Seafaring hours

[Captain Gordon Whittaker]

Here is an interesting video outlining the excessive demands on modern seafarers. Not much has changed from our day, except that manning scales are drastically reduced to the point of creating accidents, simply due to overwork.
Fatigue at Sea film

[John Arton]

Hi
Videotel actual made a training video on one of my ships. I rejoined her in the MSC to find a film crew on board. There was one professional actor (right pain in the ****, thought he was Richard Burton, kept asking the Director if he had got the right emphasis on a line etc. etc.), a sound man, camera man, director and script girl. Some of us had walk on parts.
The basis of the film was the stress that was the Master plus hours of work. The ship was due to sail, head office had not sent urgent spares etc. etc and to cap it all the Captain had personal ptoblems with his son.
The Pilots office in the Canal was used for some scenes and some scenes were filmed whilst we came down the canal with the pilot, bit difficult going into locks with a camera man sticking the camera in your face. Fortunatley we had enclosed bridge with duplicate controls port and stbd. so whilst the actor played his part on one side, myself and the pilot did the real work on the other side. Other scenes were filmed in the cargo control room to show how the Chief Officer had been going non stop for 72 hrs. The video showed the ship sailing, the Chief Officer on watch, falling asleep and ending up running into an anchored vessel.
As they also wanted to show that even at sea, with bad weather etc. you never really got caught up on sleep, the camera man and director came with us round to Rotterdam, hoping to catch some scenes of bad weather, which the UK weather gave them. There was a right hooley blowing, to such an extent that we had to go and shelter at Lynas for 12 hrs. and when we did eventually manage to get going we were heading right into the fag end of the storm going down St. Georges Channel, so the camera man was able to get some great shots of our ship in heavy seas, that is when he was not puking up. Eventually got to Rotterdam and they left us, think that was the first day they were not sea sick. We were sent a copy of the video and it looked quite professional, certainly showed the stress that most of us were under. I believe it is still part of the videotel collection, has anyone else seen it. Believe it is called something like stress at Sea, or similar.
I had a off camera speaking part and my Chief Off had a walk on part as a Radio Officer...as if we ever had one!!!, poetic licence taken to enhance the script I guess.

rgds
Capt. John Arton (ret'd)

[Les Howard]

here is an interesting video outlining the excessive demands on modern seafarers. Not much has changed from our day, except that manning scales are drastically reduced to the point of creating accidents, simply due to overwork.
fatigue at sea film

well i dont know were this is from being over worked after leaving the fishing industrie after 9 years working all mannor of hours from a 18hr day to working up to 2 days on deck without sleep and going in to the merchant navy it whas like a holiday to me just to do a 8 hr day it whas easy les

[Captain Kong]

I think it all depended on the type of trade the vessel is on.
I was on VLCCs and easy life a steady 4 on 8 off then doing a discharge which included the crude wash, I was on deck for as long as 72 hours, only very short breaks, eating on the hoof, sat on a pipe nodding off while waiting for one tank to finish before carrying the machines to the next tank and setting them up.and then doing a Nav watch after.
On the North Sea run up to the Brent Spa, 125 miles north of Shetlands, in winter was also very tiring, not a lot of sleep there, highest wind speed up there was 210 knts. let go hose, Bow load from the Spa, and wires and steam head into it while waiting to abait. then as wind drops tieing up again a couple of hours later wind is up so let go the Hose and wire and steam into the wind. We did seven connections in one load.
Coastal ships on on 4 on and 4 off and some mad skipper giving a boat drill in your watch below so no sleep again. It does get a little tireing. A few months of never having a straight eight wears you down.
The days we had with big crews are all gone. Hundred thousand ton ships with 12 men and coastal ships with only four men are now common..
Cheers
Brian.

[happy daze john in oz]

Not sure about container ships, but on the cruise ships they do very long hours. BR not too bad but for the wingers and bar crew it is a very long day. Because so many of the ships now have 24 hour dinning there is no limit to the hours they may have to work.

