We sailed to the Treasure Island with Long John Silver in the Hispaniola, joined Captain Ahab's single-minded hunt for Moby Dick on Pequod, travelled 20,000 leagues under the sea with Jules Verne in the Nautilus, admired Captain Courageous (Rudyard Kipling) and laughed at Captain Haddock's colourful vocabulary. We know of Columbus' Santa Maria, Captain Cook's HMS Endeavour, Steven Crane's Open Boat, the balsa raft in Kon-Tiki , and a fleet of other vessels that conquered the oceans.
All that drops overboard as I walk the ramps into Neptune Ace MOL, a car-carrier that looks and feels nothing like a ship. “It's a rectangular box!” I complain, unable to erase pictures of majestic schooners from my mind.
But I'm jumping. An hour ago, a back-breaking road trip had brought me to the Ennore port for a darshan of a modern ship. Thanks to Velumani, Chairman and Managing Director of the port, I stood at the signal station for a panoramic view of the port basin. Seen from here, the breakwaters — 1.8 and 3.8 km — look like two loving arms making the portion of the sea between calm, blue and beautiful. “Six berths under operation, three for coal handling,” said the technician. I counted designated berths for coal, iron ore and marine liquids. In one, a “crab” took coal out of the berthed ship, put it neatly in a hatch, and sent it down a closed conveyer belt. While one chute dumps the coal some three kilometres away, another automatically loads trucks and wagons. Which explains why the air is fresh and clean. “See that finger jetty?” asked PRO Atchayanathan. “Scenes for Enthiran with Rajnikant and Aishwarya Rai were shot there for six days.”
On board the Neptune Ace
Driving on smooth internal roads lined with trees protected in the ISPS-code compliant area, I reach the 10,000-car parking yard, and come face-to-face with Neptune Ace, a 200-metre car carrier. “The vessel can take 5172 units of standard cars,” says the man-in-charge. “And change the height of its 11 decks for heavy machinery. Today, we are loading 2800.” As if on cue, left-hand-drive Nissan Micras arrive, one by one, and climb into the ship's cavernous mouth.
I run up the ramp through the stiff draught. Expert drivers cruise up and down the decks and park the Nissans within inches of each other and strap them down in a precise, well-rehearsed operation. A cadet in orange uniform then takes us on a tour of the ship. “Our exhaust fans bring advanced ventilation for cars, can be closed automatically from the bridge,” he begins. “See those 100 per cent floatable dinghies? Automatic davit launch from inside. The provision crane here cleans the deck (no deck-hands?), there is the helipad.” How is the ship so stable? “Look fore and aft,” he says. “The ship is broad-based for cargo, but it does roll.”
We cross the bridge wing. Where is the wheel that “heroes” steer in pelting rain to save lives? The bridge is a large room full of blinking e-consoles and absent employees. I spy two digital radars, one in stand-by mode. It's a radar+ ARPA (automatic radar-plotting aid) integrated navigation system.
The auto-pilot console has a half-hearted wheel, a gyro compass and auto-steering non-follow-up control system, with an emergency steering in the machine room. And a magnetic compass. “Yes, all ships have them,” says the cadet. “Needed when all other systems fail.”
Everything else is state-of-the-art. Clocks on the wall above show rpm (rate of turn for cargo lashing), rudder angles, clinometers. The electronic chart display information system covers the entire world, updates information using CDS software. DigiTrace sends chart corrections (like a flight schedule) from weekly notices to Mariners. An automatic ID system identifies ships, tells where it is going, the VHF radio sends Mayday signals. Shipboard Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) helps prevent titanic disasters. On the communication console Navtex & IMMARSAT-C disgorge news constantly. I read, “Pirate attack in Yemen.” The cadet shrugs. It's an unmanned system, he says, with one duty officer.
That's why adventure movies happen with planes. Ships are too quiet, too tech-protected for thrills. “There can be unexpected incidents,” warns S. Rahman, Chief Engineer. “What if there are geographical changes? But help can be close by, and we check everything in advance. Remember, ships have the longest history of transportation.” There's piracy! “Oh, we just surrender,” he says. “Safest thing to do.”
Back in the yard, I congratulate Captain Tushar T Mukashi. “Technology is fine,” he says. “But you must understand what you're doing, that's more important. Sometimes technology takes my time away. I spend 4-6 hours daily checking e-mail.”
