I’m on a boat!!!!

Hải Phòng is the biggest port in the North of Vietnam. My brother-in-law has a few connections with the maritime university there. He brought me to the port in order to visit a training ship. This one was given by Korea to the Vietnam Maritime University.

20 min Car Drive

Here are a few videos on our way to the port:

https://vimeo.com/537216298
https://vimeo.com/537300021

On the Pier

There is not only a training ship but apprentices are also learning the art of the gantry cranes. Better not stay around.

Here is VMU’s biggest training ship

Engine Room

This is the first time I visited a machine room on a ship afloat, not in a museum. It’s full of steep stairs and a strong diesel oil smell. Firstly, even though we are in 2021 way past the steamboats, I learned steam is still used to warm up the fuel. I am a computer science and networking engineer, I cannot build a diesel engine from scratch, sorry (my brother-in-law could. Probably).

big boiler
caution, anywhere you may slip, stumble, bang your head or fall
The compressor that helps start the motor
the injector
the engine itself

Cadets’ Bathroom

Diesel Generators

Caution, it’s very loud! likely the hottest place inside the ship, it felt like around 33°C. They are running all the time in order to power all electrical devices, computer, machinery etc. in the vessel.

Waterline

I was stunned by the ratio of overloaded boats. It would just take a big wave to sink them. They must know what they are doing, because I saw such dangerous practices in Ha Long bay a few years ago.

Life Boats

They look like submarines. They can either be thrown quickly into the water if there is an emergency, or can be gently lowered by the cranes if they are too high above the water. They come equipped with a propeller and a rudder.

6 of them, 36 pax each, for around 100 students and 30 crew.

Draught

At that moment the lowest point of the hull was 4m below the waterline as shown on the scale:

Bye-bye and thank you!

On the Horizon

You can see the mounts of Cat Ba island in the background.

So, Now, What About My Yacht?

I quickly glanced from the motorway. Still being built (joke).

By Julien

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julien-fiches/

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