After completing my 9th form student internship on board a passenger ship that sails daily from Büsum to Helgoland, I really wanted to try out “the next level” and applied for the VDR summer seafaring programme. When I was accepted for an internship at Hapag-Lloyd, I was absolutely excited!
Together with thirteen other holidaymakers, I was to board “Chicago Express”, Hapag-Lloyd’s training ship, and travel from Vancouver to Singapore via South Korea and China within 3 ½ weeks. I met three of my fellow passengers at the airport in Hamburg; we travelled to Vancouver via Amsterdam. We were picked up at the airport in Vancouver by taxi. We then met the other summer seafarers on board and our accommodation was allocated. Shortly afterwards, we were given our first safety briefing and it was explained to us what alarms there are and how we should behave in an emergency. We were shown the foredeck, the aft deck, the rudder pumps and the bridge.
First impressions on board: work and safety
The next day we learnt that we holidaymakers were not allowed to stay on board until Singapore as planned due to a lack of yellow fever vaccination, but were to disembark in Busan, South Korea, because seafarers are not allowed to enter China without a yellow fever vaccination. The shipping company tried to organise the vaccination in Vancouver, but unfortunately this did not work out.
Service on board: insights into the ship’s work
On the evening of the third day on board, we cast off. I was able to witness the departure from the bridge. Being on the bridge was particularly impressive when it got dark outside.
Together with two other seafarers, I had my first watch duty on the bridge the following day with the Chief Mate (1st Nautical Officer), who showed us and explained all the equipment on the bridge. In the days that followed, I was allowed to be on duty there several more times. It was particularly interesting when the Chief Mate explained the different types of navigation to us and we were also able to try our hand at taking bearings ourselves. But the absolute highlight was when I was allowed to take the helm myself: Steering a 330 metre ship is an indescribable feeling!
Steering a 330 metre ship is an indescribable feeling!
Service on board: insights into the ship’s work
On the evening of the third day on board, we cast off. I was able to witness the departure from the bridge. Being on the bridge was particularly impressive when it got dark outside.
Together with two other seafarers, I had my first watch duty on the bridge the following day with the Chief Mate (1st Nautical Officer), who showed us and explained all the equipment on the bridge. In the days that followed, I was allowed to be on duty there several more times. It was particularly interesting when the Chief Mate explained the different types of navigation to us and we were also able to try our hand at taking bearings ourselves. But the absolute highlight was when I was allowed to take the helm myself: Steering a 330 metre ship is an indescribable feeling!
By now we had reached the Bering Sea. It’s hard to describe how it feels at night on such a huge and at the same time such a small ship on the ocean. I’ve never seen such a clear starry sky before. And during the day we could see whales – really big whales!
Safety plays a major role on board a container ship: we had our first safety briefing shortly after boarding the ship; the “safety drill” is part of everyday life on board and is the responsibility of the Chief Mate. There were several fire drills, and once we all put on an immersion suit, which is in every cabin, for practice. In training, you practise putting it on in a maximum of two minutes. Some funny photos were taken during the exercise, although I have to admit that I hope I never need one of these immersion suits. In an emergency, the immersion suit ensures that the body temperature doesn’t drop so quickly in the water and therefore improves the chances of survival.
During another safety drill, the second mate explained to some of the crew and us holidaymakers how to switch the rudder pumps to “manual” in an emergency so that we could steer in the event of a connection failure with the bridge.
There is a proper infirmary on board with its own pharmacy, and a defibrillator is also available.
In the second week, I was on deck duty and in the engine room. As I’m quite tall, I was given the job of greasing all the sealing rings on the ventilation flaps with Vaseline, as I didn’t need a ladder to do it. That must have been about 200 doors. The shift flew by.
When I was on engine duty, an injector broke on the piston of the main engine and it was decided to repair it. It was interesting to be able to watch the repair and get an impression of how you have to deal with all kinds of problems at sea.
On another day, I helped the electrician dismantle an electric motor from a machine and take it to the workshop. There we dismantled the electric motor to replace two rings.
We crossed the International Date Line on the 8th day at sea. Actually, that’s worth a tattoo in the shape of a dragon. Maybe I’ll do that. I was impressed by the crystal clear waters of the Pacific. The sunsets and the shooting stars that you could see at night were also beautiful.
The composition of the crew is certainly typical for a container ship: while most of the officers come from Germany or at least from Europe, the vast majority of the crew are Filipino nationals. The language on board is English. I would never have thought that I would be able to just talk away and communicate so well, as I only speak English at school, but it was actually no problem at all.
One evening we organised a big suckling pig barbecue, and we all helped with the preparation.
But what I enjoyed most was working on the bridge. I was even allowed to help the captain with the payroll for the Filipino crew once. The insights I gained were interesting and informative. That’s exactly what the internship is for.
End of our journey: Busan and return to Hamburg
Two weeks after leaving Vancouver, we arrived in Busan, South Korea. Around midday we were taken by bus to Port Security. We then went straight to the Immigration Centre and then directly to the airport. Just as we travelled there on different flights, we also travelled back on different flights, which were booked for us by the shipping company. My group flew from Busan to Seoul, from there we travelled on to Amsterdam and finally back to Hamburg.
After a trip around the world during my 2024 summer holidays, full of impressions and experiences, I am now certain: I belong at sea.
