August 2009 by Crew Admin

The aquanauts Remembering NASA’s crucial marine mission 32-33

Back to school Project to raise pupils’ interest in careers at sea 20-21

Rest in heading Teaser peace More 00 people choosing to be buried at sea 27

Volume 42 | Number 08 | August 2009 | £2.85 €3.00

IMO selects 2010 as ‘year of the seafarer’ the seafarer’, the International A Maritime Organisation has decided.

2010 will be the global ‘year of

The IMO said the slogan had been selected as the theme for next year’s World Maritime Day, but would also be celebrated throughout 2010 as an ‘opportunity to pay tribute to the world’s seafarers for their unique contribution to society and in recognition of the risks they shoulder in the execution of their duties in an often hostile environment’. The organisation said it would also complement the global shipping ‘Go to Sea!’ campaign to attract new entrants into the industry, which was launched last year, as well as the A Portuguese navy special forces unit apprehends eight pirates suspected of an attempted attack on the Singapore-flagged vessel Maersk Phoenix at the end of June. Four AK47s, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and two ladders were confiscated by the naval forces. Picture: NATO

Pirate attacks have doubled Union voices concern at ‘disturbing’ increase in violence against seafarers

Nautilus International has voiced alarm at new figures showing that armed attacks on shipping around the world more than doubled over the first half of the year. A report released by the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre last month showed a total of 240 incidents in the six months to the end of June — up from 114 over the same period in 2008, the (IMB) said today. The analysis also warns that violence against seafarers is intensifying — with 561 crew members taken hostage, 19 injured, seven kidnapped, six killed and eight missing over the period. The IMB said the increase in attacks was due almost entirely to the growing Somali pirate activity

off the Gulf of Aden and east coast of Somalia — with 86 and 44 incidents reported respectively. Nigeria was the next most dangerous area, with 13 incidents recorded, and at least 24 other attacks which have not been directly reported. The ﬁrst half of this year saw a total of 78 vessels boarded worldwide, 75 ﬁred upon and 31 hijacked. The attackers were heavily armed with guns used in more than 150 incidents and knives used in 36. The report said that attacks off the eastern coast of Somalia had decreased in recent months after peaking in March and April, with no attacks reported in June. But the Piracy Reporting Centre attributed the decline to heavy weather associated with monsoons, which are expected to continue into August. The centre said

vigilance should nevertheless remain high during this period. IMB director Captain Pottengal Mukundan also urged ships to report all incidents — especially in Nigeria, where the majority of attacks are against vessels supporting the oil industry. ‘There is a need for every incident to be reported and brought to the attention of the Nigerian authorities,’ he added. ‘This is the only way in which the true risk associated to the area can be determined and accurate advice be given to shipmasters, owners and traders.’ Attacks in SE Asia and the Far East rose from 10 in the ﬁrst quarter to 21 in the second quarter, conﬁrming a similar trend seen in 2008. ‘This is a clear indication that piracy and robbery in SE and East

Asia has the potential to escalate,’ Capt Mukundan warned, ‘and shipmasters should remain alert and be aware of the risks involved in the seaway and ports transited during the voyage.’ Five of the ships attacked during the ﬁrst half of this year were controlled or managed in the Netherlands, and seven in the UK. Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson described the report as ‘very disturbing’ and said the Union is examining ways in which further measures could be taken to improve the security of members and the ships they serve on.

g Council debates the issue — see news report, page 2. g Master’s report on risks; insurers’ propose protective measures — see features, pages 22 and 23.

planned completion of work to revise the international Standards of Training, Certiﬁcation and Watchkeeping convention — due to be agreed at a diplomatic conference in mid-2010. IMO leader Efthimios Mitropoulos commented: ‘The unique hazards confronting the 1.5m seafarers of the world — including pirate attacks, unwarranted detention and abandonment — coupled with the predicted looming shortage of ships’ officers, make it ever more incumbent to take immediate and effective action to forestall a situation from developing in which ships are not manned with sufficient skilled personnel.’

EU to spend €3m on shipping’s image set to launch a €3m A programme next year in a bid to

The European Commission is

improve the poor image of shipping and to boost seafarer recruitment. The three-year project — a joint initiative between Brussels and all sides of the industry — aims to increase public awareness of the maritime sector and its importance to modern-day life. Details were presented to industry leaders at a conference in London organised by the InterManager ship managers’ association. Dimitrios Theologitis, head of unit for maritime transport and ports policy at the

European Commission’s DGTREN, said the programme would concentrate on the image of shipping, as well as improving awareness of the maritime sector. The idea of the initiative was ‘not just about making a video to show to member states,’ he said. It will be ‘a comprehensive project’ covering issues such as education and promotion of the shipping industry. It will also look at ways to address the media and the way information about shipping is collected and distributed to the public, Mr Theologitis said.

Inside

F Room for improvement?

Researchers have begun work on a major study to look at the impact of vessel design on seafarer wellbeing — pages 24-25 F Grounds for detention?

A UK court case has muddied the water on the grounds that surveyors can use to detain dangerously unsafe ships — page 19

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NAUTILUS AT WORK

Shopping vouchers for Marks & Spencer in the UK and for Vroom en Dreesman in the Netherlands are on offer for members who introduce colleagues to the Union

Recruitment reward offer for members C

Nautilus International members in the UK and the Netherlands are being offered shopping vouchers worth £20 or €25 if they persuade colleagues to join the Union. Following the success of a pilot project involving a small number of companies, the ‘introduce a colleague’ scheme is being extended across the industry, national secretary Garry Elliott told Council last month. Mr Elliott said the Union’s recruitment work had resulted in 515 new members being welcomed in the first quarter of 2009. ‘On the basis that we recruited nearly 1,200 throughout 2008, then it is quite a promising start as we haven’t done any major cadet intakes yet,’ he added. With further increases predicted in the officer trainee intake in the UK this year, Nautilus is hoping to be able to speak to around 1,000 cadets and trainees in the coming months, Mr Elliott said. In the first three months of this year, the majority of enquiries from potential new members came from what the Union calls ‘greenfield sites’ —

work locations hitherto not represented by unions, Mr Elliot reported. Despite the new members, however, there has been a small decline in the membership ﬁgures, and Mr Elliot informed Council: ‘Retention is going to be of major importance to us in next couple of months.’ He said the Union is mounting a targeted campaign in the North Sea, stressing the importance of the legal support and certiﬁcation protection offered at a time of growing criminalisation. Nautilus has also signed a strategic alliance with dovaston Crewing, the world’s largest yacht crewing agency, and is also visiting training institutions for superyacht seafarers. The recruitment team is also involved in the drive to boost membership in the Netherlands. The Union will be present at Europort, a week-long maritime industry event that takes place in November in Rotterdam. College visits are planned, and work is also underway to act on the BGM motion to increase membership in the inland navigation sector.

‘Positive’ signs for EU policies A

Europe’s latest statements on competition in the ferry sector competition are encouraging, assistant general secretary Paul Moloney told last month’s Nautilus International Council meeting. He explained that Nautilus is taking a leading role in the European Transport Workers’ Federation employment campaign — seeking to ensure decent terms and conditions for seafarers serving on ferries operating on intraEU routes. The campaign seeks to ensure that terms and conditions on such ferries are linked to one of the two member states between which the ferry operates — and not those applicable to the ship’s ﬂag, where the ownership of the vessel lies, or the nationality of

seafarers employed. Mr Moloney said there were ‘a lot of positive things’ to be drawn from recent European Commission maritime policy statements. It has announced the establishment of a task force to investigate the balance between acceptable standards on vessels operating in EU waters and the need to remain competitive. It has also recognised the need for measures to encourage the employment of EU seafarers and promote the profession to young people, he added. Mr Moloney said there had been positive developments as a result of the Union’s involvement with the ETF ferry working group — including agreements with the French company LD Lines, covering UK seafarers serving on its cross-Channel ferries.

Union to review piracy policies Council members call for comprehensive guidance on threat to seafarers

Nautilus needs to have a clearer policy with which to continue lobbying governments and regulators to get meaningful action against the growing threat of piracy and armed attacks on shipping, Council heard last month. Members attending the meeting were involved in a lively debate on the issue — including the calls from some quarters for ships to be armed — following the motion agreed at the BGM in May. Ulrich Jurgens told the Council meeting that the Union has previously argued that shipowners should not be allowed to send seafarers into areas where there is a clear risk of piracy. However, he added, such a position was idealistic, and probably impractical.

However, in the Netherlands there had been a parliamentary debate over the possibility of putting armed guards on vulnerable ships running through piracy hotspots. Whilst Nautilus might not be opposed to ships being manned with marines or military personnel, the position was less clear when it came to the use of private security guards, Mr Jurgens added. And at the same time some of the members at the BGM called for seafarers to be allowed to carry weapons. ‘So there is a broad variety of positions out there and I cannot clearly see where we stand on this point,’ he told the meeting. General secretary Mark Dickinson said that what was lacking

was not Union policy — there had been motions on piracy at just about every BGM over the last 25 years, and the Union had also carried out surveys and published reports on the problem to ensure it reﬂected members’ views. But he agreed that a clearer statement of what all the motions amount to would be useful. ‘It’s all there, and perhaps now would be a good time to put it all together in a clear statement from the Union on what we expect to happen and governments and shipowners to do.’ Captain Stephen Gudgeon agreed — and added that the Union ought to put out cohesive and comprehensive advice to members. ‘We who are going through pirate areas do need some guidance here and I think

the Union is in a good position to provide it,’ he added. Captain James Hofton argued: ‘I’m a master of a 160,000 tonne bulk carrier that regularly goes through the Gulf of Aden. I feel totally unprotected, and I would welcome arming ships. It’s probably against the policy of the Union, but since I’m at the front end, that’s what I feel.’ Graham Davies said he also favoured arming ships. ‘This sort of issue is wide open — what do you do to secure the vessel? Do you arm the vessel where the crew can defend themselves? I favour that but other people are totally against. So it’s difﬁcult to reconcile. ‘There’s a lot of water out there, and these pirates are getting more sophisticated.’

Nautilus gives officer trainees Alarm is a taste of things to come... raised on Ftaste of the sea to two groups of students — Foundation Degree and Nautilus has helped to give a

NVQ cadets from Fleetwood College — organising visits to the Union’s northern UK office and welfare complex at Mariners’ Park and to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Fort Victoria in dry dock. ‘Both groups are currently in their induction phase of their cadetship, and therefore many have never been to sea,’ explained recruitment assistant Blossom Bell. ‘These visits gave the cadets the chance to have a look round Mariners’ Park and have an introduction to Nautilus International, as well as seeing a vessel from another perspective — because there can’t be many cadets that have had the chance to walk underneath a 36,000-tonnes replenishment ship.’ During the day, the two groups were given a tour of the Nautilus welfare and residential facilities at Wallasey. The recruitment team held an introductory talk about the Union’s work within the industry and the beneﬁts of being a member. ‘The ship visit was organised and given by ﬁrst officer Kim Bailie, representative committee member,’ said Blossom, ‘and many thanks for his time and enthusiasm, and detailed tour, which was enjoyed by all. One of the cadets said that it had enhanced the theory taught at college with reference to vessel superstructure — in particular the hull of the vessel and propulsion.’ The two groups were also given a tour of the Fort Victoria, including accommodation and recreational areas, as well as operational areas, such as the bridge.

STCW 95 shake-up A

Nautilus International has taken part in a specially-convened meeting at the International Transport Workers’ Federation to discuss issues raised by the review of the Standards of Training Certiﬁcation & Watchkeeping Convention. Assistant general secretary Marcel van den Broek represented the Union at the meeting, which discussed concerns arising from the International Maritime Organisation’s review of the convention, which is due to culminate with a special diplomatic conference in 2010. Mr van den Broek said the ITF meeting highlighted particular concerns over the provision for hours of work and rest in STCW 95. ‘Currently, STCW 95 restricts working hours to 98 for watchkeepers only,’ he explained. ‘This is at variance with ILO 180 concerning seafarers’ hours of work and manning of ships, which limits the working hours to 91 for all seafarers.’ The main issue of contention comes from shipowners, supported by ﬂag states, who argue for exemptions, Mr van den Broek explained. ‘However, they reject social partner agreements as provided in ILO 180, and are insisting on amendments that could potentially provide for unlimited working in some circumstances,’ he warned.

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NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports UK DETENTIONS: a total of seven unseaworthy foreign ships were under detention in UK ports in June, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency announced last month. The list included a Belize-flagged general cargoship with ‘extremely dangerous’ life-saving appliances, a Maltese-flagged ship whose crew could not carry out satisfactory fire and boat drills, and a Panama-flagged bulk carrier where incorrect hours of rest records were discovered.

Fleetwood’s foundation first ABlackpool and The Fylde College’s Fleetwood Campus have become the ﬁrst in the UK A group of seafaring students from

to graduate with a foundation degree in nautical science. Fourteen students — aged between 19 and 40 — made the grade and celebrated their success at a graduation ceremony at Thornton’s Little Theatre, where the degrees were conferred by Dr Alan Wall, master mariner and reader in maritime studies at Liverpool’s John Moores University. The pioneering degree was the ﬁrst of its type to be launched in the country in 2007, and features a unique combination of employment, academic instruction and sea-going experience.

As part of the course, students picked up the essential skills required to pursue a career in the maritime industry — including navigation, meteorology, seamanship and their ﬁrst certiﬁcate of competence. The awards were welcomed by Nautilus. Senior national secretary Allan Graveson stressed the important role the graduates will play in today’s economy. ‘The maritime services industry is holding its own despite the recession and is even growing is some sectors,’ he pointed out. ‘There is a severe shortage of trained officers and the men and women who are graduating here will play a vital and valuable role in the recovery and growth not only of Britain’s, but the world’s

economy,’ he added, ‘and not only in the ﬁeld of shipping and trade, but in the areas of port services, equipment and ship repair, energy exploration and the construction of wind farms and other renewable resources.’ John Mathews, head of Fleetwood’s nautical campus, said: ‘Our students can go on from here to work at sea or in the many onshore areas of the industry. They can also come back to college and convert this foundation degree into an honours degree in nautical science.’ Blackpool and The Fylde College has been designated a National Beacon of Excellence and was recently re-accredited for the Charter Mark in recognition of the quality of service it provides.

Talk about your rights Union planning to stage legal seminar for members

A mission possible for Jos... AHilberding, industrial assistant in Nautilus Pictured above is Jos

International’s Rotterdam office, who will next month set out on a fundraising bike ride for the Mission to Seafarers. Jos will be one of some 500 riders cycling from Antwerp to Rotterdam and Amsterdam between 25 and 27 September, in the annual Tour Pour La Mer. ‘I am a regular visitor to the Anglican church in Rotterdam, St Mary’s, which is historically linked with the Mission to Seafarers in Schiedam,’ he told the Telegraph. Jos says he is conﬁdent of completing the ride, because he cycles some 32km to and from work most days. He is a keen athlete and recently ran a 5,000m race in just over 19 minutes — and then cycled the 80km back home! f Jos is now seeking sponsorship for the ride. For more information: www.tourpourlamer.com www.stmarys.nl

Nautilus may stage a series of special seminars to give members the chance to learn more about their legal rights following maritime accidents and incidents. Concern over the increasing criminalisation of seafarers was discussed in a debate at last month’s Council meeting. The issue of the best means to advise members on a 24/7 basis following accidents — particularly on which authorities they can talk to without inadvertently incriminating themselves — prompted much discussion. Ideas considered included: establishing a 24-hour Nautilus hotline; putting advice on the Union’s website; and also advising them via the Union’s legal handbook. Captain Stephen Gudgeon spelled out the consequences for accident investigations given seafarer uncertainty: ‘If we are afraid because we could be criminalised for our honest and forthright approach to an investigating team, then we’re not going to be able to beneﬁt from a full investigation. ‘And whatever advice the Union gives, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t prevent people from giving the full facts. We just

need to be sure that those facts could not be used against them in a legal sense somewhere down the line.’ Trustee John Lang said it was important to differentiate between the authorised accident investigators around the world and the other agencies, because the approaches are very different. Micky Smyth raised the idea of a 24/7 advisory hotline, but cautioned of the need to ‘be careful who is going to be at the other end of the line giving the advice — who’s advising the advisor’. Lee McDowell suggested that more detailed information on what to do could be given when the Union revamps its legal handbook. General secretary Mark Dickinson responded: ‘We need to look at the worldwide coverage of our network of lawyers, make sure that the appropriate advice is given to members when they need it, and to develop that advice to cover the scenarios that we can anticipate members may ﬁnd themselves in. ‘We are starting to crystallise very clearly what sort of advice to give, and the appropriate way to deliver that advice,’ he added. ‘Delivering a 24/7 hotline is a nice idea, but in terms of person-

nel we’re a small organisation,’ he stressed. ‘We have to bring ourselves back to reality and focus on what we can realistically provide to members.’ Charles Boyle, director of legal services, said he had talked with lawyers following recent cases, including the trial of the master of the Viking Islay. Discussions at the BGM this year had raised concerns over the way in which masters and ofﬁcers could face interviews by accident investigators, maritime authorities, P&I club lawyers and the police following incidents. ‘People are often in shock after being involved in these incidents,’ said Mr Boyle. ‘But once statements are made to the police then it’s too late to change their mind on these statements, and that can lead to adverse legal consequences for the members and for the Union.’ g As a result of such concerns, the Union is planning to conduct seminars to inform members about the legal implications of speaking to the various authorities and to explain their legal rights following incidents. A pilot seminar is likely to be held this autumn — see future Telegraphs or the Nautilus website for more details.

SCRAP CALL: a leading European shipowner has called for 20% of the world fleet to be scrapped in a bid to restore charter rates to decent levels. Speaking at a conference in Brussels, former European Community Shipowners’ Association president Philippe LouisDreyfus said slashing world tonnage by one-fifth would be the best way to deal with the overcapacity crisis, benefit the environment and improve safety standards for crew members. ORDERS SLUMP: global recession has ‘hit shipbuilding hard’ with a dramatic decline of more than 90% in new orders over the past six months, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warns. An OECD working party on shipbuilding said cancellations are also increasing rapidly, and a sustained recovery was ‘unlikely for some time, given the oversupply on the world’s commercial shipping fleet’. STOWAWAY ALARM: the stowaway problem seems to be on the increase again, reversing a decline following the introduction of International Ship & Port facilities Security Code, marine insurers have warned. The London Club said last year had seen the number of cases increase for the first time since 2004 and it urged company and ship security officers to intensify their checks as a result. BALLAST CHARGES: the Filipino chief officer of a Greek-owned bulk carrier has become the first person to be charged under a US law designed to control the spread of invasive species through ballast water. Charles Posas, chief mate of the 71,200dwt Theotokos, pleaded guilty in a New Orleans court to violating ballast water record-keeping rules and two counts of lying to the US Coast Guard. PORT PLAN: a new port that will see the ‘rebirth’ of the Manchester Ship Canal is to be built in Salford. Plans for the £400m scheme, which will provide five containership berths, were given the go-ahead last month by the local council. It is hoped that the port will handle up to 5% of UK container traffic, cutting some 21m km of lorry journeys from local roads each year. BOX SLUMP: container shipping companies are facing a US$20bn ‘black hole’ this year as a result of declining demand and unsustainable freight rates, a new report has warned. In an analysis of the boxship market, Drewry Shipping Consultants forecasts a 10.3% reduction in TEU traffic this year and predicts that some operators will fail over the next 12 months. QE2 MOVE: the Dubai-based owners of the QE2 have confirmed reports that the vessel will be moved to Cape Town to be used to provide accommodation during the football World Cup next year. The ship will stay in the city for 18 months after plans to turn her into a seven-star floating hotel berthed in Dubai were shelved as a result of the economic crisis. TUC WARNING: the TUC has warned that thousands of jobs in the public and private sectors could be lost if the government cuts spending on vital services such as health and education. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said a 10% cut in public spending would ‘plunge the economy into a further downturn’. IMO ADDITION: Uganda has become the latest member of the International Maritime Organisation. The UN agency now has 169 member states, with a further three associate members.

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shortreports RED FUNNEL REJECTION: consultations among members serving with the Red Funnel Group have shown a 66% majority against the Union continuing discussions with management on the Contract 2010 proposals for revised terms and conditions. Industrial officer Gavin Williams said the Union will now seek to move matters forward by making an early start on the next pay and conditions claim, and members are now being asked for their views on the contents. RBS ASSURANCES: Nautilus has secured assurances from Maersk Offshore Bermuda management that the sale to a German concern of the company’s majority shareholding in Reederei Blue Star will not impact on the conditions of members serving on RBS vessels. Industrial officer Ian Cloke said the company had assured the Union that manning will continue as is, through Sirius Ship Management, with no implications for UK officers. GLOBAL MEETING: issues including consolidated pay versus retention, underwriting of insurance premiums in warlike operations areas, and commission lengths on the Seabed Power barges in the North Sea were discussed at last month’s Global Marine partnership meeting. The company confirmed that the bonus scheme will have the same structure as last year, and that proposed changes to drug and alcohol policy will be put on hold until reviewed by the fleet.

Union in talks on P&O North Sea Ferries cost-cutting plan A

the loss of two positions in Hull, 24 in Europoort, and a further one in Zeebrugge. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said additional long-term proposals are likely to emerge in the coming months as the company progresses a strategic review of the North Sea operations, looking at issues such as routes, ports and tonnage. ‘We expect the working group to be up and running in the autumn, and meanwhile we are consulting with members on the ships and are meeting with Nautilus officials in Rotterdam to keep a united approach. The Union has presented the company with proposals for improved consultation arrangements with its employees, and has also requested clarification of the review of the messing facilities. h Issues including a promotion freeze — and

in particular its impact on third mates awaiting promotion to second mate — were on the agenda at last month’s P&O Dover liaison officers’ committee meeting. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said that discussions with the company are continuing on the definition of sick leave as opposed to sick pay, with a detailed submission presented to management by the LOC. Members attending the meeting also expressed concerns over the monitoring of bridge watchkeeping through VDR equipment. h Following a positive vote by members serving with P&O Irish Sea (Gibraltar), Nautilus has signed a new terms and conditions agreement. The Union is also advising members to bring their Class 2 national insurance contributions up to date while discussions continue with HMRC.

New cats are delivered to Wightlink

A Wightlink Ferries’ latest generation of highspeed catamarans — Wight Ryder I and Wight Ryder II — arrived in Portsmouth on 12 July. Purpose-built for the Solent crossing by the FMBA Cebu shipyard in the Philippines, the 40m vessels were delivered as deck cargo onboard the 9,625gt general cargoship BBC Georgia, left. The new propeller-driven cats are said to be more robust and better suited to local sea conditions, with a wider beam providing better stability. Due to enter into service in the autumn, the 20-knot vessels also feature a range of ecofriendly systems. A Nautilus is continuing to pursue Wightlink on the issue of hours of work and masters’ meal breaks.

Nautilus International was visiting P&O North Sea Ferries vessels late last month to meet members to discuss the latest details of the company’s plans to save as much as £17m a year. P&O says the cost-cutting package is needed because of a signiﬁcant slump in freight volumes this year, which has led to a marked increase in losses on the routes. The company has embarked upon a threestage process to secure savings. Short-term moves have resulted in changes to onboard services and measures to cut fuel costs. Management is now discussing with the Union the second phase, and has consulted on the terms of reference of a working group which will examine further proposals. The company has tabled plans for restructuring in shore departments, which will mean

BAS AGREEMENT: NERC management has confirmed that it will implement a 3% pay award for members serving on British Antarctic Survey ships, with effect from 1 July, as agreed with the Union in a two-year deal last year. HEYN CONSULT: members serving with Heyn Engineering on the RV Corystes are being asked whether they are prepared to accept the company’s ‘final’ 2.5% pay offer or wish to be balloted for industrial action. SVITZER FREEZE: following talks with Svitzer Marine management , Nautilus is consulting members serving on tugs in the Port of Belfast on company proposals for a pay freeze this year. WYNDHAMS REVIEW: Nautilus is set to meet Wyndhams Management Services next month to review a pay freeze imposed on members earlier this year. ABP CUT: pilots serving with Associated British Ports in the Humber have agreed to accept a new roster system and a 10% pay cut to avoid the threat of redundancies. RFA VISIT: Nautilus officials visited Royal Fleet Auxiliary members at the Britannia Royal Navy College last month.

Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

Lay reps’ meeting due for October

Scottish links under review

officers and partnership F delegates are invited to attend the Nautilus meets Scottish Executive ferry policy team Union’s third annual lay Nautilus International liaison

Union recommends improved pay offer from Western Ferries Steve Doran is pictured above N with Captain Allan Davidson during Nautilus industrial officer

a recent ship visit held as part of talks on this year’s Western Ferries pay claim. Following the rejection of an initial offer, members were last month being consulted on an improved package that would give an additional 0.5%, effective from 1 August, on top of the 3% that was applied from 1 April. The company also gave a

commitment to consider a number of issues raised by members, including car marshalling arrangements and the production of a new staff handbook. ‘Given the improvements made to the earlier package, and the commitment to progress other issues against the background of the very tough economic climate, Nautilus has recommended members to accept the offer,’ Mr Doran said. Results will be known early this month.

representatives’ meeting, due to take place at a venue to be arranged in Scotland, on Tuesday 27 October. The meeting aims to offer lay reps a chance to discuss some of the most important issues affecting members at work, as well as to consider recruitment and organisation activities and the wider work of the Union. Items on the agenda this year are likely to include criminalisation, the development and training of local representatives, and the creation of the new union. General secretary Mark Dickinson, director of legal services Charles Boyle, and national secretary recruitment Garry Elliott will be at the meeting. Senior national secretary Ronnie Cunningham, head of organising, said the ﬁrst two annual lay rep meetings had been very worthwhile and it is hoped the latest will also be a success. The choice of venue — either Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow — will be decided on the basis of feedback from members. gAny members wanting more information or to conﬁrm attendance should email: rcunningham@nautilusint.org

Nautilus International has had talks with the Scottish Executive team conducting a far-reaching review of Scotland’s ferry services. Launched last year, the project is examining a wide range of policy issues affecting Scottish ferries, including routes, service frequencies, fares and subsidies as part of a commitment to ‘develop a long-term strategy for lifeline services to 2025’. The study will help to shape the Scottish government’s policies ahead of the next spending review, and to influence the next round of procurement of ferry services and supporting infrastructure. It will look at funding mechanisms, ‘flexibility in contracts’, possible new routes and new vessels, reconfiguration of existing routes, opening up routes to more competition, how routes are bundled together and the need for a tendering system in future. It is also considering changes to services, more frequent sailings and improved sailing times

in winter. ‘As part of this, we will consider the impact of alternative arrangements for crewing ferries,’ the Executive adds. Nautilus senior national secretary Paul Moloney commented: ‘We recognise that members working on Scottish ferries will feel that there have already been enough reviews to last a lifetime, and that is a view shared by the Union. ‘However, this initiative will clearly have lasting implications for Scottish ferry services — whether they are publicly or privately owned. ‘We have therefore had an early meeting with the Scottish Executive representatives and informed them of the need to recognise that safety and a commitment for training are both essential for Scottish ferry services, and that the review needs to give proper priority to these issues,’ he added. The Executive has said that the needs of passengers, cars, commercial vehicles and freight will all be considered in the review, but the Union has stressed that

while users and seafarers share many concerns these may not necessarily result in the necessary priority being placed on issues such as crewing and training. The meeting last month — which also involved CalMac management — took place ahead of the formal public consultation on the review. The Union will submit detailed evidence to the review team, which plans to publish a draft strategy early next year, with the final report due to be produced in the spring. h Consultations with members serving with Caledonian MacBrayne Crewing (Guernsey) closed last month with a substantial majority in favour of accepting the company’s improved pay and conditions offer. The three-year deal will give a 5% pay rise in the first year, followed by inflation-linked increases in the following two years and a performance bonus worth up to 1.5%, along with an extra week of rostered leave, improvements in ticket payments and additional incremental ser-vice payments for all ranks.

