Now Ye're Talking - To A Merchant Navy Officer

_Tombstone_

scudzilla wrote: »

2. Sure you've tasted many different cuisines at ports around the world, with that i'd like to know your favourite type of cheese

Random or what, lol.

gzoladz

Fantastic AMA. The title was not that cachy for me but you are making it extremely interesting.

Thanks.

Mars Bar

dulpit wrote: »

Have you travelled through any of the major canals (Panama/Suez)? The way that they can squeeze some of the biggest ships through the Panama Canal is crazy, it's a wonder they don't crash into the sides of the locks...

(Great AMA by the way)

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA wrote: »

Yes I've been through both. I don't really like going through them because it takes hours and everyone has to be awake for the transit. I've been to the Panama Canal loads of times . Most of the canal is actual lake and dredged river so isn't that narrow. It's only the actual locks that are narrow. As you approach the locks you send lines (ropes) to locomotives. There are two on each side of the vessel for'd and aft. Once they're attached they help to control your speed and keep you from hitting the canal walls. The new extension to the canal will not have locomotives and will rely on tugs instead. I'm not sure how successful this will be but time will tell.

Dara and Ed did this on their Panama adventure. You can see how it works here from the 35th minute in.

Skuxx

As others have said, great thread!! I thought about a career in shipping when I left school, and reading your posts makes me wish I followed up on the idea!

Just wondering are you at sea now, in port somewhere or at home on leave?

Is there anything in particular that made you go down this career path, experiences on boats as a child etc or was it just a random one?


Thanks again for a great thread!!

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

scudzilla wrote: »

Great AMA, best yet by a country mile

2 questions for ya

1. What is the strangest/weirdest thing you've encountered at sea? Like sometimes pilots report seeing UFO's, anything you've come across that you can't explain?

2. Sure you've tasted many different cuisines at ports around the world, with that i'd like to know your favourite type of cheese

Like I said earlier about the magnetic compass spinning around was weird. Once at around 0300 when everyone's asleep and its dead quite on watch I've heard a load crack. It wasn't from up forward and it wasn't lightning. It soundly like it came from just outside the bridge. As if someone dropped something really heavy on deck. I sent the AB out to investigate (very brave of me I know) but he couldn't source the noise. I have no idea what it was and if the AB hadn't heard it too I would have doubted I heard anything at all. I'm not really a believer in the supernatural so maybe that's stopping my imagination running away with itself and more of these unexplained events happening to me.

Favourite cheese? That's an odd one. Europe is the best producer of cheese I believe. Asians aren't big fans of dairy so the best cheese in the world is at our doorstep here in Ireland. I can't really think of any cheese I had outside of europe being special. I will tell you the most disgusting delicacy I ever attempted to eat. We were in Thailand and went ashore for a few beers. The Filipinos asked would I like to try a local delicacy. I said grand and they produced an egg. I thought that's alright it's a raw egg or starting to go off or something. Nope. They told me to crack it open which I did and inside was an almost hatched chick. I flat out refused to eat it so one of the lads popped it in his mouth and munched away. I'll stick to the oysters and Guinness myself. I think it was called balu or something.

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

Skuxx wrote: »

As others have said, great thread!! I thought about a career in shipping when I left school, and reading your posts makes me wish I followed up on the idea!

Just wondering are you at sea now, in port somewhere or at home on leave?

Is there anything in particular that made you go down this career path, experiences on boats as a child etc or was it just a random one?


Thanks again for a great thread!!

No problem I'm enjoying doing it.

I'm at home at the moment. I'm going to take the summer off and go back the beginning of September. I always try to be home for the summer.

I sailed a lot when I was younger so I always had an interest in boats. A few of my neighbours went to sea so they helped convince me. I guess it was really down to not knowing what I wanted to do after school. I knew I didn't want to work in an office and I wanted to see the world.I've seen some amazing places. I've been to a lot of dumps too but had I not chosen this career I would never have went to the places I've been. I'd say to people doing the leaving cert now have a crack at it. It's more or less recession proof and after ten years you can get a job back home after building up a lifetime's worth of experiences.

wtd2008

Really interesting thread, thanks for taking the time to do it.

Full Marx

Great thread, thanks very much for doing it.

