Quarterly September 2007 - Odfjell

Singapore team to Ho Chi MinhBy Tan Kok HowIt could seem like just another Friday,but August 3rd was more than the usual“Thank God It’s Friday” as we were goingfor a company trip to Ho Chi Minh,Vietnam, organized by the 2007 RecreationCommittee.We arrived at Tan Son Nhat InternationalAirport after a one & half hour flightfrom Singapore. Ho Chi Mihn, formerlyknown as Saigon – the Pearl of the Orient,was renamed in 1975, and todayit is the largest city in Vietnam with apopulation of more than 6 million. Itis also the nation’s foremost commercialand industrial centre.After having checked into the EquatorialHotel, a group of us took a stroll inthe evening peak hours. Being used tothe orderly traffic situation back home,it was a hair-raising experience forus when we tried to cross the road inHo Chi Minh. We were fascinated andequally frightened by the heavy andnever ending flow of motorcycles, taxis,cars and bicycles. Having observed thetraffic situation, we reckoned theremust be no traffic light and one justneed to navigate ones way and walkbravely straight across and into the trafficflow, just the way the locals do.On Saturday morning, we were greetedby falling rains as we headed NorthWest, about 80 km away to visit Cu ChiTunnels, an amazing labyrinth of tunnelsused by Viet Cong during the VietnamWar (1960-1975). Back in the citywe treated ourselves to a sumptuousVietnamese lunch, followed by a visitto War Remnants Museum. We got tosee many heartrending reminders ofthe tragedy and brutal use of modernday technology against innocent peopleduring a war. Late afternoon, we boardeda cruise along Saigon River to BihnThe group in Ho Chi MinhQuoi Tourist Village for a seafood dinner,followed by a traditional Vietnamesewedding show.On Sunday, we experienced Vietnameseshopping at Cho Ben Thanh market.This is a place for great bargains, andwe managed to pick up a wide rangeof souvenirs, lacquer ware and clothesbefore heading back to the hotel toprepare for our flight home.Kirby ObserverBy Arlene Adams, Odfjell Terminals (Houston)On August 8th, employees from the terminaland shipping divisions as well ascustomers from Air Products, Enterprise,ExxonMobil, Lyondell and Mitsubishi enjoyeda tour of the Houston Ship Channelaboard the M/V Observer providedby Kirby Inland Marine. The tour beganwith a welcome from Captain Gene Mc-Glothlin and his crew, who also gaveinstructions regarding safety and portsecurity. We departed from CarpenterBayou and ventured up the HoustonShip Channel for approximately fifteenmiles before returning. As we wereguided through the channel by the Captain,several key sites were pointed outand a few history lessons were given onhow the channel has changed and expandedover the years. Our guests aswell as the employees were thrilled tohave this opportunity to become morefamiliar with the industries along theHouston Ship Channel. The tour wasquite educational and the weather wasperfect for a day on the channel.From left: Rick Crites (Enterprise), BillLaw, Brad Carpenter (Air Products)and Arlene AdamsOdfjell Quarterly September 2007 39