The maritime screening room
Reviews of seafaring film
Authored by: Martin Leduc
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Interested in maritime theme films ? Here, we review films, mostly documentaries, and let you know my opinion of them. They are an interesting look into the life and business of being a seafarer on today's oceans.
Please let me know of other marine theme documentaries or movies that we should see (or not).
"
World's Toughest Fixes - Cruise ship engine "
Some long time followers of The Monitor,
might remember a
little blurb quite a few years back, on Royal Caribbean
Cruise Line’s plans to install a Wartsila 12V46 auxiliary engine
on their
Radiance Class ships. These ships were solely powered by two
gas turbines when they came out of the Meyer Werft yard in the
early 2000’s, making them environmentally friendly and ahead of
their time, but unfortunately, not very competitive when it came
to fuel costs.
The other day, I had the pleasure of watching a television show
called
World’s Toughest Fixes, which was covering this actual
carrying out of the plans, in the shipyard. Kinda neat to see
the idea go into actual production. The fascinating process of
shoehorning this massive engine and alternator into a space that
was never originally designed for it, is the star of the show.
The seventh episode of the first season was my first
introduction to the show playing on National Geographic Channel.
The show’s host, Sean Riley, with a job as, and a passion for
rigging, takes us to the Grand Bahamas Shipyard in Freeport,
where the Radiance of the Seas is in a three week dry dock.
Apart from the usual busy yard tasks, work on the ship included
azipod maintenance and the installation of an auxiliary diesel
generator which the show focuses on.
The
show is centered on the shipyard’s point of view, and the
complex logistics of getting the engine into the ship.
Disappointingly, but quite understandable, considering the scope
of the work involved with such a project, the show does not
dwell on the complex work once the engine is in, and the finish
product, because of that, the show remains topical for most
season engineer, but none the less interesting.
The over dramatization on this episode was refreshingly light,
compared to various other television shows showcasing ships,
which is nice to see. Although I did take some offense, on
behalf of the crew, when the host remarks, at one of the ship’s
bar, after a successful docking, that the crew were now relaxing
because their job was done, and that the "shipyard was taking
over" – perhaps for the entertainment and casino crew, but
certainly not for the marine department.
The hour long show is produced by National Geographic Television
in 2008, the second season's episodes play every week on
Thursdays, and I see they have several other marine themed
shows. I am not sure where you can catch this particular episode
in its entirety, although you can see some
clips here.
Martin Leduc
August 2009
"
Freak Wave "
Rogue waves are stuff of legends and seagoing folklore, at least
that’s been accepted for in marine engineering and naval
architecture circles for years. Reports of incredible damage,
disappearance of ships under mysterious circumstance have been
gathering quite a bit of media coverage in the last decades.
Freak Wave, a 2002 documentary style show, co produced by the
BBC and Discovery Channel, explore the phenomena and offers some
pretty convincing arguments that explain the rogue wave, a 100
foot wall of water that crushes large, even well designed ships,
with fury.
The show starts by laying out the predominate belief of a linear
wave patterns and how vessels are built accordingly. Ok so it’s
a little dry at first, but the show quickly gets interesting
with lost of visuals of dramatic seas and serious vessel damage,
that makes even the most seas
oned
mariner wonder the strength of their ship. A TV “who dunnit”
theme takes over, although not overly tacky, and introduces to
the science of wave prediction, using the latest technology. The
research shows trends that throws conventional wave wisdom into
a tailspin.
Towards the end of the program, an American Wave Mathematician,
Dr. Orsborn, gets giddy as he explains that a wave pattern
matches a theoretical model that most experts had discounted for
many decades. The data all points to two different types of
waves, and unfortunately, ships were built with one type in
mind.
The show is sure to interest any mariner and certainly brings a
pause to mind, regarding the overall design of your ship in the
open ocean. The production quality is excellent as most BBC
documentaries
are, and the subject and the research is presented by a wide
array of academics and professionals. I highly recommend this
show, if not for the subject matter, then for the cool and
dramatic rough seas pictured, and the damage they have caused.
You can read a further description of the program on
BBC's website. Wikipedia, like always, has a neat page on
rogue waves, and you can actually the program reviewed above
at you tube.
Pictures are screen shots from the show.
Martin Leduc
June 2009
" Whale Wars - Season One "
Generally seafarers and “tree huggers” are usually on opposite
sides of the social spectrum. One usually being a lofty
idealist, and the other being a pragmatic realist. To see the
both come together, as they do in the television show
Whale Wars,
is a bit of a guilty pleasure. As I write this, I am at sea and
hear that Whale Wars: The Second Season is hitting the airways
of Animal Planet, and I am actually looking forward to it when I
get home.
