OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can itbe? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)
noun[in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGINlate 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
“The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Maersk Group's position, strategies or opinions. All views are my own”
No longer any need to use the Internet Explorer or run the Internet Explorer rendering engine. I gave up IE after the introduction of Internet Explorer 11 Page is tested in Fire Fox, Chrome and Safari. Looks like it works OK in all browsers, except the sounds in Safari. Of course, browsing www.aladdin.st in Safari on an iPad is a different story, nothing looks as it should
Monday 10thof June 2013and I had managed to get a few hours of sleep when they called me for arrival to Argos Terminal. So I was full of vim when I stepped out on deck 5 minutes past midnight. We had all fast at Argos Terminal Jetty 5 around 1 o'clock in the morning and we started to load 6 minutes before 3 o'clock. We made a stop for line displacement and foot sampling and I was back in my cabin 5 o'clock in the morning.
Our 2nd Officer busy in the CCR while we're waiting for them to be ready to start loading.
Copy & paste, in Sweden we call it cheating
I did some Learn Thai with Mod and Alif Silpachai videos yesterday evening, but I never bothered to open my Thai books. I decided to try to get some sleep and I was lucky. I was thinking aboutopening them before going to bed again, but 5 o'clock in the morning and I was very tired. So I will have to wait until the evening and we start all over again with the Learn Thai with Mod and Alif Silpachai videos and my books. If I have the time that is.
I woke up at 8 thirty, only 2 hours sleep but I managed to fall asleep for another hour. At 11thirty I gave up trying to sleep and I went in to my shower. I had a terrible headache due to lack of sleep. I went down to the CCR and it looks like we're ready around 6 in the evening with this parcel.
I went for lunch and yet another terrible lunch, no one was eating of the food and I was soon in my cabin with a open bagof hazelnut. Still have a few kilos of the hazelnuts we bought in Grimsby.
Some of the guys were going ashore to send money back home from Botlek stores. I called Pump Man and I told him to go ashore. We will be busy tonight so you're better off going now. Of course, I told him that he couldn't go ashore wearing his underwear over his pants. - Then you have to say that you work on a PanamaGreek ship!
Facebook, a total waste of time according to me. But I changed my mind after having ordered my shoes online. I got a receipt that my shoes was on the way. Good, I had paid 500$ and I wanted my shoes.
I got an e-mail after a week that my shoes were out of stock, but they had their best people on the job and they should soon be on the way. Months passed by and I never heard from them even though I sent several e-mails. What to do? I was thinking about Facebook, they must have a Facebook page!
Yes, they had, and I posted about my order. I think you can imagine what kind of words I was using so no need to elaborate here.
And yes, I had my money back within a jiff! So Facebook came in to use. I was instantly thinking about my ecco sandals I bought a few years back. I bought a pair and it was to most comfortable sandals I had ever used. So I bought 5 more pairs and I kept them in my shoe cabinet. And when I had worn out my first pair after 2 years I just grabbed a new pair in my cabinet. I still remember this day like it was yesterday.
I was just going to dash off to 7 Eleven, 100meters away and I was bare foot when I stepped in to 7 Eleven. My ecco sandals had literally vanished from under my feet. So I took a few pictures and I put them on ecco shoes Facebook. I got a reply on how sorry they were and there was a form to fill up. This is several months ago and no news from ecco.
I have made a pair of 20$ sneakers in to a pair of GOOD MORNING BOOTS by cutting off the back side, better than my ecco shoes, but not very comfortable. But now I have bought 2 pairs of Timberland sandals, 82,9€ per pair so it should be good quality. For sure, can't be worse than ecco.
