was fully loaded with such powerful engines , we survived and ofcourse  salutes  to the efficient handling by the Chief Engineer and the Master.
This experience on my very first voyage transformed me into a different person .  I learnt a lot from my seniors on handling such  trying situations which were later useful to me when I became a Sr. Engineer.

With this first experience , I sign-off here and wish all the readers A VERY HAPPY DIWALI, PEACEFUL,HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

Good- Bye!
SUDEEP NARAYAN KOTHARE