# Baksheesh



## John Campbell (Aug 30, 2005)

Egypt is much in the news today - I was reminded of our voyages through Suez Canal and how on arrival at Port Said we would be swamped with Agents,Port Health , Immigration and sundry others all ready to accept the usual handouts from the Master or Ch Steward. A carton of Marlborough's each plus whatever they could glean.

The Suez canal searchlight wallah even came up for a handout. Sadly those freeloaders at Ports such as Suez and Bangkok will have to perhaps go away empty handed if things go according to this article:-

"_The Nautilus general secretary, Mark Dickinson, has written to the UK government to raise concerns about the new Bribery Act 2010 which will enter into force in April.

The Nautilus concerns rest on the fact that for many members, the presentation of a small ‘gift’ on arrival, is essential to ensure that port officials undertake their administrative functions relating to the ship in a smooth and efficient manner. The wheels of trade run smoothly on the tracks of such tokens. 

According to Dickinson, “Our members have to engage with officialdom in countries where standards are not always in line with those encountered in the UK and other developed countries”. Ouch... 

‘Under the Act, such ‘facilitation payments’ would fall foul of section 6 of the Act with the potential for criminal charges against ship’s officers.’

The Union is concerned that if the Act is strictly enforced it will further criminalize the shipping industry and leave ship owners facing costly delays as vessels which are allowed to offer gifts are processed first.

The Union has asked for the government to reconsider the affects of this Act before April and ensure that members working in the shipping industry are not put at risk of criminal action. Or they could perhaps enter into an even older tradition of not telling anyone?

In an ideal world people do as they are meant to do – but alas we all know that things are made to move more swiftly with either a kick up the behind or a case of beer...without the inducement, and with physical force frowned upon, seafarers will be left to use only their looks and charm! Good luck.

We were in real deep water once for handing out bribes – though luckily it only cost us 200 ciggies and a bottle of rum to get away with it. _


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## Ray Mac (Sep 22, 2007)

Ciggies 10.000 Marlborough (Red) Camay Soap Corned dog, No spirits just softies last time in 2007.

Ray


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## clevewyn (May 16, 2010)

We used to give em second hand tea leaves carefully dried out and re sealed in the packet and feed water with a dash of silver nitrate in exchange for the Egyptian AFOs.


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## Klaatu83 (Jan 22, 2009)

The last time I was in Alex was in 2005, and it was business as usual then. At that time one of our crew was a real "Old-Timer", an 80-year-old seaman who started shipping out during World War II at the age of 18. I asked him what Alex was like the first time he ever went there. He said it was exactly the same then as it was in 2005, and that the Egyptians hadn't changed a bit. He told us that one of their favorite dodges in those days was to bring along a supply of little medicine bottles, which they would up fill with grease from bearings of the winches on the deck, and then try to sell to the crew as "Spanish Fly".

One of the steamship companies I used to sail for used to supply their captains with thirty cases of cigarettes for use in bribing officials in the various countries visited. However, the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command never did that because they were a U.S. Government agency and, believe it or not, the U.S. Government has an official policy against bribery! Consequently, captains of MSC ships were obliged to dip into their own pockets for what they used to call "Greasing The Ways".

One of my most memorable experiences involving this sort of business occurred in the English Channel after a long voyage through the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Mediterranean. When we picked up our North Sea Pilot at Brixham the Old Man automatically proffered him the obligatory carton of cigarettes. "No thanks, Cap'", the pilot said, pulling his pipe out of his pocket, "I've got my own".


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

This 'greasing of palms' was not by any means confined to the Middle East. It was rife in the Far East, particularly when dealing with Chinese port officials, where it was known as '***shaw', and was absolutely essential in order to get anything done.
Also endemic in the Philippines, where brown envelopes stuffed with 'green money' (US dollars) are the preferred currency.


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## Alistair Macnab (May 13, 2008)

*Extension of the Anti-Bribery Laws....*

I see the UK has now joined the USA is acquiring extra-territorial rights to prosecute any organization with a British base when bribery or such is used anywhere in the world. How we love to meddle! What does the USA and UK hope to gain from this "Holier than Thou" effort? Will it stop bribery and corruption?