I spent 600 US$ ++ on my ecco shoes
Never used ecco shoes falling apart
Never used ecco shoes falling apart
Never used ecco shoes leaving a trail of a tar like shit
Never used ecco shoes turns in to a tar like dust
Never used ecco shoes has lost the sole after 10 minutes of “light” walking
Never used ecco shoes has lost the sole after 10 minutes of “light” walking
I turn a pair of 20 US$ sneakers in to a pair of GOOD MORNING BOOTS
20$ and superior quality to comparing to the 100$ ++ ecco sandals
Our Cadets had ordered stuff from Sunny Radio in Antwerp and the guy arrived to take up orders after lunch. I ordered 2 pairs of Timber land sandals, 82, 9 € My cut of sneakers are OK, but not very comfy to wear so I took the opportunity to buy the sandals from Sunny Radio. And Timberland should be OK. I think I have a pair of Timberland shoes at home. The Sunny Radio guy left and I'm looking forward for him to come back with our stuff from Antwerp.
I owe our 2nd officer 30 € for the vitamins he bought for me last time in Rotterdam. So I asked him if he wanted something for 30 € from Sunny Radio's catalogue. - Buy something nice for your nephew - My nephew? Never mind him, I want to buy something for my self He spent 130 € and it would have been 400 € if they have had the wrist watch he wanted to buy. - Out of stock! 130 € and not one single cent spent on his nephew. Can't help wondering what will happen with the translations now.
The Sunny Radio guy have my VISA card and 2nd Officer goes crazy in Sunny Radio's catalogue
The Sunny Radio guy have my VISA card and 2nd Officer goes crazy in Sunny Radio's catalogue
I tried to get an hour of sleep during the afternoon, but I failed big time. So I went out of bed again, soon time for dinner. Our Cadet and Lloyd Trainee left the ship in the afternoon. They are going ashore to eat and how I envy them. But we have planned to go ashore in Spain for some eatingextravaganza. And as I told them: - This time I will be the tour leader. I don't trust you after the fiasco in Grimsby
I was in the CCR doing a loading plan for the STS operation. Ship To Ship Operation, the last parcel will be loaded from M/T Sten Skagen at buoys. 7 o'clock in the evening and they had told us that they would completed the loading at 18:00. Well, they told me 24 hours at 3 o'clock in the morning when we started.
Now they told us between 22 and 23 hundred tonight and as they could not see the remaining cargo in the shore tank they wanted us to stop the loading when we didn't received any more cargo. When I heard this I got an instant Delhi Belly. - NO NO NO!!! WE WILL NOT STOP!!
We can advice when we can't see any more cargo coming. But we will not stop and we will not say there is no more cargo coming. I had asked what they meant by NO MORE cargo coming. Is that 2m3 or 10m3 per hour. And if we stop and they find a drop of oil in the supposed empty tankthey can charge us rent for the tank. So they have to stop the operation.
They came to deliver our stuff from Sunny radio and I got my Timberland Earthkeepers and they were very nice to walk in. No more ecco sandals or shoes for me. And have you ever seen a pair of nice ecco shoes?
Well, plenty time just hanging around waiting, I had done my LearnThai with Mod and the Alif Silpachai videos and I was too tired to open my Thai books.
And when you have school books laying around pretty much everything else is more fun to do. I checked out an old video from Basmentality Battles from when I joined Maersk Claudia.
22 thirty and no news from the CCR, I took my entertainment centre and I went down to do some paper work while waiting.I have been up for almost 24 hours and it is impossible to sleep, so I can as well try to deserve my salary. And of course, I was wearing my new Timberland Earthkeepers sandal, they have turned in to an instant success.
We completed loading at 23:59 and I had just finished my new cargo plans, changed from 5000 to 4800MT to be loaded from the barge Vinotra 10.
As I said, always something to do around here. And finally, at 23:59 they completed loading. We had recived 5m3 the last hour of loading. Almost 21 hours to load 1000m3 of VGO.
+++++++++++++++
Tuesday 11thof June 2013and I lost 50 cm of my belt and I can continue to use it! Not possiblebefore my amazing 1000 US$ bet!
A good start of the day, I'm getting smaller.
