HIGH SEAS REPORT – FREIGHT

I joined m/v Jeanette in September and were introduced to the frustrating event of waiting (and nagging) for freight.  In a four week period we only made one short trip.  In Dunkerque France, we loaded 5700mt of coal and brought it to Amsterdam.  Finally we got a 5600 mt load of steel coils in Ijmuiden, the Netherlands for Salerno in Italy and two other ports in Turkey. While heading for our first discharging port we made a bunker stop in Ceuta, Spain. To bunker 150 mt of fuel took 4 hours all together from coming alongside till we were underway again.  After totally 8 days sailing from the Netherlands to Italy we arrived in Salerno.  We had hoped for a weekend alongside as the agent mentioned in his mails to ship but the Italians were quick with discharging and we were out on sea again in no time heading for Turkey.  Through the Dardanelle we went into the Sea of Marmara and in the Gulf of Izmit, near Istanbul, to our two discharge ports Rota and Diliskelesi.  From Salerno it was 4,5 days sailing to the Gulf of Izmit.  The pace of off-loading in Turkey was slower than in Italy but in three days time our cargo was out.  Cleaning ship and preparing (paint the holds) for the next load is a big part of the job.  It is frustrating and tiresome though when standards are adjustable from one day to the next.  We took 5650 mt of soda in bulk (also used to make glass) for Tarragona in Spain. This trip took 7 days.  From there immediately on to Barcelona, which was only 4 hours sailing from Tarragona on the way cleaning and preparing ship again from the soda dust, and getting the new paint dry, and ready to load within 12 hrs from the time we were empty.  Everybody involved in this cargo was happy to see the ship ready for loading in such a short time. Maybe you wonder why every time painting again?  Well many times they go with front-end loaders into the hold when discharging which scrape off the paint, and the next load requires no rust, no dust etc.  Now we are underway to Rouen in France to discharge our load of 5600 mt of Potash.  From there we will sail to Scheveningen in Holland for a crew change which is too costly in France and then on to Letland in the Baltic Sea for another load of fine Potash to deliver this time in Kokola, Finland. Then some wood products like pulp and paper from Sweden to Marocco will follow.  Life’s a song if the storms keep at bay.