NORD NEWS

Summer 2003 

NORD NEWS

Klaus Egon Oldendorff 

*14th April 1933 - †17th March 2003

Dear Seafarers and Readers 

Whilst writing this editorial I sit in Libra Tower at my husband’s desk with its view 

over the Limassol Gardens to the Mediterranean. When looking at the last edition 

of NORD NEWS I realise that my husband wrote the editorial for that issue on 1st 

March, and now I sit here exactly three months later. 

Unfortunately just over two weeks after writing that letter to you Klaus E. Oldendorff passed 

away. His death was completely unexpected and came as a big shock to myself and the rest of 

the family. I know also that many of you were deeply moved by this tragic event and once again 

I would like to thank you for your kind words of support. 

As you can imagine it has been a very hectic few weeks. There were of course the funeral 

arrangements and the personal matters that had to be sorted out. But also I was determined 

that as far as our ships and offices were concerned it must be ‘business as usual’. We are all 

extremely fortunate that my husband left us with such firm foundations. A lovely fleet of 

modern ships supported by a strong office structure and healthy finances. 

As had been planned for a long time I christened and took delivery of our new 2500teu 

containership the NORDATLANTIC on 16th May. Whilst long time friend of the family, 

Mrs Ilse Uphoff, who has given me so much support in these difficult times, christened the 

NORDPACIFIC. After the naming ceremony many family, friends and business associates 

joined us for a short cruise from the Aker MTW yard at Wismar to Travemünde. We had a very 

nice day with splendid weather and I wish Capt Petaros and his crew all the very best of luck 

on their new ship. 

With our ships I am pleased to have taken the helm of the company as Chairman and 

Managing Director at a time of rising freight rates for our containerships and bulkcarriers. The 

tankers also maintain good rates though the markets have become rather erratic in this sector. 

In Cyprus we are also living in interesting times. Shortly after the southern Greek part of 

Cyprus was confirmed as a new member of the European Union as from 1st May 2004, the 

Turkish government in the north suddenly opened the borders. These borders have been closed 

and the island divided since the Turkish invasion of 1974. Now there is a free movement of 

people between north and south, which is already being used extensively by both sides. We wait 

with interest to see future developments. 

In concluding I want to say a few words about Klaus E. Oldendorff, my husband of nearly 

25 years and father of our two wonderful sons, Christian and Nikolaus. He was a great family 

man and will be very much missed by us. Most of you reading this will know him as the astute 

and pragmatic businessman who built Reederei “NORD” Klaus E. Oldendorff from a small 

one ship company in 1964 to the successful enterprise it is today. He certainly achieved a great 

deal in his life and left a positive impression on all those he came into contact with. This week 

we have attended a tribute to my husband organised by the Cyprus government and have also 

been presented with a plaque marking Klaus E. Oldendorff’s appointment of Honorary 

President of the Cyprus Shipping Council. Both these events underline what a great man he 

was and we are all privileged to have been associated with him. On the opposite page I leave 

you with a collage of photographs from both his private and business life. 

Happy sailing! 

Limassol, 1st June 2003 Christiane E. Oldendorff 

NORD NEWS Summer 2003 3

International Ship & Port Facility 

Security (ISPS) Code 

Our SMS Superintendent, Capt. Ramel Menon, explains what’s in store 

In the Autumn 2002 issue of NORD News 

we gave you a brief description of what was been 

proposed by the International Maritime 

Organisation (IMO) to enhance security on 

ships and in port facilities. At the IMO 

diplomatic conference of December 2002 the 

proposed International Ship and Port Facility 

Security (ISPS) Code was unanimously adopted 

by tacit acceptance for inclusion in the SOLAS 

Convention. All ships will have to comply with 

the new code from 1st July 2004. 

Naturally, many would want to know how the 

code would affect them on board? How will it be 

implemented on board and what does it entail? 

The ISPS Code will be in many respects similar 

to the way the ISM Code is administered on 

board the ship. 

Simply put, the Code wants shipboard 

security to be looked at with a more critical eye. 

The additional security measures that will be put 

in place will augment those measures that 

already exist on board, e.g. anti-piracy watches, 

gangway watches, visitors & shore leave record 

books, drug & stowaway searches, deck patrols, 

securing restricted areas etc. 

Implementation 

The Company Security Officers (CSOs) will 

be the SMS Superintendents who have already 

participated in CSO training courses along with 

the Training Masters. 

The first and most important exercise in the 

implementation process is to carry out a Ship 

Security Assessment (SSA). This is essentially a 

systematic risk-based analytical process that 

considers the possibility that a security breach 

will endanger a ship, personnel or function on 

board, and to recommend actions to reduce such 

risks. The company has developed a SSA 

questionnaire that will be completed onboard 

each vessel. 

4 

The next step is to draw up a Ship Security 

Plan (SSP) for each ship based on the results of 

each ship’s security assessment. A generic Ship 

Security Plan has already been produced and this 

will be adjusted/modified to make it ship 

specific. 

The next stage will be to get each Ship Security 

Plan approved by the Flag State through a 

Recognised Security Organisation (RSO). These 

will be the classification societies such as 

Germanischer Lloyd, Lloyds Register, Det Norske 

Veritas, American Bureau, Bureau Veritas, etc. 

