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“The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Maersk Group's position, strategies or opinions. All views are my own”
  Friday 11th of September 2015 and we had plenty ships around us when I came on the bridge at 5 o'clock in the morning. A foggy morning and we could see 2 to 3 miles only. Arriving tonight and 
still no berthing prospects, but we will get our stores and provision at the anchorage. Well, time was passing very quickly and it was soon 8 o'clock.
The boys were outside my cabin waiting for me so we could have the tool box meeting. Our extra  Painters will leave us in Singapore and they only have to finish what they had going on. Last layer of top coat and they would be ready in about 2 hours and then they could pack their things and get ready to sign off.
We got news around lunch time, Pilot at 02 thirty in the morning and that means that we have to do the pre arrival tests and checks and I did it with Pump Man before the coffee break in the afternoon. Now we're ready to come alongside. I was coming on my watch in the afternoon when it was decided that the other guys would share my duties as we expect to come alongside in the middle of the night. I tried to sleep. of course, impossible. Who expect any one to go on watch being so tired that he can go to bed and fall asleep as well? Well, I was lucky and I felt asleep around 11 o'clock. +++++++++++++++
Saturday 12th of September 2015 and they called me quarter past 4 in the morning and I was full  of vim. That is 30 minutes more sleep than normally. A shower and a shave before going to  the bridge for a “Oatmeal Surprise” and a cup of tea.
We were approaching the jetty at Petroseraya Oil Terminal on Jurong Island. We will discharge our High Sulphur Fuel Oil and they have the capacity to store 810 000m3. The fuel is used for the Pulau Seraya Power Station next to the jetty. Of course, no one is allowed to go for shore leave here. I had planned to buy a new computer, but never mind. I also need a SIM card so I can use internet.  2015 and we don't have internet access. Well, what to say about that.
I also wanted to buy a few kilos of smoked salmon so I can have a little something to munch on while on board. We had first line ashore just after 5 o'clock in the morning and we had all fast 12 minutes before 6 and I was soon in the CCR to wait for the Surveyors and Loading Master. And they were on board surprisingly quick. I was told that we would have to wait for the  sample analysis before we could start discharging.
That is 6 to 8 hours, after sampling completed and I send our 2nd Officer to bed. He have been up since 18:00 yesterday and we cannot have him up for 18 hours non-stop. That is something they have the Chief Officer for. Sampling completed 20 minutes after 9 o'clock and they expect the samples to be at the lab at 11. So they expect us to start discharging in the late afternoon early evening. It took until 6 minutes after 5 o'clock in the afternoon before we could start discharging and I was ready in the CCR just in time for dinner. My DIET BET is posted in the mess room, but it is Saturday... So no ice cream but I had some French fries and pasta. Yeah, that's how exciting my life is. +++++++++++++++
Sunday 13th of September 2015 and I had my alarm to go off at 6 thirty even though I could  sleep until afternoon. I went up and I changed the setting to 7 thirty and I felt asleep again. I was out of bed at 7 thirty even though I was dead tired.
But if I loll around in bed all day long it will be impossible to fall asleep tonight, something we want  to avoid. Looks like we will be ready around 3 o'clock in the afternoon and we can leave around 5 o'clock for the anchorage where we will get stores and provision.
We will also take bunker on the anchorage before we leave for Thailand. I made the departure stability and I added 150 tons of FO in bunker tank 1 Stb even though we will not bunker until late tonight. Now I'm ready with our departure stability for DNV that we have to send at every departure. For obvious reasons the ballast condition can be made in advance, but loaded condition, not until after completion.  2nd Officer discharging
 Mess Man busy in the kitchen
I went to the CCR at 2 o'clock and we will complete discharging around 3 o'clock. I have an hour to prepare all the paper works before we complete discharging. And there will also be time for a  quick cuppa or two during the time.
We completed discharging @ 14:56 and I had expected us to be ready with all the paper work at 5 o'clock. And we can have dinner in peace waiting for the Pilot that are booked for 20 thirty. But the Surveyors paper work took quite some time. I don't know what they did but it was 6 thirty when I could sign the papers and the Loading Master came on board. So I had  time to participate in our Sunday lotto  outside the mess room after the dinner. And of course, I won foock all.
The Surveyors was  calculating and writing reports in my office and I  joined them after the lotto.
A cubic ton of paper work and they did everything by hand so it took, well, it was not quick. But everyone had left us 10 minutes before 7 and I went for a bucket of tea before departure. Will be nice to leave this behind. Just have to make a stop at the anchorage for stores and provisions. And divers that will come to inspect the hull while we're anchored.  Then we're off to Thailand and internet with my AIS sim card.
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Monday 14th of September 2015 and we were anchored when I came on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. They had just completed bunkering and the stores were on board. So I spent the morning drinking tea waiting for the clock to turn 8 so I could go to bed as I was dead tired.
