The Introduction

The following essays/articles/personal travelogues are all about the life of a seafarer, in short me! I am Ieuan Dolby, a Chief Engineer with Swire Pacific Offshore and I have just completed my first trip on a brand spanking new Ice Breaking Platform Supply Vessel that is now working off the coast of Sakhalin in North Eastern Russia! The vessel is called the Pacific Endeavour, a mighty high tech, 22000HP ice cracker with enormous capability and a pug nose. She is crewed by a full compliment of Russians and four representatives of the owners Swire Pacific Offshore (of whom I was one), ostensibly there to protect and promote the owners interest in the boat and to help and advise the Russian Officers/Crews in how to manage and operate the vessel in a manner prescribed by the Owners! Some companies call them Representatives, some call them a pain-in-the backside or Commissars and we see ourselves as Advisors!

I started this tour of duty in Singapore were I went to get a Russian Visa. My wife and son were with me as it typically takes four days to get one and so after a relaxing few days I said goodbye to her on the 27th July 2006 as she headed off home. At 2235hrs on that very same day I boarded flight No: OZ 546 in Changi Airport, Singapore bound for Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea and then another flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk it was! And that next evening I joined my new floating home!

Unfortunately, after two weeks onboard my wife had a miscarriage and so I rushed back home as quickly as the Russian System allows to console my wife and to give her a much needed hug or three! After ten or so days at home I rejoined the mighty Endeavour on the 30th August and completed my trip! So if there is some confusion throughout these articles as to the seemingly enormous amount of traveling done then remember, I joined the boat twice and I left the boat twice and in all cases a story needs to be placed onto paper.

It would also seem that most articles here revolve around travel! I wouldn't say that the ship is boring, or that no story resulted during my time onboard but I have kept these to a minimum! It is not in my interest to divest to the public events that occurred onboard the vessel, they have potential to hurt or slur either those whom I work with or the company that employs them and me! I have thus kept most articles on safe ground, that either involve my travel and views on what I have seen or if they are about the ship mostly brief and factual!

And so let the articles tell the story …………

Ieuan Dolby
Author and Webmaster of SeaDolby.com
Copyright © Ieuan Dolby, 9th September 2006