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11th May 2021, 12:21 PM
#1
He jumped
Sunday night a tanker in Port Philip bay waiting at anchor to berth.
A seaman jumps over the side, makes it to a marker buoy and hangs there for some 20 hours.
Rescued by a passing patrol boat and taken ashore to be admitted to quarantine for 14 days.
He had been on the ship for over 8 months without going ashore.
A spokes lady for the local Seaman's Mission here in Melbourne said that at the end of his quarantine period he would be flown home to Georgia.
She also reported that over the last 12 months during the pandemic some 100 known cases of seamen jumping, either ashore or over the side.
Most did so out of frustration of being away from home, not knowing when they would be back and lack of info from families.
A situation the average person would not even think about.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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11th May 2021, 12:55 PM
#2
Re: He jumped
Some seafarers are as much as 12 months over their agreed contracts. Suicides in seafarers has to be at an all time high.
Jumping overboard and hanging onto a buoy for 20 hours, poor guy but thankfully he has survived Sadly that will him and the sea finished with as he may find it impossible to get another job.
I am still friends with a lot of lads still at sea and many are doing 100%+ over their time. They tell me it is getting better but not for all onboard.
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11th May 2021, 01:27 PM
#3
Re: He jumped
Obviously not up with modern technology and mobile telephones and the ease of communication of today. 60years ago we would of been and have been in the same situation and reliant on pigeon post. Another reason why I walked off a ship in Japan. When I finally got through to wife found she had received no allotments for 3 months. So was the final straw . This was in 1971 so was 50 years ago. It cost me a lot of money . But a much wiser man. JS
R575129
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11th May 2021, 01:42 PM
#4
Re: He jumped
Sadly in a lot of countries if you walked of the ship tow things are likely to happen, returned onboard or thrown in jail.
Probably the best places to walk of are likely to be Europe/UK.
Middle east would not fancy my chances , it is difficult enough even with the correct paper work.
Last few times I paid off in Japan or Korea the agents held onto your passport and it was only returned at the entrance to the departure lounge in the airport after you had cleared immigration.
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11th May 2021, 06:40 PM
#5
Re: He jumped
hi john sabourn #3
good evening, dont worry about your technology updates your street cred is safe for now, as i recently saw a demonstration using semafore flag signaling, it was from the great orme north wales to hilbury island then to new brighton, and then onwards to liver buildings a distance of about fifty miles. the flag semafore signal beat the text by seconds.
tom
Last edited by thomas michael; 11th May 2021 at 07:13 PM.
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