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Thread: Introducing Kev

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    Smile Introducing Kev

    Greetings to all
    Joined a couple of weeks ago, Kevin Murphy, I was a mariner for 30 years, now a surveyor, with my own company back in the UK, after spending last 10 years in the middle East, with a couple of major consultancies/survey companies.
    Served my time with Common Brothers 1977-81 then third Mate, before going foreign flag as commons closed down, My last 10 years at sea as Master with Dartline Freight ferries.
    Ships I sailed on:
    Commons: 77-82- Kurdistan, Caribbean Progress, Simonburn(cargo), Strait of Canso, Simonburn(tanker)-as cadet ,Then, Strait of Canso, Fernanda F as 3/0
    Rachid Fares:82-84- Fernanda F, Fernanda F, Persia
    Commons:84-85 Ocean Challenge
    Labuan Shipcare- Lay up squad-Brunei Bay 85-86
    ZIM; 87-88, Zim Singapore, Zim Eilat
    Rachid Fares: 88, Fernanda F, Danny F
    Irvings 88/9; Irving Forest
    G. Gibsons 89-92: Teviot, Teviot, Quentin, Quentin, Heriot, Heriot
    Maersk 92-93; Maersk Cadet, Maersk Captain, Maersk Sussex
    P+O Tankships 93-94, Polarisman, Orionman, Orionman, Northgate
    Sally Ferries 95-97: PMC, Sally Sky
    Stena: 97- Stena Empereur
    Dart Line 97-07: Dart 1, 2, 4, 5 but mainly on DART 8
    Then worked for Noble Denton and LOC as surveyor based in a few countries in the Middle East
    All in all not bad times, certainly some character building experiences along the way, some great memories, even the bad ones improve with the passage of time.
    I certainly hope to be able to contribute to future items.
    As I walk down the gangway nowadays at the end of a survey, i am generally very glad to be going back to my hotel or driving home. I dont think todays seafarers will enjoy life as much.
    Rgds
    Kev

  2. #2
    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
    Keith at Tregenna Guest

    Default Re: Introducing Kev

    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Murphy View Post
    I certainly hope to be able to contribute to future items.
    As I walk down the gangway nowadays at the end of a survey, i am generally very glad to be going back to my hotel or driving home. I dont think todays seafarers will enjoy life as much.
    Rgds
    Kev


    Hello and welcome.

    Interested in knowing more.

    Regards,

    Keith.

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    Default Re: Introducing Kev

    Welcome to the site Kevin.
    Enjoy
    Ron The batcave

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    Default Re: Introducing Kev

    Hello Kev, yes, that was me.Sean currie-789y-jpg
    Is this you in the picture?
    Singapore 83 I was in Jurong DD in March on a Sanko tanker.

    789y.jpg
    Last edited by Sean Currie; 26th February 2019 at 08:39 PM.

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    Default Re: Introducing Kev

    Hi Sean
    Apologies for the delay, been travelling a fair bit recently on surveys
    Yes thats me on the right, Bob Stevens at the Front, Barry Petit, the last lad, cant remember his name, I think a Buries Markes cadet, Not too bad for 40 years ago
    rgds
    Kev

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    Default Re: Introducing Kev

    Keith
    Although I spend a lot of time checking offshore vessels, I have at least recently spent a fair bit of time inspecting general cargo vesels, 3-7000 dwt, the conditions on some of the super duper hi tec offshore boats might be ok in terms of technology etc, with good wifi etc, but a lot of the cargo vessels do not have much, Satelite Tv is not a given, very often no free wifi, they use there data allownces in the EU.

    Nowadays nearly every ship has a zero alcohol policy, so you cant even pop ashore for a pint. These guys are on 4 month trips.

    I was very fortunate in that I spent a lot of time on old ships and they were generally watchkeeing in the ER, so there was chance for a couple of light ales with the other watchkeeper, I certainly learnt a lot from listening to talk about the job. I very much enjoyed the 12-4
    Luckily my last 13 years at sea were working 3 weeks on/off which was a good rotation, on dry ships. When I went to sea originally it was for an interesting life, nowadays even though a lot of the people are on poor wages by our standards, its good for them, and thus are what I call economic seafarers. Todays life for seafarers encompasses so much paperwork, form filling, it is a drudgery, I wuld not do it, nothing to look forward to, there is again the lack of a deep understanding of what we do as a seafarer, knowledge in many cases now is about machine operation, what would happen if the GPS systm went down?? complete pandamonium, a significant number of people out there would struggle to get a bearing & distance, I had a third mate, back in 2007, who (though he had 4 trips under his belt on small bulkies in the Medi), did not know what a Racon was, could not take a range and bearing using the radar even, could not put a position on the chart using bearing & distance from a buoy, he could only put a position from the GPS.

    It probably sounds like a tall tale, but I can guarantee its true. The guy joined on Monday and I was going to sack him on Wednesday, however as I had sacked the previous 3rd mate, a week before & shorthanded for a week, I decided to let my relief do it, on handing over on Wednesday night, I told my oppo the situation, he said ok I will sack nim on Friday, I drove home that night, 0900 next morning I got a call, "Kev couldnt wait", just sacked him after 30 minutes on watch. He really was a superstar.
    The old saying, if you cant take a joke you shouldnt have joined is very very true.
    If I wear my sailors head, I get a bit depressed about standards today, If I wear my surveyors head, I just think more work.
    rgds
    Kev

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    Default Re: Introducing Kev

    Kevin just seen your posts and thank you for a more modern outlook on shipping that most of us have at present. The standards as I have always said do not exist as they once did. I retired in 2002 and was only too pleased to walk down the gangway for the last time , due mainly to changes of law in shipping , mainly to alleviate the cost of running ships and never to the benefit of the crews and only lip service paid to safety. Maybe I am old fashioned , but maybe we should of all seen the writing on the wall when they took the English paper out of the Examination for 2 Nd. Mate. You will on doing surveys be more appreciative of the present laws. I spent 26 years on deep sea ships of various types and 24 years offshore on various types of ships also. In 2002 they bore little resemblance to what they had done in previous years. The ships themselves were mainly still the old type of vessel , but the crews were definetley not. Legislation such as it was regarding offshore vessels was punitive to what it is today but the ships got around a damn sight better. The guts seem to have been extracted out of the body and what remains is zombies.I could go on and on about it, but it is pleasing to see there is someone on site , who will have a more overlooking real idea of the present situation of the Industry. My excuse would be if had to give one is that the standards today educational wise as regards crews , they have taken the weakest foreign flag vessels credentials and used that as the marker for all others. Welcome to the site also. Cheers JS

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    Default Re: Introducing Kev

    Kev,
    Understand the travelling problem. I did it too for ten years - mostly crude oil survey representation. It's sucks to be away so much.
    The missing guy in the photo is, I think, JJ Barry.
    I retired last year from the mighty Statoil(now Equinor) and have been writing a book. I took these two short passages as representative of my position in your discussion above:

    "When I see pictures of the mission today, the Filipinos and Indians, the only customers remaining to frequent it, look so sad, as if all the excitement has been sucked from the industry - all that’s left are the flags, a phone call home and God."

    "The British crew went ashore and a Filipino replacement boarded taking their duties, along with their inheritance and legacy as the British Merchant Navy circled the drain."
    Regards
    Sean

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