A question about shipbreaking

Professional Mariner Forum
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so after reading about the Knock Nevis, i was watching this video on youtube, and im just curious if anyone has the answer to this question:
are the men who beach these ship actual mariners? or are they just yard workers who happened to figure out how to trim a ships draught, make it go full ahead, and point it towards the beach? maybe the delivery crew perhaps? but from what ive read, the ships brought to Alang are put out at an anchorage until the correct tide, which can be weeks, sometimes. i cant imagine any poor Indian man with seafaring experience choosing to work at a breakers yard instead of at sea(considering how many of todays international mariners are Indian), so id assume they just “read the instructions”, or got a crash course from the delivery crew.

has anyone here had the pleasure of delivering a ship to her doom?

thanks for indulging the noob…

kyle<br>
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btw, if this is unappropriate for this section of the forum, moderators please feel free to move it.

3

Cool video, but dumbest soundtrack ever.

4

From what I understand it’s done mostly by the crew…

The ship is down-manned to just the essential personnel and remote kill switches are routed from the engine room to the bridge. A beaching pilot then boards to direct the operation.

5

With all the unintentional “oops” in one’s career, I have often thought there is a hole in that I never got to go aground intentionally.

6

Cool video. Was in St Croix (Shell or BP refinery?) when a VLCC was leaving to go to the breakers. Every ship there sounded their horns upon her departure, bidding her a farewell salute.

7

I want to be a beaching pilot. I’d be really good at it after all those times pushing the mud at Freshwater City.

8

Cool video…I couldnt help but notice how their perception of PPE’s vary from ours…I especially like the shot of the guy climbing all over the ship that was barefoot…

9

I have had the misfortune of taking the Elizabeth Lykes to the breakers in Alang. We,the American crew took her to anchorage, an Englishman or a Scotsman (I forget which) was the person in charge of running her aground. This is not done with the American crew on board,the above person in charge is a former sea captain and has his own Indian crew. Everything on board the ship belongs to the Indians, I was the mate in charge of the Slopchest, if I knew then what I know now, I would have given half the slops to the crew. I gave them an accurate inventory list but they never checked it against the actual inventory, we were on our way to Bombay to catch a flight to Amsterdam and would have been out of the country before they suspected anything. The Captain who was to run the ship aground said that he was awaiting his relief, and that he was a Russian. I assume there are different nationalities that do that type of work, this was about 1995.

Sail,

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[QUOTE=Capt_Anonymous;26141]I want to be a beaching pilot. I’d be really good at it after all those times pushing the mud at Freshwater City.[/QUOTE]

It’s like the old saying “If a Captain says he’s never run aground… he’s either lying or lacks experience.”

11

[QUOTE=Kingrobby;26095]Cool video, but dumbest soundtrack ever.[/QUOTE]

I was so busy dancing I forgot to watch the video.

12

So that was you next to me all those times. :smiley:

The trick there is getting off again. I have seen boats not allowing for the tide going down, and then getting the call to Talons crane. LOL

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[quote=CaptAndrew;26176]So that was you next to me all those times. :smiley:

The trick there is getting off again. I have seen boats not allowing for the tide going down, and then getting the call to Talons crane. LOL[/quote]

No shit. I got myself stuck in the mud trying to walk to the dock from the boat once. We were pushing the bank and I had to make an emergency phone call home so I dropped the skiff over the side, paddled ashore, climbed up the bank, and promptly sank to my knees. Lost both boots before I pulled myself free. Finally made it to the phone about an hour later!