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09/02/2006 - 12:34 |
HelderLine
KUALA LUMPUR; Saturday 2 September 2006;
Greetings to you all and every one reading the ?Guestbook? from/on/in this nice WEB!
Many of us ?STUMBLED? onto this web and so did I. What was actually my ?keyword??
But in a way we have a similar ?link? and that is because we belong or had part in this maritime fraternity. And sure we will be back for more!
After a short period on the NTPM ?SENEGAL KUST? cargo vessel, I boarded this tanker ?WESTERTOREN? in Amsterdam (Petroleum Haven) on 11 September 1959 and early in the morning, 01:30 hrs. on 2 October we left for the Persian Gulf.
Until after the Suez Canal , Red Sea and Aden passage we sailed on economical speed.
FAO at the entrance of the PG we loaded for Lisbon Portugal.
The Officers were as follows:
Captain: BOS, Chief Off. HAGE, 2nd. LAMIJER, 3rd. KUBINEK, 4th (1) van ZALINGEN, (2) then van AMSON. And me as cadet (Stuurmans? leerling).
Engineers: Chief Engineer (HWTK) was baas SCHNEIDER, 2nd.BROEKHOF, 3rd. V.d. WILK and 4th. KOOIJMAN.
Two days waiting near the Lisbon berth and one day for discharging.
Back to the PG and to Mina Al Ahmadi where cargo was loaded for Niigata ? Japan.
South of Taiwan, and very close to the coast we encountered typhoon weather with this laden tanker. Niigata took the oil in an ?easy? way, one small line and half capacity.
The set course South and to Miri ? Borneo Malaysia brought us again close to the Taiwan coast and again in a boisterous typhoon weather but now with a ballasted tanker.
At Miri we took the oil from a SBM and brought this to Sydney.
A special heated oil parcel we took from here for Geelong near Melbourne.
Subsequently a much longer empty trip back to the PG and again to Mina Al Ahmadi.
Europe was a mere description of our destination for quite some time.
By coincidence we sailed close together with a similar size tanker the (ONASSIS ?World Sky?) and she had the similar uncertainty!
Only after both cleared the Suez Canal we had to go to Venice, which was the initial port for that Onassis tanker.
She had to go to England.
I left in Venice on 29 February 1960 with a few more crew and with all our luggage we had to use more than one Venice canal gondola!
Then a long train travel to Amsterdam and after some days off, I continued my studies.
I did my mates? and master in Scheveningen, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
After 6 years under the Dutch flag I served for 12 years with the Danes and 16 years as Master in the Malaysian prime line M.I.S.C. on bulk-carriers worldwide.
Since 1980 here in Malaysia; now as Permanent Resident and in the marine dredging business. (That remains a Dutch specialty!).
The mentioned Onassis tanker perished not long after our quite similar tracks and disappeared in the Gulf of Aden!
With cordial greetings;
Capt. GF.
And a special salute to Kees Helder!
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