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shortreports

NCaptain Scott Birrell, Captain Stuart Gunn, second engineer Aaron

NorthLink Nautilus liaison officers

WHITAKER BOOST: following talks with Nautilus officials and liaison officers last month, Whitaker Tanker has agreed to a 1.5% pay rise for members this year. Terms and conditions are covered by a long-term agreement, which would have given an inflation plus 0.5% increase this year. However, industrial officer Gary Leech said Nautilus was pleased that the company had agreed in the light of the current ‘minus’ RPI rate to an increase in real terms.

Tearle and ETO Alan Macdonald are pictured with industrial officer Gary Leech and national secretary Ronnie Cunningham onboard the NorthLink ferry Hjaltland. The picture was taken following the last quarterly NorthLink meeting, held in Aberdeen on 16 July, which marked the transition of responsibility for the company from Mr Cunningham to Mr Leech. The next meeting is scheduled for October, but Mr Leech said he is hoping to arrange more frequent contact with members through regular ship visits in Aberdeen.

NOCS RISE: members serving with NOCS in the NMFSS research fleet are being awarded a 3% pay rise, with effect from 1 July, under a two-year agreement. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the increase showed the wisdom of accepting the long-term offer last year. The Union has had further discussions with management on issues including revised terms and conditions of service and cash advances onboard.

Employers seek 10% FoC pay cut

IMT INCREASE: consultations with members serving with International Marine Transportation closed last month showing an 80% majority in favour of accepting the company’s improved pay offer. The deal will give a general wage increase of 1.5%, with additional contractual awards and non-consolidated cash payments meaning that all officers will receive at least 2.5%. CEMEX CLAIM: Nautilus was set to meet Cemex UK Marine management late last month for further talks on this year’s pay and conditions claim following members’ overwhelming rejection of proposals for a pay freeze. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said further consultations would be carried out when the position becomes clearer.

International employers admit that officer shortage is still being felt

Maritime unions are resisting attempts by international employers to secure a 10% cut in the wage bill for almost 200,000 seafarers in the world fleet. A further round of negotiations is set to begin at the end of September in an effort to end the stalemate in the International Bargaining Forum review of the pay and conditions for officers and ratings on some 6,500 flag of convenience ships. Employers say the cuts are needed because of the slump in seaborne trade and the collapse of rates in many sectors. Unions, however, argue that seafarers deserve an increase in their terms and conditions, and

that some of the most vulnerable workers in the world should not have to see their employment package cut back. Giles Heimann, deputy secretary-general of the International Maritime Employers’ Committee, (IMEC) described the negotiations as ‘difﬁcult’ — although IMEC chairman Ian Sherwood said there had been some ‘useful’ discussions and ideas tabled by both sides and suggested that ‘neither side has the appetite to take it to the brink’. Former Nautilus general secretary Brian Orrell, who heads the seafarers’ side in the negotiations, said steady progress had been made. ‘Both sides now have a much clearer understanding of

the other’s position, and this will help us when the discussions resume at the end of September,’ he told the Telegraph. Mr Sherwood admitted that the global trade slump has failed to substantially ease the gap between supply and demand for experienced officers — particularly for those with specific skills or certain grades such as second engineers. Such shortages had fuelled ‘huge increases in the market rate for officers over the last few years’ he added. And he suggested that the 10% reduction in the total crew costs for a model ship could be ‘quite easily achieved without necessarily reducing the pay of key people’.

Mr Heimann admitted that training budgets could be under pressure because of the global recession. ‘It is an easy thing to cut,’ he added, ‘but it is the worst thing we could do, because when times get better the demand will increase.’ Some 11% of the ofﬁcers covered by IMEC agreements are western European nationals, and Mr Sherwood said cadet recruitment in the region — and in the UK in particular — has increased in recent years. Mr Heimann — a former P&O Cruises navigating ofﬁcer — is to take over the leadership of IMEC later this year, when the current secretary-general, David Dearsley, retires.

PLA FREEZE: members serving with the Port of London Authority are set to face a pay freeze in the next review, it emerged at a meeting between management and Union reps last month. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said Nautilus had expressed concern at the developments, and will consult members when formal proposals are made. BP MEETING: Nautilus was set to meet BP Oil UK management late last month in a further attempt to make progress on this year’s pay and conditions claim. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard had presented the company with points made by members in response to its proposals for a pay freeze.

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employed by Orkney Ferries. The visit took place as part of the ongoing negotiations with management on pay and terms and conditions. Mr Doran said important progress has been made following discussions on the long-awaited Ashworth-Black report, which examined comparative terms and conditions for maritime professionals in the sector. ‘We now have a much better understanding of the situation, and objective data that enables us to

work towards an agreement to ensure that Orkney Ferries has a package that enables it to recruit and retain quality seafarers,’ he added. Talks have taken place on the best way of implementing a strategy to bring pay and conditions into line with prevailing market rates, and to provide a more transparent structure for career progression. The Union has also concluded negotiations with Orkney Ferries on the transfer of employment of members affected by the creation of a joint harbour service with Orkney Towage.

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06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports

Lifeboat firm claims record drop of 55m

SAFETY WARNING: safety in the UK offshore industry must ‘remain top of the agenda’ despite the global economic squeeze, the Health & Safety Executive insisted last month in releasing a review on the asset integrity of ageing installations and infrastructure. In a review of its Key Programme 3 report in November 2007, the HSE acknowledges ‘good progress on safety’ in the 18 months since — but warns that the momentum for improvement must continue through the current challenging economic climate.

manufacturer Schat-Harding g has claimed a world record — with Norwegian lifeboat

the successful launch of its new FF1200 offshore lifeboat from a drop height of 55m, pictured left. Fully loaded and with an all-up weight of 30 tonnes, the FF1200 was dropped into the sea from a test rig at the company’s Rosendal facility in west Norway last month. The boat surfaced with powerful positive headway and no internal or external damage, the ﬁrm said. ‘The G forces measured in the boat during fall and impact were well below the requirements of the authorities,’ added Schat-Harding CEO Ove Roessland. ‘The high drop

MAERSK REJECTION: members employed by Maersk Offshore Guernsey on Maersk supply vessels have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s revised pay and conditions offer. Management had tabled a package that included a 2% pay increase, but a consultation that closed last month showed 89 members rejecting it and only nine indicating acceptance. Industrial officer Ian Cloke said he will seek further discussions with the company. BPOS RISE: following feedback from members serving on Boston Putford Offshore Safety vessels, and further talks with management, Nautilus has agreed to accept a 2% pay award implemented by the company earlier this year. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the Union disputed the firm’s assertion that the increase was in line with its competitors, and the issue will be raised at the next liaison committee meeting. DSV OFFER: members serving on Bibby Ship Management’s DSV agreement are being consulted on a pay and conditions offer said to be worth almost 7%. The package includes a 4% pay rise, health care provision and improvements to increments. Industrial officer Gavin Williams said the Union is recommending acceptance, and results of the consultation are due early this month. VECTOR APPROACH: following contact with members employed by Celtic Marine on Vector Offshore vessels, Nautilus has approached management about the issue of the way in which leave is earned. Industrial officer Gavin Williams said the company’s response is awaited, and members have meanwhile been asked for aspirations for the forthcoming pay claim. HAVILA INCREASE: Nautilus has agreed to accept a pay offer valued at more than 6% following the conclusion of consultations with members employed by Havila Marine (Cyprus). Effective from 1 August, the agreement increases pay rates by 5% and also improves the mileage allowance. FARSTAD ACCEPTANCE: Nautilus has accepted a 5% pay offer for members employed by Celtic Pacific on Farstad vessels. Further consultations on the offer showed 77% of those participating to be in favour, said industrial officer Gary Leech. OCEAN DEAL: following consultations with members employed by Ocean Supply (Cyprus), Nautilus has accepted an offer giving pay increases of between 1.31% to 3.5%, effective from 1 August.

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New warning of jobs threat Operators say slump in UKCS drilling activity shows the need for improved tax incentives to boost exploration

More than 50,000 jobs are at risk in the UK sector of the North Sea unless the government improves tax incentives for investment in the industry, operators warned last month. The alert was raised after a new report revealed that drilling operations within the UK Continental Shelf have more than halved in the last 12 months — at a time when activity in the Norwegian sector rose by around 50%. According to Deloitte’s NW Europe Review, which summarises drilling and licensing in the region, only 15 exploration and appraisal wells were spudded in the UK between the beginning of April and the end of June 2009 — a 57% decrease on the same period last year and a further 17% fall from the ﬁrst quarter of this year. The report was published just days after the operators’ organisation Oil & Gas UK launched its annual economic report, with a further warning that investment in the industry could fall to less than 60% of the level needed to maintain exploration.

It blamed rising costs and bigger tax bills for a 20% fall in investment — from £6bn to £4.8bn — between 2006 and 2008, and said the figure could drop to below the £3bn mark next year. The operators said 50,000 jobs could be in danger unless ministers improved tax incentives for the industry, with a particular risk to employment in the supply chain. They accused the government of missing ‘a massive opportunity’ to put oil and gas back on the road to recovery — with the measures announced in the last budget being ‘insufficient to improve the competitiveness of UK oil and gas projects and hence materially increase investment in them’. They warned that the new field allowance fails to address the difficulties that either existing or west of Shetland fields encounter in attracting investment. Oil & Gas UK chief executive, Malcolm Webb, said: ‘It is fortunate that we, as a nation, have up to 25bn barrels of oil equivalent (boe) or 40% of our reserves still to be recovered.

‘We will need to access as many of these reserves as possible to reduce our dependence on imported oil and gas,’ he added. ‘Even if the government’s target to source 15% of total energy supplies from renewables by 2020 is met, the UK will still rely on oil and gas for 70% of its needs.’ The operators said the ﬁgures reinforced the recent ﬁndings of the House of Commons energy and climate change committee, which highlighted the way in which a ‘quadruple whammy’ of high costs, low prices, lack of affordable credit and the global recession is threatening exploration, investment and ultimately, recovery. The MPs’ report also spoke of the urgent need for more wideranging investment incentives if the UK is to maximise recovery of its oil and gas reserves. Oil and Gas pointed out that, at a rate of 2.64m boe per day, more oil was produced from the UKCS in 2008 than in any other European Union member country — meeting some two-thirds of the UK’s primary energy demand.

height makes the boat go very deep, around 11m under the water, and gives it a lot of momentum to clear the rig. ‘We are very proud of our new boat, which sets a complete new benchmark for safety in the offshore energy ﬁeld.’ Mr Roessland says 55m is by no means the highest limit of the boat, but was dictated only by the height of the available crane for testing. ‘We want to be sure our boats will be safe at heights over 40m, and so we are testing them as high as we can,’ he added. Schat-Harding has already received 10 orders for the FF1200 from BP and Talisman Energy.

UK rules out AHTS inquiry has rejected calls to F commission research into the

UK shipping minister Paul Clark

circumstances surrounding the capsize of AHTS and other vessels in recent years. Scottish National Party MP Angus MacNeil asked the minister if he would ask the Health & Safety Executive to undertake the study in an attempt to improve safety and evacuation from such vessels. But in a written answer last month, Mr Clark said a comprehensive review had been carried out by the Norwegian Maritime Administration into the capsize of the AHTS Bourbon Dolphin off Shetland in April 2007. The results of this research will be incorporated into upgraded guidelines for the safe management of offshore supply and anchor handling operations, he added, and will also be see proposals for new regulations being tabled at the International Maritime Organisation. Mr Clark said the Maritime & Coastguard Agency fully endorses the results of the Norwegian study and considered that further research at this time would not add anything signiﬁcant. ‘It is considered that current requirements for escape routes from ships are adequate for the risks faced, and that special escape routes from capsized vessels would be impractical and might even increase risk to lives and vessels.’ f Thirty people died when the 256gt standby vessel Demas Victory sank in poor weather while returning to the port of Doha last month.

New C-MAR training chief Former Royal Navy navigation specialist Peter Aylott, left, is pictured following his appointment as the new chief operating officer of the Aberdeen-based C-MAR Group’s training division. In his new role, Mr Aylott will be responsible for developing C-MAR’s DP training services, as well as its ﬂuid power hydraulics courses, and new programmes for the maritime and offshore industries.

Mr Aylott’s 15 years in the RN included navigating its biggest warship, HMS Ocean, and taking charge of the navigation school at HMS Collingwood where he was responsible for all shore-based navigation and deck officer training. He joined the Nautical Institute in 2007 as director of professional development, delivering programmes on DP accreditation, LNG and oil spill response.

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

Azura is floated out at Fincantieri shipyard ‘superliner’ Azura touched F water for the ﬁrst time last month in a The new P&O Cruises’

traditional ﬂoating out ceremony at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. A newly-minted £2 coin and a Euro were welded to the foot of the mast of the 115,000gt vessel — which is due to launch next spring— during a special two-part ceremony.

Amanda Dowds, wife of Azura’s master, Captain Keith Dowds, acted as ‘madrina’ or godmother during the ceremony, and the ship was also blessed by a priest as a bottle of Italian Prosecco smashed against the hull. Azura will be named in Southampton in April next year and depart on her maiden voyage on 12 April 2010.

IMO emissions deal comes under attack Environmentalists say voluntary package falls short of what is needed

The International Maritime Organisation has agreed a package of interim voluntary measures aimed at cutting carbon emissions from shipping. But the deal, agreed at a weeklong meeting of the IMO’s marine environment protection committee in London last month, has been criticised by environmental groups who said it fell short of what was needed. Shipping and aviation are the only industry sectors not regulated under the Kyoto Protocol, which sets targets for greenhouse gas emissions by rich countries from 2008-12, and pressure has

grown for cuts ahead of a crucial climate change summit in Copenhagen in December. Shipping accounts for nearly 3% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and studies suggest that without global policies to control greenhouse gas emissions from the industry, the emissions could increase by as much as 250% by the year 2050. The package agreed last month includes interim guidelines on calculating and verifying an energy efﬁciency design index for new ships, and guidance on the development of an energy efﬁciency management plan for new and existing vessels, which incor-

porates best practices for fuel-efﬁcient operation. The measures are intended to be used for trial purposes until next March, when the IMO will meet to review them and consider the scope of their long-term application and enactment. The meeting also agreed a work plan to consider ‘marketbased instruments’ — either a fuel levy or an emissions trading scheme — to provide incentives for owners to cut emissions and invest in fuel-efﬁcient technologies. Peter Lockley, of the environmental group WWF-UK, said the measures should have been made

mandatory, with set targets. ‘This does not meet our demands or what is necessary to protect the climate,’ he added. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson, who attended the meeting, accused IMO member states of procrastination. ‘There is a need to consider new and innovative technologies, rather than simply looking at ways to mitigate the effects of existing engines,’ he added. ‘The need for action is essential not just to cut SOx, NOx and CO2 emissions, but also the particulate matter that threatens the health of seafarers,’ he stressed.

‘Flag states failing to tackle ballast water hazards’ A

The number of pest species in the world’s oceans is on the increase because of the continued failure by countries to adopt an international agreement on handling and treatment of ships’ ballast water, it was warned last month. As the International Maritime Organisation met to consider progress in enforcing the ballast water convention, which was agreed in 2004, a new report warned that the adverse impact of invasive species are rising — now affecting some 84% of the world’s 232 marine eco-regions. Published by the environmental group WWF, the report says the global economic costs of invasive species totalled some US$50bn over the past ﬁve years, and it details 24 cases where ballast water discharges have been blamed for the spread or introduction of signiﬁcant invasive marine species in this period.

Dr Anita Mäkinen, WWF’s head of delegation at the IMO meeting said: ‘Responsible flag states must urgently ratify and implement the convention to effectively halt marine pest invasions from ballast water.’ The convention needs to be ratified by 30 flag states representing 35% of world merchant tonnage before it takes effect. So far, barely half these numbers have been reached. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson, who attended the meeting, commented: ‘It is disappointing that many flag states purporting to have green credentials have not ratified the convention.’ He said the Union is seeking to ensure that ballast treatment requirements do not add to members’ workloads, and that the technologies used are safe for health and the environment.

Union warns minister on green strategy F

New UK government plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transport have failed to reﬂect the positive contribution that shipping could make, Nautilus has warned. The Union has written to transport minister Lord Adonis to express concern about the contents of the government’s Low Carbon Transport strategy, which sets out plans for reducing transport emissions through to 2020. General secretary Mark Dickinson said the document, which was published last month, presented shipping as ‘part of the problem rather than part of the solution’ — with little recognition

of its potential to cut overall pollution. Mr Dickinson said the Union is supportive of technical and operational measures to achieve emission reduction targets, as these were crucial not only for the environment but also for the health of seafarers, who are frequently the ﬁrst to be exposed to emissions from vessels. However, he added, the Union is concerned that shortsea and coastal shipping has been overlooked by the policy document as a way of cutting carbon emissions and reducing congestion on the nation’s roads. In his letter to the minister, Mr Dickinson points out that freight

can be carried on coastal ships and inland waterways with 80% fewer carbon dioxide emissions than from road haulage. Carrying cargo by water rather than road also reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by around a third, yet freight volumes in UK waters have dropped by 11% in the decade to 2007 and coastwise trafﬁc has declined by 5% since 2000. g The European Commission has approved a new UK government scheme to provide support for projects that encourage freight to go by water and rail rather than on roads. Worth some £27m a year, the new scheme will be introduced next year.

Two of Southampton Water’s strangest looking vessels are set to disappear after the planned closure of the UK’s only wind turbine factory on the Isle of Wight at the end of July. MTB Blade Runner One and MTB Blade Runner Two are common sights in the Solent as they shuttle between the Newport factory and Empress Dock in Southampton, where the blades are delivered for export. Despite healthy profits, the Danish company, Vestas Windsystems has pulled the plug on the plant, blaming reduced demand for wind turbines in northern Europe. The move will result in the loss of 625 jobs in Southampton and the Isle of Wight Report & picture: Gary Davies

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08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

LARGE YACHT NEWS

Seabourn claims yacht status for new Odyssey F

Pictured right is the ‘yacht style’ cruise vessel Seabourn Odyssey, which last month sailed on its inaugural voyage — a 14-day cruise from Venice. Claimed to be the industry’s ﬁrst six-star vessel to be launched in six years, the 32,000gt vessel was completed at the Mariotti yard in Italy and can carry up to 450 passengers, with one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the sector. Odyssey is the ﬁrst of three new vessels Seabourn is building —adding up to a 216% increase in capacity for the line — with Seabourn Sojourn launching in June

next year and another in 2011. Seabourn CEO Pamela Conover said the new 198m ship — which is more than twice the size of the company’s previous vessels — can still lay claim to be a yacht. ‘Not only is it a yacht in terms of size, it’s a yacht in terms of the experience that you get onboard,’ she added. Odyssey will operate in the Mediterranean throughout the summer and early autumn, before sailing to the Caribbean and embarking on Seabourn’s ﬁrst world cruise — a 108-day voyage departing from Florida next January.

— managing director of g the leading crew agency,

This month Phil Edwards

Picture: Eric Houri

Working group examines the impact of ‘bill of rights’ Crew accommodation is the key factor in compliance with new convention, says Nautilus

Nautilus is involved in a top-level initiative to ensure that key provisions of the international Maritime Labour Convention — the so-called ‘seafarers’ bill of rights’ — are applied to relevant vessels in the large yacht sector. The Union has taken part in a series of fact-ﬁnding vessel visits as part of a programme to examine the issues facing the superyacht industry and its crews in bringing the sector into line with the MLC. The convention seeks to ensure the effective regulation of seafarers’ living and working conditions and will affect all ships over 500gt when it comes into effect — probably in 2011. Nautilus is part of a tripartite working

Openings for engine crew in the sector

group, that involves the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and owners, which has had discussions with representatives of the large yacht industry on the practical implementation of the requirements. ‘The MLC clearly presents signiﬁcant challenges to the owners and operators of large yachts,’ said Nautilus ofﬁcial Peter McEwen, ‘and it is clear that there is a lot of work to do to ensure compliance throughout the sector.’ The MLC requirements will affect yachts operating commercially over 24m whose keel is laid after the convention comes into effect and in practice will apply to private yachts as they go onto the charter market. Mr McEwen said it is not thought the

sector will face too many problems in complying with the convention’s requirements on issues such as the terms and conditions of crew — but the most difﬁcult issue is likely to be compliance with the MLC requirements for crew accommodation. ‘One of the key factors to be considered is that the requirements do not just cover sleeping accommodation, but also address living and working accommodation,’ he pointed out. ‘From the visits that we have carried out, it is clear that crew accommodation is often an afterthought for many designers,’ he added. ‘And at the smaller end of the market, it is evident that there may be considerable practical problems in balancing the

crew accommodation requirements with the space for guests. ‘There are some genuine concerns raised by this, and the working group is looking at pragmatic solutions to the issues,’ Mr McEwen said. ‘There may be grounds where a ﬂexible approach could be taken, and we are hoping to identify where this can be done without losing sight of the objectives of the MLC.’ The talks are likely to conclude later this year and should result in changes to the MCA’s Large Yacht Code. ‘The large yacht sector is increasingly important for the employment of our members, and so we are working hard to achieve a sensible and workable position,’ Mr McEwen added.

dovaston — focuses on opportunities open to engineers in the superyacht industry. Big and bigger is the general trend in modern boats, he says, with ever larger and more sophisticated newbuilds, and more boats than ever subject to commercial regulations. ‘Captains and owners recognise that the qualifications and experience of merchant crew can be an advantage on their vessels and are keen to recruit suitable candidates from this sector,’ said Mr Edwards. ‘There is no doubt that this is a privileged world, with a superb working environment and very attractive salaries,’ he adds. ‘Boats are now being built with more thought to crew quarters, with the bigger yachts boasting crew gyms and cinemas.’ The largest yachts have similar systems to commercial ships, and are also most likely to offer rotational working, giving great flexibility. Whilst the world of superyachts does not suit everyone, Mr Edwards says it can provide ‘good rewards for those that fit the profile’. dovaston — which is the first yacht agency to have a strategic partnership with Nautilus — is keen to recruit suitable candidates from the merchant fleet, and opportunities exist from EOOW to Class 1 engineers. f Check out the website; www.dovaston.com — not only for jobs but also for the financial and personnel services offered.

TV star sinks after Hamble collision Go ‘pirate g

When Dave King, the marine supervisor at BP Hamble, isn’t working he’s a coxswain for the independently-funded Hamble Lifeboat. At 1850hrs on 15 July, Dave and the crew received ‘the call’, and by 1859 they were on the water. As they proceeded down the Hamble river, they didn’t expect this call-out would see them witness the end of a piece of boating history. The Flying Fish — made famous in the 1980s television series Howards Way — sank following a

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were unharmed, and the crew of the Hamble lifeboat towed the yacht in to shallower waters, secured it and clearly marked it with a buoy — pictured left — from where the vessel can be salvaged and maybe ﬂy again. ‘When any yacht sinks it’s sad, but even more so when it’s one of the river’s famous characters,’ said Dave. ‘But no one was injured, and a great team effort between us and the Hamble Harbour Authority moved the Flying Fish to a safe position.’

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hunting’ on yachts by Michael Howorth

Let’s hope that this is a hoax — but under the quirky news section of the Ananova news site is a headline ‘Luxury yachts offer pirate hunting cruises’. It raises some serious questions, not least who are the owners of the luxury yachts and what are they smoking? The article states that a Russian ﬁrm is marketing pirate hunting cruises onboard armed private yachts off the Somali coast. Wealthy punters pay £3,500 per day to sail in the most dangerous waters in the world, and when attacked, they retaliate with grenade launchers, machine guns and rocket launchers, reports the Austrian paper Wirtschaftsblatt. Passengers, who can pay an extra £5 a day for an AK-47 machine gun and £7 for 100 rounds of ammo, are also protected by a squad of former special forces troops as they cruise from Djibouti to Mombasa in Kenya. Russian yachtsman Vladimir Mironov commented: ‘At least the pirates have the decency to take hostages — these people are just paying to commit murder.’

Green prototype F

The UK engineering company Visioneering has helped a young designer to bring his vision of a ‘green’ superyacht to reality. The company produced a 1:48 scale model of the wind, solar and hybrid marine powered vessel developed by Coventry University graduate Alastair Callender, pictured above with Visioneering chief executive Brian Horner. The design for the 58m yacht is based on eco-friendly materials and construction techniques, allied with

latest technology solarsails, and a rigid-wing rig. Visioneering’s model was on show at the recent Future of Superyachts conference in Mallorca. ‘The model is a work of art in itself, with the superb attention to detail and is a stunning interpretation of my design work,’ said Alastair. ‘I am indebted to the company for helping me to realise my dreams and to bring me a step closer to having the yacht commissioned.’

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

Bayleaf undergoes £9.1m refit at the yard of her build Aship Bayleaf is pictured left following a £9.1m reﬁt at the

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary supply

Birkenhead-based shipyard Cammell Laird. The seven-month project on the ship — which was built by the same yard 27 years ago — was completed over the last seven months under the ‘through-life support contract’ signed with MoD Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) in June 2008. The reﬁt included an overhaul of the main engine and generator, an upgrade of communications systems and of accommodation, which was stripped out and refurbished. The outer hull was repainted, the refuelling at sea equipment was overhauled and new lifeboats and davits were installed. There were further overhauls to

Union calls for work permit controls on non-UK officers Home Office committee urged to resist pressure for the increased use of cheaper seafarers

Shipowners are trying to dupe the UK Home Office into issuing work permits to officers from low-pay countries so they can employ them on shortsea routes without having to show they first tried to recruit British officers — the socalled ‘labour market test’. They claim that the permits are justified because there is a shortage of UK officers to do the job. But in a submission last month to the Home Office migration advisory committee (MAC), Nautilus contends that there is no shortage whatsoever. Where there are vacancies, the Union argues, operators can recruit UK seafarers facing redun-

dancy from other companies — or draw from the pool of ofﬁcers employed by foreign companies. The Nautilus submission states that while there is a worldwide shortage of ofﬁcers, there is no evidence of a shortage in those sectors where work permits are required. ‘In fact,’ the Union adds, ‘in all such sectors there is evidence of redundancies — particularly in the current economic situation’. Nautilus told the MAC that although there is often an assumption that the shipping industry is homogenised, in reality it has many sub-sectors that can differ considerably and each of these is characterised by geo-

graphical specifics that need to be understood by the committee before any decision is taken on the issue of work permits for foreign officers. Some Nautilus members, the submission explains, work in sectors where there is very fierce and unfair competition from non-UK companies who are able to operate with far lower costs than possible for companies based in northern Europe who choose to invest in officers based there. ‘Inevitably,’ the submission continues, ‘there has been pressure placed on such companies to reduce their cost base by employing seafarers from lower cost economies.’

