Dubai By By

Left Dubai this evening.
Nice too feel the breeze in my hair...what hair? Picking up a gang of "assistants" tomorrow that will help us keep potential "bad elements" off our nice vessel if they should feel tempted to come crawling.

Laemnade Dubai ikvaell.
Skoent att kaenna brisen svepa igenom haaret...vilket haar?  Plockar upp ett gaeng med "assistenter" i morgon, som skall hjaelpa till med att haalla potentiellt "daaliga element" borta fraan vaart fina fartyg, om de nu skulle kaenna sig sugna paa att komma kravlande.

Quiz Barracuda Birthday

Had a Quiz followed by BBQ last Saturday. A thing we should have more often. Our fish fanatics were at it, as usual. Got a few Barracudas and that certainly made their evening. Yesterday ROV's Charles had his birthday and Cookie where kind enough to arrange a very good cake.
Tomorrow we take bunker, departure is closing in...

Hade fraagesport foeljd av grillning i Loerdags. Det borde vi ha oftare, trevligt. Vaara fiske fanatiker hade ocksaa trevligt. De faangade naagra Barracudas saa de klagade inte. Igaar hade ROV's Charles sin foedelsedag och kocken hade vaenligheten att vispa ihop en god taarta dagen till aera.
I morgon skall vi ta bunkers, avgaangen rycker naermare..

 Quiz and BBQ

 Barracuda

 Kissie

 Small fish?

Charlie ROV & Birthday cake

New orders

Just decided that we will head for another part of the world.
As usual, hurry, hurry. Planning provisions bunker garbage and crew change.
This all have to take place before we depart Dubai. Only minimum crew onboard during this transit for security reasons. I am not too happy, but this is what I am paid to do.

Fick just reda paa att vi skall segla till en annan del av vaerlden.
Som vanligt braattom braattom. Planerar proviant, bunkers, sopor och besaettnings byte. Detta maaste ske innan vi laemnar Dubai.
Bara minimum besaettning ombord under denna resan av saekerhets skael. Jag aer inte glad oever detta uppdraget, men det aer detta aer tyvaerr en del av mitt jobb.

 UK military diving in UAE economical zone.

 Good job.

For rent in Dubai, Check out the web page, exclusive. 

Boarder disputes

Work got interrupted yesterday after four small, “well equipped” Patrol boats carrying Iranian flag approached us and started calling us on the VHF. Iran's Revolutionary Guard, with serious fire power on their "roof tops"...(click on photo for enlargement.)
They politely inquired about the "normal stuff", what we are doing, vessel and crew details. After about 30 minutes of circling around our vessel, video filming and taken photos, they took off again towards Iranian waters. It turns out there is an on-going border dispute between Iran and UAE over a few Island in the Straits of Hormuz.
Probably only wanted to check us out, and at the same maybe intimidate a little bit.
 

Quite a polite and relaxed experience, compared to the extremely dangerous harassment I was exposed to a few years ago, with months of “big” Turkish warships, F16 fighter planes trying to stop us from carrying out our job. This prolonged harassment and dangerous interference,  were the last of a long range which together led to a diplomatic conflict, that just got “nipped in the but” before turning into full scale aggression I heard from a local source later (mobilizing military etc.) That is another long and still sensitive story. That I probably will have to wait until retirement with revealing all the details film and photo. (A couple of censored ones below though)

Graens dispyter.
Arbetet avbroets igaar naer fyra "vael utrustade" Iranska patrullbaatar naermade sig och boerjade anropa paa VHF'n. De fraagade artigt de vanliga fraagorna, vad vi hoell paa med vaara fartygs data och lite om besaettningen. De cirklade runt oss i c:a 30 minuter, filmade video och fotade sedan gav de sig ivaeg igen emot Iranskt vatten.
Det paagaar en territorial dispyt emellan Foerenade Arab Emiraten och Iran oever ett antal oear i Hormuz sundet. 
De skulle antagligen bara kolla vad jag hoell paa med och kanske ocksaa foersoeka faa mig lite nervoes.

Men det var en ganska artig och avslappad efarenhet, jaemfoert med vad jag erfor foer ett par aar sedan paa en annan Seismisk skuta. Med maanader av incidenter naer stoerre Turkiska krigsfartyg och F16 flygplan foersoekte stoppa vaart arbete. Dessa incidenter var de sista i en laang rad, vilka ledde till en allvarlig diplomatisk konflikt, vilken precis blev daempad innan det hann bryta ut vaepnad konflikt emellan laenderna. Jag fick hoera av en kaella i ett av laenderna att militaer mobiliserats och att det var vaeldigt naera. Detta aer en annan laang och fortvarande kaennslig historia, vilken jag foermodligen faar vaenta med att avsloeja detaljer, film och foto till efter min pensionering.   

 

Link to my drop box with a short film snippet.

