The journey from Fremantle to Singapore on the ANL Esprit
OK, I am safe and sound in Singapore. Sorry for the delay in posting, I have been a busy and good boy
, and had loads of fun.
The trip:
I spent 6 nights and 7 days at sea, travelling on a freighter from the port of Fremantle on the west coast of Australia to the international (and much bigger and busier) port of Singapore. I enjoyed the trip! The experience itself, of being at sea, surrounded by nothing but ocean, created a compelling sense of isolation. Added to this was the excitement of clambering around the ship, as well as racing to the bridge every morning to chat to the navigator about our position, course, speed, weather and so forth. However, the most interesting part of the trip was the social interaction with the crew, a mix of Filipinos (the enlisted crew) and the German officers (it is a German owned shipping line).
The crew of modern freighter have an unusual life. They sail from port to port loading and unloading cargo containers. There is little time to go ashore, so some choose to remain onboard for weeks or months. The good part about this is that money can be saved (specially for the Filipinos who have 6 month contracts), the bad, that they spend this time away from their loved ones. There was one newly married officer, who clearly was unhappy about being away from his wife, but the call of the sea, and his bank manger, was stronger. The Capt. and crew kept me entertained (and I suspect the odd passenger also keeps them entertained) with stories, karaoke, DVDs, and general chit chat.
That was the good part of the trip, the bad part is: dont do a freighter journey if you are prone to motion sickness. A smooth ride is just about the last considerationthe ship sways from side to side, back to front (often both), and moves at flank speed in a straight line. Second, it is a dirty ship. It burns 70 tonnes of diesel a day, the outside of the ship is coated with soot and fumes. The crew wear overalls when working on the deck. A few minutes of holding the handrails (which you have to do) and your hands are black.
One piece of adventure was provided by the possibility of pirates boarding the ship. Near Java and Sumatra small, high speed boats of free lance capitalists occasionally cruise along side, sneak on board and steal money and valuables from the ship and crew. This was not an idle possibility, each day we received 2 or 3 reports of pirate activities ahead of us. To combat this possibility, while in this stretch of sea, we travelled at 20+ plus knots (the max we could do), and had lights and hoses spraying water rigged along the sides of the ship. However, nothing adventurous happened. At the end of our travels we manoeuvred into Singapore harbour (which contains ~800 ships), and docked! I was impressed with the quiet professionalism of the Capt. officers and crew. They all did a difficult job without fuss.
I would do a freighter trip again, it was an experience, I would even like to try a truly rough sea (I did not get sea sick, I rather enjoyed the tossing and turning). Now onto SE Asia!
Some pics of my trip:
Looking forward from the Bridge
Looking back towards the stern, the ship's trail visible stretching towards the horizon.
The Bridge, note that the ship's wheel is very smal
, however, lots of dials and buttons!
I am taking charge of the ship!
In the middle of the ocean, on the back of a rolling 30,000 tonne freighter, we had a BBQ. Not to be missed.
Looking down the ship's stairwell from the Bridge. Fun in rough weather.
A list of the decks and their contents.
OK, I am safe and sound in Singapore. Sorry for the delay in posting, I have been a busy and good boy
, and had loads of fun.The trip:
I spent 6 nights and 7 days at sea, travelling on a freighter from the port of Fremantle on the west coast of Australia to the international (and much bigger and busier) port of Singapore. I enjoyed the trip! The experience itself, of being at sea, surrounded by nothing but ocean, created a compelling sense of isolation. Added to this was the excitement of clambering around the ship, as well as racing to the bridge every morning to chat to the navigator about our position, course, speed, weather and so forth. However, the most interesting part of the trip was the social interaction with the crew, a mix of Filipinos (the enlisted crew) and the German officers (it is a German owned shipping line).
The crew of modern freighter have an unusual life. They sail from port to port loading and unloading cargo containers. There is little time to go ashore, so some choose to remain onboard for weeks or months. The good part about this is that money can be saved (specially for the Filipinos who have 6 month contracts), the bad, that they spend this time away from their loved ones. There was one newly married officer, who clearly was unhappy about being away from his wife, but the call of the sea, and his bank manger, was stronger. The Capt. and crew kept me entertained (and I suspect the odd passenger also keeps them entertained) with stories, karaoke, DVDs, and general chit chat.
That was the good part of the trip, the bad part is: dont do a freighter journey if you are prone to motion sickness. A smooth ride is just about the last considerationthe ship sways from side to side, back to front (often both), and moves at flank speed in a straight line. Second, it is a dirty ship. It burns 70 tonnes of diesel a day, the outside of the ship is coated with soot and fumes. The crew wear overalls when working on the deck. A few minutes of holding the handrails (which you have to do) and your hands are black.
One piece of adventure was provided by the possibility of pirates boarding the ship. Near Java and Sumatra small, high speed boats of free lance capitalists occasionally cruise along side, sneak on board and steal money and valuables from the ship and crew. This was not an idle possibility, each day we received 2 or 3 reports of pirate activities ahead of us. To combat this possibility, while in this stretch of sea, we travelled at 20+ plus knots (the max we could do), and had lights and hoses spraying water rigged along the sides of the ship. However, nothing adventurous happened. At the end of our travels we manoeuvred into Singapore harbour (which contains ~800 ships), and docked! I was impressed with the quiet professionalism of the Capt. officers and crew. They all did a difficult job without fuss.
I would do a freighter trip again, it was an experience, I would even like to try a truly rough sea (I did not get sea sick, I rather enjoyed the tossing and turning). Now onto SE Asia!
Some pics of my trip:
Looking forward from the Bridge
Looking back towards the stern, the ship's trail visible stretching towards the horizon.
The Bridge, note that the ship's wheel is very smal
, however, lots of dials and buttons!I am taking charge of the ship!
In the middle of the ocean, on the back of a rolling 30,000 tonne freighter, we had a BBQ. Not to be missed.
Looking down the ship's stairwell from the Bridge. Fun in rough weather.
A list of the decks and their contents.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
furnier:
I am so jealous. Sounds like you are having a wonderful adventure! I love the pics. More please! 
eyeswideshut:
HI guys, have been having lots of fun, visited Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. Busy, too busy to post, but now lounging around in cheap Penang ($30 aust a day for a 5 star hotel ~ may stay - off season) so I will post in the next day or two.