Against that, however, there are companies that retain a commitment to high quality UK officers — with an ‘increasing recognition within the industry of the importance of the human factor for safe shipping’. With research showing that UK officer numbers could decline by more than one-third over the next 20 years, many owners also now accept the need to employ junior officers to provide a promotion stream to replenish their senior officers as they retire, Nautilus adds. ‘It is therefore of critical importance that nothing is done within the policy or regulatory framework to disturb the current

initiatives that seek to increase UK officer recruitment and training,’ warns the Union. ‘Nautilus believes that the case for stable and progressive employment policies is strong, and that measures that would enable owners to make greater use of low-cost labour would serve as a strong disincentive for investment in UK skills and experience and undermine the government’s own shipping policy.’ Senior national secretary Paul Moloney commented: ‘It is disappointing that the Chamber of Shipping has sought to mislead the committee by seeking to link the worldwide shortage of officers to these specific trades.’

the main machinery, including cargo and boilers, and an upgrade to the medical centre and galley. Captain Jim Collins, of the DE&S Aﬂoat Support team, commented: ‘RFA Bayleaf performs a demanding role; the large amount of fuel she carries and delivers around the world is crucial to front-line military operations. I know the ship’s company are very pleased with the work done and are already preparing to return to operational duties.’ Cammell Laird MD Linton Roberts added: ‘It is pleasing that the specialist skills that built Bayleaf still survive and prosper within our workforce. And with 50 apprentices in training we are ensuring that this proud tradition continues far into the future.’ Picture: David Williams

MCA study of tanker stability urged to support a Maritime A & Coastguard Agency study which

Nautilus members are being

seeks to discover whether tanker masters and officers are provided with the right tools to ensure that their vessels comply with the present International Maritime Organisation damage stability regulations. The Union is asking members to take part in an online survey to help the MCA gather information about what facilities oil, product, chemical and gas tanker masters and officers are given to be able to reliably check the stability of the vessel. ‘Information so far available indicates that ships’ masters may not be provided with sufficient information to enable them to carry out adequate checks,’ the MCA says. Members are invited to go to the Nautilus website and to complete and submit the short tanker damage stability questionnaire by 30 September. All information supplied will be treated with strict conﬁdence.

SED: your evidence needed AAvailable vailable Now w to help improve guidelines NAVBasics NAVBa as A

Nautilus has had further toplevel talks with Treasury officials as part of its continuing campaign and lobby work on the UK Seafarers’ Earnings Deduction scheme. And now the Union is urging members to provide evidence of problems with the latest guidelines for SED eligibility — particularly cases where conﬂicting or confusing advice is given by HM Revenue & Customs offices or by tax advice companies. Nautilus official Peter McEwen said the Union is continuing to press the case that SED should be available to all UK seafarers, irrespective of the sector in which they serve or the ship type they work on. Further talks are due to take place this month.

One of the big concerns raised in the recent talks with the Treasury is the confusing nature of the wording of the guidelines issued by HMRC after the Pride South America case. ‘There is no doubt that it is unclear in places, and we have been assured that if we provide evidence of confusion resulting from the guidelines, the Revenue will see if it can be amended,’ Mr McEwen said. Areas of particular importance include the way in which members serving on some DSVs can lose their entitlement to SED — notably the deﬁnition used to decide when, and for how long, a vessel is counted as being ‘stationed’. Also under examination are the

circumstances in which multipurpose vessels could fall under the deﬁnition of being involved in ‘exploitation’, and therefore lose eligibility. Mr McEwen said HMRC officials had expressed concern about reports that local tax offices had given inconsistent advice on SED — particularly to members serving on the same vessel — and it is important that members supply the Union with any examples of this. Similarly, members are also urged to provide evidence of cases where tax advice companies have given misleading or contradictory advice. gMembers with evidence for the Union should email ASAP: sedcampaign@nautilusint.org

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10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

NEWS

Mission’s new leader flags up changes in support for crews A

Signiﬁcant changes to the way in which the Mission to Seafarers delivers its welfare services for crews are having to be made, the organisation’s new head has warned. The Revd Tom Heffer, who has taken over from the Revd Canon Bill Christianson as secretary-general of the MtS, last month unveiled a new programme of work that seeks to target services to seafarers where the need is greatest. Set out in the document Delivering Maritime Ministry Beyond the Next Horizon, the plans include new models of ministry in some areas where there presently is none and the transformation of other services ‘to ensure they remain relevant to serving seafarers’. The Revd Heffer said the changes

Handover: outgoing Mission to Seafarers secretary-general Revd Canon Bill Christianson welcomes his successor, the Revd Tom Heffer

will be introduced as a result of a review of the way in which the

society works on behalf of seafarers in some 230 ports around the world.

BP backing for Flying Angel A

The Mission to Seafarers’ ﬂoating welfare initiative in Dubai has been boosted by a donation from BP Marine, which has agreed to supply the vessel Flying Angel with its lube oil needs for the next 12 months. Pictured celebrating the arrangement are Rod Hall from BP Marine, Flying Angel crew, June Manoharan from BP, and Reverend Stephen Miller, director and port chaplain of MtS, Dubai. The Flying Angel has been operating since February 2007, servicing the crews of the 10,500 ships using the bunker anchorage off the UAE each year. The vessel — which has an Internet café, a library with DVDs and books, a medical clinic, access to telecommunications and pastoral support — visits an average of more than 35 ships each week and welcomes some 70 seafarers

The needs of seafarers are of critical importance at a time when the shipping industry is weathering the global economic crisis, he added, and the Mission needed to ﬁnd new ways to provide the best support possible whilst working with limited resources. ‘Inevitably that will mean a necessary strategic change in some of our current operating practices and will see the Mission open new port chaplaincies and centres in areas identiﬁed by our recently completed global review,’ he stressed. ‘As secretary-general, I will work hard to ensure that The Mission to Seafarers remains true to its aims and vocation of caring for all those who call upon its services in their hour of need.’

Cruiseship will be a retirement home F

A US company is offering pensioners the chance to retire to a residential cruiseship due to come into service later this year. Oceanic Retirement Communities of America (ORCA) says its ‘unique package’ offers independent and assisted living care and facilities at sea for retired people at less cost than comparable land-based centres. The ORCA cruiseship will operate out of Florida, running cruises to the Caribbean and Central America. The vessel has a night club, bar, library, dining room, spa, workout room, putting green, shufﬂeboard, and 6,000 sq ft of sun deck. Pensioners will be able to live onboard in ‘typical cruiseship size staterooms which are about the same size as conventional landbased facilities’, with enrolment

fees ranging between US$259,000 to $499,000 for two people. ORCA says monthly residents’ fees are about the same or a little less than conventional retirement facilities, and cover all the costs of operating the ship — including crew, fuel, cruises, insurance, port fees, maintenance, meals and the medical centre. Pensioners will own their onboard residence like a condominium — and after death it reverts to their estate. ‘The heirs can sell the stateroom or keep it for their own use by renting it out until they are 55 and ready to retire and move aboard themselves,’ the company says. ‘People retire to Florida for three things mainly — warm sunshine, golf, and the water,’ said ORCA president Mel Medina. ‘This is a unique package that provides for all that.’

ITF aid to Istanbul Urgent relief effort for seafarers on 500 laid-up ships

onboard every day. The Flying Angel’s running costs amount to $750 a day, so the Mission is constantly seeking donors, and the BP lube oil donation will, said Revd Miller, help to ensure that maintenance costs are kept to a minimum, enabling

‘this vital link with distressed seafarers to be maintained’. This month, a 16-strong expedition of volunteers from Dubai will attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in a further fund-raising initiative for the Flying Angel.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation has launched an urgent relief effort to support seafarers onboard some 500 laid-up ships in the port of Istanbul. The project was approved at the Federation’s worldwide inspectors’ conference which met in the city last month, and will provide immediate assistance to ease what it describes as the ‘desperate plight of seafarers’ there. There is thought to be several thousand seafarers — mainly employed as skeleton crews — on the foreign-controlled ships that have been laid-up in the Bosporus as a result of the slump in seaborne trade.

The ITF says many of the seafarers are forced to exist on barely subsistence level wages and provisions over many months while the vessels await orders. In many cases the crew have been effectively abandoned by the vessels’ owners, many of whom are unknown. The ITF has approved funding to enable its local seafarers’ union afﬁliate, DAD-DER, to provide support for the seafarers. DAD-DER and the ITF have also agreed to undertake a survey of the ships to provide further information on the plight of the crews and the needs that they have. A meeting was held with the Turkish maritime authorities last

month, where the union representatives called for the government to put pressure on the flag states involved to assist the crew in accordance with their obligations under international maritime law. ITF head of maritime operations Graham Young commented: ‘The ITF is concerned that this is a significant and growing problem for ships’ crews worldwide where, increasingly, vessels are laid-up for long periods. ‘Usually this is as a result of the worldwide financial crisis,’ he added, ‘but that doesn’t excuse the owners or the flag states from carrying out their obligations to the seafarers themselves.’

officers Ed Pentney and Ali Al A Maskari are pictured right with John

PLA team rises to challenge

Lightfoot, CEO of Solar Solve Marine, as he presented them with the company’s annual prize for the best NVQII portfolios. Ed, a deck officer cadet sponsored by Maersk Marine Services, is from Taunton in Somerset, and has a total of 12 months seagoing experience on containerships and tankers. He expects to graduate from his HND course in November, having achieved mostly merits and distinctions in his exams so far. He said he was very pleased and surprised to win the award and his ambition is to become a ship’s captain. Ali, a marine engineer cadet with Oman Ship Management, has so far chalked up six months of sea time on steam turbine driven tankers. He will complete his HND course this November and has already passed his MCA Engineer OOW oral. Ali aims to work towards a master’s degree in marine

Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike — a combined height of 3,407m, a round trip of some 1,300 miles — and the chosen challenge for an intrepid team of fundraisers from the Port of London Authority (PLA). Backed by the PLA as part of its 100th birthday celebrations, the eight-strong team took on the Three Peak Challenge — raising more than £2,000 for charity. The group climbed the Welsh, Scottish and English mountains over three days last month, taking just over 18 hours to complete the marathon task. The group expects to raise more than £2,000 to be distributed between charities, including the Sea Cadets, the Mission to Seafarers, the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, and The Ahoy Centre (a water sports centre for disadvantaged children).

NVQ award winners South Tyneside College trainee

engineering, and said he was delighted that he is following in the footsteps of his supervisor — who is a previous winner of the Solar Solve Prize. The trainees were each presented with cheques, and Mr Lightfoot —

who studied as a marine engineer at the college 50 years ago — said he was ‘very happy to recognise students with outstanding ability and dedication’ and to ‘put something back into the industry that I love’.

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

EU report warns on shortage

10 year jail sentence for Cosco Busan pilot

Shortages of skilled seafarers could have an adverse impact on the safety and security of LNG shipping, a new European Commission report has warned. The study, produced by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre urges EU member states to do more to promote maritime careers and to invest in ‘human capital’ for the maritime sector. Produced in an attempt to analyse the likely impact of Europe’s increased reliance on LNG imports, the study looked at a wide range of issues — including security, affordability, quality and shipping. With Europe’s LNG trade volumes set to rise from 99bn cu m next year to 254bn cu m by 2030, the report warns that the expansion of the LNG ﬂeet could face ‘challenges’ as a result of the crew shortage — which in turn could lead to a lowering of recruitment standards. To prevent a potential decline in shipping safety, the report says European countries should follow the example of the United States in developing ‘an active recruitment drive, backed by government policy’.

Poole service stepped up has announced that sailings on F its freight-only service between Poole The French ﬁrm Brittany Ferries

and Santander are to be doubled to two round-trips per week, with effect from October 2009. Brittany launched the link from Poole to the Spanish port in a bid to offer the road haulage industry a regular and reliable alternative to driving through France. The service uses the 19,909gt 2007-built vessel Cotentin, which has capacity for 120 driver-accompanied trucks. Brittany Ferries has also issued a statement conﬁrming that the company is planning a new vessel and could place an order within two years.

Keel-laying for Cunard liner Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth A took a big step forward last month Construction of the new

with a keel-laying ceremony at the Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard near Trieste, Italy, pictured above. The second largest Cunarder ever built, the 90,400gt vessel will be capable of carrying 2,092 passengers and is due to enter into service in October next year, with a

13-night maiden voyage from Southampton having sold out in a record-breaking 29 minutes 14 seconds. The ship is also scheduled to depart from Southampton on 5 January 2011 on a 103-night maiden world voyage, Queen Elizabeth’s keel is the third Cunard has laid in the space of seven years. The keel laying involved the

placement in the dry dock of the first section of the ship’s hull – composed of six pre-manufactured blocks, weighing 364 tons and fitted with 104 tons of pipes, cables, insulation and other equipment. A total of 53 sections will be used in the construction of the ship, which is set to take the water for the first time at a float-out in December this year.

Unions appeal for action to save European shipbuilding A

Unions representing European shipbuilding workers have called for an urgent united EU strategy to prevent the industry from collapse. The European Metalworkers’ Federation said EU shipbuilding is facing a ‘total breakdown’ in orders, problems in ﬁnancing existing contracts, overcapacity in merchant shipbuilding, job losses, and bankruptcies. At the same time, it says, Chinese and South Korean yards ‘are receiving massive state support

to deal with the impact of the crisis’. In a statement issued last month, EMF representatives from the key European shipbuilding nations — France, Italy, Germany, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and the UK — warned that many yards have already announced redundancies and the number of insolvent shipyards is rising rapidly. The statement called for a common European strategy to develop new markets and to create fair competition. It said

research, development and innovation should be intensiﬁed, with new ship designs to help protect the environment. EMF shipbuilding committee chair Heino Bade warned that without such a strategy thousands of jobs will be lost and industrial capacity will be destroyed. ‘Europe cannot risk losing such a strategic sector, its knowhow, its highly skilled workforce and its capacity to provide green products for green transport,’ he added.

New Rainbow Warrior to be first purpose-built Greenpeace ship Agroup Greenpeace International has signed a contract

The environmental campaign

to build a new ﬂagship — the ﬁrst time in its history that it has chosen to commission a purpose-built vessel rather than refurbishing an old one. Incorporating the latest in environmental technology, the Rainbow Warrior III will be built at the Fassmer Shipyard in Germany, and is due to be completed in time for Greenpeace’s 40th anniversary in 2011. The vessel will be built primarily to sail — using wind energy instead of fossil fuels — with the option in unsuitable weather conditions to switch over to engine-powered, diesel-electric propulsion. Greenpeace says the A-frame design of the mast and the positioning of the sails have been optimised for efficiency, while the

An artist’s impression of the new Rainbow Warrior Picture: Gerard Dijkstra & Partners

shape of the hull has been designed for maximum fuel conservation. Rainbow Warrior III will be of ‘Green ship’ class notation, carrying

a ‘green passport’. The electric drive system will enable the ship to make 10 knots on only 300kW, with a central ﬁlling and venting system for

fuel and oils to prevent spills, and biological treatment of sewage and grey water. Heat created by the generators will be re-used to heat water onboard and for engine pre-heating. The ship will carry a complete range of essential safety gear and action tools, including four inﬂatable boats and helicopter facilities, as well as a ‘cutting-edge communication platform’. The new ship will replace Rainbow Warrior II, whose ‘vintage riveted’ steel hull is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain to classiﬁcation standards. ‘The Rainbow Warrior II has been a great ship, with a proud record of effecting environmental change, but even great warriors need to be retired,’ said Greepeace executive director Gerd Leipold at the contract signing ceremony.

Court told of ‘negligent acts’ that led to boxship striking bridge in fog

The pilot of a containership that sparked a major pollution incident after striking the San Francisco Bay bridge in November 2007 has been jailed for 10 months by a US court. Captain John Cota had pleaded guilty in March to two charges of negligently causing the discharge of oil in the bay and causing the death of protected species of migratory birds after the Hong Kong-ﬂagged Cosco Busan struck a tower of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in heavy fog. The resulting spill of 53,000 gallons of oil killed 2,400 birds, fouled some 26 miles of coastline and led to clean-up costs estimated at $70m. Prosecutors told the judge that the pilot deserved a prison sentence because he was ‘guilty of far more than a mere slip-up’ and had ‘made a series of intentional and negligent acts and omissions, both before and leading up to the incident that produced a disaster which, as widespread as it was, could have had even worse consequences’. The court heard that Capt Cota had decided to sail in fog so thick that the bow of the vessel was not visible from the bridge, and pilots of six other large ships had decided against sailing in those conditions. Prosecutors said Capt Cota had failed to strengthen the bridge or bow watch, or review the passage plan with the master and crew.

Crew clothing for a

Recorded conversations from the ship’s bridge showed that he was confused about the operation of the electronic chart system — including the meaning of two red triangles that showed buoys marking the tower of the bridge that he eventually hit. Neither Capt Cota nor any of the ship’s crew had consulted the paper charts or taken a positional ﬁx since leaving the berth, despite the lack of visibility. Prosecutors also ﬁled papers showing that the pilot had failed to disclose his medical conditions and prescription drug use on required annual forms submitted to the Coast Guard. Capt Cota’s attorney, Jeff Bornstein, asked the court to impose only a two month sentence, arguing that the pilot was not the only person responsible for the accident. A poorly trained Chinese crew, language barriers and other factors beyond Capt Cota’s control contributed to the accident, he said. But district judge Susan Illston said the pilot should have known where the bridge was located and it was right that he was taking much of the blame for the accident. The grand jury indictment also charges the Cosco Busan’s managers, Fleet Management Limited (Hong Kong), with the same alleged offences as well as false statements and obstruction of justice charges. Trial in that case is set for 14 September.

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12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

HEALTH&SAFETY

Flooding incident raises fresh concern over port safety code the UK Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) A following an investigation into the ﬂooding and

Nautilus has raised renewed concern over

foundering of a dredger in the port of Heysham last year. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the crew of the 325gt grab hopper vessel Abigail H were ‘extremely fortunate’ to have escaped without injury after the ship rolled to port following the flooding of the engineroom. Four crewmen were asleep onboard and were not aware that there was a leak until the flooding caused the vessel to become unstable and roll violently to port, throwing three of them from their bunks. The roll was stopped when the mast and dredging machine came into contact with the adjacent quay, and the MAIB said it was unlikely that the mooring lines would have restrained the vessel if it had rolled away from the quay. Noting nine similar incidents since 1996, the report recommends the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to introduce a requirement for all vessels over 24m in length but less than 500gt to be fitted with bilge alarms.

It also calls for all owners of such ships to formally assess the risks to crew sleeping onboard overnight and check that emergency alarms are capable of alerting those asleep onboard. Investigators concluded that the most likely cause of the flooding was perforation of the hull plating beneath the bilge suction pipework underneath the stern gland of the 50-year-old vessel. The report highlights a number of issues related the port’s response to the incident. ‘The risk of a vessel flooding while alongside was reasonably foreseeable, but had not been identified in the port’s formal safety assessment,’ it notes. The duty port manager had no formal training and had not taken part in any exercises to help him react to such an incident. The report said he lacked the authority, skills and experience of the general manager — who was on leave at the time — and no contingencies were in place in the emergency plan for such circumstances. ‘Although the Port of Heysham had formally declared that it met the requirements of the PMSC, this had not been verified by any internal or

external audit process,’ the report notes. ‘During this incident, the port’s lack of planning, training and practice resulted in a slow and minimal response.’ The police had become increasingly frustrated by the uncertainty about who had responsibility for the incident, the report states, and ‘the limited communication between the port and the emergency services during the early stages of this accident led to confusion and, if circumstances had deteriorated, could have reduced the effectiveness of the response’. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘This is yet another damning indictment of the operation of the PMSC and the abrogation of responsibility by the Department for Transport. It appears that a formal declaration of compliance with the Code is accepted at face value, and is therefore in essence worthless,’ he added. Mr Graveson said it was disappointing that the MAIB had not made further recommendations referring to the operation of the Code, on the grounds of action taken in response to the incident by the Port of Heysham and the Peel Ports Group.

The 50-year-old dredger Abigail H during salvage operations following the flooding incident in Heysham last year Picture: MAIB

Industry warned on watertight doors MAIB issues safety flyer after new incident in which crewman suffered serious crush injuries

Accident investigators have expressed concern over ﬁndings showing that a passenger ferry regularly operated across the Channel with watertight doors left open. The alarm is raised in a Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on an incident last November in which a ﬁtter onboard the Ramsgate-Ostend ferry Eurovoyager suffered serious crush injuries after being trapped in a watertight door. The MAIB said its investigation into the incident — which

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included detailed analysis of VDR data — showed that many doors were routinely left open at sea, potentially compromising the watertight integrity of the 12,110gt vessel. ‘For a vessel operating in the Dover Strait, which is one of the world’s busiest waterways, such practices were potentially very unsafe,’ the report notes. The fitter was trapped for almost four minutes between the frame and the door as he came out of a changing room and into the auxiliary engineroom. He was airlifted to hospital and treated for crush injuries likely to cause at least six months off work. On its voyage from Ramsgate to Ostend earlier in the day, eight of the 11 watertight doors on the Cyprus-flagged ferry had been left open. However, on the return voyage the master ordered the doors to be put into the remote mode of operation because an inspection was taking place. The report notes that this decision was contrary to SOLAS Convention requirements, and meant the doors closed automatically as soon as the operating handle was released. There was no indication at the door to show that remote operation was selected, it adds, and onboard procedures for the operation of watertight doors were poorly promulgated and not monitored or enforced. Investigations revealed that the fitter did not follow the recommended transit procedures when he used the door. But they

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said such accidents are a recurring problem, and the industry should do ore to examine ways in which it could ‘design out’ some of the inherent risks. ‘Interestingly, this was put forward in the Chamber of Shipping’s annual cadet safety competition some years ago,’ he pointed out, ‘but most regrettably neither the regulatory authorities, nor the owners and nor the manufacturers saw ﬁt to take up this innovative idea.’

Ship grounds on a natural gas pipeline Araised its minimum under-keel clearance guidelines following an A Scottish port authority has

incident in which a 1,537gt general cargoship grounded on a natural gas pipeline. The Bahamas-ﬂagged Celtica Hav struck the Shell pipeline in the river Tay last October while heading into Perth with a cargo of wheat. The incident occurred even though the ship was in the deepest part of the navigable channel and the speed had been cut to 3 knots to reduce the effect of squat. In response to the incident, the port operator, Perth and Kinross Council, has increased the minimum under-keel clearance for ships passing over the pipeline, and also recalibrated the Ribny tide gauge. The Council commissioned a study of options for improving navigational safety in the vicinity, and Shell UK commissioned a study to assess whether the stresses generated by vessels grounding on the pipeline were within acceptable limits.

OPEN all through the summer The watertight door in which a fitter on the ferry Eurovoyager was injured last November Picture: MAIB

also found that the door’s rate of closure was three times faster than allowed on ships built after 1992 — leaving him less than four seconds in which to get through it in a fully-opened state and only 0.3 seconds if opened half way. The MAIB said this was the fourth such accident it had investigated since 1991, and it was aware of at least six other recent accidents involving death or major injury as a result of personnel being trapped in watertight doors left in remote mode. The report notes the need to take a risk-based approach that balances safety with working routines and the access requirements of the crew, but points to a number of cases — including the loss of the Greek ferry Express Sam-

ina, with 82 lives — showing the importance of keeping doors closed at sea. The report makes a series of recommendations to authorities in Britain, Belgium and Cyprus to seek amendments to the existing international regulations, to improve the safety of operation of powered watertight doors and to improve the effectiveness of European Union inspections. The MAIB has also issued a special two-page safety ﬂyer to the industry, stressing the need for correct procedures to be followed when passing through watertight doors, for closure rates to be periodically checked, and for the remote mode to be used only in an emergency or during tests and drills.

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August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH&SAFETY

Seafarers â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;get more cancerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Checks urged after second crane collapse in port

Amost likely group of workers to develop cancer, a

Seafarers are the fourth

Fhas recommended urgent checks on Morris cranes after a unit

The Health & Safety Executive

Nordic study has concluded. The report looked at cancer cases among 15m people in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden, and put male waiters at the top of the list of occupations affected by the condition. The Swedish ofďŹ cersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union SBF said it was disturbed by the ďŹ ndings, which echoed its membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences â&#x20AC;&#x201D; particularly among engineers and for crew members working on car decks.

collapsed onto a containership in Southampton last month. The operator of the crane â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a twin boom rig with the cab suspended on rails â&#x20AC;&#x201D; suffered serious injuries after it failed at both uprights and collapsed onto the vessel NYK Themis during loading operations. The incident was the second at the port within the space of 18 months. Eleven ship-to-shore cranes were taken out of service last July while the

HSE carried out safety checks when a modiďŹ ed gantry crane collapsed onto the containership Kyoto Express. The HSE is investigating the cause of the latest incident, and last month urged ports with Morris cranes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially those with a tubular collared or sleeved backstay where ďŹ nal assembly has taken place on site â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to check the equipment. The crane involved in the latest incident was installed in 1993, and although it is believed there are few, if any, identical designs in the UK, there may be others worldwide. Picture: Maritime & Coastguard Agency

slept on Call for action on Crew as their ship cruiseship safety ran aground â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lessons for the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from roll incident that injured 77, says Union

Nautilus has raised renewed concern over the safety of large passengerships following the publication of a Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on a heavy weather incident involving a UKregistered vessel last July. Seventy-seven passengers and crew onboard the 47,546gt PaciďŹ c Sun were injured after the Princess Cruises vessel rolled by more than 30 degrees during gale force winds and high seas 200 miles NNE of North Cape, New Zealand. The vessel was on the ďŹ nal leg of an eight-day South PaciďŹ c cruise when it encountered the adverse conditions, and the MAIB report expresses concern that the vesselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s schedule â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;allowed the master very little ďŹ&#x201A;exibility to make up time lost due to the effects of bad weather or if the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s departure was delayedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. And it adds: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Although the master was not put under any pressure to arrive in Auckland sooner than was safe, the schedule had placed him in a difďŹ cult situation and it would have been natural for him to make every effort to arrive at the turnround port on time, or to limit the delay to a minimum.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Only one of the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two stabilisers was working at the time, with both due to be overhauled during a drydock period scheduled to take place a few weeks after the incident. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The malfunctioning port stabiliser did not directly contribute to the accident,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the report notes. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;However, PaciďŹ c Sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s master would have been better able to handle the rolling of the ship throughout the cruise if both stabilisers had been working.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Investigators said the master was also unaware that the active stabilising effect would be lost completely at speeds of less than 10 knots, and he also lacked information on the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vulnerability to either synchronous or parametric rolling in certain conditions.

The electrotechnical office onboard the Pacific Sun after the ship rolled by more than 30 degrees in heavy weather off New Zealand last July Picture: MAIB

Many of the injuries were caused by falls and contact with unsecured furnishings and loose objects in public rooms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including those designated as passenger muster stations. Some items that were meant to be permanently ďŹ xed broke free, including a grand piano, gaming machines in the casino and heavy ofďŹ ce equipment. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It was pure good fortune that some passengers and crew were not more seriously injured or killed by the unexpected movement of supposedly ďŹ xed heavy items,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the report states. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There are no SOLAS regulations to ensure that furnishings and equipment onboard passengershipsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; muster stations are secured and that no extraneous objects are placed there,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it adds. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The onus therefore lies with the operating company to decide on the appropriate degree to which furniture and other objects are secured in public areas on passenger vessels which have been

designated as muster stations.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The report points to other cruiseship incidents â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including the heeling of the Crown Princess and the PaciďŹ c Star accident â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that show how large passenger vessels may heel and roll for numerous reasons and, therefore, the importance of securing furnishings onboard. It also notes that the PaciďŹ c Sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main sat-C communications system collapsed when the ship rolled, tearing out connections and disabling the unit â&#x20AC;&#x201D; reducing the ofďŹ cersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to communicate effectively with external organisations and the company. The failure of the GMDSS HF and MF system before the accident had also limited the vesselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to communicate, the report adds, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;and might have had a detrimental effect had the situation deteriorated and further external communications been necessary.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The report notes that Princess Cruises has taken a number of

measures to improve safety in response to the incident, but it recommends that the company reviews the role of active stabilisers and develops a standard for securing furnishings and equipment in public spaces, as well as improving its heavy weather guidance. The report calls for the Cruise Lines International Association and the Passenger Shipping Association to develop a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;best practiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; industry guide on securing furnishings, and to highlight the lessons learned from the incident to their members. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the incident highlighted the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuing concerns over aspects of the design and operation of large passengerships. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There are some valuable lessons here, and we believe they merit the application right across the sector of the actions taken and the recommendations based on the conclusions of report.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

A ďŹ&#x201A;ag of convenience ship ran aground in the Baltic after the failure of repeated attempts by other vessels and shore-based authorities to wake its sleeping watchkeeper and other crew members. The chief officer, alone on the bridge, even managed to continue sleeping after the 7,582gt containership Karin Schepers grounded some 0.9m north of the Drogden dredged channel in the Baltic Sound in March. A pilot on a passing vessel tried to contact the ship on VHF Channel 16 and 71 after he noticed it had failed to make an expected manoeuvre. VTS officers also made a series of calls, and when these were not answered a pilot boat was sent out to sound its whistle in an attempt to rouse the crew. After the Antigua & BarbudaďŹ&#x201A;agged ship grounded, a pilot came onboard and found the chief officer still asleep on the bridge. Subsequent tests found he had a blood-alcohol content of 1,286 parts per 1,000. In a report on the incident, the Danish Maritime Authority also

noted that the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s master was found to be over the limit and that the bridge watch alarm system had been switched off. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It is remarkable that the watchkeeping AB or other crew members did not react to the turmoil around the ship and notiďŹ ed the master or watchkeeping officer before the ship grounded,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the report adds. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There seems to be lack of communication and cooperation onboard.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The officer had taken over the watch at 0350hrs, and was scheduled to hand over to the master at 0800. The last change of course had been timed at 0801 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 94 minutes before the Karin Schepers ran aground. DMA made a series of recommendations, including a call for the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operators â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Cyprusbased Marlow Shipping â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to ensure the drug and alcohol policy is complied with and to introduce procedures to ensure â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;optimalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; watchkeeping on the bridge. The vessel was sailing from Helsinki to Teesport at the time of the accident.

