"M/T Tärnvik - 26 April 2002 to 22nd May 2002"

Spring is here to stay for sure now
M/T Tärnvik is a 14796 DWT tanker for oil products and for Chemicals IMO II & III. She was built in Ping Pong City 2001 and delivered to Tärntank in the summer 2001. She's 141,2 m long and 21,6 m wide.
M/T Tärnvik can load 15806 m³ in 14 wing tanks (98%). She's a double skin tanker with a ballast capacity of 6112m³.
She takes 576m³ fuel oil and the consumption is 26 ton/ day. She takes 96m³ diesel for the auxiliary engines. Speed 85% MCR,� Loaded condition 14,7 knots.
She have 2 deck tanks under the manifold with a capacity for 172m³ tank cleaning water. She have 7 x Svaneh�j electrically driven frequency controlled centrifugal pumps. Top of the line ship with latest technology.

I signed on in Södertälje 26 April 2002. I had to drive by car from Gothenburg to Södertälje. It took me about 5 hours to cross Sweden in my rental. I was driving slowly. I stopped in Gränna at Gyllene Uttern for a meal.

Gyllene Uttern is located very nicely with view over lake Vättern

With settings like this the food just taste good

After leaving Gyllene Uttern I was in a good mood.
My diet down the drain again, but what the h...
I'm not passing Gyllene Uttern every day and when I have a chance I stop by for a snack.

As a man with greate sense of responsibility I arrived before the ship to Södertälje. I was waiting on the jetty when she arrived. (I had to try my new camera). She arrived at 2030 in the evening. As you can see it's still day light. 2 months more and it's sun shine 24 hours a day. But anyway arriving to Södertälje was a somewhat cold experience. I must have left the spring after me in the South. Just 1 week before I was doing tank cleaning in T-shirt and shorts until 2 o'clock in the morning. But now I needed a pull over and I regret that I left my winter clothes at home.

Tärnvik under the railway bridge in Södertälje

Coming alongside to the jetty

We had to stay alongside for about 12 hours to discharge Gasoline and Gas oil. After discharging we headed for Porvoo and Fortums refinery. We where going to load 2 parcels of Gas oil to Sundsvall in the north of Sweden. Even colder.

Captain and the pilot on the bridge when leaving Södertäljee in the morning 27th of April. Talking about times passed a long time ago, when ship's was ship's and sailors was real sailors. This must have been very long ago, beginning of the fifties at least.

It was nice weather on our trip to Porvoo. A little gloomy and grey otherwise OK. After loading 2 parcel of Gas oil, 1 to Preem and 1 to Statoil we left for Sundsvall early in the morning the 29th of April. It was a bit cold but the sun was shining and the sea was like a mirror. No wind at all.
During discharging in Sundsvall they called from the company and told me that I have to stay longer. I had promissed the Chief Officer on Tärnvind to releive him 12th of May. Well, now we see what's happens. More days more dollars as we say in Sweden.

After Sundsvall we returned to Porvoo and loaded Gas oil and Gasoline for Helsinki, a 4 Hour trip. 2nd of May was a day with very nice weather, I thought it was summer.

Göran with kålpudding

We got order from Fortum to go to Brofjorden after Helsinki and load 11 000 ton of City Diesel for Pori and Kotka in Finland. Our trip to Brofjorden was very nice with good weather except on Saturday when we experienced some fog and haze. But on Saturday morning I heard on the radio that Malmö FF beated kalmar FF 4 - 0 so it was never mind with the weather. Our Steward Göran was not to happy about it.
Göran made mashed potatoes with leek (my recipe, well almost) The story goes: We have a friend (our only friend) Mr Peter and he works as a steward too. When Peter was working in Chicago he was making fläskpannkaka to Her majesty queen Silvia of Sweden and every time you mention Peters name to Göran he tend to get nervous. So every time I want something I just tell Göran that Peter use to do it like that. So when I wanted leek in the mashed potatoe I just told him that Peter used leek in his potatoes. When I signed on in Södertälje he

made fläskpannkaka for lunch the day after. Then he made creamed cabbage with sausage the day after and k�lpudding 1 day after. Now we only waiting for Raggmunk and creamed spinach.
My diet is on the way to h... But Göran ordered lint seed from the ship chandler in Brofjorden. So when we are leaving Brofjorden the "slim line department" can start kick serious ass again. Well, we see about the ass kicking. But we will try harder after Brofjorden.

Steward & Captain from Tärnvind & Chief Engineer from Tärnvik

Captain in my cabin

5th of May when loading City Diesel at jetty #2 Tärnvind came in to jetty #3. She was coming straight from the shipyard in Fredericia.

I took this opportunity to pay them a visit. So I went over together with the Chief Engineer. The Chief Officer on Tärnvind still believed that I was going to relieve him around the 12th of May. So obviously it was not true that the company had spoke to him as they told me when they asked if I could stay longer on Tärnvik. But we agreed that I should relieve him around 21st of May.

Cake every day.

