Time used at sea.

[j.sabourn]

I wouldn’t have a clue as to any later than 2002 additions to the clean seas act or whatever it’s called now. But is pumping overboard bilge water a no no even though it’s through the separator ? There is still a lot of old tonnage out there mainly owned by 3rd. World countries and don’t have the capability’s of retaining dirty water on board for long periods . How many ships don’t even have sewage tanks. All raw sewage on most ships went directly to the sea regardless of what people think. And yet if a cupful of oil escapes in port the fines are handed out like tea and biscuits. You know when Saddam opened the taps of the oil refineries into the Gulf it was a supposedly tragedy.Another course a seaman has to do on certain ships is oil dispersance. I did one in Fremantle and the bloke doing the lecturing had been involved in the Gulf problem said the best dispersant was Mother Nature , the Gulf cleared itself in a matter of months. As for spillages from ships there is more natural oil from the sea bed in a day than from ships in a year . Things are never kept in perspective . People have to be shocked in to awareness but with that shock the truth is often lost in the clutter. Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

As officers steward I can recall numerous occasions when alarms were running hot, at sea and in port for various reasons no doubt.
Engineers always on the run to the engine room.

But with modern cruise ships I have never seen any going astern apart from maybe leaving port.
But with the wing bridges the way they ae there is little excuse for not being able to see other ships.

However in some ports there are often several cruise ships in at the same time and it can get a bit crowded.

But being a bit cynical I will put this up.

Venice has for some time attempted to get cruise ships banned from going there, damage being caused by the increase in ships movements is causing so many problems.
Could this be a way of reducing the number going there?

[j.sabourn]

There were 2 alarms that those who lived through the war years will always remember and able to differentiate between the two with no bother , they were the air raid warning and the all clear. The first one meant run, and the second come out of your funk hole. JS

Most people when you mention Venice have visions of canals , gondolas , and love scenes and operas.
Venice as a seaport is a bit different and not so romantic. I still remember it as apparently colder than Russia ,and having to throw buckets of hot water on the steering quadrant to unfreeze it.If one thinks of cruiseships on the canals they can only be in nightmares . JS

[Lewis McColl]

You can still pump bilges overboard via the OWS which will not discharge to the sea if the PPM is above 15parts per million. If it detects that it is above that level it will dump to the Bilge holding tank. Also any bilge operation is entered into oil record book.

All cargo vessels where MARPOL Convention is applicable must have an oil record book in which the chief engineer will record all oil or sludge transfers and discharges within the vessel. This is necessary for authorities to be able to monitor if a vessel's crew has properly disposed of their oil discharges at sea.
Many a ships Master & C/Eng have found themselves in deep water & Jail because of some enterprising engineer making a magic pipe to bye pass the OWS.

The discharge of sewage into the sea is prohibited, except when the ship has in operation an approved sewage treatment plant or when the ship is discharging comminuted and disinfected sewage using an approved system at a distance of more than three nautical miles from the nearest land.

[j.sabourn]

The oil record book was always there during my time Lewis the same as the factory act book. But book keeping is not always the same as practice. In every walk of life you get those who break the law.Only some get caught.I watch these tv programs showing customs officers finding hoards of drugs. The only thing it does for me , is to think how much dont they find. JS

[Lewis McColl]

It would be a foolish Chief Engineer who falsified an entry in the Oil record book today John. It could lead to losing your ticket or even jail time. But you did ask the question do they still pump bilges over the wall. Unless things have changed since I retired in 2013 the answer is yes using the OWS and as long as the oil content is below 15PPM. I have not sailed on a ship built from the 1980's that did not have a sewage treatment plant or did not use a sewage holding tank while in port.

[j.sabourn]

#77 8 years ago is a long time in today’s world of ever changing legislation which is changed on a whim to suit the ideology of groups of people who are fanatical in their beliefs such as climate change among other things , and politicians are only too keen to be seen as agreeing with the same , thinking I assume of their own future.As to
The threat of loss of certification you might be surprised at how many ships even today are ploughing the ocean under various flags of convenience where certification is very doubtful at the best of times.. We were brought up to safeguard this very precious object but others maybe not so much. I know of two people who I knew were sailing under false pretences so they in the same terminology would have nothing to lose. The world is full of miscreants at sea the same as elsewhere. The British Merchant Navy led the world at one time in its integrity to such a subject as certification , today I doubt if any maritime country cares too much. Even a British cert.could be obtained in H.K.at one time and you couldn’t tell the difference , I had one shown to me. The number was the only thing that could prove its authenticity. And that’s how 1 of the 2 I mention was caught. Cheers JS..

[Lewis McColl]

Aren't we lucky not to be involved anymore with all these Marpol regulations, no doubt a lot of this still applied in my day before retiring and yourself as well.
https://www.lr.org/en/marpol-interna...ookieSupport=1

the 15PPM still is the given value today.


http://dynamic-ews.com/Tariffs/Stand...-Aug-2010).pdf

[j.sabourn]

#79. Lewis one of my biggest senses on reaching retirement age was of jubilation, and the fact I wouldn’t have to undergo the periodic examination for the HUET course ( helicopter underwater escape techniques) seamen today spend a lot of time joining and leaving ships by helicopters and if you don’t have this certificate you aren’t going anywhere. I refused to accept redundancy in 1986 from the BSF and therefore had to accept jobs that normally I would have turned my nose up at. I emigrated here in 1991 and never looked back work wise and was a second life to me, so will always look on Australia as my own lifesaver. Yes I am very pleased to be retired , but even up to the age of 70 was still receiving offers of work ,a far cry from Britain. It is very nice to say No thank you ,but thanks for the offer.
The uk much as most on here would like to see reclaim its former self as regards the MN this I doubt will ever happen , politically and practically it has had the guts kicked out of it. Cheers JS.

[Lewis McColl]

Agree John if anyone thinks that the Merchant Navy will return to some of it's former glory I think they will be disappointed. To be honest I never started to make decent money until I went foreign flag. I made more money working for the Danes and Germans and the Arabs and even the Chinese than I ever did working for British companies. BP in the 2000's started to pay well then they shafted the sea staff by reflagging the ships to the IOM flag. Straight away I took a hit of just under £5000 a year as I had to start paying Class 1 NIC's meanwhile BP did not as they said they employed use from offshore in Singapore. The UK government said as the vessel was registered in Douglas IOM they classed it as a British ship and we had to pay Class 1 NIC's I went to China standing by new build LNG Carriers but BP paid any taxes that fell due on earnings, I went back to paying a self employed Class 2 NIC. I was awarded a delivery bonus when I took a new Chinses ship into service. BP tried to stop this as they said I was being well rewarded for the job I was doing. The Chinese agreed and instead of paying me a bonus via BP just gave me a Brown envelope in cash when a vessel was put into service I think it varied depending on any delays cooling down and loading & discharging first cargos.