I have unpleasant news from our technical advisor:

There will be no container from India! Up here in the north it is customary, that when an agreement has been reached, the price will remain fixed. However, in India the customs of trade are very different. The equipment was re-marketed to pump up the price yet again. This practise is even more appalling when there are delivery dates to keep and transports arranged. The same cursed phenomena cost us already the whole vessel and now this.

It seems that we will have to settle for one messy B-cabin in the maritime museum. I wouldn't mind if the professionals of GTS Finnjet went in and cleaned that cabin...

RK comment:

My original first year "Steel" goals for the society have been to retrieve a container of materials from Finnjet and to have the memorials erected.

Secondary hopes and fallbacks for the container have been to assist another party with their purchase of GTS Finnjet machinery and equipment. By doing this we would have the equipment back in Europe and much closer to our museums. The main goal is to preserve and whether a museum gets the equipment next week or two decades later doesn't matter.

Things got very far with the container where assistance was given. At best we were under the assumption that the freight was in motion already. When things have cooled down a little, I'll show you what the mystery freight was. Words alone mean so little, but these pictures do hit home. Finnjet, not just sitting on the beach, but her pieces torn allover the beaches of Alang, all bent, twisted and ruined. Whatever can be smashed, has been smashed. It is horror of biblical proportions.

Giving up is no option if you have followed our story so far. A Mr Väyrynen jested on another forum that it looks like in the end we will bring back a single bolt from the ship. I applaud your optimism good sir! Joking aside, there are confirmed small shipments that have been sent to Finland and we're still busy talking with traders. What we need the most, is a good man at Alang for now and for later.

The second part of the "Steel" goals are the memorials. We had hopes of having an important step being taken last week, but once again we are flying in a holding pattern. We are missing the price tag! The good news is that the reconditioned propeller blades never left for India. They were sold to a European smelting yard. When we finally found them with the good help of ex-SeaCo people, Rolls Royce and our technical advisor, we learned that the other spare parts had been destroyed already. The lost items are: Tail shaft, main reduction gear spares and an overhauled 18V32 camshaft.

I shared some words this week with Mr Haapanen about the memorials and came to the conclusion that so many of the important people who could have helped with Finnjet in Germany are retired or dead. We here are just individuals and we do not speak for a company. That is always a hurdle in our efforts. Whatever we do get done, can be considered as a success.