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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”
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Saturday 1st of August 2026 and we are anchored at Suez STS Area when I come on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. We are waiting for m/t Erotokkritos that will arrive in the afternoon. She will do one STS operation before we will take her last cargo of ULSD.
The slop barge arrived at 8 thirty and she left us just before lunch.  Delivering lub oil
 Delivering lub oil
m/t Erotokkritos arrives and she start the STS and she is expecting to be ready tomorrow afternoon. Our lub oil is delivered in the late afternoon, way later than scheduled. But this is expected in Egypt. m/t Erotokkritos had started the STS operation when I came on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. We have discharged our slop and we will be ready to come alongside m/t Erotokkritos tomorrow afternoon to load the ULSD.  m/t Erotokkritos doing STS next to us
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Sunday 2nd of August 2026 and our Loading / Mooring Master come onboard in the late afternoon and we rigg the baby fenders before we approach m/t Erotokkritos to get alongside her STB side.
We will connect two 10" cargo hoses, same hoses m/t Erotokkritos used for the previous operation so no need to take onboard hoses. We have strong winds in the later afternoon/ evening, so we have to wait for the wind to decrease. We have strong wind every evening, from a sea looking like a mirror during the day time, to quite choppy in the evening.  Coming alongside m/t Erotokkritos
We make fast the mooring ropes to m/t Erotokkritos and when we are ready m/t Erotokkritos drop her anchor. We can now go down to the CCR to complete the formalities before we can start the cargo operation. It is almost 11 o'clock in the evening before we start loading the ULSD and we expect to be ready with the loading tomorrow afternoon. Our 3rd Officer is new, and as when we discharged, I will be in the CCR with our 3rd Officer during the loading operation. I could go to bed at midnight after a long day and I will be back tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock.  Old generation passing down the knowledge to the new generation
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Monday 3rd of August 2026 and our new Chief Engineer and Chief Officer join us in the afternoon. We are still loading and it is after 7 o'clock in the evening before we complete loading.
Daylight navigation only and we will leave at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. Bad, it was after midnight when I was in bed, so not much sleep. +++++++++++++++
Tuesday 4th of August 2026 and they call me after just a couple of hours sleep. I go to the bridge and m/t Erotokkritos have started to heave up the anchor. We will start to move as soon as the anchor is a weight and we will let go the mooring lines while making speed.
Coming on the bridge quarter to 6 o'clock in the morning. The bridge was full of people, Loading and Mooring Master and our Surveyor was on the bridge as well. m/t Erotokkritos had her anchor up and we started to move ahead and as soon as we were making speed we let go the mooring lines.  We are ready to leave m/t Erotokkritos
 We leave m/t Erotokkritos behind
They come to take our fenders as soon as we are separated and we can go to drop the anchor. We will move in to the inner anchorage in the afternoon and we will sign off on the anchorage. Of course, there was a lot of heaving up the anchor and drop the anchor again before the Pilot finally boarded us so we could get to the inner anchorage. The boat will come to pick us up 6 o'clock in the afternoon, so I was pleasantly surprised when they called us at 5 o'clock. I was on the bridge with the new Chief Officer and the service boat was alongside. I get down in the service boat together with our Superintendent that will leave with us.  Service boat alongside
 Bag with diet drinks on the way
 Bag with diet drinks on the way
 Enjoying a fizz drink
We are in the boat waiting for the Chief Engineer and I enjoy a fizz drink. Careful planning and I have three remaining bottles to enjoy on my way to Cairo. It took 30 minutes before our Chief Engineer joined us. We were happy to leave Maersk Cancun, but now it was impossible for them to start the motor. There is something wrong with the battery and they called assistance. One boat arrived to assist us, but there was nothing they could do and they were soon leaving us alone. The wind was picking up and we had strong wind from north and some spray over the boat.  Assistance arriving
 Assistance arriving
 Assistance arriving
The wind got stronger and it was quite choppy and the boat was bouncing around. They tried to start the motor every now and then. Of course, it was for nothing and the motor was dead. I opened my second diet drink, and if we continue like this, I will be out of fizz drinks before we reach Novotel in Cairo. The spirit was high even though we realized that we would most likely miss the restaurant at the hotel. We had missed the dinner onboard sitting in the boat while the crew had their dinner.  Finally, leaving Maersk Cancun behind
7 o'clock, 2 hours after I boarded the service boat, suddenly the motor started. We were all  surprised, but mostly happy and we were soon on our way to Suez and the waiting car.
The spirit was high in the back of the boat. We have moved back, a wee mistake, there was more water spray in the back than up front. And of course, the exhaust was blowing over us. Took us a wee bit less than an hour to get to the jetty where one Immigration Officer, sitting in a booth, had a look at our passports.  Arriving to the jetty in Suez
 Arriving to the jetty in Suez
The car was waiting for us, a huge Toyota van, so there will be enough space for us. The Driver loaded our luggage to the car while our passports were inspected. We got in to the van and I popped open my last fizz drink. First stop was at the quarantine and we were waiting in the van while our Agent did the formalities. It was 8 o'clock and we left 15 minutes later. Next stop was the Immigration and now we had to leave the van. Immigration was done pretty quickly and we took off to the custom. Now we had to bring our luggage to an x-ray machine and it was 9 fifteen something by the time we left Suez bound for Novotel in Cairo. Leaving Suez and there is a lot of changes since I was here last time. Back then it was mostly sand and dust. We drove through an area with plenty restaurants and entertainment. A lot of families were out enjoying the evening.  On our way to Cairo
Five lane highway in both directions between Suez and Cairo, looks to be brand new. They have for sure upgraded Egypt since the last time I was in Suez. We were making good speed and we reached Novotel Cairo Airport at 11 o'clock. They had just closed the restaurant, but they managed to get some food from the buffet. The fish was excellent and the bread was still out and it was good. And of course, tea. I told our Agent that I had planned to visit The Giza Pyramids tomorrow morning. And the Agent was eager to arrange the tour for me. He told me that he would meet us at the hotel, no Agent. He told me that he would come to the restaurant. No Agent coming and I left the Chief Engineer and Superintendent after one hour retiring to my room. I will be up in a couple of hours, departing from the hotel at 7 o'clock with a tour booked with the hotel. The reception and restaurant area were very nice, so I got a small shock coming out of the elevator. The wall-to-wall carpet was full of dust and dirt. Cracked paint work in the hallway and the place were in need of a face lift.  My bath room
 My room
 My room
 My room
But the room was OK and I was soon in bed giving me a couple of hours before my alarm was set to go off. The phone rang and I did not answer, I knew it was the Agent. Then it was knocking on the door, it was our Agent and I told him to disappear. I would not bring any business for him. In the middle of the night, and it was ringing on the phone. It was the Agent's driver and I told him to “duck off” Anyway, just click HERE to find out if I make it to The Giza Pyramids tomorrow.
    
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To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
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