Seismic crew cell-phone film from one of the events, not knowing nationality of the war planes, thinking it was the Greek air force, coming as our support after the prolonged harassment from the Turkish navy. 

Only after examining the photos seeing the Turkish markings of the F16 planes.

 

Turkish Navy and Air force "Mock Attack"

 Radar picture from the most traumatic, "mock attack" when the two war ships turned against my stern in high speed, I thought they where going to take out my equipment aft(6 gun arrays(Floats), and one 10 km streamer(Cable) with tail buoy most aft. Same time two F16 fighter jets, repeatedly simulating attacks, low altitude dives towards our vessel. The two war ships altered course and run parallel again, but the F16 planes where continuing for 40 minutes. And they came low,  ...it was noisy...

The ordeal continued...

Sometimes two, but most of the time only one vessel, day and night, for months, interfering, disturbing and hampering our operation.

More photos and extracts from my ships log, including my letter of protest to UN branch IMO, will be posted shortly.

 This photo, and film link above, by courtesy of one seismic crew, UK Chief Observer in the fore ground.

Titanic curse

Found out that a couple of our "automatic & self-closing" fire doors, did not close today when we had a fire alarm. The alarm releases the automatic door holder, and it should close all doors thus separating the various departments, reducing the spread of heat smoke and fire. Thus give people a chance to evacuate, and smoke divers to fight the fire. The 3 doors failed because we had a 2,5 degree list to starboard side, due to washing of deck (wash water escaping to one side). The locking device was not strong enough to lift the extra weight of the door because of this. Easy fix I thought, I wrote an action plan for responsible of maintaining and checking these door’s. For him to increase the strength so the doors closes when we have a list. The question was how much list should they be able to cope with? So I consulted the SOLAS manual. SOLAS is the organisation created after the Titanic disaster. They are supposed to look after all human beings at sea. Safety Of Life At Sea. But in that "Bible" I find that only passenger ships are required to have doors capable of self-closing when the ship is listing up and to 3,5 degrees.
When doubting my ability to find my way in the, not too self-explanatory book, I requested the help of my eminent Super Intendent in the office ashore. I just could not believe that regular cargo ships and tankers would be excluded from this rule. But sure enough, an MCA scripture spelled out what SOLAS do not want to write in a clear sentence...

"G53.4.1 For cargo ships and tankers the requirement for doors to be self- closing, only applies to the doors when the ship is in the upright position, even though the Regulations do not specifically state this"

This is a disgrace.
We as mariners are used to be treated with suspicion by immigration authorities around the world, travelling is increasingly difficult and expensive, some custom officers bring their dogs into our cabins and they go thru our private and personal belongings, not caring the least about this vessel is our private home for half of our life, no integrity no respect.

And now to find that even SOLAS is involved in this persecution of Seamen...is sad.

But it has dawned on me today...Off course it is the curse brought on as a result of the crew onboard the Titanic, that locked the 3rd class passenger below deck to meet their destiny in what must have been an extremely, frightening and painful last hours of their lives.

 SOLAS being the baby of Titanic, of course is involved in this world wide conspiracy...

Save the Passengers, never mind the crew on Cargo and Tanker ships, it is their turn now...and to eternity...
Apart from this, it has been a lovely day. Life goes on, for now....for some.

Equipment test in windy Dubai

Joined Wednesday,  Off Dubai and are testing some new equipment, quite interesting.

Weather "so so", At anchor last night and woke up around 0300lt from a "hummering" familiar sound.
Mr "Gale force wind" came visiting, just like that. Officer of the watch said 50 knots winds suddenly set the vessel dredging, this with 7 shackles, anchor and all. Took 5 minutes to get a few thrusters going and we settled again. Squally unpredictable winds. 

Moenstrade paa i Onsdags, Utanfoer Dubai och haller paa att testa ny utrustning, mycket intressant.

Vaedret aer sissaadaer. Till ankars igaar natt och vaknade runt tre av ett familiaert hummande ljud. Det var herr kulingvind som kom paa besoek helt ploetsligt. Vakthavande befael uppger att 50 knop vindar satte fartyget draggandes, detta med 7 shacklar pls ankare. Det tog 5 minuter efter det att han startat naagra propellrar att faa stopp paa skutan igen. Byig oberaeknelig vind.

 Hugin is the "circles with line" top left.

 Service boat on wich we joined, had crew change on Wed.

  Burj Khalifa, reached 829.84 m (2,723 ft) in height on January 17, 2009

 Management brain storming, Yes! all agree, it is yellow.

 From a distance, it looked like he had seriously "raised" the "security level" a bit to high(razor wire on top of the wheel house and over the stern..). But turned out to be a fisher man with BIG cages in abundance.

Cool Easter Holiday

Two "stuck in the ice" stories.