They started to connect the hose to the barge as soon as the cargo arm was disconnected. We didn't start to load until 18 minutes past 3 in the morning andby then I was very tired.
I felt asleep after 6 o'clock in the morning, I heard our Cadet coming home. And they called me at 11 o'clock, 360m3 remaining on the barge and that we would be ready in 30 minutes
We completed loading at 11:30 and hose was disconnected at 12:00 and I went for a veryquick lunch while waiting for the Surveyor. Our Cadets and Lloyd Trainee had been ashore for some fun yesterday and they had bought a hat for me.
I already knew about the hat, 2nd officer told me when he was back on board yesterday evening so I was delirious with anticipation.
But I didn't say anything to the Cadets when I entered the mess room. They were busy preparing the best lunch option, toast. I finished my black bread and cheese and I was going back to the CCR. One of the Cadets asked if I had seen the hat. - No - It's in the CCR - I wish I had the foocking time to walk around looking for a hat. When I'm in the CCR it is NON STOP action!
One of our Cadets went to get the hat for me in the CCR. He returned and it was instantdisappointment. - Motherfoocker, the whole purpose with the hat is to cover the bald spot
The hat wasn't much to write home about and I returned the hat immediately after having tried it on. And I was wearing my Port of Rotterdam cap when I returned to the action in the CCR.
Ullage and calculation was ready around 13:00 and now we only have to wait for the cargo documents to come on board.
We got an hour with nothing to do while waiting for the cargo documents and our 2nd Officer took seat behind the school desk. We learned aboutintact stability, damage stability, GM and the effect of free water surfaces. Quite interesting and our 2nd Officer was very satisfied.
He wants to become a Chief Officer and we take the opportunity to learn while waiting for cargo documents
Loading Master came on board just after 4 o'clock and our Agent came on board 30 minutes later with 500 fish oil capsules. 60 € and it seems like it was a complete waste of money. Vitamin D3 and no Omega-3. I forgot to tell him that I wanted the Omega-3 oil and not the vitamin type. Now I have 500 capsules of fish liver oil, will last me for quite some time.
And the search for Omega-3 continues....
Coming to the bridge telling 2nd Officer but my fish liver oil and he took 1 jar with 250 capsules. Later on at dinner he told me that he had had a capsule and that he could feel the difference. - I can't see any difference! I said.
We were late for dinner, it was almost 6 when we were back in from the departure adventure. 3 hours to the dolphins in Europoort, we will leave the Port of Rotterdam via the Nieuwe Waterweg and we will go back inside at Europoort. We will go alongside dolphins in the Calandkanaal where we will do the STS Ship to Ship operation with M/T Sten Skagen. 3 hours and I hopethat I can catch some sleep on the way over there. I have prepared my cargo transfer plan so everything is set to go as soon as we arrive to Europoort.
I don't know if it was all the stability he learn during our “stability class”earlier this afternoon. But he was full of enthusiasm when he showed our Cadet the pre-departure checks before leaving Argos Terminal in Rotterdam.
2nd Officer busy giving the Cadet the ropes on pre-departure checks
I tried to get some sleep after dinner, but I failed, but I was still full of vim. According to the latest news M/T Sten Skagen will
Dolphins
1)a small gregarious toothed whale which typically has a beak-like snout and a curved fin on the back. Dolphins have become well known for their sociable nature and high intelligence.
2)a bollard, pile, or buoy for mooring.
3)a structure for protecting the pier of a bridge.
arrive to the STS Area in the Calandkanaal in Europoort quarter to 9. We arrived 20 thirty and we had all fast around 9 o'clock.
It was a beautiful evening and it was very comfortable on deck, perfect temperature and I enjoyed every second. That was until the Surveyor came on board. He told me that M/T Sten Skagen would take Pilot at 23:00. - What theI had expected us to have started loading by then.
Now I will have to stay up all night again, 23:00 Pilot and it will be 01:00 before she is here. And then paper work and we will have spent the whole night in the CCR again.