Emailed a link to my nephew to take a look. He is 24 and has finished a degree in college in an area in which his interest has waned and there is very little opportunities (law) and is stuck doing an office job he hates and is looking to do something different. He got back to me and is really interested in it. I doubt there is some sort of postgraduate way into it for people who already have a bachelors degree? (like there are higher diplomas/masters for teaching which dont take as long as the ordinary degree) But even then its not like a whole other 4 years in Uni, he'd spend a fair bit of that on the job (and getting paid/sponsored?)

He's always loved looking at ships, as I kid I used to bring him out to the docks with my grandfather who was a sergeant in the harbour police. This career was not something he considered at all or even thought about but he is really looking into it now (to the extent I got an angry call off my sister who is not pleased at me for giving him the idea of running off to sea, I'll refer her to you OP haha) He is off to get his eyes tested to see if it meets the requirements next week.

In the long term I reckon his legal training would stand to him if he went for it, I imagine there are loads of legal aspects to shipping which he could get involved in down the line if he wanted to stay on shore.

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

Full Marx wrote: »

Great thread, thanks very much for doing it.

Emailed a link to my nephew to take a look. He is 24 and has finished a degree in college in an area in which his interest has waned and there is very little opportunities (law) and is stuck doing an office job he hates and is looking to do something different. He got back to me and is really interested in it. I doubt there is some sort of postgraduate way into it for people who already have a bachelors degree? (like there are higher diplomas/masters for teaching which dont take as long as the ordinary degree) But even then its not like a whole other 4 years in Uni, he'd spend a fair bit of that on the job (and getting paid/sponsored?)

He's always loved looking at ships, as I kid I used to bring him out to the docks with my grandfather who was a sergeant in the harbour police. This career was not something he considered at all or even thought about but he is really looking into it now (to the extent I got an angry call off my sister who is not pleased at me for giving him the idea of running off to sea, I'll refer her to you OP haha) He is off to get his eyes tested to see if it meets the requirements next week.

In the long term I reckon his legal training would stand to him if he went for it, I imagine there are loads of legal aspects to shipping which he could get involved in down the line if he wanted to stay on shore.

Well it can't help to look but I wouldn't give up on law too quick. He'd need to do three more years in college which for anyone who's just out of college is a lot. Why doesn't he look into maritime law? I would imagine that would only be an additional year. A career in maritime law might interest him as it would combine his two interests. London is still the meca for shipping. Lloyds register would have plenty of work for a maritime lawyer I'm sure. Living in London as a maritime lawyer is not something to be sniffed at. He could even become a loss adjuster which basically would have him flying around the world working out the value of people's cargo on container ships after an accident. He would be based in London but would also get to travel so it could be the best of both worlds. I believe the Lloyds loss adjusters can't retire because so few young people are doing it. The money is meant to be very good. Honestly I wouldn't feel comfortable suggesting he goes to sea after studying law. There's plenty of jobs in shipping in London. Here's a link to the job.

http://www.lloyds.com/lloyds/careers/graduates/blog/hector-witt/the-role-of-a-loss-adjuster

bjork

Have ye any pets on the ship?


Dogs or cats?

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

bjork wrote: »

Have ye any pets on the ship?


Dogs or cats?

Nope. It would be a nightmare with customs. You can't just bring animals around the world as you feel. There's big controls on the movement of animals due to rabies and other diseases

gzoladz

Have you an interest in wildlife? I'd say your job offers great sights of birds, migrations and sea life?

Mars Bar

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA wrote: »

Well it can't help to look but I wouldn't give up on law too quick. He'd need to do three more years in college which for anyone who's just out of college is a lot. Why doesn't he look into maritime law? I would imagine that would only be an additional year. A career in maritime law might interest him as it would combine his two interests. London is still the meca for shipping. Lloyds register would have plenty of work for a maritime lawyer I'm sure. Living in London as a maritime lawyer is not something to be sniffed at. He could even become a loss adjuster which basically would have him flying around the world working out the value of people's cargo on container ships after an accident. He would be based in London but would also get to travel so it could be the best of both worlds. I believe the Lloyds loss adjusters can't retire because so few young people are doing it. The money is meant to be very good. Honestly I wouldn't feel comfortable suggesting he goes to sea after studying law. There's plenty of jobs in shipping in London. Here's a link to the job.

http://www.lloyds.com/lloyds/careers/graduates/blog/hector-witt/the-role-of-a-loss-adjuster

Wow! Full Marx, you have to let us know if your nephew follows this up. It sounds like a really interesting way to put his degree in to use!

pedroeibar1

Thanks for all the answers to date.

