Any news from the Amsterdam?

[DFD1]

6 hours ago, SeaDog-46 said:

Malacca & Singapore Straits has the longest 263 nm Traffic Separation Scheme [TSS] in the world.  There are no pilots.

It has 2 way traffic with a max depth eastbound of 23 metres.  The nightmare starts at One Fathom Bank due west of Port Klang & 263 nm later ends at Horsborough Lighthouse at eastern end of Singapore Straits.

Large deep draft crude oil tankers - VLCC - have some priority at the Singapore end that gives then some right of way over crossing traffic & they are required to travel no faster than 12 knots. Watches on the better operated ships are often doubled with 2 deck officers doing 6 on/6 off with master taking the hectic section around Singapore where a tanker drawing 21 metres has to pass a rock a certain distance off & still keep in the traffic lanes.  There are regular reporting places & the whole area is under radar control.  Here the Radio Officer was used for comms. with VTIS.

Photo of VLCC Golden Stream, 275,616 dwt, 144149 gt, draft 20.4 metres [66.9ft]. 

Later was 4 months on her bigger fleet sister Golden Fountain 301,665 dwt. & she had a max draft of 22.213m which is too deep for this TSS.

Fascinating. Thanks. Really interesting. Great pictures.

[Copper10-8]

Amsterdam currently turned away from Port Klang, but her speed has been reduced to 3.6 knots; appears to be waiting for instructions and/or permission from the Malaysians 

[Vict0riann]

28 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Amsterdam currently turned away from Port Klang, but her speed has been reduced to 3.6 knots; appears to be waiting for instructions and/or permission from the Malaysians 

 

Oh, no!  Poor Captain Mercer, he must be tearing his hair out!

[cat shepard]

Good grief, John. So close, but turned away. How very frustrating for everyone on board.

[Copper10-8]

24 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

 

Oh, no!  Poor Captain Mercer, he must be tearing his hair out!

 

4 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

Good grief, John. So close, but turned away. How very frustrating for everyone on board.

 

Morning ladies; I did not mean to imply that Amsterdam has been turned away from Port Klang by the Malaysian authorities because I have no information on that! My post was to describe Amsterdam's physical position on AIS in that her bow was turned away from Malaysia while at a drastically reduced speed. She might just be drifting until instructions are received as to where to go 😉

[cat shepard]

1 minute ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Morning ladies; I did not mean to imply that Amsterdam has been turned away from Port Klang by the Malaysian authorities because I have no information on that! My post was to describe Amsterdam's physical position on AIS in that her bow was turned away from Malaysia while at a drastically reduced speed. She might just be drifting until instructions are received as to where to go 😉

 

Thank goodness! Keeping my fingers crossed that this time all goes smoothly.

[DFD1]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

Amsterdam currently turned away from Port Klang, but her speed has been reduced to 3.6 knots; appears to be waiting for instructions and/or permission from the Malaysians 

You just about set the house on fire.......LOL

[Copper10-8]

Latest from onboard is that Amsterdam will be able to enter Port Klang tomorrow (Fri,, 24 Apr) for bunkering! Keep your fingers crossed!

[DFD1]

Good news ! Hope it works out. I know Mercer and the whole ship are exhausted.

Edited April 23, 2020 by DFD1

[rafinmd]

11 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Latest from onboard is that Amsterdam will be able to enter Port Klang tomorrow (Fri,, 24 Apr) for bunkering! Keep your fingers crossed!

Fingers, toes, and anything else I can cross crossed.

 

Roy

[Vict0riann]

43 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Fingers, toes, and anything else I can cross crossed.

 

Roy

Me, too!  Hope it works out.  Or maybe they will have to go to Cambodia!  That worked out for Westie...

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

 

Oh, no!  Poor Captain Mercer, he must be tearing his hair out!

 

I'm not sure that the Captain has much hair to tear out!😀

[SeaDog-46]

Golden Princess is about to berth at the Boustead cruise centre Port Klang.

Left Australia about 2 weeks ago.

[prescottbob]

Off topic from the current nautical discussion.

I received an e-mail from HAL regarding on-board luggage that was ‘left aboard’ for ‘luggage disembarkation’ in Fort Lauderdale.
Looks like HAL is trying to off load ASAP, at an Asian port with a 60 day window for delivery.

Goodness, my soiled skivvies should be really ripe by then.
Good luck TSA.
Just an FYI.

No biggie...

Be well .

Bob 

[Mary Ellen]

26 minutes ago, prescottbob said:

Goodness, my soiled skivvies should be really ripe by then.

We brought all of our dirty laundry home with us. It was obvious that it would be awhile before the Amsterdam got to FLL (as originally planned), even if going straight there. I didn’t want our dirty clothes ‘marinating’ for that long.