Approaching the STS Area and we can see several other ships moored to the dolphins in the Calandkanaal and to the terminals at Europoort
Approaching the STS Area and we can see several other ships moored to the dolphins in the Calandkanaal and to the terminals at Europoort
Port of Rotterdam, always busy and plenty ships at Europoort
Coming up to the dolphins in the Calandkanaal in Europoort
Coming up to the dolphins in the Calandkanaal in Europoort
Europoort, one of the busiest ports in the world
Having a good time enjoying a beautiful evening
Having a good time enjoying a beautiful evening
A ship is leaving the Port of Rotterdam for the sun set assisted by a tug
They arrived with fenders to put between us and M/T Sten Skagen and they were in position 10 minutes past 10. By then our Surveyor and I was ready with the paper work. The Surveyor calleda boat to come pick him off and he was off the ship around 11 o'clock.
Waiting, we had good time to complete check lists, and of course, there was time for a Diet MAX
or two. And I walk on deck, it was very nice weather so it was pure pleasure to be outside
The crew was busy putting together cargo hoses and vapour return hoses at port side manifold. The hoses were delivered together with the fenders and it looks like we will have the time to prepare them before M/T Sten Skagen arrives.
Wednesday 11th of June 2013 will go down the history books as the day our Cadet was in charge of his own mooring operation. And luckily enough I was there to take a few pictures.
Yet another stupid slide show on www.aladdin.st
+++++++++++++++
Wednesday 12thof June 2013and we could see a tanker entering the Port of Rotterdam just after midnight. She came down the Calandkanaal towards us, Sten Skagen? I don't know, but when she approached they turned on the deck light and I suspected that it was M/T Sten Skagen. 2nd Officer went to the bridge to check out our AIS and it was Sten Skagen.
We called the crew for the mooring operation. But it turned out that there were coming 2 guys on board for the mooring operation.
I called Captain on the bridge on the radio. - Looks like we will have all of her cargo Then I heard someone speaking Swedish on the radio, the Norwegian Captain on Sten Skagen was obviously able to speak Swedish. And yes, we would have her entire cargo of Low Sulphur VGO. He gave me the information in Swedish.
M/T Sten Skagen arrives
M/T Sten Skagen arrives
Mooring boats bringing the ropes from M/T Sten Skagen
M/T Sten Skagen alongside Richard Maersk
M/T Sten Skagen alongside and it is easy to see why we need fenders
M/T Sten Skagen alongside and it is easy to see why we need fenders
Bringing up M/T Sten Skagen's stern lines on the poop deck
M/T Sten Skagen
Mooring boat with Sten Skagen's stern lines
Richard Maersk and Sten Skagen ready for a Ship to Ship Operation - STS
M/T Sten Skagen was securely moored alongside at 01:15. They sent over check lists and paper work in a bucket and when I had filled up their papers we sent back the document and now it was their turn to fill up our paper work. Plenty to do, setting up communication and our 2nd Officer was quite busy with this task. And as you understand, not easy to chose a radio frequency in Rotterdam. Millions of ships around and all frequencies are busy.
The paper work and preparation took some time and we didn't start to load until 04:24 and it was almost 5 thirty when I was back in my cabin. Now I really need some sleep.
Early morning radio action with our 2nd Officer in the CCR.
2nd Officer trying to get information from M/T Sten Skagen
2nd Officer busy trying to sort out a working channel with M/T Sten Skagen
I woke up at 11 thirty even though I was tired, but I could not fall asleep again so I went to toast2 slices of black bread for lunch.
I managed to get an hour of sleep in the afternoon and I woke up again at 3 o'clock and by now M/T Sten Skagen should be about to be ready. I had a shower and I went down to see how our 2nd Officer was doing in the CCR.
2nd Officer busy with the repeated checks from “repeated checks” list from M/T Sten Skagen when I arrive to the CCR. I was surprised, nothing about this early this morning when we did the paper work.
