Shrink-wrapped Seafarers...

[Gulliver]

I'm posting the following snippet of a Maersk Line press report which refers to the incident on the giant container ship Emma Maersk which was holed adjacent to one of her bow thruster units at Suez back in February.


‘The water flooded the engine room which consequently led to the loss of main engine power, and Emma Maersk was towed to the quay at Suez Canal Container Terminal. While it is still unclear what caused the damage, any human error by the crew was ruled out A spokesperson said “The crew handled the situation very well and did exactly what they should at all stages.”
Meanwhile, the crew have been offered the opportunity to talk with a crisis psychologist, and those who wish to sign off have been allowed to do so.



Crisis psychologist!


I wonder how many of us ‘old seafarers' who were involved in collisions,fires,heavy weather damage,wars et al would be of sounder mind today if we’d been allowed to sign off and go see a clinical psychologist !


The world has changed so much…. Cry.gif

[Doc Vernon]

Nice one Gulliver!

Think that Todays World is going mad,all these issues with Shrinks etc what next!
As you say would any of the old Seaman of yesteryear been told thay could do that,and in any case I reckon not one would have accepted!
Making a bunch of as we would say "Sissies" out of Men!
What a World we now live in!
Cheers

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for that Davy,

What kind of a crew did they have, ? A bunch of Girl guides ?
What ever happened to the Roughy Toughy Seafarers of yesterday, They would never survive on some of the ships I sailed on in the 50s and 60s, before H&S took over.
Cheers
Brian

[j.sabourn]

#2... Vernon after the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, it was mentioned casually to me that if I wanted trauma treatment it was available. I chose not to believing it would lessen my chances of future employment. As have mentioned before had nightmares for a long time afterwards, due mainly to the sight of various people and the vivid recollections of their bodily parts being torn off. I never even talked to my wife about as wanted no one to have to go through my purgatory. 25 years later a recurrence of same on the 25th anniversary stomach cramps, sickness and sleeplessness, plus of course the nightmares. I finished up in Hospital for a week undergoing tests which they thought all the time was undergoing was due to some fever caught abroad it had them all stumped. Even got me thinking as to the possible causes. After body scans etc. they came up with the answer it was divictulitis a stomach complaint for which I was treated. As no one knew my history. On coming home I went to see my GP and tried to explain to him my past and the possibility of seeing a trick cyclist in case that was the root of the problem. He gave me a number to ring which I did. After explaining my thoughts to her that my recent medical problem may have been brain caused for a better word, her answer was have you any thoughts of doing away with yourself and do you have a firearm in the house. I put the phone down and never bothered again after that with trick cyclists. I know that some of the survivors at least one committed suicide and a possible two others who died in peculiar manners , how many others I don't know, these would have received trauma treatment as most did. A common complaint with a lot of them was that no company would employ them afterwards, which I thought at the time would happen, as a lot would be considered Jonahs. Whether trauma treatment is necessary or unneccesssary probably depends on the individual. Those who spent their lives at sea have probably built up a harder resistance to death in its many forms than others. I do know it affected all my own crew in various ways, two of them never went back to sea again, and one of them was ex navy and was on the naval ship sunk by an exocet off the Falklands. Cheers JS

[Keith Tindell]

After coming ashore i joined the Fire Service and served for 30 years, a part of the job was turning out to some pretty horrific sights, at no time we were we offered any sort of trauma treatment, although i believe such treatment/talks etc are in place now. I do know of at least two people who just could not hack the situations we had to deal with, and resigned, but by and large we were left to get on with it. The worst part i found was having to attend coroners court and go through all your actions, usually with members of the deceased family present, kt

[cappy]

john i know you can handle it .....it is what you are ....life is full of trauma some small some large my gran who i loved more than anything said ...the lord always puts the biggest loads on the broadest shoulders ......when my minor traumas have hapened i always think of them words ........regards cappy

#2... Vernon after the Piper Alpha disaster in ex navy and was on the naval ship sunk by an exocet off the Falklands. Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

#1... Gulliver after walking off that ship in Japan, more or less penniless, was in bed for a week on getting home was a nervous wreck or the next thing to. Went down to London to see John I Jacobs for a job as had no money to pay the bills, told them the story, they just shrugged and said that was in the past and put me on the payroll. What really caused a lot of self recriminations someone told me that the ship had been lost with all hands after I left, this really gave me a guilt complex as was the reason why I left as could see such happening. However it was untrue and was probably a story filtered to me by the owners together with not supplying any wages still due as I broke the contract. Should of came off in Hong Kong on the advice of the shipping master there, being about 33 years of age at the time I thought I knew better, getting older one realizes one only gets wisdom with age and experience. Cheers JS

[John Arton]

Hmmmmm!!!
Maybe I should have worked for Maersk.
41 years at sea
3 collisions
1 man lost overboard
2 deaths at sea
3 times attacked by crew members

1 threatened and arrested by gun toting police
Shot at by resident's of a particularly bad neighbourhood that we had strayed into in Jacksonville
Do I need counselling or am I just a Jonah?
Well I think I am perfectly sane and well balanced though her indoors begs to differ LOL
rgds
JA

[j.sabourn]

#8... Went for an interview with Maersk offshore in I think Liverpool one time. Think it was Maersk Isle of Man Ltd. Gave me a mensa test and extolled the virtues of the company in general. They said ok we"ll employ you, think this was before they must have checked on the Mensa test, as I was sitting there with a throbbing head after a night on the tiles. I then asked when I would be going on the pay roll, oh they said it wont be for another 3 months when we get the ships. Which were going to be working off South America. Told them the facts of life and I didn't have that sort of time to waste off pay. Some people thought they were giving you manna from heaven and not just another job. Cheers JS

[E.Martin]

I'm posting the following snippet of a Maersk Line press report which refers to the incident on the giant container ship Emma Maersk which was holed adjacent to one of her bow thruster units at Suez back in February.


‘The water flooded the engine room which consequently led to the loss of main engine power, and Emma Maersk was towed to the quay at Suez Canal Container Terminal. While it is still unclear what caused the damage, any human error by the crew was ruled out A spokesperson said “The crew handled the situation very well and did exactly what they should at all stages.”
Meanwhile, the crew have been offered the opportunity to talk with a crisis psychologist, and those who wish to sign off have been allowed to do so.



Crisis psychologist!


I wonder how many of us ‘old seafarers' who were involved in collisions,fires,heavy weather damage,wars et al would be of sounder mind today if we’d been allowed to sign off and go see a clinical psychologist !


The world has changed so much…. Cry.gif

Back in the 1950ties we carried 2 Crisis Psychologists,other wise known Chief Officer and Bosun.