The ship's systems were worn out, nothing was as it should be. The pipes were rusted and the hydraulic system oils were barely passing through. It was as if the ship was slowly going into cardiac arrest. The other systems such as the steam, bilge, and inert gas systems could barely function.
The captain was on the bridge watching the approach to shore.
At that moment his third on deck came through the wing door.
"Captain, we're losing the second boiler!" indicated the nervous young man.
At that moment the Captain woke up from his lethargy and the alarms on the bridge tucked him in tightly, he almost fell to his knees on the floor thinking about how to solve this. He wondered how he had arrived at such a delicate resolution.
"Machinists report that the main engine is also compromised" announced the third one hearing the reports from the radio.
Strangely the captain could not hear exactly what they were saying from the radio, he just watched his ship from the bridge windows. A deck finished by the weather and the sea, with dangerous places to work and flimsy places to walk. It was a white deck with black rust stains.
"Horrible" mused the captain resting his hands on the railing.
"What do we do Captain?" shouted the third.
The captain raised the VHF radio speaker and began speaking to the port authorities there.
"Security, Security, Security. Reporting to all nearby stations and port authorities, This is Tanker Anakena, Tanker Anakena, Tanker Anakena, Tanker Anakena, Call Sign 45RG4, MMSI 1487523, the vessel is exhibiting boiler and main engine failures, therefore, our vessel will emergency anchor off your shores. We are waiting to repair the failures and continue with our voyage. Position at this moment 58° 21' North and 30°05' West.
Over."
He finished the transmission calmly and continued to watch the bow of his vessel. He noticed in the distance the First Mate on deck accompanied by the boatswain's mate, the two of them going at a hurried pace to the forecastle. In the process of anchoring he visualized the state of the pipes on the deck, they were dire, and there were no possible paints in stock to mask the rust.
In other times the company would have invested in the maintenance of the entire ship. The captain did not leave his post while preparations for anchoring were being made. He listened to the boatswain indicate how many shackles were going into the water and the tension of the anchor chain.
"In other times that deck would have been gleaming," said the Captain, and the third man stood mute in amazement at his dialogue. "In other times the agency would have promptly taken care of our problem, now we are at the dispatch of god and our expertise for solving this problem" There was no trace of despair on the Captain's face. "There used to be an exhaust valve, now everything is a pressure to manage things, a problem with no apparent solution."
The third was nodding as the onlooker himself.
"Before there was a sense of management and maintenance... But now" And he contemplated the bridge equipment.
The radars were not working, nor was the GMDSS console, the ECDIS was out of date as was the NAVTEX and the Doppler Log was self-activating. The VHF radios were still intact by sheer miracle.
"I accepted this contract to have an exhaust valve from my routine, but not this" The captain approached the third. "Third, go process my paperwork for my upcoming disembarkation."