# Kharg Island



## Ships Agent (Jun 2, 2006)

Some of you tanker men out there must remember Kharg Island in the gulf with its very friendly armed guards who used to board the minibus on your run ashore and demand all matches lighters etc. Surely if the were to fire one of the guns there would be as much chance if not more of a fire risk what with all the fumes in the air. You may also remember the Japanese Sankyo line with their large green hulls and white accomodation who would tie up alongside the jetty either load or discharge ther cargo and be gone in half the time it took your ship to do the same. did'nt you just love to be lying in your bunk off watch and listen to the sound of the big jet engine driving the pumps. Having looked at the Island using Google earth I noticed it was destroyed I think during the Iraq Iran Wars please correct me if I am wrong.Have they or are they going to rebuild it ?
You guys may also remember Butchers Island at Bombay in India I was never there for very long thankfully although I do rember stories from our sparks and his wife who were shocked at the sight of young girls locked in cages awaiting their fate. I was told that they had come in to the big city from small villages etc to earn the big money and this is how they end up.
Ah the joys of being on a tanker


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Afternoon John,
I must say I cant remember the jet noises. Did only one trip to Kharg and it all seems to be a blurr. I was on NJ Goulandris' 'ARGOLIS/6ZDC' at the time. I was then a little stir crazy I think. We had just run from MilfordHaven, via the Cape to Kharg. On BP charter. I had read every book and newspaper I had aboard and then we arrive in Kharg. Absolutely nothing. The pilot was very good though and arranged for me to visit with the Capt and Chief on one of the tugs. Spent the day with them and picked ups some reading material. Seem to think we were not allowed ashore or there was no where to go. This was in 1969. Left there 'LEFO', (LANDSEND FOR ORDERS). Guess the destination, Isle of Grain. I paid off, could not stand any more of that even for the wages they were paying me.
Reference Bombay was that not known as the 'Cages' did a trip down there in a taxi, we did not stay!!!
I am sure others will remember how fantastic Milford used to be in the days of prohibition. Had to book into a local hotel and dine etc to get a drink.
Hawkey01 (Fly)


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## athinai (Jan 18, 2006)

Hi Guys, Interisting posting, I remember Kharg island and the Filmshows in a Building near the Gates., And of Course Butcher Island off Bombay and returning from the Seamans Bar (in Flip Flops,) late at night Jarred and on a ZIG ZAG Course, walking through the High Grass only to see a sign "DANGER - SNAKES - KEEP OFF THE GRASS. - Boy did I run the rest of the way. Even Tankers spent time in port in those Days. Well over 40 years ago, Cheers.
take care.
p.s. The Cages were in Bombay City. perhaps Grant Road. ?


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## Jeff Egan (Jul 25, 2005)

I paid off in Kharg Island and slept overnight on the floor in the seamans club, the next day I flew to Abadan, the airport at Kharg was made up of a ramshackle building for a departure lounge a tent for security searches and if I remember correct the runway was compacted earth on which our 737 landed and took off no problems.


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## Richard Green (Apr 9, 2006)

Hi All,

Spent quite a long time within sight of Kharg at the back end of 1974 on the Brown and Root barge L E Minor, fitting risers and laying pipe. I'd been sent out as a tender by Taylor Diving and Salvage to replace a tender/diver who had floated to the surface dead from an embolism. It didn't look to be a very hospitable place, it was bitterly cold at night and the death of this poor bloke (a red indian chief, it seemed) put a real damper on the whole experience...


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## gadgee (Jul 24, 2005)

Just posted a postcard in Gallery bought in the seamans canteen on Kharg Island in 1967 whilst I was on British Beacon. Photo of a local antiquity.


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## BarryM (Jan 19, 2006)

The recall that back in the early-70's the "clubhouse" on the end of the Kharg Island Jetty had a 'garden' filled with camels and North American Indian totem poles - all made from concrete! No, I don't have the foggiest why - the camels I can just understand but totem poles??? Somewhere I have a picture of the Sparks draped over one of them; must dig it out.


