April 2012

Volume 45 | Number 04 | April 2012 | £3.50 €3.70

Titanic lessonsDisaster remains ofrelevance today,Nautilus argues24-25

In the dockComplex factorsthat can put youinto the courts22-23

NL nieuwsDrie pagina’smet nieuws uitNederland34-36

PM is warned overransom payments

Master facing jailon drink chargesF

The Polish master of a CookIslands-flagged general

cargoship involved in a collision witha passenger ferry in Belfast Loughlast month could face up to twoyears in jail, a court was told.

Captain Miroslaw Pozniak hasbeen charged with being over thealcohol limit when his vessel, the1,543gt Union Moon, collided withthe 21,856gt UK-flagged ro-pax ferryStena Feronia.

No one was injured in theincident, but both vessels sufferedsubstantial damage and theMaritime & Coastguard Agency saidCapt Pozniak was arrested after bothmasters were tested for alcoholfollowing the collision.

In a remand hearing atNewtownards magistrates’ court,prosecutors said they had decided totake the case against the Polishnational to the crown court becauseof the seriousness of the charge.A lawyer for the Public ProsecutionService told district judge Mark

Hamill the maximum penalty for theoffence that could be handed downin the higher court is two yearsimprisonment.

Lawyers for Capt Pozniak told thecourt he was a law-abiding man withan exemplary record at sea, and hadfully cooperated with police duringquestioning. They indicated that hewill plead guilty to being over thealcohol limit and he was remandedin custody after police objected tobail being granted, arguing that theydid not consider his ship to be a‘suitable address’.

The court also heard that CaptPozniak had been sacked by hisemployers, Continental ShipManagement of Norway, in thewake of the incident and thecompany was not prepared toprovide bail for him.

The UK Marine AccidentInvestigation Branch has launchedan investigation into the causes ofthe incident.Picture: Press Association

InsideF Training outcryNautilus condemnsplans to cut payrates for UKcadets — page 3

F Over and out?Downturn cutscrew comms budgets, Inmarsatreveals — page 20

F Nostalgia livesCruise firm helpsseafarers to relivethe golden age ofshipping — page 28

Nautilus raises alarm at signs of concerted political pressure to outlaw payments to pirates

PSeafarers will pay with their livesif governments go ahead withplans to outlaw the payment of

ransoms to pirates, Nautilus Internationalhas warned.

The Union has written to UK primeminister David Cameron to voice its oppo-sition to plans to create an internationaltaskforce ‘to discourage the payment ofransoms to pirates and other groups toeliminate the profit motive and preventthe illicit flow of money and its corrosiveeffects’.

The taskforce was announced by the PMduring an international conference onSomalia, held in London in February. TheUK government says the task force willbring together experts from across theworld to better understand the ransombusiness cycle and how to break it.

US secretary of state Hillary RodhamClinton told the conference she supportedmoves to prevent the payment of ransoms,

And in a speech to US Chamber of Com-merce last month Bureau of Political-Military Affairs assistant secretary AndrewShapiro argued that submitting to piratedemands has created a vicious cycle ‘whereever-rising ransom payments have not justspurred additional pirate activity, buthave also enabled pirates to increasetheir operational capabilities and sophisti-cation’.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dick-inson said he was concerned that thereappears to be a growing and concertedattempt to make the payment of ransomsillegal — something that would jeopardisethe safety of seafarers held captive.

‘There is no dispute that the number ofcrew members held for ransom has risensharply and that the size of ransomdemands has also increased dramatically,’he added.

‘Nautilus does not condone the payingof ransom by shipowners. However, we

support them in doing so as a necessity inorder to ensure the safe return of seafarersto their families,’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘Thishas been brought about by the failure ofthe maritime powers, including the UK, toensure the sea lanes are open to all that goabout their lawful business.’

Despite the large amounts of moneybeing spent to protect ships and their crewsfrom the threat of piracy, as well as thewidespread adoption of Best ManagementPractices and the limited protection that isprovided by naval assets in the vast high-risk area, it is inevitable that some shipswill fall victim to pirates, Mr Dickinson toldthe PM.

‘In such circumstances, we believeshipowners have no option but to pay aransom to secure the release of their crews,’he stressed. ‘It is clear from some incidentsin Somalia that attempts to prevent or frus-trate the payment of ransoms can put sea-farers into extremely dangerous positions

and can expose them to additional vio-lence and intimidation.’

Mr Dickinson said there were stronggrounds for believing that pirates wouldcarry through on threats to kill hostagesor cause environmental damage if they arenot paid.

‘To consider that ransom paymentsshould be prohibited or discouraged isdeplorable — seafarers will pay with theirlives and shipping companies will pay ontheir balance sheets,’ he added.

‘At no stage has any minister providedus with the requested assurances or infor-mation on what the alternative to non-payment of ransoms would be,’ Mr Dickin-son pointed out.

The Union has asked the PM to providea detailed explanation of the remit for theinternational task force and has requestedtalks with government officials to discussthe issues in more detail.

gFull report — see page 27.

NAUTILUS AT WORK

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2012

Young membersget a new forum

A‘Every woman safe everywhere’was a central message of this

year’s Women’s TUC conference —and Nautilus International’s motionhighlighted the need for more work tobe done on this issue.

Nautilus member Jessica Tysonput forward a motion which raisedconcern at the high number ofsuspicious deaths which occur atsea — highlighting the cases ofAkhona Geveza, who died after goingoverboard from the UK-flaggedSafmarine Kariba in June 2010, andRebecca Coriam, a British citizen whowent missing from the Bahamas-flagged cruiseship Disney Wonder.

The motion — which wasunanimously supported by theconference — called for the UKshipping minister to improve the way

shipboard crimes are investigated bythe British authorities, and to ensurethat all British women seafarers cango about their jobs without the fear ofcrime or the fear of crimes goinguninvestigated.

‘If a British or foreign person diesin suspicious circumstances in the UKthe police launch an investigation; if aBritish person dies abroad, the UKauthorities get involved,’ said Jessica,who is vice-chairwoman of theNautilus women’s forum. ‘Why doesthis not happen for incidents onBritish-flagged ships, or when Britishcitizens are onboard foreign flaggedships?’

Jessica highlighted an advert inthe Labour Research magazine whichcalled for an end to violence againstNHS staff and promised that tough

action would be taken — includingprosecution — against any

perpetrators. ‘Why are seafarers, men and

women, not being afforded that sameright?’ she asked.

‘The right to a safe workplace issomething we all want, but whenthere is an incident, we deserve theright to a thorough and fairinvestigation with appropriate actiontaken against those who commitcrimes.’

The motion was backed by Uniteand UCU, who highlighted thenumber of deaths at sea and the lackof training that cruiseship staff receivebefore going to sea.

Jessica also spoke supporting amotion on older women workers,which highlighted the vitalcontribution this group make to theworkplace and to society in general.‘All women should be entitled tosupport their families,’ she said. ‘Thatincludes being able to work towhatever age they feel necessary.’

New request for discussions on processes for investigating offences at sea

PNautilus has written to the Mayor ofLondon, Boris Johnson, in a fresh callfor discussions on the procedures

used by police to investigate crimes at sea.The Union had urged the Mayor to use his

responsibilities for the Metropolitan Police —which takes the lead in dealing with allega-tions of offences at sea — to open up dialogueon the way in which such cases are handled.

Nautilus says it is concerned about a num-ber of cases — including those of cadetAkhona Geveza and cruiseship worker RebeccaCoriam — which demonstrate the shortcom-ings of the complex jurisdictional proceduresfor investigating suspicious deaths when amix of flag state, coastal or port state, andcrew nationalities are involved.

General secretary Mark Dickinson told MrJohnson: ‘I believe that it is imperative thatwe find better ways of dealing with the poten-tial legal hurdles that such a mix creates, so

that we can avoid the situation in whichresponsibilities can be diffused between dif-ferent administrations.

‘We are especially concerned about theprocesses that apply in the event that it isdetermined that another country’s investiga-tions are inadequate, or not in accordancewith UK judicial principles,’ he added, ‘and weare also anxious to clarify the principles andprocesses followed in the event of a UK sea-farer dying in suspicious circumstancesonboard a foreign-registered ship.’

Mr Dickinson said Nautilus has been incontact with both Scotland Yard and Hamp-shire Police, as the lead forces in dealing withmaritime crimes and in undertaking a reviewof the procedures followed. ‘Whilst we had ini-tially helpful and constructive responses, I amconcerned that the issue seems to have gonecold and no dialogue appears to be takingplace,’ he added.

Mr Dickinson said it was regrettable thatthere are still unresolved questions related tothe case of Akhona Geveza, almost three yearsafter she was found dead in the sea off thecoast of Croatia.

Although shipping minister Mike Penninghas responded with proposed new guidelinesfor ship masters on securing evidence frompotential crime scenes, Mr Dickinson said heremained frustrated at the lack of detailed dia-logue on such critically important issues.

‘I believe it is imperative that we put anend to the apparent confusion surroundingresponsibility for investigating and takingaction on serious crimes committed onboardships,’ he added.

‘There have been too many other exam-ples in which the nationality mix of victims,owners, operators, ships and location have cre-ated a jurisdictional web that impeded ade-quate and timely investigation,’ he added.

Women’s TUC backs ship safety appeal

Jessica Tyson moves the Nautilus motion at last month’s Women’s TUC conference Picture: Janina Struk

AThe Nautilus Internationalwomen’s forum met in

Wallasey recently to discuss a widerange of issues affecting femalemembers of the Union.

The meeting discussedmaternity and paternity rights,including minimum standards forinclusion in collective bargainingagreements. Members expressedconcern that there appeared to be alack of understanding of individualrights and also a lack of knowledge,

application and implementation ofsuch rights within the industry.

The meeting also elected a newvice-chairwoman, Jessica Tyson,following the appointment of FionaRush as industrial organiser withinthe Union’s full-time staff.

The date of the next meetingwas changed to avoid a clash withschool holidays, and it will nowtake place on Saturday 16 June2012 from 1100hrs to 1600hrs atthe Nautilus head office in London.

ANautilus general secretaryMark Dickinson is pictured

with Captain Ken McCloud and RoryMurphy of the Merchant NavyOfficers’ Pension Fund employersgroup and registered nurse AngieReynolds during a visit to theUnion’s Mariners’ Park care homefor retired seafarers and theirdependants.

Capt McCloud told the Union hewelcomed the chance to tour the

Union’s welfare facilities atWallasey and said both he and MrMurphy were particularlyimpressed by the care home.

‘Ship-shape and Bristol fashionis an apt description which, coupledwith the great staff attitude, hasproduced a first-class facility whichis a credit to Nautilus,’ he added.‘We were also impressed with yourplans for further development ofthe Park.’

Union calls for talkson crime concerns

Nautilus welfare work winspraise from employers

ANautilus International financeand care administrator Linda

Booton celebrated 40 years with theUnion last month.

She is pictured above with generalsecretary Mark Dickinson, deputygeneral secretary Mike Jess andNautilus Welfare Fund chairmanCommodore Bob Thornton whocongratulated Linda on herachievement and thanked her for the

many dedicated years of service shehas provided to the Union’s charityand its beneficiaries, and to the Unionand its Welfare Fund Committee.

Linda began her career as anadministrator with the MercantileMarine Services Association (MMSA)in 1972, before going on to becomefinance officer with NUMAST WelfareFunds and then the Nautilus WelfareFund.

Linda’s 40 years of service

AThe inaugural meeting of theNautilus International Youth

Forum is due to take place nextmonth at the Union’s head office inLondon.

The creation of the forum wasunanimously agreed at the Union’sGeneral Meeting in Rotterdam inOctober 2011, when several cadetmembers called for young people tobe given a voice in the Union similarto that given to women members viathe Women’s Forum.

The youth forum meetings will bean opportunity for young members toengage in discussions on the specificchallenges facing young seafarers inthe maritime profession.

There will be discussions on howto promote maritime careers to otheryoung people and how Nautilus can

organise young members toencourage their participation inUnion activities. The forum willprovide guidance to the Council onthese, and a range of other issuesaffecting young members.

The forum will meet twice a year,with meetings normally taking placeeither in London or Wallasey. The firstmeeting will be held on Saturday 12May in London from 11am to 4pm.

All young or trainee membersholding full membership are entitledto attend, but places are limited andwill be allocated on a first come firstserved basis.

gPlease contact Blossom Bell on+44 (0)151 639 8454 or [email protected] for moreinformation about the meeting or tobook a place.

Spotlight on parents’ rights

NAUTILUS AT WORK

April 2012 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

Nautilus joins thetributes to victimsof Herald disaster

shortreportsPENSION PLANS: Nautilus is continuing to pressthe UK government over proposals to include seafarerswithin the scope of new pension auto-enrolment rules.The Union is lobbying the Department for Work andPensions over the way in which the regulations —which are set to start coming into effect later this year— will be applied to maritime workers. Nautilus saysmany seafarers are likely to be excluded if they workoutside of the UK, although they are resident here andwill live in the UK during retirement, whilst foreignseafarers working out of the UK may well be included.

RFA BOOST: Nautilus has welcomed a long-awaited announcement on the £452m order of fournew generation tankers for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The36,000dwt Military Afloat Reach & Sustainabilityvessels will be built in Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding.RFA Commodore Bill Walworth said: ‘We are delightedthe RFA will be able to operate these world-class vessels.These fleet replenishment tankers will be flexible ships,able to operate with the Royal Navy and Armed Forcesin conflict, and are designed to allow for upgrades andemerging technologies.’

PAY PLEA: the TUC has welcomed signs of anupturn in the value of pay settlements in the UK. Figuresreleased by Incomes Data Services last month showedaround two-thirds of recent awards were worth at least3%, compared with a median rise of 2.5% in 2011. TUCgeneral secretary Brendan Barber said sustained wagegrowth was needed to boost the economy.

SWEDISH LINK: a new shipping company hasopened a freight ferry service between the UK port ofKillingholme and Gothenburg in Sweden using two UK-flagged vessels. North Sea RoRo — which claims to be‘a new competitive alternative’ to DFDS — hasdeployed the sisterships Beachy Head and Longstone onthe route, initially running three trips a week.

UK DETENTIONS: only two substandard foreignflagged ships were detained in UK ports in December,according to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Thetwo ships — a Panamanian-registered reefer and aMarshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier had a total of 41deficiencies between them. Seven other ships remainedunder detention from previous months.

PLA UPTURN: trade through the Port of Londonincreased by 1.5% last year, to total 48.8m tonnes. Areport published by the Port of London Authority lastmonth showed a marked rise in construction materialsbeing handled on the Thames, but a collapse in coalcargoes following the closure of Tilbury Power Station.

STRESSED WHALES: shipping noise causeschronic stress to whales, according to a scientific reportpublished last month. Researchers in the US found thatthere had been a ‘highly significant’ reduction in stresshormones in whales coinciding with a decrease inshipping traffic following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

WARSASH PRAISED: Southampton SolentUniversity’s further education provision at WarsashMaritime Academy has been rated as ‘outstanding’ bythe Ofsted inspectorate which gives the centre topmarks for the effectiveness and quality of its provisionand the outcome for learners.

DIGITAL LIBRARY: Witherby Seamanship haspublished its Seamanship Library 2012 — a package thatis recognised by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency asbeing an electronic equivalent for the onboard carriageof IMO instruments and UK regulations.

RECORD RESCUES: RNLI lifeboats launched8,905 times around the coast of the UK and Ireland lastyear, rescuing 7,976 people. RNLI records show that 2011was the second busiest ever.

BELGIAN STOPPAGE: marine pilots and dockworkers in Belgian ports took industrial action lastmonth in a protest at government plans to raise theirretirement age to 62.

Alarm over planto cut cadet payU

Nautilus has expressedalarm at plans by lead-ing shipping companies

to cut cadets’ pay rates by almost30%.

A group of major operatorshave flagged up proposals to stoppaying officer trainees while theyare getting sea time. If they goahead, it could mean that newentrants would earn as much as£3,000 a year less than thosepresently in training.

The companies say they willcontinue to pay all associatedcourse fees, training costs, andaccommodation, in addition tothe monthly salary while cadetsare at college or on leave. But theywill not pay a salary to them forthe time they are at sea, on thegrounds that they are being pro-vided with accommodation andfood whilst on board.

The companies say the move— which would be introducedlater this year, but would notaffect cadets currently in training— is being made in response tothe UK government’s recentannouncement of changes to theSupport for Maritime Training(SMarT) scheme.

Although shipping ministerMike Penning assured the indus-try that SMarT would continue toprovide a total of £12m a year forthe life of the current Parliament,

the government is introducingchanges in the way the aid is paid.

The companies claim thatwhile SMarT covers around 40%of the costs of the three-yearcadet training programme, theimpact of rising college fees in theUK means that they can train atcheaper rates in other major mar-itime nations.

Late last year, the MerchantNavy Training Board heard con-cerns that the increase in tuitionfees could add as much as£15,000 to the price of getting acadet to their first certificate —and it had been suggested that

trainees could be asked to ‘con-tribute’ to their training costs.

Nautilus general secretaryMark Dickinson said he wasextremely disturbed by the plansand the Union is strongly oppos-ing any move to reduce cadets’terms and conditions. ‘Theemployers must recognise thatthey are in danger of scoring amajor own goal if they go aheadwith this,’ he warned.

‘Owners could be at risk ofjeopardising the assistance thatwe do get through SMarT by mak-ing cadets pay for the increasedcosts, and ultimately those who

do this will undermine their owntraining efforts and may end uppaying PILOT penalty paymentsas a result if they are in the ton-nage tax scheme,’ he added.

Nautilus is raising the issueswith the shipping minister andwas due to discuss its concerns atthe next meeting of the MNTB,on 28 March.

The Union — which produceda major report on cadet pay andconditions in 2010 — is also seek-ing the views of cadet membersand the plans will be on theagenda at the first meeting of theyouth forum in May.

Employers seek to reduce rates by around 30% following SMarT changes

ANautilus officials have takenpart in a memorial service to

mark the 25th anniversary of theHerald of Free Enterprise disaster.

General secretary Mark Dickinsonand Nautilus/ITF inspector ChrisJones — who was an engineer officeron the ship at the time of theaccident, but was on leave when ittook place — were among 300people taking part in the event at StMary’s Church in Dover to rememberthe victims of the accident.

A total of 193 lives were lost whenthe Townsend Thoresen ferrycapsized shortly after leaving theBelgian port of Zeebrugge on 6March 1987. The loss — which wasthe result of the failure to close thebow doors — led to major changes inthe design and operation of ro-rovessels.

‘This was a very well attendedand a deeply moving memorialservice, and our compliments go tothe Sailors’ Society for arranging

such a powerful tribute to those wholost their lives,’ said Mr Dickinson.

‘Twenty-five years on, it was clearthat the impact of this awful accidentis still felt very strongly,’ he added. ‘It continues to have considerableresonance with the present day andNautilus remains determined toensure that all the lessons of the lossare learned and that the Herald ofFree Enterprise can leave a lastinglegacy for safety in the ferry sector.’

The service was led by the Bishopof Dover, the Rt Rev Trevor Willmott,and attended by many survivors andrelatives of those who died in thedisaster, who were able to leavememories of their loved ones for aBook of Remembrance which is beingcompiled by the Sailors’ Society.

A service of dedication was alsoheld for a new memorial which hasbeen created to mark the 25thanniversary of the Herald’s loss —a rose garden made up of 25 whiterose bushes.

PA UK-based recruitment agency has launched ascheme to help newly-qualified UK officers to find

their first jobs in the shipping industry.The ‘Fast50’ project unveiled by Faststream last

month aims to provide a total of 50 seagoing postsevery term for cadets completing their training with noimmediate job to go to after qualifying.

The initiative has been established in response tofears that as many as half the cadets with no sponsoringemployer complete their courses without a seagoingposition lined up.

Faststream group CEO Mark Charman said: ‘We haveplenty of clients on our books who are crying out forUK-trained officers who are regarded as amongst thebest in the world.

‘By offering this scheme, we hope to help all of thestudents find roles.’

Senior recruitment consultant Alasdair MacMillanadded: ‘Companies tend to go to cheaper labourmarkets in eastern Europe and the Far East when theyare looking for junior officers and this is our way oftrying to give young British officers their first job so thatthey are not lost to the industry.’

Faststream will select applicants for the scheme onthe basis of interviews and references, and those whoare successful will be employed at ‘international’ rates.

The service is provided free of charge to thegraduating cadets, with a small administration feepayable by employers.

gMore information, email: [email protected]

Cadets helped to find first OOW jobs

NAUTILUS AT WORK


shortreportsPNTL DELAY: the pay review for members servingon Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd ships has been delayedas a result of the contract with James Fisher ShippingServices coming to an end. The contract ends on 31March and the pay review is due on 1 April — soindustrial organiser Gary Leech was informed that Fisherhad no mandate to enter pay negotiations. Mr Leechhas since written to the new crewing service provider,Serco Marine, outlining members’ pay aspirations andseeking a meeting at their earliest opportunity.

SHELL SUBMISSION: Nautilus was set to meetShell International Shipping Services management fortwo days at the end of March to discuss this year’s payand conditions claim. Industrial organiser Derek Byrnesaid the submission had been drawn up on the basis offeedback from members and it was hoped thenegotiating team could secure an acceptableagreement at the meeting.

WESTMINSTER CLAIM: Nautilus haspresented a claim seeking an above-inflation pay rise formembers employed by Westminster Dredging. TheUnion is also calling for a bonus scheme along the linesof the one operated by Boskalis, together withconsolidation of the mobility allowance into basic payand travel expenses to be increased in line with RPI.

WESTERN VIEWS: industrial organiser GaryLeech was set to meet Western Ferries (Clyde)management late last month to discuss the 2012 payclaim. Mr Leech will also be introducing himself tomembers as their new representative and wouldwelcome any further additional information onmembers’ aspirations at those meetings.

CORYSTES CLAIM: Nautilus was set to meetSerco Marine late last month to discuss a pay andconditions claim for members serving onboard rvCorystes. The Union is seeking a RPI-plus increase, anover-tour/early recall bonus and a move to equal time-on/time-off.

GLOBAL MEETING: a claim seeking a 6%increase in salaries and improvements to various termsand conditions was on the agenda for the Nautiluspartnership at work meeting with Global MarineSystems (Guernsey) last month.

KNIGHT TALKS: Nautilus met JP Knightmanagement last month for talks on this year’s pay andconditions claim. National secretary Jonathan Havardsaid he hoped members would be consulted on a formaloffer in April.

HANSON CONSULT: members employed byHanson Ship Management were being consulted lastmonth on a ‘disappointing’ 2% pay offer, plusimprovements to sickness and training rates.

IMT TALKS: Nautilus is to seek talks withInternational Marine Transportation management thismonth after drawing up a pay and conditions claimfollowing consultations with members.

COASTELS INCREASE: following consultationwith members employed by Bibbys on the Coastelsagreement, a 5.5% pay offer has been accepted,backdated to 1 January 2012.

CARRIERS DEAL: members employed by AngloEastern on car carriers have accepted accept a 3% payoffer. The increase will be backdated to 1 January 2012.

Maersk jobs pledgein plan for savings

FNautilus has expressed concernover a decision by the

Norwegian and UK-based companyGearbulk to end the employment ofEuropean seafarers.

The company — which operates afleet of 90 ships — announced lastmonth that it plans to speed up theprocess of replacing its Polish,Croatian, Russian and Scandinavian

seafarers and aims to fully man all ofits vessels with Asian crews by early2013.

Nautilus general secretary MarkDickinson described the move asregrettable and said it underlined theneed for the European Commission tointroduce more effective measures toencourage owners to recruit andretain EU seafarers.

Pay gap closing,research reveals

PMaersk Line has ruledout redundancies as partof its programme to

return to profitability after clock-ing up losses of US$600m lastyear.

Speaking in London lastmonth, Maersk Line boss SorenSkou said job losses and freshchanges in crewing policies arenot expected to figure in its driveto cut costs.

Instead, Mr Skou said, Maerskhas cut deployed capacity on itsweekly Asia-Europe services by9.5% and could reduce its entirefleet by 9% this year by redeliver-ing chartered vessels.

The company will also make

more effective use of slow-steam-ing, by lowering variations inspeed and bringing the wholefleet closer to an average of 18knots.

And Maersk has also decidednot to go ahead with options toorder more of its Triple E ‘mega’ships.

Mr Skou complained that ratesin the liner trades are unsustain-able and fail to reflect the value ofcontainer shipping to world trade.‘An average return on investedcapital of 2% since 2005 is whatyou can expect from governmentbonds and is not acceptable forthe risks associated with our busi-ness,’ he added.

Maersk aims to improve mar-gins by getting rid of surpluscapacity and offering a reliable,quality service.

Mr Skou said no furtherchanges in crewing strategy areplanned, but admitted that thecompany is increasingly reliantupon seafarers from Asia, Indiaand eastern Europe. Working atsea is no longer an ‘attractiveproposition’ for young peoplefrom traditional maritimenations, he claimed.

‘In Denmark, we have 120cadets a year and the programmeis for five years. Half leave beforefinishing the programme, andanother half [of that] leave by the

age of 30,’ he added.

zMembers employed by MaerskOffshore Bermuda and Guernseyand serving on container vesselswere being consulted last monthon a pay and conditions offerincluding a 2% increase in basicsalaries. The offer will be applied toboth MOG and MOB salary scalesand is conditional on acceptance ofchanges to some terms andconditions.

National secretary Steve Doranhas taken over responsibilityfrom Ian Cloke for serving mem-bers employed by the Maerskgroup. Members can contact MrDoran at the Wallasey office withimmediate effect.

Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard is pictured above with P&OFerries chief financial officer Karl Howarth and P&O (Jersey) generalmanager Mark Risby signing the new collective agreement between P&OCrewing Services (Jersey) and Nautilus International following theoverwhelming acceptance by members serving on North Sea andWestern Channel contracts of the company’s proposals covering theirassimilation onto the new start/promotion contract. Pictured below issenior national secretary Paul Keenan and liaison officer Micky Smythmeeting members during a visit to the European Causeway

Company says redundancies will not be part of new drive to cut costs

AThe gap between pay rates forseafarers from different parts of

Europe is closing, according to a newstudy.

And the research published by theconsultancy firm Precious AssociatesLtd (PAL) last month also showed howowners are having to include abroader range of benefits in theiremployment packages to recruit andretain skilled seafarers.

PAL’s Dry Cargo Wage Survey —which covered some 16,000 officersserving on ships such as containervessels, dry bulk carriers, ro-ros,reefers, and general cargo ships —revealed that wages for masters in thesector can vary by as much as 56%.

General manager Chris Wincottcommented: ‘In order to negate risingwage demands, the number ofbenefits offered has increased andcompanies are becoming more awareof the need to produce effectivebenefits packages as a means ofattracting the critical skillset required.’

With demand for skills andexperience remaining high, he saidpressures on owners to think about

future needs are increasing, the studypoints out.

Factors in the mix include not justwages, but also tour lengths, leave,overtime, pensions, study leave andpay, sick and seniority pay, annualand return bonuses, exchange ratecompensation, class of travel, andinsurance and health cover forseafarers and their families.

Mr Wincott said the survey showsthat NW Europeans remain thehighest paid, but are used in reducingnumbers. Countries such as Polandand Croatia are fast catching up, headded, and pay for seafarers fromsome east European countries isincreasing to central Europe levels.Rates in the Indian sub-continent arenow closer to those of central andeastern Europe, the Far East ‘remainsthe most cost-effective crew option’.

But, he stressed, ‘what is notconsidered in the survey is the “valuefor money” concept — cheapest isnot always best for some operatorswho make their manning decisionsbased on factors other than justmoney alone’.

ANautilus International hasnegotiated a special

agreement to cover terms andconditions for members serving on aP&O ferry chartered to act as anaccommodation vessel fortechnicians working at an offshorewind farm in the North Sea.

The European Seaway isexpected to be deployed for three tofour months — anchored some 7kmoff Skegness — allowing techniciansto live onboard whilst undertakingmaintenance and operationsactivities at the Lynn and InnerDowsing Wind Farm Array.

Supplied to Centrica on a time

charter basis, the ship will bemanned by P&O Ferries’ deck,technical and catering crewproviding hotel services to thewindfarm workers.

This is the first contract P&OFerries has secured in therenewables market and thecompany’s fleet director hasconfirmed that all Maritime &Coastguard Agency requirementswill be fully adhered to.

Chief executive Helen Deeble saidthe contract formed part of astrategy to grow new business byutilising the company’s skills base inappropriate areas.

Nautilus agrees terms forP&O windfarm charter

Gearbulk looks to Asia

PThe UK government hasmade a final offer to tryand resolve the long-

running controversy overchanges to public sector pensions.

The proposed new Civil ServicePension Scheme will apply to allmembers working for the RoyalFleet Auxiliary and other publicsector maritime organisations.

Members serving such bodiesas the RFA, the Maritime & Coast-guard Agency, Trinity House, theNatural Environment ResearchCouncil and the Port of LondonAuthority are now being asked for

their comments on the newscheme, which includes:

za career average pensionscheme

zprovisional accrual rate of 2.32%(equivalent to (1/43.1)

za normal pension age equal tostate pension age (for both activeand deferred members)

zpayment increases in line withCPI

zaverage member contributionsof 5.6%

za lump sum on death in serviceof two times salary

zan employer contribution cap

zthe opportunity for memberswishing to retire before their statepension age to pay additionalcontributions

The government has alsomade some protection arrange-ments to cover members whohave fewer than 10 years beforethe retirement age and those whoare just outside this marker.

Ministers have also confirmedthat this latest offer will be theirfinal position.

Nautilus national secretaryJonathan Havard commented: ‘Ifthe government’s proposals fail

to gain widespread support andare at some point unilaterallyimposed on our members, thenthe Union will consult furtherwith members on the option ofpursuing a collective grievance ontheir behalf, using the appropri-ate internal collective grievanceprocedures.’

gFull details of the new schemehave been given in a bulletinto members who will be affect-ed by the proposals, and theyhave been invited to submitcomments before 30 March 2012 [email protected]

NAUTILUS AT WORK


shortreportsTHAMES WARNING: Nautilus has warned thatit may seek statutory recognition through the CentralArbitration Committee after Thames Clippers told theUnion it is not in a position to conclude a voluntaryagreement and wants to wait a further year before afresh ballot is carried out. National secretary JonathanHavard said there is a clear desire for Nautilus to have acollective bargaining agreement and the Unionconsiders it is unacceptable to wait for a year for a newvote to be held.

LOTHIAN REJECTION: consultations withmembers employed by Lothian Shipping Services haveshown a majority rejecting a 4.8% pay offer. Nationalsecretary Steve Doran has urged the company toreconsider, warning that ‘a deep sense of resentmentand injustice prevails’ as a result of last year’s decisionto break from the long-standing practice of at leastmatching RPI for pay awards.

STENA SETTLEMENT: consultations withmembers employed by Stena Line and serving out ofBelfast, Cairnryan, Fishguard, Harwich and Holyheadhave shown a 56% to 44% majority in favour ofaccepting a 7% pay offer over two years. Nationalsecretary Steve Doran has also written to the companyto request dates to meet to discuss a number ofoutstanding issues.

RBS JOBS: members employed by Maersk Offshoreand serving on RBS vessels have been advised,following legal advice, that no redundancy situationexists. Terms and conditions remain unchanged andcontinuous, and the company has acted within itsrights. Any members who wish to discuss the situationshould contact liaison officer Peter Gooch.

CEMEX CLAIM: following feedback from membersemployed by Cemex UK Marine, Nautilus has submitteda claim seeking an inflation-linked pay rise, ‘family-friendly’ leave policies and reintroduction of the loyaltybonus. The Union is also seeking talks on issuesincluding satellite/broadband connections, an onboardsocial fund, and health and safety.

MANX RISE: members employed by Manx SeaTransport, serving on Isle of Man Steam PacketCompany vessels, have voted to accept a 3.5% pay offer,which includes an additional premium for officers from5 June 2012. National secretary Steve Doran thankedmembers for their participation — especially liaisonofficer Chris Bowen.

INTRADA OFFER: members serving with IntradaShips Management are being consulted after thecompany tabled an improved pay and conditions offer,worth 3%, in talks with the Union last month. Nationalsecretary Jonathan Havard said the package is beingrecommended to members.

Union invites viewson pension changesNautilus seeking feedback from members over cuts in civil service scheme

Nautilus welcome forLiverpool port plans

MoD defends decision to build fournew RFA tankers in South Korea

Condor switches from WeymouthA

Pictured above sporting a new-look livery is theCondor Vitesse. Condor Ferries announced last

month that it had switched its cross-Channel servicesfrom Weymouth to Poole until further notice inresponse to concerns over the safety of the berth atWeymouth.

The company said remedial work at the berth hadnot been successful. It pointed out that ports providingberthing facilities for high speed craft usually provideprotective measures against the impact of scour.

Operations director Captain Fran Collins commented:‘The safety of our passengers and crew remains ourhighest priority, and we will be working closely withWeymouth & Portland Borough Council to monitor therepairs over the coming weeks.

‘By continuing to operate regular services fromPoole, while the work is carried out in Weymouth, wecan continue to sustain our lifeline ferry servicesbetween the Channel Islands and the UK.’Picture: Paul Dallaway

ANautilus has welcomed theannouncement by Peel Ports

that the procurement phase for theconstruction of a new deep-watercontainer terminal at the Port ofLiverpool has commenced.

It is hoped that the terminal willbring some of the world’s largestcontainerships to the Mersey andprovide over 5000 jobs.

The new terminal willaccommodate two vessels of up to13,500TEU at a time and — thanks toits central location in the UK —should help to deliver ‘greener’transport by reducing land-basedfreight movements.

‘Nautilus supports thisdevelopment and we have beenengaged with Peel and other

stakeholders via the MerseyPartnership and the North West TUC,’said national secretary Steve Doran.

‘The challenge now is for everyoneto engage and fully communicate onthe developments and be transparentabout key relationships and anypossible differences of opinion.

‘We want to be able to have aninput at the design stage to ensurethat workers’ views are representedand issues can be identified andresolved early, as this will be a huge30-year plus project.’

The development, called Liverpool2, will cost in excess of £300m and isthe key project in the Mersey PortsMaster Plan for the port of Liverpooland Manchester Ship Canal, unveiledby Peel Ports last summer.

AThe Ministry of Defence has hitback at criticism that the new

generation of Royal Fleet Auxiliarytankers — pictured right — are to bebuilt in Korea.

The £452m contract for the fourMilitary Afloat Reach andSustainability (MARS) tankers wasplaced with Daewoo Shipbuilding &Marine Engineering on the groundsthat it was ‘best value for taxpayers’money’.

But the UK Shipbuilders &Shiprepairers Association (SSA) saidthe work should have gone to aBritish yard. ‘Our shipyards have thecapability and capacity to build thesetankers in the UK and the MoD hasbeen short-sighted in awardingthese contracts to a Korean yardwithout giving serious considerationto tenders from British shipyards,’said SSA director Ash Sinha.

But in a letter to Nautilus,defence minister Peter Luff said thatwhile a number of UK companies

had participated in the tenderingprocess, none submitted a final bidfor the build contract.

The minister said British firmswould also benefit from £150m ofassociated contracts includingdesign, customisation, engineeringand trials of the MARS tankers,

which are planned to enter intoservice at yearly intervals from 2016.

Chief of defence materiel BernardGray said: ‘I believe the winningbidder’s solution will offer the UK thebest value for money.

‘The MARS tanker is anexceptionally versatile platform;

able to simultaneously refuel anaircraft carrier and destroyer whilstundertaking helicopter resupply ofother vessels,’ he added. I amlooking forward to the award of thecontract and the work that willfollow in the lead-up to the deliveryof the ships.’


OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreportsSTUC CALL: delegates to the Scottish TUCconference in Inverness later this month are set todiscuss a Nautilus motion expressing concern about theimpact on safety in the North Sea arising from cuts inthe Maritime & Coastguard Agency budget. Themeeting will also consider the next stage in the long-running battle over paid leave for workers in theoffshore sector, following the UK Supreme Court rulinglate last year that they are not covered by the Europeanworking time directive provisions.

SUBSEA SETTLEMENT: the recentconsultation on the 2011 pay review for Nautilusmembers employed by Subsea 7 resulted in an almost50:50 split. Therefore, national secretary Steve Doranhas agreed to reluctantly accept the offer as being thebest that can be achieved through negotiations.Members are encouraged to participate in futureconsultations and consider volunteering to becomeliaison officers to support the Union in the challengesthat lie ahead, he added.

TRICO DEAL: following a 50:50 split in the recentconsultation on a 3% pay offer for members employedby Trico Guernsey, industrial organiser Derek Byrne hasspoken to the company about a possible improvementto the package. However, management confirmed thatthe proposals constituted the ‘full and final offer’ andtherefore the Union has accepted it as the best that canbe achieved through negotiations.