Our 2nd Officer was quick to point out that it was a copy of our list. I sent one list and they had copied my “repeated checks” list.
Aladdin and his TEAM, yes, yet again we're setting the standard in the oil tanker industry.
2nd Officer filling up check list from M/T Sten Skagen
He told me that we would complete loading in an hour or so and I spent the time doing paper work in my office while waiting for Sten Skagen to be ready with their discharging.
I was happy, they had told me 18 hours discharging and I had expected yet another full night. So I was happy that we would be ready in the afternoon. That was until I heard that we were not allowed to leave until our cargo samples had passed. So no one knows for how long we will have to wait before we can leave Rotterdam.
Chief Officer on board M/T Sten Skagen helping me reading the aft draft
We completed loading at 16:24 and we were waiting for the Surveyor so we could do the cargo calculation. I had time for my dinner before they arrived, 1 Surveyor for sampling and 1 Surveyor for ullageing. I needed to know the draft before I could calculate. I can see the forward draft,but not the aft draft.
I called the Chief Officer on M/T Sten Skagen and he went out on poop deck and he reported 11, 8 meters draft aft. Good, now I know we have 90cmtrim and we can calculate the cargo intake.
When we were ready I sent all the papers to Sten Skagen in a bucket. Hoses disconnected and they booked the Pilot for 21:00. Surveyors left us and we were all by lonesome again. Well, we have a mooring Master on board in charge for the hoses and fenders. But he cannot leave before Sten Skagen has left. They will come to pick up the hoses and fenders with another small boat when she is gone.
M/T Sten Skagen is getting empty
M/T Richard Maersk is twice the size of M/T Sten Skagen but it look the opposite when she is empty
M/T Sten Skagen is getting empty
M/T Richard Maersk is twice the size of M/T Sten Skagen but it look the opposite when she is empty
M/T Sten Skagen and Richard Maersk in a STS Operation
Picture by someone on board M/T Sten Skagen. They sent the pictures to the company and they sent them to us
M/T Sten Skagen and Richard Maersk in a STS Operation
Picture by someone on board M/T Sten Skagen. They sent the pictures to the company and they sent them to us
M/T Sten Skagen and Richard Maersk in a STS Operation
Picture by someone on board M/T Sten Skagen. They sent the pictures to the company and they sent them to us
M/T Sten Skagen and Richard Maersk in a STS Operation
Picture by someone on board M/T Sten Skagen. They sent the pictures to the company and they sent them to us
We are STAND-BY to let M/T Sten Skagen's mooring lines go
Picture by Aladdin, yeah, some good ol' fashion action pictures
Crew on M/T Sten Skagen letting their stern lines go
Waiting to let go the spring lines from M/T Sten Skagen
Letting go the aft spring line from M/T Sten Skagen
M/T Sten Skagen's crew heaving up the aft spring lines
Letting go the forward spring line from M/T Sten Skagen
21:15 and M/T Sten Skagen leaving us
M/T Sten Skagen taking off for new adventures
M/T Sten Skagen disappears in the horizon
M/T Sten Skagen left us quarter past nine on a gloomy and grey evening and I returned to the TV room and our Cadets and Lloyd Trainee. Now we have to wait for the laboratory results on the cargo samples before we can leave Rotterdam. We were watching a boring movie, well, we were mostly talking. Our Cadet showed me an article in a magazine. So we end 12th of June in the year of our Lord 2013 with an article from Sjøfartens Ledare 2013
Our Cadet in Sjøfartens Ledere
Picture by our other Cadet, with his NOKIA phone
+++++++++++++++
Thursday 13thof June 2013and we were still moored in Rotterdam when I woke up just after 10 o'clock. Latest news is that it would take at least 20 hours to analyze the samples, so no departurebefore 16:00. Well, I went to my office and I continued the work with Aladdin's CCR binder and it is almost completed by now.
