During the day, I painted all the extinguishers in corresponding colors. I noticed an open tank or some square hole on the aft, covered with a net. 2nd Engineer Kurt passed by.
I asked 2nd Engineer Kurt, “What is this hole and this net?”
2nd Engineer Kurt smiled and said, “That’s a pool. It’s out of use, and the net is for drunk crew members. There were a few cases where idiots got drunk and decided to jump into the empty pool.”
I laughed and said, “Now I understand, it’s a pool. Did anyone get hurt?”
2nd Engineer Kurt shook his head and said, “Of course, drunken fools. They broke a few limbs, but luckily no one died. Well, I must return to the engine room. They are waiting for me.”
I said, “Ok. See you around.”
As I continued to walk on the deck, I saw a worker asleep with a rust chipping machine tied to his leg. The machine banged on a plate and bounced around, its noise audible all the way to the bridge. I walked over, kicked his boot, and he opened his eyes. “How can you sleep with this racket?” I asked.
The worker stood up and said, “Sorry boss. I work boss. No tell. Please no tell.” I just shook my head and left to check the forecast for safety stickers.
A few days later, we arrived at the anchorage to wait for our turn to dock. Captain James announced over the ship’s PA system, “Do not let hookers climb the ship. No women. No one is to climb the ship. If someone disobeys me, I will personally kick him off the ship with my boot. I was clear: no women, no ladder; otherwise, we are all in trouble.”
I looked over the side of the ship and saw a boat with half-dressed women shouting, “Hi boys!”
“We want to play!”
“Let us in!”
Captain James said over the ship’s PA system, “I see you, Jack. Don’t even think about it.”
I stood and gave the Captain a military salute. Captain James smiled and shook his head. Then, over the ship’s PA system, he said, “Bridge duty, Jack.”
I walked to the bridge and saw Captain James, who was laughing the entire time. “I brought you here far from the temptation of women. The ship is yours, Jack,” he said.
I just smiled and said, “Yes, Captain.”
Captain James left the bridge. I took binoculars and watched the boat with girls cruise around the ship until it eventually gave up and left. I sat on the navigational chair and felt the hairs on my back rise—a slight discomfort, like something was wrong. I checked the radar; everything looked okay. Just in case, I tagged the ship with a marker on the radar to monitor any movement. Still, I had this feeling of unease; something was wrong, and I could feel it all over my body. I stood up, checked the view with binoculars, looked for debris, pirates—nothing, just calm sea. I checked the echo sounder for anything beneath the ship. Nothing out of the ordinary. I sat back on the navigational chair, all rallied up under stress for some unknown reason, and checked the radar again. I saw the ship had moved from my tag. I immediately knew the ship’s anchor had gotten loose, and the ship was drifting.
I used the bridge VHF and exclaimed, “Captain to the bridge. Captain to the bridge.”
The captain was on the bridge in a second and said, “What is it? Someone let the women on board!?”
I said, “No, Captain, look at the radar. The ship is drifting and gaining speed. The current is carrying us port-side towards the other ship in the vicinity.”
Captain James looked at the radar and shouted, “Start the engine now!”
I took the phone directly linked to the engine room.
Captain James shouted on the VHF, “Bosun, the anchor is loose. Run forward. Run.”
Bosun Alpha said on VHF, “Yes, sir.”
2nd Engineer Kurt responded on the phone I held to my right ear, saying, “Yes, bridge.”
I said on the phone, “The ship’s anchor is dredging. We need power to the winches and engine on.”
2nd Engineer Kurt said on the phone, “On it, releasing steam for winches.”
I hung up the phone.
Bosun Alpha said on VHF, “Need more power, not working.”
Captain James shouted, “Call the engine room, MORE POWER.”
I used the phone to call the engine room. 2nd Engineer Kurt picked up and said, “Yes.”
I said on the phone, “We need more steam. The winch can’t pull the anchor.”
2nd Engineer Kurt said on the phone, “Okay. I’ll open the valve all the way.”
Soon, steam could be heard hissing and banging. Bosun Alpha on the forward engaged the anchor, and we could see the ship slow down as he pulled it up. I hung up the phone.
Captain James looked at the other ship and said, “This will buy us a little time until the engine is started up.”
The steam sound slowly disappeared.
Bosun Alpha said on VHF, “Winch is not working, not enough steam.”
Captain James shouted, “Call the engine room!”
I called the engine room again. I heard someone pick up and shouted, “What is happening? We lost steam power. We need it now.”
