Waterborne Samaritans
by Captain Nick Parker, CS Cable Retriever
Global Marine’s CS Cable Retriever was on passage back to Batangas. It was a quiet May morning; seas were calm with a breeze from the northeast. While sitting in the Captains chair a Fishing Vessel caught my attention. It was natural to zoom in with the Binoculars. There had not been much traffic recently and interest is always high for anything new.
I saw a cheery fellow waving to us. Then another. And then another on the crafts’ monkey Island above its bridge, waving a container. How very curious! The waving does not stop and the fishing vessel is now well astern. I looked at the Bridge Officer, Rick Rommele, and without saying a word we decided it was time to turn our ship around. Engines brought back to manoeuvring speed while turning around brought forth a
cobble off the Fisherman’s deck (small round boat used for managing fishing nets) with Rick in the DP seat armed with radio, a bullhorn conversation starts from the Foc’stle as we stop a short distance from the cobble. No English but vigorous nods to the word “Gas”. The Pilot ladder lowered, cobble latched on like a limpet and one crewman is received onboard. Still no English…
Up to the Cable Retriever’s bridge we go, another cobble is seen being dispatched by the Fishing boat which now appears to have about seven men, this time loaded with containers. Out with the Chart: They’re from Vietnam. Tanoy for anyone who can speak Vietnamese. No luck … so, out with the paper and pencils, lots of nods and lots of drawings. 12