All ships will have a designated Ship Security 

Officer (SSO) and a Back-up. The designated 

SSO will be a singular rank for the whole fleet, 

so that there is continuity when an officer is 

relieved at the end of his contract. (At the time 

of writing a definitive decision on which rank 

will be the SSO has not been made). The SSO 

will have to undergo some form of security 

training. At this time it is not clear whether the 

training can be in-house/in-service or if a more 

formal mode of training at a recognised shore 

institution will be required. A decision has to be 

taken by the flag administration. 

Once the Ship Security Plan has been 

approved, it has to be implemented on board for 

a period of at least 3 months. This will involve 

training all the crew in security-related duties, 

drills and exercises and maintaining records 

similar to the ISM Code. The SSP will contain 

checklists and contingency plans to help in the 

training. Once the implementation is completed 

each vessel will be audited internally by the 

company. 

Prior to carrying out the internal audit and 

during the implementation period your vessel 

will have to be marked with the ship’s 

identification number in accordance with the 

requirements of the ISPS Code. An Automatic 

Identification System (AIS) and Ship Security 

NORD NEWS Summer 2003

Alert system will also have to be installed and be 

functional, and the Flag State will have to 

provide each ship with a Continuous Synopsis 

Record (CSR) - a record of the ship’s life. 

Finally, the vessel will be audited by a 

Recognised Security Organisation (RSO) acting 

on behalf of the Flag administration and issue an 

International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC). 

The certificate will be valid for a period of 5 

years and will be subject to an intermediate 

verification audit between the 2nd and 3rd 

Continuous Synopsis 

Record (CSR) received 

and sent to all ships 

IMPLEMENTATION OF ISPS CODE 

Introduction of the ISPS Code 

to the ships 

Appointment and training of 

Company Security Officers 

Prepare Ship Security 

Assessment Questionnaire 

Prepare draft Ship Security Plan 

(Generic) 

Prepare ship specific 

security plans 

Get approval from the Flag State 

for the Ship Security Plans & SSA 

Approved Ship Security Plans & 

SSA sent to ships 

Implementation & operation of 

the SSP on the ships for 3 months 

Carry out internal audit of the 

ISPS Code on the ships 

Conduct external audits 

of the ships. 

Issue of International Ship Security 

Certificate (ISSC) 

anniversary years as with the Safety Management 

Certificate. Annual internal audits will be 

conducted similar to the ISM Code. 

The whole process has to be completed and all 

ships must be certified by 1st July 2004. Time is 

of the essence and the company expects all our 

crews to actively participate in the 

implementation of the Code. 

The schematic diagram below illustrates the 

process of implementation of the code leading to 

certification. 

Ship Security Assessment carried 

out by: 

SMS Superintendents and 

Training Masters 

Ships 

Office 

Training for Ship 

Security Officers (SSO) 

Installation of security 

alert system & marking of 

identification number 

Recognised Security 

Organisation (RSO) 


The joint naming ceremony 

of our first two MTW 2500 

type containervessels was 

carried out on 16th May at the 

Aker MTW Shipyard in 

Wismar, Germany. The first of 

the series, NORDATLANTIC, 

was delivered to us at the same 

time. 

6 

Mrs Oldendorff greets the crew 

Naming Ceremony of NORD 

The vessel alongside at the shipyard quay 

Mrs Christiane E. Oldendorff christened NORDATLANTIC 

while the Godmother for NORDPACIFIC, which will be delivered 

to us in July, was 

Mrs Ilse Uphoff. 

Around 85 

guests including 

company staff, 

b u s i n e s s 

associates and 

friends were 

present and were 

shown the huge 

Construction 

Hall - an 

enormous 

completelycovered 

structure 

Document signing prior to delivery. Left to right: 

Mr Jürgen Vierling, Mr Peter Rybarczyk, 

Dr. Kurt Klemme, Mrs Christiane E. Oldendorff and 

Mr Jürgen Kennemann 

where the ships are built - before proceeding to the quayside where the 

ships were officially christened. Speeches were given by Mrs Oldendorff 

and Mr Kennemann, President and CEO of Aker MTW yard. 

The guests then enjoyed a fabulous cruise on NORDATLANTIC 

as they sailed with her from Wismar to the historic port of 

Travemünde, about four hours sailing along the German coast. With 

excellent weather and food being served, a good time was had by all. 


ATLANTIC and NORDPACIFIC 

Mr Jürgen Kennemann, Nikolaus Oldendorff, 

Mrs Ilse Uphoff, Mrs Christiane E. Oldendorff, 

Christian Oldendorff, Mr Peter Rybarczyk and 

Mr Jonathan Holloway 

Mrs Oldendorff pulls the chord, sending the champagne 

bottle crashing onto the hull of NORDATLANTIC and 

Mrs Ilse Uphoff after naming her vessel NORDPACIFIC 

Guests embark NORDATLANTIC to take a cruise from 

Wismar to Travemünde after the ceremony 

NORDATLANTIC 

brief particulars 

Abt 34,000 mts on 11.40m (scantling draft) 

Abt 27,400 mts on 10.10m (design draft) 

LOA: 207.40m 

LBP: 195.40m 

Beam: 29.80m 

2478 TEU (992 in holds / 1486 on deck) 

1920 TEU at 14 tons homogenous 

400 Reefer Plugs 

Cranes: 3 x 45 tons 

Speed: abt. 23.0 knots at design draft 

NORDATLANTIC has been fixed on a 

one year time charter to Costa Container 

Lines, an Italian company to whom we have 

four other container vessels on charter. The 

vessel is now trading on their South America 

(Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay) / Europe (Spain, 

France, Italy) line and has been renamed to 

the charterer's chosen name CALAPALOS. 