2nd Engineer Kurt said on the phone, “Sorry, Third. The Chief Engineer came and reduced the pressure so the pipes don’t blow up.”
I said to the Captain, “Chief Engineer reduced the pressure because the pipes could start leaking.”
Captain James became angry and frustrated. He shouted, “Forget him and the pipes! We are going to crash into the other ship! Give me that phone!” He grabbed the phone and yelled so forcefully that saliva flew from his mouth, “Give me steam now! I don’t give a rat's ass! Start the engine already!”
I heard the main engine start and quickly manned the steering wheel. The Captain slammed the phone, used the engine control lever, and gave me orders on the helm. Meanwhile, 2nd Officer Sheldon walked onto the bridge and silently monitored the situation. We moved the ship to another spot, dropped the anchor again, and waited to ensure it held.
Captain James said, “Good job, Jack. Come on, let’s go eat. You have the bridge, second, and call the engine room. Tell them we are in the clear, they can shut down the engine.”
We went down to the messroom, and as soon as we sat down, the telephone rang in the kitchen.
The cook exited the galley. He had a medium brown skin, dark brown almond-shaped eyes, and black hair. He said, “Captain! It’s the Second Officer. He says the anchor is not holding.”
The Captain looked at me, shook his head, and stood up. “I’ll check it out first, everyone. I think it’s a false alarm. Enjoy your meal,” he said.
Captain James left and returned after 15 minutes. He said, “As I said, false alarm.”
The telephone rang in the kitchen again.
The cook exited the galley again and said, “Captain! It’s the Second Officer again about the anchor.” Captain James threw his napkin on the table and left for the kitchen. The cook followed.
Captain shouted from the galley, “Stop panicking! I told you the anchor is holding! Do not call me again over this!” Captain returned to his seat and continued to eat.
It was calm for the next few days. Eventually, we received a notice for a free berth.
Captain James said over the ship’s PA system, “Before we dock, the deck must be clean from any food leftovers. There will be inspections. Remember, no food leftovers on deck.”
We docked in the port and initiated discharge operations for the sunflower oil. I was near the gangway with Chief Officer Ben when the first inspector came.
It was a woman dressed in local official clothing with a name tag, Penelope. he had a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones, and her eyes were large, almond-shaped, and dark brown. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail. Her eyebrows were thick, her nose was straight, and her lips were full and naturally rosy. She said, “I’m here to check if everything is in order on deck.”
Chief Officer Ben said, “Trash police.”
Penelope smiled and said, “Yes. Trash police.”
I said, “I will show you around the ship.”
Penelope said, “Thank you.”
I walked with her across the deck and said, “Everything is clean. You won’t find anything on the deck.”
Penelope stopped and pointed out something behind the pipes. She said, “You mean like that banana peel over there?”
I crouched and looked behind the pipes, and there it was—a banana peel. I said, “I can’t believe this crew. The Captain gave explicit orders.”
She took out the notebook and said, “This is a 1000 USD fine.”
I said, “Just great. With our luck, who knows what else we’ll find after you discovered a banana peel in the first few meters. Each time it’s 1000 dollars, just great.”
Penelope wrote a ticket and said, “Oh no, it's a one-time thing.”
I said, “What do you mean one-time?”
Penelope said, “The fine is 1000 USD total for anything we find.”
I stood up and said, “Anything we find? Like five more banana peels and the fine will still be the same?”
Penelope said, “Yes, that is correct.”
I clapped my hands and said, “This is great.”
Penelope laughed and said, “Getting a fine is not great.”
I said, “Well, a fixed fine of 1000 USD will be great in this case. The crew here is notorious for eating a lot. Who knows what more we will discover hiding on this deck?”
Penelope smiled and said, “This sounds like an adventure.”
I said, “Well madam, will you join me in exploring the unknown deck that lies ahead of us with many hidden treasures?”
Penelope smiled and said, “You are funny.”
We passed around the ship and indeed there were a lot of peels from various fruits. Eventually, we even found a dead bird.
I said, “I just can't believe this. Even if the crew acted well, the bird would definitely be a reason to get a ticket.”
Penelope said, “You are correct. It was inevitable to get a ticket this time.”
I said, “How are we doing so far?”
Penelope said, “You got six marks, not including the dead bird.”
Captain James said on the portable VHF radio, “Jack, how is it going?”
I said on my portable VHF radio, “Ah, Captain, we got a ticket. The crew left some fruit peels around the deck.”
