Odfjell nr 3 - 2006.indd

Indian visitors on board
Bow Flower
By Anup Chatterjee, Odfjell India
On several occasions we have arranged
highly appreciated visits on our vessels
for key customers in Kandla and Bombay.
Still, some of our regular customers
have not had the chance and were very
keen to board an Odfjell ship to see for
themselves the operations on board.
Due to the strict ISPS regulations, such
initiatives require more work from our
side, but recently such a trip was carried
out after obtaining all the necessary
permissions.
Bow Flower berthed at NPPJ, Bombay
on 29th July, and in spite of heavy
rains, five members of the Schenectady
Herdillia staff went on board in the
early evening. Schenectady Herdillia is
the largest receiver of Acetone in India,
and on their visit our guests wanted to
collect samples of one particular grade
of acetone which they were importing
for the first time.
Capt. Odd Magne Vik welcomed all of
us and, after completing all necessary
arrival formalities, guided us through
The guests from Schenectady Herdillia, together with Captain Odd Magne Vik, Chief
Engineer John Arnfinn Svendsen and Anup Chatterjee of Odfjell India
the vessel starting from the bridge.
Especially the cargo control room gave
the visitors a fair idea about the mechanisms
of such a huge, modern and
sophisticated chemical tanker. All were
highly impressed with the systematic
operations being carried out.
After the tour of the ship the guests
were served nice refreshments, and we
all had many discsions that mainly focused
on vessel operations, chemical
industry and last but not least the
cultures of India and Norway respectively.
We finally disembarked taking
back some good memories.
Sincerely thanks to Captain Vik and his
crew for first class hospitality!
Malcolm Chetty joined Odfjell Seachem South Africa on
August 1st 2006, after three years of agency work where
his main task was serving Odfjell’s various Durban callers.
Shortly after his arrival, Bow Lion called Durban, and Captain
Willy Thorsen came down from Dubai to assist and supervise
the post-discharge tank cleaning operations en-route
to Mossel Bay. Captain Willy suggested that Malcolm should
join him on the short coastal passage
With the Lion along Africa
By Malcolm Jetty, Odfjell Seachem South Africa
Mid August, Bow Lion arrived in
Durban to carry out discharge operations.
Next call was Mossel Bay to load
for Northwest Europe. On departure
from Durban, Capt. Willy Thorsen and
I joined the vessel for the voyage between
the South African ports. I was to
assist in tank-cleaning operations, to
gain experience with the Mossel Bay
buoy berthing, as well as to get familiar
with cargo operations at this port with
its specific arrangements.
En route Mossel Bay I had the privilege
of working directly with the very
united and dedicated crew. I was
assigned to daily duties like washing
the deck, handiwork in the tanks
and assisting the crew with the tankcleaning
equipment. I was also given
the opportunity to participate in doing
wall-washes, which helped broaden
my knowledge on testing for chlorides,
hydrocarbons, and the Potassium
Permanganate Time Test. The experience
will allow me to assist vessels in
similar situations in the future.
When Bow Lion berthed in Mossel Bay
all tanks passed the wall-wash test on
arrival - a tribute to the hard and professional
work done by the vessel crew
after a difficult last cargo of edible oils
and lubes carried in coated tanks.
I would like to thank Capt. Ruben
Hilario and the crew for the opportunity
to sail with them and for showing
me great hospitality while on board,
and last but not least to Capt. Willy
Thorsen for sharing his vast knowledge
and expertise with me.
Malcolm Jetty at work on board
ODFJELL Quarterly September 2006 31