In an earlier post you mentioned sextants adding that the only time they are used onboard today is by the cadets… I realise GPS is ubiquitous and there seems to be a global dependency on GNSS but surely there is a place for celestial or LORAN navigation? Does the officer of the watch still keep a running fix for use in dead reckoning?

Do you think that GPS jammers pose a threat –for e.g. if a terrorist group put a few on the Channel approaches? Or there is a threat of hi-tech ‘spoofing’ for piracy?

Hope you’re enjoying the leave and this is not eating into it too much!

Deep Thought

Who has right of way on the seas ?

Is it smaller craft?

When I see the Likes of Greenpeace with their little Rubber rafts, speeding into the path of large vessels, I always reckon that they know the tanker has to take avoiding action

Is this the case ?

DT

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

gzoladz wrote: »

Have you an interest in wildlife? I'd say your job offers great sights of birds, migrations and sea life?

I suppose I do in the same way someone at the zoo enjoys animals. When I see them I think that's amazing and I watch David Attenborough but I'm more of a casual admirer.

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Thanks for all the answers to date.

In an earlier post you mentioned sextants adding that the only time they are used onboard today is by the cadets… I realise GPS is ubiquitous and there seems to be a global dependency on GNSS but surely there is a place for celestial or LORAN navigation? Does the officer of the watch still keep a running fix for use in dead reckoning?

Do you think that GPS jammers pose a threat –for e.g. if a terrorist group put a few on the Channel approaches? Or there is a threat of hi-tech ‘spoofing’ for piracy?

Hope you’re enjoying the leave and this is not eating into it too much!

Celestial navigation is becoming a forgotten art. I would say there is an over reliance on satellite navigation. No officers I'm aware of navigate by celestial means for any other reason than to keep the skills alive. Sat nav is very reliable but if it does go down it is extremely expensive to fix. LORAN is as good as dead but e loran is making a comeback. The advantage of a terrestrial navigation system is that it can be fixed quickly an easily. Jamming or spoofing is an issue. I always thought the cheapest and easiest way to cause anarchy would be to sit up on camping chair with a six pack of beer on the cliffs of Dover during fog with a GPS spoofer and radar jammer. You would cause multiple collisions and I don't know if the authorities are set up to deal with that situation.

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

Deep Thought wrote: »

Who has right of way on the seas ?

Is it smaller craft?

When I see the Likes of Greenpeace with their little Rubber rafts, speeding into the path of large vessels, I always reckon that they know the tanker has to take avoiding action

Is this the case ?

DT

Simply put, always keep out of the way of vessels crossing from your starboard side and stand on with caution for vessels crossing from your port. Over taking vessel's must keep clear. Power driven vessels keep clear of sailing vessels, fishing vessels, vessel's not under command and vessels restricted in their ability to manouver.

As for Greenpeace , two power driven vessels in a head on collision situation both have to alter to starboard and pass down each others port side. Regardless of who has right of way you can't speed straight into someone just because you feel like it. A pedestrian has right of way the second they put their foot on the road. Try running at a truck going full speed and see how far your right of way gets you.

John_Rambo

Thread still captivates. Well done.

1 - Do you see much military war games and exercises? Do they make contact?

2 - Are you often boarded by customs, navy or coast guard?

(We witnessed two warships basically "hunt" a submarine on a sailing boat delivery in the Irish sea. All British navy. They made radio contact with us, asked us to identify ourselves, where were were headed and wished us safe sailing)

FanadMan

Loving this AMA - thanks so much OP for all your answers so far

As a keen fisherman, I am jealous of all the time you spend on the water......and being paid for it :P Do you ever drop a line overboard and try to catch your own dinner.

Cookie_Monster

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA wrote: »

Like I said earlier about the magnetic compass spinning around was weird.

