sign your name, please - распишитесь, пожалуйста to get to business - приступить к делу
I didn't catch you - я вас не понял in the presence of - в присутствии
the boat can accommodate 17 persons - в шлюпке может поместиться 17
человек
The Black Sea Shipping Company - Черноморское пароходство port of registry - порт приписки (судна)
If any - если имеется, в случае наличия, при наличии
TEXT
The procedure of clearing the ship inwards in various ports is somewhat different.
In some ports, the ship's agent, or his clerk, comes aboard the ship directly on her arrival and brings a pile of blank forms. These blanks must be filled up to clear the ship in.
If the captain knows this routine perfectly well, he does the job himself or charges one of his mates with this business. Sometimes the captain asks his agent to help him and in this case he just states the fact which must be put down in these documents. Then one of the mates or the agent takes all these documents together with some ship's papers, goes ashore and arranges with the authorities all the formalities for clearing the ship in.
In other ports, the agent comes aboard together with the Medical, Customs, Port and Immigration officers.
They all gather in the captain's cabin or in the saloon, sit down at the table and fill up the blanks themselves. The agent helps the captain to provide them with necessary information about the ship. Very often the agent acts as an interpreter too. When the blanks are filled in the captain
reads them through and signs his name.
The Medical Officer usually requires the captain to produce the following documents: the Crew List, the List of Passengers (if any), the Bill of Health, the Disinfection and Deratization Certificates and the Tonnage Certificate.
The Customs and Port Authorities require the Tonnage Certificate, the Ship's Register or Certificate of Registry, the Certificate of Free Pratique, the Load Line Certificate or Certificate of Freeboard, the Radio Certificate, the Safety Equipment Certificate and the Ship's Official Log Book. They also require the Master's Declaration, the Crew List, the List of provisions and stores, and the Cargo Manifest together with Bills of Lading.
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DIALOGUES
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CAPTAIN. Come in, gentlemen! Sit down, please. I think we may get to business at once.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. Well, let us put down some data about your vessel. First of all, what is the name of your ship?
CAPTAIN. My ship's name is Sukhona.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. How do you spell the ship's name, sir? CAPTAIN. We spell it: S-u-k-h-o-n-a.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. Thank you. Russian names are rather difficult, you know. What is your name, Captain?
CAPTAIN. My name is Vasilyev.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. What are your initials, sir?
CAPTAIN. My initials are M. V. CUSTOMS OFFICER. What is your age, sir?
CAPTAIN. Sorry, I didn't catch you. What did you say? Repeat, please. CUSTOMS OFFICER. Well, I mean, how old are you?
CAPTAIN. Oh, I am 36 years old.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. What is the number of crew on your ship? CAPTAIN. 47 men altogether.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. Any passengers aboard? CAPTAIN. None.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. What is the net tonnage of your ship?
CAPTAIN. The ship's net registered tonnage is 14,300 tons. Gross tonnage is 16,500 tons.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. What kind of cargo have you got aboard? CAPTAIN. We have general cargo. Here is the cargo manifest. CUSTOMS OFFICER. In what port did you load these goods? CAPTAIN. We loaded them in Odessa.
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CUSTOMS OFFICER. Any surplus stores aboard?
CAPTAIN. Some spirits and cigarettes, perhaps. Here's a list of stores and provisions.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. How many gallons of spirits have you got aboard? CAPTAIN. I don't know how many gallons would it make. We've got
about 100 litres of spirits.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. Have you got any typewriters aboard? CAPTAIN. Yes, we've got two typewriters with Russian characters and
one with Latin characters.
CUSTOMS OFFICER. Any live-stock aboard? CAPTAIN. No, none.
AGENT. By the way, Captain, I've got your radiogram in which you order some dutiable stores for use on board. So here's the stores authority for these goods. You are to sign this stores authority in the presence of the Customs House Officer.
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CAPTAIN. All right, let me sign it now.
3
PORT OFFICER. What is the port and number of your registry? CAPTAIN. The ship is registered at Odessa. The number of registry is
437.
PORT OFFICER. What are your calling letters? CAPTAIN. The ship's calling letters are UONG. PORT OFFICER. When was the ship built?
CAPTAIN. The ship was built in 1980.
PORT OFFICER. Will you kindly produce your Tonnage Certificate, the Ship's Register and the Load Line Certificate?
CAPTAIN. Yes, certainly, here they are.
PORT OFFICER. Thank you. How many lifeboats do you carry on your starboard side?
CAPTAIN. We have 3 lifeboats on the starboard side.
PORT OFFICER. How many men can each boat accommodate? CAPTAIN. Each boat accommodates 17 persons.
PORT OFFICER. Thank you. Now I would ask you kindly to show me your Safety Equipment Certificate, Radio Certificate and your Official Log Book.
CAPTAIN. Here you are.
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IMMIGRATION OFFICER. Have you any stowaways, sir? CAPTAIN. No, we haven't.
