Once upon a Süderoog

Once upon a Süderoog

Once upon a time there was a vessel called Süderoog.

She was virtually shiny and new, having been delivered from the shipyard in December 2005.

Things were going very well for the Süderoog until the global financial crisis started to make it's effects felt in the chartering markets, and by the end of  2008 it was virtually impossible to find her any employment,. The  brave people working for her Owners (Briese Schiffahrts & Co KG MS Süderoog in Leer, Germany)  and BBC Chartering & Logistic (also of Leer, Germany) tried all they could to get the vessel employed, but to no avail.  So finally, regretfully, the only economical solution was for the vessel to be laid up.

Thus it was that during December of that year most of the crew of MS Süderoog were disembarked and the vessel was laid up.  Only two crew members were left on board to look after her while she went into an enforced hibernation.  Moored at the quayside, unladen, waiting......it's impressive cranes dormant,.

And so her plight continued, all the way through 2009.

These sad messages reflect our vessel's plight : 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_ARlZaZEprdmlvV3c

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_Ab1V2Zm0ybk43Wjg

Of the usual nine ratings on board only two were there from January until July, then only an able-seaman/cook until the year end.   The time must have dragged interminably for this one poor soul.

Here is a worksheet showing the actual crew variances for the year :

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AVnRWczNLUVpxa28

"Not, much of a story!", do I hear you say?  Perhaps, but in September strange things had started to happen. Not on board the ship, but on dry land.

A message was sent on the 21st September from Briese's internal crewing department, then 'Leda Shipping GmbH' asking an offshore 'umbrella' management company in Monaco to issue invoices in the name of the offshore corporation (ITCC) used for invoicing the provision of ratings to the owners for a full compliment of officers being on board the ship for the first six months of the year

It read : https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AZHE1THZvZFAtYmc

So there had been Officers on board?  Where had they come from?  Why was ITCC charging for them when they normally only supplied ratings?  Had ITCC also paid their wages?  Where had the vessel been to if it had had a full crew on board?  There must have been crew lists for the port of call records, agents disbursement accounts for theses calls bunkers and supplies bought,  air tickets arranged and paid for, and a whole lot more..  Were we faced with a 'phantom crew'?  Had the 'Süderoog' been making phantom voyages upon the high seas all this time instead of languishing in some forgotten corner of a port as we all had been led to believe? Had the vessel been under a highly sensitive military charter? 

More intrigue was to come......  it seemed the story was not closed, a request was received for an in-house travel agent to reissue invoices for flights to another vessel to the 'Süderoog' instead !!!  And on December  28th a definitive message seemed to explain all :...........................

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AdUd0M3FSeUlZRGs

and this was the attachment:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AUGxld2pMTmJyQW8

This was pretty serious stuff.............................and it continued over the next two days

28th December

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AVDBvZ0NiTEd2U3c

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AaWlSQ3U0TnV6RWc

29th December

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AcWRsektDc3lwVVE

Finally culminating with:

Hellor,

@@ asked me to get back to you in this matter. Indeed some of the previously issued invoices/credit notes are not required anymore. Here is how the figures will officially enter into our books:

 (1) Lumpsum USD 24.100,00 01.01.2009 - 05.07.2009

     => invoices 19667,19909,20200,20473,20712,20913,21118  credit note 22587

 (2) Lumpsum USD 6.600,00 06.07.2009 - 31.12.2009

     => invoices 22588-22593

 (3) wages paid by ITCC on behalf of Süderoog

    => invoices 19708,19947,20238,20510,20749,20950,21153

 Invoices/CN not needed (as you mentioned below): CN 21254, 22581-22586 Inv. 19643,19885,20176,20449,20691,20892

Which you can see here.................

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzhMSgHRO7_AUFhWbXRFa25lTEk

This is only the crewing of the vessel for half a year...............Can you imaging what might be needed for the Charterer's accounts, Agents Disbursement Accounts, Bank Statements (!!!! ????) Bunkers, Lubes, Travel and Transport, 

??????????????????

TO BE CONTINUED