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14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports

Increase in accidents blamed on crew stress

DUTCH PATROLS: the Dutch army is planning to deploy surveillance aircraft to detect and fine polluting vessels. Starting this month, a number will be equipped with devices such as infra-red cameras, optical sensors, and special radars to monitor vessels operating off the country’s coast. The Dutch government checked 239 vessels in 2008, but expects that the number will be many times larger this year. EIMSKIP RESTRUCTURES: Iceland’s oldest shipping company, Eimskip, has announced a major restructuring plan in response to losses of more than €40m in the first quarter of the year. The company has also withdrawn from the Reykjavik stock exchange, sold the Finland-based boxship company Containersships, 50% of Euro Container Lines and its cold storage business in a bid to keep afloat. NORWEGIAN RULING: owners and unions in Norway have welcomed a court judgement that the government’s rule to force owners to pay as much as NKr11bn (£1bn) in back taxes is unconstitutional. Morten Øen, of the Norwegian Seamen’s Union, said members hoped the owners will use the money to ensure good jobs with Norwegian working terms and conditions. SUEZ PLOT: Egypt has arrested 26 people accused of plotting to attack oil pipelines and foreign ships in the Suez Canal. The detainees — 25 Egyptians and a Palestinian— subscribed to militant Islamist ideology and were in direct contact through the internet with ‘terrorist elements and organisations abroad’, the Interior Ministry said last month. BOSSES CUT: management at the Estonian ferry firm Tallink are planning to cut their own pay by 20% as part of a package of measures to cut losses. Tallink, which runs services in the Baltic, chalked up €40m losses in the nine months to the end of May, and is also looking at selling ships and scaling back services to improve revenues. RO-RO RENEWAL: the French army is renewing its ro-ro fleet, with five new ships for delivery from 2013. The vessels will be similar to the MN Pelican, MN Eclipse and MN Eider — the three ships it presently operates to transport freight and equipment — and will be built under a public-private sector partnership. SLOVAKIA SLAMMED: the European Commission has slammed Slovakia for not having correctly transposed the EU directive on ship inspection. The warning is the last element in a procedure before taking the landlocked central European country to the European Court of Justice. SWEDISH RE-FLAGS: Swedish owners have reflagged some ships and warned that others may leave the national register in the coming months as a result of the government’s failure to adopt a tonnage tax system. EVERGREEN SHEDS: the Taiwanese container shipping firm Evergreen has announced that it is withdrawing some 31 ageing ships from its fleet as a result of a decline in demand.

blamed for a sharp increase in A the number of ferry accidents in Seafarer stress is being

Pictured, left to right, with one of the new port of Manila minibuses are: Captain Wilson Noronha (Pacific Basin Manila); Revd Nicodemus Tuban (Sailors’ Society port chaplain), Captain Juan Carranza (crewing manager for Pacific Basin Manila) and Revd Jasper Del Rosario (port chaplain for Subic Bay/Olongapo)

Buses to boost Manila welfare H

Welfare visits to seafarers on ships in the busy Philippines port of Manila have been boosted with the donation of new minibuses for the Sailors’ Society charity. The company Paciﬁc Basin Shipping is funding the capital purchase and running costs of the buses for ﬁve years. The buses will ferry seafarers from the docks to the Seafarers’ Centre and to central Manila.

Jan Webber, director of fundraising and marketing for the Society, commented: ‘We are really grateful to Paciﬁc Basin for their support and as a sign of that appreciation the company logo features on the newly-purchased minibuses. ‘We know that the support is part of their corporate and social responsibility programme, which they take very seriously, and we

New checks costing jobs, say US unions Officer unions tell politicians that health and ID systems are not working

US officer unions have warned politicians that some their members are being prevented from working as a result of an ‘unfair and unworkable’ new medical review process. And representatives from the unions told a Congress committee hearing last month that the new US Coast Guard mariners’ credentials programme is ‘fraught with inefficiencies and inequities that are also interfering with mariners’ ability to work’. The unions described the Coast Guard’s unilateral modification of the medical review process as ‘misdirected and overly complex’ and said the USCG had underestimated the

number of mariners affected and the level of resources needed to process requests for waivers and medical applications. ‘It is absolutely unacceptable that any mariner should be out of work due solely to the failure of the system to adequately anticipate and plan for the problems we have experienced, especially after the agency was repeatedly warned that these problems were coming,’ the unions said. The unions also told the committee that there is widespread concern among members that the USCG is deliberately diminishing the professional standing of merchant marine ofﬁcers by eliminating the word ‘license’ from

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Norwegian waters. The officers’ union NSOF says the number of incidents of ships hitting quays has almost doubled this year, and argues that additional stress caused by crew reductions is the prime cause. Captain Hans Sande, of NSOF, said the sector is suffering from ﬁerce competition. ‘We’ve been through a period where many ferry routes have been put out to tender,’ he added. ‘The shipping companies have outdone each other in creativity to cut crews in order to save costs, and so be competitive. Now we see the result.’ Further concern about stress and excessive working hours was raised at the Nordic Ship Officers’ Congress in June. Resolutions agreed by representatives from six unions expressed opposition to any move to increase watchkeepers’ working hours, as well as highlighting problems of inadequate crewing on passenger vessels.

The new MSC Cruises’ vessel Splendida is pictured above following its christening by the film star Sophia Loren in the port of Barcelona last month. The 137,936gt vessel can carry more than 3,950 passengers and brings the number of ships in the MSC fleet up to 10.

regulations in favour of the terms ‘credential’ and ‘officer endorsement’. They pointed to widespread reports of mariners receiving their documents stripped of necessary endorsements, waiting for months to have their documents updated and receiving incorrect advice from the National Maritime Center helpdesk. ‘For mariners, licensing is not about metrics, action plans, surging resources or outreach to the industry. It is about their ability to maintain employment that provides for their families, maintains their health care and pension benefits, and allows them to advance in the seafaring profession,’ the unions testified.

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports

Danish union challenge to seafarer tax rules

GERMAN WAGES: the German shipowners’ association VDR has urged the country’s government to introduce a new net wage scheme to cut the costs of employing German seafarers. It says taking the German seafarers out of the income tax requirements would be in line with EU state aid guidelines and would help companies at a difficult time. VDR has also called for registration requirements for the national flag to be simplified.

European Court orders review of case claiming abuse of state subsidies by Andrew Draper

The Danish seafarers’ union 3F has welcomed an order for the European Union’s judicial system to reconsider its case that the Danish international ship register (DIS) constitutes illegal state subsidies for the employment of non-EU nationals as seafarers. The European Court ruled on 9 July that Danish 3F’s appeal should be heard. Its case was previously thrown out by the European Commission and European Court. Since DIS was introduced by law in 1988, the proportion of Danish seafarers serving within the Danish ﬂeet has dwindled, although absolute numbers have remained steady due to the growth in the ﬂeet.

Danish seafarers have been largely replaced by Filipinos, Poles and other nationalities —usually employed on local or ITF pay scales well below Danish ones. According to the Danish Shipowners’ Association, in 1990 Danish seafarers totalled 9,000 out of a total of 10,370 onboard ships in the country’s merchant ﬂeet. By 2008, there were only 9,424 of them out of a total of 16,206. Non-Scandinavian/EU seafarers have risen more than 400% in number during the same time. Under DIS, seafarers receive a salary net of tax but do not actually pay income tax. The amount that would be the tax element of the gross salary is kept by the owners as a government subsidy. 3F’s complaint is that this is

LEAK PROBED: Norwegian authorities launched an inquiry last month into the cause of an oil leak from the Bahamas-flagged cruiseship Spirit of Adventure, which is operated by the UK company Saga Cruises. Some three tonnes of diesel was reported to have leaked from the 9,570gt vessel in the Geiranger fjord nature reserve, but authorities said clean-up operations had been successful.

used to employ people never intended by the EU. Henrik Berlau, secretary for 3F’s transport section, says: ‘For us, it’s about the state subsidies the Danish government pays in the form of tax differences. It says in the state subsidy rules that the subsidies are for ensuring EU employment. You don’t get that by giving subsidies to Filipinos and Indians, and that’s why we brought our case. ‘What is happening is a swindle. They’re stealing from taxpayers and giving it to shipowners every day.’ g The EU has rejected a Danish attempt to alter tonnage tax that would allow owners not to have to provide ﬁnancial information on transactions with foreign associated companies.

TORM STORM: the Danish bulker and tanker operator Torm is to cut its shore-based workforce by 10% in a bid to save money. The company is also reorganising its fleet and crew management operations, and the Danish officers’ union SL has attacked companies seeking to ride out the recession by replacing its members with cheaper foreign seafarers. LIBERIAN CONTRACT: the Liberian Bureau of Maritime Affairs has announced that it has extended for a further 10 years the contract for the US-based company LISCR to operate its ship register. Liberia is the world’s second largest flag of convenience, with more than 3,000 ships of almost 90mgt on its books — the highest totals in its 60-year history.

France is boosting maritime training by 36%

CLASS CUTS: the German classification society Germanischer Lloyd is to slash 380 staff jobs, most of them in its maritime department. GL says the move follows falling demand for its classification services, both on new and delayed ship deliveries. About onethird of the job cuts are at the headquarters in Hamburg. HAPAG AID: the German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has said it may seek government support to help it survive the slump in trade. The company’s shareholders last month agreed to make an urgent injection of new finance following heavy losses caused by the economic downturn.

by Jeff Apter Students on the simulator at the Ecole Marine Marchande française in Le Havre Picture: Eric Houri

Atackling the worrying shortage of ships’ officers with an increased

French court imposes record fines for spills

intake to the country’s maritime academies over the last two years. Christian Guérin, chairman of the French shipowners’ association AdF, revealed that a total of 608 candidates signed up for courses at the country’s merchant navy schools last year — an increase of 36% over 2007 and up by 73% from the level of 2006. Mr Guérin said that the AdF was satisfied that careers in the maritime industry were now beginning to attract young people once again. g The future of the three French maritime academies located on the Atlantic seaboard — Le Havre, Nantes and St Malo — is under discussion as plans are afoot to combine them and the merchant navy academy at Marseilles into a single establishment. The Marseilles and Le Havre units specialise in across-the-board ‘academic’ courses, while the Nantes and St Malo schools are dedicated to more professional training. g The French government’s consultation process to formulate an updated maritime policy — including specific proposals to protect the sea and its resources — has ended. The main criticism is that the 18 regional meetings — involving all sides of the maritime sector including unions — which examined the findings of four round table groups were strictly controlled — leaving very little opportunity for different opinions to those advanced by the government. President Sarkozy is expected to make a statement on the findings during the summer.

Record fines have been imposed by the Brest maritime court for pollution in French waters. The court — which is gaining a reputation for the severity of the penalties it sets — has applied the terms of the latest anti-pollution law, passed in 2008, and handed down fines of €1m and €2m in two separate pollution cases. The prosecutor had asked for fines of respectively €700,000 and €300,000 against the master and operator of the ships in question, with 90% to be paid by the operator. The first case involved the

Egyptian freighter Al Esraa, accused of voluntary pollution after being caught red-handed by a customs aircraft on 29 September 2008. In the second case, the Greekowned, Liberia ﬂagged ro-ro Valentina was found guilty of pollution on 11 November last year after also being spotted by a customs aircraft. The maximum the court could have imposed under the 2008 law was €15m in each case, up from the previous limit of €1m. The previous record ﬁne imposed in a case of maritime pollution is €500,000.

Meanwhile, a Marseilles prosecutor has asked the court to fine the operator, owner and master of a Lithuanian-flagged general cargoship a total of €500,000 for pollution. The 998gt Eurika was spotted by a surveillance aircraft trailing a 500m- long slick of discoloured water in an ecological protection zone last July. The Liberian-flagged refrigerated cargoship Matterhorn remained in detention in Brest last month, where it was seized on 25 May following the failure of its Russian owner to pay a €300,000 bond to the court for suspected pollution.

FDanish-ﬂagged ferry Kanhave passing through the Pictured left is the new

Dover Straits on a delivery voyage at the end of June. The 4,250gt vessel is the ﬁrst of three double-ended ferries delivered by the G. Frantzis shipyard of Piraeus, for Samsotraﬁkken (Nordic Ferry Services). Picture: Fotoflite

French owners say they are

CAPACITY WARNING: Marnix van Overklift, the new president of the European Shipowners’ Association (ECSA), has warned that merchant tonnage over-capacity in the coming years could reach as much as 60%. STENA SALES: Stena Line has turned a page in its history with the sale of two of its HSS fast ferries — Discovery and Explorer — to Albamar of Venezuela, for use on services between the mainland and the island of Margarita. ORDERS CANCELLED: more than 560 orders for new ships have been cancelled in the first six months of this year, according to the classification society DNV.

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16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

YOUR LETTERS

What’s on your mind?

Shipmates

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 if you don’t want to be identified – 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, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or use head office fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusint.org

Wish you’d kept in touch with that colleague from work? visit www. nautilusint.org/ time-out and click on Shipmates Reunited.

[ STAR LETTER

World shipping community must stay united to combat criminalisation I am a member of The Company of Master Mariners of India, and write to appreciate your efforts pertaining to unlawful detention of Captain Glen Aroza, of the tanker Tosa, who has been detained in Hualien, Taiwan, since April 17 2009, after his ship was diverted by force from the high seas. The second officer, from Bangladesh, and a seaman from the Philippines, who were on watch at the relevant time, have also been detained. It was first alleged that the Tosa had collided with a Taiwanese fishing trawler in international waters, killing two fishermen. But inspections of the hulls of the trawler and the Tosa revealed no physical contact between them. It was then alleged that the 21.6m long and 100-ton trawler capsized due to the wake of the Tosa. Anyone with even a nodding acquaintance with ships and seas knows that it is impossible for a trawler of that size to capsize simply by the wake or waves created by a ship in calm seas (wind force was 5/6 on Beaufort scale) unless the trawler was inherently unstable and unseaworthy. The second officer was independently in charge of the navigation watch. Master’s written orders to give all vessels a wide berth and to be called in case of doubt, are on record. Since in his opinion, the Tosa passed the trawler at a safe distance, the second officer did not consider it necessary to inform the master. In light of this, the allegation against the master was changed to

‘involuntary manslaughter’, failure to render assistance and/or failure to train the second officer and the seaman on duty. No distress signal is recorded to have emanated from the trawler or from ashore. Therefore detention of and investigation against the master and crew of Tosa are patently illegal and without jurisdiction for the following reasons: z At all material times, the second officer was independently in charge of the navigation watch. The STCW Convention clearly provides that the duty officer remains fully responsible for safe navigation, even if the master is present on the bridge. z Tosa was on the high seas, well outside Taiwan’s territorial waters as defined by international law. There is no evidence of any contact between the trawler and the ship. Thus, Taiwanese authorities have no criminal or civil jurisdiction whatsoever. Tosa was forced into a Taiwanese port illegally, by an armed Taiwanese ship, with air support, against international law and accepted norms of civilised behaviour. z Article 92 of UNCLOS 1982 states: ‘Ships shall sail under the flag of one state only and… shall be subject to its exclusive jurisdiction on the high seas’. z Article 97 of UNCLOS further holds that ‘no arrest or detention of the ship, even as a measure of investigation, shall be ordered by any authorities other than those of the flag state’. In this case it is Panama.

z Article 1 of The International Convention for Unification of Certain Rules Relating to Penal Jurisdiction in Matters of Collision or Other Incidents of Navigation provides: ‘In the event of a collision or any other incident of navigation concerning a sea-going ship and involving the penal or disciplinary responsibility of the master or of any other person in the service of the ship, criminal or disciplinary proceedings may be instituted only before the judicial or administrative authorities of the State of which the ship was flying the flag at the time of the collision or other incident of navigation.’ Article 2 of the same convention further provides: ‘No arrest or detention of the vessel shall be ordered, even as a measure of investigation, by any authorities other than those whose flag the ship was flying.’ There is no doubt that a seafarer should be brought to book if he has done anything wrong, committed a crime or violated any international convention. But not innocent seafarers. Recently, two innocent Indian seafarers from the tanker Hebei Spirit were illegally detained in South Korea for over one and a half years. It is no exaggeration to say that these officers were released mainly because of the pressures brought about by the international shipping community. Even so, it took the better part of six months to get these two seafarers exonerated with the total loss of 18

months of their lives. What is worse is the fact that they were charged in Korea of criminal offences. Thus every time they need to travel abroad, they may have difficulty in getting visas to any country since the application form usually contains a question if the applicant has ever been charged of a criminal offence. That factor would always restrict their lives as seafarers who are required to travel abroad instantly to join a ship. Even though the Hebei Spirit case was a most distressing event, it brought the entire international maritime community together for the first time in history. This is of great significance today as our world depends on international shipping and international trade to keep the 6,000 million of us supplied with necessities of life. Hopefully we should never lose this newly acquired unity, to the advantage of seafarers who make this industry function smoothly and more often than not, are made scapegoats as a reward. The facts are more in favour of the three Tosa seafarers detained in Taiwan. But it would be naïve to expect Taiwanese authorities to abide by international law unless sufficient pressure is brought on it. It is time the maritime and shipping community worldwide joins hands once again in the way it did in the Hebei Spirit case, to bring justice to these seafarers and to stop countries around the world to criminalise seafarers at the drop of a hat. Capt. A.K. BANSAL LLB (Hons) Chennai

Have your say online TV journalist Last month we asked: Is the IMO right to rule speaks up for out the arming of seafarers in response to the Seafarers UK threat of piracy? Yes 45% No 45% Not sure 10%

This month’s poll asks: Is the International Maritime Employers’ Committee right to seek a 10% pay cut for seafarers on FoC ships? Please give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

The television journalist Kate Adie spoke up for the work of seafarers during a special maritime charity fund-raising evening in London on 24 June. Ms Adie was the principal guest and speaker at the Seafarers’ Midsummer Night Gala, which was held under Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and attended by the current and former shipping ministers Paul Clark and Jim Fitzgerald and guests from leading shipping and defence companies. She made a heartfelt speech about the signiﬁcance the maritime industry has had on her life — from growing up in Sunderland to her times onboard Merchant Navy and Royal Navy vessels. She also spoke fondly of spending three weeks on a tug in the Arabian Gulf with an ex-trawler skipper from Lowestoft and his son during the 1980s ‘tanker war’ and how the RN and the Marines have always been extremely helpful and tolerant of disorganised journalists. ‘Though times have changed,’ she added, ‘there is still a huge sense of pride in our seafarers, we are still an island, nothing changes that, and we need our ships and we need our seafarers. It is important our seafarers are supported and helped, which I hope this evening will go towards contributing to.’ Auctions and a rafﬂe at the event raised almost £30,000 for the Seafarers UK and director-general Commodore Barry Bryant, said: ‘The evening

Picture: Andrew Wiard

Your chance to represent the MN at Albert Hall The Merchant Navy Welfare Board would like to hear from any seafarer who has been involved at sea during wartime, or in a conflict and would be prepared to take part in this year’s Festival of Remembrance at the Albert Hall, London. The Festival is due to take place on Saturday 7 November and, as in previous years, the Board is seeking four persons to represent the Merchant Navy. Any person willing to undertake this should understand that rehearsals start on the Friday 6 November, continue on the Saturday morning and are followed by two performances later in the day. This is a full programme and therefore requires a reasonable level of fitness to participate. The Board will cover reasonable travel costs for participants and arrange hotel accommodation for those living outside London. g Anyone interested should contact Rebecca Stanley, PA to Chief Executive, 30 Palmerston Road, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1LL. Tel: 02380 337799. Email: becky@mnwb.org.uk REBECCA STANLEY PA to the Chief Executive Merchant Navy Welfare Board

was a great success and we were delighted by the support of all our guests who entered into the auction spirit with great gusto. In times of hardship it is fantastic to see people will still get behind our seafarers and show them support. We are already looking forward to next year’s event.’

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August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

MN should match the RN in efforts to promote careers I was recently asked, in my pub, about my job by a person that was going to an interview with the Royal Navy. He wanted to know about my job as he had overheard my brother and I talking about it. He had never heard of the Merchant Navy before, which did not really surprise me as I live in a farming community. I told him that I would find him some information and then he would be able to make his own mind up. So I got him some of the Sea Sense stickers that have been given to me by the Union and I found him some websites. A week later I was talking to him and the landlord. They both went on to tell me that they had seen adverts on television, newspapers such as the Sun, billboards and seen leaflets in schools for the Royal Navy, but they had never seen a single advert or anything to do with the Merchant Navy. I then told them that they do have adverts on television in Scotland but not England and Wales. Also they

advertise in nautical colleges and in the Union paper. I informed them that there is a worldwide shortage of seafarers, so at present we are in great demand. I also said that I have always been told by colleges and companies that everyone really wants British seafarers. The advertising that I have mentioned for the Merchant Navy seems to be aimed at people that already know it exists, or are already in a carer in the MN. My question to you, that I am finally getting to, is if companies want to employ us and the government wants us around for strategic reasons, why is it they are not advertising like RN do in newspapers, billboards, talks at schools and leaflets to encourage young people to join the Merchant Navy? ALEX HAMMOND mem no 186301

g Some new work is being done to promote the industry in schools, as our article on pages 20-21 shows — the editor.

telegraph STAFF editor: Andrew Linington production editor: June Cattini reporters: Mike Gerber Sarah Robinson web editor: Matthew Louw ADVERTISING Century One Publishing Ltd Arquen House, 4-6 Spicer Street St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 4PQ Sales: Oliver Kirkman tel: +44 (0)1727 739 184 fax: +44 (0)1727 893 895 email: ollie@centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk website: www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advice before entering into any commitments such as investments (including pension plans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation and Nautilus International cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financial services or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problems with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.

Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

ISSN 0040 2575

Keep DSVs in SED scheme I read with interest and disappointment the article on the SED in the latest Telegraph. Having been a seafarer for over 30 years and now employed on a diving support vessel, currently working in the Far East, it would appear from the article that the DSV is still regarded as a stationary structure. I totally agree that items such as the Pride South America should not be regarded as a ship but the DSV should. It is ‘mobile’ while on operational duty and fully capable of making long transit passages. However, it could be well argued that if the DSV is using a

mooring system that the vessel becomes immobile. I am now totally confused by this article. There are several personnel on the DSV on which I work that subscribe to one of the tax compilation companies. One such company is informing those seafarers that the exclusion ruling does not apply to them and to carry on submitting their details. From my understanding of the article the DSV is still exempted from the SED claims. The DSV, while working remains fully mobile to move about the worksite and from one worksite to another, unless

tethered by a mooring system. I do not see how this vessel can be included in the exclusions. It is my opinion that the ‘project staff’ who board the vessel for each speciﬁc diving operation and who are not ‘seafarers’, but have managed to acquire discharge books, should not be included in the SED scheme. These personnel can outnumber the actual marine staff by over 300%. Perhaps the government could introduce a ruling that a vessel can be classed as a ship by the speed of which it is capable. Furthermore, those entitled to claim must be ‘signed on’ the vessel’s articles.

I feel the time will come when DSV marine staff (those with discharge books and signed on the vessel articles) will look toward other vessels where a lower salary is earned but that enable the SED to be claimed. It can be said that the responsibility and stress on such vessels would undoubtedly be less. My own experience would support this. The hours worked by some personnel transferring would also be much less! I hope that the discussions between Nautilus and the new shipping minister will include the removal of the DSV from the exemption list and wonder if we shall ever see an explanation of the rules that could be submitted for a ‘Plain English’ award! mem no 0163728

NAUTILUS OFFICIAL PETER MCEWEN COMMENTS: The Union ﬁrmly believes that seafarers should get SED, regardless of the type of vessel they are serving on. The HMRC guidelines were badly worded and we have met Treasury ministers and ofﬁcials to seek to clear up inconsistencies. The rules affecting DSVs were also discussed, and we are inviting members to contribute evidence to support our case . g see article on page 9.

Rights for seafarers It is important that our marine community worldwide is provided with reasonable and civilised protection, as they are involved in a real support for the sustainable development of our ocean planet. The best way for shore-based communities to support them is to ensure they have similar rights as, for example, air crews. On this point, captains onboard large ships are not as well paid as aircraft captains, even though I do believe a ship’s captain does as important a job, and perhaps more so, onboard cruiseships with many thousand passengers and many crew. The civilised development of our planet will be best served with a proper structure and respect for law of the sea. With proper support, the matter of piracy can be become history and with it FOCs. With regard to the security of seafarers worldwide, in many cases it is racism and discrimination, due to not having up to date maritime centres ashore. The UN Convention on the law of the sea would be best served by maritime facilities ashore that would include an international maritime court to ensure respect for the law and the people it represents, within a modern port system. The worldwide maritime industry should be allowed to develop the best possible port facilities in the developed world and support the developing world, bringing it up to a reasonable standard to ensure the civilised process of law is applied. The essential maritime industry worldwide cannot develop to its full potential until shore-based facilities are brought up to a similar standard that one would expect onboard a well managed maritime unit. JOHN J. GALLAGHER mem no 194448

Published by Nautilus International Printed by College Hill Press Limited 37 Webber Street, London SE1 8QW.

GENERAL SECRETARY Mark Dickinson MSc (Econ) HEAD OFFICE Oceanair House 750–760 High Road Leytonstone, London E11 3BB tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 www.nautilusint.org NETHERLANDS OFFICE Schorpioenstraat 266 3067 KW Rotterdam Postbus 8575, 3009 AN Rotterdam tel: +31 (0)10 4771188 fax: +31 (0)10 4773846 NORTHERN OFFICE Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 DEPARTMENT EMAILS general: enquiries@nautilusint.org membership: membership@nautilusint.org legal: legal@nautilusint.org Telegraph: telegraph@nautilusint.org industrial south: industrialsouth@nautilusint.org industrial north: industrialnorth@nautilusint.org central services: centralservices@nautilusint.org welfare: welfare@nautilusint.org professional and technical: protech@nautilusint.org Nautilus International also administers the NUMAST Welfare Funds and the J W Slater Fund, which are registered charities.

