Experience with Indian Company

As I had got down from Msc P**** around May End I was to stay at home waiting for my brothers marriage due on August End . The arrangements started by the 1st of June with selecting the marriage halls and booking the caterers, at the same time I started worrying about my career and my job and this long halt at home . So put my resume up in job search website under the heading "Jobships.com" ………. Later after 3 days the calls started pouring in ……… then came the call from Lilly Maritime about a ship doing coastal voyages . There in started my adventure in a Indian enterprise. On the 14th June self caught the morning flight to Mumbai and on arrival Mumbai was instructed to go to a hotel . On arrival I met the 3rd Eng who was to join with me on ship . Then the first Indian company phenomenon started ……… 3rd Eng complained " what? nobody came to pick us up in the airport ???? " …….. I was lit bewildered at this statement and was amused as to what he meant by this reason being the company picking up or dropping officers are a very rare entity in the company I served. The day went uneventful till afternoon we had done our medicals and then went to the company. The first impression I got was not so appealing as the office was in a broken down building in a industrial area and the full office was in disarray. It was a very small organization with all the people within hearing distance and everybody being informal and talking like friends. The company was operating 10 ships including 4 tankers and was to send me on Jadal Kaala* ( Name Changed to prevent Disgust ) ……as it was agreed before the Fleet Personnel manager agreed with a big grin that many had promised but not turned up to a point that he was proud about it for joining highlighting the shortage of Officers in the taking. I had made it very clear by saying that I require signoff on time by the end of July as my brothers marriage preparations will start and my presence is required at home. First time in my life had I seen the managing director , Purchase Dept Head , Superintendent and Fleet Personnel manager all in the same office. After during briefing the 3rd Eng had a issue to address where in he told the superintendent that he will not keep 6 On 6 Off duties onboard and said that he will get off if required to avoid it. The 3rd Eng being the Indian company persona says " any prob give 1 week notice and get down" ??? another bewildering statement. Joined on the 18th and the sight I see is repulsive . The chief Eng onbd is on a strike and refuses to get the engines ready for sailing , when I ask the 2nd Eng he also refuses. Further the company had removed the fitters onbd as it was converting to home trade as per safe manning. When I ask the 2nd eng to shift the lube oil drums to lube oil sump as a preparation for getting engines ready he says " sorry I wont do it, I have no people". I Said you have 3 fitters na? . He replies "they r off the article will you be responsible for any problems??". So I say I will provide man power for which he replies "only chief Eng can give me orders". Hence after considerable delay and waiting the ship is ready to sail after chief Eng has signed off. The new Cheng has boarded for a 4 day contract!!! Getting paid 15000 a day.!!! ……..So our journey off to kandla begin and on arrival kandla found the tank top full of thick HFO and water mix. As it was a sort of emergency in my view. All Deck and galley crew were put to task of cleaning but the oil was still spurting to the tank top , When asked 2nd eng he says "See this is not my job, I have no idea , oil transfer comes under chief Eng" and the vessel has no chief Eng onbd. !! Further when complained to Capt. He says " See. He(2nd Eng) has finished his contract, he is receiving bunker and that itself is a favour on us !!!" Can you believe it ? .further everybody is new in Engine room so they swing on the balls of a Motorman Mr.Prathap who is good at work. When having no option but to ask prathap he says " Dekho Chief Saab, Transfer karega to engine rukh jayega" So at last we manage to pump out the oil by shore truck and then load 15 containers short. The vessel had reached its drafts. The Gauges for ballast tanks don't work. There r no manual sounding pipes. How am I to ascertain the quantity of ballast onbd ? This the master never seems to understand and says his son ( who was chief mate then later became master on this ship) has loaded more. But being new in the ship this is the best I could manage. The ballast pump is not taking suction and when I asked 2nd eng he says "See this is Fitters job and no fitter onbd so cant help it." These things drive me to point of frustration. Then I call my good friends Sathiya Sabari who had jus returned from a short contract in a coastal container vessel. He says "don't do your job . If you do then you r a fool, the lesser job you take responsibility of better you will be , and do only which is absolutely necessary" …….. actually considering the circumstances its valuable advice . Further our bridge team comprises of 2 2nd officers including me. The 2nd officers have the least possible idea on the bridge equipment. They don't know abt the GPS, GMDSS, AIS, AMOS, RADAR. Waypoints r not fed in the GPS. The passage plan is made in hand and filed. Further they r obvilius of the Fact that the IMDG new edition has come out. And on any occasion they start pouring you with advice and suggestions with no apparent practicality. On arrival cochin IRS surveyor boards for issuing interim certificates along with Supdt. Master tells me to assist me and goes to sleep after a late night arrival. This brought me to a continuous 48 hr work load. Dep Cochin the ballast pump is not able to pump the fore peak tank and the master advises me to take fire hose to fill the