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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”
  M/T Maersk Cancun
Picture from https://www.marinetraffic.com
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Saturday 29th of March 2025 and our Agent came to pick me up at 8 o'clock, and the Chief Engineer had stayed at the hotel for a couple of hours. The 2nd Officer came at the same time and I knew him from Rita Märsk.
We drove to the airport to pick up 6 crew members arriving from the Philippines on the airport. And all of them have to visit the police station at the airport for the immigration.  Crew at the police station on the airport
Almost two hours to Mongstad and we were on board just before 11 o'clock and it was midnight before I was in bed and I was dead tired after a full day ON THE GO. +++++++++++++++
Sunday 30th of March 2025 and I was in the CCR at 6 o'clock to familiarize myself with the paper work and equipment. My Yellow Fever card is very old and have turned in to dust. So they are sending on board a Doctor to give me the vaccine.
Should have been here during the afternoon, but at 6 thirty there had been no sign of him and I went to my room to wait for him. Finaly, the Nurse came on board 15 minutes after 7 o'clock. She had been here at 1 o'clock, but she was not allowed inside because of some work on the jetty. Vaccinated against Yellow Fever and I could finally go to bed with the alarm set to 5 o'clock in the morning. And it will be another long day. The old Chief Officer is leaving at lunch time tomorrow. +++++++++++++++
Monday 31st of March 2025 and we completed loading at 10 thirty and Pilot is booked for 15:00. Paper work was ready quarter past 2 o'clock and the Pilot boarded us at exactly 3 o'clock and we left the jetty 20 minutes later.
Gloom and grey for long as I can see, never mind, it looks to be a calm sea and that is more important than the sun. Pitching and rolling is not a very nice experience.  Leaving Mongstad
 Our 2nd Officer
We left the Pilot at Fedje and we had one Northern Gannet flying in front of us. Quarter before 8 o'clock we spotted one more Northern Gannet rested on the sea. Northern Gannet, I have seen the bird before, but it was the first time in Norway. I brought two tea buckets with me and I had enjoyed tea in my office. My second bucket will be kept on the bridge and today it was the first time I used it and it cracked and split in to two. There must have been a crack in the glass after have travelled half way around the globe to join Maersk Cancun in Mongstad, Norway. +++++++++++++++
Tuesday 1st of April 2025 and I could not see one single bird on my morning watch on the bridge, a little bit of a disappointment.
We held some drills after the 10 o'clock coffee break and I had lunch before going to my room. I decided to never come back for lunch and I asked our Cook to give me a “kicken in the assen” if he
Aiming for a V-shaped torso when it is time to go home again. Been on my afternoon watch for 10 minutes, enjoying my tea and suddenly the bird action started. 16:10 Passerine sp. landing on the boat, but I could not see after landing. Black/ brown, most likely a starling. A few minutes later and we flushed one Northern Gannet 16:35 Two gannets on the water 16:45 Three Northern Gannets sitting on the water and one flying. 17:15 First two Common Guillemot spotted on the water, and they were diving, depth 57 meters 17:40 One more gannet observed 17:55 One gannet flying across in front of the boat. 18:30 One more Common Guillemot observed, but dove before I could get any picture. Three Herring Gulls spotted in a group on the shadow side of the boat. Hard to see if black or grey on top, but had black wing tips and this is how I ID the birds as Herring Gulls. 18:40 One Herring Gull flying next to the ship and I got a picture, one Northern Gannet resting on the sea  Northern Gannet
 Common Guillemot
 Common Guillemot
 Common Guillemot
  Northern Gannet
 Herring Gull
 Herring Gull
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Wednesday 2nd of April 2025 and I four hours on the bridge, time passed very quickly, but no birds until it was time to leave the bridge at 8 o'clock. Then I had one Northern Gannet flying across in front of the boat.
Approaching the English Channel and Dover Strait in the afternoon. I could report one Northern Gannet after 30 minutes on the bridge. No pictures. There was a lot of birds to report between 18:00 and 19:30. Six Northern Gannets and 3 Herring gulls and two Greater Black-backed.  Great Black-backed Gull
 Herring Gull
 Herring Gull
 Herring Gull
 Great Black-backed Gull
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Thursday 3rd of April 2025 and not one single bird spotted during the morning while steaming towards SW in the English Channel.
