A Ceremony In Japan

Makes A Newtown Woman

A Ship’s Godmother

 

By Shannon Hicks

Rebeka Dahlgard swings a mean hatchet, especially when it counts.

The Newtown resident was in Japan recently, a guest of honor during the christening and commissioning ceremony for a chemical tanker ship. The Chembulk Jakarta is a chemical tanker, 19,800 dead weight (DWT), that was constructed by Chembulk Tankers, LLC. Rebeka’s husband Dan is the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Chembulk, and works in the company’s Westport office.

“It was asked of my husband if I had ever done this before, and if I would be interested in becoming the ship’s godmother,” Rebeka explained.

A two-day celebration of the ship’s christening was held February 13–14 in Hachinohe, a fishing city on the northeastern coast of the island. The Dahlgards, along with their children, Jennifer and James, were guests for the event, which took place in the Kitanihon shipyard, about 350 miles north-northeast of Tokyo.

A colorful ceremony featured traditional Japanese festivities set against the state-of-the-art ship. It lasted between two to three hours, said Rebeka, and would have been even longer had a weather system not accelerated the pace of the proceedings.

Unlike many traditional ship christening ceremonies were someone cracks a bottle of champagne open against a ship’s bow, the Chembulk ceremony featured the cutting of a ceremonial cord. The person who cuts that cord then becomes the godparent of the ship.

Fortunately for the Newtown resident, her family’s international relations — her husband’s career perhaps — and the shipbuilder, when it was time for Rebeka to swing the hatchet that chopped the ship’s ribbon, she made a good swing and the ribbon was cut.

“I was very nervous. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t cut that string,” she said. “If it wasn’t chopped … they’re very superstitious,” she added, her voice trailing off. “I had been told that the Japanese are so superstitious that if the christening didn’t go well they wouldn’t use the ship.”

To add to the pressure, the practice runs of the ribbon cutting did not exactly go well.

“When we first arrived [for the ceremony], in the corner of the tent they had a practice set up for her,” said Dan Dahlgard. “The first two chops were not successful, she didn’t hit the string. Then a woman came and tried to show her how to chop, and even that one wasn’t successful.

“The ceremony went extremely well, however. Rebekah managed to cut the ribbon on the fist chop, which is a good sign,” he added. “That was quite important.”

“I remember leaning over to Dan after I swung the hatchet and cut the string and I just kept whispering ‘Thank god! Thank god! Thank god!,’” Rebeka said with a laugh.

The ceremony also included Dan officially naming the ship and offering a blessing, “basically ‘God bless this ship and all those who sail upon her,’” he said. There were floral presentations to the guests, and brief statements by other dignitaries. Longer speeches were delivered during the luncheon that followed, said Dan.

The morning of the christening was chilly and overcast, and the weather worsened by the minute.

“Everything moved fast, fast, fast,” said Rebeka, who said the group traveled by bus from the hotel where everyone was staying to the shipyard, about a 90-minute ride, and everyone was told that they would be moving quickly because of the weather.

“Literally, when the ceremony was over the rain started. Fortunately, they gave us all umbrellas and the timing was perfect. We were done and it was time to go,” she said.

Chembulk was formed in January 2007 with a mission to be a cutting-edge provider of marine transportation for the chemical industry, deploying 21st Century stainless steel chemical carriers. The company was acquired in December 2007 by P.T. Berlian Laju Tankers Tbk., resulting in an organization that boasts the third largest stainless steel tanker fleet in the world.

Chembulk Jakarta is the 19th ship in the company’s fleet. The 14-tank Jakarta will be used to transport bulk chemicals worldwide. It will sail under a Panama flag.

The two-day celebration began a day earlier, when the Dahlgards and other invited guests were divided by gender and went to traditional bathing ceremonies. A large luncheon — “a seven-course meal, I think, with a lot of fish,” said Rebeka — that afternoon was followed by a karaoke party that evening. “They’re so into karaoke over there,” she said. “We all had a lot of fun.”

“Everything went very smoothly,” Rebeka said in reflection. “After the ceremony they gave me a ceremonial hatchet with my name on it that my husband is going to hang in his office. It was a wonderful experience.

“It’s an honor to be the godmother of a Japanese ship.”