When we’re in port, there are lots of activities that happen in and around the ship. Supplies are loaded, paint is applied to the hull, and dignitaries come aboard for a tour and lunch. Weekly, the crew are put through some type of emergency drill, sometimes overseen by the local authorities. In fact, while we were in Melbourne, the Australian Coast Guard came aboard and put the crew through a drill. Sadly, while in port, we occasionally disembark the remains of a fellow passenger. These are the many activities and operations that are the rhythm of a cruise ship.

While in port in Fremantle, we topped off our fuel tank for the 7-day journey across the Indian Ocean. Fellow passenger Barbara Trenholm captured the bunkering of fuel in a great photo. She reported, “The Absolute alongside fueling of the Island Princess in Fremantle as we get ready to cross the Indian Ocean. The Absolute is the highest capacity bunker vessel in its fleet, capable of carrying up to 8,675 cubic meters of fuel with a pumping capacity of 1,000 cubic meters per hour.”

Also in Fremantle, while heading out to sea, our ship provided assistance for a hostile-boarding training drill for the Western Australia Tactical Response Group. The TRG operates under the Australian Federal Police (AFP), granting them the ability to safeguard Australian interests both domestically and abroad. TRG members receive training for urban, rural, and maritime environments. My friend and photographer Dennis Baker captured the photos of the unit boarding the ship. It was an impressive feat considering how big our ship is and we were booking at 20 knots in choppy seas.