# Tanker adrift off Wick



## Gavin Gait (Aug 14, 2005)

The tanker Border Heather IMO9287833 is adrift due to engine failure in storm force winds to the east of Wick

BBC news story

my photo in the tanker gallery


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## James_C (Feb 17, 2005)

They've had a fair few incidents with the Engine of that ship. But you get's what you pay for. She was built in that well known Shipbuilding nation - Romania. Apparently she was also the first tanker the yard had built. Inspired procurement on the part of BP, and there was nobody there to standby the build

She's known to the crews as the 'Border Banger', after another little incident in 2004...


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## Gavin Gait (Aug 14, 2005)

Thr Fraserburgh harbour will be a little worried... this is the Tanker that delivers the bulk of the bunker fuel for the fishing fleet.

She looks ( to my non-expert eye ) to be ok from the outside but from what your saying I think i'm glad i'm no longer involved with the sea lol.

Davie


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## Thamesphil (Jul 22, 2005)

James_C said:


> ... She was built in that well known Shipbuilding nation - Romania. Apparently she was also the first tanker the yard had built. ...



Not true. The yard has built several tankers previously, including a very sophisticated series of twin-engine, twin prop chemical tankers designated SCOT 8000 (Safety Chemical Oil Tanker - 8,000 dwt). See: http://www.rina.org.uk/rfiles/shipandboat/wappen0504.pdf

These ships are very highly regarded and, as far as I know, have not been invloved in any incidents.

Romania is an up and coming shipbuilding nation with most of the shipyards owned and supervised by Western European shipbuilding groups. This particular yard is wholly owned by the Dutch Damen Shipyards group.

Cheers
Phil


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## James_C (Feb 17, 2005)

Those ships may have been very highly regarded but the exact opposite is true for the BP trio.
I notice most of those ships had only their hulls completed in Romania, but then towed around to Holland for fitting out. Perhaps what I should have said was that apparently the Heather was the first ship they completed. When did the last two for that German order come into service? The Heather was completed early September 2004.
We weren't particularly impressed when the Heather came along, and when the other two arrived it just got worse.
They were built on the cheap, something that's very apparent. The on-site Lloyds surveyor was blatantly on the take from the shipyard. Some of the stuff that he signed off as 'legal' beggars belief.
I can't remember if it was the Heather or the Thistle, but on arrival in the UK, one of them loaded at Grangemouth (maiden cargo) and headed off to Kirkwall to discharge, and promptly overflowed the shore tanks (they could only hold a few hundred tonnes, small place). The cargo tank calibrations were all wrong! It seemed obvious that the shipyard had done a simple calculation based on the plans (which were altered later), as opposed to getting down into the tanks with their laser calibration gear (which is what they should have done). These ships were originally designed to be 4500dwt, they ended up as 5000dwt! Again, this was signed off.
On the fo'c'sle is a deckhouse used for entry to the store. Immediately in front of the deckhouse is the forward winch/windlass. When I say immediately in front, I mean roughly 14 inches! This isn't an open 14'' either, as the 4 brake handles jut out reducing clearance to about 8-10 inches (breathe in). 
With the control lever being midships, the man on the winch can't see the spring lines if he's working them. The headlines off course run directly ahead. This windlass also has the gypsy for the anchor. Not a pleasant place to be during anchoring with all that rust and muck flying around in such a confined space. 
If a rope parts (which is often on coasters), there is no escape, all you can do is try and shield yourself. This of course was signed off. The mooring winches were slow as death, and blatantly not brand new. The wear on the shaft attested to that. Again, signed off by this surveyor.
Add to that there was no BP personnel actually standing by the build, normal practice being there's a site office there from day one, meant the shipyard did their own thing, and shipyards being what they are, if you take your eye of the ball for a minute they'll try and shaft you by cutting corners. The first BP staff to appear were they delivery crew, 2 weeks before handover. They were allowed in the yard on the 1st day and they started to pick up on what was going on. They were thrown out for a week, being allowed back in only a few days before the ship was due to sail (and be accepted!). By this point all construction work had finished and they were spending their time loading fuel/lub oil/water etc and bedding in the gear. When they set off downriver from Galatz with the yard reps onboard they didn't even have any charts! The ship was handed over at the mouth of the river.
In the Heathers case, that corner almost cost lives after she had her explosion 2 years ago. The next day, the ENTIRE crew walked off the ship, refusing to go back until she'd been sorted out.
The overwhelming consensus amongst the crews is that they'd rather go back to this ships predecessors, all 1960s built.


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## Thamesphil (Jul 22, 2005)

Border Heather was the first tanker completed by Damen Galati, but they had built other tankers in their previous incarnation, before becoming part of the Damen Shipyards group.

Clearly, there has been problems with this ship. However, to claim that the on site surveyor was "blatantly on the take" is a very serious accusation. I hope that you know what you are doing making such allegations on a public forum such as this.

Phil


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## Tmac1720 (Jun 24, 2005)

Speaking from a shipbuilding perspective it's very unusual not to have an owners rep standing by during construction of a vessel. Certainly any vessel we (H&W) built for B.P. always had a site office manned by B.P. staff, usually the intended officers/crew of the vessel. Again from a personal perspective I established many good relationships with these guys, many of whom are still close friends. By building such a good relationship with the shipyard staff many "favours" were done by way of "unofficial modifications" the crew asked for to make their life aboard that much easier. However Jim is correct in that shipyards are always keen to make a profit, who isn't? and will if left to their own devices always take the most cost effective option but given a good relationship with the owners reps this dosen't have to mean a shoddy job. As for surveyors "on the take" well I would suggest Jim is entitled to his opinion and as this is a members only site it would appear therefore to be a private forum i.e unless you are a member it is not accessable by the general public.


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## Thamesphil (Jul 22, 2005)

Yes, certainly in the early days of Chinese export shipbuilding (and still today in some of the smaller, private yards) it is an absolute must to have a owners representative present as the ships produced would in no way meet proper standards expected by the shipowner. Even now, where a plethora of so-called "beach" yards have sprung up in China building small domestic tonnage, there are stories of ships sailing from the shipyards and promptly sinking because the build standards are so poor. Probably this is an exaggeration, but there are some really shoddy yards out there.

I would agree that Jim is entitled to his opinion, but out of the many members there are on this site, there may be some who view his comment as a very serious allegation. Personally, I couldn't give a monkeys. He may well be right, but you never know who is signed up here and watching.

Phil


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## Tmac1720 (Jun 24, 2005)

Aye good point Phil, but hopefully nobody will call in the "polis" (Jester)


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## James_C (Feb 17, 2005)

I'm no feart. I'm old enough (and ugly enough?) to take what comes.
Besides litigation is a non starter. If I have to beg, borrow and steal to get money to go the pub, what chance does a judge have of getting readies out of "her indoors".

LOL

Tmac: Got any photos of the Skill and Success amongst the H&W archive?


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## pilot (Jan 8, 2006)

Class surveyors on the take! Whatever next, you'll be telling me that some Supers. got a back hander from the yard next.
Rgds.


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