Approaching Ile D'ouessant, about 142 km NE of the island when I came on the bridge, two Lesser Black-backed gulls where flying next to the boat. Two and a half hours later and there were 9 of them looking for food on our port side. And I spotted one swallow, only for a few seconds so not possible to ID the bird. And on top of this, two Northern Gannets.  Lesser Black-backed Gull
 Lesser Black-backed Gull
 Lesser Black-backed Gull
 Lesser Black-backed Gull
 Lesser Black-backed Gull
 Lesser Black-backed Gull
 Lesser Black-backed Gull
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Friday 4th of April 2025 and we were in the Bay of Biscay when I came on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. It is dark until almost 8 o'clock and I did not see one single bird.
Arriving to A Coruña, Spain early tomorrow morning and we are preparing the deck for the re circulation of the cargo. Adding 27m³ of additive to our cargo and we need to recirculate the cargo to make it in to unleaded gasoline. anyway, we need to test all the equipment and we did it in the afternoon. I was in the CCR when two warbler like birds landed on deck. Strong wind and gloom and grey for long as I could see. So, no good look at the bird before they disappeared. +++++++++++++++
Saturday 5th of April 2025 and they call me 20 minutes before 5 o'clock in the morning. We are about to pick up the pilot at A Coruña. We will drop anchor at Ria de Betanzos.
We had dropped anchor at 05:36 and the barge was alongside just before 5 o'clock. The crew had lifted on board the chemicals and at 08:12 we had taken on board 27³ while I had done the paper work with the Chemist/ Technician and he started to add the chemicals to the cargo at 08:30.  Yellow-legged Gull
 Lesser Black-backed Gull
I managed to see some birds as well, but it was gloom and grey for as long as I could see with an annoying drizzle. And the birds were very far away, but thanks to www.birdforum.net I could ID the birds on my poor pictures. The Chemist completed at 3 o'clock and we had to wait for the Surveyors to come take samples and I could not start the recirculation until almost 6 thirty in the evening. +++++++++++++++
Sunday 6th of April 2025 and I completed the recirculation at 02:24 and we left A Coruña anchorage a few minutes after that and I was off to bed. 22 hours and no sleep.
I spent the whole day in my room and I went to the bridge 20 minutes before 4 o'clock in the afternoon excited to see if there were any birds to be seen.  2nd Officer busy on the bridge
Not one single bird during my watch and I was disappointed. I went to check the temperature 5 minutes before 8 and I spotted on Northern Gannet. We flushed the bird that was resting on the water and it took off. Good, I could report one Northern Gannet to eBird. +++++++++++++++
Monday 7th of April 2025 and we are steaming towards south west of Portugal when I come on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. Not one single bird had been seen during my four hours on the bridge. So, I was a wee bit disappointed when I left for my office.
We will have a drill/ training with our FRAMO emergency cargo pump and we were ready around 9 thirty and I returned to my office to make a few risk assessments for tomorrows work.  Testing our FRAMO emergency pump
 Our hero is busy
Coming on the bridge in the afternoon and I turned on the kettle. The wind is picking up, force 5 from the south. Good, we had no wind yesterday and the Atlantic Ocean looked like a mirror. But the swell made us roll but now with the wind the rolling is gone. No ship, no nothing, just an empty ocean. Overcast and gloom and grey for long as I could see. But the temperature is rising, 17° C in the water and about 18° C in the air.  Well, there was one thing, a huge whale but not one single bird and I kept my eyes out for birds. Took three and a half hours until I spotted a bird. Very quick, flying low over the water. White body and dark grey/ brown on top. So very hard to see in the dark sea full of white horses. +++++++++++++++
Tuesday 8tph of April 2025 and we are steaming towards SSW west of northern Morocco. Approaching Maderia when I come on the bridge 4 o'clock in the morning. Four hours later and I had not seen one single bird.
Been on the bridge for about an hour in the afternoon when I spotted one dolphin, and at the same time I see the bird flying low over the dolphin. Not possible for me to ID the bird, but looking like a shearwater. About an hour and a half later and I spotted another two birds, but I can only see one. Later on, I see two birds and then three birds in a group. I am soon realising that it is all new birds, coming from the north flying towards south.  Cory's Shearwater
 Cory's Shearwater
 Cory's Shearwater
 Cory's Shearwater
Getting some pictures, poor pictures, kept for ID purposes only and I check my bird book “ID handbook of European Birds” when I come down to my room. I can ID the bird as a Cory's Shearwater. I am at least 99% sure of the ID. I will send my pictures to www.birdforum.net to see if they can confirm my ID. And thanks to Andrew Whitehouse on birdforum for confirming my ID. And the Cory's Shearwater is a new LIFER for me. +++++++++++++++
Wednesday 9th of April 2025 and not one single bird during my morning watch on the bridge. And the afternoon watch was another disappointment. Heavy rain and not oe single bird spotted.
