BETWEEN STEEL AND SEA

My Journey with Fugro Mapper

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There’s something deeply personal about joining a ship. She’s not just a vessel of steel and systems; she’s a living, breathing being with moods, memories, and soul. When I was appointed to take command of the offshore survey vessel Fugro Mapper in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I felt that familiar surge of pride and quiet anticipation. To a seafarer, command is not just a rank; it’s a bond. You don’t merely steer a ship; you become her guardian, her voice, her conscience.

My mission was clear: complete a small portion of the ongoing offshore survey, then take Fugro Mapper to Dubai for her third special survey, dry dock, and statutory inspections. I have always relished dry docking, a test of both seamanship and leadership. It is where a ship reveals herself completely and where a Master must balance the technical, operational, and human sides of command.

But even before the sea could greet me, bureaucracy stood in the way. The visa process for KSA was halted due to the Haj season, leaving our travel suspended in uncertainty. The vessel waited silently at Ras Al Khair, her officers rotating home as their visas expired. Waiting on land is a strange punishment for a sailor; the body stays still, but the mind keeps sailing.