The Master is Captain Valneo Petaros and 

the Chief Engineer is Waldemar Wisniewski. 

The vessel is managed from Limassol, with 

Symeon Boeros as Superintendent and 

Krasimir Halachev as Personnel Officer. 

C/E Wisniewski and Captain Petaros (right) 


8 

A rather windy day. Mr Peter Rybarczyk says a few words 

on deck, at the change of flags 

The event was well covered in the press with 

Mrs Oldendorff appearing on the front cover of 

international shipping newspaper Lloyd’s List. Italian 

paper “iL Secolo XIX” pictured Mr Emilio Falsetti, 

CEO of Costa Container Lines, presenting a picture of 

the port of Genoa to Mrs Oldendorff. 

Captain Petaros is holding the plaque presented to 

Mrs Oldendorff by the shipyard 

NORDATLANTIC takes her guests on a cruise from 

Wismar to Travemünde after the ceremony 


ITF 

During the week commencing 10th March 

2003, Limassol was the venue of an ITF 

Inspectors seminar. The ITF periodically arranges 

these seminars to give training to its inspectors, on 

this occasion 120 inspectors from all over the 

world met together with staff from ITF 

headquarters in London. 

ITF inspectors are the face of the ITF most well 

known to our seafarers. It is these people that 

occasionally board our ships in many different 

ports around the world. Our Masters are 

instructed to welcome 

aboard any ITF inspector 

that may visit one of our 

ships, offer the usual 

courtesies such as 

refreshments and if the 

inspector wants to look 

around the ship, then to 

give a guided tour. 

Our company policy is 

to have dialogue with the 

ITF whenever the 

opportunity arises and 

this certainly applied 

whilst the ITF was in 

Limassol. It is well known 

that we as a company 

have differences of 

opinion with the ITF. The ITF holds certain views 

about companies such as ours operating in Cyprus 

and accuses our ships of flying a 'Flag of 

Convenience'. We have a different view; we own 

and operate a fleet of high quality ships from 

Cyprus and regard the Cyprus flag as our national 

flag. We believe the ITF should stop wasting its 

time on reputable operators such as us and 

concentrate on those companies operating substandard 

ships, regardless of the flag they are 

flying. 

Differences of opinion rarely disappear if the 

two sides ignore each other, better to have open 

discussions. Maybe the differences will not 

disappear completely but hopefully each side will 

understand the other a little bit better. To this end 

Mr. Oldendorff took part in a panel discussion 

Panel Discussion at ITF Inspectors’ Seminar 

Left to right: Peter Morris (Chairman of the ICONS 

Commissioners), Andy Winbow (Head of Human 

Element Section at IMO), Klaus E. Oldendorff, 

Ole Ollestrom (Chief Surveyor of Danish Maritime 

Authority), Charalambos Mylonas (President, Association 

of Cypriot Shipowners (Searovers), David Dearsley 

(Secretary General, IMEC), Serghios Serghiou (Director, 

Department of Merchant Shipping) 

during the Inspectors seminar, which is a good 

chance for the ITF to hear the shipowners point 

of view. That evening Mr. Oldendorff was guest of 

honour at the ITF ‘Gala Dinner’. 

On the last day of the seminar the ITF asked if 

5 of its representatives could visit our offices. ITF 

Inspectors generally get to meet seafarers on ships 

during their day-to-day work. They rarely, if ever, 

get to visit the ship management offices and hear 

the operators’ point of view. The visit lasted 2 

hours which included meeting people in every 

department. There were 

of course lively 

discussions to express 

each side’s point of view, 

but these were on a very 

friendly basis and the 

final result was a meeting 

that proved to be worthwhile 

for both sides. 

At the end of the 

seminar the ITF issued a 

press release announcing 

an agreement for 

improved co-operation 

between the Cyprus flag 

state administration and 

the ITF. Also the Cyprus 

flag received praise for its 

active participation in a number of international 

regulatory bodies including the IMO. 

The press release went on to say that the ITF 

regards the Cyprus register as a ‘hybrid’ flag which 

includes many national flag operators who 

beneficially own and operate from the country of 

registry, all supported by a substantial maritime 

infra- structure. This of course includes Reederei 

“NORD”. The term hybrid refers to the fact that 

the ITF still regard some of the ships on the 

Cyprus register as ‘flag of convenience’. 

The ITF have used the term ‘hybrid’ flag on 

occasions before, but just in passing comment. It 

was nice to see this term put into writing and to 

think that our policy of open discussions with the 

ITF has maybe had some influence on their 

policy. 


Spotlight on: NORDMOSEL 

Panamax bulkcarrier NORDMOSEL was delivered on 27th September 2001 from Samho shipyard in 

Korea. As with her five sister vessels she is named after a river in Germany. Since delivery she has 

performed 14 voyages and traded to all corners of the globe. The vessel is presently on time charter to 

Cargill until the end of the year. 

10 

Captain William K. Blackie commenced seagoing duties as an apprentice with BP Tanker 

Company in 1959 and sailed with them as a junior officer until 1965 before joining Harrisons 

(Clyde) Ltd. In 1985 he joined NORD on the multicon NORDHEIDE and then sailed mainly 

on the T-Bulkers until 2001 when he joined NORDMORITZ. This is his second contract on 

NORDMOSEL. 

