Safmarine Mariner: 2010

These were the last of the dry cargo ships to be built in the 1960s for Safmarine.. The “S.A. Alphen” and “S.A.Huguenot” came into service in the mid 1960s, and later the “S.A.Constantia”, “S.A.Morgenster”, and the “S.A. Vergelegen” were built of the same design in Japan.

S.A. Vergelegen was later modified in Germany with a Stulken derrick capable of lifting 250 tons. This class of vessel had the most pleasing lines of all the dry cargo ships built for the corporation. They were powered by a six cylinder Sulzer 6RND90 two stroke diesel engine developing 15,000 BHP giving them a speed of 21 knots. For electrical power two eight cylinder and two six cylinder M.A.N diesel engines drove AC alternators.

About to enter Durban Harbour on her median voyage

STRESS OF THE SEAFARER

In the days when a ship took two weeks to load in Liverpool, or was on the South African coast for nearly five weeks, and then might have to swing at anchor outside Walvis Bay waiting for copper ore to arrive from the Tsumeb mines, life was a more leisurely affair than the hectic schedule of the modern containership will allow. Since time was at their disposal, the men on board welded into a team of friends and their comradeship meant that when a job had to be done quickly, willing hands were always offered.

With long periods in port, there was time for a run ashore where socialising almost every night was not only possible but the norm. Ships calling at Venice on the old liner service to the Mediterranean sometimes stayed for several days, allowing the crew to explore the delights not only of that great city of gondolas, but also of skiing in the Dolomites. One intrepid Safmariner managed to hike his way into Canada while his ship lingered for days in New York. An unrushed passage to Europe or America without the constraints of a tight schedule, meant that maintenance programmes and ship's paperwork could be tackled at a relaxed pace.

While some of those advantages still exist aboard bulk carriers, and to a lesser extent on some of the multipurpose vessels, the shipping world today generally demands named day sailings, rigidity of schedules and short periods alongside. Calls at Durban are reduced to a few hours, a far cry from the week or two spent there in the days of the Victories, or even in those of the S.A. Vergelegen. Although the sixteen-day passage between Europe and Cape Town permits some relaxation, the master of a container ship on the South Africa-Europe service experiences times of fatigue and immense stress, particularly in the congested waters of the English Channel, in the North Sea and in the approaches to the German coast where persistent fog can keep him constantly on the bridge. And then he must always be in attendance during the long river pilotage necessary for virtually all ports.

The Far East service is no better, some arguing that a voyage involving calls at nine ports and a nine-day ocean passage to South Africa is more stressful than the European trade. Tension generated by the constant vigil through the Straits of Malacca or in the approaches to huge ports, such as Singapore or Hong Kong, is aggravated by the presence of numerous native fishing craft. And one’s ETA at the frenetically busy ports must be accurate, or else the ship has to turn seaward again and through the crowded anchorages to take up a position at the back of the queue of ships heading for the pilot station. To cap it all, fog, or even a typhoon with all its fury, often awaits ships along the Japanese or Chinese coasts.

The chief engineer and his colleagues certainly have their moments of anxiety. A serious breakdown, particularly in heavy weather or in a crowded sea lane could have disastrous consequences for both the vessel and its cargo, not to mention the ship's company. Even minor mechanical or electrical problems can affect the schedule seriously. Those who take pride in their engine rooms are frustrated when a tight schedule or minimal time in port hampers a maintenance programme, and at any time of the night, one's sleep can be disturbed by an alarm signalling that the temperature in a refrigerated container on deck has risen above the appropriate level or that there is a fault in a minor wiring circuit.

While the predictability of the container schedule has some advantages - such as the calculation of one's leave programme - an associated element of boredom contrasts sharply with the constant interest of life aboard ships of old, or even on modern cross-trading vessels with unusual ports of call. Thoughts of loved ones at home and irregularity of contact can also bring frustration. One might wait weeks to hear the prognosis for a sick child; a bereavement or an important family occasion might occur while one is thousands of miles away.

Yet, despite the stresses of life at sea, Safmariners unfailingly operate at a high level of efficiency.

Schedules are adhered to, except in the most foul weather or where ports experience labour difficulties, both of which problems are beyond the control of the Corporation. Their beautifully maintained ships have always been one of Safmarine's best advertisements, the products of a corporate pride and of the high standard to which Safmariners strive.
© Brain Ingpen