Time used at sea.

[j.sabourn]

When I was made redundant from a shipowner in 1986 I got 3 months money in lieu of notice. I was advised by Numast to apply to the labour exchange for dole money and think I got six days money. In the interval I collared someone for a job on a F.F. Ship and was there for 11 months on two ships of the same ownership. Coming back into the UK received a letter from the DHSS demanding this 6 days dole back. I told them to get stuffed. I had claimed it in the first place was that it was stated in the govts. Small print that if you received 12 weeks money you weren’t entitled to dole for 12 weeks , being nit picking what seamen received was different and was 3 calendar months , and was an argument on their wording which was inaccurate. I was threatened with all sorts and went to see the citizens advice bureau which had the power of zilch.In the finish went to see the dole manager who had authorised it and he told them all where to get off. 0ne of the threats was to take it out of the OAP , what a laugh they already were doing that by the miserable sum they were paying to those who had contributed all their life and given the surplus to anyone claiming to be a refugee. I always paid self employed stamps also when working for foreign owners , in retrospect it was thrown good money down the sink. Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Lewis, rules are one thing policing them another.

Out on the south sea oceans one will often see an oil slick which looks as if tanks may have been cleaned.
Floating debris which could well be the bits from a sewage system emptied onto the ocean.

Whilst most do the right thing there are still, some out there who do not, catching them is the hard bit.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Have things changed at all since you were captain ?

K.

[Lewis McColl]

I did mention the Magic pipe John, but things are a lot better than they used to be, No such thing as single hulled tankers sailing the seas these days. All segregated ballast double hulled tankers.

[Bill Morrison]

Post#82. John when you were made redundant from S.F. M. in 1986 I was informed that those on the vessels at the time retained their jobs and those on leave loss theirs was this the case. The then M.D. James Hann ( later Sir) resigned not long after. He was responsible for building the company up from scratch and was not happy with the way things were going.
Bill

[j.sabourn]

#86.. Bill it’s a long time ago now , but think Iwas home on leave at the time . Received it though the mail , everything was paid as per contract. I got a phone msg. From shall we say another seafarer advising me shortly before the arrival of the letter to get my claim in quick for the pension rights. I didn’t follow through until too late.
As you know the pension was supposed to be updated with the mnopf. With the ultimate design of when reached retirement you would be on two thirds of your final salary and index linked, and believe some got this in their package . I didn’t so had a solicitor friend look into it. No joy SML or whoever were crafty enough to keep on changing the insurers and blaming liability on the previous insurers. I gave up in total disgust in the finish.I didn’t know Hahn had received a knighthood just shows how they give them away. I don’t have much faith in any British shipowner where there is money ,safety, payouts, bonuses or anything else , and as others have said I have seen more honesty with foreign owners . Cheers JS
PS 2 years after this through force of circumstances I was involved in the PA disaster. Even after that I had to make a claim to the owners of the ship for the few pounds that they were holding onto that Occidental had paid for the clothing they the crew had passed on to the survivors . Pity our gallant useless media didn’t print the proper stories , instead of the garbage they utter, that story I did send them via email . A lot of seamen would be quite comfortable if they had been paid their just deserts in other cases as well. Cheers JS

[Lewis McColl]

Lewis, rules are one thing policing them another.

Out on the south sea oceans one will often see an oil slick which looks as if tanks may have been cleaned.
Floating debris which could well be the bits from a sewage system emptied onto the ocean.

Whilst most do the right thing there are still, some out there who do not, catching them is the hard bit.

Floating debris which could well be the bits from a sewage system emptied onto the ocean. All I can say is which ever ship it was it must have been one hell of a feeder that's for sure!!!!

[j.sabourn]

May have been the khazi that the chippy used to build hanging over the stern for the use of. And a helpful sea took it away for fumigation. JS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hopefully things have changed a little for the better from when i went to sea, pumping out tanks as we went down the Bristol Channel , even as a small boy I remember paddling through the lumps of wax and oil in Swansea Bay. Major problem now is Plastic, a person could die swimming wrapped in the plastic these days.
Des

[Keith at Tregenna]

Every respect Des, love your replies and experience
a long standing member that knows his stuff from
years gone by and today.

All the best. Keith.