C/E Pawel Mucek was born in Gdynia, Poland in 1968. He studied at Ship Building Secondary 

School and after graduated from Technical University in Gdansk in 1993. He joined NORD as 

an engine cadet on board the old NORDISLE in 1992, working his way up to C/E in February 

2002 on NORDMORITZ. 

The present Master Captain Blackie describes 

a recent voyage from Australia to Italy. 

Loaded with Australian coal, we departed 

from Newcastle on the 5th March and began our 

long ocean voyage to Suez and the Marlboro 

canal as it is commonly referred to by all seafarers 

for reasons which I will not explain. 

25 days later, we arrived in Suez Bay and 

dropped anchor. This was NORDMOSEL’s first 

Suez Canal transit and prior to transiting we had 

to be inspected and the ship’s plans presented to 

the authorities. All this had been pre-arranged 

from our office so it was with minimal fuss that 

we were granted permission to proceed and to 

catch the convoy first thing the next morning. 

I had not visited the canal for some twenty 

years or so and I was pleasantly surprised to find 


that there was much better control of security in 

so far as there was no inundation of 

“businessmen” and unauthorized people trying 

to board. 

We exited the canal at Port Said on the 31st at 

2224 hrs and proceeded on our final stage of the 

voyage to Trieste where we arrived and berthed 

on the 4th April also at 2224 hrs. 

NORDMOSEL berthed port side alongside 

storage vessel “BULK TRIESTE” and special 

discharging equipment "Cavalletto" system was 

fitted on our hatch coamings. This enabled 

stevedores to discharge from NORDMOSEL to 

“BULK TRIESTE” and also to the feeder bulker 

“CAPO NOLI”, which later berthed alongside 

on our starboard side. 

No room for error in this turning basin at Venice 

On completion of discharge at Trieste, when 

we had discharged sufficient cargo to reach the 

maximum allowable draft for entry to Venice we 

sailed. We anchored at Venice and had to wait a 

few hours before taking the pilot on board. The 

berth at the Enelettrico terminal is accessed via 

the Malamocco channel. There is a ninety degree 

turn to port at the turning basin, which just 

accommodates a Panamax size bulker, then 

under an overhead Arch (carrying a pipeline) 

through a narrow fendered gap only a couple of 

metres wider than NORDMOSEL and then to 

the berth. For this operation we were 

manouevred by assistance of three tugs - very 

precisely in the limited space available. 

Our discharge completed at Venice and we 

sailed on the 12th April to the Amazon River 

and Puerto Trombetas to load Bauxite for 

Aughinish in the Irish Republic. 

Discharging at Trieste by the Cavaletto System 

Brief particulars 

Built: 2001, Samho Heavy Industries, 

Mokpo, South Korea 

Class: Germanischer Lloyd 

Flag: Cyprus 

Deadweight: Abt. 75,000 tons on 14,167 m 

Main Engine: Hyundai-B&W Type 6S 60MC 

of 15,190 bhp at 96rpm 

Pictured above is NORDMOSEL OS Tausi Galiga 

sporting Tuvaluan cowrie shell necklaces. IDF Foreman 

Talatiu Akelisi advises that most Tuvaluan seafarers bring 

them on board. The cowrie shell necklaces are given to 

anyone travelling by family members when they leave 

their country. As well as being remembrances of family 

and friends back home, in Tuvaluan culture they 

signify a safe journey. 


Technical Department 

Technical Director, Graham Cowling, describes a typical day in the life of the 

Limassol Technical Department 

Serving the fleet with everything you could 

imagine from dry provisions to drydocks, this 

article looks at the Limassol Technical 

Department, who they are and what they do. 

The day begins with the Superintendents and 

Purchasing team reading all the emails and faxes 

that have come in over night while they drink 

their first cup of coffee at 0800hrs. 

Site teams and surveys 

Our NORD site office in Korea is already well 

into the working day and a large number of faxes 

have come in regarding 

plan approval on our 

newbuilding product 

tankers at Hyundai. 

Answers are needed on 

everything from paint 

makers to thickness of 

steel on main structural 

drawings. Mr Macmillan, 

our Senior Technical 

Superintendent and 

Mr Boeros, who are 

responsible for plan 

approval and newbuilding 

supervision discuss a yard 

proposal on deck lighting. 

Meanwhile, in Shanghai, one of our bulk 

carriers needs a class survey to a hatchcover, 

which some stevedores have carelessly damaged 

with a cargo hook. Mr Pagacz, Technical 

Superintendent, is talking on the telephone with 

GL Shanghai to arrange for a surveyor to get on 

board as soon as possible to assess the damage. 

A storing off Singapore 

It's 0900 and our purchasing team is just 

putting the finishing touches to a major 4 month 

stores and spares supply for one of our tankers 

Superintendents 

Valentin Iliev, Grzegorz Kowalczyk, Edward Dziebowski, 

Robert Jelcic, Alasdair Macmillan, Symeon Boeros, 

Andrzej Pagacz, John Price & Graham Cowling 

off Singapore. She is in ballast westbound for 

the Arabian Gulf and everything needs to be 

arranged so that she is not delayed. Our 

Purchasing Officer, Mr Fazi, gives some 

instructions to the ship chandler while Mr Jelcic, 

Assistant Superintendent, checks that the spares 

consignment from Hamburg has been cleared 

through customs in Singapore in good time. 