[Graham Evans]

Years ago, when I was Master on a British Supply Vsl. I managed to get into Torry Dock after abt. 4 days of NE'ly 8-10, followed by fog. I collapsed in a knackered state on my bunk, eyes like piss holes in the snow from radar. After about 30 mins, some twit from the Office walked in (without knocking) & said "Captain - you are always sleeping when I come aboard here, have you been drinking?"-after looking in the bin seeing an empty can from the previous trip. Correspondents on this forum will have little difficuty in envisaging my reply. I rolled out,went to my desk, got the Articles & signed myself off. I said to this idiot "sign here", he replied "what for?". I replied "It's for the fu****g petty fu**king cash, you fu**king ass hole, stick your f**king job up your etc. etc. etc. I won't name the Company-(it began with an O), but for sure, that clown is probably a Super. somewhere,making everyone's life a misery-those that are left anyway.

[Tony Morcom]

I have to say it was bad enough when I was at sea. 4 on 8 off sound brilliant but that's 7 days a week for upto 5 or 6 months. During that time how many periods of 8 hours off did we actually get? surprisingly few. What makes matters worse is bad weather when everything is more of a struggle and requires far more energy, but you still had to carry on. Interestingly enough I can't honestly remember any c/o, 2/0 or 3/0 actually getting taken ill so that they couldn't stand their watch. Imagine the nightmare that occurs if one or more of the deck officers gets struck down with a case of the flu. There are generally only four people on the average ship capable of running a watch on their own plus maybe the senior cadet if he or she was any good.

Without wishing to tread on anyone's toes, it wouldn't have been quite such a problem down below as there were quite a few engineers on any one ship. In a lot of cases you had a c/e, 2/e, 3/e, 4/e, 5/e plus cadets. All of them could have stood a watch knowing there was a more senior engineer to call if things started to go wrong.

At the time we thought nothing of it and it became normal routine and you got used to maybe 5 hours sleep if you were lucky. Occasionally a spell in port provided the opportunity for things to be relaxed and I can remember the sheer bliss of being able to turn in knowing you wouldn't be called for 10 - 12 hours.

Most would think that shoreside this didn't or doesn't happen. My last job as sales manager of a national double glazing company often proved that not to be the case. The office opened at 8am and didn't close until the last rep had left his final appointment. Many is the time I have not left the office until 11 - 12 at night and then faced an hour's drive home. Buy the time you have chilled out, had something to eat and finally rolled into bed at about 2 am only to have the bloody alrm go off at 7am and you start all over again. Whilst in the office you are on the go all the time. Negotiating deals over the phone with the reps and their customers, talking to seniotr management on the phone plus tonnes of paperwork.6 days a week every week. Last night of the month still in the office at 3 am and then a 3-4 hour drive to get to a breakfast meeting at 7am Oh the joys of management! I would rather have been back at sea any day of the week!

As an interesting comparison as 2/0 when I left the sea we were on about £15,000 tax free in 1979. On 2007 when I left my last job I was on about £45,000 average. You can do the maths of when i was better off!!

[j.sabourn]

Know exactly what you are saying Graham.Was snatching alongside rig way up North, after 17 hours standing at the sticks asked control if he was going to work us night and day. Remark came back we expect 18 hours out of you, I replied you have 1 hour left. Came back very polite and asked if I would work job and finish to get some helo tanks on. Stupidly I conferred I would. The job went on to 26 hours total before being released. Could hardly walk off Bridge and thought at least could get head down before reaching Lerwick. After 15 minutes was called to Bridge as had Dense fog so up until getting into Lerwick, where of course after about 3 hours we were ready to go out again. They talk about safety in the N. Sea makes my blood boil. Its a wonder they can even spell it. Cheers John Sabourn.

[Capt Bill Davies]

I
remember the sheer bliss of being able to turn in knowing you wouldn't be called for 10 - 12 hours.
M!!

Well Tony,with respect, you obviously led a charmed life at sea. My memories are somewhat different and can remember being often glued,as it were , to the radar for what seemed days relieving myself in a bucket, and then on arrival being at the beck and call of evert port official known and unknown to man. However, having never enjoyed shore employment I cannot compare except to say I would think it unlikely that there many positions ashore which were as demanding as that of a shipmaster and I should imagine life for those in the North Sea, supply boats, coasters etc were any less onerous.

Brgds

Bill

[Tony Morcom]

Well Tony,with respect, you obviously led a charmed life at sea.
Bill

No not charmed really Bill. Its just that I only got to 2nd Mate and then I left the sea, much to my regret ever since. Having said that as it was 1979 and things were about to change drastically, not least the wind down of Houlders with whom I had served my time at sea.