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Compulsory Tugs

Published October 8, 2007 in Tugs, Pilot, Pilotage and On the ship. 0 Comments

No offence meant to the vast majority of Pilots, or even to my friend from my story.

The pilot arrived on the bridge in full regalia more gold than a Tsar and said “Compulsory Tugs” and nodded to me, the agent had already primed me so I was aware, I tried to say that we normally don’t use tugs as we have a powerful engine, becker rudder, variable pitch propeller and azimuth bow thruster a modern ship in all respects, he just smiled and said “is compulsory” so two tugs arrive, they look like they have been gone over with lump hammers so that there is no area of steel that doesn’t look like crumpled up tin foil that has been reused a few times, then they want to use ships lines….of course.

As we get singled up and the tugs make fast I look for an explanation thinking I can convince him to keep the tugs fast but that I will do the manouvre without their assistance they can just tag along, no dice, he starts mumbling about 10 metres from the jetty engines…he also tried to explain in a blur of words about collapsing jetties and only good concrete on top foundations bad, looks nice but not so good. The grasp of English is limited to port-starboard, numbers from 0-9, normal engine commands, yes no and is compulsory for tugs, the rest is a blur. The tugs started heaving black smoke pluming out of the forward tug as he pulled like a dervish possessed, my understanding was that we would be pulled parallel to the quay to avoid engine movements which were potentially damaging to the foundations. However the excited efforts of the forward tug result in the bow swinging out and the stern starts to ease closer to the quay than is comfortable for me, my hand has already put the pitch to 50% or half ahead as my brain thinks about it and then I tell the pilot that the paint is new and wouldn’t look good on the jetty, he nodded with approval even though his face was as grey as the concrete and then he started in apoplexy to roar into the radio. So the whole operation with the tugs is a fiasco, with minimal engine movement and bow thruster I could have moved the ship off gently, but the tugs actions put the ship in a risk of hitting the jetty we were supposed to be protecting and I have to give a use vigourous engine manouvre resulting in plenty wash and more likely to dislodge the poor concrete below the waterline than a controlled manouvre. So much for common sense and good seamanship.

I suppose we were never in any real danger of hitting the quay but you never know and the paper work alone would have caused a significant increase in deforestation, my remaining hair to go completely grey, the little I have left at this stage of the game from self removal in great tufts when severely frustrated by the seemingly unending supply of totally avoidable situations.

Isn’t life at sea grand all the same!

Tarantul or Molniya?

Published October 4, 2007 in Warships, Tugs, Russia and On the ship. 6 Comments

These two Tarantul class ships looking fairly ready for action were sighted today on the way into Kaliningrad, I called them Pauks before but I have done a bit more research and I think I was wrong before.
Anyone who is extremely clever and can read cyrillic backwards will be able to know what these boats are named, please be my guest and leave a comment if you are such a person, respect in advance by the way!
The money in Russia is beginning to show it’s effect here in the Oblast, a bit more paint is evident and new coast guard patrol boats and tugs and the like. The coastal breakwater is being substantially repaired and there are more new and to the lay man functional warships. The big bear is obviously getting new fur.

Of course all things are not changing so fast, further on down the jetty a tug is moored and has been since I came here first more than 6 years ago, and was probably there before I ever knew about Kaliningrad, she is a floating power source and heating generator for a nearby factory, the pipelines that are attached to the tug look like they are of a fairly permanent nature.

UPDATE I have to go with Buck who so kindly left a comment earlier that the ships are Nanuchkas, not Tarantul or Molinya class also Russian Corvettes.

From Liverpool to Amsterdam

Published July 31, 2006 in Tugs, UK, England and On the ship. 0 Comments

Liverpool was a passing experience as the jetty was near Eastham on the Manchester Ship Canal, so we had a good look at Liverpool from the famous Mersey river. The agent was a dedicated Evertonian and had the scouse accent to authenticate his status, on enquiring about a time extension for taking the pilot he said “the harbourmasters not havin’ it”, or no extension in other words.

Narrow in places is the Manchester Ship Canal

It was amusing to speak english to natives for a change, all the dialects and attitudes, and the faces of confusion trying to figure out what an Irishman is doing on a Swedish tanker. The Liverpool pilot on the way in stopped in his tracks when he heard my accent, I saw his reaction and said “Irish”, he said “I thought so, but what are you doing here”, I told him the answer, I will have to make up some alternative stories for the laugh.