Arriving on the ship

So here we are sitting on our blue sofa, in a carpeted room (neither of us like carpeted rooms – rooms with carpets strewn around is more like us), looking through the photos of our first impressions on CMA CGM Rodolphe.

We feel a sudden jolt – they are still loading the containers. It could block our window further. We will keep our fingers crossed that at least the sky is spared!

We were picked up at 11:45 by Mr. C from CMA-CGM. He drove us to the port – Pasir Panjang Terminal and told us stories of Singapore on the way. Seeing my camera, he remarked – no photos at the port. As the port came into view, through the high rises of Singapore, we quickly clicked a couple of pictures before the no photography zone appeared.

First, Mr. C stopped at a gate for immigration check. He unloaded us and our luggage, promised to meet us at the other end after our immigration. We walked the circular walk path pushing our suitcases, encountering a few passengers coming into the city from the port, pushing their suitcases – perhaps they came off our ship or another. At the turnstile, we were met by a lady who looked at our passport. She checked it and asked us to pass through. We were led into another room to which Mr I, a jovial official opened the door for us and led us in. Mr I coached the person handling M’s immigration and handed me over, multitasking quite effectively, to a lady who seemed to know what she needed to do.

The office is an old office filled with files – think of old Indian public sector offices. The desks that they are sitting at are more like the ones in the old banks – a high part in front of me and a lower part for the lady’s papers and computers. She swiped my German passport, removed the embarkation card and asked me to put my thumbs on the machine for scanning. The ultra modern camera took my picture and gave a green tick. I was set. On the right was a very high security check belt – The thought of lifting my 20 kg suitcase onto that made me a bit tired already. Mr I, still joking with his officers, all of them in a dark colored T-shirt with an official emblem on it, waved us through another door where Mr C was anxiously peering through. Luckily, no lifting heavy suitcases – I heaved a sigh of relief.

Mr. C drove us through the port, in between containers of different colours. We crossed some amazingly photographable scenery of pink containers on yellow trucks crossing the green cranes that are loading the containers on the ship. I really wanted to click but tried my best not to cross the boundaries.

We reached the pier where our ship is docked. The first ship there is a small one. We crossed that and came to the second one – while it was huge (imagine stacking up 15-20 Ms one on top of the other… that might sum it up…), I was convinced it would be the next one that was even bigger. Both are CMA-CGM. We stop at the first one – that is the CMA-CGM Rodolphe (no pictures from outside allowed at this port). Mr. C left us there with the luggage. He had flagged to the crew that they should come and help us with the bags.

We looked up the gangway and at each other and strategized how to take up the things. While we were doing that a savior’s face appeared above. He walked down the stairs, hoisted our suitcase and went right back up! Then came another one and did the same to mine… he asked me to walk ahead of him. Not having any heavy things to carry, the walk up was a cake walk. We signed in and were led to the Chief Mate to be taken to the room.