WW World 4-2008 - Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA

Special report:
life at sea
sailing m/V tortugas
NORWEGIAN FARE: The ship’s cook, Reggan Fernandez, flips through his Norwegian cookbook.
TORTUGAS’ ELVIS: During the day Eduardo De Leon (Eddy)
works as the ships fitter. At night he swaps his blow torch for
an electrical guitar to provide the crew with some well
needed entertainment.
SEALINK: The satellite communication system
connects Tortugas to the Internet.
MASTER AND COMMANDER: Pål Myhre has witnessed a
revolution in shipping technology since he first joined
the world fleet 40 years ago.
STORES ON BOARD: Supplies are lifted on board in Singapore via the ship’s crane as a one of the deck crew supervises.
The crane is used for spare parts and provision handling and has the capacity to load 5 tons of supplies at a time.
"Sometimes when you
come home the kids are
a little shy and it takes
time for them to get to
know you again"
eduardo de leon, fitter
American basketball singlets. The humidity and
temperature doesn’t seem to dampen their spirits
as they jostle one another for the basketball on the
ship’s spotless white steel deck. Under the shade
of the upper deck’s wall another small group have
gathered to cheer and support. It’s deck versus the
engineering crew and pride is on the line.
Tortuga’s captain knows all too well the necessity
of social activities on board. As the game
continues, Pål Myhre takes over the bridge watch.
The 360-degree view offers perfect visibility as
he surveys the surrounding ocean through his
binoculars. I ask him if the basketball game is a
regular event.
“Yes. We also have a fully equipped gym and
recreational room. Many of the Filipino crew have
been at sea for up to 9 months so it’s important
that they can take time to relax. We also try to organise
the occasional BBQ on deck. It is extremely
vital to create a sense of comradeship among the
crew,” says Pål.
Time changes everything. Pål has had a long
and distinguished career in Wilhelmsen. He can
count the number of Wilhelmsen ships he hasn’t
sailed on in one hand. Back home in Norway he
has a picture of every vessel he has ever mastered
displayed on the mantle over the fireplace. He has
seen a lot of change and has many stories from his
time at sea to share.
“There has been so much change within the
fleet since I joined Wilhelmsen in 1966. For
one thing, we were all Norwegians then. The
contract system has also changed. We had one
year contracts, which later became 9 months, then
down to 6 months and so on. This is the younger
generation. If you want a life at home you need the
shorter periods. Now we are down to 2 months on,
2 months off. For me it has become a lifestyle. The
whole family gets into some kind of on/off routine
for certain periods.”
Pål guides me though the bridge explaining the
function of each of the buttons and the complex
computer systems.
“We have been through a revolution – since I
first went to sea 40 years ago – especially when it
comes to the navigational equipment. Today we
have all the latest technology. When I started as
a third mate, navigation was done by a sextant, a
chronometer and navigation tables. Everything
was done by hand,” he explains.
Even the living conditions have changed.
“Today we have all the comforts of home. When I
first began there were at least two men to a cabin
with concrete floors and communal showers. The
food was pretty good – we had Norwegian cooks,
although it doesn’t say anything about the quality
of the food,” he adds with a grin.
A taste of home. The smell of brown sauce, fish
and meat rissoles fills the upper deck and living
quarters. Inside the galley the clatter of pans can
be heard as the cook, Reggan Fernandez, and his
assistants prepare the crew’s dinner. On one of
the stainless steel bench tops Reggan leans over
and studies a recipe in his Norwegian cook book.
Tonight he is pulling out all stops for the ship’s
guests, with a feast of Norwegian specialties
like salted meat and pork with pea soup, potato
dumplings or “raspeball” and sausages.
The mess is just as impressive and feels more
like a dining room. Those not on duty are now
dressed in their causal clothes, seated around the
round tables. Light from the port holes floods
across the scene as loud chatter and laughter fill
the room.
Food is important for the crew and especially
for the captain. Every day like clockwork, the
crew are served three good meals, plus morning
and afternoon tea or coffee. Long gone are the
days of salted rations and biscuits with weevils.
Ship agents in each port ensure that Tortugas
has everything she needs. Fresh water for showers,
washing and drinking is provided by the sea
water distiller in the engine room.
The Norwegians are normally served Western
food, including toast, eggs and bacon for their
breakfast, while the Filipino crew normally opt
for food more to their liking such as rice and fried
fish. As the captain explains, food can be a source
of much disturbance:
“The last cook we had served pasta with custard.
You have to give the guy credit for creativity but
that was one of the last meals he cooked before
Reggan came onboard as his replacement. We’re
pretty lucky really, there are not too many cooks
in the fleet who can whip up Norwegian specialties
like meatballs and brown sauce or raspeballer.
I don’t think there is anything he can’t cook.
That’s particularly important when you have an
international crew.
When asked if his wife’s cooking is better,
the captain pauses before laughing and adding
that his wife has been onboard and she was also
impressed.
A way of life. Long gone are the days where the
crew could escape the ship’s confines and head to
shore for a couple of days while the ship loaded
its cargo. Today, the process usually takes a few
hours and there is no chance of enjoying time
on land before the ship is on her way again. So,
the crew are left to entertain themselves while on
voyage.
Tonight they fill the couches of the recreational
room. Everyone are smiling and swaying to the
music as Tortugas’ fitter, Eduardo De Leon, plays
out his own rendition of ‘Love me tender’ by Elvis
Presley on his electric
"there are not too many cooks in the fleet
who can whip up Norwegian specialties"
pål myhre, captain
guitar. His smile is infectious
and everyone
is enjoying the show.
He tells me that playing
in the band is one of the things he enjoys most
while on board. Back in Manila he also plays with
a band, but because of the long stints at sea visits
are few and far between.
”I don’t really miss anything apart from my
family and my friends. I try to speak with my
family every day via chat online. Otherwise, when
the system is down we speak on the phone once a
month. Usually I work nine months on board. As
a father it’s very hard as you miss time with your
wife and kids. Sometimes when you come home
the kids are a little shy and it takes time for them
to get to know you again,” says Eduardo.
Like many of the Filipino crew, Eduardo works
abroad to support his family. ”I began as a fitter
in the Philippines but the pay and conditions
were really bad. I applied to be a fitter on a ship
through one of the manning agencies. There is a
big difference with the salary. In Manila I only
got 300 pesos a day, at sea my salary is more than
900.” he says.
This will be his second time onboard Tortugas,
although he started working with Wilhelmsen
in 1992.
”The crew are very close, they are like a second
family for me. In our spare time we spend a lot of
time watching videos from home. Right now we
are setting up a network to play EA games, racing
games. Or if the weather is good then we play
basketball,” says Eduardo.
He is looking forward to Europe. Within a
week or two he will be finishing his 9-month stint
onboard Tortugas and head home to his family in
Manila for a couple of months.
20 WWWORLD.4.2008
WWWORLD.4.2008 21