-- Yang Peikai, Captain
Vessel WBJOURNEY departed Dongjiakou Port at 0500 LT on July 10, 2025. After a voyage of approximately 27 days, the vessel arrived at the Port of Tamatave at 2200 LT on August 5, 2025. The route traversed the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, Singapore Strait, Malacca Strait, and the monsoon-affected area of the Indian Ocean. A 5-hour time difference was adjusted for during the journey, leaving a memorable impression.
The leg from Dongjiakou to Banda Aceh off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, followed a conventional route and requires little elaboration. A waypoint was set 20 nautical miles south of Gan, the southernmost island in the southern Maldivian atoll chain. From there, the vessel proceeded westward along the equatorial doldrums. North of the Seychelles, the course was set south or southwest towards the Tamatave anchorage, based on weather forecasts.VHF Channel 16 was used to contact Tamatave Port Control approximately one hour before arrival at the pilot station to report the ETA. Contacting earlier is ineffective. Port Control will subsequently assign an anchorage position by number; for this voyage, we anchored at No. 4. During the monsoon season, significant southeasterly swells at the anchorage cause considerable vessel movement, with rolling reaching up to 10 degrees.Pilot plans here are unreliable. Continuous watch on VHF is essential, as schedules are highly subject to change. Our initially planned 0700 pilot boarding was eventually conducted at 0900. The actual boarding location differed from the charted pilot station; we took on the pilot near No. 1 buoy, maintaining a speed of 5 knots. During berthing, the pilot indicated they would use the ship's lines as tow lines. In reality, the tugs do not carry tow lines and are only used for pushing alongside. Close attention must be paid to speed during berthing, as the pilot frequently uses the engine. It's crucial to constantly remind the pilot to control the vessel's speed. Inside the harbor basin, conditions were calm with no swell.
After berthing, the quarantine officer boarded first—a single officer who conducted no sanitation inspection. Once the quarantine formalities were completed and the quarantine flag (Q flag) was lowered, other officials began boarding successively: Customs, Port Security, Livestock Bureau, and Immigration. Each department sent two officers. Prior to arrival, all necessary forms must be prepared as required by the agent. Seafarers' identification cards (Seafarer's ID) must be photocopied (photo page), but passports should not be copied. Immigration officials sign and stamp these Seafarer's ID copies, which then serve as shore passes. Two Customs officers inspected the bond store and provision store, requisitioning some provisions (three chickens and various condiments like fermented bean paste and fermented tofu). Discharge of cargo could commence only after quarantine formalities were finalized. For each department, upon completion of their procedures, a signed confirmation was provided, with the Captain retaining one copy.
EN