The mid-morning meeting 

It’s 1100 hrs and although everyone is busy, 

we need to sit down and discuss our problems, 

new developments and 

new changes to policy. 

The whole department 

gets together once a week 

for this meeting. It also 

gives everyone a chance to 

have a moan! For 

example, this week’s “hot” 

topic is new 

recommendations from 

OCIMF on fittings for 

tug pull-back and escort 

duties on tankers. How 

will we comply with this 

new rule and how much is 

it going to cost? 

London Calling! 

1200 hrs in Cyprus and Europe is already 

wide awake. Our Hamburg Chartering 

department are on the phone and want to know 

if we can take an 80t cavaletto gantry crane onto 

the deck of one of our bulk carriers in Italy. 

Mr Kowalczyk, Technical Superintendent, is 

checking drawings and hatch cover loadings. It 

looks OK. 

Meanwhile, our pool managers in London 

have an urgent enquiry about one of our 

12 NORD NEWS Summer 2003

VLCCs. BP want to do a lightering operation off 

Long Beach and need to know if the ship has the 

correct configuration of bollards on the poop 

deck. Mr Dziebowski, Technical Superintendent 

for tankers, is checking the plans. It looks like we 

may have to do a modification and he needs to 

check with a workshop in Dubai whether it can 

be done before the ship loads the next cargo. 

A traveller returns 

1400 hrs and one of our Superintendents 

walks in through the door. He has just returned 

from a trip to the Far East and has visited 4 ships 

in a little over two weeks. His trip has taken in 

Kaoshiung, Pusan, Ningbo and Singapore. Now 

it's time to finish off the 

reports and catch up on 

the latest news from his 

ships. 

COFRs and OPA's 

The afternoon brings 

some new requirements. 

One of our container 

ships is USA bound for 

the first time and she 

needs a Certificate of 

Financial Responsibility 

(COFR). Our secretary, 

Yiota Elia speaks to our 

insurance broker to make sure all the 

documentation has been submitted. It's already 

1700 hrs in Cyprus but the USA is just waking 

up so we should be able to get it done. 

Sleepless in Seattle - Shipping never 

stops. 

Actually it’s Vancouver! Although it is late in 

the evening in Cyprus, our ships on the west 

coast of the USA are just starting their working 

day. A worried Master calls his Superintendent, 

Mr Pagacz, about some indents in the hull 

caused by an over-zealous tug master. Luckily 

there is no serious damage and no leakage. All 

the same, Mr Pagacz needs to get Class and a 

repair squad down as soon as possible. It’s going 

to be a late night! Shipping never sleeps! 

NORD NEWS Summer 2003 

The rest of the team 

Maria Hadjisolomou, Yiota Elia & Mohammed Fazi 

Special projects 

Of course, there is lots of day-to-day work but 

the department is also involved in special 

projects. We are always looking for ways to make 

things better and this needs us to make plans and 

set up new procedures. For example, 

Mr Macmillan is looking at the various 

spares/inventory control systems that are 

available. He is trying to decide whether we buy 

an 'off-the-shelf' package from a marine software 

company or whether to develop a system 'in 

house'. 

Two tankers are due for drydocking in July. 

Mr John Price is busy pulling together all the 

drydock repair forms so that he has a proper 

specification to send out 

to the yards for tender. 

Some changes 

Recently we have 

implemented a few 

changes that will make 

the way we work more 

efficient. 

Robert Jelcic has been 

promoted to the position 

of Assistant Superintendent, 

a role that will 

see him assisting Graham 

Cowling and Alasdair Macmillan on various 

projects. He has recently started a distance 

learning course called 'A diploma in Ship’s 

Superintendency'. 

Mohammed Fazi has taken over his position as 

Purchasing Officer. 

The creation of the new position of Technical 

Accountant is helping streamline our processing 

of the huge number of invoices that pass 

through our department. Maria Hadjisolomou, 

previously of the Accounts Department, has 

been appointed to this position. 

We hope that we have given you a flavour of 

what goes on in the Technical Department. 

13

News from our ships 

One of longest serving masters, Captain 

Horace James Messenger, has retired after 23 

years with NORD. He signed off 

NORDSTRAND in Livorno on 20th March 

2003 four days before his sixty fifth birthday. 

This was his 7th contract on this vessel and his 

31st with NORD. 

Captain Messenger was an extremely popular 

Master and it was rare indeed to find anyone 

who did not enjoy sailing with him. Many junior 

officers who worked under him benefitted from 

his vast experience and his natural training 

abilities. He was often accompanied by his wife, 

Juliane, who always contributed to the happy 

atmosphere on board. 

On their way back from Livorno to their 

home in Norfolk, England Captain and 

Mrs Messenger passed through Hamburg and 

enjoyed an excellent lunch with the senior staff 

in the Hamburg office. 

We thank him for his many years of loyal 

service and wish him and his wife a very happy 

retirement - no doubt a lot of it will be spent on 

the golf course. 

Just before leaving NORDSTRAND 

Mrs Messenger penned the following letter 

describing her love of the sea and travel to far off 

lands. 

14 

Capt. and Mrs Messenger at their leaving party 

on NORDSTRAND 

Dear Mr. Rybarczyk and All at Reederei 

"NORD"! 

My husband is retiring and my last voyage is 

coming to an end. Sadly it is "goodbye" to 

seafaring, which has become my great passion 

over the last 28 years. 