BPOS CLAIM: Nautilus has submitted a claim foran inflation-plus pay rise for members employed bySeacor Marine (Guernsey) on Boston Putford OffshoreSafety vessels. The Union is also seeking a ship securityofficer bonus and a seniority increase, as well as talks onissues including differentials, the use of airport lounges,the mileage allowance, and increased cargo workonboard Putford Enterprise.

TECHNIP CONSULT: members employed byTechnip Singapore are being consulted on a revised payoffer, which includes an increase on basic wages of 5.6%backdated to 1 January 2012. The company also agreedto exclude the proposed changes to sick pay as detailedin the original offer. The results of the consultationshould be known early this month.

IRISH FIND: an Irish company has reported thediscovery of a ‘commercially viable’ oilfield some 50kmoff the Cork coast. Dublin-based Providence Resourcessaid its test drilling had uncovered a flow of more than3,500 barrels per day — almost double the figure thathad been considered a commercial threshold.

FUGRO TAKEOVER: the Dutch offshoreengineering company Fugro has announced itsacquisition of the UK marine survey and environmentalconsultancy, EMU Ltd, which currently employs 150surveyors, oceanographers and marine scientists.

GULF TRANSFER: Nautilus industrial organiserGary Leech has taken over responsibility for servingmembers employed by Gulf Offshore Guernsey.

AIn the run-up to the Budgetstatement, offshore indus-try leaders warned the

Chancellor that urgent action wasneeded to avert a depression in thesector.

Despite being a ‘mature province’,the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) stillhas the potential to sustainproduction for some years to come,said industry body Oil & Gas UK. Butits prospects ‘are being frustrated bythe structure and instability of thecurrent fiscal regime’.

The group recently published its2012 Activity Survey, which hasexposed some worrying trends. ‘2011production saw a record drop,exploration halved and businessconfidence remained sluggish,’ saidchief executive Malcolm Webb.

The crisis may have been maskedby high investment in a few majorprojects, he noted, but the figuresshow that overall, UK oil and gasproduction fell by 18% to 1.8m barrelsof oil and gas equivalent (boe) perday.

Oil & Gas UK is particularlyconcerned that only 15 explorationwells were drilled in 2011 — half the2010 number.

This is seen as evidence thatcompanies are being deterred frominvesting in the UKCS by the Britishgovernment’s frequent changes ofpolicy on taxation.

To increase critical explorationactivity and extract the full 24bn boeremaining in the UKCS, the fiscalregime ‘must be stable’, theassociation stressed.

ABP Shipping has been linked toan order for four North Sea-spec

platform supply vessels, left. To be built in South Korea by the

Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Company,the UT 776 CD design vessels are dueto be delivered in 2013 and 2014. Theorder includes options for a furthertwo vessels of the same type.

Designed specifically for supplyingequipment and services to deepwater

oil and gas platforms, the 4,400-tonne 97m vessels include features tominimise environmental impact andimprove crew comfort and safety.

The contract is worth more than£45m for Rolls-Royce, which willsupply equipment including a diesel-electric propulsion system, a passivestabilising system, thrusters,automation and control systems anda dynamic positioning system (DP II).

POffshore operators havewelcomed the UKgovernment’s Budget

announcement of tax conces-sions to safeguard investment inthe North Sea.

The package revealed in theHouse of Commons last monthincludes allowances designed toboost exploration and productionwork west of Shetland and meas-ures to ease the costs of decom-missioning.

Announcing the moves, Chan-cellor George Osborne told MPs: ‘Iwant to ensure we extract thegreatest possible amount of oiland gas from our reserves in theNorth Sea.’

Mr Osborne confirmed thatthe government will guaranteetax relief of between 50% and 75%for decommissioning projects —

ending the uncertainty causedwhen last year’s Budget set outplans to limit tax breaks on fieldabandonment costs.

The Chancellor said he wasalso introducing new tax breaksfor harder-to-develop fields, suchas those in deeper water, includ-ing a new £3bn field allowancedesigned to open up develop-ment in the frontier region to thewest of the Shetland Islands.

Oil & Gas UK chief executiveMalcolm Webb said operatorswere ‘greatly encouraged’ by thepackage of tax measures — andclaimed they will result in tens ofbillions of pounds of additionalinvestment in the UK sector.

‘The introduction of legislationto enable the government to givethe industry certainty on taxrelief on decommissioning costs

is a very significant step forward,’he added.

‘The measure should delaydecommissioning of oil and gasinfrastructure, give rise over timeto up to £40bn of extra invest-ment and result in the recovery ofan additional 1.7bn barrels of oiland gas.’

Oil & Gas UK claims the taxallowances should result in addi-tional investment totalling morethan £10bn and the production ofhundreds of millions of barrels ofthe UK’s oil and gas. ‘The invest-ment that will surely followtoday’s announcements will drivegrowth in the economy, securinghighly-skilled jobs, promotingadvances in offshore technology,boosting tax revenues and reduc-ing oil and gas imports,’ Mr Webbadded.

AOffshore workers have beeninvited to develop their

careers by enrolling in tailoredgeosciences courses offered by anew distance-learning academy.

Launched last month as a jointventure between PlymouthUniversity and Fugro, theHydrographic Academy wasestablished in response to industrydemands for better employeetraining in fields such ashydrography, oceanography andmeteorology.

The new institution will offerundergraduate and postgraduatediplomas, as well as Master’s levelprogrammes. The courses have beendeveloped with input from FlagOfficer Sea Training and the Centreof Excellence in Naval OceanographicResearch and Education.

Taking account of the poorinternet access on most offshoreinstallations, the academy willprovide students with all theirlearning resources and assignmentson a single 8Gb memory stick. Then,once students are able to get online,they can upload assignments,download new materials, and evenconduct tutorials over Skype.

Dr Richard Thain, of PlymouthUniversity’s School of Marine Scienceand Engineering, commented: ‘TheHydrographic Academy answers thecall for career development andtraining opportunities in theoffshore and oil industries, and forthe first time establishes a pathwayfor school-leavers to enter the sector.You can be in the middle of thePacific or Southern Ocean,thousands of miles from your tutor,but still be learning and developingthanks to the technology at hand.’

gTo register an interest in thecourses starting this spring, go to:www.plymouth.ac.uk/hydro

Production slumped in 2011

AMarseilles-based offshoresupply and marine services

group Bourbon has announced an83% reduction in its annual profits —blaming the result on cash flowscaused by a newbuilding programme.

Bourbon said profits totalled€6.8m last year, while turnover rose18.6% to reach €1bn for the first time.

The company’s massiveinvestment plan brought 65 newvessels into its fleet last year —including the 4,250dwt ‘next-generation’ platform supply vesselBourbon Front, left, which wasdeployed in the North Sea under the

management of Bourbon OffshoreNorway. The new tonnage gave a netfleet increase of 28 after replacementof older tonnage. The 436operational vessels have an averageage of 5.7 years and a further 107vessels of various types are on order.

Bourbon, which operatesinternationally, last year hired morethan 1,000 new employees — 83% ofthem seafarers. It now employs 6,930seafarers worldwide, including 2,850officers and 4,080 ratings of 78nationalities — more than 20% ofthem French, 4% Norwegian and 12%from other European countries.

Bourbon hires hundreds of new crew

Budget boostfor North SeaOperators claim tax concessions will safeguard jobs

Sea sciencecourses canbe done ata distance

BP linked to four-vessel order

NEWS


PNautilus has called fortough action to be takenagainst the owners and

operators of a Mongolian-flaggedship that jumped detention in theUK.

The Union has written to thehead of the Maritime & Coast-guard Agency to raise concernsabout the ‘alarming’ case of thechemical tanker Global Star,which escaped from detention offPortland in January.

The 23-year-old ship had beendetained following an inspectionwhen it was forced to put into theport after running low on fuel ona voyage to be scrapped in Alang,India. Inspectors found 19 defi-ciencies onboard — including alarge quantity of oil in the engine-room bilges, loose and missingengineroom floor plates, unhy-gienic galley and accommoda-tion, and defects in life-savingequipment.

General secretary Mark Dick-inson said it was evident from theinspection report that the vesselposed a serious threat to thehealth and safety of thoseonboard, and to the safety ofother ships.

‘In particular, the deficienciesin the life-saving equipment andin the engineroom illustrate thehuge potential for the ship tohave been involved in a seriousincident involving loss of life orinjury, or damage to the environ-ment,’ he added. ‘Similarly, thesqualid conditions in theaccommodation area — and theunhygienic sanitary and cateringfacilities in particular — demon-strate the significant health haz-ards that were posed to the crew.’

Mr Dickinson said he was par-ticularly concerned at informa-tion suggesting the ship, which isowned by a Panama-based com-pany, sailed against the master’swill and that he was effectivelyrelieved of his command.

‘The standard sanction forskipping detention — a banthroughout the Paris MoU area —is effectively worthless in thiscase,’ he told the MCA, ‘and ittherefore begs the question ofwhat effective action can be taken.

‘This is of particular relevancegiven the wider economic state ofthe shipping industry,’ he pointedout. ‘Not only are there groundsfor concern that repairs and

maintenance are often the firstcasualty in difficult times, butthere is a reasonable expectationthat many other ships will besailing to scrapyards in the nextfew years as a result of the marketconditions.

‘It is therefore imperative thatthere is a solid and effectiveregime in place for enforcingacceptable safety standards ontonnage whilst en route for dem-olition.’

Mr Dickinson said that thescale of the potential risks in thecase made it essential that effortsare made to track down thosewho were responsible for the shipsailing in defiance of the deten-tion order.

‘This is a very important case,with many wider ramifications,and I believe it needs to be dealtwith in a serious way to ensureeffective deterrents are in placeto prevent the real risk of repeatincidents,’ he added.

In response, the MCA has toldthe Union that it was taking thecase seriously and had alerted theauthorities in Egypt before thevessel reached the Suez Canal, butreceived no response.

AA Nautilus/ITF inspector has discoveredwhat he reckons is one of the worst

maritime employment contracts ever written —so bad it is set to be used as an example of ‘whatnot to do’ for employers and union officialsinvolved in drawing up terms and conditions.

The document came to light when Nautilus/ITFinspector Chris Jones was asked by the Mission toSeafarers to visit the 1983-built Moldovan-flaggedvessel Eos, pictured left, in Southampton.

‘The Mission had told me they were concernedabout a Ghanaian crew member who had beensummarily dismissed,’ he explained. ‘When theman showed me his contract, I couldn’t believe it.Whatever the truth of what he had or hadn’t donewrong, he had really been stitched up.’

The contract, issued by operator CoastersMaritime, allows the company to discontinue aseafarer’s employment ‘at any time, without prior

notice’ for crimes such as not reporting for duty intime after shore leave, or having poor Englishlanguage skills.

Once dismissed, the crew member must pay forhis own repatriation expenses, as well as for thejoining expenses of his substitute. To ensure allthe company’s employees will be in a position todo this when dismissed, they are obliged to keepback $1,000 in their wage accounts at all times.

Other highlights of the contract include: ‘Theseaman shall work overtime at any time asordered by the master. The seaman knows thatthe vessel can possibly makes [sic] trips betweenMediterranean and Persian Gulf and they will nothave any objection.’

And crew members should not look forward toany improvements in the event of a companytakeover: ‘In case the vessel sale [sic], changeowners or name of flag, arrest, damage to the

vessel or cargo total lost etc. owners have not anyobligation for extra payment or compensation butthey have the right to transfer the seaman toanother vessel.’

Coasters Maritime was asked to considerswitching to an ITF-approved contract, butmanagers were ‘not interested’, said Mr Jones. ‘I would give this company a wide berth myself,’he added, ‘although sadly we know that there aremany desperate people out there who will put upwith anything to get a job.’

Both Nautilus and the ITF stress that noseafarer should accept or sign a contractcontaining the kinds of terms found in the CoastersMaritime document. The ITF now has the contracton file to use as a teaching aid and as a campaigntool — evidence for governments and maritimeauthorities of the ill-treatment still meted out tomany of the world’s seafarers.

ANautilus/ITF inspectors ChrisJones and Tommy Molloy,

together with Apostleship of the Seastaff, have come to the aid of thecrew of a Dutch-owned cargoshiparrested in the UK last month.

The 1,560gt Oak was preventedfrom leaving the port of Teignmouthfollowing a civil claim against itsowners brought by a Dutch bankover an alleged default onpayments.

The crew of the Bahamas-flaggedship — a mix of Filipino, Russian andIndonesian nationals — alertedunion officials and the Catholicmaritime welfare agency after thearrest, complaining that they hadnot been paid for two months.

Anne Donnelly, chaplain forTeignmouth & Plymouth ports, saidthe crew had been provided withclothes and mobile phone top-ups sothey could speak to their families.

‘Initially they were verydespondent and anxious becausethey did not know what was goingto happen,’ she said. ‘They work veryhard for very little and they havebeen working for at least twomonths for nothing. Many havefamilies to support and any moneythey earn goes straight home, so itaffects a lot of people.’

The Oak is one of eight ships in afleet operated by the Dutch firm NYKIShipping. Two sisterships werearrested in Hull, and another onewas held in Immingham after theDeutsche Bank rejected the owners’attempt to renegotiate paymentterms.

Cash that would have paid crews’wages for February and March wasfrozen and the Nautilus/ITFinspectors were negotiating tosecure the payment of alloutstanding amounts last month.

FThe shipping industry should betreated as a sovereign state in

its own right and not as a ‘cash cow’for national administrations, the headof the international owners’organisation argued last month.

In a speech to the CMA Shipping2012 conference, InternationalChamber of Shipping chairmanSpyros Polemis argued that, onenvironmental issues in particular, theIMO must lead the way as theindustry’s governing body.

CO2 emissions must be reducedthrough international agreementsnegotiated via the IMO, he stressed,not through ‘market-basedmeasures’ — which many countriesare using as an underhand way oftaxing shipping firms.

‘Emissions from shipping do notlend themselves to inclusion innational CO2 reductions targets,’ MrPolemis continued. ‘A ship may beflagged in one country and owned inanother, while the cargo carried willbe of economic benefit to a variety ofdifferent importing and exportingnations. This is why we need tomaintain a special global regime forshipping.’

In a separate debate at the WorldOcean Summit in Singapore, MrPolemis said that the alternative toIMO governance is ‘a patchwork ofnational rules which would bringabout chaos, inefficiency and have anegative impact on the smooth flowof world trade.’

He challenged claims that the UNConvention on the Law of the Sea isno longer fit for purpose — arguingthat there is ‘no shortfall ingovernance so far as the regulation ofshipping is concerned’.

Alarm raisedas ship skipsUK detentionUnion urges MCA to track down rogue vessel operators

Crew unpaid afterDutch company’sships are arrested

‘Shippingshould betreated asa nation’

Seaman’s contract ‘worst ever’

ITF official Ken Fleming with crew members onboard the Oak


LARGE YACHT NEWS

by Frances & Michael Howorth

PWith the Italian authori-ties announcing newand stringent taxes on

yachts entering their territorialwaters and then changing theirminds following intense lobby-ing, it is no wonder yachts areconfused about where to cruisethis season.

Add in uncompetitive pricing,over-regulation and red tape, andit becomes clear why both theItalian and Greek economies arereporting a dramatic slump in vis-iting yachts.

The trend away from Italy andGreece is apparently benefittingFrance, Malta, Croatia and Mon-tenegro the most — and Turkeyhas also recently attracted its fairshare of yachts and motorboats.But now impending changes tothe Turkish visa system threatento upset that trade as well.

In Greece, under the previous

socialist government taxes wereraised in 2009 and inspections ofpleasure craft stepped up. Thatpolicy backfired, with official Hel-lenic Coast Guard figures show-ing that the number of vesselsplunged from 11,500 to 2,600.Last year the figure improvedslightly — to a total of 3,823 pri-vate vessels declared ‘perma-nently moored’.

According to figures issued bythe Hellenic Professional YachtOwners Association, 28% ofberthed vessels in Greece fled fornearby countries — primarilyTurkey, but also Croatia and Mon-tenegro. VAT in Montenegro iscapped at 7% on marine-relatedand tourist services, while there isa maximum of 9% VAT on capitalgains, income and company tax,meaning the financial case forchoosing Porto Montenegro as ahomeport is a powerful one.

Competition is also comingfrom Tunisia, where diesel fuel

costs 50 cents a litre, skilledlabour is €2 an hour, and 80mberths are for sale at €3.2m inclu-sive of VAT — around half theprice of the rest of Europe.

Little wonder, then, that Italyhas changed its mind under pres-sure from Federagenti, thenational federation of agents andbrokers.

The planned berthing taxwould have seen all yachts andsuperyachts over 10m taxed on adaily basis — with charges of asmuch as €54,750 per year for ves-sels over 24m and as high as €703a day for megayachts.

Federagenti president FulvioLuise welcomed the u-turn. ‘Thepassing of this amendment is animportant recognition of theeconomic impact the yachtingindustry has in Italy and we lookforward to welcoming new andreturning megayacht clients toItalian waters this summer,’ hesaid.

PThe newly-built German superyacht Mogamboattracted lots of attention in a visit to Bristol

Floating Harbour last month, above.The 73.55m vessel — the 92nd largest yacht in the

world — spent a week in Bristol before setting off forthe Mediterranean in its first month on a privatecharter. Built by the Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg,

Germany, the Cayman Islands-flagged Mogambo canaccommodate up to 12 guests in six cabins, andoperates with a crew of 19.

Designed by the London-based firm ReymondLangton Design, the steel-hulled motor yacht ispowered by twin 2,360hp MTU 16V 4000 M60 dieselsand cruises at 14.5 knots, with a top speed of 17.5 knots.

by Michael Howorth

FPictured left is Vava II — at 96m, the largestprivate motor yacht ever constructed in

Britain — which left the UK last month on itsmaiden voyage to St Maarten in the Caribbean.

Owned by the wife of Swiss billionaire,pharmaceutical magnate and America’s Cupwinner Ernesto Bertarelli, the superyacht wascompleted by the Pendennis Plus yard inPlymouth after the hull was constructed byDevonport Yachts in Appledore.

Insiders working on the yacht — which washanded over nearly six months late — havereported it cost in excess of £250m to complete,although other sources point to a figure slightly inexcess of £100m.

Built to be compliant with the Cayman IslandsPassenger Yacht Code and SOLAS-36passengership standards, Vava II canaccommodate up to 22 guests and a crew of 30.Exterior styling is by Hampshire-based RedmanWhitely Dixon and the interior design byFrenchman Remi Tessier.

Features include a ‘fold-down beach club’, a pool which can be varied in depth, a gym and a sitting room which converts into a cinema, alongwith Becker high-lift rudders, controllable pitchpropellers and Brunvoll bow thrusters.

Vava II’s master, Captain BrendanO’Shannassy, expressed his passion for his yacht:‘It is so pleasing to see a yacht that retains thevision of the designers without compromise. To have such a ground-breaking constructionunveiled in Plymouth should make the regionjustly proud.’

ALarge yacht owners, operatorsand crew can find out more

about how working conditions in theirsector will be regulated under theMaritime Labour Convention (MLC) byattending a Nautilus seminar.

The Union is organising a two-dayseminar in Antibes, starting on 10May. It will focus on the practicalaspects for the yachting industry ofthe MLC, which was adopted by theInternational Labour Organisation(ILO) in 2006 and is expected to enterinto force in 2013.

Nautilus senior national secretaryGarry Elliott said the seminar will givethe large yacht sector a chance tobetter understand the MLC —including the impact it will have insuch areas as crew accommodation,wages, social security, employmentagencies, and rest hour requirements.

Other topics to be considered atthe meeting will be seafarers’employment agreements, port statecontrol and complaint proceduresonboard and onshore.

The MLC seminar will be co-hosted

by the Union’s partners D&B Services,and will also be addressed by directorof legal services Charles Boyle. Theevent will be free to Nautilusmembers.

Find out more on the Nautiluswebsite, or by visiting the Union’sstand at the Antibes Yacht Show from12 to 15 April. Nautilus has a limitednumber of free admittance tickets formembers wishing to visit the AntibesYacht Show, and will also have asupply of Service Record Books, whichare free to members.

Italian U-turnon yacht tax

FThe UK office of the Dutch firmSevenstar Yacht Transport has

doubled the size of its team withinmonths of opening.

Sevenstar Yacht Transport UK —whose parent company is theAmsterdam-based heavylift shipoperator Spliethoff — has recentlyshipped yachts to countries includingChina, India, Brazil, the USA, Russia,the Maldives and Hong Kong.

Established in 1996, SevenstarYacht Transport offers 120 sailingswith a combined number of 500 portcalls a year and can carry yachts upto 52m or 640gt. The company canutilise its own fleet where possible,but also offers liner options.

Sevenstar’s UK operation is booming

Yogi builders rule out technical problems

Competition for Mediterranean cruising is hotting up

Nautilus to stage new MLC seminar

AInquiries are underway in anattempt to find out why the

biggest French-registered yacht sankin gale force winds off the Greek coastin February.

Proteksan-Turquoise, the Turkishbuilders of the 60m Yogi, said lastmonth that their internal inquirieshad concluded that ‘the sinking is not

attributable to anything structural ortechnical which would havecompromised her seaworthiness’.

Eight crew were rescued when theyacht took on water and sank some 19miles off the island of Skyros in theAegean Sea. They had earlier sent adistress call indicating the yacht wasexperiencing mechanical problems.

Greek port police have opened aninquiry into the incident. Frenchnational safety authority BEAMer willalso be involved in the inquiry.

As part of their inquiry, thebuilders met the Yogi’s captain andchief engineer in Paris on 9 March,but said the content of the discussionswould remain confidential.

Largest UK-built yacht begins maiden voyage

NEWS


Wave Knight home after 11 months

PThe master and secondofficer of a container-ship that caused New

Zealand’s worst oil spill last yearare facing big fines and lengthyjail sentences after pleadingguilty to a series of criminalcharges last month.

The two men — both Fil-ipinos — are due to be sentencednext month after admittingcharges including operating aship in a dangerous manner andattempting to pervert the courseof justice by altering navigationrecords after the accident.

The case was brought by Mar-itime New Zealand (MNZ) follow-ing an investigation into thegrounding of the Liberian-flaggedRena on the Astrolabe Reef off theport of Tauranga last October.

The incident sparked a majorclean-up operation following theloss of 300 tonnes of fuel oil fromthe ship, which broke into twosections in January. A salvageoperation to recover the 2,000containers from the ship is stillcontinuing and is estimated tohave cost more than US$100m.

An interim investigationreport on the accident publishedby Maritime New Zealand last

month states that the master andsecond officer had altered theirpassage plan to take shortcuts ontheir route to Tauranga afterbeing delayed in the previousport, Napier.

Tauranga Harbour Control hadadvised the ship to make bestspeed for its rendezvous with apilot boat after the ship estimatedits arrival time at 0300hrs —

which was the end of the windowfor possible pilotage into the port.

The report notes that Rena wasbeing steered by autopilot formost of the voyage — includingthe final couple of hours — and ithighlights a 2 degree differencebetween the Rena’s gyro headingand its ground track course,because of the influence of wind,current, tides and gyrocompass

error. Nine minutes before thegrounding, as the ship headedstraight for the reef at 17 knots,the master noticed an intermit-tent echo on the radar, about2.6nm ahead — but failed to seeanything after looking throughbinoculars from the bridge.

The men — whose names havebeen withheld since they werereleased on bail last year over

fears for their safety — have beencharged under section 65 of theMaritime Transport Act (MTA)1994 ‘for operating a vessel in amanner causing unnecessarydanger or risk’. This charge carriesa maximum penalty ofNZ$10,000 (€6,257), or up to oneyear in jail.

They also face further chargesrelating to the ‘discharge of harm-ful substances from ships or off-shore installations’ which carry amaximum penalty of a fine of$300,000, or two years’ impris-onment.

The master faces four chargesunder the Crimes Act, and the sec-ond officer three charges, alleg-ing that they ‘wilfully attemptedto pervert the course of justice’ byaltering ship’s documents subse-quent to the grounding. Eachcharge carries a maximumpenalty of seven years’ imprison-ment.

At a hearing last month, themaster entered guilty pleas to allsix charges laid against him, andthe second officer pleaded guiltyto four charges.

Sentencing for both men willtake place in the Tauranga DistrictCourt on 25 May.

FAn engineer officer suffered abroken leg after inadvertently

releasing a freefall lifeboat while hewas carrying out a routine inspection.

Accident investigators found thatthe officer had probably activated therelease mechanism as he struggled tokeep his balance and reached out forsomething to hold onto as the shiprolled and pitched in force sixconditions.

The accident occurred in Octoberlast year onboard the 5,764dwtDanish-flagged chemical/producttanker Nordic Nadja, which wasanchored in the Maas Approach offRotterdam, when the secondengineer entered the boat to carryout a weekly inspection.

The Danish Maritime AccidentInvestigation Board found that thetwo handles to release the lifeboat

had been pushed backwards —something which should have beenimpossible. Investigators said therewas no safety device on the releasehandles and no suitable riskassessment had been carried out forthe work on the lifeboat.

The officer broke a leg andsuffered bruising in the fall and had tobe rescued by the NetherlandsCoastguard.

FA fishing vessel skipper hasbeen fined £1,000 for failing

to keep a proper lookout and causinga collision which sank another boatoff the coast of Scotland in January.

Stornoway Sheriff Court heardthat Murdo MacDonald had left thewheelhouse of the prawn trawlerSilver Chord II to help crew memberssorting the catch as the vesselheaded back to port after a day’sfishing in the North Minch.

But as he was doing this, theSilver Chord II collided with thefishing vessel Sapphire, which wasstopped in the water whilst theskipper was hauling a net in. Theingress of water was so rapid thatthe vessel sank within minutes,although the skipper was able tojump safely onto the Silver Chord II.

A Maritime & Coastguard Agencyinvestigation revealed there was nolookout on either vessel at the timeof the collision. Following thehearing, MCA operations managerCaptain Singh Grewal commented:‘This was a breach of theInternational Regulations for thePrevention of Collision at Sea. TheMCA is very concerned thatoperators of large fishing vesselssuch as the Sapphire and SilverCloud II are not maintaining alookout whilst at sea. Keeping alookout at all times is mandatory forseafarers on all vessels.

Skipper is�ned forcollision Rena pair face jail

Master and o�cer in court as report reveals ship took shortcuts as it raced to meet pilot boat

O�cer hurt in lifeboat fall

FThe Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA)ship Wave Knight has returned

to the UK after an 11-monthoperational deployment that saw theship cover 57,460 miles, replenish 56warships and five tankers, andprovide vital support for counter-piracy operations.

The deployment, in support of theRoyal Navy and coalition allies, sawthe fleet tanker providing logisticsupplies to warships and undertakingmaritime security patrols to helpprotect shipping in the Persian Gulf.

Wave Knight was also regularlyinvolved in counter-terrorism,counter-narcotics and counter-peopletrafficking operations involving navalships and aircraft from many othercountries.

Commanding officer Captain ChrisClarke commented: ‘Whilst it isalways a pleasure to return home, weshall miss the work and dailyuncertainty that is ever-present whenoperating east of Suez. You neverknow what each day will bring —other than the unexpected. It is likelyto occur and you have got to be readyfor it.’

For RFA Wave Knight chief officer Roger Stevens the highlight of theship’s deployment was meeting his son, Christopher, above. ‘I have beenat sea all my life and am due to retire from the RFA service in 2013.I never thought that during my career I would ever meet one of my familywhile working at sea; so it was amazing when we replenished HMSWestminster, where Christopher works as the navigating officer,’ he said.‘My wife, Gillian, was over the moon when she found out that we had metat sea and managed to get a few hours together.’

The wreck of the Rena, still sitting hard aground on Astrolabe reef last month Picture: LOC

Royal recognition for Plymouth


NEWS

CPlymouth University has beengiven an award in recognition

of its world-class marine andmaritime research, teaching andtraining.

Vice-Chancellor Professor WendyPurcell and Professor Martin Attrill,director of the university’s MarineInstitute, are pictured right receivingthe Queen’s Anniversary Prize forHigher and Further Education at aspecial ceremony at BuckinghamPalace.

Described as the UK’s mostprestigious form of nationalrecognition open to a UK academicor vocational institution, theQueen’s Anniversary Prize is abiennial award scheme within theUK’s national honours system.

The award coincides with the150th anniversary of the founding of

the Plymouth School of Navigation,one of the foundations upon whichPlymouth University has been built.

Professor Purcell said: ‘Thehonour is very special indeed andreflects the reputation and

international standing of ouruniversity. It is an award that hasbeen 150 years in the making andmarks Plymouth University as aleading, world class academicinstitution.’

New Tyne dredger named afterex-England football manager

PMembers of the Mer-chant Navy Officers’Pension Fund (MNOPF),

the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pen-sion Plan (MNOPP) and other pen-sion schemes are being warned tosteer clear of offers claiming toprovide loans or release tax-freecash from people’s pension potsbefore they reach the age of 55.

The advice comes from thetrustees of the MNOPF andMNOPP, as well as The PensionsRegulator, Financial ServicesAuthority (FSA) and HM Revenue& Customs in light of a recentincrease in the number of suchoffers being advertised.

‘Anything which appears toogood to be true always is just that,’said Peter McEwen, secretary tothe Nautilus Pensions Associa-tion.

‘Companies that offer to “lib-erate” pension rights not yet inpayment will in most cases leavemembers with poorer pensionsand probably substantial taxcharges,’ he added. ‘Avoid suchoffers like the plague!’

Mr McEwen said any memberneeding independent financialadvice should do so via Nautilus

International. Meanwhile, theTUC backed calls for individualsto avoid being taken in by web-site promotions, cold-calls oradverts encouraging them totransfer their existing occupa-tional or private pension to a newarrangement in order to access acash payment or loan.

‘With real wages falling andpersonal finances stretched, it’sunderstandable that some peoplemight be tempted to trade theirpension for short-term cash,’ saidTUC general secretary BrendanBarber. ‘But anyone under the ageof 55 who transfers their pensioninto a loan could end up a bigloser.’

The schemes operate by trans-ferring some of the member’spension fund into highly risky oropaque investment structures —frequently based overseas — withno guarantee that members willget their money back if some-thing goes wrong.

‘There is a high chance thatthese are scams run by illegiti-mate firms trying to con individ-uals out of their pension money,’added Jonathan Phelan, head ofthe FSA’s unauthorised businessdepartment. ‘You should checkwhether the firm that’s giving youadvice or is selling or transferringa pension plan is authorisedbefore engaging with them.’

FShipowners have expressedtheir disappointment with an

announcement that UK light dues areto be frozen at current levels thisyear — and they have called for therates to be cut in 2013.

Shipping minister Mike Penningsaid last month that the governmentis upholding its 2010 pledge to peglight dues for at least three years tohelp provide stability for owners.

He told MPs that work hascontinued to rationalise GeneralLighthouse Authorities services —including a review of pensionliabilities and closer working betweenthe authorities themselves, such ascentralisation of aids to navigationmonitoring, buoy yard reorganisationand staffing reductions.

‘These have succeeded in loweringrunning costs substantially,’ he added,‘and against a targeted five-yearreduction of 17%, the GeneralLighthouse Authorities now expect toachieve 19%.’

Michael Everard, chairman of theUK lights advisory committee, said hewas disappointed that light dues werenot being lowered despite the savingsmade by the GLAs. ‘We know tradingconditions are difficult at themoment; however, we believe thatlight dues income has increased inthe last year,’ he added. ‘Thecombination of this improved incomeand the savings made in GLAexpenditure should have allowed anactual reduction in the light dueslevels, which would have providedsome relief to operators andencouraged UK port calls.’

The Chamber of Shippingdescribed the minister’s decision as‘cautious’ and added: ‘We believe theopportunity to reduce the rate couldand should have been made this year.We will press for a substantialreduction next year.’

UHarbourmaster Mike Nicholsonis pictured right with Russell

Heron and Ian Swithow, crewmembers on the Port of Tyne’s newdredger Sir Bobby Robson, which wasnamed last month by the formerEngland football manager’s widow,Lady Elsie Robson.

Built by Mustang Marine ofPembroke Docks, at a cost of £1m,the Damen 1506 Multicat vessel willmainly be used for dredging berths inthe Port of Tyne, along withsecondary roles such as buoytendering, general berth

maintenance, pushing, towing anddive support duties.

The 16m 1,000hp workboat isfitted with a 6m wide ploughmounted on an A-frame AFT with a12-tonne winch and a hydraulicknuckle boom crane for marineconstruction work, buoy handlingand other general duties.

A competition to choose the nameof the vessel was won by 13-year-oldBen Nicholson, harbourmaster MikeNicholson’s youngest son.Picture: Craig Connor/North News & Pictures

FFormer Cunard CommodoreRon Warwick has won a ‘life at

sea’ photography competition with ashot taken from the bridge of theQueen Mary 2 off Chile — which canbe seen on the Merchant Navy Officers’Pension Fund website. Organised bythe MNOPF, the competition raised£230 for the Nautilus Welfare Fund.

‘Don’t cash-inyour pension’Nautilus and TUC warn against loan transfer offers

Winning shot

Owners innew callfor lightdues cut

FThe Mission to Seafarers isseeking riders to take part in

its 2012 Flying Angel cycling event.It hopes that around 200 people

will take part in the ride through theNew Forest on 27 May — followingeither a 35 or 75-mile route,depending on their abilities.

Lloyd’s Register, V.Ships and TheMaersk Company are sponsoring theevent, which aims to raise over£70,000 for the Mission’s workaround the world. Teams from ABP,UMC International and Lloyd’sRegister have already signed up butthere are still places for individualsor teams.

Registration for the Flying AngelRide costs £25 and participants areasked to raise a minimum of £175.The person who raises the highesttotal will win a custom-madeBrompton folding bicycle.

fTo sign up, visit the website:www.missiontoseafarers.org/far2012

Danes arerapped onDutch-!agsail ships

Mission seeksriders for NewForest event

FThe Danish maritimeauthorities have been

reprimanded by the EuropeanCommission over their treatment ofNetherlands-flagged sailing ships.

In an official document known asa ‘reasoned opinion’, the EC takesissues with the Danes’ insistence thatDutch sailing ships with more than 12passengers docking in Danish portsfollowing an international journeymust have certification under theSOLAS Convention.

This action, says the Commission,means that the Danish authorities areinfringing EU law by ‘obstructing thefreedom to provide services’ —because Dutch vessels risk being heldin Danish ports for lack of SOLAScertification.

The Dutch authorities argue thatthat their own safety standards forthese ships are more than adequate,and the EC reasoned opinion says thatthe Danes are wrong to imposeadditional certification without firstchecking whether the Dutchstandards would provide thenecessary safety framework.

In a statement last month, theCommission stressed that nationallegislation imposed on serviceproviders established in another EUmember state must be ‘appropriateand proportionate’.

And it added: ‘The Danishauthorities have failed todemonstrate why the Dutch safetyrules should systematically bedeemed insufficient on the basis ofthe characteristics of the shipsinvolved, and why the SOLAS rulesshould always be consideredappropriate.’

The Danish authorities have beentold to examine the vessels on anindividual basis in future and make aproper case for imposing any differentstandards from those applicable inthe Netherlands.

If Denmark fails to inform theCommission within two months of themeasures it has taken to ensure fullcompliance with the EU requirements,the case could be referred to theEuropean Court of Justice.

Nautilus assistant generalsecretary Marcel van den Broekcommented: ‘Let’s leave it to the EUCourt of Justice to decide on thismatter. There will be winners andthere will be losers — but the mainthing is that there’ll be clarity andparties can finally start using theirenergy and resources for betterpurposes.’

Members attending the recent Nautilus pensions forum, in Southampton

Appeal to tracktsunami debrisF

The US National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration

(NOAA) is appealing for seafarers towatch out for marine debris from thetsunami that devastated Japan inMarch last year.

Information from vesselstransiting the North Pacific is criticalto tracking the debris — whichincludes vessels, fishing nets andbuoys, lumber, cargo containers, andhousehold goods — says NOAA.Ships are encouraged to submitobservations and photos of marinedebris — as well as reports of ‘nodebris observed’ — to:[email protected]

CPictured above are CarnivalAustralia CEO Ann Sherry,

ex-prima ballerina Darcey Bussell,P&O Cruises MD Carol Marlow andCaptain Robert Camby onboard theOriana last month as the shipstaged a special event for 175 ‘TenPound Poms’ who emigrated toAustralia under the post-warassisted migration programme.

Held in Sydney as part ofcelebrations to mark P&O Cruises’175th anniversary, the eventfollowed a competition invitingthose who had sailed from the UK

under the programme, which ranfrom 1947 to 1972, to send in theirstories.