I remember on paying off at a UK port with gear that it was 'the norm' to dash the dock police at the gate to get out without a hassle.


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## jimthehat (Aug 5, 2006)

Pat Kennedy said:


> This 'greasing of palms' was not by any means confined to the Middle East. It was rife in the Far East, particularly when dealing with Chinese port officials, where it was known as '***shaw', and was absolutely essential in order to get anything done.
> Also endemic in the Philippines, where brown envelopes stuffed with 'green money' (US dollars) are the preferred currency.


Also well known on the west coast of South america,bank line ships sailing from India had to load up with all sorts of trash and on arrival starting in punta arenas everything was laid out on the smokeroom tables and all the shore people would enter in order of seniority and take their pick,this circus continued all the way up to Beaunoventura.

jim


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## lakercapt (Jul 19, 2005)

A company Canadian I worked for had a strict policy there was to be no "gifting" in foreign ports.(cash cigs booze etc) (This was their first venture outside Canadian US waters)
We, the masters who were more worldly protested vehemently to no avail.
A couple of trips where the vessel was fined for very minor so called infractions and delays and frequent hassles changed the minds of management


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## Don Matheson (Mar 13, 2007)

Balikpapan Indonesia must have been where Baksheesh by any name was invented.
Arriving was just a delight to see so many "officials" arriving on board to give you clearance. Hundreds of them or so it seemed and they took everything.
The mate asked a customs man what he was doing with a large can of coffee from our stores. " It must go to Djakarta for analasis" he replied.
Yea right.
One supply boat came in flying a flag they didnt understand. When told it meant explosives they said they had no one to deal with explosives. They had by the next morning, and another robber was added to the customs gang. 
Cost me hundreds of dollars to get myself and our singapore radio operator out the country. They didnt want to let him go, till he told them he was living in the American camp (Union Oil), was eating like a king, spent his day on the beach and watching movies and as he was payed much more than them, could they keep him longer. We were out the next morning.
Lovely place but the corruption was beyond belief.

Do,


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## James_C (Feb 17, 2005)

Don,
I shared your Balikpapan Experience whilst I was with BP Tankers, both in the port itself and further up the coast at Santan - ye gods!


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## GeeM (Mar 2, 2009)

I remember going through Suez In the early eighties. On the Northbound transit the channel pilot would get on at the end of the canal and take you to the seabuoy. He would walk on to the bridge dressed like Muammar Ghaddafi with the Immaculate white unifom dripping with gold braid and the Ray Ban's , give one or two helm orders, a few engine orders, relieve the old man of a bottle and 200 **** and make a royal exit.


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## haasenpeter (Dec 15, 2008)

*passing Suez without bachish*

hallo sailors,
a captain told me the story when they passed the suez channel without bachish: about 40 years ago they had on a HANSA heavy lift ship several weeks time to waste to sail from India to an italian port because of unusual cir***stances. So the captain decided to give a try to pass the channel without giving anything. Well, it is possible, but it takes nine days!!! No problem for that certain transit but the captain lost almost his job because the aegyps delayed all other ships of the HANSA and they had many ships on a regular route passing the Suez!

fair winds,

Peter


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## 12-4 (Oct 5, 2005)

What is going to happen when a British ship (or a ship managed from the UK) is seized by pirates and money demanded in exchange for the ship's release - will payment be prohibited? 

Moreover, there are hundreds of ports around the world where bribery/Baksheesh in various forms is necessary in order to get things done or to avoid "problems" - implementing this will be a rod for our own back. 

