As you already know Melissa and I got placed at the port, SPA to be more precise (Seychelles Port Authority) and much to our dismay Mr Vincent (our boss) had to leave the country due to an important work matter that came up suddenly, and that left us alone walking around talking to new people, meeting the CEO Mr Andre Ciseau, a man who was quite enthusiastic about the blue economy concept.
After walking around like two lost puppies we found ourselves meeting Rose-Mary with the help of Mr David Bianchi. Smaller than most other co-workers she still finds herself standing tall and proud, with her rough hard black and white exterior, you could refer to her like a miniature bulldog. Despite her few blotches and marks Rose-Mary knows she’s the most important one of all, well her and her twin sister Ascension right beside her of course. Looking exactly alike Rose-Mary and Ascension have many jobs, rescuing people and fellow co-workers, fighting fires and most importantly helping the big girls find their way to work. And yes, if you haven’t noticed by now I’m talking about boats, and these ‘twins’ are two of them, tug boats as a matter of fact. Surrounded by a hard metal surface, tires tied front and side by thick chains, heavy doors that shut closed tightly and glass windows so strong you would think it’s bullet proof, these little beasts are impenetrable. Equipped with radios, radars, ropes, fire extinguishers and much more, you name it, they can do just about anything. It’s quite an honor knowing that the biggest and most fearless boats need your help getting into and out of the port, but it’s stressful. Having got a chance to join the thrill Melissa and I practically ran to the opportunity jumping onboard Rose-Mary herself. Having met the captain Dario already it was quite easy to get along with him and Mr Bianchi beside us ready with answers to any question we had. Tugging a vessel isn’t as easy as it sounds, we watched as the captain did his job as he explained along the way. We had to wait until all the ports staff onboard the vessel (cargo boat) gave the go ahead for it to enter the port then slowly approached. The captain explained what he did, and that was to calculate the distance he kept from the fast moving vessel, the length of rope he used to pull it, how hard he pushed and from where he started to push, he had to be alert and listen to the captain’s orders from the radio because he couldn’t see the other side just like a blind man’s job, talk to the crew AND communicate with the other tug boat at the back all while keeping up with Melissa and I bombarding him with questions every other second. But apart from all this the best part of it all was that we were part of the action. Marianna Naya
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AuthorThe interns of the Prosperity & Environment: Promoting sustainable development opportunities for youth in the Blue Economy sector. Archives
January 2018
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