Berth day
Today is a special day. A new ship arrives. The businessman, who spends four to five days of the week, at his shipyards, is happy to be receiving another ship, an oil tanker named Front Driver, after negotiations with agents at the brokerage house in London.
The vessel can be seen far away on the horizon awaiting high tides to hit land. Fixing a red banner as a target for the beaching captain to drive his vessel towards, the workers make a circle as they pray for the safe beaching of the 285 metres long, 46 metres wide and 85 ft high 89,004-tonne bulk crude carrier owned by a Norwegian company.
The carrier gave the Greenpeace activists several headaches during its time and at the ripe old age of 21 years, the bid for it at one billion was won by Pakistan. Every ship has its story and the story of Front Driver concludes at Gadani.
The pace of the workers grew as contact with the beaching captain, Capt Siddique, was established on land. It was then only a matter of minutes before the ship coming in at top speed ran ground. Following the rummaging by customs at the shipyard, there was nothing else left to do but start work at once.