Yesterday I visited Nito in North Delta. He will be leaving today for the Philippines. He will be blind in his right eye for the rest of his life. After several tests the doctors were sure that his other eye will not be affected due to the possibility of bacteria. I wished him God's blessing and we exchanged e - mail addresses.
I also made a final visit on board the MV Vancouver Express. The remains of AB Fidel D. will be flown to the Philippines on March 13. A replacement AB had already arrived on board the ship...... Life goes on! The ship will sail to Hamburg, Germany and they plan to be back in Vancouver 3 months from now.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
MV VANCOUVER EXPRESS
On Saturday morning I met the crew on board the MV Vancouver Express. The Polish Chief Officer greeted me in the ship's office. I gave my condolences and asked him what had happened. He was willing to talk and did not seem to be in a hurry. What was supposed to be a normal routine maintenace procedure turned into a tragedy.
One of the AB's ( able seaman ) severely injured one of his legs. After the accident crew members transported him to the first aid room where he was given morphine against the pain. The C/O beliefs that a splintered bone must have severed a main artery which caused a lot of bleeding. For ten hours they tried everything to stop the bleeding but to no avail and so he did not survive. During that time the captain also changed the ship's course towards the Russian coast in the hope that a helicopter could evacuate the wounded seafarer to a hospital. However, the distance was too far and with stormy weather conditions the helicopter was grounded.
During lunch time I chatted with some of the crew members. They seemed to be quite relaxed but you could notice the stress from the ordeal that was stll so fresh in their memory. I did not have to do a memorial service since Father John from the ( RCC ) Stella Maris had already celebrated the Mass on board the ship. The ship sailed Sunday to Seattle and will dock again tonight at Roberts Bank I hope to meet them again tomorrow!
One of the AB's ( able seaman ) severely injured one of his legs. After the accident crew members transported him to the first aid room where he was given morphine against the pain. The C/O beliefs that a splintered bone must have severed a main artery which caused a lot of bleeding. For ten hours they tried everything to stop the bleeding but to no avail and so he did not survive. During that time the captain also changed the ship's course towards the Russian coast in the hope that a helicopter could evacuate the wounded seafarer to a hospital. However, the distance was too far and with stormy weather conditions the helicopter was grounded.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Visiting Nito at the " Ship Moms Healing House "
I promised to give you an update of Nito's eye condition. First of all Nito has moved to the home of Carmie and Larry Kozak in North Delta. For the last fifteen years they have opened up their home to care for and nurture injured or sick seafarers. Nito is seafarer no. 380! Amazing!
Though Nito has to undergo more tests on Monday, he will most likely be blind in his right eye for the rest of his life. At present his doctors are concerned about infection in this eye which may spread to the other eye causing total blindness. This, of course, would be devastating. He was very happy to see me and we promised to stay in contact.
In our discussions he is very worried about the future since his seafaring career ( i.e. no: one source of family income ) is history. He is deeply worried that his daughter cannot finish her college education!
After saying goodbye to Nito and the Kozaks I thought of the apostle Paul who was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. They were welcomed by the locals with unusual kindness at that time and I believe that is what Nito is experiencing from his hosts today!!
I am now on my way to the MV Vancouver Express!
Though Nito has to undergo more tests on Monday, he will most likely be blind in his right eye for the rest of his life. At present his doctors are concerned about infection in this eye which may spread to the other eye causing total blindness. This, of course, would be devastating. He was very happy to see me and we promised to stay in contact.
In our discussions he is very worried about the future since his seafaring career ( i.e. no: one source of family income ) is history. He is deeply worried that his daughter cannot finish her college education!
After saying goodbye to Nito and the Kozaks I thought of the apostle Paul who was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. They were welcomed by the locals with unusual kindness at that time and I believe that is what Nito is experiencing from his hosts today!!
A ( busy ) day at Roberts Bank
On the first and second of March I attended the annual Spring Classis meetings of the Christian Reformed Churches in B.C. the group of churches which support and fund The Ministry to Seafarers. During these meetings, which are held in the Spring and Fall, I usually give verbal and written reports. Having prepared reports for several years now I worry about becoming repetitive. However, some very busy days before this year's Classis gave me lots of ' material ' to talk about.
It all started with a phone call from an agent of the Hapag-Loydd container line, who informed us that on the MV Vancouver Express, scheduled to dock on Friday, a Philippino seafarer had been killed in a tragic accident. The captain requested that we conduct a memorial service on board ship on Saturday. Interestingly, the agent told us that he remembered me from previous visits to Vancouver. Hopefully,I will be able to comment on how the situation developed in my next log. In any event, I was pleased to hear that the crew members remembered us, especially in time of need.