The first season introduces us to the small ship, MV Steve
Irwin, named after the famed “Crocodile Hunter” star and
charismatic animal lover. The vessel and its crew are on a
mission to find and disrupt any and all whale hunting activities
by a large Japanese fleet, in the expansive waters of the
Antarctic. The vessel, and the organization behind it,
Sea Shepherd Society,
is led by famed environmentalist and co founder of the
Greenpeace movement, Paul Watson. An interesting character,
somewhat enigmatic in the show, but undeniably resourceful and
calculating, perhaps traits learned from being at sea for quite
some time.
The
crew, from various nationalities, are, from what I can tell,
strictly volunteers with no seagoing backgrounds, and judging by
some of the actions of the officers, they lack the beneficial
background as well. Most of the crew though, seem to be vegan
and somewhat free spirits, which on a ship at sea, for 6 weeks
at a time, would be most interesting to see sustained, although
the producers don’t follow this angle.
The show revolves principally on the interactions above the
water line, although, there is a brief reference to the engine
room with an untimely black out (like there is a good time for
those), and late in the season, a cylinder valve drops. That
destroys the turbo on one of the engines, and the vessel is
force to retreat and make repairs, requiring some major funding
and interesting fund raising sources. I though I had problems
generating Purchase Orders through my company’s purchasing
system!
The heart of the show, like most “reality TV” is the drama
between the principal characters; the deck officers, the bosun
and deckhands, the doctor, the cook, the captain. Hell, those
people usually produce enough drama to rival Coronation Street
on a regular ship, never mind that most of them are greenhorns
with a penchant to correct the world’s ills.
Therein
lays the fun of the show. Of course, the show being on a ship in
sometimes rough seas in the Antarctic, certainly adds quite an
interesting visual setting for the average land “blubber”
viewers (pardon the pun).
No matter what your politics are,
Whale Wars
is a well made TV show that I enjoyed watching. Filmed in I a
stark, darkened and cold tone, it is skilfully edited into a
fluid format that easily relays the ultimate goal of the series,
and that is to raise awareness of the
Sea Sheppard Society and its endeavours. One gets the
feeling that the Japanese, and their orderly and hierarchical
culture, are a bit overwhelmed by these environmentalists and
their tactics.
Martin Leduc
June 2009
" The Merchant Navy "
The Merchant Navy is a quasi recruitment film / reality
television program that hit the airwaves in the UK in late 2008.
Produced by Scottish Television and sponsored by
Careersatsea.org,
The show follows the daily operations of professional seafarers,
generally new recruits, aboard various types of UK registered
ships.
In the first three episodes, the cameras follow three maritime
college cadets, of varying backgrounds, on their first sea phase
on board a Maersk container ship, the MV Gateshead, departing
from Miami and transiting the Panama Canal. We get to follow the
greenhorns through the normal shipboard tasks and expectations
that we all, working at sea, have been through. It is kind of a
trip down memory lane, for some, and a good insight for those
considering a life at sea.
Of course there is anxiousness, homesickness, excitement and a
captain who may be a taking his acting career a little too
seriously. The training officer, a grizzled but jovial marine
engineer who is on his last trip before retirement, discusses
some sadness about leaving the life at sea, as he “shepherd” our
three recruits on board their new ship, bringing some
perspective to the career of a seafarer.
The
fourth episodes follow three cadets, deck, engine, and
electrical, as they board P&O’s new ship Ventura, for its maiden
voyage from Southampton. The viewer is treated to various,
albeit brief, looks behind the scene of a large cruise ship.
From comments by the chief engineer and second engineer, to the
cadet being “distracted” by the female dancers, the show gives a
quick look at life on board and the challenges of such a large
complex ship. Life for the new cadets is not made any easier by
senior cadets sending them on wild goose chases.
The last two episodes for the season, I am not sure why, seem to
be more interesting, it seems that the show finds it purpose. We
meet this episode’s ship in Singapore. The MT British Progress,
a modern VLCC, in wet-dock period, before proceeding to Iraq, to
take on a full load of crude oil.
The jitters that one might have because of such a large engine
room, the related hustle and bustle of shipyard days, and the
complexities of shipboard life, are somewhat overshadowed by the
fact that they are heading into an active war zone by way of the
Malacca Straits, a pirate infested water ways. Along the way,
the show shadows various officers on their daily activities;
supervising engine rebuild, boiler survey, cargo tank inspection
and down time after work.
The
show is very well produced, although the first half seems a bit
“fluffy” and lacking a rudder, maybe trying to be too much like
a “reality tv drama”. The second half seems more honest and lets
the images and scenarios brings out the natural anxieties of
being at sea, without being forceful.
