Twenty Years Before the Antenna Mast

Trip: Thirty Nine and Forty

Call Sign:

Company: CP

Specs: 14087 GRT

Rank: R/E/O

Joined: Singapore 16/1/83

Resigned Articles: Singapore 19/3/83

Departed: Rotterdam 24/4/83

This ship carried mostly timber, loading it in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for Europe. The timber was either packaged or kiln dried or it was in various rolls of veneer or sheets of plywood. Loading was either direct from the factory (with barges whilst at anchor in the river) or at various ports around the coast. Timber is a rather pleasant cargo to carry. Its relatively clean, takes a long time to load and discharge and has some delightful scents when freshly cut. The long load and discharge times mean that jolly Jack has time to go ashore, and have a break from just watching water.

Whilst we were in Indonesia, we met up with some English "Ex Pats" who were working in Belawan: supervising the building of a concrete factory. They worked for Portland Cement as planning engineers. We were invited to their "Ex Pats group" called "The Hash House Harriers" which comprised quite a number of European families working in and around Belawan in various supervisory capacities. In the evenings and weekends, there were all sorts of private parties. One of these, was a so-called fun run or hash race. This was essentially a paper chase through the jungle to a specific spot, where refreshments (a truck full of cold beer!) would be available. Quite a number of us from the ship volunteered to take part. We were driven from the ship to the starting point just outside Belawan in the late afternoon.

Driving in Indonesia is a nightmare. They seem to drive on whichever side has less traffic! - or sometimes not. I saw a couple of horrific accidents. One involving a bus overturned in the ditch beside the road, the other involving two trucks, which had met head on. Sometimes the roads are unpaved, with huge potholes. Outside the main towns there is no illumination at night, which makes night driving decidedly risky. Official drivers employed to drive the Europeans working there drove us around. They all agreed that: to drive themselves anywhere was too dangerous. On arriving at the start of the race, we could see the beginning of the trail, which had been laid a few hours previously, leading into the trees. At the command, we all started off, running along the trail. At times it stopped, or there were false trails laid. When a trail was found, the finder would call "on-on" so that all could converge on the correct trail. It was not too strenuous, as a number of older people also took part. It lasted about two hours and lead through some light forests, skirted rubber, pineapple and peanut plantations and crossed a couple of streams. On reaching the finish in a clearing, there stood a huge truck filled with ice and (full!) beer bottles. There was a barbecue and various other goodies displayed on camping tables. We were presented with T-shirts emblazoned with the "On-On" cry on one side. On the other was a beer bottle with legs and "Belawan Hash House Harriers" printed underneath. Everyone made it to the finishing point (eventually) and much beer and food was consumed. At the end, it was us sailor types and a few of the Ex-Pats who remained, standing around a paraffin pressure lamp (Tilly Lamp) drinking and talking until well after dark. We were regularly "buzzed" by some pretty huge moths and other beasties. In the shadows around us we could see the eyes and teeth of the local children glowing in the lamplight. They all thought it great fun observing the "mad dogs and Englishmen".

When the truck left with its load of empty bottles, the party moved on to one of the private residences. It continued until well into the small hours. The drivers were then woken up and told to take us back to the ship (about an hour's drive). We met up with the group several times in the two weeks we were there. Just before we sailed, we had a party on board in which we tried to reciprocate for all the good times we had had.

We spent over 2 months on the Indonesian coast loading the timber. A lot of delays were due to the weather. The timber was often of high quality, and must be kept dry at all costs. This required the loading to be stopped and hatches closed if the weather looked at all like rain, even if it didn't. Heavy thunderstorms were quite common, with prolonged heavy showers. Another problem was the lack of communications. Each port has its own radio station but it is probably only open half an hour a day and of low power. Quite often the Morse is almost unrecognizable, the transmitter on the wrong frequency, unstable or with a queer chirpy note that makes it almost unreadable. The operators were also not often of the best and language difficulties were common. Sending messages via any other station usually means it will be delivered days later - possibly even by post! Although the ships radio station is normally closed when in port, we had no other reliable means of communication, so I was always busy sending and receiving telex messages. Sometimes the supercargo (cargo superintendent onboard) was rather impressed by the very quick replies we got to his queries, We were even live "on line" direct to London office at times for instant answers.

One incident may illustrate local conditions a bit. I wanted to phone my wife Christine. I managed to find the local post office cum telephone exchange. It was not difficult - an imposing building with a large antenna mast on top. On looking closer I couldn't believe my eyes. The telephone section was in the almost unlit basement and was flooded with well over a foot or two of water. A small stage had been built up over the water at one end, on which was a table, some batteries and phones. A plank of wood led from the entrance across to it. An official also sat there, taking the details of the call. I only had to wait about ten minutes for a connection to Germany, (which was nothing much short of a miracle) but it was a novel experience talking to Germany, standing on a plank, in an unlit basement room over a small lake in Indonesia. I even had to negotiate my own rate for the phone call! I found out later that it had been flooded for over 3 years, and nothing had been done about it since.

The stevedores lived on board, sleeping on the deck or anywhere they could find room. They brought their own food, chickens and cooking utensils with them. Hygiene was a problem, and the ship began to smell, and in places, also to look like a rubbish bin. I sometimes used to wake up thinking I was on a farm. The smells of cooking and morning crowing of the chickens and cockerels kept on board were all pervading. We were always careful to keep anything even remotely valuable under lock and key, and the accommodation doors were kept closed. The stevedores were mostly honest, but we tried not to tempt them. They didn't earn much, and some of our possessions must have been totally out of their reach.

Bribery and corruption is rife in Indonesia. If the various officials don't get their whisky and cigarettes from a ship, then nothing gets signed, and some essential things just don't take place! One Captain I sailed with didn't agree with bribery and refused to give out the few packets of cigarettes and bottles of whisky needed. After a few days delay, which cost far more than the bribes, he had to give in. You can't buck the system. What a country!

Piracy is endemic around Southern Philippines, Indonesia and Borneo. They did not - at that time - prey on the big ships very much, but refugees from various civil strife and illegal emigration were fair game. We had to rescue one such group as they had run out of fuel and their boat was slowly sinking. We saw them a long way off, not moving. As we got closer, they waved a piece of white cloth to attract our attention. We circled them, our Captain, being well aware of some of the tricks pirates play to lure unwary ships close, then open fire with modern automatic weapons, was not willing to stop or go closer. We observed them carefully through binoculars, and could see men, women and young children packed aboard. This is what decided us in the end. Pirates do not usually have young children with them.

With some difficulty, we got them all on board our ship, about 20 in all, but had problems communicating, as they spoke little or no English, and their local dialect was difficult to understand. Eventually using our Philippine cook as interpreter, it turned out they were from the Southern Philippines and were trying to reach Indonesia where living conditions and availability of work was much better. Also, they were fed up with the continuous fighting between rebels and government troops going on in their area of the Philippines. They had all paid a lot of money for the trip, but the boat was leaky, and had been stocked with insufficient fuel, food and water for the voyage. They were lucky we picked them up. Others have disappeared without trace, or were set upon by pirates. We took them with us to Indonesia. There they were arrested by the authorities and sent back to the Philippines again. Their adventure having cost them all their savings and probably a heavy prison sentence on their return. At least they were not killed - this time.