As a landlubber, born and bred in Berlin, my 

first encounter with the sea was when I crossed 

the Channel to England as a young student 

nurse. 

Then I met and fell in love with my husband, 

who had the strange occupation of Merchant 

Navy Officer. 

Twelve years later I was finally allowed to 

accompany him to sea. This was a new and 

exciting experience. I used to pack up our 

daughter and her schoolbooks and we joined 

my husband's ship whenever possible. Since our 

daughter became self-sufficient I have travelled 

almost full time. 

The last 22 years this has been on "NORD" 

ships and I would like to express my thanks. I 

am very grateful to the Management for their 

kind permission and the Personnel dept. for all 

their help with travel arrangements. I must not 

forget the Chartering dept., who fulfilled my 

wish of:- (à la Hans Albers) "Just one more time 

through the Suez and through the Panama…" 

for my last voyage. 

Seafaring has greatly enriched my life and I 

have a host of wonderful memories. There is the 

safari in Kenya and a visit to a pygmy village in 

Cameroon, castles and temples in Japan and a 

performance in the Sydney Opera House. There 

are icebergs off Newfoundland with seals 

sunning themselves on ice floes and the Great 

Lakes with a trip to Niagara Falls. We visited the 

Inca ruins in Pachacamac and the Gold 

Museum in Lima. There is "Willy" the resident 

whale in Delta Port (Vancouver), who has, for 

the last 20 years, led every ship to its berth; and 

a weekend without work in Tahiti, so we could 

explore the island. 


We also sampled a few golf courses around 

the world, with monkeys in Mombasa pinching 

our balls, parrots in Panama screeching at us, 

crocodiles in Columbia preventing us from 

retrieving our balls from the water hazards and 

iguanas in Ecuador changing into an angry red 

colour whenever we approached "their greens". 

Friends at home ask what I do with myself on 

long seavoyages and don't I get bored? My 

answer is an emphatic NO! There is the sea to 

look at, with all its variations from flat calm, 

disturbed only by the occasional plop of a flying 

fish, to the great steely grey mountainous seas. 

Also shipboard life can be so varied and 

"interesting" with pirate watches or even a 

stowaway popping up from his hiding place. 

And there are the various safety drills, i.e. "Man 

overboard", when a school of dolphins escorted 

our rescue boat to the "man" (orange painted 

drum), then led the boat back to the ship. 

For really quiet periods there are books, 

jigsaw puzzles and needlework. The latter even 

included stitching a seaman's badly lacerated 

hand once. 

And there are barbecues on deck, bingo 

parties, Sri Lankan New Year celebrations with 

fun and games and Kiribati Independence Day 

parties with their national dances and songs. 

And alas, our own farewell party in a few days 

time - I must go and busy myself with balloons, 

banners and invitations. 

I shall probably shed a few tears as I walk 

down the gangway for the last time, just because 

life at sea has been so wonderful and I have 

thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Thank you Reederei "NORD"! 

Sincerely yours, 

Juliane Messenger 

(Captain's wife) 

Airborne Rescue 

The Master of 

NORDRHINE, Captain 

Maciej Kosinski, sent 

this account of how a US 

Navy Seal Medical Team 

was involved in a 

dramatic rescue in the 

middle of the Pacific Ocean 

NORDRHINE was crossing the Pacific 

bound for China when the vessel’s fitter, due to 

an enlarged prostate gland, was unable to pass 

any urine at all. The vessel was 6 days away from 

the closest port, Hilo in Hawaii Island. After 

taking advice from C.I.R.M. Roma, the Second 

Officer and I tried twice to make a 

catheterization of his bladder, but unsuccessfully. 

On 12th February I informed the Limassol office 

about our problems and they decided to 

disembark the fitter to hospital in Hawaii, but it 

was still 4 days to go. The next day owners 

informed P&I and the P&I appointed agent in 

Honolulu. 

The agent, after communication with me and 

considering our ETA in Hilo, informed our 

problem to the U.S. Coast Guard. On 13-14 Feb 

the USCG from Honolulu called the vessel on 

SAT-B phone every few hours, asking about the 

fitter’s condition and on 14th in the afternoon 

they considered that there was no time to waste 

and decided to send a medical team from the 

U.S. Navy to the vessel by USCG aircraft. In the 

late evening the USCG called me again and 

informed that the next morning around 0630 

the USCG aircraft with four jumpers would 

arrive over the vessel. 

The USCG had also instructed us in advance 

to head into the wind with speed 3-4 knots 

before the aircraft’s arrival and to launch a 

lifeboat into the water at 0645 lt. 

At 0530 lt, the USCG aircraft contacted the 

vessel on VHF Ch 16, that they are on the way 

and will arrive over us at 0630 lt. And at 

precisely 0630 they arrived. At 0645 the lifeboat 

was launched and was ordered by aircraft to take 

position 1 nm ahead of the vessel and 500m on 


the port side and not to proceed to the jumpers, 

unless requested. 

At first the aircraft made a few rounds over the 

vessel, marking with three smoke buoys the 

operation area. At 0725 a motorized, rubber 

inflatable and a big box were dropped down 

from the aircraft into the sea with two 

parachutes, five cables on port side. During the 

next turn of the aircraft over the inflatable, four 

men jumped down with parachutes into the sea. 