 Our Cook and Pumpman
 Heavy rain passing us
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Thursday 10th of April 2025 and two birds took off from in front of the boat at 10 minutes past 7 o'clock. They must have been sleeping on the sea and we flushed the birds approaching.
Two of them, it was big birds, much bigger than the shearwaters and they took off flying high. I only seen shearwaters flying very low over the water, but these two took off flying high. Big birds and dark grey/ brown, maybe with belly as I could see some white on one of the birds. 20 minutes later and I scored full pot, one Red-footed Booby coming in from the east and the bird was with us hunting in front of the boat when I left the bridge.  Red-footed Booby
 Red-footed Booby
 Red-footed Booby
 Red-footed Booby
 Red-footed Booby
 No birds seen during the afternoon and I was a little bit disappointed when it was 8 o'clock in the evening. I need, well, I want to see one bird every day to be able to set some colour on west Africa on my eBird app. But nothing in the afternoon, but the weather got better during the afternoon. Decreasing wind and the sky started to clear up a little. Maybe we can paint some of the spots on the hull so it looks nice by the time we arrive. The AB on the 8 to 12 watch came to relieve the AB on watch and the 3/O was soon on the bridge and I could go to my room.  ABs changing watch on the bridge
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Friday 11th of April 2025 and we are still rolling, slightly but at times heavy due to the swell. The wind has come down and it looks to be a sunny day and we expect to finish the hull today.
No birds were seen during the morning. But 20 minutes before 6 o'clock in the afternoon and I spotted a small whale swimming in the water surface and there were 2 small birds flying around. Between me and the sun and reflections from the sea so they just looked dark. I could see one more bird further away and 10 minutes later there was another one. Impossible to get any pictures or any ID. 20 Minutes later and I had two shearwaters flying towards North  Cory's Shearwater
 Cory's Shearwater
 It was not a bird
 Cory's Shearwater
 Approaching something that can be a bird. Floating on the sea and it did not take off when I came close. Took a few pictures when I passed and it turned out to be a fish float or garbage. I was very excited when I could report a third Cory's Shearwater 45 minutes later and I had put some colour to Mauritanian in North West Africa. +++++++++++++++
Saturday 12th of April 2025 and still rolling a wee bit when I come on the bridge 4 o'clock in the morning. Otherwise, it was excellent weather and the sun came up just before 7.
But not one single bird had been seen when I left the bridge at 8 o'clock. A cubic ton of paper  work to be done.
We will have some drills at 10 thirty so there is not much time. But I managed to fill up our Ballast Record Book and I made two risk assessments. We will have 4 drills, MOB, Emergency Generator, Emergency Towing and Emergency Steering so we will be busy until lunch. I am looking forward to my afternoon watch on the bridge as I am really  hoping to see some birds so I can put colours to more countries in NW Africa.
17:05 and I spot one bird in front of the boat. I thought it might be a flying fish. Not to embarrass my self-reporting a flying fish and I grabbed the binoculars. It was a white/ black bird and it was gone by the time I had my camera at hand and it is very hard to find the bird again with all the sea horses. Africa have been nothing but a disappointment so far, I have only been able to put colour to Mauritania with the Cory's Shearwater. +++++++++++++++
Sunday 13th of April 2025 and not one single bird seen during the morning. We are steaming towards SE and we expect to change course towards East in the afternoon.
Coming on the bridge in the afternoon, and finally, a little bit of bird action. 18:08 and one Cory's Shearwater crossed just in front of us. I never got any pictures and I missed the second Cory's a few minutes later when I put down the position of the first bird. 40 minutes later and I spot a bird, of course, I miss it flying towards north. Yet another disappointment, but two more birds came flying by and I managed to get pictures. Good enough pictures for me to try to ID the birds with my books. The only bird I can find fitting the pictures is the Great Shearwater, but I will try to get my ID confirmed by www.birdforum.net I use three different book for the area: 1) Oceanic birds of the world 2) Albatrosses, Petrels ans Shearwaters of the world 3) ID Handbook of European Birds  Long-tailed Skua
 Long-tailed Skua
 Long-tailed Skua
 ID Handbook of European Birds and it covers some of the oceanic birds in Africa as well, so worth having a look. And my best fitting, the Great Shearwater and that is from the pictures in the “Oceanic birds of the world” and the “ID Handbook of European Birds” Turns out it was a Long-tailed Skua, thanks to members at birdforum for help with the ID +++++++++++++++
Monday 14th of April 2025 and we are leaving Guinee and Guinee-Bissau behind and we are 243 km West of Cape Saint Ann in Sierra Leone when I see one bird. 07:30 and suddenly, one bird takes off in front of the boat.
