[Brian Dobbie]

Soon to be renamed with a Maersk prefix name.
I sail on her sistership the PONL Manet and we are to become the Maersk Santana and withdraw from the grand alliance run from Europe to China.
They are huge ships at 8450teu capacity. Normal service speed is 24.5knots and she uses 245tonne/day.
The engine is the latest RTA-flex, no camshaft, all electronic.

Brian Dobbie

 

[Brian Dobbie]

Welcome aboard Chief (Brian) you are now amongst the sea/ship loving fraternity. Most of us left years ago, but our minds are still there, although we do have some members like yourself still afloat, look after your junior engineers. Chiefs in my time did not talk to juniors. Bon Voyage.

OK thanks for the welcome. However Junior Engineers are a dead breed. The Cadets go from Cadet to 3OE now, there are no 5/E's or 4/E's. We sail with 1OE + 2OE + 3OE and Ukrainian Electrician. The Ratings are all Filipino, one Oiler,One Wiper and a Fitter.
Some of the ships are now top 4 onlt the rest of the Officers are also Filipino, changed days since I started.

Brian

 

[Brian Dobbie]

P&O Nedlloyd Manet

Seen here on trials. All eight sisterships should be the same. Built at IHI Japan.

 

[Brian Dobbie]

PONL Manet

Not quite on her yet, I rejoin Europe.
Check out www.purplefinder.com via the PONL website. This will give you the exact position and speed of Manet. She is slow steaming from Singapore to Suez. Also she just passed her sistership Michelangelo enroute Suez to Port Kelang.
Brain

 

[Brian Dobbie]

Pulling Units

The ship operates five years between drydocks and never stops. the maintenance is carried out under a GMC (Global Maintenance Contract) by the Engine Builders.
We are on a fixed day/time arrival schedule, never any down time for maintenance.
I was Cadet through to Second on Doxfords but now all Sulzers. Only a couple of years to go then I will be retired.

brian

 

[Brian Dobbie]

Engineers at Work

Family life ain't too bad as we are now on a back/back manning system for Masters and Chiefs.
Yes we always run unmanned, I have been sailing on unmanned tonnage for 20+ years now. Engineers are on watches only in a dire emergency.
We do some maintenance but the Manet and sisterships are RBS (Hamburg) Managed and they favour the GMC.
Given we have a 12cylinder Main Engine and four 7cylinder generators then we don't really have enough staff onboard to do all the maintenance.
Still enough to do during 8-5 Monday to Saturday and 8-12 Sunday.

Brian

 

[Brian Dobbie]

Manet Unmanned

Greetings.
"Unmanned" = UMS= Unmanned Machinery Space.
The ship has such a high degreee of automation that during the hours 17.00 till 08.00 she runs without anyone in the engine room.
If required the engine can be controlled from the bridge and all other machinery has stby back up systems waiting to kick in if a problem with running machinery should take place.
Basically during the day we only have a look round and complete check lists and logs. The big girl looks after herself as long as the Windows based control system does not play funny b-----s.
Brian