Lita

Having been attending to Bore King and Borea for works we were then sent to m/v Lita, managed by Henry Nielsen LLC, a company originally founded in 1923 by Nielsen who was from Denmark and a Swedish partner Gustaf Thorden. Eventually the partners separated but Nielsen continued with the management and chartering business. He successfully continued to manage ships for different companies but in the end of 70's the market conjunctures went south for bulk and cargoes so in the beginning of the 80's the ships were sold off and flagged out in short order. It was at this time I went to school deciding for a career in an industry that was flailing.

 

m/v Lita at Long Beach Roads 1983, photo by Raimo Mäkinen

m/v Lita at Long Beach Roads 1983, photo by Raimo Mäkinen

This was a company renowned for bulk cargoes and tankers, they had a good reputation for crewing and retaining them, or at least this was the word in school back in the day. The HR Manager Mr Pentti Ojamies was a legend in his own right for arranging work for people and putting the right person onboard. Unfortunately the company Henry Nielsen became defunct around 1995 when the last ship Tebo Olympia was sold and other parts of it was either renamed or absorbed by other outfits.

I remember working on Henry Nielsens m/s Lita, one of the famous ships built 1975 in Sevilla, Spain. It was a nearly 200m long bulk carrier that could load 35000DWT. We were there helping getting her ready for the last voyage as she had been laid up off Turku. 

We were rostered to go there certain mornings and "ring the bell", that consisted of a heaving line ashore going through a pulley and attached to a big schackle on aft deck. One would pull the line and let the schackle bang on the deck and a deckhand would row ashore to pick us up. The atmosphere was a bit depressing as the crew was about to lose their jobs with this last trip.

Eventually she went before winter arrived from Turku to load cargo in Yxpila and from there to Rotterdam never to return to Finnish flag. 

Undated picture courtesy of : Sea-Foto/Hannu Laakso

email: laaksopk (at) gmail.com

Two lucky classmates were selected to follow the vessel from Turku to Yxpila, my mother said no to such a trip as we needed the permission from our parents. It was a huge ship in my eyes and she really was a massive bulk carrier in the Finnish merchant fleet. 

Below are some historical tidbits of Lita and pictures of her travels and specs.

Company pamphlet from Henry Nielsen via Asko Arkkola

Like Finnish ships before, also Nielsen visited South Africa, and was written about in the local press, below is an article of Lita in the Natal Mercury, 20th July 1976, for ease of reading I've transcribed the article below in it's entirety.

SURPRISES IN STORE ON THE LUXURY LITA

WHEN I embarked on a surprise visit to the Helsinki-registered bulker, Lita, In Durban harbour yesterday morning, the tables were turned - it was not them but I who was in for some surprises.

Finnish vessels are extremely rare guests in local waters. And if what Captain Pekka Pyrhonen says is no understatement - "she's just an average Finnish ship" - then it is an outstanding example of modern

operation. 

The master's suite is like a five-star hotel's reception room. High standard furniture compliments the tasteful wall decorations while pretty patterned carpets cover the alleyways throughout. 

Admittedly, the R11million Lita of 35 000 tons deadweight is a new ship - only six and a half months old - and now on her third voyage. 

But Captain Pyrhonen leaves no doubt when he categorically states that "she'll look just the same in the many more years to come. That's company policy.'' 

At the age of only 29, he fits in well with the overall average of his all Finnish crew of 28.

Most of them are well under 30.

Lita is no exception to her operators policy to employ "qualified women wherever there's the opportunity. In all we've six women working onboard," says the master. 

One of them is 25 year-old Miss Outi Iljin. The others are in charge of catering on the spotlessly clean vessel. Working in the Lita are two crew couples. They are second engineer Mr. Rauno Leppikangas and his mess-girl wife, Kristina. and bosun Rainer and his mess-girl wife Vuokko Ekberg. 