 Early morning on Singapore Anchorage “B”
 Early morning on Singapore Anchorage “B”
     When I came out of my cabin for lunch the inspection and cleaning of the hull was in progress and I hope the divers are ready so we can leave in the evening. Thailand, 4 days away or so and I need internet. I have got the new Tiger Safari itinerary. The whole trip have ballooned from 14 days to 32 days. 6 parks to visit plus a few additional spots of interests. I'm pretty exciting over the trip, but I still have to decide when to go. I'm awaiting answer from Mærsk when I will sign off so I can book the trip.  +++++++++++++++
Tuesday 15th of September 2015 and we left a foggy anchorage just after 8 o'clock in the morning, bound for Thailand. Well, that is what I thought, but it turned out that we were only going for another anchorage. And the fog turned out to be smoke.
Singapore have been covered in smoke from Indonesia since we arrived. I can imagine how it would be to live in Indonesia, the same year after year. They never learn. +++++++++++++++
Wednesday 16th of September 2015 and we were still anchored at Singapore OPL anchorage when I came on the bridge at 4 o'clock. Haze from the Indonesian forest burning over the anchorage, but  not as much as back in Singapore.
We received new gratings for our cat walk in Singapore and today is the day they will start changing them. The old gratings will be brought back to the poop deck and we will lift them ashore in Singapore next time. And today is the day that will go down the history books as the day I went for my first constitutional on board m/t Romø Mærsk. I had a good 45 minutes of kick ass constitutional  around the superstructure in the afternoon.
The plan was for one hour, but I got hold up with a stowage plan for full cargo from Si Racha, ศรีราชา. But tomorrow it will be an hour around the superstructure. I was told that we expect 7 to 8 days of loading in Si Racha, ศรีราชา as we're going to load from barges. I don't mind, as long as we stay at a spot where I have network coverage with my phone so I can use internet. Anyway, while on my constitutional I watched Pump Man and one of the ABs bringing back the old  gratings to the poop deck, and of course, I had a few pointers for them when passing in my track.
A bucket of tea and a episode of White Collar before it was time for my afternoon “quality time” on the bridge. I made a risk assessment for the work with the gratings this morning and my next risk assessment is about painting the superstructure. As soon as the wind decrease we will paint the last spot on the forward facing part of the almost completed superstructure. But we need some good weather to complete the job. +++++++++++++++
Thursday 17th of September 2015 and we're still on the anchorage when I'm coming on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. It was 8 o'clock in a jiff as I kept myself busy making contingency  plans and risk assessments. We're going to launch our MOB boat and we going to release our life boat after the 10 o'clock coffee break so we need a few risk assessments.
We were ready with the life boat and MOB boat just in time for lunch. I spent the afternoon in my cabin, no Thai book or Learn Thai with Mod and the Alif Silpachai videos. No constitutional, just drinking tea watching the last season of White Collar. Yeah, there are no end to the excitements on board +++++++++++++++
Friday 18th of September 2015 and we're steaming North towards Si Racha, ศรีราชา in Thailand when I come on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. Course 347° and it is a hazy/ foggy morning with passing rain. Normal weather for the time of the year.
Fire and life boat drill planned for 10 thirty so it promise to be an exciting day here in the Gulf of Siam. And excitement is something we like here on board Romø Mærsk  I got a picture of the crew in front of the funnel after the abandon ship muster and we were ready to go for the fire drill. Today's scenario is a fire in the engine room so our Chief Engineer  is in charge
Smoke divers entering the engine room and as we had a simulated fire in some electronic  stuff they had to use a fire extinguisher to extinct the fire. All this while we had a team doing boundary cooling on the poop deck.
When the fire was extinguished an the smoke divers were back we went to the CCR for a  pep talk before we finished the drills. And as soon as I was alone in my office I did the drill reports and I finished checking the medicines we received in Singapore. We have Danish flag and we have to follow Danish rules regarding what kind of medicines to have on board.
And as always when ordering in Singapore, they deliver different medicines and I need to send e-mail for approval from the Danish Maritime Authorities. When I was ready the lunch was almost  over. No problem, but what was worse was that I spent yet another afternoon without my Thai books and the Learn Thai with Mod and the Alif Silpachai videos. DARN!
But I was close, I put my Thai book on my bed and just as I was about to dive in to them I decided to wait until tomorrow. And no constitutional either. Well, maybe tomorrow. I was on the bridge 5 minutes before 4 and we had plenty fishing vessels around us. The visibility was around 3 miles due  to fog.
fog? I don't know, in this area of the world you're never sure. Can as well be someone burning the last of the rain forest. 
The wildlife is gone making way for palm oil plantation in Malaysia and Indonesia. Have you ever been flying over Malaysia? It is green and it looks  like the country are covered in exciting jungles.
But it is the same as in Laos, River Mekong cruise and it looked beautiful until the haze was gone. Then you were soon to discover that all the trees are gone, only bushes remaining. Malaysia, when you come closer you're very soon to discover that it is all palm oil plantation you see. Well, anyway, the visibility had improved a wee bit since the morning and I enjoyed the afternoon with tea and music. And we had a stowaway on deck. A white bird and I was soon on the bridge wing for some pictures. Don't ask me what kind of bird it is. But we can see on the toes that it is not a sea bird. And we can see on the legs that she likes to stand in the water catching fish and other delicatessen.       I went to see Captain and his cabin was empty. But what is that sound? He had the music on full blast and I could see a pair of jeans covered legs behind the corner in the alleyway outside the cabin. And I could hear the sound of a trimmer. #1 handsome guy on board, well, I don't know.  Maybe for now, but I'm on the “Best looking guy in town '15” diet so I will soon be  where I belong, on top of the winners' stand.
