MV Toisa Puma

Built as the mv Sulair for BP as a platform support/dp dive vessel she was taken over by Sealion and renamed the TNT Puma then the Toisa Puma but continued supplying the BP platforms in the Forties and Buchan Oil Fields from Peterhead.

Joined in Peterhead 12-12-92 and completed eight tours leaving 25-01-94. The ship was nice enough but like most supply ships of the time it was underpowered with the thrusters for what it was asked to do. Working out of Peterhead was not the best experience in the world and I always said that the best view of Peterhead was out of the back window of a taxi to Aberdeen airport.

We used to sit for hours at a time pumping up water and materials to the platforms so I developed a system using rubber bands to control the ship. I had several rubber bands of different tensions and colours and would pick the correct one for the amount of tension to hold the joystick over to counter the effects of the weather and current. I might start of with a brown then change to a red and then a green as the wind picked up or tide changed. It certainly saved on pain in my wrist and arm caused by holding over a joystick for hours.

The company wanted me to join the Strathfarrar in China so after saying my goodbyes I had a few days leave I headed east to Hong Kong.