Blog 82 - Top Side Tanks' Work - A New Captain Joins - A New Loop Belt is Installed

We quickly fell into a pattern of work.

We started with the slopes of the wing tanks, where (we thought) lay the maximum work. I thought it best to remain slightly flexible in making teams and would allot more personnel to areas of heavy work.

We first took care of the safety features.

Although we knew the tanks were safe, being top side tanks, I insisted on a gas meter check and a record of it on an everyday basis.

Two types of lifting lugs used

Since the slopes of the wing tanks were at a 45 degree (I think) angle, we first had to temporarily weld on platforms to stand on, hand holds to climb and welding on lifting lugs at many points for various uses. They were all supplied with all safety gear necessary, including welding gloves, aprons, safety goggles, harnesses.

Two of the books that I had to necessarily consult were the ISSA (IMPA) Code Book and the “Unitor” catalogue.

For safety equipment, ‘Unitor’ - a Norwegian company - is unsurpassed in the world. Top class equipment, all long lasting and durable. The initial costs are high, but that is offset by its long life, where you may have to purchase the same items three times or four times over with other brands.

The Electrical Officer and his assistant were kept busy with looking after the several welding transformers and rigging up lighting in the work areas.

The routine of gouging out bad welds, surface preparation, welding the seams, welding on the gently sloping angle bars started in earnest. Corroded longitudinals were cropped out and renewed.

Meanwhile, another team was working on deck to fabricate complete or partial web frames depending the corrosion factor, based on templates made at the site. As soon as one was ready, we would wait for a good weather day at sea, stop, cut open the main deck plating and lift it out using a previously fabricated tripod, crop out the corroded and thinned down web frame as per matching dimensions, prepare surfaces and edges, lower the new web frame into place, align it and weld away.

After some long tack welds, the deck plating would be put back and welded and the ship would proceed on its voyage. The welding of the web frame would continue. Initially, I was a little worried about the vessel’s running vibrations affecting the quality of welds, because of which we frequently carried out vacuum tests and dye checks.

Looking after 3 separate entities was becoming difficult for me. I was reminded of the ‘foot in mouth’ syndrome, because I had initiated all the extra work that I was doing, which was in actuality, not part of a Chief Engineer’s brief. But I found myself enjoying it.

The Chief Officer was an excellent one and I found him assisting me every day after breakfast, till lunch. Within a week he became quite adept at organising and inspecting the work being done. He came and asked if he could work with me full time. This meant that somebody else needed to keep his watch.

We asked for another Third Mate for keeping watch. One joined post haste and the Chief Mate became my deputy.

I had the habit - on all ships - of getting up by 5 am and being on the Bridge by 5.15am. The Chief Mate would have kept the pot on the boil and he would prepare a cup of coffee for me. He would show me the operation of one or another of the Bridge equipment like Radar, VHF, Gyro, Navtex, etc. Work discussions, personal discussions and watching sunrises were followed by my paperwork in my Office adjoining my cabin. By 7 am, I would be in the Engine Room, discussing work with the Second Engineer, with a cup of coffee. A quick breakfast and I would be working with the Tunnelmen on the Self Unloader.

During one of my numerous visits to the Bridge, I noticed a crew member trying to clean the Bridge Front window glasses, using a long brush and other implements. He could not reach the centre glasses which, then, remained dirty, except to the extent of the arc of the wiper. The inwards angularity of the Bridge Front made the job more difficult. They had no other option than to rig up a Bosun’s chair and lower a person from the Monkey Island to clean the glasses of the Bridge Front.

I suggested that we build a platform right across the Bridge Front, so that one can easily walk on to the platform and wash the glass windows regularly. All were a little sceptical, but willing to let me have my way. Ten days later, we had the necessary brackets, angle bars, gratings and railings on the basis of my design. The deck crew rigged up excellent staging using planks of wood. The job was finished in 2 days by the welders who had come for the tank work.

Once the steel work in the Wing Tanks started, I would join them by 9am and work with them. 3 pm onwards, the sequence would be reversed, with checks on the Self Unloader staff, then the Engine Room, then paperwork. Many a day, this routine would get interrupted with the major work of renewing a web frame, when work would start at 5am and go on till 9 / 10 pm. Busy days.

Now that the Chief Mate had picked up the essence of the work being carried out, I could devote a little more time to the Self Unloader and the Engine Room.

Anyway, rotating between them kept me occupied.

The tank work was 90% complete by the time I left the ship in end May 1988.

Later, I heard that the work done then, gave the ship a lease of life for the next ten years.

The new Third Mate was keeping the 4 to 8 watch. Being in the open sea, the Chief Mate had taken the lookout / helmsman ABs off watch and put them on day work. So the night watch keepers on the Bridge were keeping watch alone.

One morning as usual, at sea, I went up on the Bridge for coffee. There was nobody on the Bridge nor on the Bridge wings. I checked the radar, there was no target in sight. The last position plotted on the chart was at 4 30 am. The vessel was on Auto Pilot, Gyro was showing the same heading as plotted on the chart. All was okay, but there was no watch keeper. After a few minutes, I started getting worried and woke the Captain up, asking him to come to the Bridge. I also called the Chief Mate up.