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## Sparks58 (Jan 6, 2016)

Ships Agent said:


> Some of you tanker men out there must remember Kharg Island in the gulf with its very friendly armed guards who used to board the minibus on your run ashore and demand all matches lighters etc. Surely if the were to fire one of the guns there would be as much chance if not more of a fire risk what with all the fumes in the air. You may also remember the Japanese Sankyo line with their large green hulls and white accomodation who would tie up alongside the jetty either load or discharge ther cargo and be gone in half the time it took your ship to do the same. did'nt you just love to be lying in your bunk off watch and listen to the sound of the big jet engine driving the pumps. Having looked at the Island using Google earth I noticed it was destroyed I think during the Iraq Iran Wars please correct me if I am wrong.Have they or are they going to rebuild it ?
> You guys may also remember Butchers Island at Bombay in India I was never there for very long thankfully although I do rember stories from our sparks and his wife who were shocked at the sight of young girls locked in cages awaiting their fate. I was told that they had come in to the big city from small villages etc to earn the big money and this is how they end up.
> Ah the joys of being on a tanker
> 
> ...


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

I remember when one could go to the sailors' canteen on my first trip to sea in 1971. When I next went there in 1972 there was no shore leave. Kharg was one of the three loadports we did on the regular export of the Shah's oil to Israel (Eilat). I next went up there in 90/91 on Alvand (Ex BP but can't remember her then name) when we (Denholm's) had the singular misfortune of having picked up NITC as a client. The chiksans were operational (or had been made operational) but the wooden decking had mostly blown/burned away. The environs were well decorated with the bows or sterns of semisunk wrecks, reminiscent of star-gazey pie


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## Steve Hodges (Feb 12, 2007)

Ah, Kharg Island memories..........The Jewel of the Gulf! Don't think I ever dragged myself out of the ship's a/c to try to go ashore, but did occasionally visit another BP boat as long as I was pretty sure that their a/c was working . I remember seeing there the biggest ship I have ever seen, KOTC's "Al Andalus",which I think is the largest ship ever launched from a slipway - a very impressive brute when seen from a 50k tonner. Also remember our 2/0 telling us that he had been visited by his opposite number from a brand new Onassis VLCC, tbey were loading fror Rotterdam and only had one small-scale chart for the whole of the English Channel and approaches, so he was furiously taking notes from ours!


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## R.kearsley (May 14, 2012)

traded to kharg many times on the Lanmar back in the mid 60's last time was unloading and got a message from the shore side mob that instead of filling their storage tanks we were emptying them, checked our cargo pumps and speed had dropped, but steam pressure had not, so shut them down, when cool enough we open up the nozzle box and found that most were worn away, ship was unloaded some other way, C/o (Buffalo) as well as the rest of us were very happy to sail and head for Rotterdam for drydock and I left the ship and company, 9months on board was enough for me but still ended up on other tankers later on in life, once a tanker man always a tanker man so the saying go's.


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## Micky Bodill (Jan 3, 2015)

Paid off at Kharg and had a joyous 36 hours waiting for the flight home. Stayed at the seaman club and slept on the snooker /pool table.
Found the concrete zoo and not much else. Some bastard nicked my shoes I remember.


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## Micky Bodill (Jan 3, 2015)

R.kearsley said:


> traded to kharg many times on the Lanmar back in the mid 60's last time was unloading and got a message from the shore side mob that instead of filling their storage tanks we were emptying them, checked our cargo pumps and speed had dropped, but steam pressure had not, so shut them down, when cool enough we open up the nozzle box and found that most were worn away, ship was unloaded some other way, C/o (Buffalo) as well as the rest of us were very happy to sail and head for Rotterdam for drydock and I left the ship and company, 9months on board was enough for me but still ended up on other tankers later on in life, once a tanker man always a tanker man so the saying go's.


I couldn't get away from tankers quick enough after coasting on general cargo. Anybody new to the company ,PSNC, had to do tankers first it seemed.


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

Took some of the building materials to Kharg in very early 60's. Then it was a boat ride ashore and the opportunity to "discover" a very early christian church ruin as well as the amazing ancient tunnel water system. I wonder what ever happened to them?


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Am sure in my time (1960) Kharg Island was gravity feed and the voyage I called the three 18's..
18 hours loading Kharg Island, 18 days at sea to Geelong Oz and 18 hours discharge..
Great for putting money in the bank and bugger all else..


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## georgeandrewbisacre (Oct 18, 2021)

Never seen a stranger looking place. Looked as if it had arrived from outer space!


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