IMMIGRATION OFFICER. Did you take any passengers aboard? CAPTAIN. No, we didn't.
IMMIGRATION OFFICER. Tell me, please, the exact name of your shipowners and their address.
CAPTAIN. My shipowners are the Black Sea Shipping Company, 1 Lastochkina Street, Odessa.
IMMIGRATION OFFICER. Much obliged. Will you be kind enough to produce all the seamen's books (passports) of your crew? How many
passes will you require for them?
CAPTAIN. I think I will require passes for the whole crew. IMMIGRATION OFFICER. All right, here are 50 blank forms. Let
someone fill them up. Please use block capitals for the names. When they are ready I'll take them down to the police to be signed and stamped. Don't forget to state the rank or rating in the passes.
LABORATORY EXERCISES
I. Listen to the text of the lesson again and answer the following questions:
1. Is the procedure of clearing in the same in all ports? 2. Should only one blank form be filled in? 3. Who is to fill in all these blanks? 4. Whom does the captain charge with this business? 5. Whom may the captain ask
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to help him in this job? 6. How do they both work in this case? 7. Who goes ashore to take the documents to the port authorities? 8. If several officers of the port come aboard, where do they all gather? 9. In what way does the agent help the captain in this case? 10. Does he sometimes act as an interpreter? 11. What should the captain do with the documents before signing them? 12. What ship's papers may the medical officer request the master to produce? 13. What papers may the customs officer require?
14.What papers do the Port Authorities require?
II.Ask your partner questions and make him give brief answers using the
model.
Model: Have you got any passengers aboard? Any passengers aboard?
No, none.
1. Have you got any surplus stores aboard? 2. Have you got any typewriters aboard? 3. Have you got any stowaways aboard? 4. Have you got a radiogram from him? 5. Have you had much trouble with the engine?
III. Listen to the short dialogues, repeat each sentence during the pauses and
learn the dialogues by heart:
"Shall I fill in this blank form?"
"Yes, please. Use block capitals for the names." "Sorry. I didn't catch you."
"I mean letters like printed capitals."
* * *
"What shall I state in these columns?"
"In the first column state the passenger's age, in the second, the number of his passport."
"Oh, I see."
"Don't forget to state his rank or rating too." "No, I won't."
IV. Listen to each of the long dialogues and retell briefly their contents from the point of view of: (a) one speaker, (b) the other speaker, (c) an onlooker.
Make your partner ask you about some details which you missed.
V. Write the dictation:
The procedure of clearing in is not the same in different ports. In some ports the agent fills in all the blank forms himself. Then the captain is only to read them through and sign. In other ports, on the ship's arrival the port officials come aboard. They usually gather in the captain's saloon. The captain invites them to be seated and answers their questions. In this case each of the officials puts down the information he needs in the respective blank form. It may so happen that the conversation is carried on
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in a language other than English. Then the ship's agent acts as an interpreter. If the captain is to sign the papers, he may insist that an English translation of each document be made. In the course of such a business conversation various ship's papers may be required and the master is to produce them.
VI. Practise in pairs enacting the following situations. You act as the captain, your partner —as one of the officers in (a), as Doctor Watson in (b). Then you change
your parts:
(a) Some port officers together with your agent came aboard your vessel. You invited all of them in the saloon, had them all-seated comfortably, and treated them with ice-cream and lemonade. Then each of them started in turn to fill in blank-forms, asking information about your ship. The agent was acting as an interpreter, assisting you to provide necessary data.
(b) The officers asked the captain to produce certain ship's papers. The captain showed them these documents and each of the officers made respective remarks in their entries. Your new friend, Doctor Watson, who does not speak Russian, asks you to explain him the purpose of these documents and you try to do it.
VII. Translate into English:
Какой порядок оформления прихода судна в вашем порту? Какие судовые документы мы должны предъявить и кому? Извините, я не понял вас. Вы говорите, что все оформление производится в таможне. Это ясно. Но почему вы говорите о какой-то «длинной» комнате? А, теперь я вас понимаю. Значит, это традиционное название одного из отделов таможни. В этой комнате производится оформление прихода и отхода судна. Какие же документы требуются для оформления прихода? Вы говорите, что в этом отделе есть несколько официальных лиц, которые проверяют сведения о судне. Некоторые из них требуют судовое свидетельство и мерительное свидетельство. Другие требуют свидетельство о грузовой марке, судовой журнал и свидетельство на судовую радиостанцию. Санврач обычно просит предъявить свидетельство о дератизации и дезинфекции. Представитель иммиграционных властей требует судовую роль и список пассажиров. Спасибо, теперь мне все ясно. У меня есть еще одна просьба к вам. Если в вашей таможне не все говорят по-английски, вам придется выступать в качестве переводчика. Вы говорите, что вы легко можете это сделать и что я не должен об этом беспокоиться? Ну что же, тогда все в порядке. Спасибо.
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