Both came rushing up in their night clothes and searched for the Third Mate. He was found, fast asleep in the attached toilet.

I shuddered at what could have happened had I not come up on the Bridge. The first thing I requested the Captain to do was to reinstate the lookout/helmsman on watch.

2nd Mates and 3rd Engineers on the 12~4 graveyard watch, the Chief Mate and 2nd Engineers on the 4~8 watch are, in most cases, pretty senior and understand that they are keeping watch when practically all members on board are sleeping, which places an additional burden on them to be more vigilant. But this 3rd Mate did not realise the weight of the responsibility on him.

The Captain signs off. A new Captain joins

It had to happen. Good things do not last for long. I was getting on very well with the old Captain, who had been very cooperative.

The Captain’s cabin was just one deck below the Bridge, on the starboard side. The centre had a large ‘Conference Room’ and the portside was the (unoccupied) Owner’s cabin, all interconnected by sliding doors. There was also an unused pantry on the same deck. Both, the Conference Hall and the Pantry, were meant for conferences and any party hosted.

Within days of the new Captain - and his wife and daughter - joining, he removed the label of ‘Conference Hall’. He got one made - ‘Captain’s Dining Hall’ - and stuck it on. He purchased some fancy crockery, cutlery, monogrammed napkins and napkin holders, embroidered table cloth etc. He took away the steward from the Main Dining Hall and made him look after the unused pantry. He and his family started having all meals brought up and served in the Conference Hall, which meant that three people from the Steward’s Department had to be in attendance during their meal times and one waiting permanently in the pantry to be called when needed.

More than that, he was ordering special items for himself and also changed the menu for the rest of us. We started getting half a glass of juice, half a glass of milk, 2 slightly buttered slices of bread, no jam, one hard boiled egg for breakfast, with no second helpings. Lunch was limited to small bowls of rice and a few items. Only limited slices of bread and a kind of stew for dinner. Fruits and fruit juices disappeared from the table. Condiment bottles, once over, were not replaced. Within a week things had gone from one extreme to the other.

People were working 12 to 16 hours a day and needed food aplenty. I waited for the rumbles of dissatisfaction to begin. The first rumble came from the Self Unloader staff who said that they cannot survive on the meagre rations being provided..

I called the Chief Cook cum Chief Steward and asked him why the food had gone from very good and in plenty to very bad and not enough on the table. He, very arrogantly, said that “This is what everybody will get.” When I told him that I can get him fired, he replied “You can’t do anything to me”.

Meanwhile, the Captain and his family were being served special food as per their choice, in the Conference Room. I was on familiar ground, having faced a similar situation before, on one of the ‘Chennai’ ships. Only difference - I was then a Third Engineer, now I was Chief Engineer.

After listening to a few more complaints over the next day, I walked up to the Captain’s Office / cabin and told him in plain terms that the status quo of two weeks ago needs to be restored as far as food was concerned, otherwise I am likely to face a mutiny from my Self Unloader staff. He told me that any such mutiny will be my problem and he will not change anything. I then told him that I would have no choice other than to inform the New Orleans office about the situation and of also not taking the Chief Cook to task for his responses to me and walked out. He also suggested that I join them in the Conference Hall for all meals, which I declined.

Next morning, at breakfast, I was surprised to find his wife and daughter down for breakfast, eating with us plebeians. I asked her why so. She replied that “He does this on every ship and I have told him every time not to do so. This time, you are the first to challenge him. I also do not want any special food. I will eat what everybody eats”.

By the next day, things were 60% back to normal, albeit grudgingly. But I had a strong suspicion that there was manipulation of the 'victualling' budget, as the quality had not returned. This is one of the very few things I go on the boil and, hence, my relationship with the Captain started going south very fast. I had not spoken to the Office and I let it go. But that Captain harboured a grudge, which he kept at bay till he could, later, use it as a weapon against me, in a very unprofessional way.

Loop Belt Renewal

Arguably the most difficult and time consuming job on a Self Unloader Plant is the renewal of the Loop Belts. Most of the time, it is the outer of the two endless belts that get damaged, while the inner belt’s damage is substantially less.

About 2 weeks back, we had received a new 7 ton roll of rubber belt, width 90 inches (or was it a bit more?) - I don’t remember if it was 9 ply or 11 ply.

Knowing that a Loop Belt renewal was imminent, I already had planned in detail what needs to be done and required a notice of about 2 days to prepare for a loop belt change. There were several welding jobs that could be carried out only after we were alongside and empty, after cargo discharge.

One fine morning we had just berthed in a US port (Tampa?) and were about to start discharge. As soon as the gangway was lowered, the vessel Superintendent Mr Ganapathy and a technician walked up. The first question that Mr Ganapathy asked me was “Ranga, are you ready for the Loop Belt renewal? This gentleman is the vulcanising expert from Canada. He will help”.

