PLEASE DO NOT DELETE MY ARICLE FROM THIS BLOG SIGHT.IF DELETED THAN KINDLY ALSO DELETE ME FROM  www.Seafolks.com!

I am writing this article for the second time since  it was deleted from this blog without my information or the reasons for deletion.Please, it costs me prescious "BLOGGING TIME" and creative "Engineering Writing" to write this blog,hence, even if a few fellow officers or casual readers are provoked, remember, India is a Democracy , everyone has a right to express their thoughts or experiences.

The dissappearance of the "M.V.Rezzak" in the Black Sea caused a sensation in the "Media" reaching the "Ministerial Level" with one family member even quoting a "Prime Ministerial level probe". Various people and sailors had their opinion about the dissappearnce with "Piracy" being a prominent cause since the ship just disappeared from radar without any flotsam in the sae. After a few weeks of "Media circus and sensationalism"the issue died a natural death with "Pelican Marine", the recruiting agency in India agreeing to provide the next-of-kin a "Mari-time insurance compensation".

I have sailed for 23 years, beginning in 1983 as a 5th Engineer in Mogul Line and finally quitting sailing in 2006 from "S.C.I-Offshore V/L"s" as 2nd Eng. In the process shipping has been a "Roller-Coaster ride" through variou companies , employment and weather conditions.

In 1998 i sailed on a tramping V/L  named "M.V.Vinta" registered in Nassau through a Mumbai based agency "Sinha Shipping". This ship was the last ocean sailing V/L of my sea career for i then joined the "Off-shore Industry" to avoid a watery grave in the future!

On joining "M.V.Vinta" in Bhavnagar(Gujerat) in July 1998 i was in for the worst shock of my entire career as to the "SAFETY" and "SEAWORTHINESS" of this ship.

Normally on joining i always go through the "History book" of the ship and this vessel had an officer retention period of an average of a month for C/Engs and 2/Engs, a genuine "GULAG ARCHIPELEGO" of the "Shipping Industry".

Accomodation was Non-A/c(A/c non-functional!) and pigeon-hole in size and there was a rationing of water, same available for 1/2 hr in 24 hrs.

Worse was the "Engine-Room", straight out of a "PRISON CAMP", with exhaust gases leaking into the engine room and hence the E/R temps were in the range of 45 to 50 *C. I have sailed on 2 ships that were taken to the "Graving Docks" of Alang and those were 75% better than this "SEA-WORTHY CALAMITY". Arabian Sea was rough and we were doing 25* rolling/pitching besides there were "Scavenge Fires"  at least once in 24 hrs, hence stoppage, cleaning of  "scavenge underspaces"  and "Decarbonising" a "Yanmar generator' was the minimum "Engine room workload".

We berthed at the port of Qatar and the entire officers staff which consisted mostly of Bangladeshi's submitted their resignation to the company requesting termination of services and relief on arrival to the nearest Indian port. Later we set sail for India bunkering at Fujairah and on the way the ships rudder stock gland started leaking and hence an ingress of sea-water into the Steering spaces.The leak was contained by pumping the sea-water overboard through a indigenously designed pumping system by the engine staff.Miraculously we reached Bhavnagar on 31/7/98 and were happy to be relieved, spending a total of 1 month on board which seemed like 1 year, a real torture ship. Later, over the years ,on inquiry i heard that "M.V.Vinta" was sent to a shiprepair yard after our death defying voyage and was scrapped very soon as new  shipping legislations must have made it totally unsailable , even in the most corrupt organization.

How manny "M.V.Vinta's" stiil exist in the Shipping world? Was the "M.V.Rezzak"of 2007 a prototype of the "M.V.Vinta" of 1998? As in every Industry and profession, the crooks do exist in harmony with the honest, a bitter truth of the art of living.