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Maritime transport: the Atlantic adventure

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Date
October 13, 2019
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October 13, 2019, TEXT: Philippe Teisceira-Lessard PHOTOS AND VIDEO: David Boily La Presse

The slow crossing of the Federal Oshima

ATLANTIC OCEAN — “Belle Isle Traffic, Belle Isle Traffic, this is Federal Oshima. We are leaving your area.” — Federal Oshima, this is Belle Isle Traffic. Noted. Nothing further to add.

With those simple words over the static of a VHF radio, the Atlantic officially opened before the immense ship. The Strait of Belle Isle had been crossed.

Nothing had changed on board. Sailors continued to sand pieces of steel on the ship's bow, the first mate continued his laughing discussion with the helmsman, the galley prepared the masala it would serve to the hungry sailors two hours later.

But everything had changed. Almost three days after leaving Quebec, the last square metres of Canadian land were slowly moving away behind the bulk carrier. The tip of Labrador on one side, the Newfoundland island of Belle Isle on the other.

"Look at them carefully, because these are the last ribs you will see for a long time," said Captain Rajat Roychowdhury.

Direction: Europe, with 26,000 tons of raw Quebec metals on board. Nickel, cast iron and titanium respectively intended for the heavy industries of Norway, Germany and Spain. They will be delivered in that order.

A crew of 23 sailors rely on the ship to take them safely to port. All are Indian. Out of passion or for the competitive salary, they leave their families for several months a year and set sail without knowing their destinations.

For now, heading northeast, towards the Norwegian port of Kristiansand. Next stop in the perpetual race of the Federal Oshima .


A sea taxi

Crossing the Atlantic by ship: a project from another century, at a time when Paris was not a seven-hour flight from Montreal, when racing the sun across the sky was unimaginable.

Yet this is the journey that most products traded between the two continents still make: 95% of world trade passes at one time or another by sea.

And to ensure transport, thousands of ships like the Federal Oshima crisscross the oceans, far from the eyes of consumers. This one belongs to Fednav, a Montreal company that operates about a hundred others. All bulk carriers, which therefore transport raw, unpackaged and often unprocessed products.

The shipowner is from Montreal, the manager is Chinese, the boat is registered in the Marshall Islands and the crew is Indian. A Canadian flag flies from the mast. No need to travel the world, the planet is already gathered on the Federal Oshima.

Two short days before the scheduled departure, the ship's itinerary changed completely. It was supposed to sail to northern Spain from Sorel before reaching Rotterdam. But a customer came forward and a new cargo was added to its holds: the precious nickel matte, to be loaded in Quebec and delivered to Kristiansand, Norway.

A rare but possible scenario, Mr. Gagnon warned: a cargo could change hands during a voyage, causing the ship to completely deviate.


Heavy weather

The Federal Oshima is tossed about by the waves, like a toy a child would play with in the bath. The North Atlantic has welcomed the ship in its own way, with two days of rough weather. A depression area is escorting it against its will.

The portholes on the main deck fill alternately with the blue of the sky and the black of the sea, as if someone were playing with a switch. The sea looks like a textured map in a geography class, with its mountains, valleys and snow-capped peaks. An ephemeral topography, changing every tenth of a second.

At the meal, they serve tamarind broth, a strong, acidic decoction that is supposed to combat nausea. Spices float in it. “Drink it, it will help keep the food in your stomach,” assures Captain Roychowdhury, taking a sip. In the officers’ mess, a wooden hoop now surrounds the table to keep utensils from being thrown to the floor. Forks and knives still waltz around the fragrant dishes.

Time stands still on the ship. No operations on deck: too dangerous. The sailors are busy with small interior jobs: the unpleasant smell of fresh paint competes with the perfumes of the kitchen. A delicate mechanical intervention had been carried out just before, to take advantage of the calm waters of the Saint-Laurent.

In the wheelhouse, First Mate Umar Tomesh is busy as if the Federal Oshima is not being tossed about by 4-metre waves. He has seen worse: during his last assignment, the ship was rolling twice as hard. To the point of presenting a real danger.

Code Red​

Wednesday, 3 p.m. The captain's urgent voice comes over the intercom system: "Everybody to the wheelhouse. Everybody to the wheelhouse."

The boat is in "code red": a broken engine part is causing an oil leak. It must be stopped in order to carry out repairs, but this maneuver will make it particularly exposed to the bad weather that has lasted for more than 36 hours now. It is better that the entire crew is together to avoid accidents.

Looking concerned, he lights a cigarette. The engine stops, the waves take advantage of it to violently attack the ship. Twelve minutes pass. A walkie-talkie crackles. Mission accomplished.

