Michael's brother, P, took us to visit a Chinese tramp vessel, Hui An, that has anchored at the Port of Tacoma for repairs. The ship has left Australia almost a month ago. It originally started from Lian Yun Gang, a Chinese port city. Their next destination is Chile. The sail from Australia has not been smooth. A few days into the sailing, the ship had to turn back to Australia due to some fuel-related problems. Then, the cargo that they loaded, alumina, was found to have gone into a fuel reserve tank through holes in cargo compartments (or something like that). That's why they are here longer than they had planned for.
The Captain, Mr. Wu, hasn't slept for a couple of days trying to deal with all kinds of issues surrounding damages done to the ship and maybe the cargo. He smoked apologetically through a pipe. It looked like that he badly needed one. Besides being friendly and polite, he also speaks good English. Through a quick small talk, I learnt that he went to Shanghai Maritime University and had to work in a factory for many years as punishment for his involvement in 1989 student movement. When talking about how fast Shanghai is changing and how long he can be away from home, he said that one time when he arrived in Shanghai, he couldn't even find his way home, due to the massive changes that Shanghai has undergone during his absence. He shook his head expressing his dis-satisfaction with the pay for the kind of work that he is doing. His wife makes about $100 a month working as a cashier. He strikes me as a man with a lot of responsibilities on his shoulder, family and work.
The 2nd mate took us to the bridge where we could have a view of the harbor and the giant hollow cargo pit in the body of the ship. We could see a few people repairing the ship.
There are 21 men on this ship. All men, not a single women. They have been on the sea away from home for months. They have kids and wife at home. Worst of all, when anchored at any port in the States, they are not allowed off the ship! Obviously, the rules have changed after 9'11. After so many days at sea, finally they are right next to the shore, yet they can't set foot on land! That's really inhumane. Imagine every country had this rule - who would ever want to be a sailor again? Does this actually prevent or deter terrorist activities?
According to the 2nd mate, when American vessels call Chinese ports, they don't have such restrictions in return. Allegedly, in China, one of the lures of working on ocean-going vessels is the pay. But a 2nd mate only makes about $800 a month and ABs (able-bodied seamen) only about $300-400 a month. That's really nothing considering the hardship that they have to endure.
Besides the limited freedom, the food provisions on board the ship are inadequate. They don't get enough vegetables, because they are too expensive to replenish. Whoever budgeted the food provisions must not be on the ship themselves. Little wonder that the 2nd mate is considering quitting and working for a company on shore. There are plethora of opportunities awaiting in China. Why endure all this unjustifiable hardship?!
If the Chinese shipping companies don't take good care of its 50,000 crew members, the Chinese maritime industry will suffer an irreversible brain drain.
The Captain, Mr. Wu, hasn't slept for a couple of days trying to deal with all kinds of issues surrounding damages done to the ship and maybe the cargo. He smoked apologetically through a pipe. It looked like that he badly needed one. Besides being friendly and polite, he also speaks good English. Through a quick small talk, I learnt that he went to Shanghai Maritime University and had to work in a factory for many years as punishment for his involvement in 1989 student movement. When talking about how fast Shanghai is changing and how long he can be away from home, he said that one time when he arrived in Shanghai, he couldn't even find his way home, due to the massive changes that Shanghai has undergone during his absence. He shook his head expressing his dis-satisfaction with the pay for the kind of work that he is doing. His wife makes about $100 a month working as a cashier. He strikes me as a man with a lot of responsibilities on his shoulder, family and work.
The 2nd mate took us to the bridge where we could have a view of the harbor and the giant hollow cargo pit in the body of the ship. We could see a few people repairing the ship.
There are 21 men on this ship. All men, not a single women. They have been on the sea away from home for months. They have kids and wife at home. Worst of all, when anchored at any port in the States, they are not allowed off the ship! Obviously, the rules have changed after 9'11. After so many days at sea, finally they are right next to the shore, yet they can't set foot on land! That's really inhumane. Imagine every country had this rule - who would ever want to be a sailor again? Does this actually prevent or deter terrorist activities?
According to the 2nd mate, when American vessels call Chinese ports, they don't have such restrictions in return. Allegedly, in China, one of the lures of working on ocean-going vessels is the pay. But a 2nd mate only makes about $800 a month and ABs (able-bodied seamen) only about $300-400 a month. That's really nothing considering the hardship that they have to endure.
Besides the limited freedom, the food provisions on board the ship are inadequate. They don't get enough vegetables, because they are too expensive to replenish. Whoever budgeted the food provisions must not be on the ship themselves. Little wonder that the 2nd mate is considering quitting and working for a company on shore. There are plethora of opportunities awaiting in China. Why endure all this unjustifiable hardship?!
If the Chinese shipping companies don't take good care of its 50,000 crew members, the Chinese maritime industry will suffer an irreversible brain drain.
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