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

YOUR LETTERS

Please don’t neglect the Mission’s vital work I was disappointed to read your front page article ‘Slump hits maritime charities’ (July 2009), wherein you failed to mention the Mission to Seafarers — a much underestimated Christian charity. My husband and I, when he was then chief officer, had good reason to be grateful to the Flying Angel. We were put ashore in Durban to get him into hospital and the ship sailed on. Since that time I have fund-raised for the Mission to support their efforts to give practical help to seafarers in the least attractive ports of the world. Last weekend, when Anglicans celebrated Sea Sunday for the Mission to Seafarers our parish raised £500 with a fish and chip supper and quiz evening. Mrs Blair drew your attention to Sea Sunday, but again you did not mention that all Christian missions work together and often share premises. Please rectify this neglect of a worthy much loved seafarers’ charity. MRS JACKIE PETERSON (wife of retired ship master and Numast member Ian Peterson)

Conditions survey Life at sea; better or worse? Take part in the ‘Conditions for Change’ Survey at nautilusint.org

Chairman is honoured for his work HMS Conway moves to dock in July 1937

A few more tributes due for former HMS Conway cadets Picture: Mark Pinder

Council chairman John Epsom is pictured after he was presented with the Nautilus Award when he stepped down from the post at the end of the Union’s Biennial General Meeting. Brian Orrell, who retired as general secretary at the same time, handed over a decanter to Mr Epsom as a mark of tribute to his hard work and sacriﬁce in his many years serving on the Union’s governing body. ‘John was not only the longestserving Council chairman, but also a highly committed individual who was deeply involved in the work of the Union for some 30 years,’ said Mr Orrell. ‘He participated in many important international meetings, including involvement in the crew accommodation regulations and the development of the Maritime Labour Convention,’ he added.

Mr Epsom first went to sea in 1964, serving an engineering cadetship with the New Zealand Shipping Company. He went on to serve with companies including Offshore Marine, Wimpey Marine, Salvesen Offshore, Atlantic Steam Navigation, and Stena Line. He became involved with the Union as a ships’ liaison officer in 1979 and first joined the MNAOA Council in 1982. At one stage, he was forced to stand down when told he could not be promoted to a chief engineer’s position. However, once promoted he regained his place on Council. ‘This was a sign of John’s determination to represent members, and he gave up many hours of his free time to do so,’ Mr Orrell said. ‘He was a passionate advocate for the rights of seafarers, and a very worthy winner of the Union’s most prestigious award.’

Michael Howorth’s article in the July Telegraph left an impression in some minds that the only ‘Old Conway’ fighting for seafarers’ rights within this Union was the man generally credited with being its founder, Captain William Coombes. However, others later became prominent in the Union under its successive names as one organisation or another was absorbed. Eric Nevin (Conway 1946-48) worked as a national officer for 15 years, dealing with safety at sea — including new training schemes for cadets — and negotiating legal cases for unfortunate officers when that became necessary usually with the advice of the appointed solicitor. Mr Nevin took the fight for seafarers to Geneva and Brussels after the elected Council voted for him to be the general secretary in 1974, a position of trust he held until his retirement in 1989 and all through the difficult anti-union years of the Thatcher decade. During this period he managed to arrange the absorption of several officers’ societies, including the MMSA, into what was still basically Capt Coombes’s creation. Other Old Conways also played a significant role during those 30 years. G.W. (Bill) Wilson(1946-48) was a national official for 27 years, during which he had a spell as general secretary of the Hong Kong Officers’ Guild. Derek Bond also spent two years on Conway, and spent 32 years serving with the MNAOA, MMSA and NUMAST before retiring as

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Collect up to £15,000 to help your studies… Are you a Merchant Navy rating considering career progression? The JW Slater Fund, administered by Nautilus International, offers awards of up to £15,000 to help ratings study for a first certificate of competency. And there is a discretionary bonus of £1,000 on obtaining an approved OOW Certificate. Over the past decade alone, Slater Fund awards have been given to more than 800 individuals. Named in honour of former MNAOA general secretary John Slater, the awards are made to selected UK-resident ratings aged 20 or over.

The money can be used towards the costs of any necessary full- or part-time education, and to provide some financial support during college phases for those off pay. Nautilus International is now inviting applications for the 2009 awards. If you want to make the next move, don’t leave things to chance — fill in the form on the right, or apply via

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deputy general secretary in 1995. Michael Howorth’s piece was good. Well done to him, but it was written for this Union’s magazine and as such seems a bit bare on recognition of an Old Conway being on the bridge of this Union. mem no 051260 I read with interest in the July Telegraph the feature about Conway’s tradition upheld, and found it most interesting. I was not a Conway cadet myself, and went straight away to sea as a cadet. But one of my relations, a first cousin quite a few years older than I, spent two years in Conway in the 1920s. His name was Captain John de Garis (as he ended) and the main reason I am writing is because he entered Conway at the age of 14, obtained his second mater’s certificate at the age of 19 (the earliest possible) and his master’s certificate at the age of 23. He was born in Guernsey, but settled in Widness. He joined the Clan Line after Conway, and remained with them all through his sea career until he received his command. Because of his continuous service with one company, I think he should have been mentioned in the Telegraph. Capt F. LE MESSURIER mem no 312331

CHIRP wants your comments for review of its work The Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) promotes maritime safety by following up reports of hazardous incidents/near-misses. Reports are treated with strict confidence and the identity of the reporter is never disclosed. Provided that the reporter agrees, we publish dis-identified summaries of selected reports in our quarterly newsletter, CHIRP Maritime Feedback. Nautilus helps us distribute this by inserting it in the Telegraph. It can also be accessed via our website, www.chirp.co.uk . The reports come from professional mariners, leisure sailors, fishermen and members of the public. They cover a wide spectrum of subjects, as you can read in the newsletter. We receive advice from the CHIRP Maritime Advisory Board which has senior representatives from a range of organisations, including Nautilus (senior national secretary Allan Graveson).

The Maritime Programme is sponsored by the UK Department for Transport as part of their commitment to improving maritime safety. Although we are governed by an independent Board of Trustees, the Department does need to be assured that the Programme is fulfilling its objectives and is cost-effective. For this reason, the Programme is subject to an independent periodic review. The next review is scheduled to be conducted this autumn. g As part of this review, we are inviting comments from members of the wide maritime community, including, of course, Nautilus members. If you wish to give your views about CHIRP, you can do so via our website www.chirp.co.uk or by e-mail to confidential@chirp. co.uk or by letter to the address in our newsletter. CHRIS ROWSELL Director (Maritime) CHIRP

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

SAFETY Nautilus Council member and marine surveyor Ulrich Jurgens takes issue with a court judgement on a challenge to the detention of a cruiseship affected by a norovirus outbreak...

The cruiseship Marco Polo in Invergordon last month during a norovirus outbreak Picture: Press Association

A suitable case for detention? A

A controversial legal ruling has served to undermine the confidence of Maritime & Coastguard Agency surveyors and port state control inspectors in determining what is a ‘dangerously unsafe’ ship, a new study by a Nautilus International Council member warns. In the first case of its kind for a century, the High Court partly upheld a challenge by the owners of a cruiseship which had been detained for two days in 2006 following an inspection by a Maritime & Coastguard Agency surveyor. The surveyor detained the Marshall Islands-flag Van Gogh under section 95 of the Merchant Shipping Act following an outbreak of norovirus on two previous cruises, which had affected around 100 passengers and crew during the previous seven-day voyage. The director of public health had advised that the vessel should remain docked for 48 hours to monitor the ship and the crew. The vessel’s owners, Club Cruise Entertainment, tried to claim for compensation under the tort of conversion. A trial of the preliminary issues took place in June 2008, to consider:

z must a surveyor have ‘reasonable grounds’ for considering a ship to be dangerously unsafe for the purposes of section 95? z was the form of the detention notice sufﬁcient in law for the purpose of a valid detention? z did the surveyor wrongfully interfere with the ship and does the court have power to order statutory compensation under section 97 of the Act? veyor did not follow the law, D in that he misjudged what the

The court ruled that the sur-

Case law does not seem to offer much clarification of the term dangerously unsafe — ULRICH JURGENS

“ term ‘dangerously unsafe’ ship meant, and therefore he acted unreasonably. In an article in the latest issue of Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly (LMLQ), Nautilus Council member Ulrich Jurgens — a MCA surveyor — takes issue with the ruling, and argues that the surveyor had acted ‘perfectly reasonably’ on the advice from the public health authority. Under the Merchant Shipping Act, a dangerously unsafe ship is one that is deemed to be ‘unﬁt to go on a voyage without serious danger to human life’.

However, Mr Jurgens writes, ‘case law does not seem to offer much clarification of the term “dangerously unsafe” — so that there is no real general understanding of it, although another case had ruled that a surveyor is ‘best able to determine the fitness or unfitness of a particular vessel to go to sea’. His article states: ‘The key question would be whether a norovirus outbreak could involve “serious danger to human life”. It would appear that the judge did not consider the impact of both sick crew and passengers to be of

”

enough significance to hold that the vessel was “dangerously” unsafe. ‘Although the judgment does not definitively decide that a vessel cannot be dangerously unsafe when affected by norovirus, the total of 6% of crew affected by the illness was apparently not enough for such a classification,’ he explains. ‘More detailed evidence was not available to the judge, but it would appear that the risk for more crew to be infected by the virus was relatively high as crew quarters on old cruise ships are usually very cramped with small, shared cabins and communal toilets and bathrooms which would appear to be an ideal environment for passing on the virus.’ Had the ship departed on the scheduled day without being properly decontaminated, he argues, ‘it would seem to have posed an uncalculated risk to unsuspecting, and particularly old, passengers, and so far uninfected crew’. A significant outbreak of the infection onboard could have ‘seriously jeopardised’ safety in the event of an emergency, Mr Jurgens points out. ‘Irrespective of rank, nearly

every crew member is required to assist and guide passengers in case of emergency before looking after themselves. This assistance and guidance is based on the assumption that all but a very few of the crew members are available in emergencies and that passengers are usually able to move about freely. ‘If 15% of all passengers require active assistance by a reduced number of crew, the risk for a safe emergency evacuation of everybody on board would seem to have increased dangerously.’ Similarly, if a significant number of crew were affected by the norovirus, there could be problems in manning lifeboats, his article adds. On these grounds, Mr Jurgens suggests, ‘it would seem to be clearly arguable that the Van Gogh was a “dangerously unsafe” ship. Even if, after evaluating all facts, it would eventually be concluded that that was not the case it seems that there was evidence that the inspector was fully justified in his opinion at the time of the detention.’ issued against the Van Gogh D was brought under the 1995 The first detention notice

Cruise called off after outbreak A 74-year-old passenger died and five others had to be hospitalised after an outbreak of norovirus onboard the Bahamas-flagged cruiseship Marco Polo in UK waters last month. Some 380 of the 769 passengers and 40 of the 340 crew on the 22,080gt ship were reported to have suffered symptoms of the virus during a 10-day cruise round the UK and Ireland. The cruise had to be abandoned and the vessel was forced to return to Tilbury. Operator Transocean Tours, of Bremen, said passengers would be refunded and offered 50% discounts on future cruises. The company said the death of the passenger appeared to be related to an apparent heart attack rather than the virus, and added that the vessel would be ‘deep-cleaned’ before the next voyage, a 12-night Baltic cruise. However, Transocean Tours was questioned by the London Port Health Authority over an alleged failure to report earlier norovirus cases. LPHA director Jon Averns commented: ‘This unfortunate incident illustrates why masters of ships are required to notify us of any suspected infectious diseases aboard a ship prior to it arriving in London — and this is a matter that we take very seriously.’ Merchant Shipping Act on the grounds of non-compliance because of the outbreak of norovirus on the previous two cruises. A second notice had explained how more than 100 passengers and crew had been affected on the last seven-day cruise, and referred to advice from the Director of Public Health that the vessel should remain docked for 48 hours to monitor the crew and the ship. After having been questioned by the cruise company’s solicitor the MCA subsequently sought to justify the detention by reference to the Merchant Shipping (Health and Safety at Work) Regulations 1997. Mr Jurgens says there is a problem with the way in which the court’s ruling implies that surveyors need to know all the standards and requirements against which non-conformities are determined and detention notices issued — something that is impractical given that there are more than 200 sets of merchant shipping regulations. ‘Whether or not the surveyor had in mind the wording and the speciﬁc requirements of the health and safety regulations, he would certainly have been aware that the norovirus posed a direct health threat to people on board of the Van Gogh and an indirect threat to the safety of passengers, crew and ship in an emergency,’ he points out. ‘It seems somewhat incongru-

ous to allow a surveyor to make a general reference to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, which will be of little or no help to the master or owner, but to criticise the MCA for a later attempt to clarify that reference,’ he adds. ‘Although a detention can have serious commercial consequences for an owner, it is regularly used instead of prosecution, and is a very important weapon in the armoury of a surveyor.’ However, Mr Jurgens argues, ‘the result of the decision seems to be that on the one hand a surveyor does not need to identify the number of the section or regulation under which he is detaining the ship, but on the other hand he will have to have in mind as a minimum “what standards the regulations require”.’ ance with the ﬂexibility D and clarity of normal health and Such an approach is at vari-

safety practice, he adds, undermining the ability of the surveyor to take an objective approach to the detention of a ship. But Mr Jurgens does welcome one aspect of the court ruling — the decision to reject the cruise company’s time-barred claim for compensation. ‘Time bar provisions are well known in health and safety law,’ he points out, ‘so shipowners and operators must be aware that this time bar has been set deliberately short, in order that disputes can be sorted out quickly.’

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

MEMBERS AT WORK

I accidently fell into “ the Merchant Navy

Back to school — with a message about the MN

because a friend here said he’d heard about the Merchant Navy

”

You can’t get much further from the sea than Walsall. But that was the venue last month for one of a series of pilot school visits to promote seafaring careers. MIKE GERBER went along…

Mick Caulkin, one of the voluntary ‘careers at sea ambassadors’ under a Merchant Navy Training Board scheme, steps out before an assembly of sixth form students. There must be not far short of 100 students in the hall at Aldridge School Science College, where Mick is about to give a presentation on a working life on the ocean wave in the commercial shipping sector, and on the shoreside opportunities. A career that it is exceedingly unlikely any of these students will have considered. Aldridge, you see, is near Walsall, in the West Midlands — deﬁnitely landlubbers’ territory. Still, in Britain you are never more than about 70 miles from the sea, and Mick himself, who grew up in Aldridge and was educated at the very same school, is walking/talking proof that, after a lifetime’s

rewarding career in shipping, it is something these young people should at least think about. He is one of 17 or so ‘ambassadors’ — all with seafaring experience — who have been taking part in what is presently a pilot scheme, giving presentations at schools and other places, such as youth clubs, where young people gather. The experiences Mick and the other pioneers feed back will help MNTB tweak the scheme before it is rolled out nationally from September and the call goes out for further ambassadors. It is the lunch break when Mick and I arrive at the school — 45 minutes till presentation-time. Freeha Khalid, the teacher in charge of Year 12 — the sixth form’ as we still archaically persist in calling it — greets us. She and Sophie, the head prefect, escort us to a vacant classroom where the

Almost 100 sixth form students turned up to hear MN careers at sea ‘ambassador’ Mick Caulkin make a presentation at the Alridge School Science College near Walsall last month

school has laid on some refreshment for we weary travellers. Two other students enter, Tom and Annie, the sixth form head boy and girl. ‘My dad was in the Navy,’ says Tom. ‘The Royal Navy?’ Mick asks him. Tom ponders about it: ‘It would have been.’ ‘Is there a difference then?’ Annie wonders. ‘There is,’ says Mick. ‘It’s one of the things I want to get across.’

The fact that Mick went to sea was pure chance, he tells us. ‘I was at school here, at Aldridge Grammar School, as it was called, from 1966 to 1972 doing A levels I hated and no idea about what career. ‘I accidently fell into the Merchant Navy because a friend here said he’d heard about the Merchant Navy and he was going up to Liverpool because he had to have an eyesight test. ‘So this guy went up to Liverpool and said did I want to come

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with him for the day out. He took the eyesight test and failed, and the bloke doing the test said to me, “You might as well do it as well.” ‘I passed it, and he said,“They’re looking for smart young men like you”, and he gave me a form to ﬁll in, which was for Shell — oil tankers — and within a month, I’d had an interview and been accepted by Shell, and was at Plymouth, as a cadet. ‘So it was a highly accidental career path,’ he admits. ‘It was probably born out of a desire to do something exciting and get away from home.’ Mick was at sea for about 15 years, working on tankers, cargoships, bulkers and ferries for various companies.‘I slowly but surely worked my way through the system and ranks, and I eventually sailed as captain on small bulk carriers.’ He took a degree in nautical studies at Plymouth then worked in a succession of maritime shore jobs, including in New Zealand and Australia before returning to Britain where he worked for the MCA for seven years as a ship inspector and examiner. ‘In 2001, I and some colleagues left the MCA and set up our own consultancy called regs4ships in Southampton, which helps ships and shipping companies comply with regulations.’ In an abbreviated form, this is the story he repeats from the stage to the assembly of sixth formers during the presentation. ‘I’m delighted to be here,’ he starts. Despite years living away from where he grew up, and no longer having any ties there, he has still retained something of a West Midlands accent, and that, along with his amiable, easygoing and avuncular manner, no doubt helps him connect with the sea of young faces that look up at him. ‘It’s a career option you might not have heard about — especially here in the Midlands. I came up here from Southampton — at least we see ships on a day to day basis, they come in and out of Southampton, they’re in the news.’

Mick explains the difference between the Royal and Merchant Navy: ‘Britain’s an island nation; 75% of everything we eat, drink, wear, drive, play with, comes in and out on ships — containerships, cargoships, passengerships, ferries, oil tankers — they’re all what is called the Merchant Navy. Possibly a career option you’ve not heard about.

It’s a “ career

option you might not have heard about

”

‘There’s a shortage at the moment,’ he continues. ‘That is good news for people trying to get into an exciting, well paid career. It is paid training, as a trainee cadet. Basically it’s a trainee manager, three years, you get paid for that. It’s not huge, about £500 a month, but that’s pocket-money, everything else is paid for. So it’s different from other career choices like going to university because you have no student debt, and during your training, and afterwards, you have the opportunity to travel.’

The training, he points out, is ‘good, interesting’, half spent in college, half at sea. ‘After three years you qualify with a licence, to be an engineer officer if you’re interested in the engineering and technical side, or a licence to be a deck officer. They’re the two main career streams, because you need officers to operate and navigate the

A group of female students stayed on to ask Mick more questions about life at sea. Two students later decided to look into the career more closely, and their teacher has asked Mick to come back to the school every year

ship, and officers to manage and make all the technical systems on the ship work. ‘And there are some careers for technical officers, who perhaps work on cruiseships where they have huge technical systems — audio-visual systems and the like. ‘I have friends whose sons have gone into the Merchant Navy,’ Mick adds. ‘The two young lads I know, they’re 22, and they’re just starting to climb the ladder with ranks. They’re both on £32-33,000 a year, tax-free. That’s a lot of money for a 22 or 23-year-old.’ And there are lots of further opportunities, he points out. ‘Many people go to sea for a few years and then their career develops elsewhere — the maritime industry is a major global industry, it supports the development and growth and trade of the world. So the jobs aren’t just on ships — although that’s where they’re needed — they’re in ports, in insurance, in the finance industry, the consulting industry, inspections safety, training, lecturing, and so on.’ Mick then puts on the CD-ROM film the MNTB has developed, Careers at Sea: A Taste for Adventure, a lively introduction to the industry and what it’s like to train for and work in it. The film, with its punchy rock instrumental soundtrack, was made mainly with young people in mind — the very demographic the industry most needs to attract. Mick pauses the film so he can punctuate the narrative with his own comments. ‘Those containers will be stuffed full of your trainers, your widescreen TVs, food, clothes — everything you could possibly think of in your house, much of it would have come from abroad in a container. ‘There,’ he indicates on the screen, ‘are some typical trade routes from the UK. The young man I know who started six months ago on a small containership, joined his first ship somewhere here in Singapore, then spent four months around Indonesia, India, around to Dubai, and

It’s a cracking career

“

”

then back around the east coast and west coast of Africa, and ﬂew home from Durban. An interesting trip, fairly typical. ‘My ﬁrst trips I spent around Japan, and the next few ships were around the Caribbean, and over the years I’ve been pretty well everywhere — not Russia, not China, but pretty well everywhere else.’

Freezing the ﬁlm again, Mick informs the students: ‘Part of what you learn is man-management — you have to learn to manage people, the crew. They tend to be experienced sailors from other parts of the world, typically the Philippines or China or eastern Europe. They’re mature, experienced, but they’re looking to you for leadership. You have to communicate with them, get across what you want doing, and doing it safely.’ The ﬁlm shows how sophisticated modern ships are; Mick points to the screen, says: ‘Young

lady — cadet, trainee officer, just one stripe there — navigating the ship. Chart display, so you can see where you’re going, engine controls, radar screen.’ He also explains how rapid can be the road to promotion to captain or chief engineer. ‘It’s a cracking career,’ says a beaming young Geordie seafarer on the film. Mick has to cut the film short because the school was only able to allocate 25 minutes for his presentation. On the qualifications needed to get cadetship training, Mick concludes: ‘You can do it with A levels. You don’t have to have A levels, but if you start with A levels, you end up in the HND stream and the foundation degree stream. After your three years, you will come out with your junior officer’s licence and a foundation degree, and you can go on to do the extra year, and most people would now, to turn your foundation degree into an honours degree. And you progress up the route by serving your time at sea, you take another exam and you progressively get a licence that enables you to sail at a higher rank until you are a captain — like what I was — or a chief engineer. ‘Are there any questions?’ None. Silence. Freeha prompts her students:

‘No? No questions, are you sure?’ Still none. She invites the students to pick up brochures and copies of the CD-ROM ﬁlm which Mick has brought along, and I take the opportunity to leave some copies of the Telegraph and various Nautilus campaign leaﬂets. Freeha calls an end to the meeting. As the audience claps, she tells the sixth formers: ‘So if you are unsure about which career pathway to go into, this is one option that you guys can possibly go into.’ Mick adds: ‘If you want to ask me some questions about it, happy to answer, just send me an email. My 17-year-old son is going to do this, and I’m delighted, because it’s a good career and hopefully he’ll stick at it. And,

whatever you do, best of luck.’ The assembly ebbs away like the tide, but not quite. Three female students stay behind to ask Mick some questions. ‘Do you get to stay in places sometimes, like it’s not all travelling?’ asks one. ‘Like, you get a week off?’ ‘When you’re not on ship, you’re on leave,’ Mick tells her. ‘So you go home then or you go and have a holiday in the south of France. So very often, instead of going home immediately, say in Durban, you stay there for a week. And then you ﬂy home. ‘But it depends what sort of ship you’re on, because they go all over the world. Or you might go on a cross-Channel ferry, and all you ever do is Dover-Calais, and that’s not very exciting, but you’re home every two weeks. So you have to look at what you want and ﬁnd a company that suits you.’ The Telegraph asks Steve Bowyer, head of business at the school, about career prospects for young people in the region. The investment in career services is the best in the country outside London, he says, but adds: ‘Unemployment is on the rise faster in the West Midlands. I think it’s faster than the north-east now, because most of the manufacturing base is in the area, and it’s based on the car industry.’

Before we depart, Freeha tells Mick that she would like to run the event every year. Mick agrees. He learned about the Ambassadors’ initiative through reading about it in the Telegraph.

Scheme to go g national CAREERS AT SEA AMBASSADORS

re a new Would you like to inspi generation of seafarers? please fill out the details

overleaf

Does it sometimes feel as though the British public has no idea what your job involves? Are you worried about where the next generation of maritime professionals will come from? Amazingly for an island nation, there are schoolchildren all around the country who have barely heard of seafaring and would never think of choosing a maritime career.

g Training Board is lookin The Merchant Navy ry the shipping indust for volunteers from and send it to: the reverse of the leaflet pilot project please fill in t Navy Training Board, To volunteer for the initial Co-ordinator, The Merchan Beth Richmond, Careers EC1M 6EZ Carthusian St, London Carthusian Court, 12 mond@mntb.org.uk us the information at: beth.rich Alternatively, you can email

Come onboard!

Mick Caulkin showed the students a specially-produced Merchant Navy Training Board film about maritime careers

‘I was keen to assist, so volunteered.’ He wanted to ‘give something back’. Before today’s excursion to the Midlands, he had given presentations to schools in the Southampton and Winchester region, he tells the Telegraph. ‘This was way better. At one of the others I only had two people turn up, and that was a Southampton one. Southampton’s a major maritime centre, and if the sixth form colleges there can’t attract an audience, then it just shows the type of struggle that we’ve got to sell the Merchant Navy as a career.’ Did he think that the poor Southampton turnout was because young people there thought they already knew all about the Merchant Navy? ‘No, I think it’s complete ignorance by careers staff in Southampton; the Merchant Navy just does not ﬁgure in their list of potential careers.’ But he didn’t want to blame careers staff. ‘I don’t want to be controversial about it. I think it’s evidence of the difﬁculty the industry has with the public knowledge of it, and the opportunities for careers in the Merchant Navy. There is just a lot of ignorance about it; and that’s why this MNTB initiative is so important.’ g A week after Mick’s visit, the Telegraph rang Freeha Khalid and asked if there had been any feedback from students. ‘Yes,’ she said.‘Twostudentshaveexpressed an interest in the career, and they’re doing their own research about it.’

By the time you read this, the pilot stage of tthe Careers at Sea Ambassadors’ scheme will have ended. w The evaluation report from the 20 or so presentations the pilot ambassadors have delivered across the country was due for completion by the end of July. The MNTB hopes the resources will be in place by the end of August to fully roll out the scheme, and for a short training session for ‘ambassadors’ to run in the autumn. Further training sessions are planned for spring next year. So, with the Ambassadors’ scheme about to go national, the MNTB is calling ffor keen and enthusiastic people with Merchant Navy experience to sign up to become ambassadors. g To find out more, go to http://www. mntb.org/careers_at_sea_ambassadors-6. aspx (where a draft copy of the presentation resources can be viewed). g If you are interested in becoming a

Careers at Sea Ambassador please get in contact with Beth Richmond, Careers Coordinator, Merchant Navy Training Board at beth.richmond@mntb.org.uk or 020 7417 2825.

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

PIRACY

Pirate warns of an increase in violent attacks

How to protect and survive... Master produces guide to ways of reducing the risk of attack on your vessel A Modern Plague of Pirates v1.3 was written by Captain Peter Corbett as a direct result of his personal experience at sea

Many seafarers transiting piracy-prone areas continue to be poorly prepared for the risks they face — either through lack of knowledge or lack of support from shipowners — a new analysis of the problem warns. The study — A Modern Plague of Pirates v.1.3 — has been produced by Captain Peter Corbett, a shipmaster who spent the last six months sailing in the Timor Sea and South China Sea. ‘In response to the everincreasing problem of piracy, I was surprised at how hard it was to get some information or contemporary ideas that could be used by a ship’s master to assess the risk and apply some simple measures to protect the ship, the crew and themselves,’ he told the Telegraph. His 80-page report was produced following ‘a bit of brainstorming with my colleagues onboard, some who like myself have experienced armed robbery

and piracy ﬁrst-hand’. The document analyses the scale of the problem and the dangers posed to seafarers. ‘Pirate proclivity for physical and often gratuitous violence is on the increase, as is the disturbing rise in the use of sophisticated equipment and weapons,’ it points out. Capt Corbett covers the varying forms that modern-day piracy can take, and the potential control measures that can be taken in response. He outlines the way in which pirates have extended their area of operations using mother ships, and the concern that the ease with which they can attack merchant ships ‘will enthuse or embolden groups with political or fanatical ambitions’. Capt Corbett says it is ‘incredulous that the world’s most powerful navies are unable to maintain security over these seaways’ and he argues that the International Ship & Port Facilities Security Code has regulated victims of the threat rather than addressing the

source of the threat. ‘It is cold comfort to the shipping industry who, having spent billions of dollars in compliance, are faced with an increasing risk of attack on their ships by pirates,’ the report notes.