We got the lint seed in Brofjorden and the day after Göran served creamed spinach for lunch. OK, I had to wait 1 more day before I started
my diet. After loading we steamed towards Finland. We had to go via Great Belt because of our draught. We could not pass trough Öresund. It takes about 12 hours longer. But who's in a hurry? On the way to Finland we had time for a fire drill and a oil spill drill. We also had a ISM meeting. We arrived to Pori in the afternoon 8th of May. Göran was serving Raggmunkar

and I was to start my diet. I keept myself away from the mess room. After 15 minutes I decided it was a better day tomorrow to start the diet. So I prepered myself mentaly for the lint seed and the hard times to come.

There was 1 ship arriving before us to Pori so we had to wait at the anchorage until the morning the 9th of May. We should discharge 5500 ton of the 11000 tons we loaded in Brofjorden in Pori and the rest should be discharged in Kotka. We got order to load BE98 and Gas oil to Kotka after discharging the City Diesel in Pori .

Fasten your seat belt and don't wet you pants!!

On the Anchorage outside Pori we got the opportunity to have a lifeboat drill. We launched our free fall life boat.

Here we go with a big splash

Manouvering the lifeboat to test every thing

Transfering the crew to our MOB boat before recovering the lifeboat.

After launching the lifeboat it had to be manouvered and tested. Sprinkler and every thing has to be tested. By means of water sprinkler and over pressure in the cabin this lifeboat is able to take the crew away from the ship even if there is burning gasoline in the sea.

Recovering the lifeboat.

My Windows XP gave up on the way to Finland. I had to reinstall it and I lost my e-mail settings. So I was working on the problem every day because I needed my e-mail.
Especialy e-mail from Sue

After compleation the discharging in Kotka we arrived to Porvoo ( More or less our homeport) 11th of May in the evening. We should load Gas oil and UL-95 to Copenhagen. Our Jetty was occupied by M/T Tärnfors, so we had to wait at the anchorage until 12th of May. We came alongside 9 o'clock in the morning. It was nice to get some time at the anchorage. I had some time to try get my e-mail back in order. No succses. But we don't give up.

I was thinking about my e-mail problem during the night and after my watch I tryed to turn of my "Internet Security" program and HOLA! I could send and receive e-mail again.
We left Porvoo 1 o'clock in the morning 13th of May for Copenhagen with our cargotanks full of Gas oil and Gasoline.

We arrived to Copenhagen in the morning the 15th of May. We had a TOTAL FINA vetting and 1 CDI inspection. So I was busy and the chef had creamed spinach for lunch that I missed.

We got order to go and load Naphtha in Muuga (Tallinn) for Terneuzen in Holland. It should be time for me to leave the ship in Holland. Nice!!

Just before leaving Muuga the Chief Officer called from Tärnvind and asked where I was. (They told me 2 times from the company that they had spoke to him about me being deleyed, I spoke with the company only 2 days before and they told me:
- We have spoken to Michael and he knows that you will be late.
Well, what can I say? We agreed that I'm releiving him before the weekend. We will be in Terneuzen on Wednesday 22nd of May so I hope I can releive him on Friday.

When passing Sweden (Skåne) I got a chance to send e-mail. I had to borrow the 2nd Officers mobile phone. My mobile broke down on the way to the ship just 2 days after I got it back from service. It's the same problem again, the phone freezing and turn off it self. NOKIA. Yes, we have e-mail onboard but then everyone can read my "Oh yes, I love you letter" embarrassing. And I also wanted to update my web page. I try to update my page as often I can. So keep your eye's open for updates. Especialy now when I had made a directory page with a easy to use navigation tree.

Well, anyway no e-mail from Sue.
Hmm, If I can be honest there has not been any mail since I send her my photo ????!!!

On the way to Ternuzen we meet Tärnvind outside Gothenburg (I saw her in the horizon) and called her on CH 16. The Chief Officer told me that they were on the way to St. Petersburg in Russia to load for Karlshamn. They had been at the anchorage outside Gothenburg for almost 1 week.

We where hoping that I could sign on Tärnvind at the anchorage. Now he told me that they should be in Karlshamn on Saturday or Sunday the 26nd of May. That meant that I had to stay home for a few days extra.

We arrived to Ternuzen in the morning 22nd of May. My releiver arrived in the afternoon and I was taken to Brussel airport by the agent. I tryed to change my ticket to Gothenburg so I could arrive earlier. Arriving home at 2300 in the evening was not what I wanted. There where no earlier flights available so I changed the ticket to a lunch flight the day after.

I was looking for the sign and in a fiffy I had my pockets full of . I went back to Antwerp and checked in on a hotel. A quick shower and I was ready for the town (but was Antwerp ready for me?). After a few beer I could have won the "Mr handsome" competition.

23rd of May I woke up (definitely not ready for any competitions) on my hotel room. I got to the airport and took my flight to Gothenburg.

Arriving to Gothenburg in the afternoon and I was ready for new adventures.

After M/T Tärnvik I went straight back too M/T Tärnvind


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