When I grew tired of my new binder I turned to my “Cargo Transfer Plan” binder. I added yet another divider to the “Cargo Transfer Plan” binder, divider #31, Heavy Ballast Procedures and stability/ damage stability for initial, 25% 50% 75% and final condition. It had been a lot of blah-blah-bla about “damage stability” the last few days. I instructed our 2nd Officers on how and where to find the damage stability if the Vetting Instructor asked them.
We keep the damage stability in our final departure stability report on the bridge and now we will hopefully be able to find, read and interpret the results if the Vetting Inspector is asking us. Ever since I have had the 2nd Officer, Deck Cadet and our Lloyd Trainee involved in the damage stability. I told them that this was impossible to calculate without the computer program but they didn't believe me. So I said: - It is impossible and if you ever have a Chief Officer or Captain telling you that he spent the evening calculating damage stability just flip him the bird and tell him that he is full of sh*t
They told me that his was a simple calculation. Just fill the tank we have hole in with water equal to the draft and calculate. There was even one guy spending 2 days doing an excel program to calculate the damage stability. - 2 days ago you knew nothing about damage stability and now you’re making a Excel sheet to calculate damage stability!
Time to learn again, and this time it is about damage stability. I'm not a good Teacher, requires pedagogic and patience. I had used several drawings and today they understand that a damage compartment is the same as removing the compartment from the ship and thus we need new stability table as it is a new vessel.
I tried to explain by saying:If we have a damaged compartment the ship is still the same size, but the vessel has become smaller
2nd Officer and our Deck Cadet is studying damage stability
They refused to believe me until our Cadet recalled what his teacher had thought him. It is impossible to calculate, for a box it is easy, but for a ship....
And by impossible I mean to do it by the means we have on board, a naval architect designing a ship will do it, but he have to make a new ship for each damage condition.
I was in the CCR doing the Heavy Ballast conditions when our Cadet came to tell me that the Pilot was booked for 15:15. - Good, let's foock off out of here!
The Pilot came on board at 3 o'clock and we went to the poop deck, I was going to put our Cadet in charge on the poop deck under strict supervision. He wanted to stay on the bridge at departure. - Here you have nothing to learn looking out the window! Come with me! Get ready for action!
We went down on the poop deck and he started by connecting the tug boat while I was watching his every step. Tug boat fast and we let go of our mooring lines. Spring from tank deck last lines to go and then we returned to the poop deck to let go the tug boat.
PLEASE!!! Don't try this at home. Hard wind and the helmets are blown off. Careful, you can end up in a lot of shit if you throw plastic in to the sea. I will not mention any ships name here in order to protect the guilty!
A few years ago, it was blowing a full force hurricane when we were leaving the jetty. All crew wearing helmet going forward to the fo'c's'le and no one had any helmets when they came back after departure. All helmets had blown in to the port. 2 serious offences and jail time is the consequence if I drop the name of the involved crew. 1st offence)Work without helmet 2nd offence)Throwing plastic in to the sea
Neither of the above offences are taken lightly up on if some pompousMr. Know it allfinds out. BUT REST ASSURED, THE SECRET STAYS WITH ME!!
I went to the bridge when we had let go the tug boat. I ran in to our Pilot when we leftthe bridge for the poop deck at the departure. She stopped me in the stairs. - WHAT IS THIS?? NICE SHIRT!!
She continued about my shirt when I was back on the bridge. - This is the shirt I'm wearing for work. Imagine when I'm on holiday - Yes, I do!
I had a picture with her before I went down to my cabin and a Diet MAX
and for the latest updates on my web page. Soon time for dinner and another day have come to a end.
And after all this it is about time we split the month of June 2013 in to a third part. All these pictures make the page a wee bit heavy to down load. So click the link to follow our adventures on ourvoyage to Huelva, Spain. Of course, destination Spain was a disappointment, I had been hoping for Malmö and more Lunchkorv from SP Chark in Asmundtorp.