Isn't that semi normal in some places and becoming more common as the magnetic field looks like flipping. there's parts of S Africa where compasses are now useless iirc
even when being normal some places are all over the place
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_magnetic_field#/media/File:Geodynamo_Between_Reversals.gif

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA wrote: »

Once at around 0300 when everyone's asleep and its dead quite on watch I've heard a load crack. It wasn't from up forward and it wasn't lightning. It soundly like it came from just outside the bridge. As if someone dropped something really heavy on deck. I sent the AB out to investigate (very brave of me I know) but he couldn't source the noise. I have no idea what it was and if the AB hadn't heard it too I would have doubted I heard anything at all. I'm not really a believer in the supernatural so maybe that's stopping my imagination running away with itself and more of these unexplained events happening to me.

Bird like an albatross flying into the ship maybe?

Great thread btw, one of the best to date

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

John_Rambo wrote: »

Thread still captivates. Well done.

1 - Do you see much military war games and exercises? Do they make contact?

2 - Are you often boarded by customs, navy or coast guard?

(We witnessed two warships basically "hunt" a submarine on a sailing boat delivery in the Irish sea. All British navy. They made radio contact with us, asked us to identify ourselves, where were were headed and wished us safe sailing)

Not really, the areas where military practice is carried out is marked on the chart and we are sent warnings to avoid the areas if military operations are in progress. They'll call you up on the radio if they think you are getting to close.

Customs and immigration come onboard when you arrive in port from another country. So pretty much every port. I've only been boarded at sea by the US coast guard. It's not uncommon for them to flex their muscles and tell you to stop your vessel they wish to board.

knucklehead6

What is the difference between flank speed and full speed?
Or is that more of a military term

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

FanadMan wrote: »

Loving this AMA - thanks so much OP for all your answers so far

As a keen fisherman, I am jealous of all the time you spend on the water......and being paid for it :P Do you ever drop a line overboard and try to catch your own dinner.

No problem. Yeah the guys onboard usually fish most evenings when we are at anchor. The Filipinos love their fish so there's never a short supply of fresh fish onboard which is great. Some ports don't allow fishing but the vast majority do.

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

knucklehead6 wrote: »

What is the difference between flank speed and full speed?
Or is that more of a military term

Full speed is about say 95% of the engines full power. Flank speed is 100% power the complete maximum the engine can go at. The maufacturer sets full speed a little lower than the actual max to avoid damage to the engine. We wouldn use the term flank speed in the merchant navy really. In fact I've never even been close to full speed. Ships run a few knots lower than their full speed as it's not economical to run at full speed.

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Isn't that semi normal in some places and becoming more common as the magnetic field looks like flipping. there's parts of S Africa where compasses are now useless iirc
even when being normal some places are all over the place
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_magnetic_field#/media/File:Geodynamo_Between_Reversals.gif


Bird like an albatross flying into the ship maybe?

Great thread btw, one of the best to date

Yeah magnetic anomalies are common but they are usually well documented. I found no warnings about magnetic anomalies in the area I was in but who knows.

Could have been a large bird I suppose. I'm not convinced but maybe. I'll never know.

Icepick

Have you considered working on superyachts and cruise ships? If not, why?

Dietmar Hamann

Thanks for taking the time to do this AMA. I've been glued to it since it started as my Grandad was an Engineer on Merchant ships back in the day.

Are there any ports around the world where you would need to do some simulator runs before going there due to the size of the ship being larger than the normal one that would dock there?

Also do you ever end up having to open up a container mid journey due to issues you or your crew notice once loaded and at sea? If you have have you ever found anything interesting?

J Mysterio

Jesus, Didi

I'm A Merchant Navy Officer AMA

Icepick wrote: »

Have you considered working on superyachts and cruise ships? If not, why?

I have thought about working on cruise ships and I must admit I get a bit jealous when one overtakes me. I never went for it because I knew promotion is slow and the chance of getting a job ashore after would be much harder. Superyachts can cause you endless trouble when you try to upgrade your licence. The department of transport do not consider time on yachts as commercial sea time. if you want to go down the superyacht route I'd advise getting your sea time and upgrading your qualifications on cruise ships before crossing over.