They landed very close to the inflatable. After 

ten minutes all of them were in the inflatable. It 

took them another one hour to collect motors 

and equipment from the box and prepare the 

inflatable to move. They were alongside the 

vessel at 0900. And we have seen 4 mariners 

from U.S. Navy Seal team, fully-armed (pistols, 

machine gun and other equipment). The team 

consisted of a chief, one boat operator and two 

doctors. One doctor immediately went to see our 

fitter, and the others, assisted by ship’s crew, 

picked up all equipment from the inflatable. The 

inflatable was towed to the stern and was lifted 

onto the poop deck with the provision crane. 

After that, we recovered from the water our 

lifeboat and secured it in position. The above 

operation took place 315 nm east from Hawaii 

Island. 

16 

At 0930 the vessel resumed passage to Hilo 

anchorage with full speed. The doctors also did 

not succeed with the catheterization of the fitter’s 

bladder and they had to enter into his bladder 

with special needle through the abdomen in 

order to discharge the urine. Before that, they 

administered one ampoule of Tramadol to the 

fitter. After these measures had been taken by the 

doctors, the fitter’s condition improved within a 

few hours. 

All the time during day and night, one of the 

mariners was on standby at the fitter’s bedside in 

the hospital. 

We arrived in Hilo anchorage at 1140 on 

Sunday 16th February. The agent arranged a 

tugboat there for the evacuation of fitter to a 

hospital. The U.S. mariners and their 

equipment/inflatable were also transferred to the 

tugboat. 

The operation was completed at 1215 and at 

1230 the vessel resumed passage to China. 

NORDMILLENNIUM 

Capt. Montgomery sent in some photos of a 

‘hat competition’ staged during the February 

Race Meeting of the Royal Millennium Jockey 

Club (whatever that may be). There was a prize 

for the best dressed hat. The winner of the best 

hat went to Cook Dionisio Mantos for his 

“Memory like a Sieve” creation. Second prize 

went to AB Morabe for “Arrowhead”. 

Memory like a Sieve Arrowhead 

Dunny Man 

Pinocchio 


Office News 

It is with very deep regret that 

we must report as we go to press 

the deaths of superintendent 

Andrzej Pagacz, and his wife 

Iwona, who were killed in a car 

crash in Poland on 11th June 

2003. 

Andrzej was an extremely popular member of 

the NORD staff, both on our vessels where he 

served from 1993 to 2000 and then in the 

Limassol Technical Department, where he 

worked for the last three years. 

He was an excellent engineer and a very kind, 

compassionate man who will be deeply missed 

by all who knew him. 

Our sincerest condolences go to their families 

and especially their 20 year old twin daughters, 

Katarzyna and Aleksandra. 

NORD NEWS Summer 2003 

Congratulations 

to Bodo Krause, 

Finance Director 

in our Hamburg 

office, who has 

now been 25 years 

with Reederei 

“NORD”. 

Also reaching a milestone was Sergey 

Parkhomenko, who completed ten years with 

Reederei “NORD” in January 2003. He first 

joined the company as an AB on NORDHOLM 

in June 1991. He reached the rank of Second 

Officer in May 

1994 and joined 

the Personnel 

Department of the 

Limassol office in 

March 1995. He 

became Assistant 

Personnel 

Manager in July 

1998. 

Maria Stylianidou started work 

as a Management Assistant in 

the Limassol Operations 

Department on 2nd April 2003. 

She was born on 1st January 

1976 in Limassol, where she has 

lived all her life apart from six 

years in Australia between 1985 

and 1991. She completed her High School 

education in Cyprus and then worked for 

V.Ships, Limassol in a variety of different roles 

between 1993-2001. She became a member of 

the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in 1997 

after passing the qualifying examinations during 

which she won the Baltic Exchange Award for 

attaining the highest marks worldwide in Marine 

Insurance. In 2001 she attended the Cyprus 

International Institute of Management in 

Nicosia to study for an MBA degree which she 

obtained in 2002. 

Ramesh Jayakody started work 

as a Personnel Officer on 31st 

March 2003 in the Limassol 

office. He was born on 2nd July 

1971 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He 

completed his studies at the 

Royal College, Colombo and 

joined the Maritime College 

“CINEC” in 1992. He first sailed as an 

Eng/Cadet in 1993 on the old NORDISLE. He 

has been with NORD ever since and before 

joining the office he was sailing as 3/Eng on 

NORDSEAS. 

At present he is planning to settle down in 

Cyprus with his wife Chamindika and son 

Ashane, who was born on 11th March 2000. We 

wish him all the best in his new career. 

Congratulations to Christina Antoniou of the 

Limassol Accounts Department, who gave birth 

to a girl, Panayiota, on 6th March. 

17

Training 

Our dedication to the training of our staff, both onboard our ships and ashore, is 

as strong as ever. 

We are pleased to announce we have taken on 

another Training Master, Captain Nawrocki, 

who will be circulating around our fleet, 

instructing our seafarers on safety and other 

issues. Captain Nawrocki will be attending an 

extensive “Train the Trainer” course at Warsash 

in UK in June 2003 before commencing his 

shipboard training assignments. 

He joins our existing Training Master, Capt. 

Keith Obeyesekera, who has been Training 

Master since March 2002. He is pictured below 

receiving his 5 year watch from Jonathan 

Holloway recently. His first contract for NORD 

was on the old NORDISLE in 1993. 

In a recent visit to the Limassol office, Capt. 

Obeyesekera said, “I have now visited 26 vessels 

in the fleet in my role as Training Master and 

have met face to face over 400 of our seastaff. 

