Page 84 - Michael Frost-Voyages to Maturity-23531.indd

Compared with Mantua, Malwa was vast, and was a ‘black oil’ (unrefined) tanker
as opposed to a ‘white oil’ carrier. In appearance, it was also different, having all
its accommodation at the stern of the ship. It took us all of an hour to pack our
bags and hand over to the new cadets. A new chapter in my life had begun; even
the cabin was larger and more luxurious. This again had a purpose; crude oil
carriers rarely went to anywhere pleasant. As an example, I knew of no refinery in
Ceylon, a result of which was that only the smaller white-oil carriers would go to
Colombo, there being no facilities in the country for the bigger crude oil carriers.
Almost all of the destinations for these bigger vessels (though they would now
be considered quite small) were far from cities and for obvious reasons in deeper
waters. Seventeen days later we berthed in Thameshaven. I disembarked.

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