‘After the second world war,more than one million Britonssailed to Australia as part of thelargest planned mass migration inhistory and most of these came onP&O ships,’ Ms Marlow said.‘Those Australians still havewonderful stories to tell of theirvoyage here and their memories ofsettling in Australia and it wasfabulous to celebrate some of thosetoday.’

NEWS


PCompulsory curbs onshipping speeds shouldbe brought in to cut

emissions and ensure that themaritime industry plays its partin combating climate change, anew report has concluded.

A 118-page study of slowsteaming produced by the Dutchconsultancy CE Delft for the envi-ronmental bodies Seas at Risk andTransport & Environment arguesthat a 15% immediate CO2 emis-sions reduction is achievable atno cost to the industry.

Reducing average ship speedsby 10% will cut emissions by 19%across the world fleet — evenafter building and operating newships to make up for lost capacity,the report states.

And a global regime to limitaverage ship speeds to 85% ofwhat they were in 2007 wouldresult in benefits that outweighthe costs by between US$178bn

and $617bn, depending on futurefuel prices. The benefits of a 25%cut in speed — which would leadto a 58% reduction in main enginefuel consumption — could be ashigh as $883bn, the study sug-gests.

Published to coincide withInternational Maritime Organisa-tion discussions on emissionspolicy, the report argues that

enforced slow steaming wouldnot only cut CO2 emissions, butalso result in significant reduc-tions in SOx, NOx and black car-bon emissions as well.

Researchers concluded thatthere are very few, if any, evidenttechnical obstacles to slow steam-ing. ‘Many shipping companieshave experience with slow steam-ing in recent years,’ the report

noted. ‘Even at very low engineloads, they have encounteredonly a few problems and theseproblems could be surmountedby small changes to operationalprocedures.’

John Maggs, of Seas At Risk,commented: ‘Regulated slowsteaming can produce emissionsreductions by 2030 and 2050which rival any other reduction

option being considered at IMOor EU level, and it can do so with asizeable economic gain.

‘The IMO — and industry —must look again at regulated slowsteaming and give it full andproper consideration alongsidetheir work on developing amarket-based measure,’ he added.

Bill Hemmings, of Transport &Environment, commented: ‘Thisstudy refutes all the knee-jerkobjections to mandatory speedreduction that have been trottedout. The case for speed reductionis as compelling as it is obvious;it’s time for regulators to sit upand pay attention.’

The report argues that speedlimits for shipping are legally fea-sible. Compulsory slow steamingcan be imposed by flag states, andon all ships in territorial waters, inexclusive economic zones and onthe high seas as a condition ofport entry.

Study calls for speedlimits for shipping

MPs urgeunitedrules onsulphur

Mandatory slow steaming will help save the planet and save money, research concludes

DPictured right is the 12,449gtSwan Hellenic cruiseship

Minerva arriving in Portsmouth lastmonth following a £10m refit inBremerhaven.

The Bahamas-flagged vessel,which carries up to 350 passengers,underwent a wide range of workduring the three-month programme,including new propellers and shafts toincrease fuel efficiency and upgradedpassenger accommodation.

Under the command of CaptainJohn Moulds, the ship began a 15-daycruise to North Africa and the CanaryIslands. Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic F

Europe should not go beyondthe International Maritime

Organisation in setting rules to curbsulphur emissions from shipping, aUK Parliamentary inquiry concludedlast month.

A report by the House ofCommons transport committeeagrees that stringent limits areessential to cut sulphur emissionsfrom ships — but warns that theEuropean Commission has failed tojustify the case for imposing tougherrules than those required by theMARPOL Annex VI.

‘It is unnecessary andunacceptable for the Commission’sproposal to vary from Annex VI,which is a package of measures thatwas the product of arduousnegotiation,’ it adds.

The MPs noted that switching tolow-sulphur fuel and using emissionsabatement technology wouldincrease owners’ costs and thereport urges the government toinvestigate ways of reducing the riskof freight being switched to othertransport modes as a result.

Committee chairwoman LouiseEllman commented: ‘We believe thatit’s not appropriate for theCommission to go further than theseglobally-agreed limits by imposingtighter regulations on shippingoperators at this time.’

She said the UK will have to forgealliances with other EU memberstates to seek to remove the tighteremissions limits for passenger shipsoutside specified Emissions ControlAreas and ensure that the directivereplicates Annex VI safeguardsregarding the non-availability oflow-sulphur fuel.

The report also points out thattighter emissions limits have beenunder discussion for many years andargues that shipping companiescould have been more proactiveabout developing effective pollutionabatement technology.

FProgress on cleaning up emissions from shippingran into problems last month when a crucial

International Maritime Organisation meeting failed tosecure agreement on the use of ‘market-basedmeasures’ to encourage greener policies.

The week-long talks at the IMO’s marineenvironment protection committee saw divisionsbetween delegates on the use of such measures as alevy on bunker fuel or a global emissions trading

scheme. They were unable even to agree on a steeringgroup for an impact study proposed by IMO secretary-general Koji Sekimizu to examine nine potentialmeasures, and so the issues have been set aside forfurther discussion in October.

However, the committee did agree a number ofguidelines for the development of ship energy efficiencymanagement plans and the associated energy efficiencydesign index.

IMO stalls on ‘market measures’

Trainers team up to produceguide to US port state control


HEALTH&SAFETY

PNautilus and the Uniteunion have expressedalarm at UK government

plans to scrap dock safety regula-tions as part of a drive against ‘redtape’.

The Health & Safety Executiveis reported to be considering theinclusion of the 1988 Dock Regu-lations in the next round of legis-lation that could be scrappedunder the government’s plan tohalve the number of health andsafety regulations.

In October last year, the gov-ernment downgraded health andsafety in docks — which is nowconsidered ‘low risk’. However,since then the fatal accident ratein UK docks has increased to alevel five times the national aver-age with eight deaths in the fol-lowing three months.

Nautilus senior national secre-

tary Allan Graveson said the acci-dent figures showed that moreregulation, not less, is required toprotect shore staff and seafarersin docks.

‘There is a problem that a lot ofthe labour is casual or contracted,and workers should have toundergo proper induction train-ing that is refreshed on an annualbasis,’ he added. ‘There shouldalso be truly independent acci-dent investigation, so that lessonscan be learned rather than sim-ply seeking to find fault.’

The Unite union warned thatany move to scrap safety regula-tions would be a recipe for disas-ter. Julia Long, national officer fordocks, commented: ‘There havebeen a number of tragic incidentsin UK docks which goes to showthat the government needs tohave an urgent rethink on its

position as it sets the ports as a“low risk” industry.’

Provisional HSE statistics for2010-11 record 69 fatal or majorinjury incidents involvingemployees in ‘water transport’ —excluding cargo handling.

But figures obtained by Haz-ards magazine last monthrevealed that only seven wereinvestigated by HSE. Five yearsago, the HSE investigated 18% ofsuch incidents in the sector, butlast year the figure fell to just 9%.

Hazards magazine said thepoor statistical database meansthe death rate in UK docks couldactually be as more than 20 timesthe national workplace average.In just four months last year fiveworkers were killed in UK docks –including two in the space of justthree days at Tilbury in Essex. IanCampbell died on 23 October 2011

when the straddle crane he wasdriving toppled over at Tilburyand on 26 October Peter Hunt, anagency lorry driver, was killed at adistribution centre in the dockswhen a trailer fell on him.

Marine engineer Jason Burdensuffered fatal chest injuries on 8December when a piece ofmachinery fell on him whileworking at South Docks in Sun-derland.

Just over a week later, NevilleWightman died after beingcrushed by part of a pontoon dur-ing an unloading operation atIpswich docks.

And on 27 January this year,agency worker Tim Elton waskilled when he was buried undershifting coal in the hold of themerchant vessel Excalibur atImmingham Dock during cargotrimming operations.

FThe International Maritime Organisation isstepping up pressure for flag states and

shipowners to fall into line with proposed newballast water management measures — amidwarnings that the world fleet will not be able tocomply with deadlines for fitting treatment systems.

Last month’s meeting of the IMO’s marineenvironment protection committee heard concernsthat limited shipyard capacity, lack of approvedtechnologies, high costs and tight timescales couldscupper the Ballast Water Management Conventionplans.

Secretary-general Koji Sekimizu told the meetingthat it was of ‘critical importance’ that theconvention enters into force as soon as possible.

‘It is a source of my great concern anddisappointment that after eight years since theConvention’s adoption, ratification still falls short ofthe required 35% of the gross tonnage of theworld’s merchant shipping,’ he warned.

‘Any further delays will be a disincentive to theindustry to make the required investments,’ the IMOleader added. ‘Postponement also risks creatingbottlenecks in shipyards when the Convention’sdeadlines for the retrofitting of existing shipsapproach. With only seven years left before the lastships in the existing merchant fleet will have to beretrofitted, time is running out.’

The meeting approved five new ballast watertreatment systems, and Mr Sekimizu said the

number of commercially available treatmenttechnologies meant there is now no barrier forcountries to ratify the convention.

Shipowners have expressed concern over‘potentially damaging’ changes to draft IMO ballastwater sampling and analysis guidelines that will beused by port state control authorities.

Following objections by the InternationalChamber of Shipping, the IMO sub-committee onbulk liquids and gases has agreed to reconsider theplans. However, this now means that the samplingguidelines will not be approved until at least 2013,which is expected to delay the additionalratifications needed to bring the Ballast WaterManagement Convention into force.

AAmerican and Britishmaritime training providers

have teamed up in an attempt todemystify the workings of theformidable US port state control.

US-based Maritime TrainingServices (MTS) produced a trainingprogramme on port state control in1996, but realised an update wasneeded after some staff membersrecently experienced the processfirst-hand on a containershipvoyage from Vancouver to Seattle.

As it happened, the British firmVideotel had been considering thedevelopment of a training packagealong the same lines, so the twocompanies joined forces.

The resulting package covers allthe latest US Coast Guard inspectionprocess, following a team ofinspectors through a typicalboarding, with a commentary onthe best way to prepare ships andcrews for inspection.

There is a particular focus on theUS Department of HomelandSecurity’s customs and borderprotection (CBP) service, and theMTS film crew was able to followofficers on a real agriculturalinspection and immigrationprocedure.

The programme is now availableon Videotel’s VOD system and forpurchase worldwide from MTS.

HA UK-registered fishing vesselran aground in Scotland after

the skipper fell asleep and failed tomake a planned course alteration.

Investigations revealed that theskipper of the scallop dredgerGolden Promise had been on watchor carrying out other duties for morethan 18 hours when the vesselgrounded on the island of Stromnain the Pentland Firth in Septemberlast year.

The Marine AccidentInvestigation Branch found that theskipper and mate were working adaily routine of 16 hours on dutyfollowing by eight hours of rest,while the three deckhands wereworking 19 hours a day, followed bystaggered five-hour rest periods.

Such working routines meant thecrew could not get the minimum restperiods recommended by the M-Notice MSN 1786, the report points

out, and there was a ‘highlikelihood’ the skipper would fallasleep. The MAIB said the owners of

the Golden Promise had failed tolearn the lessons from the groundingof another vessel in their fleet in

2006 when a lone watchkeeper fellasleep. In that case no ‘dead man’salarm’ had been fitted, and althoughon the Golden Promise theequipment was fitted, it wasprobably not functioning at the timeof the accident.

‘A complacent attitude towardsvoyage planning and monitoringhad developed with time andfamiliarity, the report adds. Theskipper had failed to make good useof available aids, including waypointand XTE alarms on the chart plotters.

The MAIB said the UK’santicipated ratification of ILOConvention 188 on work in fishingwill present the Maritime &Coastguard Agency with ‘anopportunity to review and improvethe regulations and codes applicableto fishing vessels, to address theproblem of fatigue within the fishingindustry’.

Fatigued skipper dozed off

Concern over accident rate as government moves to scrap ‘red tape’ rules

Unions sound alerton UK docks safety

IMO calls for urgent action to headoff threat to ballast water treaty

Officer hurt in tankcleaning accident

The fishing vessel Golden Promise aground last September

FConcerns over trainingstandards have been raised in

an investigation into an accident inwhich a chemical tanker’s third officersuffered serious eye injuries whileremoving caustic soda residues from acargo tank.

A report on the incident onboardthe Turkish-flagged vessel Ece Nur K atan anchorage in the Elbe in 2009highlights ‘a substantial lack of trainingin the crew’s ability to handle cargo’.

When the accident occurred, thecrew had already been trying to cleanthe cargo tanks for a week — but eachtime they failed to meet the qualityrequirements of the chemicalcompany from which the next cargowas to be carried. The companyeventually refused to load the cargoonto the 19,968dwt ship.

A report by the German marineaccident investigation board, BSU,

comments: ‘The level ofcontamination found on the chemicaltanker, which had only been inoperation for four months, indicatedthat the whole crew was notsufficiently familiar with the normaloperation and, in particular, thecleaning procedures.’

BSU said the safety awareness ofthe crew was weak, and insufficient forthe safe and proper handling ofhazardous substances — with thetank cleaning crew lacking adequatesafety clothing and having no tankcleaning plan based on riskassessment.

The officer, who was injured whena hose pumping out the sodiumhydroxide solution parted, waswearing eye goggles that were openat the sides and a cotton boiler suit —neither of which complied withEuropean safety regulations.

UK-flagged ship damaged after Caribbean collision

HEALTH&SAFETY


PNautilus has expressedrenewed concerns overthe quality of training in

the use of electronic charts fol-lowing an investigation into thegrounding of a Maltese-flaggedbulk carrier off Scotland last year.

The 19,538gt CSL Thames suf-fered a 3m fracture to a ballasttank after briefly grounding inthe Sound of Mull while manoeu-vring to avoid another vessel on avoyage between Glensanda andWilhelmshaven in August 2011.

The ship — which was carrying28,962 tonnes of aggregates —was fitted with two ECDIS unitsthat were used as the primarymeans of navigation. Althoughthe master and deck officers hadundergone a generic ECDIS train-ing course in the Philippines, theyhad not received any training or

familiarisation in the equipmentonboard CSL Thames.

The UK Marine Accident Inves-tigation Branch (MAIB) said thethird officer had altered the ship’scourse to starboard because of hewas concerned about the risk ofcollision with another vessel.

However, he then failed tomonitor his ship’s position andprojected track on the ECDIS dis-play. ‘He did not notice that thealteration would take CSL Thamesinto shallow water, and the audioalarm on the electronic chart dis-play and information system that

should have alerted him to theimpending danger was inopera-tive,’ the MAIB added.

The report states that an ‘inap-propriate’ safety contour of 10mhad been set on the ECDIS. Theship had a draft of 10.63m and,taking the tide height of 1.9m andan estimated squat of 0.9m intoaccount, it would have groundedat a charted depth of 10.13m.

The MAIB said the master andbridge watchkeepers lacked anunderstanding of the vessel’sECDIS safety features and theirvalue. Investigators found thatthe ECDIS alarm had been discon-nected, yet no members of thebridge team had questioned whythere was no audible alarm.

Nautilus senior national secre-tary Allan Graveson commented:‘The MAIB is right to highlight the

absence of equipment-specifictraining in this case, and itdemonstrates the importance ofproviding the necessary trainingand familiarisation with what isactually in use onboard.’

Mr Graveson said the caseraised wider questions aboutstandards of training and compe-tence, and about the quality ofcorporate management, with thereport demonstrating the poten-tial threat posed to environmen-tally sensitive areas around theUK by poorly operated ships.

The MAIB also stated that themaster had ‘misplaced confi-dence’ in the abilities of the thirdofficer — pointing out that helacked experience and, given thenavigational demands of the pas-sage, should not have been left onhis own in the Sound of Mull.

Grounding raises freshalarm at ECDIS training

AUK Marine AccidentInvestigation Branch inspectors

were deployed to the DominicanRepublic last month to investigate acollision between the UK-flaggedcargoship Seagate and the Liberia-flagged reefer Timor Stream.

The incident took place some 60miles NE of Isle de Tortue, Haiti. Whilethe 9,307gt Timor Stream was onlyminimally affected, the 17,590gtSeagate suffered substantial damage.

Having discovered that the vesselwas taking on water, 18 of theSeagate’s 21 crew members wereevacuated using liferafts, with theothers remaining onboard to assessthe damage.

No injuries were reported, but

there were concerns about thepotential release of 4,000 gallons oflube oil from a punctured fuel tankonboard the Seagate, which isoperated by Zodiac Maritime. As theTelegraph went to press, the vesselwas reported to be stable, withminimal water in the engineroom.

The US Coast Guard provided theinitial response to the collision by seaand air, and continued to monitor thesituation. ‘Our main focus now is toensure the continued safety of theSeagate crew and mitigate anyfurther damage to the vessel orenvironment that may be caused byworsening weather,’ said Cmdr TroyHosmer, commander of the attendingCoast Guard vessel Venturous.

IMO plans toimprove infoon ECDIS‘anomalies’

Master and officers lacked understanding of system’s safety features, investigation reveals

FNautilus has welcomed amove at the International

Maritime Organisation to providebetter information to seafarers onoperating anomalies identified withelectronic chart display andinformation systems (ECDIS).

The IMO’s sub-committee onradiocommunications and searchand rescue last month heard aprogress report from an expertworking group set up to examinereports of unanticipated display andoperating anomalies with someECDIS units.

The report was introduced by theUK, with support from theNetherlands and China. The meetingwas told that 19 reported anomalieshad been reviewed and mitigatingactions identified to counter them.

Nautilus senior national secretaryAllan Graveson attended themeeting and described the outcomeas a useful step forward.

He said it had been agreed thatmeasures will be taken to ensurethat all areas in the World-WideNavigational Warning Service(WWNWS) are ‘invited’ topromulgate important safety-relatedECDIS information to mariners.

The International HydrographicOrganisation (IHO) has recently issuedtwo fictitious Electronic NavigationalChart (ENC) datasets and four sets oftests to check for anomalies orunexpected behaviour in systems. Thecheck data also enables masters andofficers to determine whether theirECDIS is able to display all the requiredchart features.

The Organisation said it hadreceived almost 400 reports ofchecks from ships by the end ofJanuary this year, all of whichindicated some level of unexpectedbehaviour on all the systems thatwere checked. Problems includedthe display of underwater featuresand isolated dangers, the display ofcomplex lights and the display ofarchipelagic sea lanes,environmentally sensitive sea lanesand particularly sensitive sea areas.

Around half the reports indicatedthat the ECDIS had limitations insome aspects of the route checkingfunction.

gSee M-Notices page 46

FThe growing use of illegal devices to blockGPS signals is likely to result in a serious

shipping accident off the UK within a decade,experts warned last month.

Professor David Last told a conference on thevulnerability of global navigation systems that amaritime disaster caused by GPS jamming isinevitable unless action is taken to combat thethreat.

‘The spread of the jamming technology, withdevices available online for only £50, makes amajor incident at sea, whether accidental orintentional, a real danger,’ he told the audience atthe UK’s National Physical Laboratory. ‘In theEnglish Channel, the world’s busiest seaway, Ipersonally believe we will see such an incident inthe next decade.’

Bob Cockshott, director of position, navigationand timing at the ICT Knowledge Transfer Network,said a two-year research project on the UK roadnetwork had shown an increase in the use ofjamming equipment.

‘Today’s evidence from roadside monitoringshows that we have moved on from a potentiallythreatening situation to a real danger that we mustaddress now,’ he added. ‘With the reliance on GPSsystems in the maritime environment, highlightedby the General Lighthouse Authority, ourvulnerability on land and at sea should not beunderestimated.’

Mr Coxshott warned of the need to tackle ‘thenext generation of threats’ — which could take theform of spoofing and ‘time sabotage’ todeliberately mislead users for criminal purposes.

‘We must ensure that alongside dealing with thethreat posed by jamming, we also stay ahead ofadvances in the criminal world,’ he added.

zThe General Lighthouse Authorities of the UKand Ireland have welcomed the start of trials in theUnited States of a new alternative to GPS. Theagreement between the US Coast Guard andUrsaNav is part of a new set of low-frequency (LF)services being trialled on both sides of the Atlantic.

‘This is all part of the resurgence of interest interrestrial LF services in response to the vulnerabilityof GPS and other GNSS,’ the GLAs said. ‘Togetherwith a range of other options being researched, theGLAs are trialling eLoran as the terrestrialcomplement to GNSS at sea and also supportinguse of the new eLoran transmissions for timing,data and tracking of land vehicles.’

GPS jamming ‘threatens tocause a shipping disaster’

Zodiac Maritime’s Seagate suffered serious damage in the collision with the Geest Line reefer Timor Stream

The CSL Thames grounded in the Sound of Mull last year Picture: MAIB


INTERNATIONAL

Alarm at EU checkson Filipino trainingEconomy at risk if certi�cates fail to make the grade, government warned

shortreportsCATTLE CONCERN: fresh calls for toughercontrols on the shipment of live animals have comefrom animal rights groups following the death ofthousands of cattle onboard a livestock carrier in theRed Sea last month. The UK-based Compassion in WorldFarming claimed that some 2,750 cows had died afterthe former ro-ro cargo vessel Gracia Del Mar sufferedventilation and feeding system breakdowns during avoyage between Brazil and Egypt.

FAROES DEAL: the maritime section of theDanish Metal Workers union has concluded anagreement with Svitzer Faroe Islands to cover staff onvessels that flagged to the Faroes from Sweden in 2011.The union claims the deal prevents the risk of socialdumping. Svitzer has switched several vessels to theFaroese register, which was given flag of conveniencestatus by the International Transport Workers’Federation last autumn.

ARCTIC INCREASE: Russian authorities areexpecting further growth in shipping transits onnorthern Arctic routes this year. In 2011, around800,000 tonnes of freight transited through thenorthern route in 34 vessels of all types – up from110,000 tonnes in the previous year. Volumes in 2012are expected to rise to around 1.5m tonnes.

INDIAN AID: India’s shipping ministry is reportedto be on the verge of finalising a programme for cargosupport to boost the number of national-flagged shipsoperating in the country’s coastal trades. The proportionof India’s cabotage cargoes carried by the domestic fleethas fallen from 30% to just 8% over the last 30 years.

MASTER DIES: the Greek master of the oil tankerAlpha 1 died last month when the ship sank whilerefuelling off Piraeus. Ten other crew members wererescued, and authorities said the incident may havebeen caused by the tanker hitting the wreck of anothervessel in the shallow waters of Eleusina bay.

LIFEBOAT UPGRADE: the French national searescue service, SNSM, has launched a €50mprogramme to renew its fleet of 40 all-weather lifeboatsover 25 years. They are to be replaced by new, state-of-the-art 17.8m vessels capable of reaching 25 knots.

BW STOPPAGES: seafarers and shore staffworking for BW Maritime France staged a series ofstoppages last month in response to ‘a minimum,amateurish and hurriedly formulated’ plan to close thecompany’s operations later this year.

EURONAV SWITCH: Belgian operator Euronav isto switch the 299,000dwt tanker Luxembourg from theFrench RIF second register to the Marshall Islands. TheVLCC is being converted into a floating storage andoffloading vessel to work off Angola.

FERRY FINES: the Spanish and Italiancompetition authorities have imposed big fines on fiveferry companies for illicit fare-setting practices onservices to the Balearic Islands.

DPictured left are three Chinese-built STS super post-panamax

container cranes — said to be amongthe largest of their kind in theworld — arriving at Khalifa Port inAbu Dhabi last month.

Due to be completed later thisyear, Khalifa will be the first semi-automated port in the region, capableof handling an initial capacity of 2mTEU containers and 12m tonnes ofgeneral cargo annually. By 2030, it isexpected that the port will handle asmuch as 15m TEUs and 35m tonnes ofgeneral cargo a year.

PThe Philippines econ-omy could lose as muchas US$700m a year if the

country’s substandard maritimetraining colleges fail to improve,it was warned last month.

The warning came as inspec-tors from the European MaritimeSafety Agency (EMSA) arrived fora seven-day visit to inspect com-pliance with the internationalStandards of Training Certifica-tion & Watchkeeping Convention.

The EMSA inspectors visited anumber of Philippines govern-ment offices, including the Mar-itime Training Council and Pro-fessional Regulation Commission,as well as two training centres.

Ahead of the checks, thePhilippines Department ofLabour & Employment (DOLE)stressed that failure to rectify

deficiencies found in an EMSAaudit of 15 training centres in2006 and six in 2010 could resultin Filipino seafarers being barredfrom working on EU-flagged ves-sels.

‘The withdrawal of EU’s recog-nition could threaten the positionof the Philippines in the Interna-tional Maritime Organisationwhite list and will definitely havea detrimental effect not only onthe country’s reputation in theinternational maritime commu-nity but also on the nation’s econ-omy,’ DOLE added.

Labour secretary RosalindaBaldoz said that the Philippineshad submitted a report in Janu-ary setting out the correctiveactions taken in response to theproblems noted by EMSA in itsprevious inspections, which

included monitoring of maritimeeducation and training institu-tions, quality standards, require-ments for seafarers’ certificationand onboard training, implemen-tation of management levelcourses, and the standard ofequipment and facilities in somecolleges.

‘We welcome this follow-upvisit as an opportunity for thePhilippine government to proveits efforts to continuouslyimprove its maritime education,training and certification system,’she added.

DOLE said it was determinedto ‘ensure the competence, effi-ciency, and integrity of the coun-try’s labour force, to protect thePhilippines, pre-eminence in theworld market for seafarers, andultimately, to prevent the Philip-

pine economy from suffering amajor setback as a result of non-recognition of Filipino certificatesby the EU’.

In response to EMSA’s previousfindings, the government closeddown programmes at three col-leges that were deemed to havefailed to rectify the problems byMay 2011 last year.

zA Manila-based seafarersadvocacy group has secured morethan 6,000 signatures for apetition urging the Philippinesgovernment to ratify the MaritimeLabour Convention as soon aspossible. The InternationalSeafarers’ Action Center said itwould be sending the petition togovernment departments and italso wanted a copy to go to thecountry’s president.

Master isbannedfrom US

by Andrew Draper

AAttempts by Norwegianshipowners to allow ships

sailing under the NorwegianInternational Ship register, NIS, to plythe Norwegian coast have been givenshort shrift by the government.

The unions have long campaignedagainst the owners’ efforts, as theyclaim NIS-flagged vessels workingalong the Norwegian coast with low-paid foreign crews would underminethe national register, NOR.

Owners’ association boss SturlaHenriksen made his call at a recentconference, saying Norway was theonly country in the world not to allowits own ships to sail in nationalwaters.

He claimed that Norwegianowners were losing contracts as aresult.

But business minister Trond Giskesaid he would only listen whenowners and unions had a unitedposition on removing territorial limitsfor NIS.

Secretary-general of theengineers’ union, Hilde Gunn Avløyp,told the Maritim Logg magazine thatthe only reason the owners want NISships along the Norwegian coast is tobe able to use cheap foreign labour.

‘They would outcompete thenational flag and the fear is also thatit would wipe out most jobs forNorwegian seafarers — not least therecruitment positions we have in ourown waters that are so crucial for thesurvival of the Norwegian seafarer,’ hesaid.

Coastal ban on NIS-�ag ships

AThe 42,304gt containershipAkritas is pictured left being

guided into port of Valletta, Malta,where it docked for repairs lastmonth.

The Hong-Kong registered vesselwas built in 1987 as APL Costa Ricaand operated for a time as theSafmarine Igoliand.

Now owned by Grappa Shipping,Akritas is seen entering by thecannons which were of vitalimportance in defending Malta fromthe Ottoman Empire during the GreatSiege of 1565. Picture: Andrew Draper

AA Greek shipmaster was finedUS$500 and barred from US

waters for a year last month after hewas caught almost seven times overthe alcohol limit.

US Coast Guard officials saidCaptain Georgios Choulis had notbeen present when a pilot boardedthe Maltese-flagged bulk carrierLaconia to help take the ship into theport of Longview, Oregon, to load acargo of grain.

The pilot was told Capt Chouliswas sick, but when a Coast Guardinspection team visited the68,283dwt ship they found themaster sleeping in his berth with anearly empty bottle of scotch besidehim.

The US district court was told thatwhen USCG officers tried to rouse themaster, he began to verbally abusethem. His breath smelled of alcohol,and his eyes were watery andbloodshot.

A breathalyser measured his bloodalcohol content at 0.287, and an hourlater it was at 0.118 — compared withthe US limit of 0.04.

Abu Dhabi building new ‘super port’

INTERNATIONAL


Crew rescued after tanker runs aground

AA US businessman has been sentenced to twomonths in prison and two months under

house arrest for dropping the anchor of the HollandAmerica Line cruiseship Ryndam while the vesselwas under way.

The US district court heard that Rick Ehlert hadbeen under the influence of alcohol when heentered a restricted area on the ship and releasedthe anchor during a cruise between Florida andMexico in November 2010.

MS Ryndam’s captain had made an

announcement calling for information about thelifebuoy being thrown overboard, an FBI statementadded.

When nobody came forward, ‘the ship’semergency alarm sounded and passengers andcrew were mustered on deck’ until everyone wasaccounted for.

Under a plea agreement, Mr Ehlert admittedcharges of attempting to cause damage to the ship,while it was in international waters, by unlawfullydropping the stern anchor. He also admitted

attempting to destroy or disable a lifebuoy, bythrowing it overboard.

Mr Ehlert was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fineand to participate in substance abuse and mentalhealth counselling.

‘Many people have asked me why I dropped theanchor,’ he wrote in a letter of apology to the ship’smaster. ‘I believe that I was intrigued by themachinery, and curious to see if I could operate it.I do remember trying to stop the anchor once itstarted moving, but it just kept going faster.’

shortreportsFINNISH TAX: seafarers and shipowners inFinland have welcomed their government’s move tobring its fiscal regime for shipping into line with mostother European tonnage tax schemes. The FinnishSeamen’s Union said the new system would help toprotect the national fleet from unfair foreigncompetition and it estimates that 100 ships could jointhe scheme — although it cautions that a moreimportant issue is whether the government will reducestate aid for maritime labour costs, which would morethan offset the positive effect of tonnage tax.

BOX LEADER: Shanghai has been confirmed asthe world’s leading container port, handling 31.5m TEUlast year — a 9.5% increase from 2010 and the firsttime that a port has handled more than 30m TEU.Singapore was in second place, with 29.9m TEU,followed by Hong Kong (24.4m) and Shenzhen(22.6m). Chinese ports took six of the top 10 places andRotterdam was the only European port in the top 10.

MASTERS WARN: the French shipmasters’association, Afcan, has raised concerns over thepressure on shipmasters following recent incidents suchas the grounding of the TK Bremen and the CostaConcordia. Chairman Captain Hubert Ardillon saidpossible errors by masters must be properlyinvestigated, but all captains should question how theywould have reacted in similar circumstances.

PILOTS PROTEST: Belgian port pilots havestaged a series of work-to-rule protests in Antwerp,Ghent and Zeebrugge over proposed new pensionarrangements. They suspended the industrial actionafter the Flemish regional government established aworking group to examine their working arrangements,although ministers said they would resist the pilots’claim for retirement at 60 instead of 62.

OFFICERS HELD: Indian authorities havearrested the master and two officers of a Singapore-flagged bulk carrier in connection with an alleged ‘hitand run’ fatal incident off the coast of Kerala. The52,817dwt Prabhu Daya was en route to Singapore fromPanaji in India via Sri Lanka when it allegedly struck theDon-1 fishing boat and carried on without stopping.

LIBYAN CONTRACT: the Italian company MSCCroisières has agreed a €550m deal with the STX Franceshipyard to take over a contract for a new cruiseshiporiginally ordered by a Libyan company linked toHannibal Gaddafi, one of the sons of the deposedLibyan leader. The ship will be named MSC Preziosa.

AUCKLAND ALERT: unions across the worldhave voiced support for almost 300 dock workers in theNew Zealand port of Auckland who have been maderedundant in the latest stage of a long-running disputeover employment rights.

Eurotunnel plansto operate ferriesCompany’s bid to take over SeaFrance ships could give it 50% of marketby Jeff Apter

PEurotunnel has con-firmed its interest inbecoming a ferry opera-

tor — by taking over three formerSeaFrance vessels and hiring upto 500 of the defunct company’sseafarers and shore staff.

Eurotunnel — whose previousbid for the ships was rejected — isawaiting a decision by the admin-istrators of SeaFrance, which wentinto liquidation in January, andwho have until mid-April to sellthe ships.

The train operator said itwould own the vessels and leasethem to a company headed by aformer Brittany Ferries managerand probably involving a union-backed cooperative that wouldhire ex-SeaFrance workers.

‘There’s definitely a role for aniche ferry operation,’ Eurotun-nel chairman Jacques Gounonsaid last month. ‘What we want toreach is not the SeaFrance mar-ket share, which was in the mag-nitude of 15%-18%, but more like9%-10%.’

Any new French-flagged serv-ice with SeaFrance’s Berlioz, Rodinand Nord Pas de Calais, wouldcompete with P&O and the

DFDS/LD Lines service thatopened on 17 February with theNorman Spirit.

The European Commission’scompetition authorities rejectedearlier Eurotunnel plans to try

and save SeaFrance and its 800jobs. Mr Gounon said the newferry company would operate dif-ferently from SeaFrance.

‘Round-the-clock services likethis need several people to do onejob,’ he claimed. ‘The ratio atSeaFrance was three to one and atP&O it is 2.13 people for one job.That’s why P&O is profitable andSeaFrance is dead.’

Mr Gounon said Eurotunnel’sferry proposals would ‘comple-ment’ the company’s rail services.It would enable Eurotunnel tomore easily switch passengers toa ferry when the tunnel is closedor reaches peak capacity and tocarry hazardous or over-sized car-goes that cannot use the tunnel.

He said he did not want Euro-tunnel to be part of a big shippinggroup, but to lease the ships to aspecialist ferry operator.

There would be no need tolaunch a price war, he added,although fares would probably becheaper than the tunnel, whichcharges a premium for speed.

If agreed, the plans would giveEurotunnel a majority share ofthe shortsea cross-Channel mar-ket — against its current share of38% for heavy goods vehicles and43% for cars.

HPictured above is the BrittanyFerries vessel Le Barfleur laid-

up in Caen last month. Unions fearthe western Channel operator —which employs 1,800 seafarers and400 shore-based staff — faces athird year in the red despite a wagefreeze and short-time working.

According to the main union inthe company, the fall in the value ofthe pound against the euro andhigher fuel prices have had aparticularly adverse impact.

The CGT union said that whilepassenger loads had been good andturnover had risen by 7%, currencyfluctuations and fuel prices —which have doubled in four years —accounted for much of the unofficial€18m loss in 2011.

Although the union ispessimistic about results for 2011,the company says it is expecting tobreak even following threesuccessive years in the red.Picture: Eric Houri

DA helicopter is pictured leftrescuing crew members from

the Italian tanker Gelso M after it ranaground in bad weather off the coastof Sicily last month.

The 11,422gt Gelso M — whichwas in ballast at the time —grounded on rocks whilst sailing tothe port of Augusta to load a fuelcargo. Four Italian coastguardhelicopters airlifted the crew to safety.

Investigators were looking intoreports that the ship had sufferedengine problems before thegrounding, which occurred in force 10conditions.

Although the Italian-flaggedtanker had no cargo onboard, salvageteams were called in to remove 300tonnes of fuel from the ship to preventpollution. Picture: Reuters

Man jailed for dropping anchor

I am sure that the business of the Costa Concordia will run and run. In the March issue letters, the ‘real experts’ were not unanimous in their conclusions about the cause of the accident to the Concordia but, when it came to the root cause of the accident, I believe that Capt Anderson probably came nearest to the reason why the ship ran aground.

I have personally experienced the consequences of weak marine management and the failure to ensure that, as regards bridge routines, the captain is a team leader and not an absolute autocrat.

The airline industry came to grips with this situation a long time ago, particularly after the 1977 KLM/Pan Am disaster at Tenerife and instituted CRM (Crew/fl ight deck resource management) across the industry. This was supposedly introduced on merchant ships, but its implementation requires a strong marine representative within the management team who understands what happens on a ship’s bridge both during routine operation and during an emergency.

If a master says ‘I have the con’, that should not be a signal for the OOW to shrug his shoulders and walk into the chartroom. The OOW has to realise that he still has a part to play in the safe navigation of the ship, even to the necessity of

challenging the master if he feels that the situation is unsafe.

Cross-referencing and monitoring of the bridge operation is vital in areas of proximity to the shore and if this system is not in operation on the bridge, then management has not been doing its job and is to be held responsible, together with those who were ‘hands on’ at the time of the accident.LOUIS ROSKELL

I agree wholeheartedly with Capt Davidson (letters, March) in that I too am astonished by the stance taken by Nautilus over the Costa Concordia incident. Even in the latest Telegraph, Mark Dickinson (general secretary) continues to defend the captain of the Concordia, whilst at the same time he questions the design, construction and operation of large cruise ships.

What is Mr Dickinson trying to do to the very industry that employs so many British offi cers? Does he actually have any comprehension of what he is saying?