Neither piracy nor hijacking are dealt with by the Code, Capt Corbett says, and the reality for seafarers is that there is a geographical band around the world where corruption ﬂourishes ‘and a thousand small ports and harbours where the administration does not look as hard as they should’. The report sets out ‘best practice’ security plans and procedures, stressing the need for vigilance and early detection. ‘The mosteffectiveresultsareachieved through avoidance, preparedness and vigilance, combined with a few low-cost items, a little imagination and intuition,’ it states. Procedures for responding to

It is incredulous that the “ world’s most powerful navies are unable to maintain security ”

an attack are also set out, along with recommendations for action to be taken if your ship is hijacked. Capt Corbett says many shipmasters do not have access to expensive or hi-tech protective equipment ‘either because of lack of resources or complacency on the part of the shipping company or management’. However, he adds, masters should consider equipping their vessels using the same sort of security concepts as used at home — such as proximity sensors, area lockdowns, and partitioned alarms.

He says there is a range of practical measures that can be taken that will decrease the number of areas that need patrolling — and the report suggests some ‘DIY’ solutions for seafarers, such as:

z securing accommodation access with a strong back or bolts z using rebar, chain, shackles or a Senhouse slip to secure escape hatches and openings z padlocks on exterior doors z concertina razor wire Companies should also look at more sophisticated measures, the report adds, including: z electrocoil to provide intruder detection signals or repulse shocks

z ﬂoating barriers for offshore support vessels and FPSOs operating off west Africa z long-range acoustic devices z biometric door locks

g A Modern Plague of Pirates v.1.3 costs £16.99 plus £2.40 UK p&p and is available through: www.offshoremarine.co.uk or: Offshore & Marine Resources, 2 Shop Lane, East Mersea CO5 8TR.

Nautilus anger at Dutch decision on marine guards

A crew member died when the Dutch ship Marathon, above, was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden in May Picture: NATO

Nautilus has joined the Dutch shipowners in criticising a decision by the country’s government not to provide additional protection for Dutch-ﬂagged ships operating in the high-risk piracy areas off the coast Somalia. In a debate in the Netherlands parliament last month, defence minister Eimert van Middelkoop said the government had decided not to station armed marines on vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden. The Dutch Association of Shipowners (KNVR) had requested assistance from the Dutch Navy for commercial vessels with low freeboards and a maximum speed of 10 knots. The call followed a number of incidents, including the death of a crew member on the Dutch cargopship Marathon when it

was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden in May. The vessel would have met the KNVR criteria for additional protection. But Mr van Middelkoop told parliament that the risk of using armed marines is too great and could cause an escalation of violence if pirates see the armed escorts onboard. Furthermore, he added, it would be irresponsible because wounded marines would be unable to receive treatment onboard commercial vessels. Nautilus assistant general secretary Marcel van den Broek said the Union had joined the owners in lobbying MPs before the debate. ‘The ships we are talking about have problems because they cannot join a convoy as they are too slow, and it was very disappointing that the minister took the decision not

The Allianz report highlights some of the simple measures that owners can take to improve the security of their ships Picture: AGCS

Insurers raise concern Shipping companies could do more to help their seafarers protect against piracy and armed attacks on their vessels, according to a study by a leading maritime insurance group. In a special report on piracy, the ship and cargo insurance specialist Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) also warns the industry against the use of weapons on merchant vessels. The 20-page report — Piracy: An ancient risk with modern faces — highlights the growing threats faced by shipping in piracy ‘hotspots’ such as Somalia, the Gulf of Aden and Nigeria. Ralf Zibell, a former shipmaster and now senior marine risk consultant with the group, said some countries — including Malaysia and Indonesia — had made great strides in reducing the problem in their waters. However, he added, what was successful in Indonesia and the Malacca Straits cannot be easily replicated in the destabilised region of Somalia, where 102 pirate attacks were reported in the first quarter of 2009, compared with 53 in 2008. ‘As Somalia is virtually lawless and without an effective government, there are no agencies there that are prepared to police against pirates attacks,’ he said. ‘As a result, we can only foresee a worsening situation in the area.’ AGCS covers around 12% of the roughly 30,000 tankers, containerships, bulker carriers and cargoships insured globally, and the study stresses the need for seafarers to be aware of the risks of attack and how best to prepare for them. AGCS marine hull underwriter Daniel McCarthy said there is evidence that pirates are becoming more sophisticated. ‘They regularly attack commercial vessels using the latest hi-tech equipment, such as satellite phones and GPS,’ he explained.

To match pirates’ tactics, shipowners need to plan their routes well in advance and contact naval forces in the area, he added. A simple and obvious management tactic to reduce the risk of attack is avoid the danger areas altogether, the report points out. ‘In the case of ships heading through the Gulf of Aden to the Suez Canal and Europe, that means sailing around the southern tip of Africa, which can take up to three extra weeks and add associated costs,’ said Captain Allan Breese, AGCS senior marine loss control consultant. There are many simple measures that could be used to make ships less accessible to pirates and all vessels should consider using at least some of them, he argued. ‘The majority of pirate attacks are opportunistic, so the better prepared the ship, captain and crew are to deal with piracy risk, the more likely they will be to overcome the problem,’ he added. Ralf Zibell said a common problem among shipping companies is a failure to pass on critical information to shipmasters. ‘It is such a simple oversight — but it can be a very costly one,’ he added. The report argues that seafarers need to be properly trained to employ defensive equipment and other measures, such as long-range acoustic devices, electric fences, fire hoses, securing the ship’s perimeter and maintaining speed in exposed areas. Taking basic self-defence measures can have a significant effect — sometimes holding the pirates at bay ‘for a critical few minutes until military help arrives’, it adds. But the report cautions against the use of weapons by merchant ships. ‘Putting firearms onboard a ship, even in the hands of trained professional security services, is usually a step too far,’ it adds.

The report also raises concern that even intervention by military forces — such as the US Navy attack on the pirates who attacked the US-flagged merchant ship Maersk Alabama — could escalate levels of violence and lead to more politicallymotivated attacks. Mr Zibell warned of the potential problems in an armed response to the pirates off Somalia, where — although the pirates are armed — attacks are generally not violent. ‘That situation would certainly change if they were counter-attacked with weapons,’ he added. ‘Furthermore, insurers would be very wary of insuring any vessel that carried arms or armed guards onboard. A potential liability claim for shooting a pirate — or causing a crew member’s death — could be very costly, as could the resulting damage to the hull.’ Volker Dierks, head of hull underwriting in Germany, added: ‘If pirates feel that they may be killed, the whole scenario could become a lot more dangerous for crews and could create much larger exposures for insurers.’ The AGCS report points out that many vessels are insured for piracy as part of their standard ‘hull and machinery’ insurance policies, which are not specifically designed to address security-related risks such as piracy. It therefore suggests that special ‘war’ insurance policies should be used to meet the needs of ships in high-risk areas and to clarify the current ambiguity about how piracy is covered. The report concludes by questioning whether the naval patrols off Somalia will ultimately prove successful given the large sea areas involved and it calls for a more integrated military, political and economic solution to be adopted. ‘A greater international effort needs to be made to stabilise Somalia, disarm the area and provide the pirates with alternatives,’ it states.

Deadly arsenal: weapons seized from pirates captured after a recent attempted raid on a merchant ship off Somalia Picture: NATO

A leading Somali pirate has raised fears that attacks on shipping may be intensified and that greater levels of violence may be used against seafarers. Lloyd’s List news editor Richard Meade last month secured an exclusive interview with a Somali pirate who called himself Garaad Mohammed, and who claims to have been directly involved in such high profile hijackings as the VLCC Sirius Star and the Maltaflagged bulker Ariana. Mohammed told Lloyd’s List that he has been involved in dozens of hijackings — including May’s fatal hijacking of the Dutchowned vessel Marathon, in which one crew member was injured and a Ukranian seafarer was killed. He boasted that his pirate gangs could not be stopped by naval forces and warned that crew would be punished if shipowners did not pay full ransoms on demand. Of the killing onboard the Marathon, Mohammed was unequivocal:‘It was because of the ransom. They gave it late. If we get our demands we treat them well. But if the shipowners deny our ransom, we punish them. That is just

the way it is.’ Security sources who have seen a full transcript of the interview agree that the threat is ‘credible’ and have suggested that the timing of the approach to Lloyd’s List should be seen as an escalation of the negotiating tactics now being employed by the pirates. In an editorial comment accompanying the Lloyd’s List article on the interview, Richard Meade said that the implicit threat of violence towards crew held hostage by Somali pirates is a worrying development and a loaded message to the industry. ‘Although the words of Garaad Mohammed may well be crude rhetoric designed to add leverage to ransom negotiations, they should not be dismissed as an idle threat,’ he wrote. ‘Until recently, crews held hostage in Somalia have been treated as well as could be expected under the circumstances. However, the facts that pirates are willing to claim responsibility for the death of one seafarer and that some crew have been returned from captivity with injuries does increase the pressure on our industry and on the forces that are trying to protect the Gulf of Aden.’

European naval forces are providing protection for ships operating in the high-risk areas off Somalia Picture: EUNAVFOR

STCW95 basic training (PST, EFA, FP&FF and PS&SR) PSCRB, PFRB, GMDSS, Advanced Firefighting, First Aid, Medical Care on Board, Efficient Deck Hand, MCA Approved Engine Courses, RYA Qualifications, Ship Security Officer Courses. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Courses available from the Hall Training Centre. All Superyacht courses undertaken.

Maritime Open Learning Courses: NVQ Level 3 Deck and Engineering courses leading to STCW. 95 ofﬁcer of the watch certiﬁcates. Surveying courses available through the school of Marine Surveying. Distance Learning courses for Marine Surveying, Ship Management and Ship Superintendency, offered in partnership with Lloyds Maritime Academy.

to provide special attention for these vessels,’ he added. The minister had argued that barely half a dozen ships covered by the criteria pass through

the danger areas each year — but the owners claimed the ﬁgure was more like 100 a year. Mr van den Broek said Nautilus is continuing to campaign

on the issue, and is urging the Dutch government to look at the protection other major maritime nations give to their merchant ships. NW Kent College 10 x 3.indd 1

16/4/09 14:29:58

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Life at sea: room for improvement? For those onboard merchant vessels, there is little escape from the built environment — NEIL ELLIS

Above, left and right: a team at the Seafarers International Research Centre has begun a project to examine the influence of shipboard accommodation on such factors as stress and fatigue, communications and opportunities to socialise, and mood and behaviour Pictures: Danny Cornelissen

“

”

Researchers look A at how seafarers are affected by their living and working space...

Poor standards of accommodation for seafarers in much of the world ﬂeet could be aggravating stress and fatigue problems, new research sug-

Studies ashore have shown how factors such as light, noise and space influence physical and mental well-being Picture: Patrice Terraz

gests. Initial findings from a study of vessel design and the well-being of seafarers suggest that too little thought is being given to the psychological and physical impact of factors such as lighting, noise and quality of furnishings onboard. The project is being carried out at the Seafarers International Research Centre at Cardiff University, with support from the Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust (LRET). Researcher Neil Ellis last month presented a paper to the annual SIRC symposium, giving details of the preliminary work, which has examined the studies that have been conducted onshore, and looks at the implications they might have for those working at sea and at the potential for changes that could be made onboard ships to improve seafarers’ health and well-being. Mr Ellis explained how, as a result of the rapid industrialisation of the 20th century and the increase in servicesector employment, human beings now spend the majority of their lives indoors. Many workers now spend up to a third of their waking life in an office building — and this seems set to rise as average working hours are on the increase, especially in Europe. ‘Not only is much of our working life spent in the indoor environment but, increasingly, so too is much of our home and leisure time,’ Mr Ellis pointed out. ‘As a species, one might say that we are becoming more and more a “subterranean population”. ‘For those onboard merchant vessels, there is little escape from the built environment, and the modern day seafarer frequently spends the majority of the day — both during work hours and rest periods — inside the structure of the ship, often for months on end,’ he added. ‘However despite this, relatively little is known about the effects of the built environment on health and wellbeing, especially for those in the maritime environment.’ What little is known about the effects of the environment ashore may have important implications for the seafarer, Mr Ellis explained, as many of the negative aspects of the physical environment identified onshore can also be seen aboard ship. ‘For example, studies have shown that factors such as quality of housing, light levels, and colour schemes may all have effects on health and well-being,’ he said. ‘Other studies have looked at indirect factors relating to the built environment and their influence on well-being, such as social networks, social support and crowding.’ Similarly, clinical studies have shown that factors such as aesthetically pleasing environments, arrangement of furniture, windows, light and privacy all influence patients’ well-being and recovery from illness. ‘Such factors equally impact upon seafarers, particu-

larly as onboard they are effectively institutionalised with little opportunity to get away from the vessel,’ Mr Ellis said. Whilst ships are built for specific purposes, which inevitably place constraints upon design, he argued that there is scope for some change which could beneficially impact upon seafarers. ‘For example, accommodation and recreational facilities may be redecorated using more aesthetically pleasing colours, or facilities such as barbeques may be provided that encourage social interaction. ‘Such change can play an important role in buffering against the negative impact of the environment of a vessel, and may also help seafarers to relax and restore themselves. Indeed, research shows that several properties of the environment may be linked to more or less effective recovery from cognitive fatigue and stress.’ Mr Ellis said that attitudes towards health have changed from a simple definition of absence of disease to a more encompassing concept, including not only physiological well-being, but also psychological and social health. Well-being is generally seen as a more cognitive and subjective concept, he added, and is frequently measured simply by asking individuals about how they feel. The SIRC research has so far reviewed the relevance to shipping of land-based studies which have looked at the link between the built environment and health and wellbeing. One of the most significant factors to be examined is noise, with many seafarers having to cope with continuous noise from engines and other machinery, as well as more distracting unpredictable noises — such as that caused by cargo operations, or noise from hand tools in the course of routine shipboard maintenance. Although there is little information about the impact of such noise on those that work onboard, the effect of noise on well-being has attracted much attention onshore. A 2004 study states that ‘even at moderate sound levels it can cause serious psychological, social, and bodily effects’ and research in 1993 suggested that exposure to environmental noise — such as that from airports — may lead to increased psychological distress. ‘In the case of seafarers, the negative effects of noise

may be exacerbated by the fact that they live where they work, and not only are they exposed to such noise levels at work, but also during rest periods,’ Mr Ellis stressed. ‘This is important, as noise has been shown to have a negative effect not only on well-being, but also on sleep quality, which may lead to increased levels of fatigue.’ Light levels have also shown to be important in affecting mood and well-being, with significant research into ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)’ — showing that reduced exposure to daylight during the winter months may cause depression, increased fatigue, and a lack of energy. Mr Ellis said seafarers’ exposure to light will depend greatly on the department they work within, as well as ship type they are serving on. For example, a junior engineer may spend much of the day under artificial light in the engineroom, whilst a deck rating could be out in the open for long periods. Although the UK Merchant Shipping (Crew Accommodation) Regulations (1997) state that marine crew accommodation must be adequately lit by natural light, and defines ‘adequately lit’ as enough light during day time to read a newspaper, simply meeting such predefined standards may not be enough, he said. ‘Research suggests that the effect of light is not straightforward, and that the amount of light required by individuals is variable. For example a study of light and colour in the work environment found that the amount of light had a significant impact on mood. Mood was happiest when light levels were seen by individuals to be “just right”, but declined if levels were perceived to be too high or too low. Other studies have found comparable results in relation to daylight.’ Mr Ellis suggests that more research is needed into light levels onboard ship, but there may be a number of small changes that may be made in order to maximise the beneficial effects of light. For example fitting ‘daylight’ bulbs rather than neon strip lights may make the environment more naturalistic and pleasant. Lighting systems in areas such as accommodation and recreation may also be adapted so that they may be adjusted by individuals and set to levels that are seen as appropriate by them, for them.

Another less known factor inﬂuencing health and well-being is the provision of, and proximity to, windows. ‘Although on the face of it, this may seem to be associated with light, the relationship is not considered to be so straightforward,’ Mr Ellis explained. ‘Research suggests that the importance of a window relates to the “view” from it, rather than just the amount of daylight it delivers.’ Several studies have found that views of nature can have positive effects on wellbeing, whilst the distance an ofﬁce worker is seated from a window has also been shown to relate to mood.

Union alarmed at adverse trends Nautilus International has welcomed the SIRC/LRET research into vessel design and seafarers’ well-being — as the Union is deeply concerned about adverse trends in onboard accommodation. Senior national secretary Allan Graveson says Nautilus is disturbed at the number of requests being made by owners and operators for exemptions from the existing standards. ‘These are definitely on the increase, and involve such things as moving towards common messing, cabins without daylight, or even accommodation below the waterline,’ he adds. Nautilus is vigilant in resisting abuse through such applications — particularly when they will have a clearly adverse effect upon the well-being of seafarers or if they raise safety issues, such as access to the bridge or engineroom. Mr Graveson said many of the problems arise from the

‘For the seafarer, this paints a poor picture,’ Mr Ellis pointed out, ‘as it is not uncommon for a seafarer’s view from their cabin to be of a stack of containers or machinery on the deck.’ Mr Ellis said research conducted onboard vessels by SIRC showed that aesthetics — particularly within accommodation and recreational areas — are often ignored or overlooked in terms of vessel design and management. ‘These areas are frequently furnished with dark colours, with little scope for personalisation, or modification, and colour schemes are often continued throughout the whole vessel, with little distinction between work and rest areas,’ Mr Ellis said. ‘Although such considerations may not seem important, especially as a vessel is primarily a place of work, studies looking at factors such as the colour of walls or the decor have shown that aesthetically pleasing surroundings may have important effects on well-being, mood and behaviour.’ At a time when changes in ship operations and tougher security have reduced the ability of many seafarers to go ashore, the SIRC study is also examining the impact of ‘confinement’ and crowding on seafarers. Shore-based research has suggested that crowding can increase stress and anxiety, and Mr Ellis pointed out that the effects on seafarers may be pronounced because of the limited access to open space and the small amounts of private space onboard. Similarly, SIRC research onboard ships has shown there is often little ‘public’ or shared space — which may adversely affect interaction between crew, leading to difficulties in building relationships onboard and also, in some cases, isolation. These effects may be far-reaching, Mr Ellis warned, as factors such as noise or the lack of social facilities may interfere with the ability to communicate, inhibit the development of social support structures onboard and add to stress and frustration. ‘Although it may be argued that such areas as enginerooms or machinery spaces are places of work, the benefits of conversation during work can be easily seen: conversation often makes a long and tedious job more

tonnage regulations, with accommodation being counted as part of the gross tonnage calculations. ‘This means an immediate and an ongoing cost for owners and operators, both in terms of construction and in things such as port charges and light dues,’ he explains. The current rules also act as a disincentive to the provision of additional training berths onboard, he adds, and create additional problems in terms of accommodation design and layout. ‘The most sensible solution would be to exempt accommodation from gross tonnage,’ Mr Graveson says. ‘This would require a review of the international convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, and it is disappointing that governments appear resistant to such a review.’

tolerable, and allows good and supportive friendships to be established,’ he pointed out. Many of the onboard environment factors are of critical importance in what Mr Ellis referred to as ‘restoration’ — the ability of seafarers to recover from long and irregular working hours, physical demands and psychological stress. For the future, he suggested, owners and operators need to take these issues more seriously and consider the way in which such factors influence recruitment, retention and performance of their crews. Although the layout of many ships is fixed and relatively unchangeable, he said the research has already indicated some simple and low-cost measures that could improve the working and living environment. ‘For example,’ Mr Ellis added, ‘cabins and recreation rooms could be decorated using more positive colours and colour schemes, and facilities and furnishings could be kept well maintained. Adjustable (dimmer switch) lighting might be introduced into accommodation areas and “daylight” bulbs could be utilised in relevant areas of ships. ‘In reference to the social environment onboard, karaoke machines and barbeques might be provided in order to encourage crews to interact more in such shared spaces as are available. ‘Such changes to the physical environment, whilst being relatively inexpensive, may have positive influences on those that work and live within it and may also have positive financial implications for shipowners,’ he concluded. ‘Whilst modification of the environment may not be expensive, repatriating seafarers due to ill-health may be costly.’ Shore-based studies have shown that staff experiencing poor health and well-being in the workplace may be less productive, make lower quality decisions, and be more prone to be absent from work. ‘Therefore the design of accommodation and recreational faculties should be seen not just an issue relating to seafarers’ health,’ he stressed, ‘but also one that may indirectly affect ship operators as a result of the impact that such things have on work performance and the related possibility of accidents’.

What are your views on this? Nautilus has welcomed the SIRC research into seafarers’ onboard accommodation. The Telegraph would love to hear what you think about this important issue. Do you think standards are slipping? Are you happy with the living and working space on your ship? And what do you think the industry should do to improve things? Email us now — telegraph@nautilusint.org

Room to breathe: a seafarer enjoys a chance to get a bit of fresh air Picture: Danny Cornelissen

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

TRAINING SHIPS

Warspite ‘boys’ in last reunion? Y

What could prove to be the last ever reunion of ‘Warspite boys’ took place in London last month. Four stalwarts — the youngest of them aged 88 — attended the event, held onboard HQS Wellington. Those attending were: Philip Okill, 88, who was on Warspite from 1936 to 1937 and who went on to join the Merchant Navy (with two of his four children following in his footsteps); Brian Clowes, 94, (1931-2); Joe Ashbolt, 85, (1940 — the last year); and Lt Cdr Douglas Clark RN, 89, (1935-6). Originally built at Chatham in 1807 as a 74-gun line battleship, HMS Warspite was one of The Marine Society’s ﬁrst ever training ships. The Society had been established in 1756 in response to a shortage of well trained sailors to support the Navy at times of war and to enable destitute young boys to gain a trade and get them off the streets. The need for committed and trained sailors continued well into the 19th century, and in 1856 the Society established its school on Warspite, moored in the lower Thames. The vessel had been commanded by Trafalgar veteran Captain Henry Blackwood, during her ﬁrst

commission blockading Toulon. However, she was cut down to a fourth rate 50-gun frigate in 1840 and in 1862 converted to a static hull and turned over to the Marine Society. Warspite could support up to 300 boys at a time. Each boy signed an indenture which essentially handed them over to the care of the charity and saw them committed to joining one of the sea services. The boys supported by the charity had, in the main, been in employment as sash line makers, rope spinners, French polishers or more menial jobs like butchers’ errand boy, and pot and hawkers’ boys. Some came from schools. Few had been apprenticed and if they had a trade they were only loosely connected with it.

Top: Warspite ‘old boys’ almost 100 years ago Above, right: Warspite Mark 3 dressed up Left: last month’s old boys’ reunion Pictures: Marine Society & Sea Cadets

The charity offered a chance to learn a trade and to follow a seagoing career and between 1862 and 1907 it contributed 3,689 boys to the Royal Navy and 9,928 to the merchant service. The regime onboard was spartan, with the day’s routine starting at 5.30am. There was an equal split between school and seamanship, with emphasis on keeping the ship clean and the boys ﬁt. They got a

half holiday on Friday afternoons, but Saturday was spent scrubbing the whole ship and drill was practiced every Tuesday and Wednesday, with morning service each Sunday. Each boy received on entry an outﬁt of two blue serge jerkins, a guernsey, two pairs of trousers, cotton shirts, worsted socks, boots and a silk handkerchief, three caps, and a towel all was stowed in a painted canvas sack. They also got a hammock, toothbrush, clothes brush and mending materials to keep their kits spick and span. The only real qualiﬁcation for entry was to be of good character — especially honesty — and after six months’ training they could be discharged for service at any time. Some were sent to cookery school at the London School of Nautical Cookery. Money for the initiative was raised through such methods as holding annual dinners and inspections — usually at the Greenwich Tavern — entrance to which was a guinea in 1862.

The original Warspite was replaced by Conqueror (originally Waterloo), renamed Warspite in 1876. An Admiralty letter dated 28 December 1877 authorised a special ensign, but the details are not known and it was agreed that the charity could continue to use the name Warspite. The ship was destroyed by fire in 1918 and the school re-established in a second class cruiser, Hermione (also renamed Warspite), moored off Grays in Essex. The school was closed in 1940, but in 1949 the Society was granted a warrant for the ketch Warspite, which it owned and chartered to the Outward Bound Sea School in Cardigan Bay. After the first world war, the need to improve the general health and fitness of the country’s men was

publicly recognised, and a number of other organisations came to the fore promoting a similar ethos to the Marine Society. The Navy League was one of these and was an example of the growing awareness of social responsibility — especially in respect for seafarers — and it was during the inter-war years that a huge growth in cadets took place, mustering more than 10,000 by the start of the second world war. Ironically it was war — the very thing that had called the Marine Society into existence — which ended its long tradition of training poor boys for sea careers. The area in which Warspite was moored was declared a danger zone and after laying empty and idle for a year, the vessel was sold to ship breakers in 1940 and recycled to help the war effort.

The legend lives on today, however. In addition to the Sea Cadets’ ﬂeet of vessels, the charity continues to fund a ‘mini-Warspite’ at the London Nautical College (LNS) and now pays the ongoing running costs for a small boat which is used by school pupils and Sea Cadets alike. It is based at the SCC boat station in Royal Victoria Docks, though the craft belongs to the LNS. This year the boat has had a variety of uses — including being a teaching vessel for upper school pupils to learn about boat handling. She was used by the Royal Yachting Association as the race control boat for the London Youth Games and will be used again in October in the same role for the London Regatta. She has been used for adult instructor courses by the sea cadet boat station and as a tug and general support vessel during practical small craft lessons. With the new disabled hoist she will also be available for any sea cadet units that want to take physically impaired people aﬂoat.

New training ship takes to water for the first time The Marine Society & Sea Cadets’ new training ship, Jack Petchey, is pictured in Plymouth at its naming ceremony last month. Built at a cost of £2.6m by the Bridgend Boat Company, the 24m-long vessel is named after Jack Petchey OBE, whose foundation has provided most of the funding for the 16-berth ship. The vessel was completed some eight months ahead of schedule, and will be involved in sea trials off Plymouth before being delivered to the charity, which will keep it based on the river Thames. Each year, Sea Cadets takes 1,500 young people to sea to practice the sailing skills and team work they learnt at local units, and the new arrival means the charity now has six vessels in its fleet. ‘We believe passionately in helping young people develop the skills and confidence they need to grow into adulthood responsibly.’ said Mike Cornish, Marine Society & Sea Cadets chief executive. Mr Petchey, who served in the Navy at HMS Collingwood during the second world war, said: ‘I am very happy to know that future generations of young people will have an opportunity to experience the discipline, self-development and camaraderie that sea training provides.’