tank. Which I point out as not required and say we have enough GM already and by taking ballast there you wont be able to pump it out in kandla which is as unwanted burden and reason for short loading. As Expected Dep Cochin on the way back the vessel rolls like mad being stiff ( GM 2.8 mtrs) and master not yet convinced wants me to ballast Fore Peak Tank. On the passage back to kandla the master does the calculation and says that to load 200 containers I need to have only 250 MT ballast onboard of the 18 ballast tanks onboard. He says " OK so you just achieve this condition (as if its very much possible)" …….. I m left thinking "Is this man really aware of the problems onboard ? " Second Eng had changed last call Cochin, He is a real good engineer who would take the intiative and work towards solving issues. His good self got the ballast pump operational. On the way the engine breaks down luckily after vsl entering gulf of kutch. The chief Eng first of all lifts his hands up and says " I need workshop assistance without which I cant guarantee success or time required" …… Which is totally unexpected and untowardly in the organization I come from. But after 6 days of hard work and labour mainly from chief eng and 2nd eng and futile attempts by the workshop to help us but not able to come due to rough weather. Managed to change one cyl head of a unit and overhauling of Purifier takes 5 full days !!! There after on arrival chief Eng is sacked and sent home for reasons best known to the company. B4 kandla got the air vents of side tanks opened to check for sounding vide the air pipe ulllaging. Found oily water in one of the wing tanks. On arrival kandla commenced the deballasting and told master dat will not pump out the side tank contaminated. So we work on it then supdt ond tries to convince me that only upper layer is oil hence pump out, same with master. I m shit scared about it. So did not pump it out even though I agreed to their views. At last we reach the drafts at ldg 194 containers. Shortloading 6 containers which the master tells me to load and we do going above the drafts. (This was basically putting my certificate of competency and career at risk …… for who …… for Jadal Cunt of Misery to make more money !!!! ) Dep Kandla New master / New cheng / New Third Off ( My friend Micheal ) …. Actually sailing with all the elderly deck officers was driving me to the brink.(Master 64, 2nd Off 64, 3rd Off 57 was in itself quite depressing ). Luckily I could get my very good fr micheal to join as 3rd mate onboard. After a Day Engine problems anchored off Okha for repairs. Resume journey to Cochin. Try to convince master to take the coastal route which initially refuses and then agrees knowing that we require to anchor on arrival. Cochin an A/B gets relieved. But more problems resume. No.2 Side tank was found cracked and leaking in duct keel. Further Not able to ballast Fore peak tank vide ballast pump nor by fire pump. Requested engine room to charge the deck line with water to fill up fore peak with fire hose in a last attempt to reduce trim, 2nd eng tries but later says fire pump not taking suction. I asked him 'In case of Fire you wont get water to fight it' , He humbly admits ''Yaar I m fucked here, this problem is new, will check it and get back to you'' Vsl departs cochin at 3.5 mtrs trim and 1 Deg Stbd list.Soon After dep engine room started flooding with water due to water from duct keel coming into engine room vide tunnel recess. Fire pump/ ER eductor line to pump out bilges inoperational. Hence lower Submersible p/p in engine room in which water was rising at an alarming rate. The engine room Exh manifold leaking leads to the engine room being filled with smoke with sulphur which makes it all the more difficult for the engine room. I on entry find myself choking and coughing and taste the sour sulphur taste after 5 mins. There is nothing but pity for the engine room staff who manage to stay in this environment which is inhuman and also a major health hazard sans doubt. The vessel of innumerable stoppage and Problems and including the deck and engine side working their Ass off and somehow manage to reach Kandla. On this point I m like busting the company for getting me relieved. Hence the company send a radio officer to sail in my place by getting a dispensation. On the safe interest of the Ship I educate both micheal n micheal on the intricacies of loading calculation and ballasting and deballasting. Both the blokes r good and hard working boys but sadly to my disgrunt before leaving I had to give them the piece of advice my good friends Sathya Sabari gave me. Further Micheal and Micheal r gr8 friends and are more knowledgable than the master and mates on the ship. As far I m concerned the ships were not bad but by putting sub standard staff and unprofessional tech team is the main problem. The crew employed are not experienced rather they jus pay their way to the ship to brokers and agents inside the company. The officers are mostly old, lazy and life long second mates and mates who have no initiative in life other than jus spend their time and complain about food, the age of the ship and bitch to glory about the company and fellow officers and crew. Further the Supdt's are more well known to the ships but are on friendly term with the officers deterring chain of order. Even if they put their foot down and get after people the officers give 24 hr notice to sign off and say them to go fuck off . This is a never ending cycle of continous problems. This can be stopped only by a drastic change in the organization at the top level and further also some changes by the Govt rules by which they support the company to take sterner actions against bad officers. Better training of old and same rank holders other than usual name sake revalidation.