I really hope they have found the training useful. 

I have certainly found as time has gone on that 

the seastaff are more receptive. I think initially 

some were slightly sceptical, but now I get the 

feeling everyone understands how important and 

beneficial training is to everyone on the ship. 

From my point of view I always have a 

challenging but thoroughly enjoyable time 

on board”. 

Captain Witold 

Nawrocki was born in 

Warsaw in May 1947. 

His interest in 'sailing' 

started at the age of 11 

when he joined the scouts 

and began sailing on 

yachts on rivers and 

Mazury Lakes. In 1963 

he joined his first sea-going sailing yacht 

"Zawisza Czarny" and it was at this time he 

decided to make a career at sea. 

From 1965-1968 he was at Nautical 

College in Gdynia after which he joined 

Polish Ocean Lines, starting as an AB and 

working his way up to master by 1982. From 

1986 onwards he was been employed by 

various international shipping companies, 

joining NORD in 2002 on NORDCLOUD. 

During his sea time he has worked on 

various vessels including passenger ferries, roros, 

bulk carriers, reefers, general cargo, 

timber carriers, cement carriers and container 

vessels. During his shore leaves he completed 

his studies at Gdansk University specializing 

in the Economics of Sea Transport. He has 

also been a Master's advisor in the Maritime 

Court at Gdynia, something which allows 

him to have first hand experience of accidents 

and their causes, one of the reasons he is well 

qualified to be a Training Master. 

When ashore his hobbies include driving, 

modelling (including inserting ships inside 

bottles), gardening and repairing his old 

house. He is married with two children. 

18 NORD NEWS Summer 2003

Mr. Murawka, Site Team Electrical Supervisor at Samho yard, 

receives his 5 year NORD watch from Senior Superintendent 

Alasdair Macmillan, during the seatrials 

of NORDENERGY 

NORD watches for 5 years service 

NORD Photographic Competition 2003 

We would like 

to remind all our 

sea-staff of the 

competition we 

announced in our 

last edition. 

Entries must be 

in by 31st October 

2003 in any 

format and in 

some way be 

related to life on 

board a Reederei 

'NORD' vessel. 

Prizes for the 

top three photos 

will be a Digital 

Camera, a 

Personal CD 

Player and World 

Radio Receiver 

with the winner 

getting first 

choice. 

Mr. Cooray, receives his 5 year NORD watch from 

Superintendent Andrzej Pagacz, onboard NORDMOSEL 

NORD 

NEWS 

Reederei "NORD" 

Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd. 

Libra Tower 

23 Olympion Street 

P.O. Box 56345 

3306 Limassol - Cyprus 

Tel: +357-25841400 

Fax: +357-25345077 

Tlx: 5938 RNKEO CY 

E-mail: 

rnkeo@spidernet.com.cy 

Website: www.rnkeo.com 

NORD NEWS is the 

Company Magazine of 

Reederei "NORD" 

Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd. 

While NORD NEWS is 

primarily directed at our 

seastaff, it is also sent to 

our close business 

associates.

REEDEREI “NORD” KLAUS E. OLDENDORFF 

PRESENT FLEET AND NEWBUILDINGS ON ORDER 

M.T. “NORDPOWER” 319.000 tdw Tanker 2003 

M.T. “NORDENERGY” 319.000 tdw Tanker 2003 

M.T. “NORDBAY” 301.500 tdw Tanker 1999 

M.T. “NORDMILLENNIUM” 301.500 tdw Tanker 2000 

M.T. “NORDMARK” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.T. “NORDSTRENGTH” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.T. “NORDISLE” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.T. “NORDLIGHT” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.T. “NORDGULF” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.T. “NORDOCEAN” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.V. “NORDELBE” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDWESER” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDEMS” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDTRAVE” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDRHINE” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDMOSEL” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDMAX” 72.500 tdw Panamax bulker 1995 

M.V. “NORDMORITZ” 72.500 tdw Panamax bulker 1995 

M.V. “NORDATLANTIC” 33.850 tdw 2478 TEU 2003 

M.V. “NORDSTRAND” 34.062 tdw 2280 TEU 1993 

M.V. “NORDEAGLE” 27.000 tdw 2105 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDFALCON” 27.000 tdw 2105 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDHAWK” 27.000 tdw 2105 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDSTAR” 22.878 tdw 1730 TEU 1998 

M.V. “NORDSEAS” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1996 

M.V. “NORDCLOUD” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDRIVER” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDCOAST” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDLAKE” 22.450 tdw 1524 TEU 1994 

* M.V. “NORDWELLE” 20.220 tdw 1388 TEU 1993 

* M.V. “NORDWOGE” 20.200 tdw 1388 TEU 1993 

M.V. “NORDPOL” 20.275 tdw 1354 TEU 1994 

M.V. “NORDPARTNER” 20.275 tdw 1354 TEU 1994 

M.V. “NORDSKY” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1990 

M.V. “NORDSUN” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1991 

M.V. “NORDBEACH” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1991 

M.V. “NORDCLIFF” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1991 

** M.V. “NORDLUCK” 10.964 tdw 798 TEU 1984 

NEWBUILDING H17 33.850 tdw 2478 TEU 7/2003 



NEWBUILDING H1511 75,000 dwt Tanker 3/2004 




* Sold and delivered to new owners. Continue to be employed by our company until 2004 

** Trading on bareboat charter to Korean charterers

NORD NEWS

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