Sailing with Russians

[Brimbo]

Hello people,
I've just completed my first voyage as a cadet, needless to say it was a brilliant experience I wish to repeat. Though my crew was completely Russian, can anyone else who has sailed with this nationality confirm that these guys cut corners? or was it just my crew? things like no PTW system being used, escape hatches being locked and many other safety issues.

[Malim Sahib]

Re: Sailing with Russians

Sounds pretty par for the course to me.
A particulate favourite is for them to have the lifting wires to freefall lifeboats permanently hooked on to the lifting davit - that way the boat can't be used in an emergency unless they're unhooked. It seems they're actually taught to do this at their nautical colleges...
2nd mates not bothering to do any chart corrections at all (ever) being another, the normal response to someone asking why being the typical shrug of the shoulders.
Generally good lads all the same, fearless nutters to a man. And by god they can drink........

[GuinnessMan]

Re: Sailing with Russians

Sounds about right for most non-EU sailors (not all though and even some of ours are pretty bad!).

I had a Philipino Captain who decided to go onto the bridge during manoeuvring, complete and utterly sozzled, who then proceeded to noisily call his wife whilst the rest of the bridge crew shat themselves and tried to distract the pilot....

[Malim Sahib]

Re: Sailing with Russians

On the obverse, Filipino ratings are by far and away some of the finest crew I've ever sailed with at sea.
Fantastic workers, conscientious, always polite and loyal - you can't ask for more.

[Chiefy]

Re: Sailing with Russians

On the obverse, Filipino ratings are by far and away some of the finest crew I've ever sailed with at sea.
Fantastic workers, conscientious, always polite and loyal - you can't ask for more.

You can....just little niggle,
take responsability for things (like closeing doors behind you),
use PPE correctly (not just take it tothe job site cos you are told to), they can be a little short sighted on that score....
and speak up...
oh and stop calling me Sir makes me look around for me dad!! (this applie to both officers and ratings!)

But otherwise fab boys (and nowadays) girls

[Malim Sahib]

Re: Sailing with Russians

Chiefy,
With a lot of the Filipinos I sailed with you couldn't really niggle even that much.
We had our own 'dedicated' pool of men who came back time after time for donkeys years, as opposed to the lottery a lot of ships have to endure through never knowing who the agencies will send.
On the odd occasion somebody 'new' would appear, they were often quiet different. I sailed with a few AB's who'd spent most of their time with Korean and Japanese officers and they were absolutely petrified of the Brits, would never look you in the eye, never said anything 'out of turn' and it took them quite a while to settle down.
Almost all the time I spent sailing with Filipinos was on tankers, and things like not using the right equipment or not closing doors were, as you can imagine, most definitely 'verboten'!
They used to think we were all nuts what with the social life we enjoyed just to try and stay sane, e.g. countless BBQ's/horse racing/fancy dress nights/running around with BB guns playing cowboys and indians etc.
Alas the days of such larks and indeed those of the "crazy Brits" are gone with that company.

[Chiefy]

Re: Sailing with Russians

I wasnt niggling much was just a ickle wickle niggle our lot all work directly for us and have been in and around the company for a good while, only just now seeing Officers on the UK flagged (owned) vessels, but that is all very political and best left alone

[GuinnessMan]

Re: Sailing with Russians

The Indians were just as bad with the whole "Sir" business.
We had four cleaners on one vessel, and Chief put me in charge of them as he was a Russian who couldn't understand them, I could understand both of them so I was translator/boss. No matter how many times I told them to stop calling me Sir, they would continue to do it. Hey, im no Sir. I was just a cadet!

[Just Ben]

Re: Sailing with Russians

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

How do you unlock escape hatches??

[Malim Sahib]

Re: Sailing with Russians

With the key of course, which is kept in the Chief Engineers cabin in the (locked) key cabinet!

[Just Ben]

Re: Sailing with Russians

I figured it would be locked up somewhere.

so where is the key that open's the chief engineers (locked) key cabinet.
On a chain around his neck? or
somewhere safe like somewhere only the chief knows?

[Beef1992]

Re: Sailing with Russians

haha russians. would it be rude of me to say im half russian , and by no means would do anything like that.

[penfold]

Re: Sailing with Russians

The same can be said for pretty much any former Warsaw Pact country; in my experience Bulgarians. Romanians, Latvians and Ukranians all act like the above Russians. All drink like fish, smoke like chimneys and have a relaxed attitude toward PTW and safety in general.

[Brimbo]

Re: Sailing with Russians

So looks like my experience wasn't abnormal then, thank god! I had a company meeting 2 days after returning home and I informed them of all the issues at sea, needless to say they weren't happy at all !

[Just Ben]

Re: Sailing with Russians

@Brimbo

Out of interest what company are you with? you can PM if you don't want to post it.