Devon Sea Cadets and Captain Jonathan Fry RN celebrate the naming of their new ship

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

SEA BURIALS

Crossing the final bar... Environmental rules put increasingly tight restrictions on traditional burial at sea ceremonies, such as the one above onboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise Picture: US Navy

You have spent you working life at sea, so why not spend your death at sea? An increasing number of people are seeking to be buried or have their ashes scattered in the waters around the UK, according to a new report. However, it’s not always easy to arrange — with strict environmental regulations restricting the number of areas where a coffin can be put into the water — and it is estimated that barely 50 people a year are traditionally buried at sea, excluding naval burials. But there is growing interest in sea burials and the scattering of ashes on the water, and in response one specialist company — Surrey-based Tutill Remembrance — has published an information sheet explaining the procedures and the arrangements that need to be made. ‘Peoples’ ideas about funerals are changing, and the emphasis is shifting now more towards the idea of celebrating a life. Choosing to have your ashes accepted by the sea is a part of that change,’ said managing director Susan Tutill. ‘In the past, this was always an option — but families and friends may well have found it difficult to raise the topic with their funeral director,’ she added. ‘Burial at sea itself is now tightly controlled, and in any case can now only take place at two specific spots off the Needles, south of the Isle of Wight, and off Newhaven, on the south coast. ‘Scattering of a loved one’s ashes, or placing them in the water within a suitable casket can, by contrast,

Burial at sea itself is now tightly controlled

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take place almost anywhere. Indeed, a water-soluble urn such as we provide can also be used inland, on rivers, lakes or even waterways,’ she said. Many cultures have a long tradition of burial at sea, and those who have chosen to have the body or their ashes committed to the water include Sir Francis Drake, Steve McQueen, Rock Hudson, Vincent Price and Edmund Hilary. But organising a traditional burial at sea, with the cofﬁn committed to the oceans at the end of a service onboard a ship is now both complex and potentially costly. Firstly, it requires a licence, which has to be obtained from the Marine Consents & Environment Unit of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The licensing authority says it ‘recognises that burial at sea is a long-established tradition, particularly for those who have been associated with the sea’ and seeks to apply the licence controls ‘in a sympathetic and respectful manner’. Licences will include the date and the location at

There’s a growing demand in the UK for a final resting place six fathoms, not six feet, under

Over the years, all sorts of people have requested a burial at sea

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which burial must take place and other conditions, such as the specifications for the coffin. DEFRA says the rules on the preparation of the body and the materials used to construct the coffin are necessary for environmental purposes, to protect human health and to avoid potential distress if coffins or bodies wash back up on shore or are picked up by fishing vessels. The coffin will need to be weighted, and appropriately prepared with drilled holes, so that it will sink rapidly and stay lodged on the sea bed, says DEFRA. Applications for a licence will need to include a doctor’s certificate stating that the body is clear of fever and infection, and the coroner may also need to be informed of the intention to remove a body out of England as prescribed in the Removal of Bodies Regulations 1954 (as amended). In practice it is not feasible for families themselves to organise burials at sea because of the administrative requirements, but many funeral directors will be prepared to make the necessary arrangements by contacting either the Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS) or a specialist undertaker. Because of the cases where bodies have come ashore, traditional burials at sea are not encouraged by the UK authorities who instead recommend that relatives consider the scattering at sea of cremation ashes. Scattering ashes does not require a licence and Susan Tutill says there is increasing interest in this as an option, with a growing number of boat charter companies undertaking committals at sea. The Chaplaincy at the Portsmouth Naval Base now regularly undertakes between three to four committals of this kind each week, free of charge for

personnel who have served in the armed forces or the Merchant Navy. For those seeking a more permanent memorial than simply scattering ashes, Tutill Remembrance can supply special biodegradable eco-urns made especially for burial at sea. The Eastbourne Sovereign Harbour-based East Sussex MVS Unit carries out a small number of burials at sea each year, as well as several scatterings of ashes. The Unit’s head, Nautilus member Hugh Gallagher, says: ‘We are happy to talk to families who want to know about burials at sea, although all the arrangements are done in collaboration with funeral directors.’ He adds: ‘Over the years, all sorts of people have requested a burial at sea. In many cases they have strong connections with the sea, although a surprising number do not.’ The burial is carried out by the 17m training vessel East Sussex1, a former Royal Navy harbour launch. ‘The round trip to the site takes about five hours,’ says Mr Gallagher, ‘meaning that the families are with us for quite some time. In some cases the families take a priest with them although some prefer just a very simple committal and with no religious ceremony at all. It is entirely up to them.’ He explains: ‘It is of course a very difficult time for the families we take out, but we invariably find that they get something positive out of the experience. While the mourners are naturally usually very subdued on the way out, we usually find that on the return leg they become interested in the vessel and our organisation and want to find out more. Quite often we have family members at wheel on the way back!’ Mr Gallagher says that families are particularly

impressed by the quiet formality of the way the uniformed MVS crew go about their duties. ‘Whether or not we conduct a service at the committal we are very careful to show due respect and then to leave the families to their private thoughts while the vessel circles slowly for some time before setting course for home.’ There is, of course, a ﬁnancial aspect to this as the funds received through carrying out burials help towards the considerable cost maintaining even this modestly sized vessel. The MVS is a charity which seeks to raise public awareness of everything to do with the sea and to provide training in maritime skills, both to its own members and to outside bodies. The East Sussex Unit trains local police and St John’s cadets and the Bexhill Sea Scouts, as well as being part of the local authority emergency response plans in many counties, including East Sussex.

g Anybody wishing to find more about either burials at sea or volunteering with the MVS can contact David Hughes on 01323 768998 or email: anderimar.news@ googlemail.com

HM Naval Base Portsmouth Hants PO1 3LR The Legacy Officer The Marine Society &Sea Cadets 202 Lambeth Road London SE1 7JW

For further information: Tutill Remembrance Items Sapporo House 81 Parkhurst Fields Churt Surrey GU10 2PQ www.tutill-remembrance. co.uk The Chaplaincy North Wing Admiralty House (pp13)

Shipping Company Britannia House High Street Sidmouth Devon EX10 0EF Ashes at Sea 3 Bray Close Maidenbower Crawley West Sussex RH10 7QW

The Eastbourne-based Maritime Volunteer Service vessel East Sussex1 is used to conduct burials at sea or scatterings of ashes in the waters off Newhaven, on the south coast of the UK Picture: MVS

28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

SEAFARER HEALTH

We hope it will provide valuable information to guide policy and practice

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Almost one-fifth of merchant seafarers express concern about accessing health care P ictures: Jupiterimages Unlimited

The ‘Supporting Seafarers and their Families’ report — published in 2007 by the Maritime Charities Funding Group (MCFG) — investigated the needs of seafarers, retired and working, and their families. It looked into all aspects of support for seafarers — including health, housing and poverty. One of the key health findings concerned the importance of timely access to medical diagnosis and treatment for seafarers of working age. The study findings highlighted the high incidence of illhealth and disability among seafarers when compared with other occupational groups. Some 17% of merchant seafarers and 23% of fishermen surveyed reported concerns about accessing health care, whilst 32% and 47% had needed medical care and 23% and 29% had needed rehabilitation to return to work at sea.

As a result of its ﬁndings, the report speciﬁcally recommended that further work be undertaken into access to healthcare. In response to this, the Seamen’s Hospital Society (SHS) — with funding from the MCFG (comprising, along with the SHS, the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, Nautilus International/NUMAST Welfare Funds, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, Seafarers UK and Trinity House) — has now commissioned new research to investigate the level and nature of need for health care among working age seafarers based in the UK and related healthcare provision. The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), an independent research organisation well known for investigating all aspects of workers’ health, is carrying out the research on behalf of the SHS. The research has recently got underway and will be completed early in 2010. This new study aims to learn

Your views wanted in health needs study Research examines the nature and scale of provision for seafarers in the UK more about the speciﬁc health needs of merchant seafarers and ﬁshermen and any differences between groups within the industries. It will examine issues related to health care provision, and the main factors involved in seafarers accessing adequate and suitable health care.

The study will consider what might be done to improve access to medical support where the need for that is identified. While investigating the availability of health care, the role of the Dreadnought Medical Service at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in providing priority NHS access will also be considered. As part of the new study, the IOM is seeking out seafarers’ views on their health needs and access to healthcare. Anyone who would like to participate in the study can do so by filling out a short questionnaire which can be found at www.iom-world.org/research/seafarershealth.php The questionnaire will also be distributed directly to some individuals via merchant seafaring organisations such as Nautilus, and fishing bodies such as the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO). The questionnaire should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and two completed questionnaires will be drawn at random to receive a gift. Participation in the study is completely voluntary; however it is important to the success of the study that as many individuals as possible respond to the questionnaire and support in achieving a high response rate would be very much appreciated. The more people who take part in the study, the more reliable the results will be. Results from the study will be completely anonymous and no individual will be

identiﬁed at any stage. SHS general secretary Peter Coulson commented: ‘As part of its response to Supporting Seafarers and their Families, the Society has instigated a health development programme, an important part of which is to undertake — in collaboration with its MCFG partners — the further research into health and health care speciﬁcally recommended by the report. ‘We hope it will provide valua-

ble information to guide policy and practice in this area, and would be particularly pleased to have the participation of as many seafarers as possible in contributing their experiences and views to the ﬁndings.’ g For more information on the study and for a link to the webquestionnaire please go to www. iom-world.org/research/seafarershealth.php

The Institute of Occupational Medicine in collaboration with the Seamen’s Hospital Society is carrying out research into the health of seafarers and their access to healthcare. We would like to know about your health needs and your experiences of accessing healthcare, as a seafarer. You can take part by completing a short questionnaire (it will take no more than 10 minutes of your time). Two completed questionnaires will be chosen at random to receive a gift of an Ipod Nano. Questionnaires will be sent to a number of individuals as well as being available online. For more information on the study and a link to the web-questionnaire please go to: http://www.iom-world.org/research/seafarershealth.php

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29

MARITIME WELFARE A new report has come up with proposals for improving the practical support given to seafarers and their families...

Charity can offer a crucial lifeline

By the time he’s adjusted he has gone again

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Absence ffrom h Ab home can b be a problem for seafarers P ictures: Jupiterimages Unlimited

Seafarer families need more help, study concludes M

Many seafaring families in the UK are struggling without proper support for their emotional and parenting needs, a new study has found. And the report, produced by the national charity Parentline Plus, sets out proposals for ways in which seafaring families can be given improved information and advice. The report is based on the findings of research into the parenting needs of seafaring families, commissioned by the Maritime Charities Funding Group in 2008. A total of 34 families from the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and the fishing industry took part in the project, which sought to determine the parenting support needs of seafaring families, to identify how far these needs are currently being met, to investigate their access routes to sources of parenting support, and to explore whether these needs are specific to seafaring families. ‘Overall, emotional support was a clear unmet need and for many struggling alone had become normalised,’ it concludes. ‘It would appear that the personal attributes and coping style of this cohort has to some extent impeded individuals’ willingness to seek out or access sources of support. Yet at the same time their attitude does not appear to be so different from that of a substantial section of the population not associated with seafarers. However, most were keen to access support for their children, or to know how they might better support them.’ Highlighting the way in which emotional support is a clearly unmet need, the report quotes one seafaring widow, with two young children, who told her GP that she was feeling suicidal. He responded by saying she needed to ‘just get on with it’. Another participant had requested psychological support through the GP and had been advised against doing so — as it would ‘go on his record’ and ‘count against him’.

Researchers found that it was often ‘additional life events’ — such as bereavement, accidents or illness — that led to an acknowledgement of the need for greater support, and these were not associated with being seafaring families. ‘For some, support was offered at the wrong time; for others it did not meet their needs,’ the report states. ‘The challenge is the individuality of needs and timings. In order to meet the parenting needs of the seafaring community, it is important to ensure that frontline practitioners are aware of the range of support available, and that an effort is made to systematise the points at which the parent is made aware of these services.’ The report also points to the problems faced by male seafarers in relating to their children — especially in teenage years. One woman, who had suffered abuse from her partner, spoke of the impact of being at sea on family dynamics and relationships. ‘Going to sea does affect the home — you are a single parent all the time,’ she said. ‘When he’s at home it’s difﬁcult to get him to be a father or a husband — and by the time he’s adjusted he has gone again. ‘All the forces are supporting the men, but they are not supporting them to be family-oriented... How can they be fathers while at sea?’ RN families in particular spoke of the mixed emotions experienced as their partners prepared to go to sea, and on their homecoming. On their return, one observed that the men felt like ‘a guest in their own homes’. Researchers said some of the potential solutions to these issues — including materials and services — could be relevant for anyone who has a partner working away for long periods. The report notes that many seafaring families are reluctant to seek support — for a variety of reasons, such as not wanting to be seen as failing to cope, negative connotations of ‘charity’, or because of a strong sense of self-reliance. One participant told the researchers: ‘Parenting is

Family life can sometimes be difficult — juggling caring for children alongside other demands — marriage, divorce, changing schools, jobs or moving house. Sometimes you might not know where to turn for support or a listening ear. Parentline Plus — which produced the report on seafaring families for the MCFG — is a charity that offers parent to parent support and advice on any aspect of parenting. Parentline is there for you 24-hours a day on 0808 800 22 22. The service is free, 24-hour, seven days a week and confidential. Parentline Plus is a national charity that works for, and with, parents. The charity encourages parents to see that asking for help is a sign of strength, and work with them to offer practical solutions and to suggest ways to manage their particular situations and difficulties. This support is delivered through an innovative range of free, flexible, responsive services — shaped by parents for parents. As well as Parentline, other services include free

Your views are most welcome Nautilus has welcomed the Parentline research into the issues faced by seafarers and their families. The Union and the researchers would be very interested to hear from members about the challenges of maintaining their parental role whilst away at sea for long period and of ideas and suggestions for making life better... Email us now — telegraph@nautilusint.org

too personal. Sometimes I’d speak about things to friends, but I handle things alone — always have done’. However, for another coping alone was simply not always possible: ‘You have to get on with it and learn to deal with everything on your own up to a certain point then you need help,’ she said. ‘I am very independent, but situations come into your life when you do need support...’ Researchers said their interviews had highlighted ‘the overwhelming need for emotional support’ for the families. ‘More than one spoke of the fact that this was the first time they had spoken about a particular issue or situation of concern,’ the report adds. ‘Their relationship with their children and their ability to parent well and “do no harm” was for many too personal and private to raise with family and friends. ‘This was particularly true of those facing teenage specific issues who feared being judged by their normal support networks where these existed,’ it notes. ‘In many respects this is a reflection of a wider societal issue where seeking support to be a better parent is associated with “bad parenting” and failure.’

email support — parentsupport@parentlineplus.org. uk; which gives a personalised response to parents on any issue in three working days. The charity also has a website packed with information and tips — www.parentlineplus.org.uk; a website for parents of teens www.gotateenager.org.uk; and an anti-bullying website www.besomeonetotell. org.uk as well as a range of information leaflets and individual telephone support. Parentline Plus is currently running a major campaign to help ease the pressure on families who are suffering hardship and risk family break up and increased stress due to the effects of the recession. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, this campaign has included a local radio advertising campaign, a free recession pack given out to callers to its helpline and one million leaflets packed with tips and information on beating the recession sent out to schools, children’s centres and other places that parents visit.

The report says the ‘coping style’ of many of the families had often held them backing from seeking support. ‘Many participants mentioned that this was their life and they had to get on with it; most had married in to the seafaring lifestyle and felt it went with the territory. ‘Yet at the same time their attitude does not appear to be so different from that of a substantial section of the population not married to seafarers, and particularly appeared to resonate with the experience of many lone parents,’ it adds. ‘Personal defences serve a necessary function and are built up to enable us to avoid disintegrating or breaking down, to allow us to cope. However, in times of crisis or additional pressure, these barriers cannot be sustained and it is at these times support is needed, although may not always be accepted. That is why it is crucial to have developed information and signposting systems to a range of support, and for this to be offered regularly and routinely.’ The report points to the challenge of meeting individual seafaring parent needs and timings, but stresses the need to ensure that frontline practitioners are aware of the range of support available. And because of the ‘plethora’ of services available, it is also important to prevent parents from feeling overwhelmed. Some mapping of services against need could highlight certain key organisations that act as a gateway to other services, the report points out. The report makes a series of recommendations to improve support for seafarer families: z develop a Maritime Charities Funding Group information, advice and support strategy z review the services provided by MFCG stakeholders to see what potential there is to streamline the referral and signposting service within the consortium z explore training needs of those working directly with parents, and research the technological support available to them z explore generic, non seafaring speciﬁc services that could beneﬁt parents z specify new materials and channels needed to help families bond and to cope with living apart z develop a Maritime Charities Funding Group communications and marketing strategy, coordinating activity amongst stakeholders and encompassing regular campaigns to move to a situation where parents feel more able to seek support before crises occur

30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

NAUTILUS AT WORK The Bank of Scotland — whose affinity credit card is used by over 400,000 union members from 20 participating unions, including Nautilus — has produced this special article, by ANNIE SHAW, to provide advice on surviving the economic downturn...

The best ways of coping with the credit crunch... K

Most of us probably don’t take much notice of ‘the economy’ — believing it’s just something that politicians and business experts bother about. We only notice ‘the state of the economy’ when prices go up sharply with inflation, when we are wondering if the firm we work for will give us a pay rise, or if we can afford the cost of a holiday. Yet although we may not think about it much, the economy — how the country is managing its wealth, productivity and spending — affects us all the time, and never so much since a typhoon of financial disasters swept across the ocean from the US in late 2007, bringing with it a plague of bank collapses, company closures and job losses.

Bof the current crisis The roots

We all know the story by now of how American mortgage brokers arranged loans for homebuyers who ultimately weren’t going to be able to pay them back. These loans were bundled together and sold as packages to banks around the world. The packages were then divided up and rebundled, and sold to other unsuspecting banks, who bought them not knowing what was really in them. Because of the way the international finance system works, even British banks were caught out if they had bought investments from overseas, and found themselves holding the so-called ‘toxic debt’. Soon no one knew who was holding what, so banks became reluctant to lend to each other in case they couldn’t get their own money back. Banks started to run out of money. They hoarded the cash they had, and they were unable to borrow more — meaning they ran out of money to lend to you and me in the form of mortgages and loans. The whole financial system seized up, bringing about the ‘credit crunch’. You will already be noticing the effects of the crunch. If you are a homebuyer you may find it

much harder to get a loan than a year or two ago, particularly if you are a first-time buyer. Banks have become cautious about who they lend to now that there is not so much money in the system. You may find your credit card limit has been cut or the rate of interest has gone up. You may find it hard to get a car loan, or extend your overdraft. The same goes for businesses. When businesses can’t get loans, they may be unable to continue trading, so people lose their jobs. If people can’t get mortgages, house prices fall. This may sound like good news, but homes may still be out of reach of buyers because they can’t get a loan. It’s a vicious circle. When banks become more cautious, they pick borrowers with the best credit records, and anyone with a less than perfect record can find themselves turned away or asked to pay a higher interest rate to deter them from borrowing too much. Lenders won’t lend as much money for home purchase as they used to. This may be because they fear the value of the house could fall, so they want you to find a bigger deposit to protect their loan in case you default but they are also anxious to protect the borrower from taking on too much debt and to avoid ‘negative equity’ — a situation when the loan is more than the value of the house.

Bfinances — know what you owe Take control of your

In an economic downturn it is more important than ever to keep on top of your finances. Nowadays it’s not so easy to find a better paying job to help with the bills, or to take out a loan to tide you over if finances are tight. Even if you are not experiencing financial difficulties now it pays to get your finances in order. The rule is ‘always know what you owe’. You should be fully aware of all your commit-

Always know “ what you owe ”

When times are tight, it’s more important than ever to keep on top of your finances Picture: Jupiter Images Unlimited

ments from mortgage to cars loans, from insurance premiums to credit card bills. That way you can see what bills are priority (mortgage and council tax, because you can lose your home if you get behind) and where you might easily make savings (insurance premiums, domestic fuel bills) if your circumstances change. You may be able to make some savings anyway, such as switching your car or home insurer or your energy supplier, but keep an eye out for danger signs, such as missing payments or making only the minimum payments on credit card debts and not making any inroads into the outstanding balance.

Beware of quick fixes

If you need money quickly and can’t get it from your bank, you may be tempted by an offer for a socalled ‘payday’ loan or the services of a pawnbroker. These services can charge interest rates that amount to thousands of percent and can often provide a quick route to serious debt problems.

Help with debts

If you are having problems paying your bills it is always best to contact your provider as soon as possible and explain your situation. Your union welfare department may be able to help you with debt advice and even ﬁnancial help in some cases. There are also free advice services, such as Citizens Advice and the Consumer Credit Counselling Service www.cccs.co.uk, 0800 1381111) which can help you free of charge. Be very wary of paying someone to help you with sorting out your debts.

Top tips credit B j

Managing your

Get a copy of your credit record. You can do this by writing to the three main credit record agencies, Equifax, Experian and Callcredit, sending a cheque for £2 to each. Apply to all three because different ﬁnance companies use different agencies. Apply

by post because it’s cheaper than signing up to an internet service if you don’t need to keep a constant check. j Make sure that your record is accurate and up to date — errors do occur, such as other people’s debts being included in your ﬁle, or bills that have been paid showing as still outstanding. If you do have missed payments, try to get up to date. Once you have paid off old debts, you can apply to get them marked as settled, which will improve your record. j If you need to improve your credit score, simple measures such as ensuring you are on the electoral roll and having a landline telephone number will help.

money B j

Managing your

If you need to tighten your belt a bit, you can start by making sure you have the best deals available. For instance, you might be able to switch your car or home insurance provider, your phone or broadband package or your gas and electricity supplier. j Avoid store cards, which have a very high rate of interest. The introductory discount that many cards offer may seem attractive, but you will more than pay it back if you continue to use the card for credit. j You may be tempted to take out a loan to pay off credit card or store card debt. This can be a good idea, because it may reduce your monthly payments and make them more affordable, but watch out for a few catches. You may not be able to repay the loan early without incurring a penalty; you could actually end up paying more interest in the end, despite cheaper monthly payments if the period of the loan is a long one, because the repayments take longer. j Secured or unsecured? Be careful about switching unsecured debt, such as credit card debt, to secured debt, which is secured against your property — because, if you still can’t make the payments, you could end up losing your home.

Annie Shaw is a freelance financial journalist and founder of financial Q&A website CashQuestions. com. She answers reader’s money questions in the Daily Express every Wednesday and her articles appear regularly in national newspapers including The Telegraph and The Independent.

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

SEAFARER RESEARCH Two experts from the Seafarers International Research Centre were among the academics presenting the findings from their studies to industry representatives at the annual SIRC symposium last month...

Accident reports: a case for change >

Accident investigation reports may be over-stating the role of seafarers and under-playing the influence of owners, operators and regulators, according to a new study. Captain Mohamed Ghanem, who is studying at the Seafarers’ International Research Centre at Cardiff University, has analysed reports from three leading maritime administrations to examine how they address accident causation factors. The research involved detailed scrutiny of some 60 reports — 10 collision cases and 10 grounding cases, produced by each of the three investigating boards. Capt Ghanem found that operational level staff — seafarers — are usually mentioned many times within a report, even though they are stated to be involved in causing an accident much less often. In contrast, he told the SIRC symposium last month, the content analysis shows that consideration of the role of supervisory level positions — such as superintendents — is almost entirely missing within the reports, even though there is often evidence of deficiencies in supervision. Similarly, Capt Ghanem argued, accident reports often refer to management or organisational factors such as the employment of multinational crews or the lack of a dedicated lookout without making specific reference to management or management decisions. And whilst a large number of higher level bodies

and authorities — such as regulators and manufacturers — are mentioned in the reports, their roles do not receive a great deal of emphasis, he added. ‘A common feature of all reports was the inclusion of highly detailed and sometimes repetitive narratives and descriptions relating to the operational level, whilst in relation to the high levels elaboration, and analyses of actions and inaction, was noticeably absent,’ Capt Ghanem said. Analysis of the recommendation sections of the reports showed ‘a sharp shift from addressing the operational level to addressing the upper level,’ he added. There is, his study states, an acceptance that accidents are complex events which do not occur simply as a result of a single problem or shortcomings related to workers at the operational level. Indeed, it adds, there is evidence to show that there are chains of events which are ‘usually triggered at the highest level in the organisation, creating latent conditions which may ultimately result in accidents’. Capt Ghanem argues that the tendency for accident investigation reports to focus on the operational level when examining causation ‘rather than upon the underlying causes of accidents which are frequently embedded in the supervisory, managerial and beyond organisation levels’ may be one of the reasons why similar accidents continue to recur. ‘What is important to highlight is the extent to

Accident investigation reports tend to concentrate on the actions of the crew, meaning that the role of regulators, operators and other influential parties is under-played, says Captain Mohamed Ghanem Picture: SIRC

which the repeated mention of operational level personnel in reports of accidents (even when they are not regarded by reporters as associated with causing the accident) and the omission, or only brief mention, of individuals and bodies at other levels serves to produce a strong impression that causation may be identiﬁed by focussing upon the actions of operational personnel (such as masters and ofﬁcers on watch) and that it is these that need to be addressed,’ Capt Ghanem said. Whilst many reports clearly show a failure of procedures, regulations, management and supervision — and contain recommendations to address these — the concentration upon the actions of the crew creates ‘the impression that what is at fault in any given case is an individual or a number of individual seafarers’, he added.

‘Officers need more time for learning’ Seafarers may often be reluctant to undertake additional training to learn new skills because of concerns that they will have to pay for it themselves or sacrifice their leave to attend courses. That’s one of the preliminary findings from a pilot study carried out at the Seafarers International Research Centre into the ways in which the shipping industry trains its staff to handle new technology on their vessels. Presenting the results at the SIRC symposium last month, Lijun Tang said it is clear that seafarers need adequate training if the full benefits of new technology — such as increased efficiency and productivity — are to be gained. However, there is evidence to show that accidents are occurring as a result of inappropriate use of technology, such as ECDIS and AIS, because of poor training. ‘With more and more sophisticated instruments introduced onboard ships, it is suggested that adequate training and ample familiarisation time are crucial for seafarers to acquire competence in operating them,’ Mr Tang said. The pilot project involved a series of 13 interviews with college lecturers and deck and engineer officers, focussing upon training and experience with onboard technologies, and the design, provision and forms of training courses. Mr Tang said these interviews had shown that seafarers often acquire new skills informally — particularly if the equipment is simple. Many deck officers had learned to use AIS in this way, although learning from manuals may often be a process of ‘trial and error’ as a lot of manuals are poorly produced and not in the seafarers’ own language. Seafarers often learn skills from their colleagues, he added, but formal training was often considered important when new equipment is complicated.

Formal training can ensure that seafarers are aware of all the potential offered by new technologies, and it can also correct misconceptions — such as the use of AIS for collision avoidance — or bad practice learned from shipmates. However, Mr Tang cautioned, the benefits of formal training may often be reduced because of the lack of standardised equipment at sea. ‘To convert the knowledge transferred from external experts into practical competence, seafarers may still need the help of experienced peers or manuals for the acquisition of practical knowledge, due to lack of equipment standardisation,’ he added. A mix of self-learning and learning from experienced peers can be interactive, responsive and potentially more effective and less time consuming than other forms of learning, he suggested. But opportunities for onboard learning may be diminished by busy schedules, rapid handover periods and short turnaround times in port, he added. Although computer-based training can be effective, none of the seafarers had mentioned it in their interviews, Mr Tang noted. The interviews with seafarers has also uncovered fears that significant numbers may be reluctant to take more training because they have to give up leave or pay for it. ‘Seafarers will be most motivated to get training if they perceive the technology to be useful in helping them achieve their goals, such as promotion,’ Mr Tang told the symposium. The next stage of the research project will include a large-scale questionnaire that will explore in greater detail issues such as financial and time considerations, support for informal learning, adequacy of training provision and competencies in operating new equipment.

Seafarers acquire new skills through formal and informal learning, and interaction with their colleagues, says Lijun Tang, who is investigating how much support officers are given towards learning how to safely operate the increasing amount of new technology on their vessels Pictures: SIRC Danny Cornelissen

‘This emphasis on the individual may lead to a failure to address the systemic causes of many accidents, particularly when such failures lie within shipping organisations whose managers may not have close contact with regulators or maritime investigators, and may rely solely upon their own reading and understanding of accident investigation reports in seeking to better understand the causes of the accidents which they seek to avoid.’ Capt Ghanem said his research demonstrated a lack of a standard format in reporting maritime accidents. Many of the reports failed to have a clear chronological order or lacked a priority order within their structure, he argued. Content analysis also revealed a failure to follow up recommendations made in previous cases.