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Saturday 19th of September 2015 and we're steering course 319° in the Gulf Of Thailand when I came on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. It was like 5 o'clock as we had retarded ship's  time by one hour during the night.
Plenty fishing boats, but today it was the typical Thai fishing boats instead of the Malaysian  fishing boats we had all around us yesterday.
And today we had sunshine through the cloudy sky and the weather promised to ne good and the crew will have a chance for a full day of painting. Not like she will ever look like a Swedish ship, but some blue paint on the hull will   make wonders for the looks.
We were steaming North in Gulf of Thailand when I came on the bridge in the afternoon. Arriving tomorrow evening and we expect to stay in Si Racha, ศรีราชาi until the end of the month so we finished the last drills for this month after the coffee break in the morning. All my jobs for this month is completed, almost and now we can relax for the rest of the month of september. It was dark around 7 o'clock and we were soon surrounded by Thai fishing boats lit up like Christmas trees. And I had to ZIG ZAG my way through the strong lights. Time was quick and it was soon time to return to my cabin and yet another episode of the Americans, a new series I have  started. Well, I'm watching the Americans and this tells you exactly how fun it is on board Romø Mærsk.
But I expect to fall asleep early as I didn't had any time for my power nap today. Drills, testing gas detectors in the pump room, testing opening/ closing times of the cargo valves plus a heap of other jobs. So yes, I hope to be asleep early.    +++++++++++++++
Sunday 20th of September 2015 and we're still steering North in the Gulf of Thailand towards Si Racha, ศรีราชา. The sea looked like a windmill pond and it was a gorgeous morning, but hazy. I drank tea  eating my “Oatmeal Surprise”
I have a bowl of fruit on the bridge and the AB on my watch are refilling it. And today when the sun started to shine I discovered that one of the apples had a sticker. And not only a sticker, the apple was also wrapped in some plastic net. It is 2015, is there any one in the world, at least in the civilized world that don't understand what the plastic are doing to us? There are, billions of them as I'm sure that most of the people in the world don't know it. Have you been to West Africa, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Philippines etc.? Most of the people in the world just throw their waste where they stand or sit. These apples are bought in Singapore, but I guess that Ha Rui is a Chinese brand. Stickers on the apple using toxic waste as glue. Yeah, they put poison in baby milk and toys so I would not be  surprised. But I'm surprised that 2015 and we have people buying this. Ha Rui should have been out of business years ago, that is of course if anyone cares about out future.
But no one does and, well, they put up signs and have policies on how environmentally friendly they  are. But as we understand, these sign and policies are just BS.
Ha Rui, I give them 5  out of 5 and I throw in a few million of  on top of that. I also wish them to be bankrupt very soon.
And I hope that I will never ever experience Ha Rui again. I'm pretty sure they eat shark fin soup  as well, and the only reason people eat shark fin soup is because it brings good luck for you.
Same reason for the Rhino to be extinct, they think it will give them the biggest erection ever, and yes, it is 2015 and do you still think there is any future for this planet, in let's say 30 years? Have you noticed any improvements around you? Yeah, maybe if you live in NW Europe with all the garbage sorting and legislations against pollution etc. But what difference does it makes having one guy sorting garbage when a million doesn’t? And the last European factory is closed down years ago and moved to a country where they can have slave labour and drop all the toxic  they want where ever they want.
Anyway, I finished the loading plan before lunch so everything is prepared when we start loading. And now I might have a chance to go home tomorrow to change my 70-200mm lens for the 28-300mm lens. I also need to buy some juice for my e-cigarette. And we have run out of pens on board and we would need some new pens. And I'm pretty sure there are some other stuff I can buy, maybe a bottle or two of Diet Drinks. When I came on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the afternoon we were approaching Kho Lan and the other islands outside Pattaya. Haze so we  could not see Pattaya. Plenty fishing boats and traffic coming down from Si Racha, ศรีราชา and Laem Chabang
I was not surprised by the fishing boats but I was pretty surprised by the heavy traffic and the big  ships. I had never noticed so many ships in the area before when I have been to Pattaya snorkelling in the area. We passed the small islands where we had gone with the diving boat.
Plenty traffic and the time turned very quick. Not much time to enjoy my Earl Grey tea, well, two  buckets went down with two “Oatmeal Surprise”
We dropped anchor just before 7 and when I was in my cabin at 8 o'clock I connected to the internet with my phone. I just completed paying a bill and uploading my latest drivel to aladdin.st when the network disappeared. What the  is this? Far from impressive service from AIS. I had expected full coverage in the area as we're in the industrial heart land of Thailand. I was not happy as I need to transfer money for my Tiger safari.
Well, tomorrow and I will start my day on Si Racha, ศรีราชา anchorage just south of the jetty where I visited Maersk Mediterranean. And our adventure in Si Racha, ศรีราชา is available by clicking HERE.
    
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