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Navigational " No-Go " Areas

8K views 49 replies 37 participants last post by  Paddy Power 
#1 ·
This is one for the BP Navigating Officers mainly, but I'm sure other Companies had similar rules.

1) Did BP have a list of 7 areas where you were not permitted to navigate? From my memory these were 6 of them:-
Close to Ushant
Cape St.Vincent
Cascettes
Kuria-Muria Islands
Masirah Island
********?
"Hole in the Wall", Persian Gulf

2) Has anyone, apart from me, been through the "Hole in the Wall"?(EEK)

JamesM
 
#33 ·
Many years ago I was 2/m on the Odabo (a small chemical coaster). On arriving on the bridge at midnight (I was 12-6) I found that the Mate (John Neil) had laid the northbound course inside Ushant to save time and catch the right tide. I thought the course had been approved by the Captain (whose sleeping cabin was on the starboard side).

Going inside Ushant one gets very close to the light house - its no exaggeration to say you can almost feel the heat of the light - Anyhow as the ship came abeam of the light the Old Man was woken by the light beam flashing through his port hole - he must have one hell of a fright - By the time he got to the bridge it was too late to say or do anything. Exciting times
 
#34 ·
My one and only experience of transiting the HITW (as far as we knew a 'no go' area) was in-bound in the early '60s in one of the 12's coming to the end of her shelf life.
The passage through was OK and v interesting (also it was on my watch), but about 1 hr later there was a VERY loud bang from down aft, a column of black smoke out of the funnel and a 3 hr wait under 2 black balls.
A salutory lesson in the advantages of passage planning expecting the worst
RodH
 
#36 ·
Never went through the HITW but had narrow squeaks in T2 tanker OWYHEE where master, mate and C/E were permanently drunk ( walked off in Le Havre because I feared for my ticket - I was 2nd Mate with Mate's ticket).
Master insisted on laying courses very close inshore. Monks on C St Vincent could have p****D down the funnel. One night on Arabian coast of 12 to 4 saw white line ahead - breakers - hard astarboard> Another time I had pulled out 5 degrees on pm watch as I thought we were setting towards the land just east of Aden and there was Palinurus shoal showing on the chart. When the old man staggered up just before 4 he put ship on original course and said 2nd Mates were b*** useless. About 5 I felt the ship shudder alll over as she went hard over so I rushed up to the bridge to find the old man with shaking knees looking at a patch of smooth water just off the bow. I said - "Useless 2nd Mates - eh captain " Mate was demoted captain - ran his ship onto Green Island just after dropping the canal pilot at Suez> Esso were desparate for staff then.
Happy days !
 
#37 ·
I cannot remember a list of "no go" areas, but the "Hole In The Wall" was certainly frowned upon in later years. Going close inshore up the South African Coast, to miss the Agulhas current, was good fun too but also frowned upon later.

Regarding throngs , navigating through the Stockholm Islands on a BP Tanker during summer was particularly taxing , with people appearing on the Bridge who had never before ventured so far up. I can recall my binoculars being grabbed from me by a 3/E who was very anxious to have "a closer look at the shore" , including the pair of lovely women who were nude sunbathing on it! <smile>


Warmest Wishes, Mike Harrison
 
#39 ·
Did any of you ever sail between The Skerries and the Anglesey coast?
I heard of a couple of Blue Funnel masters who did, but I believe it is a particularly difficult passage.
Pat
 
#42 ·
In Esso we used to sail from Aruba to the UK -calling at Avonmouth to discharge about 4K tons and then up to Stanlow for the rest. It was quite usual to go inside the islands - Ramsey, and, if I recall rightly after 60 years inside Skomer and Skokholm.
Mind you memory plays tricks but we definitely went inside some of them.
 
#44 ·
Sidsal,
Even though being ashore for many years I can assure you that since the late 1970's Esso/Exxon vessels have been forbidden to navigate close to any land, this includes a number of narrow passages around the globe, such as Messina Straits, inside the Minch etc. These Navigational Procedures were introduced following a number of serious incidents due to Masters taking "short cuts". The instruction was based upon sound logic - to give the vessel a 6 hour drift margin from any grounding line - it became known as the 20 mile rule. If the Old Man wanted to go closer then he was instructed to first, look at all the alternatives, secondly to carry-out a risk assessment and thirdly to get HO endorsement of his final decision. The rules were somewhat diluted for those of us trading coastwise in European waters, but we still had to follow the same princials and stay well off headlands etc. To the best of my knowledge these rules are still in force today. Incidently, these rules also applied to any vessel on charter to Esso/Exxon in additional C/P clauses. Interesting, as these navigational procedureswere in place long before the Exxon Valdez grounded on Bligh Reef. Regards, Chris
 
#43 ·
Does anyone know how much water there is inside the Fastnet rock? On one trip the old man took E & F's 'Golfito' inside Fastnet so that the passengers could get a close look at the lighthouse. Impressed them (and me) no end.
 
#45 ·
Chris: Times have changed. You may have read my earlier thing about the Owyhee where the drunken master who insisted on laying courses only a mile or two off, for instance, the Arabian coast where even then most masters would keep 15 to 20 miles off because of the uncertain charting.
Mind you I think separation lanes etc made for a boring life for watchkeepers. In my day it was great to pass a few cables from ships going on a reciprocal course. One got a good look at fellow seafarers and the night watches could make for interest through signalling by morse lamp. It was a bad day when HO could contact the master anytime thus robbing the master of his final authority.
Some years ago we were on the Oriana steaming up Biscay with a RN frigate about a couple of miles off going the same way. The master came on the tannoy and said it was HMS London on the way home from the Gulf and that she was going to make a close pass to the Oriana. We could see a puff of smoke as she wound up her engines and came creaming towards us with a bone in her teeth. I said to the wife that we would see the RN at its best expecting the frigate to come close alongside etc. In the event she passed a good couple of cables astern of us and then turned back and resumed her course. When I told the Captain later of my disappointment he said it was the Health and Safety consideration.
I don't know waht's happened to us as a nation - the failure to tackle the Somali pirates who captured that yachting couple is symptomatic of our present parlous state, I'm afraid.
Cheers
Sid
 
#47 ·
My first trip as an EA was on the mv BR Security buit 1948 she could do 9knots and an onion, and passing Ushant and Gib the master then used the tidal charts as the tide could be more forceful than the engine power, and I remember coming out of the 'hole' and admiring Cape St Vincent and its lighthouse, Gib he again in and out of the Meddi (our orders were to Load Banias and return LEFO), used the tidal flow to obtain the best pasage.
 
#49 ·
I was on the wheel one time when we went through the hole in the wall, can't remember which ship now. Somewhen in the late 60s mid 70s. Another time, on another ship we took the normal route through the Quoins, we had a rain downpour, right at the tightest point. Blanked out the radar, couldn't see the main deck from the bridge wing. That was scary as well. The Captain didn't appear to bat an eyelid. :eek:
 
#50 ·
I joined the British Power as 3rd. Mate in May 1967. The Captain ( I can't remember his name) was on his final trip before retirement. Heading along the coast before the Gulf he decided to do a detour and so we had a little trip inside Masirah. Then as we approached the Straits he asked me had I ever been through the "hole in the wall". I had'nt a clue what he was talking about but he showed me the little passage. After viewing it for a few minutes and seeing no ships coming he said lets go and through we went. So that was 2 down and 4 to go. That with a murder on board later in the trip (thats another story) I was quite an interesting last trip for him
Mike
 
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