Among the seemingly endless luxuries aboard the 196m long Lita are two saunas and a fully equipped gymnastics room.

Lita, which was built at the Spanish Astilleros, Espanoles S.A. yards as the fifth of a mammoth order of 15 identical ships, is on her first visit to Durban. 

Currently under voyage charter to Fedocean of Monrovia, the ship is owned by Oy Malita Shipping Company while her managing owners are Henry Nielsen Oy/Ab, both of Helsinki.

The 11550bhp ship, which is specially strengthened for ore cargoes arrived here from European ports on July 10. She is currently discharging 15111 tons of sulphur fertiliser at Maydon wharf no 15.

Another 6 200 tons of mixed fertiliser cargo is to be discharged at the Mozambican port of Beira later. ln all, Lita will discharge in Durban a mixed cargo of 26 746 metric tons. 

Further charter arrangements have not been made yet. 

Lita is Captain Pyrhonen's second charge. The first, Lita's sistership, Matai was eight months ago "after my 10-year long career that started back in 1965 as a deckboy."

One of the vessel's most outstanding features - conveniences such as a 12m by 3m swimming pool are regarded as mere standard equipment - is Lita's bridge. 

It has the most modern navigational aids imaginable. 

During an extended tour of the bridge, captain Pyrhonen made special mention of:

- The fully bridge-controlled unmanned engine room

- A Doppler speed log unit which records the ship's true distance and speed over seabed;

- The latest in gyro steering systems;

- A radio facsimile receiver, that enables the Lita men to link up with any of the large international weather stations by radio at a second's notice to receive a printed weather map;

- Two radars, one of which is linked to an anti-collision system. It makes it possible to establish the course, speed, estimated passing time and distance of any object, in motion or stationary;

- A radio direction finder;

- The Decca "Navigator" for coastal navigation; and

- A combined Omega receiver and recorder system for ocean navigation.

The heart of all cargo operations on board Lita is the bridge mounted Loadmaster computer.

This electronic wonder machine reflects, after having been fed with relevant information, all stresses (bending moment and shear force) on the ship's hull under cargo conditions. It also shows draught, trim, deadweight and other technical data based on given details of holds, tank content weights and cargo position.

Inset: "With seven ships of the new class for our owners already in service and another eight to follow soon. Finnish vessels could become more regular guests in South African waters" the master, told me.

Clippings saved by Outi Iljin (radio officer)

Lita on the Pacific around Cape Horn 1983 by Raimo Mäkinen

Lita on the Pacific around Cape Horn 1983 by Raimo Mäkinen

Maintenance on deck at sea in 1983, by Raimo Mäkinen

Specifications and milestones as follows from Aanimeri:

Name: m/s LITA 

Other names: Leninsk, Orca, Perca I, Prime

Sisterships: Altano, Caldereta, Forano, Kauko, Levante, Matai, Nan Fung, Patricia, Pampero

Call sign: OIDM

Class: LR

IMO number: 7386362

GT/ NT: 19999/ 13728

Builder: Completed Astilleros Espanoles Sevilla. 

Shipyard no. 177
Keel laid: 1973.9.18
DW 34 995t 

Power: 11 550 BHP

Length 196.02m, beam 24.26m, draught 11.14m 

1975.12.26: LITA, homeport Helsinki. Oy Malita Shipping Ltd (Henry Nielsen)

1978.6.30: Ab Helsingfors Steamship Co. Ltd (Henry Nielsen)

1984.12.13: LENINSK, Chernomorskoye Morskoye Parokhodstvo (Black Sea Shipping) Odessa. Price USD 5 mil. Delivery in Rotterdam

1990: Baltiyskoye Morskoye Parokhodstvo (Baltic Shipping) Leningrad

1996: ORCA, sold at an auction

1996.10: PERCA I, Denmer Corp, Panama 

1998.10: PRIME, Wild Shipping Ltd, Valletta

2000.9.15: arrived at Alang for demolition.