The bird was most likely resting on the water when we flushed the bird when approaching. Big dark bird, looking and flying like a Shearwater flying with the wing tip down towards the water and flipping between right wing tip down to left wing tip down. I will report the bird as a shearwater sp. 25 minutes later, 07:55 and I spot a second bird, flushed when we approached. It was a small dark bird taking off like a normal bird. We are steaming towards east south of Sierra Lione during the afternoon and not one single bird has been seen when I left for my room at 8 o'clock.  3 Officer comes to take over the watch
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Tuesday 15th of April 2025 and we are steaming south of Liberia when I come on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the morning. We are approaching some big patches of floating kelp just before 8 o'clock.
One bird took off, too far away for any ID and there were no birds to be seen when I passed the kelp. Some white thing I took a picture of, but it turned out to be garbage. We are SE of Monrovia, about 350 km when I come on the bridge at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Sunshine, I have not seen much of the sun since we left Norway. This morning there had been rain lightning with thunder. But at 8 it was nice and the crew could paint.  Checking the gyro error by the sun
 Checking the gyro error by the sun
I took the opportunity to check the gyro error by the sun and luckily enough, our 2nd Officer was on the bridge so he could take some “action” pictures Spotting one bird flying very close to the ship side and it looked to be yet another Long-tailed Skua. Good, I can report one bird to eBird and there will be a little bit of colour on Liberia on my eBird map. Good, I need more colour on Africa. We were changing course from 106° to 095° just before 6 o'clock in the evening and I was lucky to have 2nd Officer to help me turning the button.  2nd Officer helping me to change course
 2nd Officer busy doing important things
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Wednesday 16th of April 2025 and I slept until 5 o'clock and I had a bucket of tea while watching a stupid video. I was in the CCR at 6 thirty and we started to recirculate the cargo at 06:45.
I spent the whole day in the CCR and we were approaching Abidjan when I came on the bridge at 5 thirty in the afternoon. The anchorage is full so we will drift during the night. Lates news is that the pilot will board us at 10 thirty tomorrow morning. They kicked me down from the bridge, no need to come until tomorrow. I will be here at 4 o'clock I said but no need to come until 8, we expect a lot of action as soon as we are coming along side. +++++++++++++++
Thursday 17th of April 2025 and we were drifting off Abidjan and we started to move closer to be at the pilot station at 10 thirty. The pilot was late by 15 minutes and on top of that, we had to wait for about 30 minutes for a ship leaving.
Two long sand beaches on both sides of the entrance to the Vridi Canal and there was a small village and fishing boats on the right-hand side. After the village there are the tank farms and our jetty. No sign off any birds but I spotted two approaching, but not possible to ID.  Vridi Canal Abidjan
 Abidjan
 There is a long beach on both sides of the channel entrance
On the left-hand side there are pure wilderness and it looked interesting, but no time for me to get over there to look for birds. There was a couple of Barn Swallows flying around the boat when we arrived to the SIR Terminal. There were two raptors flying over the tank farm and a couple of Pied Crows flying around. The Pied Crow is a very beautiful bird, a black and white bird that I had never seen before. There is a road going along the Vridi Canal and if I have time, I will take a walk looking for birds. 15 Cattle Egrets on the small field across the road going along the Vridi Canal. So already 3 bird species to report to eBird before we had completed the mooring.  Container ship passing us in the channel while we are mooring
 Container ship passing us in the channel while we are mooring
 Alongside the SIR Terminal
 Raptor landing on the mooring ropes
Standing on the bridge wing and the two raptors came down very low above our deck and I wish I had had my camera with me. One of the raptors landed on one of the mooring lines. I tried to take a picture through the binoculars using my Scooby Doo camera. And as expected, good for nothing picture. An onslaught of people coming onboard as soon as the gangway was down. Port Quarantine, Agent, Cargo Representatives, Terminal Representatives, Agent and P&I and suddenly, totally unexpected, 3 security guards that will stay onboard during our stay. Completed cargo sampling at 5 thirty and while we waited for the lab result, we did the ullaging. I was in bed at midnight, still waiting for the lab result. +++++++++++++++
Friday 18th of April 2025 and they called me at 7 o'clock. I went down to the CCR and we started discharging at 08:24. We are expecting a Port State Control and they arrived around 1 o'clock in the afternoon.
