ON BOARD TRAINING M/V HAMBURG BRIDGE, 20 – 25 SEPTEMBER 2015

On 20 September 2015, we got ourselves ready for the once in a lifetime experience where we will be disconnected from the world as we sail onboard a container vessel for six days. We embarked the vessel on a sunny Sunday afternoon and we were directed to our respective cabin to unload our luggage. Looking out of the window of our cabin, there was nothing except a view of the containers stacked like a game of Tetris, which further magnified this dreading feeling we had in us of not knowing what to expect during our stay onboard.

After lunch, we went up to the bridge to observe how the vessel maneuvered out from Pasir Panjang Terminal for her departure from Singapore to Hong Kong. We watched how the pilot came onboard from a pilot boat, and we were undeniably amazed at the impeccable coordination between the various parties involved for the smooth departure.

It was close to evening as Hamburg Bridge safely departed from Singapore. We took our dinner with Captain F. D. Cueto, Chief Officer J. A. B. Deza, as well as two of our office superintendents who were also onboard with us. As everyone was busy earlier in the day for vessel’s departure, it was a fantastic opportunity to break the ice over dinner with them.

Waking up from a good night’s sleep, we had our breakfast and joined them for the morning meeting – a daily routine for them to delegate tasks and update on the progression of pending jobs. In addition, to reiterate the importance of safety, they have instilled a good practice of ending the meeting with a safety slogan every day, “Let’s go to work without accident. Safety first!”

Carried out by the Third Officer, we underwent the Initial Security Awareness & Safety Familiarization in the morning. We were informed where the life jacket in our cabin has been kept, and were taught the correct way to put on the life jacket and immersion suit. The importance of this was heavily emphasized as this will come in handy in times of emergency.

We were also briefed on the safety issues onboard, such as the emergency exits, usage of fire extinguishers, and fire control plan. After which, we went on a guided tour around the deck, and visited the galley where Second Cook brought us to see the refrigerator provision chamber.

As the afternoon beckoned, we participated in the monthly safety drills – Fire Drill and Abandon Ship where we followed closely to every instruction given to us.

During dinner, we were informed that there will be a party the following day and our task for the day was to participate and enjoy! Overwhelmed by the kind hospitality extended to us by everyone onboard, we jumped out of bed with much excitement the following morning to start the day right – watching the beautiful sunrise at 5.30am in the middle of the sea.

We spent the morning busy preparing for Lechón (a suckling pig that is roasted for special occasions in the Philippines) with Third Officer and AB. We assisted in chopping up the ingredients that were required to be stuffed inside the pig for the roasting later. After thorough seasoning, the pig was attached to a rod and was carried out to the deck. A space was specially created with appropriate safety measures taken for the roasting of the pig where it was placed over charcoal and constantly turned in a rotisserie action until all sides of the pig was roasted with its skin crisp. We took turns to help out in turning the pig on the rod while perspiring profusely and with our arms aching. It took about four hours of roasting till the pig was ready to be served.

By dusk, we started the pool party with all the crew as we indulged in the spread deliciously prepared by Chief Cook and Second Cook. We watched how the crew unwind themselves in the pool and Jacuzzi creatively built by them while enjoying the jokes and food, obviously proving us wrong when we thought that it was impossible for a seaman to have a work-life balance while working out in the sea.

Back to serious business on our fourth day onboard, we visited the engine room with Chief Officer and First Engineer, where we learned about the main engine, diesel engine, fresh water generator, H.F.O purifier, and other equipments. It was particularly intriguing for me as my job in office requires me to deal with the purchase of spare parts and arrangements of repair jobs, while having very little insights of these spare parts and equipments. We took a little break after the visit of the engine room where we played badminton and basket ball. We learned that these are some of the recreational activities they do onboard after work.

After lunch and an up-close and personal encounter with the sea gulls flying above our heads, under Captain’s supervision, we assisted Bosun in some paint works and proceeded to the bridge. With Captain’s detailed explanation and guidance, we learned how to go about getting the deviation of the magnetic compass in different readings, which is required for vessel to carry out every six months.

What seemed like a much dreaded six days onboard prior to joining turned out to be one of the biggest highlights in our lives. We got to experience a seaman’s life albeit a short one, it was absolutely fulfilling especially with the insights we have gained onboard was beyond what we could learn in the office environment. We are also grateful to be the three privileged guests that the huge family onboard Hamburg Bridge has warmly welcomed and extended their gracious hospitality to us at any point of time during our stay.

- Kimberly, Yee Ying, Lee Ping