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Robert Cole recalls his time as a deck cadet on Esso Ulidia, as well as the unreliable nature of similar ships...
I was deck cadet on the Ulidia from August to November 1976, and I also did trips on the Caledonia and Northumbria. The other Kingdom ships were the Scotia and Cambria (German built 250s) and the Anglia, Mercia and Bernicia (French built but 'only' 190 K dwt).
Reliability was not a strong point of the four UK 250s. One set a record for the number of blackouts between Dubai and Ras Tanura: four I think. The main engines were all steam turbines. Luckily the crews were of a reasonable size and when time allowed there was a decent social life, with Saturday night horse racing for example.
Robert Cole
More letters
Help us remember MN veterans of D-Day in North Wales
The 6 June ceremonies in Portsmouth and Ver-sur-Mer commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Landings made little or no mention of the huge sacrifice and contribution made by the Fourth Service, the Merchant Navy. We intend to put this right in a ceremony in North Wales.
Corrupt port officials: what we all do to get by
Your article 'Corruption at ports endangering seafarers' in the May-June 2024 Telegraph covers a matter never discussed before I believe. I served as master worldwide for 25 years, and found demands of this kind frequently in Central and South America, and always at the Suez Canal.
P&O pirates
I don’t remember anyone saying that the crew members of the P&O ferries were signed off Articles by the shipping master prior to their removal from the vessels.