In any event it seems to be a political stich-up on the part of the last Labour government who passed this law in their last days of power knowing full well they were on their way out - thus leaving whoever took over to be in the position of having to either accept the bill and its holier than thou consequences or dropping the the bill and then being recipient of accusations of assisting in corrupt practises - a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't


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## Klaatu83 (Jan 22, 2009)

jimthehat said:


> Also well known on the west coast of South america,bank line ships sailing from India had to load up with all sorts of trash and on arrival starting in punta arenas everything was laid out on the smokeroom tables and all the shore people would enter in order of seniority and take their pick,this circus continued all the way up to Beaunoventura.
> 
> jim


During one voyage down the West coast of South America we had a captain who was normally assigned to the North Europe Run, and was thus not accustomed to the way business was done down there. He became annoyed because the Peruvian customs and immigration officials showed up late to clear the ship after arrival, delaying the commencement of cargo operations. As a result, he refused to hand over their usual gifts. The officials left empty handed, but returned in force one hour before the scheduled sailing time. A whole army of them spent all day going over the ship with a fine-tooth comb searching for "contraband", even going so far as to remove panels from stateroom bulkheads and overheads.


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## rabaul (Oct 25, 2008)

In 1975 after paying off in liverpool after my first trip on the Meadowbank the taxi driver asked for a pound from each of the four of us in the taxi which was handed to the Policeman - a mirror of Dock Green's Geoge Dixon - the alternative was to see our suitcases being emptied in the middle of the road. To make matters worse I was still smarting from the customs officers who sat in the ships bar drinking our beer charging me duty on a bottle of whisky.

Of course things will be different today ?


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## 12-4 (Oct 5, 2005)

rabaul said:


> In 1975 after paying off in liverpool after my first trip on the Meadowbank the taxi driver asked for a pound from each of the four of us in the taxi which was handed to the Policeman - a mirror of Dock Green's Geoge Dixon - the alternative was to see our suitcases being emptied in the middle of the road. To make matters worse I was still smarting from the customs officers who sat in the ships bar drinking our beer charging me duty on a bottle of whisky.
> 
> Of course things will be different today ?


Inflation! 1n 1969 on paying off the Willowbank in Liverpool I paid the dock police 5 shillings. One has to ponder when this practise stopped or does it still go on. SOBs


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## hughesy (Dec 18, 2007)

that #4 comment, still at sea 80 years old?? what the hell did he do?
only in America, had to keep working keep his medical up.

all the best
Hughesy


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## Klaatu83 (Jan 22, 2009)

hughesy said:


> that #4 comment, still at sea 80 years old?? what the hell did he do?
> only in America, had to keep working keep his medical up.
> 
> all the best
> Hughesy


As a matter of fact, he was in amazingly good shape for his advanced years, and insisted that he was going to keep on sailing as long as he could. He first went to sea at the age of 18 during World War II on a Hog Islander, and had been shipping out ever since as ordinary Seaman, AB and Bos'n. He was no longer shipping as Bos'n or AB anymore because it was a bit much to expect a man of that age to go aloft anymore, but he could still handle the position of GVA (General Vessel Assistant, similar to an Ordinary Seaman) as well as, if not better than, men a third his age. Part of his duties included swabbing the main deckhouse stairwell, which was seven decks high (the ship had no lift), and he did that every day. He was also part of the deck gang handling the anchor windlass and tying up the bow, and he always pulled his weight.

There must be something about sea air that keeps men young, because elderly seamen are not all that uncommon in the American merchant fleet. During the 1991 Gulf War we broke a lot of ships out of lay-up and didn't have enough men to crew them all. A lot of old-timers came out of retirement to man the ships. We would never have been able to manage without them. I was on a ship where the Bos'n was 65 years old, and one of the ABs was 74! When we heard we were getting a 74-year-old AB, we thought the rest of the deck gang were going to have to carry him. However, that old man worked every single day for six months, without ever voicing a single complaint or missing a day. I know for a fact that we had several men in their 20s who couldn't say the same. When that old man finally signed off the ship every one of us shook his hand. As for the 65-year-old Bos'n, he could have worked any man half his age into the ground.


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## Robert Hilton (Feb 13, 2011)

The Mate and I welcomed my relief in the messroom of a vessel in Belfast late in 2010. Our combined ages added up to 225 years. I doubt this is anything like a record.


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