The results of the inquiry might not yet be fully known, but one thing is clear from the evidence so far: this incident was caused by sheer incompetence and stupidity of attempting a close cruise at night without paying attention to the ship’s position, speed and distance from

YOUR LETTERS


No78%

Yes22%

Have your say onlineLast month we asked: Do you think the US courts are right to rule that warrants are not required for the inspection of crews’ cabins on visiting ships?

This month’s poll asks: Do you think there is a bullying problem at sea? Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

Have your say onlineLast month we asked: Do you think the Costa Concordia incident demonstrates a need for radical change in the design and operation of cruise ships?

This month’s poll asks: Do you think that slow steaming should be imposed on shipping to cut its contribution to atmospheric pollution? Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

’

No41%

Yes59%

Witherby Seamanship International Ltd4 Dunlop Square, Livingston, Edinburgh, EH54 8SB, Scotland, UK.Tel No: +44(0)1506 463 227 • Fax No: +44(0)1506 468 999Email: [email protected] • Web: www.witherbyseamanship.com

WITHERBY

NEW2012

Tell your colleagues in Nautilus International — and the wider world of shipping. Keep your letter to a maximum 300 words if you can — though longer contributions will be considered. Use a pen name or just your membership number if you don’t want to be identifi ed — say so in an accompanying note — but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number. Send your letter to the Editor, Telegraph, Nautilus International, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford,London E18 1BD, or use head offi ce fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015, or email [email protected]

What’s on your mind?

The Costa controversy will run and run…

land. There was no unfortunate chain of events, no technical failures, no adverse weather conditions.

For these reasons, it is quite right that the master be vilifi ed — as any master who puts his ship in such a disastrous position would expect to be.

The amount of damage Captain Schettino’s incompetence has single-handedly done to the cruise industry is not yet fully known — but it is sure to be signifi cant, Nautilus does not need to add to the hysteria by making ill-informed comments on a subject that they should be experts in.mem no 177592

General secretary Mark Dickinson replies: the concerns expressed by Nautilus following the Costa Concordia accident are not designed to harm the passenger shipping industry or the members who work in the sector — quite the reverse, in fact. There have been long-standing issues over aspects of design, construction and operation and the adequacy of the international safety regime. It is important for the future of the cruise industry and those who work within it that these issues are addressed in an open and honest way so that everyone can have confi dence. We have met with representatives of the cruise industry to discuss these matters and they appreciate our viewpoint. So, far from adding to hysteria, the comments that we made are based on policy that has been discussed and agreed by serving members attending the Union’s General Meeting. We are a democratic organisation and welcome debate on important issues such as this and members should use the opportunities that are open to them to help formulate Nautilus policy.

I am writing this after reading the letters in last month’s Telegraph: ‘Costa Concordia: the real experts speak’.

Currently serving as a chief engineer onboard an IMO Equipment Class 3 diving support vessel and having previously worked for one of the major cruise ship companies, I believe it is now time for the industry and the IMO to start looking at making fundamental design changes to cruise vessels.

For those that are not familiar with the IMO Equipment Class 3 concept (just as I, a few years ago), the guidelines ‘basically’ state the vessel can sustain a fi re or fl ood in any one compartment on the vessel whilst still being able to maintain station and no

single point failure of an active or inactive component can cause a loss of position — in layman’s terms, you can’t black out or lose control of the ship.

This normally involves having two totally independent engine rooms, propulsion rooms, switchboard rooms, etc, all segregated longitudinally by a watertight A-60 bulkhead. The whole ethos of Equipment Class 3 onboard is for the safety of the saturation divers, who will conduct their work on the seabed whilst being indirectly tethered to the vessel via their umbilical. I think it is self-explanatory what would happen if the vessel did blackout or drift off.

The thing that I fail to understand is the fact the IMO has not carried this concept through to encompass cruise ship design, as the Costa Concordia (and later the Costa Allegra) have shown, the fundamental design of these vessels (in engineering terms) is not fi t for purpose. If they can impose these design features on a vessel to ensure the safety of three saturation divers, why can’t they impose them on a cruise ship to ensure the safe passage of some 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew? Would this step change in design be expensive? No, not if it was carried out at the design stage. Basic cable routing, redundancy concepts and longitudinal segregation would be all that was required.

I cannot help but wonder what would have happened to those unfortunate passengers onboard the Costa Concordia should the weather and wind not have been in their favour that evening, as without power and propulsion,

they could have easily been blown further out to sea and not back onto the eastern coastline reef off the island of Giglio.

The industry can go round and round in circles arguing about stability concerns, life-saving capacity and crew training, but at the end of the day if a ship loses power and propulsion and no longer has the ability to save itself, it will always be left to the mercy of the sea. Building cruise ships that follow the IMO Equipment Class 3 concept will certainly give the ship its ability back. mem no 181815

What is going on at the Telegraph?For the second time in as many

months I feel obliged to write to you about the presentation of the paper. This time it concerns the article by one Bryan Barrass (PhD) who appears to have used a golden opportunity presented to him, presumably at the behest of the editor, to trumpet his theories on squat in particular and ship stability in general.

I presume that this scurrilous article is designed to muddy the waters of clear-headed investigation into the disaster by adding pseudo-scientifi c analysis coupled with false information. What is disturbing is that nobody in the editor’s offi ce picked up the obvious errors made, before the paper went to print.

I suggest that anybody who is interested in what actually happened, take a good look on the Web at the many AIS recordings of the event and then try to reconcile Dr BB’s interpretation of them with what you see before your own eyes. Check the course and SOG at all times before and during

the event.To parrot Dr Barrass’s

summary, it can be stated that the contributory causes of this incident include some pretty damning AIS evidence available to anybody who cares to look!

I thought that the Telegraph was supposed to represent us all as a professional industry. This particular article does us no favours and rather demonstrates the amateurish nature of the editorship by letting this inaccurate claptrap through. If this were the Lancet and the Concordia master a physician, I doubt we would see such nonsense. A staunchly maintained silence would be far more appropriate.mem no 138216

Re Costa Concordia. Like many others my fi rst question was ‘why did she capsize to starboard?’ However there is one point that has not been picked up by the media.

On the Saturday or Sunday evening, one week after the grounding, one of the news bulletins showed the ship lying at Giglio. Lo and behold about a mile or so off in the background there was one of her sister ships sailing past southbound! I can only assume that this was to give the punters a view of the wreck.

For Costa cruises to allow their ships to continue to use this comparatively narrow strait when there is plenty of searoom to the west of the island shows a complete lack of responsiblity on the part of the company. Also, what was the master thinking of?G. HOLMES MNIRetired Master Mariner

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Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

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Published byNautilus InternationalPrinted by College Hill Press Limited37 Webber Street, London SE1 8QW.

GENERAL SECRETARYMark Dickinson MSc (Econ)

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Nautilus International also administers the Nautilus Welfare Fund and the J W Slater Fund, which are registered charities.

telegraph

[ STAR LETTER

I write following your articles in the March Telegraph on the subjects of fatigue and windfarm safety.

I am employed as master, 200ton, on a windfarm support vessel — in eff ect, an aluminium catamaran capable of 25 knots with 12 passengers, three crew and 10 tons of cargo, MCA category 2.

I have noticed that all the major companies often only operate with two crew — a skipper, normally RYA off shore commercially endorsed, or at most master, 200ton, and a deckhand, some of whom have never been on a boat in their life but have attended the one-week STCW basic course.

Whilst this is all well and good, we all work at least 12-hour days, normally for a month on. Then we have to fuel every few days, often after our day at sea. And then we have 14 days unpaid off ashore, two of which become travel to and from the vessel.

Many of us are on day rate contracts and realise that if you rock the boat or don’t perform you are suddenly not required back. So we work under duress to feed our families. Then, at sea, how can we allow a poorly trained deckhand to stand watch? Many of the boats are just day boats, with poor rest facilities, and nowhere for a snooze — and with frequent radio traffi c and requests to move men and equipment, it is not feasible anyway.

The marine coordinators at the windfarm offi ces are always eager to send you out in most weather — often over-ruling the master’s ‘fi nal decision’ to go and have a look if it is workable. And even on weather days, they keep crews onboard — often when they have completed their maintenance and drills — when they could be rested ashore.

My concern is that there is an accident waiting to happen with the poor standard of crew and skippers that

are operating these high-speed high-tech vessels, which are expanding at an alarming rate. Companies will not look after the staff unless tough rules and regulations are brought in. Many have invited MCA inspectors onboard for a surprise survey, but the MCA seem to move very slowly.

This is a new industry that has only had a few major accidents to date, but seems to be waiting to respond after the event.

I wish to remain anonymous as I want to retain my position, but want to show our industry in its true light.Name withheld on request

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson replies: in the absence of a specifi c Code for windfarm service/support vessels, Nautilus — unique amongst maritime unions — is seeking changes to existing Codes via a number of avenues, including the International Maritime Organisation. Members experiencing complacency by the authorities are advised to contact Nautilus in confi dence.

Nautilus senior national secretary Garry Elliott adds: this new industry is growing at a fast rate and with it comes concerns that it remains highly unorganised with low union density. This in turn brings problems in policing the conditions that employees fi nd themselves operating in. This is the cornerstone of what MLC 2006 is attempting to achieve by regulating the seafaring industries to a consistent level. Nautilus believes that renewable energy is the long-term future and history will show that employers who embrace good terms and conditions for their biggest asset, the seafarer, will stand the test of time and maintain good retention levels. Those that don’t will disappear as quickly as they arrived.

Windfarm marine work is accident in the making

I also lost out as a result of age bar

Wonderful news! It has been announced that HM government is to provide a £9.3m grant to enable Nissan to produce a new car albeit in Sunderland. An outward symbol of a nation’s prosperity must be measured in shiny new Nissans.

This must surely rank alongside the car scrappage scheme which provided some job security for the limited number of hard-pressed main dealer salesmen. That eff ectively provided some help to the Korean car industry to undermine UK industries.

Employment prospects for British Merchant Navy personnel have been under threat for many years due to a cheaper foreign labour market underpinned by UK legislation that would appear to allow any nationality to man UK ships. Politicians have lost sight of the fact that, while the red ensign might be a desirable visible symbol, it is the nationality of the offi cers and crew that should be British.

Now we are to accept that £9.3m is good value because it is evidentially visible for UK plc while the British

Merchant Navy is plying its trade out of sight, over the horizon and out of mind.

I went to sea in 1964 when the UK had a sizeable Merchant Navy. Over the years, I saw the UK fl eet decline before my eyes. I consider myself fortunate in that I sailed under the red ensign for the entire 43 years of my career. Over the years, as a member of Council, together with your Union, I did my bit to attempt to reverse the decline.

Furthermore, the Merchant Navy has been forgotten in rounds of medal issues. I can only imagine the hardship and sacrifi ce endured by merchant seamen during WW2. The sacrifi ce in the Arctic convoys appears to have been dismissed by successive governments.

Some time ago, I encountered somebody wearing a Jubilee Medal simply because he was in the Ambulance Service at some time in his life. It beggars belief!

When will the UK government get a grip?A.P. MINNSmem no 140885

Put a stop to ‘pier head jumps’My following comments are about rest hours: 1. Clarifi cation must be made as to what the term ‘rest hours’ refers. As is well documented, a person requires at least fi ve to eight hours uninterrupted sleep per 24-hour period. If this sleep period is broken, then at least 10 hours per 24-hour period is required.2. Shipping companies interpret rest hours as periods off -duty only, which includes sleep.3. A person requires not just sleep but also relaxation time doing what interests them. To aid this, furniture

must be comfortable and beds properly matressed with comfortable (memory foam) mattresses.4. As the rest period must be split into two periods only, six hours and four hours, why are meal times classed as rest periods, especially lunch time? Meals are essential and the body is still working during and after eating to digest the food.5. Many companies pay cash for extra works overtime, avoiding the lack of rest being recorded in the wages and rest hours form and thus falsifying records.6. In the past few years it has become

more prevalent to the return of ‘pier head jumps’. This refers to the practice of, after travelling for over six hours from home, joining the ship direct from the airport and as soon as the handover is complete the ship sails (without any proper rest period for the person). This practice must be stopped by legislation and after arriving at the port of embarkation the person should have at least 12 hours’ comfortable rest and recuperation (because most people cannot sleep properly on an aircraft, especially in cattle class).mem no 118735

If you have moved recently, your home copy may still be trying to catch up with you — particularly if you gave us a temporary address such as a hall of residence.

To let us know your new address, go to www.nautilusint.org and log in as a member, or contact our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454 or [email protected].

Where’s my Telegraph?

UK support for Nissan, so why not for the MN?

With reference to Captain Nick Cooper’s letter in the March edition of the Telegraph, I worked for the same company and suff ered a similar fate.

In March 2009, three months before my 65th birthday, I received an email from head offi ce in Newcastle. This email pointed out that my retirement date was approaching and if I wanted to stay with the company after my 65th birthday I should let them know soonest.

I immediately emailed a reply, stating that I would like to stay for another year. Because I was fi t, good at my job and still had something to off er, I thought it would be a formality. I was onboard ship at the time and waited a few days for a reply. When it came, I was told that my request had been forwarded to Singapore, where the company’s personnel department had recently moved.

I didn’t hear anything else until after I had returned home. I then received an email informing me that

my request to stay for a further year had been refused. I would, however, be paid three months’ pay on top of my leave pay. Fair enough, I thought — time to start enjoying the golf, holidays and retirement in general.

Imagine my surprise when in June, after my 65th birthday,I received an email from personnel in Singapore telling me I was to report to Loch Kishorn to carry out the electrical hook-up between the company ships being laid-up there.

I emailed back explaining that as they had refused my extension of service I would not be attending said ships as I was now retired. Nothing heard for about two weeks, when I received another email apologising and wishing me a happy retirement.

I too was invited to Newcastle, along with my wife, for lunch and a presentation. However, my decanter has been put to good use and holds a very good malt whisky.NICK HAMILTON-PETERSmem no 139375

YOUR LETTERS


Welcome Warsash to the 21st CenturyThis evening I attended a ‘Women’s World Day of Prayer’ service at my local church prepared by the Christian Women of Malaysia. Apart from a couple of retired vicars, I was the only bloke there — but women’s rights are a subject where I feel injustice and prejudice are still prevalent.

As I man I am truly humbled by the bravery and determination of women around the world who fi ght for equality and I stand ready to help and assist them in any way I can. I was, therefore, disappointed to read the indignant letters sent in by female offi cers responding to J.A. Lockhart’s letter which questioned why female offi cers at a passing-out dinner at Warsash wore evening dresses while their male colleagues had to wear uniform.

Mr Lockhart quite rightly feels that equality is best served when one rule and one rule only applies to both sexes and, in this particular case, if men are required to wear uniform for a particular function then the same should be true for women.

When I fi rst attended Warsash

as a pre-sea cadet in 1967, I was one of only a handful of students from state schools, the others coming from top-notch public schools and destined for the upper echelons of P&O and Cunard.

To be frank, many of the skills I learnt at that school did little to prepare me for a career in the Merchant Navy and I wonder if the same is still true today? Learning which way the port should travel round the dinner table, or how to tie a bow-tie did little to prepare me for dealing with striking wharfi es in Australia or pirates in the South China Sea.

Throughout my 44 years at sea, I could not help but be astonished to hear how my colleagues from the Far East and Eastern Europe were trained compared to the years I spent at Warsash; how on earth could they pretend to be competent seafarers without ever having spent a single Saturday evening in college learning how to dance the foxtrot or the waltz as I did? At Warsash I learnt a boat-cloak should be draped over the left shoulder in order to allow one’s right hand to draw one’s sword

without hindrance — which might be very useful for some but did little to prepare me for fi ghting engineroom fi res.

While I am sure Warsash has moved on from its training methods of the 1960s, there remains a feeling that they still strive to be elitist not by the excellence of their academia but by the teaching of social graces that are irrelevant to the experiences and skills required by competent offi cers at sea today. I wonder what our Filipino or Ukrainian offi cers reading these letters in the Telegraph must think; is it really important if offi cers wear uniform or civilian evening wear to an event ashore, providing the same rules apply to both sexes?

When I retired at the age of 62 after 44 years at sea I had sailed with a total of four female offi cers, with an aggregate total of less than one year’s service. While all of these women were competent and reliable offi cers, not one was destined to spend more than 10 years at sea, a fact I fi nd very disappointing.

The shipping industry has treated women disgracefully

over the years and this must stop now! How many men retiring ashore today could say that, in their entire working lives they worked with a total of only four women? In this, our training establishments must play their part in ensuring students, both male and female, are treated equally and this includes the requirement to wear uniform. Warsash needs to move into the 21st century and stop giving female offi cers the choice to dress in pretty dresses and bows and ribbons while making their male students wear uniform — no matter how you look at this, this is sexual discrimination and must be stopped!

Frilly dresses look very nice in the offi ce, but they have no place on the bridge of a merchant ship or in the engineroom!

To conclude, when a woman retires after 44 years service at sea I will know the shipping industry has fi nally come of age and ended sexual discrimination at sea once and for all. However, I thinkI will be long gone before that happens.PETER J. NEWTON mem no 158963

I was impressed by the readers’ seascape photographs of the sunrise where they are currently working that have been included in the last couple of issues.

I decided to mix things up, though, and send in a sunset — taken from the PSV Toisa Serenade in Labuan, Malaysia, on 11 February 2012. EWAN RATTRAY

CalMac keeps recruitment processes fi t for purposeI cannot let the comments of retired Caledonian MacBrayne master, Capt A.B. Ferguson (letters, March Telegraph) go unchallenged as they present a wholly misleading and false impression of recruitment of professional seafarers by our company.

There is no truth whatsoever that senior marine managers are not involved in recruitment. Senior staff , including serving masters or chief engineers if appropriate, all of whom have extensive personal experience of working at the highest level on ships across the world, play a vital role in assessing the professional capabilities of candidates, and then make a recommendation to our crewing arm, Caledonian MacBrayne Crewing

(Guernsey) Ltd, who employ the crews directly.

Colleagues from David MacBrayne HR (UK) Ltd play an invaluable role in managing the recruitment process and providing advice on relevant aspects of employment law.

It is an excellent example of team-working, with each department bringing their individual expertise to the table to ensure we employ the best crews we can.

Capt Ferguson can therefore be assured that the recruitment processes currently in place in Caledonian MacBrayne are fi t for purpose, robust and work extremely well. GEORGE TAYLOR GroupTechnical Director David MacBrayne Ltd

Nautilus International has had a Facebook and Twitter presence since 2010, and they are proving to be great platforms for debate. From this month, the Telegraph will feature the best of the virtual letters pages.

zIn response to: Maersk rules out redundancies but claims sea careers are ‘no longer attractive’ for young people

One of the reasons going to sea is ‘no longer an attractive proposition for young people from traditional maritime nations’ is exactly because of many initiatives implemented by Maersk and similar outfi ts and which were then copied by many other companies. Lots of unnecessary paperwork; an oppressive corporate structure and either severe social life restrictions onboard or complete elimination of any kind of life onboard. Among people I know, Maersk are referred to in two distinct tones:

1. the seagoing version of Ryanair — cheap and very nasty

2. the evil empire — you will be assimilated, resistance is futile!JAMES ROSS CHRISTIE

zIn response to: Important rights every women seafarer should knowPregnant lady seafarers cannot be exposed to hazardous conditions onboard? Well that rules out moat if not all ship types. Pregnant ladies should not be allowed at sea at all!!! IAIN MacDONALD

I agree fully with the article, not all women work on glorifi ed PSVs with DP etc. There is a whole ugly world

out there deep sea where women are treated like dirt and abused in more ways than just wages. One cannot look to the conditions of European North Sea vessels and believe that this is the face of the modern world shipping fl eet, sadly women are still treated like third class citizens on many vessels as well as still been discriminated against not only by their male counterparts but by their employers as well…KEITH PLETSCHKE

In the interests of fairness, because of the nature of the dangers at sea, women should be put on maternity leave earlier than in the usual work places. Other than that I really do not see why females need diff erent rights to males. And we seriously need to get rid of this idea of equality, putting equality to the fore front often creates divides. To summarise, apart from the pregnancy issue, women working at sea should have the same opportunities and rights as men, nothing more, and most defi nitely nothing less.DARRYL LACKEY

We had a female captain work until 6 months: that’s what her medical said she could work to. SIOBHAN BRADLEY

gYou can join the debates at www.facebook.com/Nautilus-International and www.twitter.com/nautilusint. The Union has a social networking policy which all users are required to adhere to. This can be found at www.nautilusint.org.

Twitter & Twitter & Facebook Facebook updatesupdates

Troublesome teensOn reading the front page of the March Telegraph, the headline was ‘Revealed:the risks of fatigue’ — a subject that has been in the headlines on a regular basis.

Then on pages 23,24 & 25 a report on Project Horizon, dealing again with fatigue.

How on earth then can Maersk/Safmarine operate a 4,500TEU containership with a crew of nine as reported on page 5 of the same

edition? No matter what combination of deck offi cers, engineers, crew required to operate a vessel of this size safely, can this be carried out without fatigue being involved?M.C. STEVENSONmem no 153115The editor replies: we checked with Safmarine, who state that their press release was incorrect and the ship has a crew complement of nineteen (offi cers, ratings and two cadets).

Why passing-out picture should be seen as sexistI am astonished at the ignorance of my critics regarding the photograph (January 2012 Telegraph, page 22) of cadets at their ‘passing-out ceremony’ which marks their ‘offi cial graduation’ —(the words of Andrew Hair).

The total lack of understanding of sexism is evident in all the responses, which to me is sad and, in the case of Mr Hair, unforgiveable. I would have assumed that Warsash, being a centre of education and equal opportunities, would endeavour to rid his establishment of it. Perhaps Warsash is still a trifl e elitist, having these so-called graduation ceremonies.

I would question the make-up of the committee organising the ceremony and why formal dress is required. Only a small part of the industry now requires formal dress code — that of the cruise lines.

I would also suggest that the company Ms Dunkerly worked for during her cadetship should look closely at its uniform code.

As for the unnamed responder, it would appear she has no understanding of sexism or semiotics. Let me also clarify one or two other points. Firstly, I have nothing to ‘get over’ as I have nothing against women wearing dresses. Secondly, I have nothing but admiration for females that do go to sea in what is a male-dominated industry. It is admirable that she did so well in passing her HND with distinctions, but would also warn her that all the distinctions in the world do not necessarily make a good mariner. Her marriage to a

chief engineer and what she did at her graduation ceremony are neither of interest or pertinent.

However, I digress. Let us return to the photograph and break it down into its component parts.

Without a caption what does it depict? Males in uniform with females in party frocks. What could this be? Uniformed males with their wags? (Please excuse the use of the word wags, which I detest, but it is obviously one which the responders will understand). Diffi cult to analyse.

Let’s then go to the caption which tells us what the picture is. It is still not clear and without actually counting the number of people, 42, in the photograph is it apparent that the all are cadets. At no point does the photograph mention party. It clearly states ‘passing out ceremony’.

If this was a passing out ceremony in any of the services, or police, fi re brigade, etc, all the participants would be wearing uniform — so why has Warsash allowed choice?

I have spoken to a number of female offi cers whom I am acquainted with who agree with my letter. It’s just a pity that the feminists in the industry don’t take the time to comment.

Imagery and language play a huge role in the way in which society understands the world. The photograph from a viewer’s perspective does not tell the whole story. ‘Harmless tradition’ still tends to be sexist.J.A. LOCKHARTmem no 158730

COLOMBIAN TU


KNautilus International general secretary Mark

Dickinson joined trade unionists, lawyers and MPs in a delegation to raise awareness and campaign for the rights of trade unionists in Colombia.

The fact-fi nding visit was organised by the TUC and Justice for Colombia (JFC) — an organisa-tion to which the Union is affi li-ated — and arrived in Colombia on Sunday 26 February 2012, the same day that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced they will free all remaining government hostages and end the practice of civilian ransom kidnappings.

The 17-strong group spent one week in Colombia meeting with active trade unionists, visiting jailed trade unionists, and hear-ing from mothers of sons who were the victims of extrajudicial executions.

‘It was extremely inspir-ing meeting trade unionists in Colombia,’ said Mr Dickinson.

‘In their country simply being a trade union member can get you killed, can put your family at risk and your livelihood can be taken away.

‘Their trade union reps do the same work as our offi cials and lay reps, trying to protect mem-bers’ terms and conditions and improve pay,’ he pointed out. ‘However, when our reps come up against employers who are unwilling to negotiate, this may lead to frustration and stalled

progress — in Colombia the out-come may be deadly.’

Colombia is the most danger-ous place in the world to be a trade unionist or human rights activist. There were 175 trade unionists killed in Colombia last year and there had already been six killed in 2012 by the time of the delega-tion’s visit. The latest was a found-ing member of Sintramasivo — the transport workers’ union.

‘You begin to wonder why they do it,’ said Mr Dickinson. ‘Why try

to improve the rights of other workers when the risks are so high?

‘But they told us they do it because they are committed to justice and they believe in trade union rights for all — whatever the costs — and they hope they will eventually make a difference.

‘They understand what it truly means to be a trade unionist and that was deeply moving and incredibly inspiring,’ he added.

The visit ended with some suc-cess as the delegation witnessed the long-awaited release of trade unionist Liliany Obando, who had been held for almost four years without trial.

Ms Obando recorded a mes-sage of thanks which was played a few weeks later at the TUC wom-en’s conference. In it, she thanked UK trade unionists and members of the TUC — stating that their support and continued pressure on the Colombian government had been crucial in securing her release.

Union’s solidarity visit to Colombia

“They understand what it truly means to be a trade unionist”— Mark Dickinsongeneral secretary

Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world in which to be a trade union member.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson was part of a mission to show support and raise awareness of those who risk their lives simply for standing up for basic workplace rights…

A poster showing Colombia’s dead and disappeared

Above: The JFC delegation of trade unionists, MPs and lawyers Right: Mothers of Soacha Above right: A silent march to the Mayor’s offi ce in Puerto Asis Pictures: Mark Dickinson

CREW COMMUNICATIONS


WARSASH MARITIME ACADEMY

SIMULATION

Contact: Warsash Maritime Academy, Newtown Road, Warsash, Southampton, SO31 9ZLVisit: www.warsashacademy.co.ukE-mail: [email protected]: +44 (0)1489 576161

Manned Models at our Ship Handling Centre, Timsbury Lake Manned Model Ship Handling (Including Twin Screw & LNG Vessel)

Manned Model Ship Handling + 0.5 Day Assessment ProgrammeAdvanced Ship Handling Course

Combined Bridge Simulator & Manned Model CourseShiphandling Appreciation Course

BridgeBridge Team Management

Pilot’s Professional DevelopmentFPSO/SBM Berthing Master Training

ECDISElectronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) - New Suite

AT

First class training, consultancy and research

JThe drive to put crew communications on the IT superhighway has gone

into the slow lane as a result of the economic downturn, an industry expert warned last month.

Frank Coles, president of Inmarsat Maritime, said the eas-ing of the global gap between demand and supply for skilled seafarers has resulted in a reduc-tion in pressure for owners to pro-vide internet and email facilities for their crews.

But, he promised, new oppor-tunities for improved online access onboard are on the way — with Inmarsat set to launch a ‘super-fast’ Ka-band broadband network for shipping next year.

Mr Coles — who served at sea for 12 years before moving ashore — admitted that the maritime communications market is facing ‘pretty diffi cult’ conditions atpresent because of the downturn in seaborne trade and the over-capacity in the world fl eet.

‘For some reason, communica-tions — which represent 1% of the daily cost of running the vessel — gets a pounding because it is a cost that owners can control,’ he said.

‘When crews are hard to fi nd because they don’t want to go to sea as they can’t get internet con-nectivity, the industry will invest: two to three years ago, almost all the growth in broadband origi-nated from shipowners wanting to keep their crews at sea.

‘But because there is now an economic downturn, that is not the case any more,’ he added, ‘although I am sure things will come full circle again as the need to provide crews with internetand to make seafaring an attrac-tive lifestyle has not gone away.’

Mr Coles said his seagoing experience had helped him to understand the reasons why own-ers determine their investment policies. ‘The maritime industry only buys for two reasons — one is if they are driven by regulation to do so and two is a business reason to save money,’ he explained.

On the fi rst point, the Maritime Labour Convention is likely to lead to some improvements when it fi nally comes into effect.

And on the second point, Mr Coles said there is a strong com-mercial case for investing in crew welfare: ‘Will your ship be more

effi cient if you have a happy crew? Of course it will!’

Satcom-delivered services such as weather routeing, ship monitoring and remote diagnos-tics will all prove increasinglyeconomically attractive, he argued, and owners need to becomemore ‘value-conscious’ rather than ‘cost-conscious’ when theyconsider their communications budgets. ‘They want something that is good, fast and cheap. But you can only have two of those things at one time — if you want it fast and cheap, then it is not going to be any good.’

Mr Coles said the industry must respond to the growing importance of the ‘umbilical link’ between ship and shore. Not only is crew demand for connectivity growing, he added, but the widen-ing range of net-based services and the introduction of data-heavy systems such as ECDIS are

also adding to the pressure for more satellite bandwith.

As a consequence, Inmarsat is investing some US$1.2bn in what he described as a ‘game-changer’ for marine connectivity — the Global Xpress service. Due to get under way next year, it promises to bring at-sea communications into line with those ashore — offering downlink speeds of up to 50Mbps, and up to 5Mbps over the uplink, from compact user termi-nals.

Global Xpress will be delivered by three new Boeing-built Inmar-sat 5 satellites, the fi rst of which will cover the Indian Ocean (including parts of Europe and the Pacifi c), the second the Atlantic, and the third the Pacifi c.

JBy the end of 2014, Inmar-sat claims Global Xpress will be the fi rst service to

offer global mobile broadband coverage — with speeds between fi ve and 10 times faster than any-thing on the market today and delivered to smaller and cheaper terminals.

Inmarsat — which presently provides satcom services to around 55,000 ships, including 25,000 activated Fleet Broadband terminals — says Global Xpress will be available in a range of pric-ing options, with a portfolio of plans based on how much data owners expect to receive and send.

Inmarsat last month reported 10% a rise in pre-tax profi ts — increasing to a total of $367m in 2011. It said that maritime reve-nues had slipped by 0.5% — partly as a result of more seafarers using cheaper data services instead of voice calls.

Inmarsat added 9,818 new Fleet Broadband terminals in the year, and is planning to introduce a new low-end Fleet Broadband 150 product for smaller ships, including coastal fi shing vessels and cruise ships.

Mr Coles said the new Global Xpress service should help sea-farers to keep in touch with home and to provide better browsing and downloading opportunities. ‘This is very much a next-genera-tion service. It is like going from dial-up to fi bre-optics — that is the kind of leap we are making,’ he added.

Downturn sees shipboard communications spending cut back, says Inmarsat as it reveals ‘game-changing’ plans for new high-speed satcoms service…

Crew calling put on hold by owners

Shipping companies should reinforce the ‘umbilical link’ between ship and shore that the growing range of net-based services off ers, says Inmarsat Picture: Inmarsat

“Will your ship be more effi cient if you have a happy crew? Of course it will!” Frank Coles, Inmarsat Maritime president

Retirees holding the line

SEAFARER WELFARE


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XFor many seafarers, coming ashore to work or retiring from the Merchant Navy deprives

them of the onboard companionship that has sustained them throughout their days afl oat.

This, along with the inevitable changes in domestic circumstances and thefi nancial problems experienced by many in retirement, can often lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Seafarers Link was set up in 2009 fol-lowing a report on the issues of isolation from the Maritime Charities Funding Group (MCFG) — of which Nautilus is a member. It gives ex-seafarers the oppor-tunity to join a fortnightly telephone conference and spend an hour talking together, reminiscing and staying in touch with maritime life.

The service was set up with support from Community Service Volunteers’ Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme and is operated by the Community Net-work — a charity that provides specialist conference call facilities for charities.

Chris Rankin is a facilitator for a group of seven ex-seafarers and has been the pro-ject manager for Seafarers Link for more than a year. ‘I was already involved in Sea-farers Link as a facilitator’, she said. ‘I am also vice-chairman of Watch Ashore, vice-chairman of the SW Port Welfare Com-mittee, and have strong links with the Merchant Navy, so I was asked to take over running the Link to try and raise aware-ness and use of it.’

Chris describes herself as being ‘mar-ried to the Merchant Navy’ — her hus-band is a retired master, following a 40-year career, and one of her sons is also a seafarer.

‘John, my husband, has been instru-mental in helping me support these ex-seafarers,’ she continues. ‘Together we are passionate about these phone links. I feel that they are very worthwhile and give these retired seafarers a wonderful opportunity to speak to others in similar

situations — and it really works!‘This link enables people to chat about,

and share stories from, their seafaring experiences — they do love to chat about the sea!’

Each call group contains between fi ve and 10 users to ensure a steady, but not overwhelming fl ow of conversation, and a facilitator ensures everyone gets to take part. Community Network calls all the participants, ensuring that there is no cost to the user.

XToday there are eight participat-ing groups linking around 70 people from as far away as the

Shetland Islands and Belfast, to Cornwall and Essex. Participants include Merchant and Royal Navy men, Wrens and fi sher-men, and Chris tries to match up those with a similar background as far as pos-sible.

The calls cover everything and any-thing — but nearly always with a mari-time theme. A recent call managed to cover cruising, Arctic convoys, the lack of British seafarers, the British Legion, maritime colleges and tankers — all in a one-hour slot.

‘We had a call the other week when one of the men had the district nurse visiting, so he had the call on loudspeaker,’ recalls Chris. ‘The conversation had turned to the men’s love of rum and how they still had their “rum ration” in their cup of tea in the morning.

‘The district nurse heard this and was horrifi ed at them! She told them how bad it was and advised them all to cut it out. They all laughed and said they were old enough to take the risk. After about fi ve minutes the men where all fl irting down the line with the nurse and inviting her round to share their rum!’

Speaking to the people on one of Chris’s call groups it is clear that the users fi nd the service invaluable. Dave Bayliss,a retired engineer offi cer and former member of the Union’s Council, explains

that it is great to be able to talk to other seafarers and people who really under-stand what he did for a living.

‘I live in Derby and they don’t exactly understand that much about life at sea,’ he laughs. ‘It’s so interesting to be able to talk to people about seafaring. We share stories and have a laugh about what we used to get up to.’

Peter Whitehouse, a retired master from Everard, agrees. ‘We have all spoken to each other every two weeks for the past two years,’ he says. ‘Although we’ve never met, you feel like you know everybody, they are friends. It’s like Facebook on the phone!’

Although this group are spread over the country, some of the members have met — and two in unexpected circum-stances.

‘I informed Chris that I wasn’t going to be on the call next time as I would be away,’ recalls Dave. ‘Frank [Kelly] said he was also not going to be available and we got talking about where we were going. I said on a cruise and he said on a cruise as well. We then talked about what areas we were going to and we both said the Carib-bean. I then explained that my trip was with Maritime Memories, a company which organises cruises for ex-mariners themed around seafaring.

‘It turned out we were booked on exactly the same cruise! We met up there and it was nice to put a face to the voice.’

Two of the group also believe they met years ago. Retired engineer and mari-time tutor Gordon Bruty was teaching when Dave was a student at the college inPoplar.

As well as reminiscing, the group are very vocal about today’s MN and its reputation among the public. ‘The coun-try doesn’t realise how dependent they are on the Merchant Navy,’ says Gordon. ‘They treat merchant seafarers as a bit of a joke — that we just travel round the world having fun. They don’t realise what it’s like spending so long away from home.’

‘They won’t have to worry soon,’ adds Peter. ‘There won’t be any British seamen left. The British ratings had all but disap-peared even when I was working.’

The group are hoping that after two years talking together, they will fi nally all get to meet when they go to London for Merchant Navy Day this year.

‘I am currently in the planning stage of organising a meet-up,’ says Chris. ‘The plan is to use the facilities at Spring-bok and I am in discussions with Trevor Goacher, chief executive, on what they can provide in the way of accommoda-tion and facilities etc. I am approaching various MN charities to see if they can help me raise some money to help fund this event.

‘It will be great to have everyone in the same place at the same time, face to face,’ she adds.

XChris’s energy and passion for the service are clear and this has had a massive impact on its suc-

cess. Following a recent presentation to the MCFG, Chris was able to secure a grant from Seafarers UK which will enable Sea-farers Link to continue for at least another three years.

‘Age, location, change of profession, disability and ill health are all contrib-uting factors to the feelings of social isolation felt by ex-seafarers,’ she con-cludes. ‘Whatever the circumstances, the fortnightly group conversations and exchanges help people to build and maintain relationships and camaraderie within their group. This provides a sense of social connection, improves well-being, and combats feelings of isolation and depression.’

hIf you are an ex-seafarer or you know someone who would like to join one of the telephone groups then please contact Chris on +44(0)1752 812674 [email protected].

