We'll Always be a Fan

LEAD STORY

We’ll Always be a Fan

The life and times of the M.V Golden Fan

After more than 20 years under Wallem management, the 32-year-old Golden Fan has

retired and has been sold for scrap. The Golden Fan is a Pure Car Carrier (PCC) built in 1985 in Shimanami Shipyard in Imabari, Japan. It was owner Sanasia’s flagship vessel. The vessel came under Wallem management in 1995 and has been on charter to K-Line the entire period. This is testament to our technical capabilities at the highest level. Let’s take a look at the history of the vessel under our management, what the vessel’s owner appreciated most about our service over the years and what the vessel’s former Masters have to say as we bid her farewell.

Captain Syed Mujib Baksh was the first Wallem Master of the Golden Fan. He reminds us that the Golden Fan is not just a vessel, it’s also been a home. He reports that it was a comfortable ship to live on thanks to Wallem ensuring that it had home comforts such as internet connectivity, a theatre room and a spacious mess to make the crew feel at home. He says,

“For most of us sailors, sailing is not just a career, or a job option. It’s a life, and a way of living. It disciplines you as much as it sets you free. We gather memories down this journey, ones that may last us a lifetime. Over the years that

the ship has sailed around the world, Mother Nature has not always been kind. The ship has braved storms and lived to tell the tale. But there have been good days, where she has glided on the open, glassy water, into the sunrise. Sailing with vigilant eyes under the starry night, braving whatever lies ahead.”

Captain Baksh shares that the crew also faced many challenges – mainly because his crew strived to deliver the best possible service.

Each car, loaded onto this car carrier was treated with the utmost care, as the customers are of paramount importance and the vessel was always kept in optimum condition. There was incredible attention to detail and great support from the technical team on land to ensure smooth and safe sailing.

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Captain Baksh also touches on the teamwork he experienced onboard. “On a ship, you give respect and you get respect. The seniors on the Golden Fan were always helpful, and the juniors, always eager to learn and help. Wallem’s emphasis on safety initiatives such as Stop cards and Behaviour Based System (BBS) cards also helped strengthen communication among the team – helping us work closely together, learn from one another’s mistakes, making sure not to repeat them. It was this teamwork environment that brought us together as one family,” he says.

Captain Baksh concludes that every seafarer would agree that sailing was one of the best choices they have made no matter the challenges thanks to the people they meet and memories they make. For he and his crew, the Golden Fan will always have a special place in their hearts.

Captain Gurmit Wig began his career at sea back in 1973. He joined Wallem as a Second Mate in November 1979 and has been with us ever since. In 1989, Gurmit was promoted to Master and after having gained years of sailing experience, was assigned to command the Golden Fan in 2016.

He tells us, “The Golden Fan has been sailing international waters for over three decades with the same vigor and strength as she did when she was built and is still braving rough oceans with great dominance. During my tenure onboard, K-Line Japan, the charterers, graded the vessel as ‘A-b’ during their Annual Safety Inspection / Audit. This was possible thanks to the excellent and timely support provided by the Management team ashore along with hard work and dedication of the team onboard.”

When Captain Wig was informed that the Golden Fan would soon be undertaking her last commercial voyage, and on completion of discharge would be handed over to a ship breaking yard for demolition, he said,

“Looking back at her life’s voyage I can only say that it has fanned a long, wonderful and golden trip and it would be a pity to see her go where no ship ever comes back from. Of course it is a new world so the Golden Fan may soon be replaced by a new, state-of-the-art, innovative vessel. As the saying goes, “It is not the going out of port, but the coming in that determines the success of a voyage.”

“It is not the going out of port, but the coming in that determines the success of a voyage.”

– Captain Gurmit Wig

Senior Technical Manager for Sanasia, Umesh Razdan tells us the story of Sanasia’s long and prosperous relationship with Wallem. He says,

“Haruki Aono came to Hong Kong in 1993 and founded the Hong Kong based company, Sanasia. In 1995 Aono san secured his first vessel to be operated out of Hong Kong, which, as an entrepreneur, was a big challenge. He had to secure the support of a first class management company to reassure K Line with whom the vessel was on long-term charter, and at the same time ensure safe and economic operations of the vessel. He chose Wallem because the company shared his vision and could meet his stringent requirements.

The foundation of our relationship was established with the Golden Fan. Over the years, as Aono san’s business expanded and as his fleet increased, Wallem was the natural choice for ship manager. The secret to our good relationship today is not due to good performance alone but Wallem’s unflagging support and thorough understanding of our needs; in addition to the peace of mind which comes with having close and personal rapport 24/7 with Wallem’s frontline team (Superintendents and Fleet Managers).

We definitely all feel quite sad that our company’s flagship vessel, the Golden Fan has now been retired. However, we are very proud thanks to Wallem’s exemplary management of over 22 years, that the vessel had a longer than normal lifespan (the Golden Fan and the Frisia are in fact the oldest vehicle carriers in the world trading internationally). Thanks to our close relationship and with consistency of performance, we are confident that we will continue to look to Wallem as a

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partner and manager for our PCTC fleet, which we hope to expand in the next 1-2 years.”

Appreciation & Continued relationship

Head of Vehicle Carriers for Wallem Ship Management, Rajan Gupta says, “Our long term relationship with the owner Sanasia has been built on trust, transparency and on prompt and close communication. I would like to thank Sanasia for their continuous support to Wallem and to our Superintendents and Fleet Managers who have worked hard to maintain and build upon this trust.”

As a token of our appreciation, Wallem presented the senior Sanasia team with a framed momento of the Golden Fan. Given the nostalgia associated with this vessel, we are confident that it will have pride of place on their office wall. We look forward to continuous strengthening of our relationship with Sanasia today and in the years to come.

Wallem has a long history and strong experience in managing a fleet of vessels of varying ages and types. This includes dry bulk carriers, tankers, gas carriers, container ships, multi-purpose vessels and PCTCs.

For more information, please contact Managing Director of Wallem Ship Management, David Price at DP@wallem.com

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