One of the things I liked about this show is that it is
relatively easy to access, providing you have a decent internet
connection and some free time. Plus, the narrator’s Scottish
accent is so, shall we say, hypnotically captivating – I’m weird
that way. STV offers all six
episodes of the series on their website in great quality; each
episode is made up of two segments of about 10 to 12 minutes
long. Visit the
website to watch.
Martin Leduc
June 2009
" Mighty Ships "
I
just finished catching the second half of Discovery Channel's
Mighty Ship. If you are in North America, I am pretty sure you
can catch this new series on your local cable TV signal. In
Canada its on
Discovery Channel on Tuesday, 21:00 hrs - which I believe
repeats every four hours after, for the duration of the day.
I was pretty impressed with the quality of the show and the
material covered. Like usual, the most featured area is of the
bridge / deck operations, but in the Becrux episode (a livestock
carrier - pictured), they featured an unscheduled engine
shutdown to investigate an overheating problem. The show on the
Emma Maersk is quite good as well, following the chief engineer
and his duties quite extensively, which I like. The Emma's chief
comes across as a damn good subject for the show, extolling the
many "virtues" in a chief that I admire.
I have not caught all the episodes yet, being a seafarer, such is life. But from what I can see, seasoned seafarers might find that it is a very topical look at life on board, but I think overall its a great view of ships and shipping. Like usual for most maritime documentaries, many errors are made in the description of activities and processes by the narrator. Most professionals will easily have raised eyebrows at some comments made in the various episodes of the series. The producers also take a good deal of leeway in the over dramatization department, which I find annoying - not everything has to be life or death to be interesting.
I would encourage you to catch all six episodes, filmed in High Definition which premiered in late July and is produced by a Canadian team - Exploration Productions. The original show featured the Queen Mary 2, which you can catch, commercial free, online, from their website. The subsequent episodes features the worlds largest container ship Emma Maerks, the Becrux livestock carrier, and Wilhelmson car carrier Faust, Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker Henry Larsen, the Great Lakes bulk carrier Paul R. Tregurtha, and the Tyco cable layer Resolute. You can find show time and details here.
Martin Leduc
February 2009
National Film Board of Canada
The
National Film Board of Canada has recently put up much of its
collection online, for all to access. This is a fantastic
resource for all that is Canadian, but also an interesting look
back at seafarers and technology. Most films are quite dated and
specific maritime films are somewhat difficult to find, but
within a few minutes I was looking at arctic exploration
documentary, another was a 1979 production on oil conservation,
featuring a good deal of offshore platforms, tankers, navy ships
and such from the period. You can access the
archive online.
Martin Leduc
February 2009
“ Piracy in the Straits ”
50,000 ships transit the Straits of Malacca every year; the world's busiest shipping channel. Not only is it a navigation challenge, but it has become a notorious area for pirate attacks - a major security challenge. This 2005 documentary films starts out by laying out the piracy problem through the experiences of various ship captains, as well as introduce the viewers to the greater geographical, economic, and military importance of the Malacca Straits. In a post September 11 world, this particular problem of piracy, originating primarily from the Malaysia archipelago, invokes a heightened level attention due to the predominately Muslim populace and the poverty of that country. The modern day piracy acts in the area started out as "simple" theft, over the years it has escalated with more serious consequences of murders, kidnappings, and hostage taking. The logical conclusion points to a more sinister use of pirate tactics by fundamentalist, and or terrorists, to carry out a spectacular attack. This is the background of the report.
Filmmaker and expert in the area, Mr. Eric Frecon, is followed by a camera crew into Malaysia, just across the straits from opulent Singapore (pictured), in an attempt to meet the pirates and to explain the scope of the problem, and the various challenges of tackling it. Although unable to reach the the upper echelons of the pirate groups, Mr. Frecon does a good job of introducing us to the "foot soldiers" involved, their situation, and the benefits as seen from the pirates point of view. The film then concludes with steps taken, and those needed to mitigate this escalation of piracy incidents and possible terrorism implications. Overall I found the film to be an informative, not overly alarmist (as sometime this topic has become), well packaged documentary of a relevant topic, presented in a professional manner with flawless filming.
The film is just over 50 minutes long and made by Patrick Benquet and Eric Frecon. It is a production of "Beau Comme Une Image" with the participation of France 2 and France 5. It looks like it was originally in French; the version I obtained was from Australia, and was reworked for an English audience, with a clear narration and easy to read subtitle where necessary. The regional maps of the area and the country names, though, remain in French, but most people should have no problem understanding the geographical locations highlighted. I am uncertain where you can obtain this film; you can try various peer to peer networks for possible copies or look for it to be broadcast on television.
