11h - On the quay of the Deurganckdok I get out of the van and right next to me rises the black steel wall of the MSC Alessia.I look up and feel myself shrinking to the size of an ant. God what a giant! The ship is three soccer fields long and 40 metres wide. The gangway lies in front of me and there is no end to it. I have to go up this way, over these 70-80 wobbly ladder steps. Led Zeppelin reminds me: "Stairway to Heaven." I start the ascent, it is difficult with my bags left and right over my shoulder, until I am halfway and a small Filipino sailor descends and takes over the heaviest bag. I hardly believe it, this service. "Welcome on board!"It's weird, but sometimes from a second on you know if you're right somewhere or not. On the Alessia, I immediately feel a good vibe. I register with the watchman, meet 3rd officer Lawrence who, to my surprise, is also a Filipino and my heaviest bag is further carried by the boy who turns out to be the steward on board. A steward still is, what a luxury!
"And so I keep rolling from one surprise to another."
The residential block is so high that we take the elevator up to deck E where my cabin is waiting. Well, cabin: in terms of surface area this is a luxury cabin: a hall with a small bathroom, a large sofa, a desk with chair and a spacious bed. On the way I am introduced a few times and it turns out there are more Filipino officers on board.After my somewhat confusing experiences aboard the Elbfeeder, a new world opens up for me: not everywhere at sea there is a strict, sometimes chilly border between white officers and Filipino sailors. It's not always proletariat versus gentleman. Is it this mixture of races and ranks that explains the relaxed atmosphere on the Alessia ? At least it skips me, too. The only passenger here is not an intruder, not a mood killer, but a guest.With 25 crewmembers of which 7 officers we started the trip to Istanbul.Even Captain Pastrana is a Philippine. During the first lunch he comes to sit with me in the mess. His shirt and trousers are tight in the crease, he wears a golden ring, has a friendly bald head and is the gallant gentleman in everything. This is a courtesy to him, because his place is at the other table, with the first driver and the Chief Mate.
God, what a contrast with the inaccessible Lithuanian captain waving the slab over the Elbfeeder... Pastrana is 59 and of the last generation of captains who still master the old ship's language and rely on his own experiences on the world's seas - he has carefully noted them all down. Next to me sits a 22 year old Romanian candidate officer called Gleb. The cadet should smile: he believes only in technology and satellites.My first sign on board is placed in front of me. I'm really good. There's a delicious piece of fresh mackerel with buckwheat and greens on it. I order a bottle of wine from the steward and unpack in my cabin.
"According to the captain, the Alessia doesn't leave until tonight, so I have all the time."
5:30 p.m. - darkness descends over the harbour. On the quays and the moored ships the lights go on. Countless points of light reflect on the water and the windy Deurganckdok gets a warm glow.It seems as if the pace of loading is being stepped up.Five cranes are now loading continuously. Just in front of my window a 40-foot container floats down, I can almost touch it before it comes down with a thump; the floor vibrates under my feet. In the light of the spotlights, a ballet of iron and steel is being performed: faster, faster, forward, every second counts, time is money ! The noise will only stop when the planned 2,680 containers are on board. Every time again, it is a sensation:
"a passenger on a cargo ship is not a tourist, he's not amused, he's a participant."
He is a privileged witness to the economic machine that meets the needs, desires and whims of modern times. He sees all this from his own porthole.Harbours are the engine of our consumer society, this is where the vein of our fatted world is tapping, this is where we are served at our beck and call, ever better, ever faster and above all without stopping. As long as we consume, this machine will run around the clock, without anyone wanting to see it: we just want to be operated, here and now. We don't care how that happens. That's the way it is. This is today's time.The loading continues and at ten o'clock I fall asleep. That we left the port of Antwerp at midnight, I only realize the next day.
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