“As we entered the gangway from shore and head towards the superstructure, we were met by Second Officer. We were briefed about general rules and regulations, such as the emergency plan, muster station, and the use of personal protective equipment.
We also received a lifeboat seating arrangement plan and a checklist that we had to accomplish. When everything was settled, we were able to contribute to the deck work, working from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon.
We faced a lot of challenges during the first week, as there was a lot to be understood when it came to routines, procedures, and cargo and mooring operations, to name a few. But as the weeks went by, we gained a clear understanding of the cargo lines, tanks, ballast, ullage measuring, vapor return, purging, padding, cargo sampling and operating the valves from the Cargo Control Room (CCR).
And when we crossed the Atlantic with the tanks fully loaded, we started doing maintenance work on deck. The work consisted of painting jobs, cleaning on deck and in the pump room, and preventing corrosion, among others.
After 15 days of sailing, we reached Antwerp, Belgium. We went through the discharging plan with the Chief Officer and the deck crew. After the procedures were complied with and the checklist was taken care of, we started the operation.
When the required quantity was discharged, we set sail towards Rotterdam to complete the discharging. When all the 52 tanks were emptied, we departed and prepared to anchor some nautical miles away from Rotterdam. We spent more than a week at anchorage.
The crew on board prepared a pre-cleaning plan for the tanks. We connected hoses from the seawater lines to the water pump, the main wash from seawater. Afterward, we supplied the tanks with fresh water, and went over to the drying operation. We then ran a test to make sure that the required standards were met. Some of the tanks were not able to pump the rest of the water all the way, so we had to enter the tanks to mop and dry them manually.
We of course took precautionary measures and made sure the oxygen level was within safe limits prior to entering the tanks.
We also had free access to join the watchman at the bridge after work, which we did throughout. This allowed us to learn about some bridge procedures like preparing the bridge for pilot boarding, developing passage plan for underwater clearance, checklists, drafts, loaded condition and types of rudder.
So when we departed Houston and the pilot went off, we were able to take position from the radar, and write this down on the logbook.
We were also able to practice using the navigational equipment firsthand, which helped us gain more understanding of the concepts, and cleared our doubts.
The time we spent on board has been very enlightening. We joined the vessel as amateurs without any proper knowledge about operating a chemical tanker, and came out learning so much.
We learned how to adapt to a 24/7 environment. We were able to try our hand at various tasks and work under different circumstances, under the guidance of the officers and crew. We did learn so much more than we expected we would. But we still have a long way to go to become the best deck officers that we aim to be.
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Odfjell for giving us the opportunity to work on board your ship this summer. We also thank the Bow Faith crew for sharing their knowledge with us, we truly appreciate it. It has been a real pleasure knowing you all. We feel extremely lucky to have gotten this chance, and this is something we shall appreciate forever.
