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Thread: Looking for old BP shipmates

  1. #1
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    Default Looking for old BP shipmates

    Hi - i am looking to make contact with anybody who sailed with me on the following BP ships. I was deck cadet on all of them and then acting 3/o on the Kennet.

    Minab - 1978/79
    British Reliance 79/80
    British Commerce 1980
    British Hawthorn 80/81
    British Tenacity 81
    British Resolution 81 (Dec)
    British Kennet 1982

    Looking at writing a self published book about my time at sea and catching up with people and sharing memories would be great.

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    Default Re: Looking for old BP shipmates

    Hi Nigel.
    You could look up the BP posts on the site, just go to forums and go down until you find shipping Comps there you will find the BP posts.
    Cheers Des
    R510868
    Lest We Forget

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    Default Re: Looking for old BP shipmates

    Hello Nigel
    Welcome and i hope that you ger some good feedback soon
    We have another Member (Long Standing) Aspinall Brian, known on here as Capt Kong, he was at Sea for many Years, and we have certainly had some real good Stories from him
    No relation is he LOL
    cHEERS
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

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    Default Re: Looking for old BP shipmates

    Nigel, I was on the Hawthorn on her maiden voyage in about December 64.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: Looking for old BP shipmates

    BP related article I found on another mariners site. I was looking at the time scale Nigel had posted and wondered if he was part of the great cull when BP went FOC and screwed the sea staff over.
    BP have a track record of shafting sea staff it is only about 2 years ago they did the same thing again. If you want a job join Maersk line with the ship you are on.

    1986 and All That

    I was on leave from Success having taken her new from Belfast as C/E.
    I got my redundancy notice watching the BBC 6 o'clock news at home.

    This was the great idea of Fleet Personnel to save the company money, i.e. no longer would seafarers have access to the pension scheme or the share scheme and you would only be paid during the time on the ship.

    The problem was there were three manning companies selected
    AcoMarit, Dorchester Marine and Wallems you had no choice as to which one you got as they each had a number of ships and you got the manning company which had your ship and then you were stuck with that manning company.

    Of course BP thought everything would remain the same forgetting that we the seafarers no longer actually worked for them, although they liked to think that we did.
    What happened to me, went to the B. Respect, I still had kids at school so could not suddenly leave, then had to leave at Gib with kidney stone so lost my slot and was told I would have to stay at home for about 5 months ( no pay) until I could fit in again.

    Went to China Nav (Swire Group) for their steam VLCC Eriskay and suddenly found that here was a company who actually stilll wanted to employ there own staff, paid more than Bp via the manning agents and dished out an annual bonus.

    I feel that BP perpertrated the biggest con ever with the redundancies no consulation with staff, I had worked for them for 28 years since joining as a cadet in 1958 but apart from the rundancy which they had to pay as per GROUP policy, no recognition at all, Heaslip was the perpertrator of the idea and the story always was that he had not realised that all the GROUP terms would have to be met. at least in 1986 the sea staff got a decent pay out but only because the hatchet man cocked up.

    Read this above article and 40 years later P&O pulled more or less the same stroke.

    I have no doubt the way the world is heading how long will it be before HMG blows the trumpet your country needs you!!! reference being perhaps the need for Atlantic convoys again to feed and arm the nation if there ever is a WW3. Think most of us are a bit past it now if we were called to service.
    I suppose we will have to leave it to those young people to do their best even though a few here have not got a good word to say about todays youth.

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    Default Re: Looking for old BP shipmates

    Quote Originally Posted by James Curry View Post
    BP related article I found on another mariners site. I was looking at the time scale Nigel had posted and wondered if he was part of the great cull when BP went FOC and screwed the sea staff over.
    BP have a track record of shafting sea staff it is only about 2 years ago they did the same thing again. If you want a job join Maersk line with the ship you are on.

    1986 and All That

    I was on leave from Success having taken her new from Belfast as C/E.
    I got my redundancy notice watching the BBC 6 o'clock news at home.

    This was the great idea of Fleet Personnel to save the company money, i.e. no longer would seafarers have access to the pension scheme or the share scheme and you would only be paid during the time on the ship.

    The problem was there were three manning companies selected
    AcoMarit, Dorchester Marine and Wallems you had no choice as to which one you got as they each had a number of ships and you got the manning company which had your ship and then you were stuck with that manning company.

    Of course BP thought everything would remain the same forgetting that we the seafarers no longer actually worked for them, although they liked to think that we did.
    What happened to me, went to the B. Respect, I still had kids at school so could not suddenly leave, then had to leave at Gib with kidney stone so lost my slot and was told I would have to stay at home for about 5 months ( no pay) until I could fit in again.

    Went to China Nav (Swire Group) for their steam VLCC Eriskay and suddenly found that here was a company who actually stilll wanted to employ there own staff, paid more than Bp via the manning agents and dished out an annual bonus.

    I feel that BP perpertrated the biggest con ever with the redundancies no consulation with staff, I had worked for them for 28 years since joining as a cadet in 1958 but apart from the rundancy which they had to pay as per GROUP policy, no recognition at all, Heaslip was the perpertrator of the idea and the story always was that he had not realised that all the GROUP terms would have to be met. at least in 1986 the sea staff got a decent pay out but only because the hatchet man cocked up.

    Read this above article and 40 years later P&O pulled more or less the same stroke.

    I have no doubt the way the world is heading how long will it be before HMG blows the trumpet your country needs you!!! reference being perhaps the need for Atlantic convoys again to feed and arm the nation if there ever is a WW3. Think most of us are a bit past it now if we were called to service.
    I suppose we will have to leave it to those young people to do their best even though a few here have not got a good word to say about todays youth.
    James,
    With regard to the British flag or lack of, it's something of an eye opener to consider that the company with the largest fleet of ships under the red ensign in 2023 is actually Calmac!

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    Default Re: Looking for old BP shipmates

    The Cal Mac fleet. The average age of the CalMac ferries is almost 24 years and many of the large boats are even older.

    Of the 10 largest ferries, four are more than 30 years old and the MV Isle of Arran is 39.
    Probably a discussion is being held in the Scottish parliament by the LGBTQ+ the transgender crowd are arguing why a ship is called a she. They likely discussing about a new ensign.queers flag.jpg

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