Picture: Thinkstock

Above: Seafarers Link facilitator Chris Rankin and retired engineer offi cer Dave BaylissBelow: Frank Kelly

A special service — ‘like Facebook on the phone’ — is helping to ease the isolation felt by many former seafarers, DEBBIE SMITH reports…

MARITIME LAW


IWhat would you do if you were accused of a maritime crime? For many seafarers, the answer is one of simply not knowing. Yet, in the British jurisdiction alone, the range of potential

crimes of relevance to mariners remains as wide as the sea itself. Fur-thermore, in recent years, the boundaries of criminal law at sea have become increasingly blurred, leading to concerns of excessive crimi-nalisation of seafarers. Interestingly, recent research by Nautilus has shown that the occurrence of fear of criminalisation is considerably higher than its occurrence. Nevertheless, the recent case of Costa Con-cordia shows that criminal law remains an industry issue. So, of what offences can seafarers be accused?

The potential categories of offences following an incident can be incredibly broad. Charges can range hugely, from almost any tradition-ally terrestrial offences, but — most seriously — to those of murder, manslaughter, and offences against the person, of a form not dissimilar to certain crimes ashore.

Alternatively, and sometimes simultaneously, there are offences which only exist in a maritime form — such as Section 58 of the Mer-chant Shipping Act 1995, of conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals.

One offence which may blur such boundaries is that of manslaugh-ter, which, if occurring aboard, can take a shore-similar or maritime slant, dependent on the circumstances.

Perhaps the principal problem in maritime crime may be that of per-ception. What may be perceived as an ‘accident’ may later be considered to be a ‘crime’ — and vice versa. Perhaps the most prudent word to use is simply that of an ‘incident’. The problem is, once something has been initially perceived, sometimes wrongly, as either accidental or criminal, it is diffi cult to alter this view.

The problem of seeing an incident in either of these ‘black and white’ categories is that we then do not observe its true nature, which may well be some shade of grey. Likewise, the analogy of seeing but not observing can extend to the perception of the initial scene itself. What initially appears to be an accident, or even a suicide, must be treated with extreme caution, as to theorise without the facts could lead to irrevers-ible contamination of potential evidence.

However, the complications for mariners do not end there. The mar-itime environment itself is fraught with diffi culties in applying crimi-nal law. Prosecutions rely upon a multitude of factors, all of which must be present in order for a viable case to succeed — and success is by no means guaranteed.

IThe issues of detection and jurisdiction remain rather relevant to maritime crime, especially for fatalities. On the detection of maritime crime, the renowned fi lm director Alfred Hitchcock

once remarked: ‘There is nothing quite so good as burial at sea. It is sim-ple, tidy, and not very incriminating.’ But, clearly, some level of evidence is required to convince the jury of guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

In order for a prosecution to be brought by a state, it must have juris-diction — which falls often, but not always, with the fl ag state. There are, however, some exceptions to this, and thus, the area of whether the jurisdictional interest is suffi cient should always be the fi rst considera-tion of those contemplating prosecuting a mariner.

Indeed, the evidence gathered, and the standards of preservation, can prove problematic — especially when trying to relate this to any viability of prosecution or fairness of conviction.

The subject of jurisdiction, and its relevance to maritime crime, remains an ominous and omnipotent undercurrent to any case. It is an issue that can prove to be a lottery — with the nature of investigation and, potentially, even the nature of any charges dependent upon the luck of the draw.

One very topical issue is the increasing risk that, in the 21st century, the side-effects of our modern, multimodal media may take a very severe toll upon the elusive concept of justice. For example, would it be theoretically possible to select a jury who have not heard any of the sometimes detrimental and accusatory coverage relating to Costa Concordia?

Likewise, could it be possible that potential future jurors for other such maritime cases will have altered their opinions as a result of the hue and cry of such instances? As the former prime minister Robert Peel once commented: ‘Public opinion is a compound of folly, weak-ness, prejudice, wrong feeling, right feeling, obstinacy and newspaper paragraphs.’

Interestingly, however, there have been very few instances of the British jury convicting a mariner for causing a fatality — even where

prosecutions have been attempted. This is surprising, given the details of some cases where attempts have been made to do so. Thus, some argue that these acquittals may be as a result of the jury simply not understanding, or having insight into the maritime sector. This may not be in the interests of justice.

The apparent tendency to acquit — however surprising it may be given the facts of a case — should perhaps be a point for accused mari-ners to bear in mind, although it can never be guaranteed. For a convic-tion to occur, the jury must be convinced of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Furthermore, it is an offence to enquire how the jury reached their verdict — we can only take it as it is: guilty, or not guilty.

With such a seeming tendency towards acquittals in criminal law, a

new form of legal action against mariners could become more preva-lent. Rather than the criminalisation of seafarers, we could well see the litigation of seafarers. This is when a civil action is taken — an attempt to sue is made.

Currently, such cases normally arise against companies rather than mariners. But the occurrence of this in maritime cases — notably those where a prosecution did not happen, or has failed — is becoming more evident. Though some may be quick to say that this is an effect of the ‘no win, no fee’ culture, there is an alternative argument which holds water: simply that, without effective prosecutions, those left bereaved follow-ing an incident do not see that justice had been done. There may beno legal recourse, in punishment or prevention of future similar instances. Thus, often, the only realistic legal step left to them to take is that of civil action. Although it cannot bring about conviction, it can highlight particular cases and potentially dangerous matters.

IThe most important feature of civil action is that the stand-ard of proof is signifi cantly lower than that of criminal law. In criminal law, the standard of proof is that of beyond reasonable

doubt. In civil law, it is only on the balance of probabilities. If the alleged wrong is deemed more likely than not to have happened, then the action will be successful. This, combined with the low success rates of prosecu-tions, could lead to many future instances of the litigation of seafarers. Indeed, in the incident of Costa Concordia, civil actions have been com-menced against Captain Schettino simultaneously to any criminal case.

The big question is: if such litigation is seen as a universal cure to industry problems, without criminal law, is the safety of the industry being potentially put at risk? Criminal offences, although arguably somewhat overzealous in many maritime instances, do have a place in the sector. The recent Corporate Manslaughter and CorporateHomicide Act 2007 was born from legal debate on a wide set of cases, including a canoeing incident in Lyme Bay, and the loss of Herald of Free Enterprise.

Furthermore, some criminal convictions for poor health and safety practices can in fact protect the majority of mariners, in what remains a relatively dangerous industry. The Health & Safety At Work Act 1974, for instance, is not often applied to the maritime sector, and yet could be used quite effectively, due to the wording of its provisions.

This initially appears to be a very general, routine law, on the work-place, for employers. But the Act itself could apply to incidents suffered by crew (Section 2) or passengers (Section 3).

IAnother point of this Act, often innocently ignored, is that its Sec-tion 40 works strongly in favour of the prosecution case. This is because it reverses the burden of proof. As mentioned, in a criminal trial, the burden is usually on the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the offence was committed by the accused. However, in this Act, Section 40 reverses the burden — placing the onus upon the accused (usually the employing company) to prove that it was not reasonably practicable to do more than they did. In many cases, it would be diffi cult to show that nothing more could have been done.

An additional benefi t of this Act is its potential application, not just in fatal cases, but also to non-fatal incidents. This could potentially pre-vent fatalities occurring, by effectively forcing the rectifi cation of prac-tices leading to injurious instances. This may also reduce the instances of some cases of litigation of seafarers, as the ever-elusive justice may be perceived to be done.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that the offence with the most poten-tial for use in charges against mariners is that of Section 58 — conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals. This, in itself, is an offence under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

IIn maritime cases, one of the most relevant serious crimes is that of involuntary manslaughter. This does not require the intent to kill.

In terms of involuntary manslaughter, there is a tendency for poten-tial prosecutions to be considered from the perspective of gross negli-gence manslaughter. Gross negligence manslaughter involves a grossly negligent act or omission, and has a four stage test, the ‘Adomako test’: fi rstly, that the accused had a duty of care to the deceased; next, that there was a breach of said duty; then, that said breach caused, or was a signifi cant contribution to, the death; and fi nally, that the breach was deemed such gross negligence to be characterised as criminal.

There is, however, the possibility (although perhaps not yet attempted) for a mariner to be prosecuted for a different type of invol-untary manslaughter — that of constructive, or unlawful act, man-

The devil or the deep blue sea?

Trial in the court of public opinion Picture: Thinkstock

The treatment of seafarers following maritime incidents is just one of the many intense debates sparked by the Costa Concordia disaster. CHAYNEE HODGETTS, formerly of Bangor University, who is conducting doctoral research on maritime criminal law at the University of Portsmouth, considers the issues mariners face when navigating close to the lee shore of criminal law…

Chaynee Hodgetts

slaughter. The test for this has three parts: that the accused did an unlawful criminal act, that act was dangerous, and that it caused death. In a maritime case, the potential for its use could be quite straightfor-ward. If a charge were brought for a Section 58 offence (of conduct endangering life, vessels or structures), this may satisfy the illegal act required.

IThe fact that the charge of Section 58 is one of ‘endangering’ could satisfy the requirement for the unlawful act to be dan-gerous. Finally, the requirement that the unlawful act caused

death could arguably be said to speak for itself, in fatalities where a Sec-tion 58 charge is brought.

Given all this, it is perhaps surprising that constructive manslaugh-ter has not been applied, in conjunction with Section 58, instead of the use of gross negligence manslaughter.

Perhaps the most unfortunate scenario is that of where one mariner may have been accused of causing the fatality of another (either murder or manslaughter). This sort of instance could also cover some suspi-cious or unexplained disappearances, and, potentially, unexplained suicides — especially those overboard.

The controversy of such cases is intensifi ed by any lack of the discov-ery of a body. This raises great evidential problems, where often, those who live and work in the vicinity of the evidence scene aboard are crew-mates, who may later fi nd themselves accused of implication in events.

Indeed, even issues as superfi cially simple as the use (or not) and wording of the traditional ‘police caution’ at sea can ignite great contro-versies as a subject of debate. Evidentially, the potential for inadvertent cross-contamination and possible miscarriage of justice cannot be underestimated.

Allegations of such a kind may follow a falsely accused seafarer throughout their lives, even in the absence of conviction. Such cases can prove incredibly diffi cult, especially if a mariner protests their innocence.

There are also issues in terms of mariners’ rights in criminal law, and how these can practically be applied at sea. For instance, if a crewmember is accused of seriously assaulting another, trying to ensure both parties’ rights are adhered to could be diffi cult.

IA recent IMO Resolution — A.1058 (27) ‘Collation and preser-vation of evidence following an allegation of a serious crime having taken place on board a ship or following a report of a

missing person from a ship, and pastoral and medical care of victims’ — could go some way to address the situation, if agreement is reached on consistency in standards of evidential preservation across jurisdic-tions, regardless of how each jurisdiction chooses to utilise said evi-dence.

Though it is right that the guilty should be prosecuted, the innocent must also be protected from the risk of criminal proceedings against them. The fundamental right of a seafarer, or indeed any person accused of a criminal offence to be tried fairly, is one that must not be overlooked.

Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is that of the right to a fair trial. Incorporated into UK law by the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), this right thus clearly applies to all criminaltrials in the UK. Interestingly, Article 2 of the same protects the right to life, so both sides could be argued from a contrary human rights stance if desired.

However, all domestic and European criminal trials must now abide by Article 6, and a conviction from any such trial which, for any reason, does not, could potentially be considered as unsafe.

Returning, then, to the most recent high profi le maritime incident, how might Costa Concordia affect perception of mariners who may be accused of criminal offences? Regardless of one’s opinion on Costa Con-cordia, we must all bear in mind that, though trial in the ‘court of public opinion’ is perhaps inevitable, the risk to all mariners of excessive, potentially prejudicial, coverage cannot be calculated.

All seafarers should be wary of the potential risk of becoming scape-goats, surrendered to the law. In an industry where use of the law is becoming prevalent, the right to a fair, independent and impartial trial must be remembered.

Nobody in the situation of having the next maritime incident would want to be judged against the backdrop of such blanket coverage, espe-cially not with the prospect of a potential trial.

In conclusion, perhaps the shipping industry should take note of the view of the philosopher Epictetus, when he wisely observed: ‘Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope…’

MARITIME LAW


“What may be perceived as an ‘accident’ may later be considered to be a ‘crime’ — and vice versa”

For further information on marine courses, contact:Tel: +44 (0)191 427 3900 | E-mail: [email protected] | Web: www.stc.ac.uk South Tyneside College, St. George’s Avenue, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE34 6ET and Marine Safety Training Centre (MSTC), Wapping Street, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE33 1LQ

To book a course, contact: Marine Booking Centre, Tel: +44 (0)191 427 3772, Fax: +44 (0)191 427 3918, E-mail: [email protected]

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A model of Costa Concordia’s master, Captain Francesco Schettino, in an Italian shop highlights howthe public may vilify seafarers after an accident Picture: Reuters

These are the recommendations made in October 1912 as a result of Lord Mersey’s inquiry into the loss of the Titanic:

Water-tight Sub-division1. That the newly appointed Bulkhead Committee should enquire and report, among other matters, on the desirability and practicability of providing ships with (a)a double skin carried up above the water line; or , as an alternative, with (b)a longitudinal, vertical, watertight bulkhead on each side of the ship, extending as far forward and aft as convenient; or, (c)with a combination of (a) and (b). Any one of the three (a), (b), and (c) to be in addition to watertight transverse bulkheads.

2. That the Committee should also enquire and report as to the desirability and practicability of fi tting ships with (a) a deck or decks at a convenient distance or distances above the waterline which shall be watertight throughout a part or all of the ship’s breadth; and should, in this connection, report upon suitable means by which the necessary openings to such deck or decks should be made watertight, whether by watertight doors, or watertight trunks, or by any other and what means.

3. That the Committee should consider and report generally on the practicability of protection given by sub-division; the object being to ensure that the ship shall remain afl oat with the greatest practicable proportion of her length in free communication with the sea.

4. That when the Committee has reported on the matters before mentioned, the Board of Trade should take the report into their consideration and to the extent to which they approve of it should seek Statutory powers to enforce it in all newly built ships, but with a direction to relax the requirements in special cases where it may seem right to them to do so.

5. That the Board of Trade should be empowered by the Legislature to require the production of the designs and specifi cations of all ships in their early stages of construction, and to direct such amendments of the same as may be thought necessary and practicable for the safety of life at sea in ships. (This should apply to all passenger carrying ships.)

Lifeboats and Rafts6. That the provision of the lifeboat and raft accommodation on board such ships should be based on the number of persons intended to be carried in the ship and not upon tonnage.

7. That the question of such accommodation should be treated independently of the question of the sub-division of the ship into watertight compartments. (This involves the abolition of Rule 12 of the Life Saving Appliance Rules of 1902.)

8. That the accommodation should be suffi cient for all persons on board, with, however, the qualifi cation that in special cases where, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, such provision is impracticable, the requirements may be modifi ed as the Board may think right. (In order to give eff ect to this recommendation changes may be necessary in the sizes and types of boats to be carried and in the method of stowing and fl oating them. It may also be necessary to set apart one or more of the boat decks exclusively for carrying boats and drilling the crew, and to consider the distribution of decks in relation to the passengers' quarters. These, however, are matters of detail to be settled with reference to the particular circumstance aff ecting the ship.)

9. That all boats should be fi tted with a protective, continuous fender, to lessen the risk of damage when being lowered in a seaway.

10. That the Board of Trade should be empowered to direct that one or more of the boats be fi tted with some form of mechanical propulsion.

11. That there should be a Board of Trade regulation requiring all boat equipment (under Sections 5 and 6, page 15 of the Rules dated February, 1902, made by the Board of Trade under section 427 Merchant Shipping Act, 1894) to be in the boats as soon as the ship leaves harbour. The sections quoted above should be

amended so as to provide also that all boats and rafts should carry lamps and pyrotechnic lights for purposes of signalling. All boats should be provided with compasses and provisions, and should be very distinctly marked in such a way as to indicate plainly the number of adult persons each boat can carry when being lowered.

12. That the Board of Trade inspection of boats and life-saving appliances should be of a more searching character than hitherto.

Manning the Boats and Boat Drills 13. That in cases where the deck hands are not suffi cient to man the boats enough other members of the crew should be men trained in boat work to make up the defi ciency. These men should be required to pass a test in boat work.

14. That in view of the necessity of having on board men trained in boat work, steps should be taken to encourage the training of boys for the Merchant Service.

15. The operation of Section 115 and Section 134 (a) of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, should be examined, with a view to amending the same so as to secure greater continuity of service than hitherto.

16. That the men who are to man the boats should have more frequent drills than hitherto. That in all ships a boat drill, a fi re-drill, and a watertight door drill should be held as soon as possible after leaving the original port of departure and at convenient intervals of not less than once a week during the voyage. Such drills to be recorded in the offi cial log.

17. That the Board of Trade should be satisfi ed in each case before the ship leaves port that a scheme has been devised and communicated to each offi cer of the ship for securing an effi cient working of the boats.

General 18. That every man taking a look-out in such ships should undergo a sight test at reasonable intervals.

19. That in all such ships a police system should be organised so as to secure obedience to orders, and proper control and guidance of all on board in times of emergency.

20. That in all such ships there should be an installation of wireless telegraphy, and that such installation should be worked with a suffi cient number of trained operators to secure a continuous service by night and day. In this connection regard should be had to the resolutions of the International Conference on Wireless Telegraphy recently held under the presidency of Sir H. Babington Smith. That where practicable a silent chamber for ‘receiving’ messages should form part of the installation.

21. That instructions should be given in all Steamship Companies' Regulations that when ice is reported in or near the track the ship should proceed in the dark hours at a moderate speed or alter her course so as to go well clear of the danger zone.

22. That the attention of Masters of vessels should be drawn by the Board of Trade to the eff ect that under the Maritime Conventions Act, 1911, it is a misdemeanor not to go to the relief of a vessel in distress when possible to do so.

23. That the same protection as to the safety of life in the event of casualty which is aff orded to emigrant ships by means of supervision and inspection should be extended to all foreign-going passenger ships.

24. That (unless already done) steps should be taken to call an International Conference to consider and as far as possible to agree upon a common line of conduct in respect of (a) the sub-division of ships; (b) the provision and working of life-saving appliances; (c) the installation of wireless telegraphy and the method of working the same; (d) the reduction of speed or the alteration of course in the vicinity of ice, and (e) the use of searchlights.

MARITIME SAFETY

The Mersey reportThe Mersey report

Human factors and operational issues are under the spotlight in a safety review being carried out by the cruise shipping industry in response to the Costa Concordia accident.

‘In simple terms, it appears from the outset that this was a situation in which the people failed the ship and not the ship failed the people,’ the technical director of the European Cruise Council, Robert Ashdown, told UK politicians last month.

Speaking at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Maritime and Ports, Mr Ashdown said operators are determined to ensure such an incident never occurs again.

‘Despite the rigorous safety regime that we have in place, something clearly has gone wrong and so it is very important that we get to the bottom of it and learn from what happened,’ he added.

Mr Ashdown said he did not wish to comment on the causes of the Costa Concordia grounding ahead of the fi ndings of the offi cial investigation, but told the meeting that the industry review is looking at such issues as navigation, evacuation and emergency training.

He said the industry safety review is being fast-tracked and the results may be available as soon as

August. Internal and external experts and industry associations are being urged to identify and share good ideas for improvements and to then collaborate with the International Maritime Organisation to implement any necessary regulations.

Mr Ashdown said the industry’s own safety review is concentrating on operational rather than technical factors, as it will be completed before the Italian authorities complete their criminal investigations into the Costa Concordia accident.

‘By doing this, we very much hope to move to the situation where the industry puts in place best practices that we have identifi ed and regulators can catch up so that everyone goes to the same high standards,’ he added.

‘We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater and make changes for change’s sake,’ he cautioned. ‘Any reform must be thought through carefully and systematically.’

UK shipping minister Mike Penning said he agreed that there should be no ‘knee-jerk’ reactions to the Costa Concordia accident. ‘Proper legislation and regulation needs to be evidence-based,’ he argued.

Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief executive

Sir Alan Massey defended the safety rules for the sector. ‘The regime is global and is taken very seriously,’ he told the meeting. ‘It is also quite dynamic and we are engaged constantly with the IMO to see where improvements are needed.’

While regulators seek to keep pace with technological changes, Sir Alan said the MCA is seeking to promote a greater emphasis on the human factor. ‘The quality of adherence to ISM is absolutely fundamental,’ he added, ‘and there is particular value in focussing on things like how well trained people are and how fatigued people are.’

Mr Ashdown said the passenger shipping industry is at the ‘cutting edge’ of such techniques. ‘Bridge resource management is designed to make sure that the captain is operating as part of a team and it should be happening routinely — how you allow senior offi cers to legitimately question the captain’s decisions without resorting to mutiny,’ he pointed out.

One speaker expressed fears about the rate of power failure incidents onboard passengerships. Mr Ashdown said it was unclear if all electrical power had been lost on Costa Allegra, but he promised that any relevant fi ndings from inquiries into that incident could be refl ected in the results of the industry’s

safety review.Bill Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping

Association, told politicians that cruising is one of the safest ways to take a holiday and the industry is highly regulated. Between 2002 and 2011, cruiseships had carried more than 150m passengers and only 28 deaths — six crew and 22 passengers — had been recorded in that period.

‘The Costa Concordia was a great shock to everyone in the industry,’ he added. ‘How could this possibly happen in this modern day and age?’

However, the industry is determined to learn the lessons and implement the fi ndings as quickly as possible, and the PSA and ECC are working with the US-based Cruise Lines International Association on a global communications campaign to address safety concerns and promote cruising.

And Mr Ashdown told the meeting that there were some ‘positives’ to be drawn from the Costa Concordia. ‘This was an accident at night and more than 4,300 people were successfully evacuated,’ he pointed out. ‘It would appear that an awful lot of things worked quite well and real credit and recognition should be given to a lot of people who did a great deal to get so many people off safely.’

MARITIME SAFETY

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | April 2012 April 2012 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

FLong-standing concerns over the safety of passengerships must be openly acknowledged and addressed by the industry and the regulators to ensure

a sustainable future for the sector, Nautilus said last month.Speaking at London Metropolitan University to an

audience of academics, lawyers and industry representatives from the London Universities Maritime Law and Policy Group, senior national secretary Allan Graveson explained why the Union is calling for further action in the wake of the Costa Concordia accident.

Mr Graveson said the UK inquiry into the loss of the Titanic on 15 April 1912 provides a useful benchmark for the investigation into the Costa Concordia grounding on 13 January 2012.

Led by Lord Mersey, as Wreck Commissioner, together with fi ve lay assessors, the UK inquiry into the Titanic reported on 30 July 1912, concluding that the excessive speed at which the ship had been navigated was the cause of the disaster.

Captain Smith — who went down with his ship — was not directly criticised, Mr Graveson pointed out. However, considerable blame was placed upon Captain Stanley Lord, master of the Californian, who was accused of not going to the aid of the stricken liner. His professional representative organisation, the Mercantile Marine Service Association (MMSA) — a forerunner of Nautilus International — vigorously defended his representation, both then and for many decades after.

The inquiry made a series of recommendations for the future and Mr Graveson said its proposals for better watertight compartmenting schemes — both to reduce the likelihood of a ship’s sinking, and to keep the ship on an even keel if watertight compartments fi lled — and on the training and testing of crew in boat work were especially relevant to today.

‘In the opinion of many, the regulator — the Board of Trade — escaped major criticism in the inquiry,’ Mr Graveson added. ‘Yet the recommendations in themselves demonstrate the failings of other parties — including designers, builders and regulators. Has anything changed and have we learned from history?’

On the basis of concerns expressed by members serving on passenger vessels for some time, Nautilus has taken up a number of safety issues — including angles of heel in a turn and life-saving appliances and evacuation, Mr Graveson explained.

The Union had worked via the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations to seek regulatory improvements following a series of incidents including:

zthe collision between the cruiseship Norwegian Dream and the containership Ever Decent in 1999, which was shown to be related to bridge-manning issueszthe fi re onboard Star Princess in March 2006, which extended across three longitudinal subdivisions and fi ve decks. Investigations highlighted the lack of regulations to prevent the fi tting of fl ammable material and means to extinguish fi res on passengership balconies zthe heeling accident involving the Crown Princess in 2006 — blamed on the offi cer of the watch and the autopilot, despite concerns over incident related to angles of turn

Mr Graveson said concerns were also highlighted by the Sea Diamond incident in 2007. ‘This was a relatively small passenger ship of 22,412gt, carrying 1,154 passengers and 391 crew, which suffered raking damage similar to the Costa Concordia, albeit in different circumstances.

‘Passengers complained of chaos and many were forced down rope ladders as the vessel heeled,’ he said. ‘The Greek marine engineers’ union said it had taken more than three hours to evacuate the ship rather than the 30 minutes required by SOLAS. But the Greek shipping minister praised the efforts, saying it worked perfectly, and the company pointed out that the 30 minutes standard only applied when the ship was in imminent danger.

‘If this is not complacency, together with collusion — even if unintentional — what is?

Nautilus has also been disturbed by the number of incidents of power outages, recently highlighted in the report on the explosion and fi re in the aft main switchboard room onboard the Queen Mary 2 in September 2010, which left the ship without power with 3,383 people onboard while approaching Barcelona.

Mr Graveson said there should be a better recognition of the application of new technology — with development

and testing, together with assessment based on risk, applied rather than routinely seeking to meet prescriptive legislative requirements or inadequate class rules.

He questioned whether the system for approval and acceptance of newbuilds is now so corrupted that it is no longer fi t for purpose. ‘Class normally works closely with yard, and fl ag state today is an absent partner — not having the resources to properly scrutinise the build plans, nor the desire for fear of driving the owner to fl ag elsewhere,’ he pointed out.

Similarly, he added, the possible failure associated with a ‘goal-setting’ approach to safety regulation needs to be considered. The ‘prescriptive’ approach to regulatory requirements has prevailed to date, but is criticised for stifl ing innovation. As a result, there is a growing trend towards a ‘goal-based’ approach — which does not specify the means of achieving compliance but sets the goals that allow alternative ways of compliance.

‘However, this is potentially open to abuse, particularly where regulatory authorities rely on outsourcing of technical expertise or have insuffi cient resources to robustly challenge the submission,’ Mr Graveson warned. ‘The probabilistic method in relation to a goal-based approach has merit, but equally could be so imperfect as to provide a false sense of security due to reliance on a level of accuracy that fails to account for differing factors.’

Mr Graveson said the new approach to safety regulation had resulted from a review launched by the former International Maritime Organisation secretary-general Bill O’Neil in 2000 in response to 12 passenger ship incidents in the previous six years.

‘The new guiding philosophy was to adopt a regulatory approach, holistic in nature and focused on achieving goals, with the desired concept being that a ship should be designed for improved survivability so that, in the event of a casualty, persons can stay safely onboard as the ship proceeds to port either by its own means or towed to a port of refuge,’ he explained. ‘Hence the “safe return to port concept” was born — a variation on the unsinkable ship?’

Mr Graveson said concerns have been raised over the adequacy of the SOLAS Convention stability standards. ‘Nautilus is not alone in stating such concerns — concerns which are based on evidence from serving maritime professionals and sound research, not mere speculation,’ he added.

Professor Dracos Vassalos, one of Europe’s leading experts on ship stability, has carried out a signifi cant amount of research for the European Commission and has drawn

attention to the vulnerability of large cruiseships to capsizing if the hull is breached, he explained.

In 2009 Prof Vassalos published a paper entitled ‘Ringing the Alarm Bells’, stating that the new SOLAS rules did nothing to remedy the serious issue of damaged ship stability. Experimental studies showed that in 16 out of 33 cases considered the vessel would capsize within two hours — or in some cases very rapidly.

‘The Royal Institute of Naval Architects has proposed amendments to the Intact Stability Code 2008, since the formula used takes no account of the vessel’s turning ability — hence no guarantee of minimum stability margin in full-helm

turns,’ Mr Graveson added. Nautilus is not scare-mongering or sensationalising the

issues, he stressed. ‘What are we looking for? Simply, a safe and sustainable cruise industry. In order to achieve this, it needs to acknowledge there are problems and owners and regulators need to respond positively and, where possible, anticipate and mitigate the consequences of incidents. Firstly, acknowledge that humans make mistakes.

‘While we can and must do a great deal to minimise this, something else is required,’ he concluded. ‘A good start would be to implement in full the recommendations of the Titanic Inquiry — be it 100 years late.’

pp y p g y g p )

19 That in all such ships a police system should be organ

‘Titanic can teach us lessons today’

The Costa Allegra is towed into the port of Victoria in the Seychelles last month Picture: Reuters

Has the way in which passenger ship safety is regulated moved on much from the Titanic disaster a century ago? Nautilus put the question to a conference in London last month…

Operators focus on human factors

Damage to the Costa Concordia has highlighted concerns over stability standards Picture: Reuters

unlike today’s ‘people traffi cking’. The difference between these desperate people and the multi-millionaires in the opulent fi rst class accommodation has been remarked upon many times over the years, and fi ts in well with the view of the Titanic-as-symbol, a microcosm of Edwardian society whose terrible equalities were bound to lead to ruin.

Yet Davenport-Hines’s detail-ed attention to the facts yields a more nuanced picture. Comparing the Titanic’s third-class accommodation with other ships of the time, he fi nds that the conditions were reasonably civilised, with bathroom facilities and decent recreational areas available. He also points out that for many third-class passengers, the voyage would have been the fi rst holiday they had ever been able to take from their hard manual work.

KA look at the mechanisms of US immigration also sheds light on the posi-

tion of some passengers. It turns out that those arriving in second class were given a much easier time at the notorious Ellis Island immigration checkpoint, and were therefore much less likely to be sent straight home as unsuit-able for the great New World. Thus the Titanic’s second class accom-modation contained a number of poor migrants — particularly those from Cornwall — who would usually have been consid-ered ‘third class material’ but who had done everything they could to scrape the money together for a better ticket.

And second class turns out to have been rather pleasant. Mainly populated with middle-class travellers such as teachers, businessmen and missionaries, the accommodation was comfort-able and spacious, and the food

was good. Many of the passengers were avid letter-writers, so we are able to learn about these conditions in their own words, bringing to life a set of individuals who so inconveniently fail to conform to the king-or-peasant stereotype of the Titanic passenger.

Not that the excesses of the Edwardian millionaire are ignored by Titanic Lives; there are substantial sections on the pampered fi rst-class passengers and the captains of industry who built the vessel. The author is clearly keen to explore the background and motivations of Pirrie, Ismay and Morgan (the shipbuilder, owner and operator), but for this reviewer the sections on these men were too long, particularly in comparison to the pages devoted to the crew. No doubt this was a refl ection of the amount of historical source material available, but it seems that the book pays less attention to the seafarers onboard than to other groups.

There are, however, some heartrending accounts in the book’s fi nal section of crew members’ families waiting for news at the White Star Line offi ces in Southampton. We are reminded how much some of the crew had needed the work offered by the Titanic’s maiden voyage, and understand afresh what the sinking meant to real people. Not storybook characters, but people who could have been part of our own families. So let us this month remember all those onboard the Titanic a century ago, and those many seafarers who have perished in less celebrated maritime disasters.fTitanic Livesby Richard Davenport-HinesHarper Press, £20.00ISBN 978-0-00-732164-3www.harpercollins.co.uk

TITANIC MYTHOLOGY


KThe well-known spoof news story below was mocked up by US satirical

newspaper The Onion a few years ago in response to the continuing mythologisation of the Titanic disaster. As the parody so neatly

captures, the events of 16 April 1912 have become a legend over the last century — almost a fi ctional story rather than an actual maritime catastrophe.

Indeed, it is a common tactic for novelists and fi lm-makers to

place fi ctional characters onboard the vessel, using the highly-charged setting to explore themes such as class division and behaviour under pressure.

The fact remains, however, that this was a real ship with 2,224 real people onboard, 1,514 of whom died in the sinking. In this centenary year, it is surely time to look beyond the Titanic-as-symbol and remember the actual human beings caught up in the disaster.

This is the aim of Titanic Lives, a new historical work which sets out to tell the stories of everyone involved with the vessel, from its construction to its maiden voyage. By taking this empirical approach and drawing conclusions from the evidence, the author Richard Davenport-Hines shows the Titanic to have been a cog in the machinery of the global economy rather than (or as well as?) an instrument of punishment for human greed and complacency.

One of the most interesting themes to emerge from this collection of potted biographies is that of mass migration. There

were numerous economic migrants and refugees onboard the Titanic on their way to the USA — heading for a new life or to make money to bring home. Where possible, the author tells us something about the individuals concerned, using evidence such as letters sent home from Queenstown, the last port of call before setting off across the Atlantic. But he also explores the wider context of migration, looking at the situation of the countries the migrants were leaving and the places they were headed for.

It is likely that some of the third class passengers from eastern European countries had been exploited by shady transportation rackets not

Truth is stranger than fi ction

Many seafarers we note are under the illusion that to qualify for the 100% foreign earnings deduction, all they have to do is spend 183 days out of the country on foreign going voyages.Many have found to their cost, when investigated by the Revenue that it is not that straightforward and of course it is then too late to rectify.Make sure you are not one of them by letting Seatax Ltd plan your future claim step by step.

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Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES.Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: [email protected]

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There have been countless imagined accounts of the Titanic story, but a new book is all the more interesting for sticking to the facts, fi nds SARAH ROBINSON

Picture: www.theonion.com

Four piracy agreements in joint statement

PIRACY

cGovernments and non-governmental organi-sations (NGOs) were

queueing up last month to state that the ‘time was right’ to end problems caused by confl ict in Somalia.

But maritime organisations and those dealing with the daily threat of piracy were left ques-tioning why the time wasn’t right at least two years ago, and what would actually happen as a result of the numerous meetings to end the immediate threat to the world’s seafarers.

UK prime minister David Cam-eron hosted a summit in London which was the climax to a month of meetings where policies, strat-egies and messaging had been discussed. But many maritime organisations, including Nautilus International, warned that these other matters could be a distrac-tion from urgent piracy issues, including the need in the UK for government guidelines on the deployment of armed security and the growing threat of piracy off the coast of west Africa.

Opening the fi nal event, Mr Cameron told delegates including government offi cials from over 40 countries: ‘This is not just the largest gathering of countries but the most infl uential.

‘For two decades Somalia has been torn apart by famine, blood-shed and some of the worst pov-erty on earth,’ he added. ‘These problems in Somalia don’t just affect Somalia. They affect us all.

‘In a country where there is no hope, chaos, violence and terror-ism thrive. Pirates are disrupting vital trade routes and kidnapping tourists.’

Mr Cameron said the meet-ing provided an unprecedented opportunity for all countries to work together to provide real and sustainable change in Somalia. ‘There is no single magic solu-tion that will make all the differ-ence,’ he cautioned. ‘It’s about the patient work of helping the Somali people to rebuild their country from the bottom up.’

US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the international community must continue to fi ght piracy through coordinated efforts. She also backed a call for the payment of ransoms to end. ‘We welcome the UK’s initiative to create an inter-national taskforce to discour-age the payment of ransoms to pirates and other groups to elimi-nate the profi t motive and pre-vent the illicit fl ow of money and its corrosive effects,’ she said.

United Nations secretary-

general Ban Ki-moon praised the efforts of troops in Somalia who have worked to tackle insurgency and bring stability to the region, but noted that the UN was still far from achieving its goal of elimi-nating piracy.

‘Some 246 international sea-farers are still being held, many of them from developing countries,’ he said. ‘International partners are helping, but we need secu-rity, deterrence and precautions. We also need to give Somalis real opportunities to fi nd alternative livelihoods and build a better future.’

A joint statement followed the meeting, noting that it marked a ‘key moment in Somalia’s history’. It stressed that decisions on the country’s future must rest with its people but that the international community had a role to play in facilitating progress and devel-opment. A number of commit-ments were made on the political future of the state, security and justice, stability and recovery, and terrorism.

cNautilus welcomed the high-profi le gather-ing of world leaders to

discuss the long-term future of Somalia, but expressed concern that the summit did not attempt to provide any short-term answers or address the concerns of seafarers and their families about those currently held cap-tive in Somalia.

‘Nautilus has been calling for a high-calibre conference on Somalia for a number of years, so

it is positive that these issues are fi nally being addressed,’ said gen-eral secretary Mark Dickinson. ‘However, there are still issues which need to be addressed and resolved by the UK government today, and this conference should not be a distraction from that.

‘The UK shipping industry needs clear and practical guide-lines for the deployment of armed security on merchant ships, and the recent shooting of two Indian fi shermen only serves as a reminder of the potential risks from the use of armed secu-rity onboard.’

Other organisations also expressed disappointment about the summit’s lack of acknowledg-ment of seafarers and the dangers they face in keeping world trade moving through piracy-prone areas.

