#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Indonesia Forum >  >  A few days offshore Indonesia

## slimboyfat

As previously mentioned in another thread

https://teakdoor.com/travel-the-world...ore-malta.html

I work for a company that does some offshore work, particularly ship to ship transfers for tankers. The job in that thread was part of my induction into the job so I could set up the business in Asia. Not particularly easy as I am a one man show.

After a few months of hard work (mainly the work was hard because of working with Indonesians) we got off to a proper start a couple of weeks back. I won't mention the exact location because we have had enough problems of attempted sabotage of our efforts from various competing companies trying to pay off officials to make things as difficult for us as possible........

The job was transferring crude soya bean oil from a tanker which had loaded the cargo in Argentina but had developed engine problems and couldnt safely continue her voyage to Korea and China. The second tanker would therefore load the cargo and take it to the destination.

Apologies for the hazy conditions in the photographs - caused by Indonesians burning their plantations without much thought for the consequences.

Loading up the fenders etc onto the tugs at our base




Heading out to sea with our gear





Transferring the fenders from the tugs to the ship's side






Next came the berthing. Unlike in Malta, at this location one of the vessels stays at anchor while the other vessel comes alongside, with the assistance of tugs.









Once the ships were safely tied up together, the hose could be connected and the cargo transfer got underway.



Transfer of personnel during the operation is by personnel basket. Something I don't really enjoy. The guys in the basket in the pic below are cargo surveyors.



It took a couple of days to transfer the cargo. Soya bean oil looks like cooking oil, but the residue after a couple of months settling in the ships tanks looked more like pea soup.

Draining the crap out of our hoses by lifting them up



And the crap that came out of them



Then we seperated the ships, took off our gear and went back to base. No pics of most of that as it got dark.......

The tugs pulling us off (oo-er missus)



The End

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## dirtydog

Why is there barb wire?

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## sues2

^
Piracy!!!

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## Stinky

Samali pirates

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## spikebs4

interesting pics ,i used to work as a stevodore .. brings back a few memoires ....

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## kingwilly

interesting, thanks

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## Stinky

Good stuff Slim, very interesting thread  :Smile:

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## daveboy

> Why is there barb wire?


Wogs on logs.

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## Mid

> in the basket


hello ????

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## slimboyfat

> Why is there barb wire?


it was razor wire actually.

FIrst time I have seen it used on a ship, but yes it is supposed to deter pirates.

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## Mid

really enjoy these threads , keep them coming please  :Smile:

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## Agent_Smith

Am Alien Borg?  Has Starfleet been notified?

Nice thread, SBF.

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## Loy Toy

Nice thread slimboy, great pics and has the recent volcano eruption made the air quality worse?

I was supposed to go recently to Johor Baru but was warned off because of the smog from the Indo fires.

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## danno5

nice - thanks for sharing

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## Yemen

Hope you made a pile Slimboy.

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## sharon

Interesting, we send people offshore as well but mainly for PTT.

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## nigelandjan

Good to see someone earning a living doing something interesting  , many times I wish I had worked hard at school so I would,nt have ended up doing boring mundane work all my life.
        Well done I am very envious

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## mingmong

Them Fender called ''Yokohama's'' ? I do simler work in Oz offshore, but Rig-tender and Oil-Gas supplies, 
 I have heard the Indo's sabotage the Air-compressors on Dive Boats if they wont to go Home early, cut the belts etc! Pricks!
traditionally the Indo s are afraid of the Ocean, all Temples face the Sea [I'm told in Bali at least] 
nice to see your work,

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## porno frank

Is that the area where the Indonesian pirates rob the freighter ships coming down the Malacca straights.

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## slimboyfat

> Is that the area where the Indonesian pirates rob the freighter ships coming down the Malacca straights.


yep. that kind of area. 

hence the razor wire they had rigged on one of the ships.

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## Smug Farang Bore

Hey slim did ya pull up at Batam to get ya oars fixed at Lucy's 'oar' house..?
Ya must get 'em fixed there mate....


...I do.

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## slimboyfat

> Hey slim did ya pull up at Batam to get ya oars fixed at Lucy's 'oar' house..?
> Ya must get 'em fixed there mate....
> 
> 
> ...I do.


our mooring master is staying about 10 mins walk away from the place. never been there myself.

i might have to find a reason to visit there next week

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## Smug Farang Bore

No palace mate but there are a good few waterin holes about.

The lads n I took a few gas cookers back to the boat for a party.

Lucky for us (and them) all the other boats had left the marina so no one was bothered about the noise.

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## Pol the Pot

What fenders!

Then I saw the ships... good pics, Slim.

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## slimboyfat

> Good to see someone earning a living doing something interesting , many times I wish I had worked hard at school so I would,nt have ended up doing boring mundane work all my life.
> Well done I am very envious


I tell my son the same thing, but he is not interested in school at all. I hope he will find something that interests him soon or he will probably end up a taxi driver or something similar here in Singapore.


I was quite lucky and never really studied hard. I joined the merchant navy at 18 after doing dismally at A levels but had good enough GCSE results to join as a navigational officer trainee. Since leaving the sea 7 years ago I have been employed shore side but always in the maritime industry here in Singapore. Probably lucky as well that I married a Singaporean as there are loads of shoreside jobs here for guys with tanker experience.

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## slimboyfat

> What fenders!
> 
> Then I saw the ships... good pics, Slim.


These are small ships. We will probably doing a similar operation from a VLCC carrying around 270,000 tonnes of fuel oil next week

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## joannevel69

All very interesting stuff - much better than a desk job.

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