Decimation of the ABBOT STEEL PLANT Port Talbot

[John Cassels]

Re #16 . Was the Crinan also in Port Talbot during the strike ? I remember others on ship mentioning one of the ships was manned by Cadets and there was expectations that she would carry on sailing as they weren’t members of the NUS . However it never happened as far as I recollect. Maybe the manning scale at the time was not appropriate and insufficient seatime crew wise.? However today I think anyone today would think today’s manning scales are likewise, criminal in lots of cases. With today’s or not too far back bringing in 12 hours working days, no overtime , and other disallowed attractions at the time. Loss of sleep being the big one supposedly for safety reasons but used mainly to enhance payments of poor wages . To me conditions as far as pay was concerned went down the googler for seamen. Maybe that’s where Google got their title from. At the time of the strike was mate on the Ravensworh and previous to that had been mate on the Pennyworth and the general cargo ship the Warkworth since the end of 63. If I previously said the Cherrywood that was old age speaking as that was in the following decade. Either old age or dementia . JS

Crinan was indeed in PT during the strike , most of it in Drydock. I can only say that when I was on her 3 years before she carried
a full deck crew mostly chuchters .

[Fouro]

Re # 2.

In other words John, the ship carried a deck crew mostly of whom who were country bumpkins.

Fouro.

[Fouro]

The post above should have referred to post # 21.

Anyway, the ship's name Crinan is Scottish Gaelic, so it's possible most of it's deck crew could have been Highlanders.

Fouro.

[Clifford Arkley]

I was owners rep for the 'Sertao' drill ship whilst she lay under arrest for more than a year alongside the layby berth in Port Talbot Steel Works (across the jetty from the main discharge berth). I visited every 3-4 weeks staying for a few days in 'Blancos' hotel. Then visiting the vessel daily to help out with any problems or issues. What a great bunch in the works and the hotel. Not too mention the local 'Spoons' where we met regulars who were retirees from the works. The town was on it's uppers then, so this latest news is a disaster. Although progress must be made in creating a cleaner and more efficient industry, it seems to be a 'no matter what' and the UK always manages to inflict the most severe pain during it's chase of the 'unicorn' net zero. Other countries steel producers must be laughing their socks off as they line up to flog us their products.

[John Cassels]

The post above should have referred to post # 21.

Anyway, the ship's name Crinan is Scottish Gaelic, so it's possible most of it's deck crew could have been Highlanders.

Fouro.

Yep , all from the west coast and islands.

[Doug Hardie]

Highland seafarers were and continue to be very skilful many started there sea service in the once mighty fishing fleets out of Aberdeen ,Peterhead etc and went on to serve in The MN both coastal & Deep sea .
The term Country Bumpkins seems to be a bit harsh as it is said in Scotland “We are all Jock Thomson’s Bairns. Which means we all start out the same.
Doug

[john hancock]

Decimation is a gross understatement.
10% is all that will be left.
Where the waste gas was used to melt the steel , now we will import gas to make electricity to melt the steel.
Brilliant.

[j.sabourn]

#24 What was the Sertao arrested for ? In 1970 I was mate on the ex Irish Elm , renamed of course and flying the Gibraltar flag at that moment in time. One of her sister ships also renamed was arrested in Montreal for non payment of crews wages and other outstanding bills. They were a Yugoslav crew and lucky to get a representative to take their case , and the ship was sold to pay their wages owing and all other debts. The crew were repatriated back to Yugoslavia or wherever they were picked up from. If you were the representative of the owners and similar happened you would have been the only one who did not have a lien on the ship for monies owed . Cheers JS.

[Clifford Arkley]

#24 What was the Sertao arrested for ? In 1970 I was mate on the ex Irish Elm , renamed of course and flying the Gibraltar flag at that moment in time. One of her sister ships also renamed was arrested in Montreal for non payment of crews wages and other outstanding bills. They were a Yugoslav crew and lucky to get a representative to take their case , and the ship was sold to pay their wages owing and all other debts. The crew were repatriated back to Yugoslavia or wherever they were picked up from. If you were the representative of the owners and similar happened you would have been the only one who did not have a lien on the ship for monies owed . Cheers JS.

The 'Sertao' was actually arrested by her owners A US investment company. (principally to keep the vessel under UK law and Admiralty Marshalls' control)I worked for a Dutch Company (Okeanos) who specialised in managing distressed offshore assets. In this case the charterers did not pay their bill so the vessel was crew changed (we put a British crew onboard) in Brazilian waters and steamed to Middlesborough (where the arrest note was taped to the middle bridge window). It was a case of 'can't pay we'll take it away'. After two years in Middlesborough she was moved to the old coal berth at Tilbury power station for a year then as development of that area started up, had to move to Port Talbot. In the event she was purchased by the Turkish National Oil Company for around $40m. Not bad for an eight year old gen 2 drill ship that cost in excess of $750m to build. It was a very complicated operation both legally and operationally. Okeanos are one of the very rare companies that had the where withal to carry out this type of work.

[j.sabourn]

The only drill ship I was on was I believe originally a Dutch vessel but under the Panamanian flag and called the Mariner. I was only there for the passage Singapore to Dampier about 10 days plus a few days prior in Singapore . My relief was already on board who had to be an Australian due to the regulations at the time as his certificate wasn’t big enough. Think the Dutch master stayed on as supernumerary , I went home to join another vessel. Apparently they were late in picking up the moor and nearly got lost in a Cyclone by the stories I heard later. Her official number was 6093-75-ch , any previous name don’t know but her GRT was only 1538 so not a big vessel . Cheers JS