3. DAY ONE ON-BOARD

On 11th December 2020, in the middle of the COVID year, I joined my first ship with my husband at Haldia port. The vessel’s name was ARK PROGRESS- 125 meters long, 35 years old chemical tanker vessel. Since we lived in Kolkata, it was just four-hour drive from our home to the port, but that four hours journey felt like an adventure in itself.

I was super excited to see the ship for the very first time. For years, I had listened to my husband talk about navigation, operations and all those technical terms, but I could never quite picture it. Now, finally, I was about to witness it all with my own eyes to see how and where my husband worked and maybe even understand a bit more about his world.

When we reached Haldia, the ship was berthed, discharging palm oil. The air was filled with a strong odour of crude palm oil, something I was experiencing for the very first time. I stood there for a moment just taking it in, watching the massive tanker, against the backdrop of the busy port.

As soon as I boarded, I headed straight to the bridge. The captain’s cabin was not vacant yet because the previous Captain was still on-board. My husband was busy taking over from him-going through the handing over process, while I waited for the formalities to be completed. The bridge was quiet and empty and I found myself walking around, looking at all the navigation equipment, feeling curious and slightly overwhelmed.

What are these buttons, screens, and radars? How did they all work together to move such giant vessel across ocean? My mind was buzzing with questions.

Down below, all the officers were in CCR (Cargo Control Room), focused on the cargo operations. The atmosphere felt serious and purposeful. Everyone knew what they were doing. I just stood there wide eyed realizing that this was not just a ship- it was a whole floating world.

After a while, the previous Captain signed off and we shifted into the captain’s cabin. It felt like stepping into our own little world at sea. The cabin had two sections- a day room and a bedroom along with a small lavatory.

The dayroom was surprisingly homely, with a sofa, table, tv, fridge, coffee machine, computer and stacks of important ship documents neatly arranged. Two portholes (that what windows are called on ship).

That day the ship was at berth. So, when I looked out from the porthole of my room, I saw water on one side, and the port on the other. Captain’s cabin is always on the starboard side which is the right side when facing the forward of the ship (the bow).

The bedroom had a cozy bed, a mirror, a table and again two little portholes that made the room feel bright and airy. Everything in both rooms were secured one way or the other and special sheets called anti-skid mats were placed on all the tables- a stark reminder that the sea is often not still, and the ship always moves with the sea.

I unpacked my bags and arranged everything at my convenience slowly making this space feel like “ours.” That night we had our dinner-lovingly packed by my mother-in-law- right there in the dayroom. After freshening up, we both drifted off to sleep like babies, completely exhausted but filled with excitement for what lay ahead.

I could not wait to see what the next day on the ship would bring.