Koh Rong Island
T
he finicky engine coolant pump that caused MV Anurak to anchor off the Cambodian coast had nearly been bashed back into operating shape by the ship’s engineers. It was a necessary repair that required the main power plant to be shut down. It was also an annoying and potentially risky situation, but the Captain didn’t want to suffer a propulsion casualty on the next long leg of his voyage which was south to round the tip of the Vietnamese peninsula. There would be little help for a stricken vessel in those waters.
But if the tests went well, the Chief Engineer speculated they could weigh anchor and get underway for Yokosuka in the morning. That was welcome news. The owners in Bangkok were pressing him to get moving again as soon as possible. They were just as worried as
