www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007340635,00.html

Hmmm not good!

EDIT: Sorry didn't realised they were docked!

Personally I see no problem. Who wouldn't enjoy a break whilst docked. Drivers, even The Sun journalists themselves, wouldn't think twice about eating at the wheel of their cars and the same principal applies. Or maybe I'm still biased against The Sun, given my location. But if any other paper printed the story I'd feel the same - there's no major problem here at all, simply a captain having a break at his post.

Look at the buttons behind the cap' there all red, the engines are off and they are docked. There is nothing wrong with it, especially when you consider the watches they must keep running that schedule. Wouldn't have expected anything less from toilet paper, sorry, the Sun (and I bet they published the pictures with out permission too, and are therefore breaking copyright law)...

I agree with Matthew and Kieren - The Sun have realised that people don't want to read about the Beckham's arrival in LA, and have decided to stir something up.

Anyway, their not even a newspaper...

I agree with the other comments. They'd picked a safe time to have a little laugh around and take a few pictures.
I can understand they look a little silly and possibly irresponsible but they're having a laugh and put no lives in danger. Someone else was probably on lookout while they had their snack.

No-one needed to be on the lookout - they were docked.

I'd have thought that there would be someone watching over things while they were loading/unloading? :unsure:

An officer would be on the car deck supervising the loading, an engineer would have to make sure the ballast and generating systems were working (from the engine control room) and someone on the bridge would be watchin cameras (though that can be done from the engine control room on some ships. You can't see all the bridge in that picture... There is normally 2 people per watch, you only have more when entering or leaving port (I would presume also in the Dover straight considering how busy it is) but there is nothing even the slightest wrong with what they are doing in those photos....

When you say an officer will be supervising the loading - is that different to marshals? Theres between 5 and 10 loading the ship - it's really complicated parking on Speed One - once we just ended up parked like you do in a public car park :D It's especially difficult with a roof box.

The marshals are deck crew, but the first officer (rank before captain) is responsible for loading a ferry (he is they guy that decides who parks where, if ya ever listen to the crew radios in port, they call for 4 roof boxes...20 cars that sorta stuff)...

Hi

The link to the newspaper article don't work, so I have been unable to read the article, but I think I have the general jest of what it is about. Officers eating on the bridge.
On my last ship, particully during thick fog, the Captain would often eat his meals on the bridge. Sometimes he would even go to sleep on a sofa at the back of the bridge. This is so he was close to what ever was happening, and was already there if he was required. Sometimes I would go up to the bridge to check on arrival times, only to be told to be quiet, as the Captain was up there. Incidently, he was not alone. The watch in times of fog consisted of the Watch Officer who was in charge of the watch, one lookout & one helmsman. They normally went to manuel steering in times of fog. The Captain usually caught up with sleep during the time we were in dock.