Chief engineer Vedkontho Ganguly will be smiling broadly at the next meal. Did everything go well in the end? “I wouldn’t have this face otherwise,” he says.

"We need to have everything on board to repair the ship," says Ganguly. "We can only rely on ourselves. There is someone on the other end of the line who can advise us, but we have to do the repairs ourselves."

The chief engineer's playground is the belly of the ship. A huge engine room made of walkways, pumps and pipes. The engine is three stories high.

After leaving Canada, the Federal Oshima sails far south of Greenland and Iceland until it reaches the islands surrounding Scotland. "Since we left, we have not encountered a single ship within 200 nautical miles," confirmed Umar Tomesh, second in command, shortly before arriving in British waters. In case of trouble, reinforcements are far away.

25 km/h​

Time passes differently on the ship. First, because the officers themselves decide what time it is: by gradually moving forward the wheelhouse clock, all the other clocks on board will gradually catch up with the six-hour time difference between Canada and Norway.

The Federal Oshima is making average speeds of around 12 knots to reach its destination – the equivalent of around 25 km/h. The slow progress is constant. At night, the vibration of the engine mixes with the gurgling of the water churned up by the ship.

Time passes slowly when the scenery is the same from one day to the next. Nothing looks more like one wave than another wave.

When you spend 10 months on board, time passes even more slowly.

In front of the door of the captain's cabin, the 10 sailors who are to leave the Federal Oshima in Kristiansand wait for their turn to sign the necessary forms. Ten out of twenty-three, that's almost half of the crew that will change.

Kumar Lakhvir boarded the ship in early November 2018: he will soon be reunited with his wife, his 11-year-old daughter and his 8-year-old son.

The sailor will stay with them for a few months before setting sail again.

Before the long-awaited parting, Captain Roychowdhury throws a party on the ship's deck. In the fog, south of Iceland, Indian pop resonates enough to drown out the engine. Arms rise, ankles loosen, and the sailors celebrate.

Life on the ship is normally governed by a strict code: officers and crew eat separately, a steward serves first and everyone addresses the captain as "Sir".

But this time, through the smoke of the barbecue set up for the occasion, the formalities fall away. The captain slaps his steward on the back, the officers dance with the rest of the crew and the cook lets go of the stove.

After all, they are in the same boat.

Portraits of sailors

They leave for months, a thousand leagues from their family, to sail the seas of the world. Who are they?

Long live WiFi​

“I have been working on ships for 14 years. I took a cooking course and went on board: I have never worked as a cook on land. My family is in Calcutta, I have an 8-year-old son there. I do nine-month contracts on the ship: at the moment, I have five and a half months left before I go home. Now we have WiFi, but when I started, we only had access to a satellite phone and it was very expensive. On a ship, my salary is maybe twice what I would get in India.”

"I want to settle down"

“I have been on the  Federal Oshima  for four months. This is my first contract as chief engineer and I feel the pressure is high. If something goes wrong with the engine, I am ultimately responsible, there is no one who will come to our rescue. My grandfather worked on the railways, I think it is thanks to him that I do this job. Two years ago, I still wanted to continue traveling. Now, I want to settle down and spend time with my family, with my 2-year-old granddaughter. I miss them, but we learn to compartmentalize our lives in our heads to be able to do our job.”

Baby by video

“I have been on the Federal Oshima for almost nine months. My wife gave birth to a baby girl four months ago. She is our first child. I have seen her via videoconference, but not in person. We talk every day. She does not have a name yet, we are waiting for my return to name her. I bought baby clothes in Toledo, in the United States, where the ship stopped in April. I have been sailing for 10 years. I do not like being away from my family, but I earn here two or three times what I would in India. I send the money home.”

A life of adventure​

“I was planning on a military career, but an accident prevented me from doing so. I looked for another avenue to travel and have adventures, so I chose the Merchant Navy. I am passionate about my job and I think it takes passion to be away from our family for so long. Right now, I am on the ship, so I am not available if my wife or son need me. I make $10,000 US per month on a contract basis, tax-free, and I work about eight months a year. The rest of the time, I relax.”
*These quotes have been edited for ease of reading

Life on the water

The 23 crew members have well-defined roles so that the Federal Oshima reaches its destination safely with as few problems as possible. But the ship is also their living environment for many months. A look at their daily lives.

At the controls of the Federal Oshima

Take control of the ship to cross the Atlantic. Only the most important devices are included in this photo. Dozens of other levers, switches, electronic or old-fashioned devices occupy the wheelhouse. The most important ones are carried in duplicate (or even triplicate) in order to compensate for any damage.

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