The industry lobby group Save Our Seafarers (SOS) noted state-ments made by Mrs Clinton and Mr Cameron about discouraging the payment of ransoms.

‘SOS is deeply concerned if they mean in any way to hin-der the payment of ransoms for ships and seafarers, which is cur-rently the only way ship owners can ensure the ultimate safety of hijacked seafarers,’ it said.

The International Chamber of Shipping said it was concerned that the conference outcomes failed to include any fi rm politi-cal commitment or new actions to tackle piracy and warned that high-risk areas could become ‘no-go’ areas if ransom payments are outlawed.

cInternational Maritime Organisation secretary general Koji Sekimizu

said the summit had clearly shown that piracy is just onemanifestation of the widespread and deep-rooted problems that beset Somalia.

‘The conference agreed that piracy cannot be solved by mili-tary means alone and reiterated the importance of supporting local communities to tackle the underlying causes of piracy and improving effective use ofSomali coastal waters through regional maritime capacity-building measures,’ he explained.

Global aid charity Oxfam also expressed disappointment about the impact of the conference. ‘We had hoped for recognition that 20 years of internationally-imposed solutions have failed,’ said chief executive Barbara Stocking. ‘How-ever, what we’ve seen once again are externally driven solutions that haven’t worked, aren’t work-ing, and will not work.’

And there was also a stark warning from the leader of one of the Islamist groups which con-trols a large part of Somalia. ‘Your peace depends upon us being left alone,’ Sheikh Ali Dhere, spokes-man for Al-Shabaab told the UK Channel 4 News.

The group was one of many operating in Somalia who were not invited to the conference in London and vowed therefore not to abide by any agreements made at it.

‘If you do not let us live inpeace, you will not enjoy peace either,’ the spokesman confi rmed.

Mr Cameron hailed the con-ference as a success, noting that a number of agreements had been reached, including the establish-ment of a new fund for recon-struction.

He also announced the devel-opment of the new coordination centre in the Seychelles, and Mrs Clinton pledged an additional $64m in humanitarian assistance to the Horn of Africa.


Somalia summit ‘falls short’

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DEGREES AT SEA

The London conference agreed a fi nal statement which detailed 26 agreements made by the delegates. Four of them related to piracy:

14. We reiterated our determination to eradicate piracy, noting that the problem requires a comprehensive approach on land as well as at sea. We expressed our concern that hostages in Somalia are being held longer and with more use of violence. We welcomed the work of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. We also welcomed the success of international military eff orts, and remain committed to such eff orts with robust rules of engagement and suffi cient force generation. We agreed that piracy cannot be solved by military means alone, and reiterated the importance of supporting communities to tackle the underlying causes of piracy, and improving the eff ective use of Somali coastal waters through

regional maritime capacity-building measures. We welcomed those initiatives underway and agreed to coordinate and support such initiatives better. We called for full implementation of the Djibouti Code of Conduct and the adoption of an Exclusive Economic Zone. We look forward to reviewing progress including at the Piracy Conference in the UAE in June.

15. We welcomed the eff orts of partners in industry against piracy, and called for greater take-up of Best Management Practice on ships. We welcomed current work on international guidance on the use of private armed security companies.

16. There will be no impunity for piracy. We called for greater development of judicial capacity to prosecute and detain those behind piracy both in Somalia and in the wider region and recognised the

need to strengthen capacity in regional states. We welcomed new arrangements, which enable some states and naval operations to transfer suspected pirates captured at sea for trial by partners across the Indian Ocean region, and if convicted, to transfer them to prisons in Puntland and Somaliland which meet international standards. We noted the intention to consider further the possibility of creating courts in Somalia specialised in dealing with piracy.

17. We reiterated our determination to prosecute the kingpins of piracy. Recognising work already undertaken, we agreed to enhance coordination on illegal fi nancial fl ows and to coordinate intelligence gathering and investigations. We noted the establishment of a Regional Anti-Piracy Prosecutions Intelligence Coordination Centre in the Seychelles.

A top-level conference to tackle the problems of Somalia failed to satisfy the shipping industry’s concerns over piracy, DEBBIE SMITH reports…

UK Prime Minister David Cameron addresses the Somalia conference in London, fl anked by senior international fi gures Picture: Matt Dunham/Reuters

Our fi rst voyage of Maritime Memories was over 10 years ago, sailing from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas and then onto Bermuda, before heading out into the Atlantic for the Azores and home. Even those fl oating blocks of fl ats had to turn and stare as we sailed into the Bahamas and Bermuda, attended by tugs giving us a special welcome water display and with over 50 rare old house-fl ags representing the great shipping companies of the past, all fl ying proudly from our masthead.

We caused a huge stir with all us ex-mariners and ship enthusiasts onboard, and the locals fl ocked to the quaysides to take photographs.

Immediately there was this tremendous feeling of camaraderie onboard and guests really began to enjoy that feeling of being back at sea on a real ship. To help create the right atmosphere onboard, there was an impressive display of large ship models, together with an exhibition of maritime paintings by Robert Lloyd.

It was almost as if it was our very own ship, with all the freedom in the world to walk the decks and really enjoy the wide open sea. Our captain and the crew were so pleased to have us with them that we had an open invitation to visit the bridge — where some of us seemed to spend almost all our time, even taking the helm when conditions were right. Others — mainly ex-ship engineers — were given the rare treat of actually spending hours down in the engineroom and some hardly saw daylight for the rest of the voyage!

In all honesty, you just couldn’t fi nd a nicer crowd of people to sail with and every voyage since has been the same — it’s like one really big and happy seafaring family. Added to that, we include unique

touches such as evening dinners where we take rare menus from the great ocean liners of the past, giving our chef the challenge to recreate gourmet dinners just as they were served up to the rich and famous during those golden days of ocean travel.

There is all the ship’s usual entertainment — including dancing, cinema and cabaret — but we add so much more to this, including fancy dress balls and special farewell dinners which are seldom done these days.

However, one of the most pleasant things about these voyages is just simply having people like you with us. For it is those who love the sea that make these Maritime Memories voyages so unique and so very special.

Since that fi rst voyage, we have taken thousands of people on voyages all over the world from the Atlantic islands and Panama, to the Suez and theArctic.

On 11 May we set sail on another voyage — sailing from Portsmouth to many Baltic ports including St Petersburg, where the Russian government is arranging a special event to celebrate the Second World War Arctic convoys.

Joining us for this adventure will be some of the last surviving veterans from that notorious cam-paign and it will be our way of paying our respects to those survivors and, at the same time, to remember the many less fortunate that lost their lives on what were arguably the most horrendous WWII convoys of them all.

On that fi rst voyage I was concerned that perhaps it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea — especially partners and wives — but there was no need to have worried for they also had the time of their lives. As the wife of one ‘old salt’ was overheard saying to another after several days at sea: ‘You know, I was dreading all these days at sea but quite honestly, I’m having such a wonderful time I don’t even care if we never see another port again!’

This proved that the whole concept worked for everyone and the saddest thing is when the voyage ends and the time comes to say farewell to all the wonderful new friends we have all made and to leave a ship that has not only become our home but a way of life.

We arrange these voyages to give ex-seafarers and those who love the sea something special — and this includes a special discount, which makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable.

If you join us for a voyage you will feel both wel-come and very much at home as we turn back the hands of time to an age when things were so very dif-ferent and, dare I say, so much better than today…

MEMBERS AT WORK


Giving you a voice on your future

1 & 2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BDt +44 (0)20 8989 6677 f +44 (0)20 8530 1015 [email protected] www.nautilusint.org

Worried about your retirement? Join us!

The Nautilus Pensions Association is a pressure group and support organisation that:

z provides a new focal point for seafarer pensioners — increasing their infl uence within, and knowledge of, the Merchant Navy Offi cers’ Pension Fund and other schemes within the industry

z serves as a channel for professional advice on all kinds of pensions, as well as off ering specifi c information on legal and government developments on pensions, and supporting the Union in lobbying the government as required

z provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for advice on other organisations providing support and assistance to pensioners

z off ers a range of specialised services and benefi ts tailored to meet the needs of retired members

z operates as a democratic organisation, being a Nautilus Council body — with the secretary and secretariat provided by the Union

NI was extremely fortunate to be able to go away to sea as a 16-year-old back in the 1950s during what was still the golden age

of ocean travel — it gave me the best years of my life and a truly amazing experience.

It was a time when we had the biggest merchant fl eet in the world and in places like Liverpool, South-ampton and London, ships of every shape and size lined up along the quays for as far as the eye could see.

It was a truly exciting age, an age when going away to sea was a major event, be it onboard one of the great trans-Atlantic liners of the day or onboard a humble little tramp ship. When the lines were cast-off and the ship turned her bows towards the open seas, the curtains to a world of unrivalled adventure, excitement and romance opened up as you became part of that once-great maritime stage.

Today, places like Southampton are often full of cruiseships, but not the sort of ships that manage to excite me or catch my imagination — for now I fi nd them all of similar appearance, mostly resembling huge fl oating blocks of fl ats packed to the hilt with as many thousands of passengers as they can possibly cram onboard in every available nook and cranny.

In a rather unkind way, despite their obvious lux-urious interiors, they have much the same impact on me as a modern-day chicken farm, fi lled with thousands of chickens with nowhere to be an indi-vidual anymore or a little corner to call their own.

If you don’t know any different, then maybe a trip onboard a modern cruise liner is a great experience — but not for those who had the great fortune to be able to sail onboard real ships.

Once I left the sea, I wished I could fi nd a way of experiencing that ocean magic again, sitting on those wide-open decks and enjoying the soothing sounds of the passing oceans and resting beneath the distant silvery glow of a million stars.

I looked everywhere for such a cruise but in the world we now live in, cruise lines all copy each other and offer all the same things — so I decided to try and do it myself!

I searched the world for the right ship and even-tually came across the beautiful Discovery. She used to be Princess Cruises’ Island Princess and one oftwo ships used in the making of the American TV series The Love Boat.

At just 20,000gt she had those all-important classic lines, wide-open teak decks and lots of shiny brass. Accommodating just over 600 passengers, she was just what I was looking for.

I met with the then owner, Gerry Herrod, who really liked the concept of operating a ship as they did during the golden age of shipping. ‘It’ll be differ-ent and a lot of hard work,’ he warned. ‘And more

importantly, what will you call your company?’Until that moment I hadn’t even thought about

it, but the answer just appeared out of nowhere — Maritime Memories. Now I had a ship and a name, all I had to do was see if I could get any passengers.

I realised I had set myself a tremendous task and the old self-doubt came fl ooding in. How could Ipossibly compete against all the slick marketing of the major shipping companies?

However, I had the benefi t of hands-on experi-ence — having risen from humble cabin boy to waiter and fi nally to assistant purser (in the days when assistant purser was responsible for every-thing onboard from passenger welfare and enter-tainment, to manifests and crew wages). I knew how to keep passengers happy on everything from short hops to long voyages with weeks spent at sea.

In those days there was no ‘non-stop’ entertain-ment, endless lectures and just about every conceiv-able past-time imaginable. We made our own enter-tainment — and what fun we had!

Cruising memory laneHaving served at sea, Des Cox looked to cruising to give him his ‘fi x’ in later life — but fi nding the industry somewhat lacking, he set up his own company to cater for those who were part of the industry’s golden age…

For more information: Tel: +44 (0)1273 585391/ 584470; e-mail: [email protected] or visit the website www.maritime-memories.co.uk.

A young Des during his seafaring days

London docks

Maritime Memories passengers spending time on the bridge Picture: Maritime Memories

JLiving in typically confi ned environments onboard vessels for prolonged periods of time leaves seafarers exposed to various

ongoing health challenges. Obesity, vitamin defi ciency and diets heavy in sugar and salt and low in protein are all common as seafarers choose processed or convenience foods to sate their appetites. Poor diet has even been found to be a key factor in altering physiological and psychological functions, which can have a devastating impact not only on the individual but also on the smooth running of daily operations.

But with new regulations such as the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) prompting an international drive to raise dietary standards, shipowners and operators are turning to menus with a greater nutritional value — and fi nding that these are often accompanied by a higher price tag.

It may be a tough task for companies to balance their supplies budget these days, but there is no going back to the old ways, particularly now that 22 countries have ratifi ed MLC 2006. Achieving nutritional transparency and meeting MLC stand-ards will fast become a priority as lack of compliance with this particular convention can lead to detained vessels and signifi cant fi nes for operators.

MLC 2006 replaces 40 existing conventions and 29 regulations to safeguard seafarers’ working conditions. Including specifi c new demands for vessel catering quality levels, the Convention’s clause 3.2 on ‘Food and Catering’ states: ‘Each member shall ensure that they carry onboard and serve food and drinking water of appropriate quality, nutritional value and quantity’.

For a diet to be considered healthy, food must fall within a nutritionally balanced range in accordance with Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs), which stipulate that suitable meals would provide between 10% and 15% of your daily amount of protein, more than 55% carbohydrates and less than 30% fat.

Preparing meals that adhere to these guidelines can be a challenge and not all cooks at sea share the same educational background. So, ship suppliers can introduce electronic cookbooks which provide all the necessary data on nutritional guidelines and offer recipes that all fi t within this framework.

The latest systems can streamline the process from suppliers through to the kitchen, enabling better cost control, menu planning and a more effi cient food ordering process across the entire supply chain. An example of this is the new Xena software developed by Wrist Ship Supply — a menu-planning tool and electronic cookbook that gives shipowners inventory control, reducing waste and enabling transparency to ensure that they stay

within nutritional guidelines. Recipes in the program correspond with GDAs, provide cost per meal information and reconcile this against existing food stock.

Using intelligent software like this to manage these new catering complexities and crew menus is a signifi cant step forward for seafarer nutrition. Ship supply is a critical component of day-to-day operations, and as nutritional standards, seafarer dietary needs, and the demand for cost savings are only set to increase, adopting a fresh approach by making use of new IT and sophisticated purchasing capabilities is healthy for seafarers and business.

The term ‘supplies’ covers everything frommop heads and washing-up liquid to food and consumables. Representing between 3% and 5% of a vessel’s operating costs, the provision of supplies is a highly complex process and requires tremendous internal resources and infrastructure — particularly for global shipping companies that have vessels all over the world. Being ‘non core’, the procurement of ship supplies is ideal for outsourcing.

An outsourcing model, where an external expert manages the entire process of procuring, storing and delivering supplies, takes the headache away and allows shipowners and operators to focus on the mainstay of their business and delivering for their customers, reducing costs and improving opera-tional effi ciencies.

Outsourcing can also improve the consistency and quality of product and service, both to the shipowner/operator and the crews of the vessels that they run. This is especially important for catering, as access to healthy and varied food options is crucial to crew wellbeing.

The ship supply sector is becoming more sophisticated to support customers and ensure that product quality and specifi c dietary requirements do not need to be compromised.

These changes have run in parallel with the signif-icant investment and progression in technology such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems that can manage the total procurement, storage and delivery of supplies for a customer’s entire fl eet.

Many shipping fi rms are choosing to partner with large ship suppliers that make good use of this new technology and have the capabilities to source and secure high quality products at a lower cost than smaller, independent ship chandlers.

Integrated software solutions are the future of ship supply, seamlessly managing menus and nutrition on a ship-by-ship basis — a valuable tool for shipowners and operators who are being judged by their customers on their approach to corporate and social responsibility.

SEAFARER HEALTH


www.nautiluslegal.org

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For out of hours and emergency shipping enquiries please continue to call your present contact

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to a full range of legal services provided by specialist lawyers.

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Food for thought on MLC

There’s no need for shipowners to worry about meeting MLC 2006 nutritional standards for crew catering — new menu-planning technology can make all the diff erence, writes Robert Steen Kledal of Wrist Ship Supply

Delivering food supplies to a ship in port

MARITIME HISTORY


As well as flexible, comprehensive, great value

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We’re behind you

Sydney’s link spans nine decadesMany Nautilus members will have sailed under the arches of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. TREVOR BOULT tells the history of the iconic ‘coathanger’ — whose 80th birthday was celebrated by the city last month…

wwBackdrop to the ‘greatest harbour in the world’ and known by many

Australians simply as ‘the coathanger’ — Sydney’s Harbour Bridge was 80 years old last month.

Although the iconic structure took nine years to build, some sug-gest that the project to span Syd-ney Harbour had been over 100 years in the making — with Dr Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of the naturalist Charles Darwin, penning a poem following a visit to Sydney in 1791 in which he apparently predicted the building of ‘a proud arch, Colossus-like bestride’ long before such a thing was possible.

Before the bridge, there were two Sydneys. The bridge brought together the then 300,000 inhab-itants on the north side with twice that number to the south and it

gave access to land and facilities that had previously been prohibi-tively distant.

As the population had grown, the waters between the two settle-ments had become clogged with vessels. By 1908 the ferries carried

13m passengers annually, plus countless vehicles and horsemen.

The harbour had become cha-otic and dangerous, and ships navigated a precarious route through it all. In 1927 tragedy struck when an outward bound

mail steamer sank a ferry, known unoffi cially as ‘the school boat’. A total of 40 passengers perished: many were children. The bridge could not come soon enough.

However, the project would require extraordinary leadership,

Building the bridge was dangerous: 16 workers died during the construction phase

commitment and engineering talent. Australia found one of its own who personifi ed these quali-ties — Dr John Bradfi eld — the ‘father of the bridge’.

Bradfi eld was a rare engineer. In the 1930s he was praised across the country and beyond for over-seeing the bridge’s conception, birth, growth and completion. Bradfi eld was uniquely capable of the engineering, political, fi nan-cial and public relations feats inherent in the construction. He had the patience to pursue the project through the frustrations of 30 years, as it was repeatedly proposed and cancelled by suc-cessive governments. Rising from modest beginnings, he directed undisciplined and fractious poli-ticians, engineers and ordinary citizens to the water’s edge, and over it.

In 1912, Bradfi eld was appointed chief engineer for Met-ropolitan Railway Construction and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Two years later he was sent abroad to study long-span bridges. Work had just started in New York, on the Hell Gate Bridge, the fi rst steel arch to span 1,000ft.

But it was not until well after the fi rst world war that parlia-ment enacted the Bridge Bill, after which the search started in ear-nest for a builder who could meet Bradfi eld’s exacting demands, as laid down in the tendering pro-cess: ‘The Bridge… must be of unquestionable strength and sta-

bility… have the maximum rigid-ity vertically under the rolling load and laterally under wind pressure so that by its freedom from vibration it may have the reputation of being the strongest and most rigid in the world.’

wwIn July 1923 the turning of the fi rst sod ceremony took place in a north

shore suburb. Two days later, in the same neighbourhood, 500 buildings had been earmarked for destruction. To place the critical centrepiece in the city’s transport system, a lot of existing infra-structure had to be re-routed. Family homes, corner shops, schools and churches: all could be, and were, compulsorily acquired and demolished. The poor and the powerless were driven from their homes. Women spoke of sui-cide, old couples accepted a few pounds in return for their life’s work. The politicians demanded nobody be compensated for fear of setting a precedent.

Despite the laying waste of two communities, the digging of tun-nels and relocation of railway sta-tions, the making of speeches and grand gestures, in reality the bridge was still little more than a rough sketch. It could be a cantile-ver, an arch, or even a suspension bridge. Tenders were not due to be opened for a further six months.

Bradfi eld was to recommend a British company over American or other European bidders. Dor-

The passengership Manunda passes under the bridge as it nears completion

Dr John Bradfi eld, centre, was the engineer who became known as ‘the father of the bridge’

MARITIME HISTORY


man, Long & Company, of NE Eng-land, submitted several designs by their consulting engineer Ralph Freeman. After Bradfi eld,he was to become the single most important character in the con-struction of the bridge. In accept-ance, Bradfi eld claimed that ‘it is my design as sanctioned by Parlia-ment and as submitted for ten-ders’. The question of who ‘designed’ the bridge was to become an over-arching and bit-ter issue that some still consider remains unresolved.

By the time work began, devel-opment in construction methods and materials had advanced so much that the 1,600ft span could be made with an arch describing ‘a single dolphin leap’. The structure had to bear the weight of twin

tram and train tracks, a pedestrian crossing and a broad expanse of road. It had to give clearance for tall sailing ships which still fre-quented the harbour, and the capacity and strength to link two separated and growing cities for centuries to come.

On what became the site of the fun emporium of Luna Park, the massive Bridge Fabrication Shops were erected. Locals labelled them ‘Dorman’s tin sheds’. For nine years they were to resound with noise that echoed across the har-bour. Material from overseas was unloaded from steamers by wharf cranes and transferred to the stockyard for sorting and stacking by travelling gantries. Steel pieces were cut, drilled and assembled, the fi nished sections being loaded onto punts within a short distance of where they were needed. Yet the arch did not begin to actually move out over the water for a fur-ther fi ve years.

The creation of the twin pairs of stone pylons at each end of the bridge was also a mammoth undertaking. An order was placed with a government dockyard for three ships, solely for transport-ing granite from the quarries at Moruya to Sydney.

At the base of each pylon is a pin of pivotal importance. Upon these four cylindrical bearings is shared the extraordinary weight of the whole steel structure which comprises some 53,000 tonnes of steel, most of which was shipped from England. The bearings can-not be locked into concrete as the steel expands and contracts by the action of the sun.

When the half-arches started projecting over open water from the promontories of Milsons- and Dawes Point, fabricated members had to be lifted direct from a barge in mid-stream — an operation needing great care, given the con-tinued passing of ferries and deepsea ships, for which the fair-way was always available. As it was impossible to build support piers

in the harbour, the half-arches were restrained by a mass of thick steel cables secured deep into the earth.

In addition to their own weight, each half-arch carried a creeper crane. Weighing nearly 600 tonnes each, and described as ‘the most important erection units’, they inched their way tentatively outwards.

wwAssembling the bridge was a huge task under-taken by a handful

of men at the two ends of the extending structure: construc-tors, riggers, boilermakers and riveters. These crucial jobs were uncomfortable and dangerous. Sixteen workers in total lost their lives building the bridge — only two died on the arch. Protective gear was rudimentary. On the arch there were no steps or hand-rails — the men merely skipped from one rivet-head to the next. Neither were there any ‘conveni-ences’ aloft, nor changing rooms and showers at ground level.

As the half-arches approached each other at the apex, the struc-ture was at its most vulnerable and fragile. Bridging the last metre was the most critical and

complicated task. In the following weeks the bridge would change from a cantilever structure to a hinged arch. Each stage would shift the phenomenal stresses. The half-arches were eased together using hydraulic jacks on the retaining cables, carried out in a systematic and symmetrical order to ensure the arch did not twist and deform.

An unwelcome storm came at the worst time. The half-arches began to sway, the steel groaned and the cables set up a terrible noise. The bridge was described as ‘hanging on by her fi ngernails’ — but when the last metre was bridged she would miraculously become strong enough to weather anything. When that crowning moment came, both the Austral-ian Flag and Union Flag fl ew on the jibs of the creeper cranes.

In a small remote farming community, some 600 miles south of Sydney, a young boy called Lennie Gwyther had been enthralled by the project and was determined to be present at the offi cial opening.

Just nine years old, he set out on his horse to ride to the event. His quest made the news in Mel-bourne, Sydney, and London, and crowds lined the streets as he entered towns on his circuitous route, totalling some 900 miles.

Finally, Lennie was formally invited to join the offi cial opening celebrations and was unwittingly to become the fi rst of two indomi-table characters on horseback to be associated enduringly with Sydney Harbour Bridge.

An incredible exodus left the suburbs deserted, as an estimated one million people fl ocked to wit-ness the occasion. Many would have been dimly aware of the con-troversy of who ‘designed’ the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which had begun with exchanges of politely barbed private corre-spondence between Bradfi eld — the hero of Sydney — and Free-man, the contractor’s consulting engineer. It eventually entered the public domain and escalated into a bitter battle which pitted the Australians against the British at government level, and which dragged on for decades.

Dorman Long threatened to sue the government of New South Wales, if due credit was not offi -cially accorded to their engineer. Seventy years later, informed opinion accepts that Bradfi eld had more claim to the structure, but that Freeman’s highly infl uen-tial role should not be ignored.

In Britain, King George V was also not amused at having his role rebuffed. The monarchists inAustralia had demanded that His

Majesty, or the governor general, open the bridge. However, the Labour state premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, decided to perform the ceremony. A deter-mined man, his decision incensed the conservative right.

wwLike much of the world in the early 1930s, New South Wales stood at

an ideological fork in the road. Unemployment was devastat-ingly high. Sydney itself seethed with political paranoia and men-ace. The issue of who would cut the ceremonial ribbon became symbolic of the times.

Businessman Francis Edward de Groot was a local commander in the New Guard — an associa-tion which represented ‘progres-

sive’ conservative views. He hatched a plan, reported inspired by a timely cartoon captioned: ‘The man who beat Lang to the tape’. Obtaining a horse from an anti-Lang supporter, de Groot infi ltrated his way to within 100 yards of where the ribbon would be cut, by merging with a troop of New South Wales Lancers assigned to escort the governor general.

Choosing his moment and astride his horse, de Groot severed the ribbon with an upward stroke of his sword, as he declared the bridge open in the name of the decent and respectable citizens of New South Wales. He was quickly apprehended and spirited away, and the incident was played down as the ceremony proper got underway.

Since then, the Sydney Har-bour Bridge has become some-thing far more than a physical link across a waterway. It soon entwined itself into the very lifeof the metropolis. Dr Bradfi eld’s iconic achievement is still vital to the function of today’s modern and unifi ed city.

‘The dear lady that we celebrate has served us well from 19 March 1932, when 11,000 vehicles crossed that year to today, 80 years on, when 160,000 vehicles cross her every year,’ NSW roads minister Duncan Gay said last month.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe author acknowledges the material assistance of Peter Lalor, Richard Raxworthy, and Bridge-Climb.

In October 2007, Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess became the largest passengership to sail under the bridge

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 rendezvous in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2011 Picture: Cunard

by Trevor Boult

FThe first land-basedwhaling station in the

Southern Ocean was establishedby the Norwegians at Grytvikenon the island of South Georgia in1904. By the end of the decadethe number of whales taken hadincreased to an extent thatcaused concern — nobody knewwhat would be sustainable.

In 1918 the official regulatorfor the whale fishery, TheFalkland Islands Dependencies,recommended the establishmentof a programme of research inthe region from dedicatedvessels. Captain Scott’s woodenDiscovery was purchased. Herremit was for ‘conductingresearch into the economicresources of the Antarctic andwith the particular object ofproviding a scientific foundationfor the whaling industry’.

The successful Discoveryexpedition of 1925-27 highlightedthe need for longer terminvestigations. A new purpose -built vessel was commissioned —the Discovery II.

A steel-hulled ship, withmoderate ice protection, shebegan her work in 1929. She

carried out six Antarctic voyagesand in 1933 she completed thefifth ever circumnavigation ofAntarctica.

During her fourthcommission she was diverted tothe Bay of Whales in the Ross Seato search, successfully, for theAmerican explorer LincolnEllsworth, and his pilot, who weremissing after making the firsttrans-Antarctic flight.

Much was learned from thescientific ‘cruises’ — not onlyabout the biology and ecology ofwhales, but also about theSouthern Ocean that sustainedsuch a rich and remarkableecosystem.

The work also introduced anew generation of highlytalented British scientists tooceanographic research. Theywere to be instrumental in thedevelopment of the NationalInstitute of Oceanography, theillustrious forebear of today’sworld-class National Oceano-graphy Centre, Southampton.

By 1930 open ocean whalinghad taken over from land-basedstations so that whalers were nolonger tied to island bases. Inresponse, Discovery II beganpelagic operations in new

geographical areas, whichinvolved gruelling and dangerouswork in icy seas, as shecompleted the first winter circuitof the continent.

The Discovery II had seen warservice, after which her refitoffered improvedaccommodation and technicalenhancements resulting fromthe war. The early post-warbiological cruises in the NorthAtlantic aimed to investigate theecology of the open oceanecosystems in the seas aroundthe Canaries, Madeira, and theAzores.

In 1950 the Admiraltypurchased the ship from theFalkland Islands’ governmentand presented her to thefledgling National Institute ofOceanography. The Kingapproved the prefix Royal to theResearch Ship, and a warrant wasgranted for her to fly the BlueEnsign.

Discovery II’s finalcircumpolar cruise saw the shipworking for nearly two years inthe Southern Ocean, havingsteamed some 39,000 miles. Therest of her career was devoted towork in the northernhemisphere.

Scientific cruises, then as now,often require long periods at sea,interspersed with brief spells inport. On the Discovery II,facilities for storing fresh foodwere limited, tinned foodpredominating after the first fewdays. Meals for a typicalcomplement exceeding 60 wereprepared and cooked in ‘a smallhell-hole of a galley’, often underextreme conditions. Forentertainment, the wardroomboasted an upright piano and awind-up gramophone ofuncertain vintage.

Discovery II offered a suiteof dedicated laboratory spacesfor a variety of functions. Deckequipment included a heavysteam-driven deepsea winchholding some 30,000ft oftapered steel wire that couldbe deployed to the ocean floorfor deep trawl work and fordredging, giving scientists thechance to investigate the oceandepths in detail. There were alsohydrographic winches forvertical wire work within thewater column from surface toseabed.

For most deep wateroperations it was necessary tokeep the ship head to wind andstationary in the water, adynamic situation whichdemanded skill and constantattention from the bridge officer,constrained by the ship’s slowresponse to its steam-driven, lowrevving, single screw. Lateralthrusters were also a thing of thefuture.

Underwater acoustics played alarge part in the collection ofdata. Echo-sounding, sonar, andacoustic telemetry all required aminimum of background noise— the upside of the ship’sremarkably quiet and vibration-free propulsion system.

Over the years the NationalInstitute of Oceanographycontinued to grow. In the early1960s a brand new Discoveryreplaced the ageing Discovery IIwhich was scrapped in 1962.

OFFWATCH


ships of the past

QUICK CLUES

Across1. Symbolic (10)6. Eye signal (4)9. A relief (10)10. Long time (4) 12. Drinker’s pluck (5,7)15. Performance (9)17. Scottish landowner (5)18. Country (5)19. Carrier (9) 20. A close shave (5,7)24. Neat cut (4)25. Defensive mound (10)26. After the horse (4)27. Idealistic (6-4)

Down1. All (4)2. Explosive (4)3. Darwinian (12)4. Native Mexican (5)5. Purity (9)7. Curry favour (10)8. Londoners (4,6)11. Soup (12)

13. Artificial (10)14. Strange (10)16. Source (9)21. Change (5)22. Ilium (4)23. Not new (4)

CRYPTIC CLUES

Across1. Fired from public school (10)6. Left out of fall from grace, it

spells the end of the church (4) 9. Broken tibia, tonic unlikely to

help (10) 10. Hungarian writer popular in

the era between fountain penand word processor (4)

12. Anyhow I lit it Barry, I was inthat short fuse state (12)

15. A bed drape wrapped aroundhorse during heavy snowfall(9)

17. Eastwood for Americanpresident, just not on (5)

18. Setter in a bit of a stew — suchluck! (5)

19. Greek capital endlessly trailedby a European Union master to the library … (9)

20. … Milanese team expressemotion — a tiny particle —over fancy term for bail out(12)

24. Madam, I’m to complete this palindrome (4)

25. Barker, Ronnie — a map read properly shows place of origin (10)

26. River garden formerlyoccupied by 24 (4)

27. Agreeable terms forcommunity (10)

Down1. Nothing in bundle but

dye (4)2. Brief letter showing up

public school (4) 3. Hardy she-bear racked by

pins and needles (12)4. Redesigned Jo his door

along Japanese lines (5)5. Pair of queens Ms Taylor? (9)

7. Honoured by hastilyrearranged vigil, pride also (10)

8. Communal environments,Eastern, snug on stalks (10)

11. Show lack of respect forforeign office, we hear, itmakes them unhappy (12)

13. Pave the way for soccer cup,Channel Islands and LongIsland in front of the gallery(10)

14. Three wise men with threequarters of a plan, let this onebe the judge (10)

16. Fellow with 5 the first, a minder (9)

21. On22 update for all the birdsout there (5)

22. ‘What! will the --- stretch out tothe crack of doom?’(Macbeth) (4)

23. Insect camouflaged amongstblooming nature (4)

J Crossword answers are on page 46.

Telegraph prize crosswordThe winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competitionwill win a copy of the book Mariner’s Rest (reviewed onthe facing page).

To enter, simply complete the form right and send it,along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus International, Telegraph CrosswordCompetition, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane,

South Woodford, London E18 1BD, or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015. You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to: [email protected].

Closing date is Wednesday 11 April 2012.

Name:

Address:

Telephone: Membership No.:

1 In 1983, 23% of the worldmerchant fleet was flagged out.What was the percentage in2000?

2 China’s share of globalshipbuilding output was 17% in2005. What was the percentagein 2010?

3 Where are the headquarters ofthe European Maritime SafetyAgency?

4 The Japanese term ‘Maru’ oftenappears in ship names. What does it mean?

5 There are 376 ships in the worldLNG fleet. What is thepercentage built within the lastfive years?

6 Which country’s shipownershave the largest share of the global orderbook forcontainerships (in numericalterms)?

J Answers to the quiz are on page 46.

RRS DISCOVERY II 1929-1962:Builder: Ferguson Bros., Port Glasgow, Scotland.234ft x 36ft. 1,036 gross tons.

50 YEARS AGOSeafarers will welcome as much as anyone the new and more extensive rulesagainst dumping oil in the sea which will come into operation as a result ofthe work done by the recent international conference on prevention ofpollution of the sea by oil. To achieve this, reception facilities will have to beprovided at ports to receive the oily water from ships. It is a pity thegovernment and oil companies have not decided to do this within a year. The fitting of effective oily water separators onboard ships will also costmoney and it seems only fair that those who are making a profit from the oil and its carriage should carry a good share of this burden MN Journal,April 1962

25 YEARS AGOMembers of NUMAST Council stood for a minute’s silence at their meetinglast month to pay respect to the family and friends of those who died andeveryone affected by the capsize of the ferry Herald of Free Enterprise. Sixtypeople have been confirmed dead and at least 74 are still missing after theTownsend Car Ferries ship heeled over just one mile from the outer harbour of Zeebrugge on Friday 6 March. It is the worst European ferry accident since1953, when the British ferry Princess Victoria sank in a gale in the Irish Sea,killing 133 passengers and crew. A formal investigation is to begin this monthto find out the causes of the disaster and it is likely to examine the inherentstability of ro-ro vessels and measures to reduce any ‘free surface’ effectThe Telegraph, April 1987

10 YEARS AGONUMAST has raised renewed concern over evidence of growing gaps in fire-fighting cover for shipping in UK waters. The Union is alarmed by figuresshowing that the number of authorities with ‘declared’ assets for dealingwith fires at sea has halved since 1995. The problem has been caused by acourt ruling that prevents fire authorities from recovering the costs orclaiming salvage from fighting fires on ships. More than 340 fires haveoccurred on ships within the UK 12-mile limit over the past decade — 71 onpassengerships, 47 on dry cargo vessels and 27 on tankers or combinationcarriers. NUMAST says the government should act to remove any doubtsabout cover and to establish a system of national planning and a regionalapproach to the provision of assets and dealing with incidents The Telegraph,April 2002

THEQUIZ

Polar research pioneer

OFFWATCH


books

Life at sea…the DIY wayPhoenix from the Ashes: the boatthat rebuilt our livesAdlard Coles Nautical, £8.99by Justin Ruthven-TyersISBN 978-4-4081-5141-9

KWhen a ferocious firecompletely destroyed their

house, Justin Ruthven-Tyers turned tohis wife and said ‘good will come ofthis’. Little did he realise just howcompletely this event would changetheir lives.

It started simply enough withMr Ruthven-Tyers labouring forthe workmen who rebuilt hishouse. He rebuilt the stable blockon his own, and then, despitenow having a house worthy of amagazine feature, the coupleinexplicably sold up and decidedto build a yacht to live in.

And so begins Phoenix fromthe Ashes: the boat that rebuiltour lives. The book charts thepair’s journey from first plans toliving onboard and sailing aroundEngland, Ireland, Scotland andFrance. They didn’t choose an easyboat either; deciding to trust in theromance of it all, they rebuilt areplica of the Spray — the boatsailed by Joshua Slocum andfeatured in his book Sailing alonearound the world.

The reality of the task set in veryquickly once Justin beganconstruction. ‘On that first day,leaning against the huge and pristineworkshop table, I suddenly feltphysically sick in my stomach; utterlydaunted by the size of the project I’d

taken on,’ he comments.But three years later Mr and Mrs

Ruthven-Tyers did indeed own a yachtwhich they had built themselves andwhich would become their home. Thesecond part of the book follows thecouple around the British Isles andinto France, detailing the many weirdand wonderful characters they meetalong the way.