Captain James said on the portable VHF radio, “Can't believe this. They are like children. How much is it?”
I said on my portable VHF radio, “It's 1000 USD. To top it all off, we just found a dead bird.”
Captain James said with a deep breath on the portable VHF radio, “Just great. Carry on.”
Penelope tore off the ticket from the booklet and said, “I think we are done here. Here is your ticket.”
I said in her local language, “You are leaving already? Halfway through our adventure?”
Penelope smiled and said, “Your pronunciation is terrible. It was fun, but I think if I stay and we find more stuff, your Captain will have a heart attack.”
I said in her local language, “At least your bosses will be pleased with our discoveries. Tell me, how are we on the scale of deck trash?”
Penelope laughed and said, “Please stop. You're terrible, yet funny. Do you think we keep track of those things? Believe me, we don't. But I can tell you this: on one ship, the crew pooped in the cargo. They transported corn, and after they pooped, they'd just cover it with corn, creating small poop hills. The inspector thought the grain might be infested with rodents, but he discovered it was actually infested with poop.”
I laughed and said, “Uh...never heard this one before.”
Penelope said, “I said more than I should. Thank you for the pleasant company, but I'll be off to another ship.”
I said, “Well, see you another time then.”
Penelope smiled and said, “Bye.”
Soon, inspectors came one after another to check everything. For 3 days, there was no sleep, just inspection after inspection. I drank some third-world country energy drinks to stay awake.
Finally, on the third day, I went into my cabin to take another sip of the energy drink. As soon as I did, I felt my heartbeat like a piston from an engine. I collapsed on my back, ending up in a sitting position, leaning against the door. My heart raced, and it felt like an alien was about to pop out of my chest. I thought to myself, ‘This is it. Game over.’ as I lost consciousness. I woke up to the sound of an echoing voice.
A voice from the portable VHF radio on my shoulder said, “Come in. Jack, come in.” I felt my chest with my hand to check if it was still intact.
Captain James said on my portable VHF radio, “Jack, report to the bridge. Jack, come in.”
I said on my portable VHF radio, “On my way.” I stood up and slowly checked if all my limbs were operational. Just in case, I slowly walked to the bridge.
I opened the door to the bridge and there was an inspector with Captain James and 2nd Officer Sheldon.
The inspector said, “Glad you joined us, Third Officer. There is a matter we need to discuss.”
The inspector pointed to the map, “There is one position missing on one of the maps. Can you explain why?”
I leaned on the map and said, “Captain was in charge at that time.”
The inspector asked, “What is the procedure when the Captain is in control?”
Captain James and 2nd Officer Sheldon looked at me like they didn’t know the answer.
I said, “The Captain verbally says 'I'm in command,' and this is noted in the bridge logbook.”
The inspector asked, “Can you show me the logbook?”
I opened the logbook and showed him the entry. 2nd Officer and Captain James also peeked at the note. Captain James nodded.
The inspector said, “Thank you, Third Officer, that will be all. You are free to go.”
I nodded and left the bridge. I went down to monitor cargo operations.
After a while, I was near the gangway.
The inspector came to me and said, “Congratulations, Third Officer. You did an amazing job. The ship passed all the inspections. Take care and I hope one day I see you as Chief Officer.”
I smiled and said, “Goodbye, sir.”
The inspector left the bridge and Captain James said on the portable VHF radio, “Jack, to my quarters.”
I walked to the Captain's quarters and knocked on the door. Captain James said, “Come in, Jack.”
I walked in and Captain James said, “First of all, you did a great job. We passed all the inspections they threw at us.”
I said, “No problem, Captain. That’s what I’m paid to do as the Third Officer. I'm glad the other crew also did their part. It was not just me.”
Captain James said, “Now, now. The real reason I called you is because the company is impressed, and we mutually agreed that there is no need for two Third Officers. In that notion, your colleague will be sent home.”
I said, “But his contract...”
Captain James interrupted me, “Is long overdue. We need more people like you, and we will try to find more people like you. Having two Third Officers so far has proved ineffective. They were both lazy and expensive.”
I said, “I understand that, Captain.”
Captain James said, “Of course you do. You work your ass off while the other Third is sleeping all the time. Keep up the good work, Jack.”
I said, “Yes, Captain. I will.”
Captain James said, “Glad to hear it. You can continue with your duties.”
I said, “Thank you, Captain.” I left his office for the pump room to continue with cargo operations. Through the window, I saw the other Third Officer leave the ship. After we finished the cargo operations over the next few days, we left the port.
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