They were leaving before 3 o'clock and I could go to relax with some tea in my room. Good, inspection is over and I might find the time to go ashore to look for some bird tomorrow morning. No sleep for a while now so I will stay in my room resting today. I go out to have a look for birds outside my room and I see two Black Kites and one Pied Kingfisher hunting from one of the mooring ropes.  Black Kite (yellow billed)
 Pied Kingfisher
 Pied Kingfisher
 Pied Kingfisher
 Pied Kingfisher
 Pied Kingfisher
 Pied Kingfisher
 Pied Kingfisher
 Fishermen returning home after a day at sea
I got sad news from my friend in the evening, our friend Luang poo Tong/ หลวง พ่อทอง had died yesterday. We were going to visit him at the hospital in Bangkok but my friend had to go to work at a last-minute call and then it was time for me to join the ship. So we never got to see him before he went away, and we never knew that it was a serious illness.  Luang poo Tong/ หลวง พ่อทอง
 Luang poo Tong/ หลวง พ่อทอง
 Luang poo Tong/ หลวง พ่อทอง
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Saturday 19th of April 2025 and after having had my tea I went to look out the window. 6 o'clock in the morning and I looked out the window to see if there was light enough for go looking for  birds. It was pouring down, what a disappointment!
Maybe the weather will be better during the day so I can sneak ashore for an hour or so to walk along the Vridi Canal to see if there are any birds.  Raining in Abidjan
I am in the CCR at 7 o'clock and discharging are soon to be stopped for them to change the shore tanks. Looking out the window at the CCR and it is gloom and grey for long as I can see. Slim chances for any bird watching today. We had a company to collect our garbage, of course, in the middle of the lunch. The weather did not turn much better so I stayed onboard, but I could go to look for birds on B-deck outside my room. I can see the big container ship anchored at the anchorage outside the Vridi Canal. One of the biggest container ships in the world. She has been anchored for several days and she is waiting to enter Abidjan. First time they take a huge vessel like this in to Abidjan and they will bring her in next week. And if it a success they will add Abidjan to their schedule.  Big container ship waiting to come in side
When we arrived our Pilot told us that the Chief Pilot will bring in the ship, not much space in the Vridi Canal. And they are eager to make it a success. we are moored at the SIR Terminal in the Vridi Canal. And we are moving at the jetty every time a ship is passing. The ships are not slowing down so our mooring lines are at risk, and of course, the cargo hose. I see seven Black Kite (yellow billed) soaring high above. but I manage to get pictures and I see the yellow bill. eBird still call it Black Kite, but other taxonomies now call the bird a Yello-billed Kite. Confusing with the different bird names, but this is how it is.  Black Kite (yellow billed)
 Black Kite (yellow billed)
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Sunday 20th of April 2025 and they called me at 2 o'clock in the morning, one mooring rope had broken, the second mooring rope that had broken.
We called Abidjan Port Control and they send a small boat so we could change the rope and I was in bed at 3 thirty. I went out to look for some birds at lunch. I could spot one Black Heron sitting on floating garbage and it was attached by a Black Kite. The heron came back when the kite disappeared. One Pacific Heron was flying by next to the ship, very close but I never got any pictures. I needed a picture of the Pied Crow and I went up on the bridge deck. There were four of them flying around and I got pictures when I came out. But my lens was all foggy after coming out from the AC so the pictures were all for nothing.  Black Heron attacked by an Black Kite (yellow billed)
 Black Heron back at the garbage
 Pied Crow
I had seen the crows from B-deck, sitting on the lap post so I was hopefully be able to get some close up of the birds.
One of them was sitting on the bridge when I came up. Calling a couple of times before taking off, I never got any pictures or any sound recordings. I do not have my recorder but I have my small Canon R7X with me. They came against me calling while flying and I tried to get pictures, but it is against the sun. They had turned around by the time I had my Canon R7X for a video recording that I could turn in to a mp3 file. I had to wait for a long time, and I was almost giving up. It was very hot, but the bird landed next to the funnel and I could get both pictures and a recording. Next to the engine ventilation so there was a lot of noise, but now I am able to put Ivory Coast on my xeno-canto map.  Pied Crow
 Pied Crow
 Pied Crow
Listen to the Pied Crow
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
    
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