Martin Leduc
August 2008
"International Shipping: Life blood of world trade"
I received this short video, in DVD format, from the International Chamber of Shipping, a UK based organization representing Shipping Associations from numerous countries across the world. They put out this video to educate the general public of the importance of shipping and its effect on everyone's daily lives. Basically it's a promotional video for shipping. The project is part of a larger promotional campaign, another part being the website, www.shippingfacts.com, which offers much of the same information, but in an online format.
It is narrated in six different languages and is a little over eight and half minutes long. The video offer insight and information on the benefits of shipping. It exposes the viewer to some of the regulatory framework and how they come about. It also introduce the viewer to the most common types of ships they may see, and their purpose. The presentation also offers the average non nautical viewer facts about the role shipping plays in the daily financial lives.
It is filled with lots of clips of ships and seafarers in action, which is certain to keep your attention. It is also peppered with many facts that are sure to make the average person think allot more about the impact shipping has on their daily lives. I enjoyed it and I would expect people who see this, may be more appreciative of seafarers and shipping in general. The video can be obtained free of charge, yes, free, from the website above. Since I have some bandwidth, I have made it available for download (in English only) on this website by clicking here or on the picture above.
Martin Leduc
August 2007
"Master's Orders, Pilot's Advice"
At a recent Vancouver Island Branch meeting of the Canadian Institute of Marine Engineering, a presentation was made by Capt. Ed Lien, a pilot with the Pacific Coast Pilotage Authority. He showed numerous pictures and explained some of his experiences in the role of a BC pilot. One of the features of the night was the showing of "Master's Orders, Pilot Advice"; a documentary on a day in the life of a Marine Pilot in British Columbia.
The documentary was first released in 2002 by Triad Communications, but has been recently update, to include a focus the security benefits of Pilots. Regardless of where you are in the world, you are sure to be impressed by the quality of the production with plenty of action shots and insightful narrative. The film follows several pilots on their journeys aboard visiting ships, from cruise liner leaving Vancouver bound for Alaska, to assisting a US Navy aircraft carrier getting into harbour, and several other types of ships in between.
The film not only gives a detailed look of a pilot's work, but is a real treat for any professional seafarer or ship enthusiast. It provides such a rare and modern glimpse of ships and seafarers and the important work they do. The film is smoothly made up of sweeping aerial sights and tight "people action" footage onboard ships on Canada's beautiful British Columbia Coast.
"Master's Orders, Pilot Advice" is occasionally shown on the television's Knowledge Network in British Columbia, Canada. It comes in DVD or VHS format and most likely available at your public library. It can be ordered from Vancouver based Triad Communications at their E Store for about $30 Canadian dollar.
Martin Leduc
November 2006
“Betrayed; The story of Canadian Merchant Seaman”
I had long heard about this video documentary “Betrayed;
The story of Canadian Merchant Seaman”. A film by
It’s a story of the “not so long ago” in our Canadian maritime world, told by several members of the Canadian Seamen’s Union . It has a bit of rhetoric, which always turns me off, but it’s only a small part of the piece. Overall it gives good insight into the current condition of the Canadian (which is very similar to allot of other former maritime nations) commercial maritime industry.
It covers the time after the Second World War, with the
abandonment of the merchant navy by the Canadian government;
subsequently, the creation of the Canadian Seamen Union. Then
it’s brutal dismantling by US and Canadian shipping interest,
aided by the government and the American Seafarer International
Union using force and McCarthyism tactics. It touches on the
shipbuilding industry and of course current events as a result,
namely Canada Shipping Line. CSL is Canada’s
former prime minister’s company, which evades taxes and
responsibility by using Flags of Convenience. Furthermore,
exporting that mentality to modern day
I found the documentary satisfying and interesting. In today’s world it’s very easy to get lost in our own environment and forget to see around us, the effects that complacency has on us all. This film gives us some depth and insight in our maritime world.
You can purchase it through email at the creator's website. You can borrow the video (for free!) at the Victoria Public Library and I imagine at most reputable public libraries.
Martin Leduc
October 2005
“ Turbulent Waters ”
I had the pleasure of running across is “Turbulent Waters” a documentary by Malcolm Guy and Michelle Smith, co produced by the National Film Board and Multi Monde in 2004. I really liked this one because it is very current, is not ancient history, although the problems are age old. You see faces that could be on any of today’s commercial ships.
It tells the story of three International Transport
Federation (ITF) inspector as they go about their business,
representing seafarers being bullied by unscrupulous “business
practices” and ship owners. One is in
I give this one "Four Anchors". Well done, great insight, and timely. This is a great glimpse of life at sea, which the majority of the public is not aware exists, or believe to be much more romantic.
This video is available to borrow, for free at the
Victoria Public Library, if you are in
Martin Leduc
October 2005