During the Easter holidays 2003. We were bound for Corner Brook NL, in ballast. Winter had supposedly ended, but a strong wsw wind packed a lot of  ice, starting approx 12 nm SW of the entrance to Humber Arm. Ice routing, from ice Canada mentioned nothing of this. Where we got stuck, there were another "bunch" of fishing boats stuck 1,5 nm, NW of (maybe 9 boats). one of these boats had been crushed by the ice pressure, only small sticks from net flag's and a cabin roof- top above the ice. The one ice breaker were trying to assist these boats, that's why we had to wait a few days(over Easter). The mill in Corner Brook where worried (daily over phone) about our progress. They might have to shut down the mill, due to lack of storage for the produced paper rolls(wear house full). But there where no "cow on the ice" for me, why me and 2nd Off. Anders Nilsson, went on "seal photo safari". The second day a coast guard plane dropped some heart medicine for one of the fisher men. When arriving to port after a few days, I have never seen that ware house so full, totally jammed.

 Vessel in ballast, high in the water no weight to push against the ice

 Ice class/yes but with bow over the ice not much use.

 Qurious.

When trying to touch him he "hissed" angrily(small sharp teths)

Två "fast i isen" historier.

Kylig Påsk Helg.

Under påsken 2003, var vi på väg till Corner Brook, New Foundland, i barlast. Vintern sades vara till ända, men en stark wsw-lig vind, packade mycket is i ett bälte med start ungefär 12 nautiska mil SW från floden Humber Arms mynning. Is myndigheten i Canada, som ger oss is navigerings instruktioner nämnde inget om detta. C:a 1,5 nm, NW om vår fastfrusna position, satt ytterliggare 9 fiskebåtar fast. En av dessa hade krossats av ispressen så endast några fiske vakare och ett styrhyttstak var synligt över isen. Den enda is brytaren tillgänglig var sysselsatt med att försöka undsätta dessa båtar, så vi fick vänta några dagar(över påsk helgen). Pappersbruket i Corner Brook oroade sig (dagligen i telefon) ang. vår situation. De kanske blev tvugna att stänga fabriken p.g.a. att magasinen var fulla så det inte fick plats mera pappersrullar. Det var emellertid ingen ko på isen för våran del ombord, så jag och 2:e Stm Anders Nilsson, tog oss en säl foto safari (därav bilderna). Dagen efter släppte ett kust bevakningsplan ner medicin till en av fiskar gubbarna som hade hjärt problem. När vi efter några dagar kom till kaj, så var verkligen magasinen fulla. Jag har aldrig sett dem så packade.

Serious Ice Pressure

The trip before, on Feb 20th,  was more dramatic when Maria Gorthon and the "icebreaker"(coast guard vessel Earl Grey) both were stuck in heavy ice pressure,
We were struggling merciless for about 14 hours until the pressure subsided. In the last few hours, Earl Grey managed to move a little towards Maria. About that time she inquired about evacuating my crew since the plot showed out vessel setting right onto the "Hen Island", as I monitored the plot closely I decided to hold on an hour since I was of the opinion that the vessel was slowly moving away, clearing the island. We connected the towing wire, knowing that it should be of very little help if any. Crew standing clear, and Earl Grey pulled it until it snapped. Afternoon of 21st was spent fighting to turn our vessel(see Coast Guard Plane picture below). Later that evening, Ice Breaker Henry Larsen arrived, Early morning of 22nd, the two coast guard vessels managed to set us free and assisted us in to the port of Corner Brook.

 Plotting in our electronic chart(bad quality).

 Pressed/pushed merciless up against the Islands is very frustrating. 

Night view, pressed/pushed passed the high wall of Gurnsey Isl.

 Center left , you can see the border line between rigid and drifting ice

 Ice breaker Henry Larsen came for assistance.

Excerpt from / Utdrag från

Allvarlig is press.

Resan tidigare, den 20:e Feb, var mera dramatisk då både Maria Gorthon och "isbrytaren"( kustbevakningsfartyget Earl Grey) fastnade i kraftig ispress.
Vi kämpade skoningslöst i ungefär 14 timmar innan ispressen avtog. I de sista timmarna lyckades Earl Grey röra sig något emot Maria, och hon erbjöd sig då att evakuera besättningen till sitt fartyg då Maria såg ut att pressas upp emot "Hen Island". Jag sade att vi avvaktar en timme till då jag tyckte att driften böjde av något från ön. Vi kopplade en bogser wire, fastän vi båda förstod att det var meningslöst, besättningen stod i skydd och Earl Grey drog tills wiren gick av. Eftermiddagen den 21;e tillbringades att försöka vända fartyget,stäven ut från land(se kustbevakningens flygplans foto ovan). Senare på kvällen anlände isbrytaren Henry Larsen och tidigt på morgonen den 22:e, lyckades de två kustbevakningsfartygen få loss Maria och de eskorterade oss in till Corner Brook.