Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Chumville

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Mon 11 Feb 2019 23:57

Bear named it Chumville

Bear has a pleasant sunrise and took this picture at half past seven. I come on at ten and immediately get stuck in to the serious business of chum watching. My first on the AIS is Seri Balhaf off to my right.

Seri Balhaf is very pretty with teal lids and navy body. The waves are making Beez giggle and we hear her wheeeee as the waves come below her and we surf along at eight knots. We have now done 149.3 nautical miles. Back to our chum – she is an LNG Tanker (liquefied natural gas),her length is 394.6 metres, hips 46.5 metres, draught 10.1 metres, maximum speed an impressive 21.6 but she passed us at a steady 20.7 knots, course over the ground of 277 degrees magnetic at a distance from Beez of 3.38 nm. Her deadweight tonnage 91,201 and her gross tonnage is 107,633 tons. Built in 2009 she carries the Malaysian flag and she is en route to the Port of Bonny in Nigeria – due in on the 1st of March at six in the morning.

At ten thirty-five I have huge excitement as I will have a chum pass each side of me. The girl above my course line is Front Duke and the girl below is called Omega Trader.

Front Duke is a crude oil tanker, her length is 333.08 metres, width 60.04 metres, draught 20.0 metres, maximum speed a steady 12.3 knots, her average speed 11.2 knots, deadweight tonnage 299,334 and her gross tonnage is 154,379 tons. Built in 2016 her flag is The Marshall Islands and she is due in to Yeosu in Korea on the 21st of February at six in the morning. Her CPA according to the AIS – her Closest Point of Approach on the Automatic Identification System – and much as I still don’t like the new chartplotter it is quite nice to have the AIS as part of what we see rather than the stand-alone screen we had before........however....... moving on........there is also the TCPA in the information which is Time to Closest Point of Approach. Front Duke was spuddling along on COG (Course over the Ground) of 98 degrees and her CPA was 1.46 miles. She was in a bit of a rush as the current lifted her speed a little to 12.4 knots.

Coming the other way and with a terrible picture of this red and black lady was Omega Trader, a crude oil tanker, her length 333 metres, width 60 metres, draught 20.1 metres, maximum speed 13 knots, her average speed 10.7 knots, deadweight tonnage 305,206 and her gross tonnage is 159.962 tons. Built in 2011 her flag is Japanese and her home port is Tokyo. She is on her way to Yokkaichi in Japan and she is due in on the 21st of February at eleven in the morning. On the AIS her CPA was 2.74 miles, she was doing 10.4 knots and her COG was 97 degrees.

Great movements had to occur as on the chartplotter a ‘gang’ appeared. An All Ships Bulletin was transmitted on the radio. All ships had to give Seismic Cable Cool Runner three miles sea room each side and five miles to the rear. OK then. Her gang were right across our track and so began the fight to turn right with waves now coming from the side, Beez not too impressed to have her feathers joggled.......I moved a waypoint to plot a new course – well a diversion really. A very nice Australian voice called me up and asked about my CPA. I replied that by the time the convoy had moved on two hours we were well clear of the five mile clearance at the rear. He wished us a safe onward passage, congratulated and thanked us for our change of course and that was that. The first picture was taken at 13:01 and the second at 14:56.

This picture on a wider scale shows the kerfuffle brought on. In amongst those girls who had to change course were The British girls Cape Heron, cargo bulk carrier, left Kamsar in Guinea on her way to Singapore due in on Valentine’s Day at two in the morning. The other British girl was CMA CGM Callisto coming from Jibouti on the Horn of Africa also heading for Singapore but due in on the morrow as she was trotting along at 17.5 knots compared to Cape Heron doing 8.2 knots. Bear suddenly came out with this is like being in Chumville, I like it, very much. I thought you might. Al Rayyan, a Japanese lady who also had to move out of the way, she is heading for Port Laffan in Qatar. Way too much excitement and eyes that busy watching, I went to bed for a couple of hours.

I had my own fun and tried to take several pictures as I wanted to get the impressive bow wave as it hit the front of this girl. I deleted all the pictures where there was no boat at all and these are the best of the rest. Well done you.

Oooooo lovely. Thank you, I did my best. Tai Hung San is a crude oil carrier her length is 333 metres, hips 60 metres, draught 21.2 metres, maximum speed a steady 13 knots, her average speed 11.7 knots, deadweight tonnage 317,924 and her gross tonnage is 163,882 tons. Built in 2010 her flag is Singapore and she left from Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait heading for Limay in the Philippines. She is due in on the 18th of February at one in the afternoon. Her CPA was a tight little 0.28 miles at 11 knots. Didn’t you do well. Thank you.

I was so busy watching her I forgot to take a picture at her closest CPA so didn’t get a very impressive one. Good enough for me, skipper. That’s it, I’m exhausted and within seconds his head was lolling gently in the Land of Nod.

Bear turned over and snored gently as I enjoyed quite a dark sunset as the chums thinned out to the last one for now.

I only had two during my two till six shift.

After arriving in Sabang, checking in and buying a SIM card, I looked up PGS Apollo, the girls at the head of the seismic cable column. Her first picture is with thanks to Maritime.com and the second from her website. She is owned by OMP Apollo AS and operated by PGS Apollo. Her flag is Bahamian, registered in Nassau and she was built in Spain in 2010. Her vital statistics are 106 x 19.2 x 6.5 metres and she can pull ten streamers with a maximum of twelve.......

Whatever she does looks incredible amazing and complicated. From her website:- Launched in 2010, the PGS Apollo is fully equipped with multi-sensor, true broadband GeoStreamer acquisition technology and has excellent in-sea dynamics. Powerful engines enable this vessel to reach high transit speeds, significantly shortening the time spent between projects. WOW, what a girl........

ALL IN ALL WONDERFUL TO BE ‘MONGST THE BIG GIRLS

GOT TO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED AND GREAT FUN