I was surprised and told him that “I have had no previous intimation about the Loop Belt renewal this call and this date.” He was furious and told me that “everything from the shoreside has been arranged. The technician is on board. A floating crane will be alongside as soon as you finish cargo and is contracted for 4 hours, after which we will have to pay triple hire charges. Moreover, the Owners had put the vessel on ‘off hire’ for the next seven days after discharge is completed. And you are telling me you don’t know of the Loop Belt renewal schedule?” He was literally shouting at me, all this taking place at the gangway, with half the staff watching. I told him “First calm down and don’t shout, especially in front of the crew and Officers, or else I’ll shout back. Secondly, there has been no message from you, not to my knowledge.”

He immediately grabbed my radio and said “Captain, are you there?” “Yes, this is the Captain speaking”

Gana : “Did you not receive the message that I had sent regarding the Loop Belt change at this port? I had sent the message a week ago”.

Captain : “Yes, I received it”

Gana: “Chief Engineer says he is not aware of the message. Why not?”

Captain: “I did not give it to him”.

Gana: “Why not?”

Captain: “Because I felt that he need not be given the message.”

Gana: “But the message was for him, not for you, as he is in charge of the Self Unloader plant, not you.”

Captain: Silence

Gana turns to me and says, “I don’t know what is going on between you two. Right now, we have the crane coming as soon as you finish discharging and, after positioning the belt where you want it and at which height, the crane will leave. Two hours later, the pilot and tugs have been arranged and you will leave for anchorage to start the Belt renewal. I don’t know how you are going to manage this.”

I said “Don’t worry, I had estimated 6 hours, but we will try to finish in three” and I left him to marshal all my staff, including the tank work welders. The Chief Officer, who had been with me during the above proceedings, immediately came forward to help.

I called them all, distributed all the work that could be safely carried out during discharge, took them all to the various places and showed them what I wanted, which I had already done once before.

A staging had to be erected at about 40 feet height, in order to open the massive cover on top of the Loop Belt casing. 96 nuts and bolts had to be opened, a shackle and wire rope fitted and kept ready for the crane to lift out the cover.

I had already measured and kept ready a long, heavy shaft that would pass through the centre of the belt roll, with stoppers. (Imagine a duct tape roll, with a hole in the centre). We immediately fabricated angle bars and a pedestal to rest the 7 ton weight at a height of 40 feet and kept it ready for installation. Within 3 ½ hours we were ready to the extent we could be, the rest to be carried out after discharge is completed, which was about 14 hours later.

I told them all to go and rest and that I would call them later.

Gana called me to the Captain’s cabin and asked me “What was the problem and why you two did not get along?”. By then, the Captain had told him that I was arrogant and did not listen to him.

Gana knew me from previous ships, knew that I could be obstinate when pushed and asked me what happened. In front of the Captain I told Ganapathy about the whole incident of making the Conference Room as Captain’s Dining Hall and the immediate deterioration of food quality in the Mess Rooms. My suspicions on hands in the till of the victualling budget was also voiced. I also told him that the Captain’s wife was the one who, by coming down and eating whatever was being served to the rest of the crew, saved her husband the ignominy of being complained about to the Office, which I would have done. I told Gana that I had been prepared to pack up and leave if status quo was not restored.

The incident of the message not being forwarded to me was his vendetta.

I also told Ganapathy about my exchange with the Chief Cook and his insulting reply, which the Captain refused to take up as a matter of discipline.

Ganapathy immediately called the Chief Cook and Second Cook. He told the Chief Cook to pack his bags and get out of the ship. He promoted the Second Cook to Chief Cook and one of the stewards who could cook to Second Cook.

There were no further problems with the Captain for the rest of the tenure.

As for the Loop Belt change, all went according to plan, with no hitches. We had been given seven days to finish the belt change. We finished it in slightly less than four days.

Upper Lakes then wanted a step by step report of how I was able to complete the job in less than 4 days, which was the fastest they had seen. I sent the report to Barber New Orleans. This report is now part of the “Self Unloader Manual” in the Office.

The Upper Lakes (Owners) top officials made several trips to the vessel over the course of the Wing Tank work and Loop Belt change. When I was leaving, they asked BSM to send me back to Upper Lakes ships. My answer to BSM was 'Increase my salary, commensurate with quantum of work'. Silence.

I forgot to mention that, as we were using old and antiquated manual typewriters - this was before computers and printers were introduced on board - I was having a lot of trouble with my work when typing out reports, making requisitions etc. Once I had gone to Cosco, a wholesale retailer, for some personal purchases. I saw a ‘Brother’ electric typewriter for $120 and bought six of them for the ship along with necessary tapes and accessories, as everybody were having problems with their old typewriters. When I reached the check out counter, they discounted the price to $95, as I had bought 6 of them.

Everybody on board were very happy.

My Takeaways from the Citadel Hill

One need not give in and lie low when an injustice is being perpetrated. One has to confront it.

Good and detailed planning can expedite the completion of any work. Breaking a job into different stages and phases makes for a more organised approach.

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