The book is touching and recountssome hilarious anecdotes, includingthe time they tried to sail the Caol Ilainto Truro only to find the last mileand a half of river were just mud.

There are some amazing colourphotographs which show thedevastating house fire, the building ofthe boat and some pictures from thecouple’s new life onboard.

If Justin ever feels the need onceagain to completely re-invent himself,then a career as an artist awaits him— beautiful drawings can be foundthroughout the book. These mainlyshow the people they meet along theway, and his drawings capture thepersonality of people far more than aphotograph ever could.

The story is told by Justin in anincredibly honest and modest way,and their lives are a great example ofwhat can be achieved with a littleambition and a lot of hard work.

Maritime lawas you’ve neverseen it beforeEssays in AdmiraltyAn Introduction to Legal Issues inShipping from a West African Perspectiveby Jean Chiazor Anishere Published by Petrospot Limited, £75/€90 + P&P

fwww.petrospot.com/books

KThe economic success stories ofmany African countries are often

overlooked — yet growth in recentyears has created significant newopportunities for such sectors as oiland gas, commodities and shipping.

A recent issue of The Economistnoted that six of the world’s fastest-growing countries over the past decadewere African and that ‘trade betweenAfrica and the rest of the world hasincreased by 200% since 2000’.

Against this background, Essays inAdmiralty provides a timely and boldattempt to shine some light onto themany aspects of international shippingand maritime law that particularlyaffect Nigeria and west Africa. Basedupon essays, speeches and articleswritten by one of Nigeria’s foremost

maritime lawyers, this book provides aninteresting background for those involvedin maritime law — especially in westAfrica — and should also be useful foranyone outside west Africa who wants tolearn a bit more about how the region,and Nigeria in particular, deals with thelaws of shipping and with shipping(and related industries) in general.

Subjects covered include oil andgas investments in Nigeria, theCabotage Act in Nigeria and acomparative analysis of maritime rulesand practice in some African states.

Inspirationalreminder of aneglected UKresourceRivers of Britainby Stuart FisherAdlard Coles Nautical, £25ISBN 9781408146569

KRecent figures showing thehuge slump in freight being

carried on the UK’s waterways haveraised concerns that the governmenthas given up on trying to shift cargoesoff the country’s congested roadsystem.

This delightful new publicationought to serve as a reminder topoliticians of the remarkable potentialthat the nation’s rivers offer as a corepart of an integrated andenvironmentally sound transportsystem.

In just over 300 pages, it takes thereader on a tour around the country’stidal rivers — 70 estuaries, tideways,havens, lochs, firths and kyles — andprovides fascinating social, historicaland geographical background to

each, along with photographs andmaps.

Stuart Fisher’s text is so full ofincidental detail that one wonderswhether he walked every inch of thebanks of the waterways he describes.He points not only to significantlandmarks and navigational aids, butalso to the rich flora and fauna thatflourish alongside — and some goodriverside pubs!

The book delivers a great reminderof the variety of the British landscapeand seascape, and it alsodemonstrates the equally markedvariety of industrial commercial usesthat these waterways have sustainedover the years. Warmlyrecommended.

Moby-Duckby Donovan HohnUnion Books, £20ISBN 978-0553213119

KTwenty years ago, during a January storm offthe Aleutian Islands in the Pacific, two

containers were lost from the Evergreen vessel EverLaurel. One of them broke open — discharging itscontents of 28,800 plastic bath toys.

The epic voyages of these ducks, frogs, beaversand turtles — which began washing up on beaches10,000 miles away several months later — havefascinated the public and scientists.

They also captured the imagination of DonovanHohn, who was then a schoolteacher in the UnitedStates. In what was to become something of apersonal odyssey, he travelled the world toinvestigate the circumstances in which the cargo waslost and the broader related issues of shipping safety,globalisation, the marine environment andoceanography.

Now a magazine features editor, Hohn intendedto write a short article about the case — but themore he found out the more his fascination grew,resulting in this 400-page book (subtitled The TrueStory of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea) that ranges far

and wide in its scope.Reflecting on the factors driving his obsession, he

writes of ‘reasons that had nothing to do withoceanography and everything to do with the humanimagination, which can be as powerful and asinscrutable as the sea’.

With its titular homage to Moby-Dick, Hohn’sambitions are clear — using the rubber duck as areference point in the same way that the elusivewhite whale became a personal pivot for CaptainAhab to reflect on the big philosophical questionsin life.

In his mission to understand where the duckscame from, how they ended up in the sea and wherethey went to after that, Hohn visits the Chinesefactory that made them and the beaches in Alaskawhere they first began to wash up.

The environment is a significant theme withinthe book — and the impact of plastic in particular —as Hohn witnesses the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,where plastic particles are 46 times as prevalent inthe water as plankton. ‘The problems are chronicbecause, unlike the marine debris of centuries past,commercial plastics persist, accumulating over time,much as certain emissions accumulate in theatmosphere,’ he writes.

His three-year quest took Hohn onboard ferries

and a research vessel, and Telegraph readers willbe particularly interested in his trip onboard acontainership — the Hanjin Ottawa. This was avoyage undertaken to help him understand howboxes could be lost overboard and, he adds, inthe hope of refreshing his capacity for awe: ‘thatthe high seas may yet be the wildest wildernessin the world after all.’

His voyage helps him to recognise the corerole of shipping in moving world trade and thecontinued risks that face seafarers — not leastthe 10% of shipping casualties that areascribed to bad weather or otherwiseunexplained. It also leads him on to exploresuch questions as the existence (or not) ofso-called freak waves and the phenomenonof synchronous rolling.

Nevertheless, he concludes after his trip,‘I’ve begun to wonder if the greatest perilmodern-day merchant mariners face isn’tthe life-threatening Monsterwellen but themind-numbing boredom.’

A bit like the ducks at the core of his book, Hohn’snarrative can tend to drift a bit as he brings inanything from scientific theory, meteorology,chemistry, social and cultural history, sea lore topersonal reflections on being a parent. However, the

fascination that drove him on to travel sofar is infectious, and the book encompasses so manythemes that it is constantly thought-provoking andoffers original and fresh perspectives on ourrelationship with the sea.

First-handexperiencebrings life toseafaring taleMariner’s RestBy Ray SollyWhittles Publishing, £16.99ISBN 978-184995-043-5

fwww.whittlespublishing.com

KTelegraph regular Ray Solly is back; thistime in his storytelling guise rather

than in his role as textbook author. Mariner’sRest is the final volume in Dr Solly’s semi-autobiographical trilogy about the adventuresof deck officer Jonathan Caridia. Based closelyon real incidents — but naming no realnames — the story follows Jonathan as hereaches the peak of his seafaring career in the1970s, rising to the rank of chief officer whileserving on a variety of cargoships.

This Merchant Navy memoir will doubtlessraise a few wry smiles from those who workedat sea in an era of looser regulation andmonitoring. Poor communication amongcrew members of different nationalities maybe an acknowledged problem today, but backin the 1960s and 1970s it seems to have beena nightmare, with little effort made byoperators to ensure that crewmates shared acommon language. And given the number ofsozzled senior officers encountered byJonathan Caridia, it’s no wonder we ended upwith the strict shipboard alcohol policies ofthe 21st century.

In places Mariner’s Rest could have donewith sharper editing, but it’s worth stickingwith any long-winded passages becausesuddenly a vividly-described incident will grabthe reader’s attention. For example, there’s apowerful account of the time when thenarrator had to deal (in a very hands-onmanner) with a colleague who had hangedhimself in his cabin. And here lies the strengthof this book — it may not be perfect, but theauthor has been there and done it himself.

gMariner’s Rest follows Mariner’s Launchand Mariner’s Voyage, also available fromWhittles Publishing.

A plastic perspective

BOOKSAVINGSNautilus members can buythe books reviewed on thesepages at a whopping 25%discount on publisher’s pricethrough the Marine Society’sonline bookshop.

gTo qualify for this offer, readersneed to make their purchase

through the online bookshopwww.msbookshop.org and use thepromotional code Nautilus.

Every title offered by the Society is at adiscounted price, and it can supplybooks on any subject and in any formatavailable — paperback, hardback, or e-book. Readers can use the website’s‘contact us’ button to request the titleand the Society aspires to respond thesame day with the best price andavailability. Most titles can be securedwithin 24 hours.

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Ja65%

Nee35%

Geef uw meningVorige maand vroegen wij: Denkt u dat het ongeval met de Costa Concordia de noodzaak aantoont van radicale verandering in het ontwerp en de bedrijfsvoering van cruise schepen?

De poll van deze maand vraagt: Denkt u dat het verplicht langzamer varen van zeeschepen iets bijdraagt tegen de luchtvervuiling? Geef ons uw mening online, op nautilusnl.org

ADe werkgevers hebben een eindbod gedaan voor de CAO Water-

bouw. Inhoudelijk is het geen slecht voorstel al is er nog altijd geen oplossing inzake de werk-gelegenheid van Nederlandse medewerkers ten opzichte van — met name — de Filipijnse werknemers.

De CAO heeft een looptijd van twee jaar en loopt van 1 april 2011 t/m 31 maart 2013. Per 1 februari 2012 worden de lonen verhoogd met 4% van het brutoloon. Verder wordt de structurele eindejaars-uitkering met 1% verhoogd naar 2,5%, uit te keren op 31 december 2012. De medewerkers ontvangen een eenmalige uitkering van 2% over het bruto loon over de perio-de april 2011 tot en met 31 januari 2012. De onkostenvergoedingen in de artikelen 18, 34, 35 en 39 gaan omhoog met hetzelfde percentage als de loonstijging (4%). Verder wordt de bruto ver-goeding van het EHBO diploma gelijkgetrokken naar het niveau van de vergoeding voor een BHV-diploma.

In het kader van loopbaan-beleid en mobiliteit krijgen werknemers recht om op kosten van de werkgever hun verworven competenties in te zetten in een regulier MBO of HBO diploma (EVC). De twee grote bedrijven in de sector, Van Oord en Boskalis, gaan zich verder inspannen om elk vijf werknemers met een af- stand tot de arbeidsmarkt (Wajongers) in dienst te nemen. Het gaat hierbij om wal- of kan-toorfuncties, dus niet op de schepen.

WerkingssfeerDe bepalingen van de CAO Waterbouw zijn van toepassing

op ondernemingen en werk-nemers voor zover de werkzaam-heden als bedoeld in artikel 3 lid 1 uitgevoerd worden binnen Nederland én het gedeelte van het continentale plat waarover Nederland soevereine rechten heeft. Uitgezonderd van deze werkingssfeer zijn sleephopper-zuigers die buitengaats op het Nederlands Continentaal Plat baggerwerk uitvoeren, inclusief de Westerschelde en exclusief de Waddenzee. Schepen die buitengaats uitsluitend actief zijn in de zandwinning zijn niet uitgezon-derd.

De werkgevers hebben aange-geven dat er sprake is van een in-tegraal voorstel. Dat laat onverlet dat de vakbond nadenkt over de kwestie inzake de werkingssfeer.

Eindbod CAO Waterbouw: inhoudelijk goed verhaal, werkgelegen-heidskwestie blijft heikel punt

C Het is alweer enige Telegraph edities geleden dat wij u voor

het laatst op de hoogte brachten van de ontwikkelingen omtrent piraterij wereldwijd en met name die in de wateren rondom Somalië. Geen bericht betekent in dit geval helaas geenszins het spreekwoordelijke goede bericht.

De site van het International Maritime Bureau geeft een kille tussenstand. Begin maart bedroeg het aantal aanvallen van piraterij wereldwijd 76 waarvan er 8 ein-digden in een kaping van het schip. Het Somalische aandeel in deze statistieken bedroeg respectievelijk 31 en 6 gevallen. Er worden 14 sche-pen vastgehouden met een totaal aantal van 199 opvarenden. Keiharde cijfers waarachter enorm veel leed schuilgaat, leed dat in sommige gevallen het voorstellingsvermogen te boven gaat. Wat bijvoorbeeld te denken van de 24-koppige bemanning van de Iceberg die rond de tijd dat u dit leest ruim twee jaar in gijzeling doorbrengt. Of de Vietnamese kapitein van een vissersschip van wie in het bijzijn van zijn bemanning een arm werd afgehakt om de betaling van het losgeld te bespoedigen. Maar ook simpelweg de zeevarenden die misschien nooit een piraat te zien krijgen maar wel de gevaarlijke gebieden moeten doorkruisen. Ook zij zijn slachtoff ers van het schier onoplosbare piraterij probleem.

Nieuwe strategieënDe tijd dat de schepen geheel onbeschermd door de Somalische gevarengebieden voeren, ligt in bijna alle gevallen inmiddels lang achter ons. Van BMP’s, citadels of kilometers prikkeldraad, kijkt de gemiddelde zeevarende al lang niet meer op. Ook neemt de toevlucht tot zwaardere maatregelen hand over hand toe. Al dan niet in overeenstemming met de regels van de vlaggenstaat, hebben de private beveiligingsbedrijven met hun tot op de tanden bewapende medewerkers zich een solide positie weten te veroveren aan boord van menig koopvaardijschip en hebben hun nut al menig keer bewezen. Ook de internationale marinemacht lijkt zich harder op te stellen. Steeds vaker bereiken ons berichten dat zogenaamde moederschepen on- schadelijk worden gemaakt. Op zich niet verkeerd ware het niet dat hierbij ook slachtoff ers vallen onder de gegijzelde zeevarenden.

Maar ook de tegenpartij zit niet stil. Naarmate het moeilijker wordt om schepen te kapen, verhardt de strijd verder. Het leidt tevens tot hogere losgeldeisen die vervolgens nog meer eisen van de gegijzelde bemanningsleden.

De Somalische piraten hebben in het verleden keer op keer bewezen dat ze fl exibel zijn en nieuwe ont-wikkelingen mogen absoluut niet worden uitgesloten. Hierbij valt bijvoorbeeld te denken aan meer professionele bewapening. Tijdens de burgeroorlog in Libië is er enorm veel high-tech wapentuig verdwenen dat zomaar kan opduiken in de handen van piraten. Nieuwe krachtige RPG’s bijvoorbeeld die de tot nu toe gebruikten als kinderspeelgoed doen lijken. RPG’s die schepen echt tot stoppen kunnen dwingen!

Private securityTerwijl steeds meer vlaggenstaten de inzet van gewapende private beveiligers toestaan staat de dis-cussie hierover in Nederland stil. De Nederlandse overheid denkt de situatie te kunnen beheersen middels de inzet van zogeheten Vessel Protection Detachments (VPD’s), bestaande uit reguliere Nederlandse troepen; de praktijk is echter weerbarstiger dan de theorie. De daadwerkelijke inzetbaarheid van de VPD’s is in vele gevallen onzeker. Dit leidt tot veel onzekerheid bij de bemanning en tot veel problemen bij de reder. Verladers en assuradeuren verlangen immers steeds meer dui- delijkheid en zekerheid. Ook is er een niet te negeren fi nancieel probleem. De inzet van VPD’s is nog altijd een factor 3 tot 4 duurder dan private beveiligers en dat kan, zeker in de huidige belabberde markt, zorgen voor onoverkomelijke verstoringen van het level playing fi eld.

NigeriaAl sinds mensenheugenis niet de meest populaire bestemming van zeevarenden. Altijd lastig en niet zelden gevaarlijk. Ook hier lijkt zich een nieuwe tendens af te tekenen die veel trekjes heeft van de tactiek gebruikelijk in Somalië. Ook hier is men begonnen met de inzet van moederschepen die de schepen ver op zee overmeesteren. Het enige echte grote verschil is dat men de gekaapte schepen niet voor de kust ten anker legt in afwachting van de komst van het losgeld, maar dat men de zeevarenden aan de wal vast houdt en daar de losgeld onderhandelingen start.

Hoe nu verderKort voor het ter perse gaan van de Telegraph had Assistant General Secretary Marcel van den Broek een onderhoud met minister Hillen van defensie. Alhoewel minister Hillen er vanaf het begin af aan geen onduidelijkheid over liet bestaan dat hij niets moet weten van gewapende particuliere bewakers aan boord kwam er door een aantal toezeggingen van zijn kant wel meer hoop op een verbetering van de situatie. Hij toonde begrip voor het feit dat de hoge prijs voor de inzet van VPD’s niet houdbaar is, dat procedures rondom de VPD aanvraag sneller moeten en dat de inzet van een VPD niet immer gebaseerd moet zijn op risico inschatting van defensie maar meer rekening moet houden met de wensen van de reders en niet in de laatste plaats, de zeevarenden.

De minister zegde toe het aantal beschikbare VPD’s verder uit te zullen breiden en serieus te bezien hoe de kosten van de VPD-inzet sterk verlaagd kunnen worden. Ook zal er verder gewerkt gaan worden aan het bekorten van de aanvraagtijd van VPD’s opdat de zeevarenden en de reders sneller weten waar ze aan toe zijn.

Tenslotte benadrukte de minister nogmaals dat defensie een totaal pakket levert dat is gebaseerd op het altijd hebben van overmacht en dat tevens zorgdraagt voor het vermijden van juridische complicaties voor de opvarenden als er echt geschoten moet worden. Naar verwachting zal reeds in april bekend gemaakt kunnen worden in hoeverre de toezeggingen van de minister worden ingevuld.

Piraterij a never ending story

d i k FNV waterbouw wil namelijk dat alle werkgevers in bezit van hop-pers geregelde arbeidsvoorwaar-den hebben voor de Nederlandse werknemers. Dit punt kan een mogelijke voorwaarde zijn om het eindbod te accepteren. Tijdens het ter perse gaan van deze editie, was dit echter nog niet bekend.

Kijk voor het laatste nieuws hierover op: www.fnvwaterbouw.nl.

VerdringingHoewel het eindbod inhoudelijk niet slecht is, blijft de zorg voor verdringing van de Nederlandse

werknemers bestaan. Dit blijkt uit een onlangs gehouden en-quête van FNV Waterbouw. Die angst is niet ongegrond; in de praktijk worden namelijk steeds meer Nederlandse werknemers vervangen door met name Filipijnse werknemers. FNV Waterbouw hoopte de zorg van concurrentie op arbeidsvoor-waarden weg te kunnen via een soort vergunningsysteem, maar vooralsnog gaan de werkgevers niet overstag. Vanzelfsprekend blijft de vakbond zich inzetten voor haar leden waarbij werk-gelegenheid het primaire belang is.

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PLAATSEN IN DE

TELEGRAPHNEEMT U

DAN CONTACTOP MET:

CENTURY ONEPUBLISHING

T: +44 (0) 1727 893 894F: +44 (0) 1727 893 895E: [email protected]

AGeen zeevarende ontkomt aan de Internationale

Maritieme Organisatie (IMO). Sinds 1948 drukt dit speciale agentschap van de Verenigde Naties, dat is ingesteld voor een veilige vaart op zee en de vermij-ding van vervuiling van het marine milieu, een stempel op de zeescheepvaart. SOLAS, ISPS, STCW: het zijn allemaal verdra-gen uit de IMO-koker en dagelijks wordt er gewerkt aan nieuwe initiatieven. Initiatieven die over het algemeen goed bedoeld zijn, maar helaas soms onvoldoende stilstaan bij de menselijke aspecten die hierbij een rol spelen. Nautilus is één van de organisaties die de IMO bij de les houdt.

Het op een professionele wijze meedoen in IMO is geen geringe opgave. Vorig jaar alleen al verga-derde IMO zo’n 26 weken. Als je daar dan ook nog eens de bestu-dering van duizenden documen-ten en het participeren in natio-nale vooroverleggen bij optelt, wordt al snel duidelijk dat je hiermee een expert praktisch het hele jaar zoet kunt houden. Door

de bundeling van Nederlandse en Britse krachten in 2009 verkeert Nautilus in de gelukkige positie dat zij genoeg massa heeft om de rol in IMO op een professionele wijze in te vullen.

P&T TeamDe behartiging van alle tech-nische aspecten van het zeeva-rende beroep, inclusief de mari-tieme opleidingen, wordt binnen Nautilus ingevuld door het Professional & Technical (P&T) team. Dit team is samengesteld uit een Nederlander en een Brit die alle nationale en internatio-nale ontwikkelingen op het ge-bied van P&T op de voet volgen en hierover met elkaar nauw contact onderhouden. Tevens zijn deze personen het directe aanspreekpunt voor alle leden met vragen inzake P&T.

IMO zetelsNiet iedereen kan zomaar mee-praten in IMO. Dit is slechts voorbehouden aan 170 vlagstaten en een beperkt aantal niet-gouver-nementele organisaties (NGO’s), waaronder de Internationale Transportworkers’ Organisatie

(ITF) en de International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA). Nautilus is aangesloten bij deze organisaties en heeft daardoor direct toegang tot de IMO.

De opbouwHet P&T-team bereidt elke IMO bijeenkomst tot in de puntjes voor. Alle documenten worden bestudeerd en besproken, waar-na, aan zowel Britse als Neder-landse zijde, de zogenaamde nationale vooroverleggen wor-den bezocht. Tijdens deze voor-overleggen discussiëren ambte-naren van de betrokken mini-steries met vertegenwoordigers uit de sectoren over de nationale inzet in IMO. Vervolgens worden de Nederlandse en Britse erva-ringen door het P&T team uitge-werkt in een IMO-strategie die past binnen het beleid van ITF en/of IFSMA.

Omdat er altijd een Nautilus vertegenwoordiger in IMO aanwezig is, worden boven-dien waardevolle relaties met gelijkgestemden opgebouwd die ten goede komen aan de be- langen van de zeevarenden.

Uw ervaring telt!Het P&T team maakt bij de uit- oefening van zijn taken graag gebruik van de expertise van de Nautilusleden en is altijd dank-baar voor hun professionele in-put uit de praktijk. Deze erva-ringen worden gedeeld via de P&T Newsletters maar ook via de P&T Forums die Nautilus regel-matig in Nederland en de UK organiseert. Maar het kan natuurlijk altijd nog beter. Daarom komt het P&T team graag in contact met leden die bereid zijn het team zo nu en dan te voeden met hun specifi eke expertise. Bent u hierin geïn- teresseerd, dan vernemen wij dat graag van u. Voor meer in-formatie kunt u contact opne- men met Marcel van den Broek van het Nautiluskantoor in Rotterdam. Deze oproep gaat nadrukkelijk ook uit naar de leden werkzaam in de binnen-vaart. De IMO is er weliswaar uitsluitend voor de zeescheep-vaart, echter, ook in de binnen-vaart is er voldoende nationaal en internationaal overleg waar uw expertise zeer goed van pas kan komen.

De rol van Nautilus inAAMSaNvdmdSglindbomevb

mo

F In januari publiceerden wij al over het nieuwe bestuursmodel van het pensioenfonds voor de

koopvaardij met als onderdeel daarvan de nieuwe pen-sioenraad. Tevens riepen wij geïnteresseerde leden op om zich voor 1 maart 2012 bij Nautilus te melden. En dat is gelukt, want we hebben veel reacties gekregen van leden die zich kandidaat wilden stellen.

De pensioenraad zal bestaan uit 12 leden en 2 plaatsvervangende leden en wordt als volgt ingedeeld: 2 werkgeversleden, 5 gepensioneerden, 2 actief zeeva-renden (plus 2 plaatsvervangers) en 3 gewezen deel-nemers. Plaatsvervangers worden alleen voor actief zeevarenden benoemd; in tegenstelling tot de gepen-sioneerden en gewezen deelnemers varen zij nog waar-door zij regelmatig de vergaderingen niet kunnen bijwo-nen. Vanzelfsprekend worden de werkgeversleden benoemd door de werkgeversorganisaties. In de overige categorieën verdelen Nautilus International en de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kapiteins ter Koopvaardij de zetels naar rato van het ledental. Concreet betekent dit dat Nautilus 4 gepensioneerden, 1 actief zeevarende plus een plaatsvervanger en 3 gewezen deelnemers mag aanwijzen.

KandidatenNautilus had niet te klagen over het aantal reacties op de oproep aan geïnteresseerde leden om zich kandidaat te stellen voor de pensioenraad. In tegendeel, uiteindelijk waren er 7 kandidaten uit de groep gepensioneerden voor 4 beschikbare posities, 3 kandidaten uit de groep actief

zeevarenden voor 2 posities en tot slot 5 kandidaten voor 3 posities uit de groep gewezen deelnemers.

VerkiezingenWanneer er meer kandidaten dan beschikbare posities zijn, is het organiseren van verkiezingen de meest zuivere oplossing. Echter, kiezers en verkiesbaren weten weinig tot niets van elkaar en dat heeft het bestuur wel ernstig aan het twijfelen gebracht om überhaupt verkiezingen te organiseren. In plaats daarvan is er nu voor gekozen de Raad van Advies van Nautilus International in te schakelen en een bestuursvoordracht ter goedkeuring aan de Raad voor te leggen.

De nieuwe pensioenraadNamens de gepensioneerden zal Nautilus de leden F. Vons, W. Kwak, A.A.J. Donker en A.P. Poldervaart benoemen. De leden D.J. Lakerveld en J. van Vuuren worden benoemd als lid respectievelijk plaatsvervangend lid namens de zeevarenden en tot slot worden de leden R.E. Pauptit, B. Klein en R. Vlietman namens de gewezen deelnemers benoemd. Alle benoemingen gelden voor vier jaar.

Natuurlijk wenst het bestuur de nieuwe pensioenraad veel succes. De leden die helaas niet in de pensioenraad kunnen worden benoemd, worden vanzelfsprekend wel hartelijk bedankt voor de getoonde belangstelling. Tot slot bedankt het bestuur de heren J.W.A. Heinen, E. Grootveld, A.L. Verhoef en J. de Boer. Na jaren actief te zijn geweest in de deelnemersraad keren zij thans niet terug in de pen-sioenraad.

C Een van onze leden kon door rugklachten zijn

werk als kok op het schip van rederij Clearcrystal v.o.f. niet meer uitvoeren. De Nederlandse werkgever probeerde ons lid op een ander schip te plaatsen met een korter vaar-/verlofschema, maar de pijnklachten van ons lid waren dusdanig dat hij van boord moest. De kok keerde terug naar zijn thuisland Portugal waar hij na twee jaar ziek thuis een WIA-uitkering aanvroeg bij het UWV. Na een jaar gewacht te hebben op een beslissing van het UWV dat nooit kwam, nam hij contact op met Nautilus. Daarna kwam alles in een stroomversnelling.

De medische toestand van ons lid bleek zelfs nog erger dan aanvankelijk gedacht. Want na zijn terugkeer in Portugal werden bij hem hartproblemen geconsta-teerd en moest hij worden gedot-terd. Daarnaast kampte hij met overgewicht, hoge bloeddruk, hoge cholesterol en een hernia. Het was duidelijk dat werken als kok aan boord van een zeeschip tot het verleden behoorde. Gedurende de twee jaar van arbeidsongeschiktheid betaalde de werkgever het verplichte loon tijdens ziekte uit. Tegen het eind van de jaar arbeidsongeschiktheid ontving ons lid een brief van de werkgever met de mededeling dat hij in aanmerking zou komen voor een WIA-uitkering (Wet werk en inkomen naar arbeidsvermogen) van het UVW. Een aanname die later niet bleek te kloppen. Het is niet aan de werkgever om te bepalen of een werknemer in aanmerking komt voor een WIA-uitkering, maar aan het UWV. Betrokkene vroeg in juni 2010 de WIA-uitkering aan en werd hiervoor gekeurd door het UWV in Amsterdam. Hij moest ‘afwachten’

en verder niets ondernemen. En dat deed hij; maar liefst een jaar lang hield de Portugese kok zijn hoofd boven water zonder enige vorm van inkomsten.

Toen hij na bijna een jaar nog niets had vernomen, werd Nautilus om hulp gevraagd. Verbijsterd hoor--den wij zijn verhaal aan en namen direct contact op met het UVW. Uiteindelijk ontving betrokkene in juni 2011 de langverwachte WIA-beschikking. Het UVW concludeerde echter dat hij voor minder dan 35% arbeidsongeschikt was en geen recht had op een WIA-(WGA)-uitkering.

Nautilus liet het hier niet bij zit-ten en maakte bezwaar tegen de beslissing. Nautilus en de betrok-kene togen naar het UWV-kantoor in Amsterdam voor een hoorzitting. Hier werd al snel duidelijk dat, op basis van de medische gegevens en de fysieke gesteldheid hij niet in staat is te werken in een andere fulltime functie met vergelijkbaar loon. Uiteindelijk volgde een be-slissing op het bezwaar. Het UWVoordeelde dat de mate van arbeids-ongeschiktheid bepaald dient te worden op 38,9%. Ons lid kreeg alsnog een WIA(WGA)-uitkering met terugwerkende kracht.

Dit verhaal is gelukkig tot een goed einde gebracht. Maar het had zo anders kunnen lopen als betrokkene Nautilus niet - of nog later - had ingeschakeld. Bij het uit-blijven van een beslissing kan Nautilus bezwaar maken tegen de zogehete fi ctieve weigering van het UWV om een beschikking af te geven. Neem dus tijdig contact op met Nautilus wanneer een beslissing te lang op zich laat wachten. Voorts blijkt dat wanneer getwijfeld wordt aan de juistheid van een WIA-beslissing, het zinvol kan zijn bezwaar te maken.

Uit de dienstgang

Benoeming van de nieuwe pensioenraad

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vacatures

SCHEEPSWERKTUIGKUNDIGENMBO/HBO marof met geldig vaarbevoegdheidsbewijs

STUURLIEDENMBO/HBO marof met geldig vaarbevoegdheidsbewijs

ELEKTRICIENSMBO Elektotechniek/Elektronica

JOUW VOORDELEN

Contactpersoon Henri Lefering – Email [email protected] (010) 297 66 10 – Website

ANa zeven jaar onderhandelen, hebben Europese werkgevers- en werknemers-organisaties eindelijk overeenstemming

bereikt over een Europese richtlijn betreffende arbeids- en rusttijden in de binnenvaart. Op 15 februari jl. werd de overeenkomst onder toeziend oog van de Europese Commissaris voor Werkge-legenheid en Sociale Zaken, de heer Lászió Andor, feestelijk ondertekend.

Nu is een richtlijn specifi ek voor de binnenvaart best belangrijk. Want, als er voor de sector namelijk geen specifi eke richtlijn tot stand was gekomen, zou de algemene richtlijn gaan gelden. En met die algemene richtlijn kan de binnenvaart, gelet op haar specifi eke roosters in bijvoorbeeld de continue vaart van twee weken op en twee weken af, echt niet uit de voeten. Ook is het niet zo dat werknemers in de binnenvaart minder hoeven te rusten of meer moeten werken dan werknemers in andere sectoren. Neen, maar er is wel meer fl exibiliteit gekomen, of beter gezegd, werkgevers en werknemers hebben maatwerk voor de sector geleverd met voldoende bescherming voor de werknemers.

Belangrijkste bepalingenBelangrijkste uitgangspunt is dat de gemiddelde maximum arbeidsduur per week niet meer mag zijn dan 48 uur. Rekening houdend met vier weken vakantie, mag op jaarbasis dus niet meer gewerkt worden dan 48 weken x 48 uur = 2304 uur. Hierop mogen nationale feestdagen nog in mindering worden gebracht. In elke periode van 24 uur mag

niet meer dan 14 uur worden gewerkt en in elke periode van 7 dagen niet meer dan 84 uur. Wanneer er volgens dienstrooster meer arbeidsdagen dan rustdagen zijn, geldt nog de extra bepaling dat binnen 4 maanden een gemiddelde wekelijkse arbeidsduur van 72 uren niet mag worden over-schreden. Hoogstens mogen er 31 dagen achter-eenvolgens worden gewerkt.

Indien er volgens dienstrooster evenveel arbeidsdagen als rustdagen zijn (één op één af), moet onmiddellijk na de gewerkte achtereenvolgende arbeidsdagen hetzelfde aantal achtereenvolgende

rustdagen worden toegekend. Zijn er meer arbeids-dagen dan rustdagen (dagvaart), dan geeft een staffeltje aan hoeveel verlofdagen er na maximaal 31 dagen aan boord minimaal moeten worden toegekend.

NachtarbeidNatuurlijk wordt met de richtlijn ook ‘nachtarbeid’ beperkt op maximaal 42 uren per periode van 7 dagen. Onder nacht wordt in dit verband verstaan de periode tussen 23.00 en 06.00 uur. Ook aan deze afspraak ligt de overweging ten grondslag dat werk-

nemers moeten beschikken over regelmatige in tijdseenheden uitgedrukte ononderbroken rust- perioden van voldoende lengte. Per periode van -24 uur kan de werknemer daardoor 10 uur rusten, waarvan tenminste 6 uur ononderbroken. Over een periode van 7 dagen wordt de minimum rusttijd 84 uur.

Overige afsprakenVoor schepen in de river cruise is een aparte bepaling opgenomen om rekening te houden met het seizoenmatige karakter van die vaart. Verder krijgt de werknemer het recht op een jaarlijkse medische keuring op kosten van de werkgever. Tot slot zijn gedetailleerde afspraken gemaakt over de uren-registratie aan boord en de wijze waarop controle op de naleving van de afspraken kan plaatsvinden.

Hoe nu verder?De overeenkomst die nu is bereikt tussen werk-gevers en werknemers wordt ter goedkeuring voorgelegd aan de Europese Commissie. De overeenkomst zal eerst nog juridisch worden getoetst om vast te stellen dat deze geen strijdigheden bevat met bestaande weten regelgeving. De verwachting is echter dat de overeenkomst de juridische toets goed zal doorstaan, aangezien bij de totstandko-ming hiervan steeds juristen betrokken zijn geweest. Daarna wordt de Europese Commissie gevraagd de overeenkomst goed te keuren. Na goedkeuring is de richtlijn bindend in ieder EU land en zal verwerking in nationale wetgeving plaats-vinden.

Europese richtlijn voor arbeids- en rusttijden in de binnenvaart

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F De meeste CAO’s lopen rond deze tijd van het jaar af en dus

is het bij Nautilus International alle ‘hands on deck’. Al jarenlang probeert Nautilus maatwerk te leveren door een groot aantal onderneming CAO’s af te sluiten in plaats van één algemene bedrijfstak CAO. Daarvoor zijn wel veel ledenvergaderingen en onderhandelingssessies nodig om het allemaal voor elkaar te krijgen, maar dat is nu juist de kracht van een kleine op de maritieme sectoren gerichte vakbond.

Het NL National Committee heeft besloten om ook dit jaar het loon- en arbeidsvoorwaardenbeleid van de vakcentrale FNV te volgen. Gelet op de economische gang van zaken in Nederland is het beleid gematigd. Er wordt uitgegaan van een beschikbare loonruimte van 3%, wat maar iets meer is dan de infl atiecorrectie. Van de beschikbare loonruimte wil Nautilus 2,5% besteden aan loonsverhoging. De resterende 0,5% kan worden besteed aan ‘goed’ werk; per CAO kunnen leden bespreken wat daar nu precies onder wordt ver-staan. Verder vinden de vakbonden dat de overheidsbezuinigingen wel onevenredig zwaar worden afgewenteld op de werknemers terwijl werkgevers er nauwelijks iets van merken. Dat moet gecorrigeerd worden en daarom stellen de vak-bonden naast structurele loonsver-hoging een eenmalige bijdrage van € 300,- voor.

Stand van zakenBehoorlijk wat CAO’s in de zeevaart zijn inmiddels afgelopen of lopen

binnenkort af. We noemen de CAO’s met Chemgas, Clearcrystel, Dirkzwager Coastal en Deepsea Pilotage, J.T. Essberger, handelsvaart tot 9.000 GT (waaronder rederijen als Wagenborg, Anthony Veder, Flinter en JR Shipping), Maersk, P&O Ferries, Spliethof, Stena, Svitzer, Tarbit Tankers, Vroon Off shore en Vroon Shipmanagement. In de binnenvaart lopen de onderhandelingen met VT, Cement Tankvaart, Hatenboer-Neptunes, Rederij T. Muller, ThyssenKrupp Veerhaven en Van der Wees. Voor walpersoneel onderhandelt Nautilus momenteel nog met Radio Holland, Zenitel en Dirkzwager Financial Services. Alle hierboven genoemde CAO’s zijn inmiddels opgezegd. Voor de meeste CAO’s zijn inmiddels ledenvergaderingen geweest om de voorstellen voor het aangaan van een nieuwe CAO nauwkeurig in samenspraak met de betrokken leden vast te stellen. Uiteraard worden geformuleerde voorstellen altijd snel na een ledenvergadering bij de desbetreff ende rederij ingediend.