[prescottbob]

Hey Gal,

I was only kidding. 
My concern was for the farting kangaroo statues packed from Paddy’s market in  Sydney.

No worries...

Be well.

Bob

[SeaDog-46]

Piracy in Malacca / Singapore Straits has been evident for years but if has never been as violent as Somalia or the present hotspot of West Africa.  It is usually just opportunist fishermen who bolt as soon as discovered.

My ship was boarded in an Indonesian port as we anchored about 4am one morning.  She was a marine freight truck owned by a USA company & managed by their own Singapore management company taking supplies to a massive US/Indonesian gold mine.  Flying the Singapore flag & manned mainly by Indonesian crew & Europeen officers.  The she was a dock ship - barge / oil carrier & her cargo consisted of machine parts & stores from US,  250 tons of Ammonium Nitrate with Red Cross parcels on top, provisions/fresh stores & 8,000 tons of diesel oil in bulk. We went from Singapore to Jakarta & discharged at a river port in West Irian.  There was no pilot & the "longshoremen" were local natives that could not speak English & wanted to smoke! 

One trip was enough for me.

Current info on Pirates can be found at  www.icc-ccs.org

[rafinmd]

I'm thinking about Captain Mercer.  I can't imagine this being the prelude to him fading from  the HAL scene.  I wonder if it would be appropriate to make a final appearance as an honored guest at some point and how it might be accomplished.

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

I'm thinking about Captain Mercer.  I can't imagine this being the prelude to him fading from  the HAL scene.  I wonder if it would be appropriate to make a final appearance as an honored guest at some point and how it might be accomplished.

 

Roy

 

You never know Roy; he just might take a short contract after this giant mess is done and over with, and have a proper send-off incl. his crew lined up on the dock and the usual white limo ride into the sunset 😉 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Off topic from the current nautical discussion.
I received an e-mail from HAL regarding on-board luggage that was ‘left aboard’ for ‘luggage disembarkation’ in Fort Lauderdale.
Looks like HAL is trying to off load ASAP, at an Asian port with a 60 day window for delivery.
Goodness, my soiled skivvies should be really ripe by then.
Good luck TSA.
Just an FYI.
No biggie...
Be well .
Bob 

Your July 4th estimate may be optimistic. Did you specify a year?


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[The-Inside-Cabin]

Has anyone received even an acknowledgement of their claim for return trip compensation? I was hoping to get at least a form email response.


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[Scrapnana]

17 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Has anyone received even an acknowledgement of their claim for return trip compensation? I was hoping to get at least a form email response.


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How did you send in your claim?  I am trying to decide between e-mail and snail mail.

[Copper10-8]

Speaking of the general area the Amsterdam now finds herself in, a little anecdote came to mind. Amsterdam happens to be the only HAL ship where the security officer is tasked with making his way to the A-Deck Marshaling Area's pilot break to pick up said pilot and escort him/her to the bridge via the fwd crew elevator. On most other dam ships, that job is carried out by one of the navigators/deck officers.

 

My thoughts go back to the 2016 Grand World Voyage where I accomplished that task on the approach to Tanjung Priok, the port city for Jakarta. The pickup and escort were uneventful as I used my card key to unlock the bridge door and then announced in a loud voice (in order to be picked by the microphone of the Bridge VDR - voice data recorder - similar to the black box of a commercial aircraft) "Pilot on the Bridge" and introduced that pilot to Capt. Mercer who then took over with him.

 

That same pilot took us out of port that same afternoon and, once outside the breakwater, I took him down to the pilot break. To my surprise, just prior to descending the ladder to his boat below, he looked at me with a disapproving look on his face and stated "No gift for the pilot?" I guess he was used to receiving, at a minimum, a bottle or three of hard liquor and/or a carton or nine of cigarettes, for his service, while taking cargo ships, tankers, sheep carriers, etc. in and out of port. I reminded him that he was on a cruise ship and that our gift shops full of goodies were closed going in and out of port, so he kinda shook his head and left. When I got back to the bridge and told the story, Capt. Mercer had a good laugh

 

Different strokes for different folks in different parts of the world. Never did get such a request again, although the Egyptian Suez Canal "health inspector" and the local dudes with the "searchlight" ("do you have a cabin for us") who later set up shop in the Marshaling Area with two tables full of "souvenirs" to sell to the crew came pretty close 😉 Lots of material for a book

Edited April 24, 2020 by Copper10-8

[The-Inside-Cabin]

How did you send in your claim?  I am trying to decide between e-mail and snail mail.

I emailed it as an attachment. I think I will also mail and fax. Just to be covered.


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[Scrapnana]

Thanks, Pete!