Tag Archives: pacific

Slow prologue to the Middle Kingdom


Posted by Patrick Okens

Nov. 14 Noontime Position: Lat 29deg 48,3 N; Long 122deg 41,3 E
In the East China Sea outside Ningbo, China.

The only thing I have to say about Ningbo is that it is an anagram for “boinng”! But Hanjin Copenhagen didn’t bounce into this seaport. Last night, in fact, we shut the main engine and drifted until morning, as there was no dock space for us until later in the day. I had expected drifting to be quiet, but the howl of ventilators and generators still invaded the night air as I stood at the ship’s very top, beside the funnel.

The dense, silvery mist still holds, and visibility has been barely 1-2 miles. Fishing vessels from a vast flotilla appear and disappear in the fog, and we slowly weave in and out of them following the “pass on the port side” navigation rule. This is simple in principle, but Hanjin Copenhagen isn’t a speedboat and it takes much time for her to change course and stop. The captain yells at the radio a few times, but then he’s the type of guy who is only happy if he is pissed off.

As we approach the Chinese coast and get our pilot, the water turns from grey-green to a dirty caramel colour. A phalanx of Gantry cranes eventually appears under a pale, intermittent sun. The ponderous turning procedure brings us dockside slowly, prodded by two churning tugs. Shoreside, safety-vested dock workers haul the ship’s cables with the help of a forklift and tie them to the bollards. The cranes are put into position and the loading/unloading begins. No moments to lose. We are scheduled
to leave at 0030hrs, and will arrive in Shanghai tomorrow.

A few notes:

*After Kwangyang’s unloading, Hanjin Copenhagen’s stern is 4m deeper in the water than its bow. It’s like the ship’s doing a modest wheelie.

*We were served Coca-Cola at lunch today. Normally, mealtime beverages are tea, coffee, milk and powdered juices.

*The Hanjin Copenhagen has a “slop chest”, a small supply of goods that can be purchased on board. All I’ve bought is water, shampoo and toothpaste. Of the 51 items available, 27 are alcohol or tobacco. Sample item prices (USD) below.

Beck’s beer (24 cans): $23.34 – Most expensive item in the slop chest.
Marlboro cigarettes (carton): $16.36
La Terra Chardonnay: $3.66
Coca-Cola (12 cans): $5.98
Colgate (tube): $3.98
Pringles (tin): $2.88


Into the lifeboat!


Posted by Patrick Okens

Nov 13 Noontime Position: Lat 31deg 5,2N; Long 125deg 25,9 E
In the East China Sea

The thing about attention-grabbing-headlines-with-exclamation-marks is that you have to follow up with something good. The misfortunes of others always make for compelling reading, but today’s post doesn’t involve piracy or shipwrecks. If that’s what you were hoping for, stop here to avoid disappointment.

We had a major crew change in Korea, so today Hanjin Copenhagen held a general safety orientation. At 1020 hours, the alarm sounded and we went to our muster station along with our emergency gear. There was a roll call, and the 1st Officer led a brief tour of key areas. Fire is a major danger on ships, and so we checked out the fire fighting and hazardous materials gear; buckets and shovels of sand, extinguishers, hoses, rubber boots, gloves, masks and overalls.Sixteen of us also crammed into one of the bright orange covered lifeboats, held aloft by cables and winches. Hanjin Copenhagen carries two such boats, each with the capacity to take the entire crew. Inside is a simple molded bench with harnesses around the edge, and an elevated cockpit with windows for the pilot. This craft might save lives, but in close, stale confines (no toilet that I could see), you might wish for death in short order.

After the drill, I tried on the red neoprene full-body immersion suit in my cabin. It took me just under two minutes to drag on the thick overalls (complete with foot and hand coverings, and tight-fitting hood). Turns out “my” suit is one size too small, so I moved around stiffly like some seagoing, rubberized gingerbread man. It felt like being inside a form-fitting oven. But if you’re bobbing around on an ocean “sans bateau”, that’s the least of your worries.

Gone are the clear, cold, windy days of the Pacific. The water is dead calm, greyish green and a warm 23C degrees. We’ve been moving through a silvery haze all day. The sun made a brief appearance as a dull pink globe over the starboard bow, before vanishing again into the thick mist. We reach Ningbo, China tonight.