My second visit was on the MV Gold River, a bulk carrier covered with so much rust that if you could turn that rust into gold you could buy yourself a river! Entering the ship's office I noticed a large number of black leather executive chairs. Quite impressed, I asked the C/O (chief officer) about them. " We have officer meetings here and every Sunday evening at 9 PM we hold a Bible study here as well, " he told me. Now that was wonderful to hear.....another " Church on the Ocean "! When I asked who led the Bible study, he immediately phoned the C/E (chief engineer's) who appeared within minutes. He was happy to see me and asked for new Bible study material. This time I was able to give him the Heidelberg Catechism and Belgic Confession material along with plenty of Christian music CD's. They left today for Japan.
On Tueday, the first day of Classis I first went to visit a new arrived ship at Robert's Bank. Being in a hurry I had decided to quickly introduce myself, invite them to the Mission building and leave. As I was leaving, the ship's steward jumped in front of me and with a voice of desperation begged me to help him. " I can't see through my right eye, I am going blind, I am in pain ", he said. "What happened? " I asked. Apparently, a bucket of chlorine had splashed his face and especially his right eye ". He had gone to a doctor in Victoria who had recommended to send him to an eye specialist however, his employing company had different plans. They wanted him to sign a document signifying that he had terminated the contract; meaning that he would fly back home to The Philippines, paying his own travel and doctor's expenses. I told him that I would contact the ITF ( International Transport Federation ) which I did. They would investigate the situation.
After having sharing these experiences on the floor of Classis I went back to the Roberts Bank Mission. The ITF representative called that afternoon to give me an update saying that he had talked to the company's head office. They had given their approval thereby allowing the injured seafarer to see a doctor in Vancouver who sent him to an eye specialist immediately who, in turn told him that he needed an operation to save his eye! The seafarer would definitely have lost his eye if he had stayed on the ship which left early this morning. He will now be operated on, hoping that they can save his eye. Sometimes a ship visit can turn out totally different than expected...this one was truly a blessed one. I will update you in the next blog regarding the seafarer's condition.
It all started with a phone call from an agent of the Hapag-Loydd container line, who informed us that on the MV Vancouver Express, scheduled to dock on Friday, a Philippino seafarer had been killed in a tragic accident. The captain requested that we conduct a memorial service on board ship on Saturday. Interestingly, the agent told us that he remembered me from previous visits to Vancouver. Hopefully,I will be able to comment on how the situation developed in my next log. In any event, I was pleased to hear that the crew members remembered us, especially in time of need.
My second visit was on the MV Gold River, a bulk carrier covered with so much rust that if you could turn that rust into gold you could buy yourself a river! Entering the ship's office I noticed a large number of black leather executive chairs. Quite impressed, I asked the C/O (chief officer) about them. " We have officer meetings here and every Sunday evening at 9 PM we hold a Bible study here as well, " he told me. Now that was wonderful to hear.....another " Church on the Ocean "! When I asked who led the Bible study, he immediately phoned the C/E (chief engineer's) who appeared within minutes. He was happy to see me and asked for new Bible study material. This time I was able to give him the Heidelberg Catechism and Belgic Confession material along with plenty of Christian music CD's. They left today for Japan.
On Tueday, the first day of Classis I first went to visit a new arrived ship at Robert's Bank. Being in a hurry I had decided to quickly introduce myself, invite them to the Mission building and leave. As I was leaving, the ship's steward jumped in front of me and with a voice of desperation begged me to help him. " I can't see through my right eye, I am going blind, I am in pain ", he said. "What happened? " I asked. Apparently, a bucket of chlorine had splashed his face and especially his right eye ". He had gone to a doctor in Victoria who had recommended to send him to an eye specialist however, his employing company had different plans. They wanted him to sign a document signifying that he had terminated the contract; meaning that he would fly back home to The Philippines, paying his own travel and doctor's expenses. I told him that I would contact the ITF ( International Transport Federation ) which I did. They would investigate the situation.
After having sharing these experiences on the floor of Classis I went back to the Roberts Bank Mission. The ITF representative called that afternoon to give me an update saying that he had talked to the company's head office. They had given their approval thereby allowing the injured seafarer to see a doctor in Vancouver who sent him to an eye specialist immediately who, in turn told him that he needed an operation to save his eye! The seafarer would definitely have lost his eye if he had stayed on the ship which left early this morning. He will now be operated on, hoping that they can save his eye. Sometimes a ship visit can turn out totally different than expected...this one was truly a blessed one. I will update you in the next blog regarding the seafarer's condition.
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