Eerste onderhandelingenBij een aantal CAO’s zijn de eerste onderhandelingsgesprekken geweest, maar die zijn niet allemaal even hoopgevend verlopen. Veel reders wijzen op de economische malaise en willen de hand op de knip houden. Ook de Nederlandse werkgeversvereniging heeft onlangs een warm pleidooi gehouden voor het vasthouden van de zogenaamde ‘nullijn’. Verder hebben veel reders grote bezwaren tegen de voorgestelde €300 ter compensatie van overheids-

maatregelen. Zij vinden dat werk-gevers niet zijn aangesteld om over-heidsmaatregelen te compenseren.

Redelijke opstellingZoals altijd zal Nautilus zich in de onderhandelingen redelijk opstellen en bereid zijn water bij de wijn te doen voor rederijen waar het aantoonbaar slecht gaat. Nautilus heeft immers totaal geen belang bij omvallende of faillietverklaarde rederijen. Reders die echter alleen maar roepen dat onze voorstellen onredelijk zijn, hebben een lange weg met ons te gaan, want dat is voor Nautilus niet goed genoeg.

Hoe verder?Na de onderhandelingen is het laatste woord altijd aan de leden. Het kan zijn dat onderhandelingen tot een resultaat leiden. Dit zogenaamde onderhandelingsresultaat zal dan - eventueel voorzien van een bestuursadvies - ter goedkeuring aan de bevoegde ledenvergadering worden voorgelegd. Pas na goedkeu-ring zal Nautilus de nieuwe CAO ondertekenen.

Het kan ook zijn dat de onder-handelingen niet tot een resultaat leiden. Dan kiezen we er vaak voor de stand van zaken op te schrijven om daarmee terug te gaan naar de leden. Zij kunnen dan aan de onderhandelaars laten weten hoe er dan wel uitgekomen kan worden. Tot slot komt het wel eens voor dat werkgevers gedurende de onderhandelingen een zogenaamd eindbod doen. Maar ook als dat ge- beurt, kunnen de leden daarover hun licht laten schijnen. We houden u in ieder geval op de hoogte.

CAO-onderhandelingen ver-keren in moeilijk vaarwater

3e v. links: Nick Bramley van Nautilus International

MEMBERS AT WORK


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We now offer a paperback service on a sale and no return basis.

BOOKS AT SEA Easier for you ... and us.

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MI must admit that passing my ENG1, like most of the refresher courses we are asked to do, had become ‘old hat’ to me. Nothing

seems to change. The Maritime & Coastguard Agency, whilst still held in great esteem by yours truly, continues to dream up a never-ending stream of checklists which have removed thought, experi-ence and that combination of both — something we call common sense.

The analytical mind, based in fundamental skills and experience, has been replaced with a fast-tracked ticket and the ability to tick boxes correctly.

What has this to-do with an ENG1? Well, fi rst and foremost an ENG1 is a checklist. It is also a risk assessment. For your benefi t, but mostly for the company’s benefi t in that your inability to carry out your duties may disrupt the safety and operation of the vessel. Who can argue that this ideal is wrong? Certainly not me and it is not this ideal that I havehad problems with.

Without going into too much detail, I suffered an event whilst onboard which only lasted a very short time (minutes rather than hours). No lingering effects, disability or need for rehabilitation.

My GP made me unfi t for a month. After I was declared fi t I then went to an MCA Approved Doctor who made me temporarily unfi t for two months and gave me an ENG1 with such heavy restrictions it would have been unsafe for me to row a boat on my own on a pond.

I did ask that the MCA doctor contact the consultant and my GP before I came back for reassessment after the two-month period and gave him the right to access all my medical history.

My GP and consultant wrote and provided their opinions as to whether I was fi t and gave all the information on the treatment that I had.

After the two-month period, I went back to the AD who then provided me with an ENG1 with restrictionsof no solo watchkeeping and 150nm from a UK port. However, this did not incapacitate me from lookout duties. I still didn’t fully understand because although I was being treated for the worst case, all the specialists seemed to think that it was something else, based on the tests that they had carried out. Yet he was treating me purely on the worst case, which went against that which I had been told by specialists.

His vision of me being incapacitated on the bridge

was disconcerting, because I would be putting the vessel in danger during solo watchkeeping — which I had to agree with, pointing out that I’m an engineer although I have a steering ticket. I am an engineer,I’m not dual ticket — and he had even ticked the box marked engineer on the ENG1 form.

I don’t think he understood the working life onboard ships, no matter how much I tried toexplain. Clearly he did not understand the termUMS nor watchkeeping practices in enginerooms. Which is strange, since the MCA is quite clear on this.

The guidance notes for approved doctors also clearly state that I must be treated on a case-by-case basis. Not simply as a ‘tick box case’ or with referralto a past case of his where things didn’t turn out well.

I informed him that I would have to seek an appeal and after more discussions he explained the process to me, but said that from his experience well over 90% of appeals failed. He did, however, imply that after more time of my being well and continued improvement of my health the restrictions could be lifted.

Just before Christmas, expecting the restrictions to be lifted, I went back again. He refused to lift the restrictions. Whether he had forgotten or changed his mind it didn’t matter; now I had to appeal. This was at the worst possible time for me with people I needed to contact either on or going on holiday (you only have a month).

I contacted the MCA’s health & safety branch and spoke to an MCA representative to express my concerns. They listened and gave advice, but even the person I was talking with didn’t know what UMS meant or its relationship with the legal phrase solo watchkeeping.

To cut a long story short, I went to the appeal doctor, who cannot change the approved doctor’s opinion. That is important to remember. However, they may adjust the ENG1 a little. All they are therefor is to judge whether the MCA system has been fully implemented.

Thus I now have an ENG1 with restrictions, which states:zno solo watchkeeping for navigational dutieszremain with current company

Whilst I have no bones to pick with the doctors involved — they were carrying out their duties as to be expected from the profession — I do, however,

have a problem with the MCA.I would like to know why it is that approved

doctors have little or no knowledge of working practices onboard vessels.

I would also like to know why the diagnostic opinion of a specialist consultant who has all the testing equipment available means less than an approved doctor who sees you for 30 minutes oncein two years with a tick box system?

Most of all, I would like to know why, under the false pretext of being an appeal, are there so many constraints put on the appeal doctor that they are there purely to justify the approved doctor’s opinion and the MCA system.

In a court of law, differing medical opinions are judged by the weight of evidence. There, a GP’s diagnosis (opinion) can be outweighed by a specialist

consultant’s diagnosis (opinion) in the relevant specifi c fi eld of medicine.

What annoys me most is that because nothing of any real consequence with regard to my medical health has been found and that which was has been dealt with, I almost lost my job my career and pension because of medical opinion. Not medical diagnosis.

It is now over nine months since that event onboard. I am considerably out of pocket, not just with expenses but with pay and loss of tax benefi ts. I am still raring to go back to work — as indeed I was a few minutes after the event. I take a low dose of aspirin each day, I no longer smoke and I’m 15kg lighter. I have a target weight for June and another for December when I have to lock horns with the same approved doctor, because that is the system…Member no 150556

What happens when you fail your maritime medical? One Nautilus member tells how he fared after being declared unfi t for service at sea…

My medical nightmare lingers on…

Doctors can impose restrictions on seafarers’ duties if they have medical problems Picture: Thinkstock

No business like tow businessBy Cadet(X) Jodie Meades

In February the Algerian tug El Moundjid towed RFA Orangeleaf in the South Coast Exercise Areas. This was not because we had broken down — it was because Flag Offi cer Sea Training was putting one of three brand new Algerian tugs and her crew through their paces with an intensive training package. The tugs are destined to take station along the Algerian coast in an emergency/contingency role in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Although the towing exercises were designed for the Algerians to demonstrate they can tow a vessel of substantial size, they also gave the deck crew of Orangeleaf the opportunity to experience connecting up a towline — a process that some individuals had not previously undertaken before. The process of connecting the tug’s towline went remarkably smoothly.

The procedure started with Orangeleaf being reported as being ‘dead in the water and drifting’. The tug observed our set and drift before making an approach on the starboard bow. She fi red a gunline to our forecastle and this was attached to a huge towline which we connected to our anchor cable. We had broken the

anchor cable earlier in the day so that our deck was ready to receive the tug’s line. Once the tug’s line was connected to the anchor cable the tug paid out around 200m of wire and began to tow Orangeleaf slowly into the wind. After a mile or so and having reached a towing speed of around 4.5 knots, El Moundjid began the tricky task of turning us out of the wind. With a bollard pull of around 96t and bags of power she had no problem in doing so.

The following day during a second tow exercise an opportunity arose for personnel from Orangeleaf and El Moundjid to transfer ship. Three RFA personnel went to the tug and one member of the tug’s crew came over to us to observe the working end of the tow.

From the bow, the tug looked like a luxury superyacht — a dull grey superyacht — but a superyacht nonetheless, with fi ne lines and an expensive fi nish. The inside was just as luxurious with the furnishings and fi ttings resembling something you would expect from a cruise ship. The towing gear was equally as impressive, with the towing winch taking up a huge amount of space — it was certainly the biggest winch that I had ever seen!

The bridge was defi nitely where everything happened on the tug. The XO drove the winch from a position at the aft end of the bridge overlooking the towing deck, next to the Captain’s position where he drove the ship using a sophisticated dynamic positioning system.

The towing exercises were valuable experiences for all and it was it all the more valuable for me having the opportunity to see it from both ends of the tow.

YOUR NEWS


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Southampton • Tuesday-Thursday 22-24 May 2012

Tel: +44 (0)1329 825335 • Email: [email protected] information about Seawork 2012 contact the Events Team on:

■ Marine Civil Engineering■ Marine Renewable Energy■ Port, Harbour & Marina Services■ Vessel Design, Build & Repair■ Maritime Security & Defence■ Hydraulics & Pneumatics■ Diving & Underwater Technology■ Safety & Training■ Power & Propulsion Systems■ Innovations Showcase

Seawork International is the biggest and fastest-growing UK event for the commercial marine and workboat sectors, attracting 450 international exhibitorsand 7,200 high-calibre visitors from 40 countries

Former P&O and Hoverspeed chief engineer offi cer, and oilfi eld support fl eet superintendent/manager, David Profi t tells how he became a Careers at Sea Ambassador for the Merchant Navy…Originally I was approached by a teacher at my son’s school to ask if I could talk to one of the boys about working ‘on a rig’ since the careers staff were (unsurpris-ingly) not over-endowed with information on this particular career path.

The approach was made solely because I had been involved with the oil and gas industry for many years and, of course, I agreed. At some point I must have also rashly mentioned I could talk in general about the offshore oil and gas industry — particularly how platforms and other off-shore installations operate, how they are supplied, supported and (where applicable) moved and positioned — as a background to future career opportunities.

By this time things hadmorphed into attending the forthcoming Year 9 careers fair to

meet more of the students, so it was a fairly short step to suggest-ing that I could perhaps talk about Merchant Navy careers in general (and marine engineering more specifi cally).

This is where the old adage ‘never volunteer for anything’ should have been applied — by this stage I needed professional help. Luckily, the internet helped me fi nd the Merchant Navy Train-ing Board, where Kirsch Edwards was of great help.

The careers fair was a great suc-cess, my job being made much easier by having the high quality MNTB Careers at Sea fl iers and brochures to discuss with the stu-

dents; these were also very posi-tive take-away items.

Many of the students in the Claverham area are no strangersto ships — proximity to major Channel ports like Dover, Newhaven, and Portsmouth means ferry trips to France or Bel-gium are quite common. It was useful to be able to reinforce such experience and take the opportu-nity to explain how seafaring — not just on ferries, but the bigger picture — actually works, what life is like onboard, and take ques-tions on things as diverse as feed-ing, ‘Can I get wifi ?’, and the inevi-table ‘Where might I go on a ship?’

Many of the students had a

Spreading the word at school

It’s now almost a year since Warsash Maritime Academy launched its MSc in shipping operations course — believed to be the only degree of its kind which focuses specifi cally on the safety and human resource management aspects of maritime operations.

Aimed at professionals working in the maritime industry, and accredited by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), the course is off ered via distance learning — making it accessible to those serving at sea, or in shore-side positions where taking time off to study on a residential course is just not an option.

Claire Pekcan, course leader for the MSc programme, explains, ‘In the development stage of the MSc, we became aware early on that professionals in the maritime industry are just not able to guarantee set days or weeks in the year when they might be able to attend classes or sit exams.

‘Often, this means that they are excluded from career development opportunities and taking a year or two out of work to study is beyond many people’s reach,’ she points out. ‘Because of this situation, we decided to take the classroom to the shipping industry.’

Warsash Maritime Academy is part of Southampton Solent University, and the MSc is delivered using the university’s virtual learning environment, SOL — a web-based platform that is accessible from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night.

‘All you need is an internet connection,’ says Lawrence West, from the technical support team, ‘and you can access a whole online community of tutors, fellow students, library, and student support services, just as you would if you went to the university itself.’

Claire adds: ‘Our distance learning students are in many ways given more support than our residential students; each student has his or her own dedicated academic tutor who is with them throughout their studies, checking on their progress and giving them guidance via Skype, phone, or email.’

Students on the course include Keith, a serving shipmaster. He comments: ‘I feel the MSc is ideal for any person who can’t see a future remaining at sea.

‘Expect to make sacrifi ces,’ he adds, ‘but there is nothing sweeter than getting a marked assignment returned and having a mark large enough to pass.’

parent with them, so highlight-ing the possibilities of company sponsorship leading to profession-ally and internationally recognised qualifi cations, and even to degree level was received with interest.

With experience in the oil and gas industry and too many years’ exposure to associated fi elds, I had agreed that any student who wanted to talk about ‘engineer-ing’ would be welcome to come and explore their interest. Intrigu-ingly, the school had taken this as a separate subject so at the fair I was double-booked with queues form-ing. The other stallholders must have thought I was giving cash prizes! More seriously, it was clear that the students had little clue about engineering opportunities in the UK, and indeed if we still had a shipbuilding industry I’m sure I could have signed up several of the boys to start next week.

In addition to thanks from the careers staff, I have had positive feedback and comments from my son’s peer group. More impor-tantly, it seems I didn’t embarrass him — which is probably the best indicator of success. I found the whole thing very rewarding and look forward to the next one!gFor more on the Careers atSea Ambassadors scheme, see www.mntb.org.uk

Distance-learning students can count on the Warsash team

The Algerian tug El Moundjid in training with the RFA

Mastering marine management…


SHIP TO SHORE

M-Notices

zM-Notices are available aselectronic documents or as a set ofbound volumes.

zA consolidated set of M-Notices ispublished by The Stationery Office.This contains all M-Notices currenton 31 July 2009 (ISBN 9780115530555) and costs£210 — www.tsoshop.co.uk

zIndividual copies can beelectronically subscribed to ordownloaded from the MCAwebsite — www.dft.gov.uk/mca —click on ‘Ships and Cargoes’, then ‘Legislation and Guidance’.

Quiz andcrossword answersACDBQuiz answers1. In 2000, 56% of the world fleet wasflagged out.2. China’s share of global shipbuildingoutput was 43.6% in 2010.3. The headquarters of the EuropeanMaritime Safety Agency are in Lisbon,Portugal.4. Maru means sphere or circle and isused as a term of endearment.5. Just over 43% of the current worldLNG fleet was built within the past fiveyears.6. Germany owners have the largestshare of the global orderbook forcontainerships in numerical terms, witha total of 105 vessels on order.

Crossword answersQuick AnswersAcross: 1. Emblematic; 6. Wink; 9. Comforting; 10. Ages; 12. Dutch courage; 15. Rendition; 17. Laird; 18. Spain; 19. Freighter; 20. Hair’s breadth; 24. Trim; 25. Earthworks; 26. Cart; 27. Starry-eyed.

Down: 1. Each; 2. Bomb; 3. Evolutionist; 4. Aztec; 5. Innocence; 7. Ingratiate; 8. East Enders; 11. Mulligatawny; 13. Prosthetic; 14. Unfamiliar; 16. Informant; 21. Alter; 22. Troy; 23. Used.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prizecompetition, and the answers willappear in next month’s Telegraph.Congratulations to Nautilus memberAlan Pilling, whose name wa s the firstto be drawn from those whosuccessfully completed the Marchcryptic crossword.

Cryptic answers from MarchAcross: 8. Generous; 9. Accent; 10. List; 11. Exultation; 12. Slight; 14. Rudiment; 15. Address; 17. Inkling; 20. Ganglion; 22. Insect; 23. Prosperous; 24. Talc; 25. Mullet; 26. Shamrock;

Down: 1. Devilled; 2. Newt; 3. Forest; 4. Estuary; 5. Mastodon; 6. Scots miles; 7. Unborn; 13. Garage sale; 16. Stiletto; 18. Necklace; 19. Endorse; 21. Atrium; 22. Instar; 24. Turn.

The face of Nautilus Yvonne Parry, administrator

gYvonne Parry is anadministrator who has been

based in the Union’s Wallasey officefor over 18 months.

Her time is split betweenproviding support for industrialorganiser Derek Byrne, assisting withupdating policies and procedures forNautilus Welfare and supportingsenior national secretary RonnieCunningham.

‘I am one of four administratorswho take calls from members whomay have a problem at work andneed to speak to an industrialorganiser,’ she explains.

Yvonne was originally employedon a temporary basis to provide

maternity cover, but when that endeda new vacancy became available andshe became a permanent member ofstaff last September.

‘I did originally apply for asecretarial role in May 2010,’ sheexplains. ‘I was unsuccessful thattime, but a few months later I wascontacted by Nautilus when amaternity cover position had becomeavailable — and I’ve been here eversince!’

Yvonne does have some maritimeblood, as her father worked forCunard on the Reina Del Mar in the1950s. He later went on to becomean electrician at Cammel Laird inBirkenhead.

Yvonne has been living back onthe Wirral for nearly 10 yearsfollowing stints in London, Plymouthand Kent. She is really enjoying hercurrent job — everything from beingable to walk to work alongside theMersey to helping members andresidents of Mariners’ Park, andsupporting colleagues.

‘Being able to get memberstalking to the right people andgetting them the right advice is reallyfulfilling,’ she said. ‘The members areall very friendly and we get a lot ofpeople who take the time to comeback once their issues are resolvedand thank us for the help. That makesit even more satisfying.’

M-Notices, Marine InformationNotes and Marine Guidance Notesissued by the Maritime &Coastguard Agency recentlyinclude:

MGN 445 (M+F) — Lifeboats: fittingof ‘fall preventer devices’ to reducethe danger of accidental on-loadhook release This note points out that newrequirements from the InternationalMaritime Organisation (IMO) haveintroduced standards for all lifeboatrelease and retrieval systems (LRRS),including those installed on existingships.

Existing systems that do notcomply with the revised Life SavingAppliances (LSA) Code, as per SOLASIII/1.5, must be replaced by the firstscheduled dry-docking after 1 July2014, and not later than 1 July 2019.

The MCA strongly urges that all UKvessels fitted with lifeboat on-loadrelease systems should be equippedwith fall preventer devices (FPD)pending the evaluation of the systemsfor compliance with the requirementsof the revised LSA Code.

On each UK vessel, FPDs inaccordance with MSC.1/Circ.1327should be employed for each existinglifeboat release and retrieval systemuntil the system is:

zevaluated and found compliant inaccordance with MSC.1/Circ.1392

zmodified then evaluated andfound compliant in accordance withMSC.1/Circ.1392

zreplaced by a new lifeboat releaseand retrieval system.

In the event that an FPD cannot befitted, then other mitigating safetymeasures should be taken such asthose in MSC.1/Circ.1326 ‘Clarificationof SOLAS Regulation III/19’ wherebyassigned operating crew should notbe required to be on board lifeboatsduring launching. In such casesprocedures are to be available anddocumented in the ship’s SafetyManagement System (SMS) andtraining documents.

MIN 424 (M) — Life-savingappliances; lifeboats, rigid rescueboats, launching appliances andon-load release gear — acceptanceof service suppliersThis note reminds shipowners,operators and crews that they mustchoose an authorised service supplierfor the testing and maintenance workon their lifesaving appliances. Thisapplies to all examination,operational testing, repair andoverhaul of lifeboats, rigid rescueboats, launching appliances and on-load release gear. Until recently,service suppliers could be approvedonly by the Maritime & CoastguardAgency, but the MCA has now decidedthat the power of authorisation willbe delegated to UK recognisedorganisations. These are listed in MSN1672 (M+F) as amended.

A recognised organisation’sprocedure for approval of the servicesupplier will be based on the following:

zInternational Association ofClassification Societies (IACS) Z17‘Procedural Requirements for ServiceSuppliers’

zInternational MaritimeOrganisation (IMO) MSC.1/Circ.1277‘Interim recommendations onconditions for authorisation of serviceproviders for lifeboats, launchingappliances and on-load release gear’

MIN 425 (M+F): M-notices —M-notice paper subscription serviceends 31 March 2012

Having carried out the consultationset out in MIN 420, the MCA decidedto end its paper-based M-noticesubscription service on 31 March2012.

M-notices are available todownload from the MCA website.Subscribers can also register for a freee-subscription notification service byemailing [email protected] ‘Subscribe’ in the subjectheading. Consolidated sets of M-notices in hard copy can still bepurchased from The Stationery Office.Details of the MCA website and TSOappear below, at the end of thissection.

MIN 425 reminds shipowners,operators and crew that Regulation27 of Chapter V of the InternationalConvention for the Safety of Life atSea (SOLAS) requires that nauticalcharts and nautical publications, suchas sailing directions, lists of lights,notices to mariners, tide tables and allother nautical publications necessaryfor the intended voyage, shall beadequate and up to date. The MCAconsiders M-notices as a part of thenautical publications required tosatisfy Regulation 27. M-notices canbe carried in paper or electronicformat, provided they are continuallyaccessible to all relevant individuals.

MIN 426 (M+F): ECDIS — testing forapparent anomaliesDuring routine discussions concerningnavigational incidents in 2011 it wasdiscovered that some models of someECDIS equipment might not, undercertain circumstances, display allnavigationally significant features.That led to an investigation of someother models of ECDIS equipment,which showed similar but not identicalanomalies in some other systems.

The International HydrographicOrganisation (IHO) and the UK hosteda series of three workshops toexamine these apparent anomalies inmore detail, and the results of thisactivity were reported to the IMO. Oneof the outputs of those workshopswas the generation of a presentationcheck data set which was distributedin October and November 2011 toelectronic navigation chart (ENC)users by ENC service providers throughtheir normal distribution channels.

It is estimated that between4,000 and 7,000 ECDIS are in use atsea and ashore, but as of February2012, only around 400 responses hadbeen submitted, indicating that theremay be a significant proportion ofECDIS that have not been tested.

MIN 426 urges prompt action,saying: ‘For safety reasons, ECDISusers must test their systems andsubmit a response to IHO and theMCA without delay and no laterthan 30 April 2012’. The noteexplains how to obtain the checkdata set and explains the procedurefor reporting any anomaliesdiscovered in testing.

g Nautilus Youth ForumSaturday 12 May 20121100-1600hrs, at 1&2 TheShrubberies, George LaneSouth Woodford, LondonE18 1BDThe forum provides guidanceto Nautilus Council on thechallenges facing youth inthe industry and encouragesyouth participation in Unionactivity. Open to all youngmembers (UK & NL).Contact Blossom Bell:+44 (0)151 639 [email protected]

g Professional & Technical ForumTuesday 15 May 2012Starting at 1300hrsin Glasgow, at a venue to be confirmed

The forum deals with a widerange of technical, safety,welfare and otherprofessional topics ofrelevance to all members.

Contact Sue Willis:+44 (0)20 8989 [email protected]

g National Pensions AssociationWednesday 16 May 2012Starting at 1100hrsat the Holiday Inn Belfast22 Ormeau AvenueBelfast BT2 8HSThe meeting will coverdevelopments in theMNOPF, MNOPP and TMSPschemes. Open to all UKmembers, includingassociate and affiliate.Contact Adele McDonald: +44 (0)20 8989 [email protected]

g Women’s Advisory ForumSaturday 16 June 20121100-1600hrs, at 1&2 TheShrubberies, George LaneSouth Woodford, LondonE18 1BDThe forum provides guidanceto Nautilus Council on thechallenges facing women inthe industry and encouragesfemale participation inUnion activity. Open to allfemale members (UK & NL).Contact Blossom Bell:+44 (0)151 639 [email protected]

See www.nautilusint.org/news-and-events for the latest information on member meetings, forums and seminars.

Member meetings and seminarsNautilus International organises regular meetings, forums and seminars for members to discuss pensions, technicalmatters, maritime policies and legal issues. Coming up in the next few months are:

Blackpool and the Fylde College(Fleetwood)Derek ByrneTel: +44 (0)151 639 [email protected]

City ofGlasgow CollegeGary LeechTel: +44 (0)151 639 [email protected]

National Maritime Collegeof Ireland (Cork)

Blossom BellTel: +44 (0)20 8989 [email protected]

South Tyneside CollegeSteve Doran Tel: +44 (0)151 639 [email protected]

Warsash Maritime Academy —Southampton Solent UniversityBlossom BellTel: +44 (0)151 639 [email protected]

Other colleges (UK and Netherlands)

UKGarry Elliott orBlossom BellTel: +44 (0)151 639 [email protected]@nautilusint.org

THE NETHERLANDSPepijn van DelftTel: +31 (0)10 [email protected]

College contactsInduction visitsSee www.nautilusint.org/news-and-events for dates ofupcoming college visits by the Nautilus recruitment team(scroll down to ‘latest events’). For further information,email [email protected] or call Blossom Bellon +44 (0)151 639 8454.

Industrial supportNautilus International has assigned named industrial officialsto support cadet members at the five main colleges in theBritish Isles, as well as providing contact points for trainees atother colleges in the UK and Netherlands. For queries aboutemployer relations, workplace conditions or legal matters,please contact your industrial official, who will help you viaphone or email or arrange a visit to your college.

UKHead officeNautilus International1&2 The ShrubberiesGeorge LaneSouth WoodfordLondon E18 1BDTel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677Fax: +44 (0)20 8530 [email protected]

Northern officeNautilus InternationalNautilus HouseMariners’ ParkWallasey CH45 7PHTel: +44 (0)151 639 8454Fax: +44 (0)151 346 [email protected]

Offshore sector contact pointMembers working forcompanies based in theeast of Scotland or UKoffshore oil and gas sector can call: +44 (0)1224 638882

THE NETHERLANDSPostal AddressNautilus InternationalPostbus 85753009 An Rotterdam

Physical AddressNautilus InternationalSchorpioenstraat 2663067 KW RotterdamTel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 Fax: +31 (0)10 477 [email protected]

SINGAPORENautilus International10a Braddell Hill #05-03Singapore 579720Tel: +65 (0)625 61933Mobile: +65 (0)973 [email protected]

FRANCEYacht sector office in partnership with D&B Services3 Bd. d’Aguillon06600 AntibesFranceTel: +33 (0)962 616 [email protected]

SPAINYacht sector office inpartnership with dovastonC/Joan de Saridakis 2Edificion GoyaLocal 1AMarivent07015 Palma de MallorcaSpainTel: +34 971 677 [email protected]

SWITZERLANDGewerkschaftshausRebgasse 14005 BaselSwitzerlandTel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24Fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25

Contact Nautilus International Nautilus International welcomes contact from members at any time. Please send a message to one of our departmentemail addresses (see page 17) or get in touch with us at one of our offices around the world.

For urgent matters, we can also arrange to visit your ship in a UK port. Please give us your vessel’s ETA and as muchinformation as possible about the issue that needs addressing.

JOIN NAUTILUS


Pay and conditionsNautilus International is the first truly trans-boundary trade union for maritimeprofessionals, reflecting the global nature of theindustry. We negotiate with employers on issuesincluding pay, working conditions, workinghours and pensions to secure agreements whichrecognise members’ skills and experience, andthe need for safety for the maritime sector.

Legal servicesNautilus Legal offers members a range of legalservices free of charge. There are specialistlawyers to support members in work relatedissues and a number of non-work related issues.The Union also has a network of lawyers in 54countries to provide support where membersneed it most.

Workplace support Nautilus International officials provide expertadvice on work-related problems such ascontracts, redundancy, bullying ordiscrimination, non-payment of wages, andpensions.

Certificate protectionMembers are entitled to free financialprotection, worth up to £112,600, against the lossof income if their certificate of competency iscancelled, suspended or downgraded following aformal inquiry.

Extra savingsMembers can take advantage of many additionaldiscounts and benefits organised at a local level.These include tax advice, insurance discountsand advice on pension matters. In theNetherlands, discounts are organised throughFNV, and trade union contributions are mostlytax-friendly, entitling members to receive a significant part of their contributions back.

International representationNautilus International represents members’views on a wide range of national andinternational bodies including the EuropeanTransport Workers’ Federation (ETF), theInternational Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)and the International Federation of Shipmasters’Associations (IFSMA). We work at theInternational Maritime Organisation (IMO) andthe International Labour Organisation (ILO) onkey global regulations covering workingconditions, health and safety and training. TheUnion is affiliated to the TUC in the UK, FNV inthe Netherlands and SGB/USS in Switzerland.

In touchAs a Nautilus International member, help isnever far away — wherever in the world you are.Officials regularly see members onboard theirships and visit cadets at college. Further supportand advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ andconferences. The Union has offices in London,Wallasey, Rotterdam and Basel. There are alsorepresentatives based in Aberdeen, France andSingapore.

Your union, your voiceThe Union represents the voice of more than23,000 maritime professionals working in allsectors of the industry at sea and ashore —including inland navigation, large yachts,deepsea and offshore.

For members, by membersNautilus International is a dynamic anddemocratic trade union offering members manyopportunities to become actively involved andhave your say — at a local, national andinternational level.

It’s never been more important to be a member and it’s never beeneasier to apply for membership. You can now join over the phone,or online at www.nautilusint.org — or post us this form to begin:

FIRST NAMES

SURNAME

ADDRESS

POSTCODE

EMAIL ADDRESS

MOBILE (INCLUDING DIALLING CODE)

HOME TELEPHONE

GEN DER DATE OF BIRTH

EMPLOYER

SHIP

RANK

DISCHARGE BOOK NO (IF APPLICABLE)

COLLEGE OF STUDY (CADET APPLICATIONS ONLY)

COURSE (CADET APPLICATIONS ONLY)

Please post this form to:Membership services departmentNautilus InternationalNautilus House, Mariners’ ParkWallasey CH45 7PH, United Kingdom

www.nautilusint.org

Join today so we can be there for you too!

CALL NOW +44 0151 639 8454 UKTO JOIN +31 010 477 11 88 NLNAUTILUS ON: +41 061 262 24 24 CH

NEWS


One dead in blast on Dutch-owned tanker

ANautilus International memberCarolyn Lewis — pictured

left — will be running the Brightonmarathon next month, raising moneyto improve access to communicationsfor seafarers visiting UK ports.

Carolyn has worked with theMerchant Navy Welfare Board’s portwelfare committees over the pastthree years and it became apparentto her that many seafarers now ownwi-fi enabled laptops and mobilephones but simply lack access to aconnection to the internet.

Therefore, she is raising money toprovide ship welfare visitors and portchaplains with mobile wi-fi units(called Mi-Fi) which they can carrywith them when visiting ships andseafarers can hook up to.

‘As many of us know,communicating with friends and

family is a key priority for seafarersbut this can prove extremelydifficult,’ said Carolyn. ‘The quickturnarounds, lack of shore leave andthe fatigue caused by long workinghours can leave seafarers with noenergy to go ashore and find aninternet connection to Skype,Facebook or to connect with friendsand family.

‘The UK is fortunate to have anarmy of dedicated ship visitors whogive their time to assist seafarerswith their welfare needs. Providingthem with this one additional devicewill help them to bring joy to evenmore seafarers.’

Each unit enables up to fiveseafarers at a time to connect to theinternet using a data connection.The money raised will also gotowards the initial 12-18 months

running costs of the units.Communications company Three UKhas also assisted with the costs andwill be working with Carolyn on thisproject. She now needs to raise£10,000 to achieve her targets.

‘Being a newbie to marathonsand never having raised this amountof money before, I think it’s fair tosay I like a challenge!’ she concludes.

‘I know from having had a briefstint at sea myself, being the wife athome waiting to hear from myseafaring husband and the work I dowith the MNWB, that we can’t doenough to keep seafaring familiesconnected.’

gIf you would like to help Carolynsupport seafarers and their families,visit her fundraising pagehttps://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/carolynlewis.

Union welcomes westAfrica risk agreement

FA handbook to help seafarerssurvive the ordeal of being

held hostage by Somali pirates hasbeen published by the DanishMaritime Officers union.

Produced in association with aspecialist shipping security firm,Citadel Solutions, the 122-page book— Coping with Capture — costsUS$35 and aims to provide seafarerswith all the information they need tosafely deal with a hostage situation.

Written by a team of experts, thebook explains the tactics andbehaviour of pirates and includesillustrations of the most commontypes of pirate vessels and theweapons they usually use.

The handbook providesguidelines for seafarers in handlingall stages of an incident — fromboarding to release — and offersdetailed advice on such situations asfacing armed pirates, citadel break-ins, threats and torture, looting andstealing, being taken ashore, andillness and injury.

There are tips on coping with themental and physical stress of beingheld hostage, including advice oncoping with captivity and interactingwith captors. The book providesadvice on cultural awareness andgives a glossary of useful Somaliwords and phrases. It also has asection for the families and relativesof those being held hostage.

The book’s foreword is written byCaptain Andrey Nozhkin, who washeld hostage for 68 days on theDanish ship CEC Future, after it washijacked by Somali pirates in 2008.

Danish Maritime Officers said ithas launched the handbook to helpseafarers make an informed andfact-based choice when deciding totransit through high-risk waters.‘The focus of the book is Somalipirates, but many of the practicaltools and behaviouralrecommendations are applicable tomany types of hostage incidents,’ theunion points out.

gFurther information:www.copingwithcapture.com

AOne seafarer died and 24 othercrew members were rescued

following an explosion onboard theDutch-owned chemical/productstanker Stolt Valor last month.

No Dutch nationals were onboardthe 25,269dwt Liberian-flaggedvessel, owned by Stolt Tankers BV,when the explosion occurred as it

transited international waters in thePersian Gulf.

The ship was sailing betweenSaudi Arabia and Bahrain, carryingabout 13,000 tonnes of a fueloxygenator used to reduce carbonmonoxide emissions, when theexplosion occurred.

The US warship John Paul Jones

and US Coast Guard cutter Baranofrescued the mariners from twoliferafts, in response to a distress callfrom the vessel.

The fire took four days toextinguish and at one stage therewere fears the ship could sink as aresult of a list caused by the fire-fighting efforts.

PNautilus International iscalling on UK ship own-ers and the national war-

like operations area committee(WOAC) to follow the Interna-tional Bargaining Forum’s (IBF)lead and declare the territorialwaters of Benin and Nigeria ahigh-risk area.

The IBF decision — whichcovers seafarers serving on shipsto which ITF special agreementsapply — comes in the light of anincreasing number of attacks onvessels and kidnappings of crewsthere and took effect on 1 April2012.

Nautilus has been warningabout the deteriorating situationoff west Africa for several monthsand believes it is time for ownersto offer seafarers in the region thesame level of protection as thosein the high risk areas of the Gulfof Aden and around Somalia.

‘Nautilus International is seek-ing, through WOAC, assurancesthat members’ employment willnot be jeopardised if they do notwish to enter the area’, said seniornational secretary Allan Grave-son. ‘We are also seeking assur-ances that companies will followBest Management Practices and

ensure the safety of their work-force.’

There has been a considerableincrease in the number of violentattacks on ships operating in theGulf of Guinea, with crew mem-bers being kidnapped and cargobeing seized.

‘These attacks are becomingincreasingly violent and are beingperpetrated by armed gangs,’ con-tinued Mr Graveson. ‘This cannotbe tolerated by the internationalshipping community and we urgeshipowners to take action imme-diately.

‘Lessons need to be learned

from the piracy attacks off thecoast of Somalia,’ he added. ‘Ifaction is taken quickly then wehave a chance of avoiding furtherloss of life and kidnap. Designat-ing the Gulf of Guinea a high-riskarea will at least give seafarers anoption and focus the attention ofthe industry on the need for extracaution before trading in thearea.’

The IBF agreement applies tothe territorial waters of Benin andNigeria, including ports, termi-nals and roads anchorages, thedelta of the Niger river, otherinland waterways and port facili-

ties — except when the vessel isattached securely to a berth orSBM facility in a guarded portarea.

The agreement sets out theenhanced security measures thatshould be applied for vesselsoperating in the area, and also therequirement for seafarers to begiven advance notice if their shipsare going to enter the area.

Seafarers are also given theright to refuse to enter the high-risk area and to receive compen-sation amounting to 100% of thebasic wage for each day they arein the zone.

Member is runningto put crews online

UK owners are urged to follow IBF’s decision to class Nigeria and Benin as ‘high-risk’ areas

Guide tosurvivinghostageordeals

Stolt Valor on fire in the Gulf last month Picture: US Navy

Documents

April 2012