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 33

NASA AQUANAUTS

FRANKLIN — We should give a damn Trevor Boult pays tribute to the NASA ‘aquanauts’ who, 40 years ago, went on a pioneering maritime mission to the outer limits of the oceans…

Forty years ago, and only a single day apart, two dedicated crews set out on voyages of pure discovery, to probe new and hostile frontiers of space. Both were missions of the American National Aeronautics & Space Administration — NASA. Gripping the world’s attention, the Apollo 11 rocket would set man on the moon. The second mission was unsung and obliterated by the unfolding spectacle in outer space. Yet its legacy for our awareness of the workings of Planet Earth and the feasibility of prolonged travel in the solar system is more tangible and lasting. As the American astronauts returned from the Sea of Tranquillity to be hailed as heroes, six equally courageous aquanauts were already well into their mission beyond the succour of earth’s atmosphere and the realistic prospect of rescue. On 14 July 1969, Grumman Aerospace Corporation’s aptly-named research submersible Ben Franklin unceremoniously slipped beneath the surface of the Atlantic off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida.

This was a “ big research

water intimately. They monitored its changes in temperature, observed the intrusion and diffusion of surrounding water, watched the marine creatures that entered and left their vicinity. As the team made these studies they were also knowing participants in a grand experiment, in which every move and mood was documented with scientific precision. They all became an integral part of the Gulf Stream ‘that river in the sea that carries 22 times as much water as all the land rivers of the world’. Space travel and the potential of earth’s own oceanic inner space were principal goals of much scientific endeavour in the 1960s. The former was motivated by the sinister politics of the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union. In contrast, the latter generated a more healthy optimism and enthusiasm. At this time the rich diverse environments of the world’s oceans were seen as a human panacea; a source of untapped mineral wealth, food, medicines, and an archive of the past. Most deep sea research had been carried out from the surface by deploying instruments overboard or by catching pelagic life in nets. Contemporary submersibles were generally cramped and tiny vehicles with very limited endurance, ill-suited to the study of currents, sea-life and the ocean floor. The close ties between exploration of deep sea and deep space were mutually productive. The ocean was considered a practical testing ground for spacecraft design, life-support systems and the psychological phenomena of an enclosed artificial human environment.

submarine, the first of its kind, so we had F to figure out the best way to run it

NASA participated in the Gulf Stream Drift Mission to investigate the feasibility of using an undersea vehicle as a potential testbed for hardware applicable to extended manned space missions, such as Sky Lab, and as a space station analogue to study living and working problems. The study programmes they developed for this mission were human behaviour, habitability, environment,

microbiology, and maintainability. Around the world, enterprising researchers had been probing ever deeper into the pristine unfathomed reaches of the sea. Legendary Swiss inventor Auguste Piccard had seen his son Jacques successfully set a depth record of over seven miles, on a dive into the Marianas Trench in their bathyscaphe Trieste. Now, in the mid-1960s, it fell to Jaques himself to be the driving force behind the Ben Franklin. His design goal was endurance; to create a vessel capable of delivering long uninterrupted dives to the oceans’ middle depths.

The Ben Franklin was to become a collaborative triumph of Swiss genius and American supportive initiative. Built in Switzerland, Grumman Aerospace owned the vessel and sponsored the research mission. Initially designated PX-15 (the 15th Piccard experimental design) many of the parts and systems were similar to those of an Apollo spacecraft. Considerable intelligence had been applied to life support systems that were foolproof and which used negligible electrical power. Food was freeze-dried, made palatable by adding hot water. To avoid using power to generate heat, the hot water was carried in super-insulated tanks designed to keep it close to boiling for the whole month. Waste water had to be kept in sealed tanks. It could not be pumped overboard as it would have reduced the craft’s weight and hence its neutral buoyancy status. Based on a massively-reinforced 10ft diameter cylinder, the 49ft mesoscaphe had a maximum beam of 21ft and displaced 130 tons. Her payload was 5 tons and the life support system sustained six people for six weeks. The crew comprised Jacques Piccard who conceived the mission, a NASA scientist and oceanographers from the navies of America and Britain. Her captain, Don Kazimir, was a 35-year-old former US Navy submarine commander when he responded to Grumman’s New York Times advertisement for a

”

The American patriot and scientist Benjamin Franklin was the ﬁrst person to study and chart the Gulf Stream. The submersible which eventually bore his name remained in the same small cube of seawater throughout its long drift from Florida to Cape Cod. The crew came to know that particular volume of

Tests on the ‘aquanauts’ were of vital importance to NASA’s space exploration projects Picture: NASA

skipper. His love of Jules Verne and 20000 Leagues Under the Sea instantly attracted him to the project. His own log complemented the mission memoirs of Jacques Piccard. Kazimir encapsulated the exhaustive test programme for the vehicle: ‘This was a big research submarine, the first of its kind, so we had to figure out the best way to run it — how to operate it, dive it, surface it, change depth and get it to neutral buoyancy so it’d stay at one depth. Liveability was a big thing.’ Piccard explained a novel feature not found in conventional submarines: ‘The existence of many portholes, with the possibility of looking in virtually any direction is a principal characteristic of the mesoscaphe and distinguishes it from naval or combatant submarines...They were our link with the outside. They also aroused the curiosity of the fish and squid and we could often see them looking inside at us, their strange new neighbours.’ After several practice dives and technical modifications, the Ben Franklin was towed by the naval vessel Privateer to the high-velocity centre of the Gulf Stream, off the coast of Palm Beach.

This ‘mesoscaphe’ was to successfully endure a perilous 30-day drift-dive deep within the vital artery of oceanic circulation known, and blandly spoken of by so many, as the Gulf Stream. The mission: to investigate the secrets of this massive current as the vehicle drifted 1,500 miles northwards at depths of 600 to 2,000ft; to learn the effects on man of a stressful long-duration, closed environment voyage; to demonstrate the engineering concepts of long- term submersible operations; and to conduct other oceanographic studies. Regarded by NASA as a significant analogue to prolonged missions in outer space, the story and achievements of the Ben Franklin had, until just a few years ago, been recalled by only a few. Rescued from oblivion by the Vancouver Maritime Museum, the donated derelict hulk of the submersible has been restored and brought to the attention of a wide and often astounded public. The dangers of the expeditions to outer and inner space had been extreme. Both were in artificial hitech environments where there was little margin for error and scant hope of recovery after accident or emergency. The vacuum of space was matched in finality by the crushing pressure of the deep ocean.

The Ben Franklin has been restored and is now on show at the Vancouver Maritime Museum Picture: NASA

The 1,400-mile course of the Ben Franklin, mapping the Gulf Stream currents and allowing virtually every aspect of onboard life in a confined capsule to be studied Graphics: NASA

The 130-ton PX-15 will shelter six men for six weeks during an underwater voyage of exploration up the Gulf Stream. Panels of lithium hydroxide (CO2 scrubbers) remove carbon dioxide from air while oxygen is replenished from storage tanks. Special thermos-like tanks will maintain hot water; it will be used for heating food and bathing. Conning tower and battery compartment are open to sea (oil is added to batteries to keep water out). Piloting the vessel underwater will be done from control console incorporating TV screen, sonar, and other sensors. Four 25-hp. AC motors propel sub when not drifting, running in either direction at any speed. Each motor housing is rotatable for additional control. A transparent biological sampler connecting two portholes will give explorers a constant view of marine life. In the event of emergency, iron shot (top) is released, bringing sub up.

The mission was supported by two surface ships, crewed by ocean scientists who coordinated the mission findings and synoptic measurements obtained on the route. They maintained contact by sound-powered underwater telephone. Navy aircraft equipped with special sensors provided further monitoring. The submarine, surface escort and aircraft all continuously collected environmental data. The average surface speed of the Gulf Stream proved to be 4 knots. The submerged Ben Franklin drifted with the middle-depth current at about half that rate. This gave rise to the apparently bizarre need for the surface escort to steam slowly southwards to remain on station, as they made their common terrestrial progress 1,500 miles northwards. Captain Kazimir’s log recalled the moment when ‘Rig for Dive’ was first completed, having graciously sent a good luck message to the Apollo 11 astronauts: ‘Main ballast tanks opened — diving; boat descended smoothly — dribbled shot occasionally to slow descent. Trim good, no propulsion needed; bottomed at 510 metres. Commenced equipment check.’ The first three days was a drift rehearsal, during which the freshness of novelty was evident: ‘The stern spotlight attracts quite a bit of plankton. Two swordfish were observed: one actually attacked the viewport.’ On 20 July there was celebration: the highlight of the aquanauts’ day was apparently the successful moon landing, as reported to them by the Privateer. Piccard warmed to his subject: ‘After leaving the

coast of Palm Beach, Florida, we drifted in a wonderful tranquillity — quieter than any oceanographic lab had ever been. Between 600 and 2,000ft, protected from the surface waves and tempests and also from the thousands of small daily preoccupations of modern life, we were able to dedicate ourselves entirely to the study of the sea... The drifting approach we employed had the advantage of producing complete immobility in relation to the water around the vehicle. We were part of the ideal research platform for listening to the inﬁnite variety of noises in the sea.’

Within the confines of the Ben Franklin music played a significant role. Kazimir took a lot of cassettes: ‘Music was very important; sometimes it got very cold and damp, and when you’re going along the bottom and worrying about hitting rocks and sunken ships for several hours, it makes you tense: Enter “Madame Butterfly”.’ The crew were also able to listen to the newly released Beatles’ album, Yellow Submarine. Virtually every aspect of onboard life was subjected to the closest scrutiny: sleep quality and patterns; sense of humour and behavioural shifts; physical reflexes; and the effect of long-term routine on the crew. They all wrote journals and took psychological surveys. Placed in strategic locations, three cameras captured all human interaction at twominute intervals for the duration of the trip. The eventual folio of some 65,000 still images helped plot the course of NASA’s future space station configuration. Piccard explained: ‘Under each mattress is a counter which records how much “sack time” we log. On the floor, counters read our steps and at regular intervals our “Life Engineer” takes samples of our skin,

Music was “ very important; sometimes it got very cold and damp

”

swabs from the sink, the floor, and the portholes. In his work area he begins cultivating colonies of bacteria in his collection of Petrie jars...NASA will eventually put into earth orbit a big space lab. where successive scientist crews will stay for several weeks. NASA must know how the scientists will live on board the orbiting station. Of great importance are answers to questions such as “What will be the biological life on board? — What about microbes, bacteria and viruses?”.’ Piccard described the value of microbiology to NASA: ‘One of the planned voyages [to Mars] envisages a journey of about 400 days. If a serious epidemic developed in the neighbourhood of Mars, the crew would have to “hold out” for at least six months before returning to earth. It was a hugely significant finding of this submarine mission that identified the biggest initial problem of any extended voyage in space as biological contamination. Bacteria were shown to be resilient, and that they grow — even in a supposedly decontaminated environment.’ In the aftermath of the mission, NASA used the results to generate a classified five-volume report which had a direct influence on the development of the Space Shuttle programme, and to future manned missions further afield. NASA also produced hundreds of pages of tables and statistics on events surrounding routine submarine maintenance which were arranged by subject: importance, chance of recurrence, and foreseen consequences on future space missions. There is irony in the fact that the immediate dramatic success of the Apollo 11 moon landing evidently shifted world interest away from the ocean and towards outer space. Nevertheless, the Ben Franklin also helped revolutionise aspects of ocean science.

results of their endeavours in the Gulf Stream — ‘the surging river that rushes out of the Gulf of Mexico, bringing warmth and life-sustaining temperatures to the coasts of North America and Europe is not merely one ﬂood of water but several swirling, colliding, meandering torrents tumbling northwards. At great depths the Gulf Stream moves at less than 2 knots, south of Cape Hatteras, then picks up speed as the current gallops away from the coast towards Northern Europe...We do know that this combination of rivers in the sea, a 3D movement of water, has great implications for weather determination, for shipping, for the ﬁshing industry and as a basis for general knowledge of the oceans.’ As the Ben Franklin dive mission neared completion some 300 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Captain Kazimir noted: ‘The crew had channel fever — quite anxious to surface.’ Then, matter-offactly: ‘The Coastguard Cutter Cook Inlet arrived and will stand by in order to transport personnel to Portland, Maine...AII data packaged for transfer. Ben Franklin was taken in tow by Privateer.’

The anticlimax of the mission, however, proved to be profound. While the Ben Franklin faultlessly completed its task, President Nixon and some 1,500 dignitaries staged an elabo-rate politically charged party for the returning Apollo 11 crew. The New York Times proclaimed:‘From Coast to Coast a Joyous Welcome for the Astronauts!’ There was no mention of the Ben Franklin that day, and her own record-breaking achievements. Further scientiﬁc discoveries made in the deep ocean, in ﬁelds such as acoustics, became closely guarded secrets of the burgeoning Cold War, used in the frantic race for supremacy in nuclear submarines and weaponry. The eventual end of the Cold

War released a huge amount of new knowledge into the real world, and was a tremendous boost for modern ocean science. After 1969 the Ben Franklin made several more dives, including the first deep sea dive for Dr Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic. The submersible was also later involved in acoustic, marine biological, chemical and other experiments, as well as deep water salvage operations, pollution studies, photo-mapping of the sea floor, and ocean environment research for the US Navy. However, the huge size of the Ben Franklin and scale of surface support increasingly rendered it financially impractical for commercial ocean work.

After passing briefly into private ownership and transfer to Vancouver, the by then dilapidated Ben Franklin was donated to the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Volunteers lovingly restored both the outside and interior, before being rededicated in 2003. Jacques Piccard sent astute observations into the future: ‘We have unlocked more questions about the Gulf Stream than our journey answered...lt has been deeply studied and a few secrets have been uncovered. But it will probably shield the majority of its mysteries from man. Thus is the law of universal science. The deeper you delve into it, the more you realise that it is endless, limitless, infinite...The significance of the oceans for all mankind, coastal nations and landlocked ones alike, is great.’ Today, as the Ben Franklin is open to the public, fitted out for interactive lessons about ocean exploration, the director of Vancouver Maritime Museum joins the prophetic voices: ‘The Ben Franklin remains an important analogue for space travel, as well as an inspiring immersive educational vehicle to encourage people to consider the on-going exploration of Earth’s final frontier — the ocean.’

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author kindly acknowledges the material assistance of Dr John Gould, J Piccard, Vancouver Maritime Museum and W. Cloud. Copyright: Trevor Boult

F Promotional material for the Ben Franklin mission Picture: NASA

During the mission over ﬁve million measurements of temperature, salinity, speed of sound, depth and ambient light were made. Hundreds of hours were spent making observations at the portholes. Piccard recalled: ‘The fauna has certainly been less numerous than we expected.’ About 1,000 explosions with their multiple echoes were recorded on magnetic tapes. The contents of the seawater — principally its chlorophyll and various minerals — were measured regularly several times a day. The earth’s gravity was also determined. Piccard’s memoirs also revealed reverence and awe, as well as scientiﬁc appreciation, from the

German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, above, with NASA officials on the Ben Franklin Picture: NASA

34 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

OFFWATCH ships of the past General details Described as ‘a 14,200 ton dwt, 2-deck, 14 knot, 22 tons per day general purpose cargo ship’ ENGINE: Sulzer 5RD68-type; service rating 5,500bhp at 135rpm; LOA: 463ft; Beam: 67ft; Draught 28ft 6ins; GRT 6,800 tons

Remarkable life of UK’s Liberty Ship successor by Trevor Boult

During the second world war more than 3,000 dry cargo tramp ships were delivered into the Allied merchant fleets. The vast majority were supplied by the USA under the official label ‘Liberty Ship’. This term was to become generic for nearly all war-built tramp ships, and in the 1960s conveniently led to the many ship types then being offered to take their place becoming known as Liberty Ship replacement designs. At this time owners of ageing fleets, and shipbuilders, shared similar concerns: what do we replace them with? In Britain, the Sunderland shipbuilder Austin & Pickersgill had an eye on the main chance of becoming market leader. Its principal target customer was the Greek owner with limited resources who then operated most of the ageing Liberty fleet.

An updated Liberty Ship was to become the favoured concept: familiar, reliable and utilitarian; a two-deck vessel of some 14,000 tons and 15 knots speed; priced below £1m and supported by favourable credit facilities. Only two of the many designs put forward by the world's shipyards were to achieve major success. Developed by Austin & Pickersgill, the SD14 was one of them — the designation indicating Shelter Deck; 14,000 tons deadweight. The building life of this maritime success story was to span a remarkable 20 years. It was recognised that, whilst low ﬁrst-cost would be a vital factor in selling the design, there would always be owners willing to pay for additional items, which gave rise to the optional extras list. Austin & Pickersgill also decided not to include expensive spare parts, but planned instead

for stocks of these, and other standard equipment, to be held ready for despatch as required. A wellproven and uncomplicated main engine was selected, to try and ensure reliable operation and longevity. The slow running 5-cylinder Sulzer diesel was produced by many licencees and supported by a global spares and servicing organisation. The enduring general design philosophy was one of affordable quality. Changes were made, even before the first vessel was begun and further modifications were introduced during the building programme, as the four series of the design were developed. The Southwick yard in Sunderland had been laid out in the mid-1950s specifically to undertake series building, which could make use of what was essentially assembly line production. Amongst the first

departures made from traditional design had been the replacement of curved sheer and camber by a straight line configuration, aimed at reducing costly bending of beams and optimising the use of straight side frames of virtually equal length. A transom replaced the more costly but aesthetic cruiser stern. Perhaps the most controversial new feature was the deckhouse structure. It displayed extreme utility, consisting of straight lines and corrugated side and rear stiffening. The saving in weight and reduction in labour cost fully justified this innovation. Although the SD14 had been conceived as a quality yet economic tramp ship, the design moved upmarket as its popularity increased. Cargo liner operators began to find it an attractive vessel to own or charter; such notable names as P&O, Blue Star and Ellermans. In the mid-1970s, as a nod to containerisation, strengthening was included to allow a total of up to 200 20ft containers to be loaded. From Hellenic shipyards, six liner-type SD14s emerged, with the status of being able to carry 12 passengers. The final pair of SD14s, built under licence in Rio de Janeiro, left the shipyard in 1988. The Nicola, pictured above, was the first production SD14. Her entry into service was marked by a large-scale public relations and sales exercise. This saw the vessel sail from Sunderland to London Docks for inspection by an impressive selection of the world's shipowners, brokers and ship sale agents. She was launched for General Freighters Corporation, Liberia. Being sold on, she also carried the names Avlaki and Glasgow. In October 1986 she arrived at Kaohsiung in Taiwan for breaking up.

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book Master Mariner: A life under way (reviewed on the facing page). To enter, simply complete the form below and send it, along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus International, Telegraph Crossword Competition, Oceanair House, 750–760 High Road,

50 YEARS AGO The annual report of the London Steamship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association records the settlement of a number of claims amounting to many thousands of pounds made by seafarers or their dependants arising from the failure of those responsible to provide prompt and adequate medical attention when it has been required. The reasons attributed to these failures vary from a refusal to acknowledge that a man is genuinely ill to an understandable inability to appreciate the man’s condition. In connection with this, it is perhaps relevant to note the views of Dr A. Hutchinson, the port medical officer of Hull and Goole, who recently questioned whether ships should be required to carry a person who has completed a recognised course of training in nursing MN Journal, August 1959

25 YEARS AGO The battle for ownership of Sealink UK ended last month when Mr James Sherwood, president of Bermuda-based Sea Containers, handed over £66m to the British Railways Board. This gave him control of the 37 ferries and 10 ports, and took the company out of the public and into the private sector. The MNAOA, NUS and other unions with members in Sealink have made it plain to Mr Sherwood that the battle for jobs will not be over if his actions do not match his pledge — given at a meeting with the MNAOA in July — to go for growth and not for asset-stripping. Mr Sherwood also told the MNAOA that there would be no attempt to change contractual conditions or to end union recognition, and that he would seek to achieve any changes through consensus The Telegraph, August 1984

10 YEARS AGO NUMAST is playing a key role in new attempts to combat a disturbing rise in the number of abandoned crews. Evidence published by the Mission to Seafarers and the International Transport Workers’ Federation last month showed a big increase in the problem over the past year. The situation has become so bad that increasing numbers of seafarers are being forced to sell ships’ equipment in exchange for food and water. Now NUMAST is involved in top-level talks with international organisations on ways of preventing the problem and providing more support for stranded seafarers, chairing a special working group investigating the concept of compulsory insurance to provide ‘safety net’ cover for crews The Telegraph, August 1999

THEQUIZ 1

Which country’s shipowners have got the biggest share of the world orderbook, in terms of deadweight tonnage?

What is the average age of the world merchant ﬂeet?

With which shipping company was the surname Stoker associated?

The ferry company Viking Line celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Where is it based?

Roughly how many general cargoships are there in the world merchant ﬂeet?

Lloyd’s List lays claim to being one of the world’s longestrunning newspapers. When was it ﬁrst published?

J Quiz and quick crossword answers are on page 46.

Name: Address:

Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015. Closing date is Monday 17 August 2009. You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to: telegraph@nautilusint.org by the same closing date.

QUICK CLUES 1. 5. 9. 10. 12. 13. 14. 18. 19. 21. 24. 25. 26. 27.

Across Olden ‘sir’ (6) Sales example (6) Bird (7) Sailor (6) Court recorder (15) Fizz (4) Study of ancient land (10) Eating place (10) Spoon around (4) Inhale (4,1,4,6) Undresses (6) Dream up (7) Church songbook (6) Completed certain letters (6)

Telephone:

8. 11. 15. 16. 17. 20. 22. 23.

CRYPTIC CLUES 1. 5.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Down Cromwellian (9) Limit supplies (6) Omen (9) Branch (5) Alcohol (8) Exact own justice (5)

Arrange (11) Intercessory turner (6-5) Armoured (9) Cast out (9) Fiscal levies (8) Bosom (6) Petty cash (5) Artist’s support (5)

9. 10. 12. 13.

Across Press rising to exercise — by another name (4-2) Rubbish reading ﬁrst for Rome supporter (6) In a word, do I have the aptitude to be friendly? (7) Initially lots of laughter, cut to funny walk (6) Swearing at Wimbledon, in Paris centuries ago (6,5,4) Secure with rope and ﬂog (4)

Membership No.:

14. Past with rodents in, vicar returned poorly having swallowed them (10) 18. Lift his gun carefully, that’s astute (10) 19. Utilitarian factory (4) 21. Charge against John McEnroe? (8,2,5) 24. Grasping this could be a rash move (6) 25. Concealed in text, remember, is a contradictory stance (7) 26. Minister charged in Delaware with a scam (6) 27. Prepared to suffer? Try arm wrestling (6)

Down 2. 25 opponents of 5s (across) (9) 3. A morsel on the stove for the little fellah (6) 4. Tense about the number of Dalmatians, 18 about the future (9)

5. Paul, I mixed a rice dish (5) 6. ‘A week is a long time in ---’ (Harold Wilson) (8) 7. Ok, sad about Czech motor company becoming a VW brand (5) 8. Not surprising icemen leapt hurriedly off this ledge (11) 11. Item of mail, but not the protective kind (5,6) 15. Lo, a museum, not a place for the living (9) 16. Fashion not working (9) 17. Rugged crag site in rural location (8) 20. Inhabitant north of border, Her Majesty’s bird (6) 22. Relative in French resort we hear (5) 23. Tidy plumage, before a half-measure (5)

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 35

books

OFFWATCH

A testament to youth Master Mariner: A life under way by Captain Philip Rentell Seafarer Books, £9.95 ISBN 978-1-906266-13-4

f www.seafarerbooks.com the Merchant Navy by its officers and K men,’ writes yachtsman and former MN officer

‘There are far too few books written about

Sir Robin Know-Johnston in the foreword to Master Mariner: A Life Under Way. Captain Philip Rentell’s new book sets out to address this very point — written, amongst other reasons, ‘to encourage the young men and women who come to sea today to stick to their chosen profession’. A passionate advocate for what he describes as ‘a profession that still deserves the greatest of respect’, Capt Rentell tells how his ambition to go to sea developed despite living about as far from the coast as you can get in the UK. Inspired by educational cruises in the 1960s, he first considered serving as a radio officer before deciding — despite the lack of help from

Far more than a mere coffee table guide to UK’s heritage Britain’s Historic Ships by Dr Paul Brown Conway Maritime Press, £20 ISBN 9-781-8448-6093-7

Not just a beautiful book, but also a well written and fascinating publication, Britain’s Historic Ships provides a high quality tribute to some of the most significant ships in the nation’s maritime development. Featuring 20 vessels ranging from the 1510-built Mary Rose to the 1970launched hunter-killer submarine HMS Courageous, the book addresses what it describes as ‘probably the most fragile part’ of Britain’s maritime heritage — the surviving historic vessels scattered around the coastline. In his introduction, author Dr Paul Brown notes how the movement to preserve such ships developed relatively recently — the National Historic Ships Unit, for instance, was not formed until 2006 — and those seeking to save significant vessels face many struggles, of which funding is just one. Dr Brown also points to the many treasures that are in danger of being lost. There are some 1,200 ships on the national register of historic vessels — and 13 of the 60 in the core collection and 21 of the 151 vessels designated as being of outstanding regional significance are described as being at risk. ‘Within living memory of some people, Britain had the largest navy,

the local careers office — to train as a deck officer on the training ship Worcester. From a first trip on the Clan Malcolm to subsequent voyages on Bowater Paper Company vessels and the reefers Rothesay Castle and Southampton Castle, he describes the highs and occasional lows of life as a cadet at this time — including the enviable amounts of time ashore! From Clan Line to Palm Line, via an unfortunate and short-lived venture into the coastal sector looking for quick promotion, and then into a season on Hoverlloyd’s crossChannel craft, Philip Rentell does a great job in portraying the wide variety of work that maritime training can open up. Moving on to Cunard Line, he also conveys some of the diverse characters encountered at sea — both fellow shipmates and passengers! The book also strikes a sombre note at time, with a section on his time in the Falklands onboard QE2 and with the deaths of a passenger and a couple of crewmen — one lost overboard and another a murder. Capt Rentell’s recollections of working for the

the largest merchant fleet, and the biggest shipbuilding industry in the world,’ he adds. ‘Representation of all these ships in our historic ships fleet is very patchy: for example, no large 20th century historic merchant ship remains in UK waters, and no capital ship from that century remains.’ This background explains what, at first sight, might be glaring omissions from a work subtitled ‘a complete guide to the ships that shaped the nation’. HMS Victory, ss Great Britain, Cutty Sark, RRS Discovery and coastal steamers such as Waverley, Balmoral and Shieldhall all earn their slots in this book — but one could produce endless lists of the vessels that would deserve to be included under the banner of ships that shaped the nation. Nevertheless, this book does a grand job in highlighting some of the best of the significant ships that have been preserved and are most accessible to the public. It’s well written and extremely well illustrated, with 100 first class colour and black and white contemporary photographs and historical paintings. The book also contains an appendix listing more than 50 vessels of 60ft and above on the National Historic Ships Register core and designated lists, as well as a good bibliography for further reading, a glossary of terms, and a selection of useful websites.

Airtours subsidiary Sun Cruises provide another perspective on life at sea — and especially the sometimes delicate problems of commanding passengerships. Handling sometimes awkward guests on the captain’s table, dealing with staffing problems and engineering difficulties was one thing, but then discovering evidence of a paedophile onboard your ship is something else altogether — especially when it occurs not once, but on two separate occasions. Towards the end of the book, the structure becomes a bit uneven as the author introduces articles written for other publications and mixes in reflections on aspects of life at sea — including medevacs, rescues and the potential nightmare of having to abandon a massive cruiseship. There are some interesting observations here, but you can’t help but feel the book tails off in a somewhat unfocussed way. All in all, though, Philip Rentell has produced an enjoyable book. It tells its many tales in an effective and wry way, and certainly captures the remarkable richness of experiences that a career at sea can deliver.

Inside insight into liners of Liverpool Liverpool’s Last Ocean Liners by John Shepherd The History Press, £16.99 ISBN 978-0-7524-4915-9

John Shepherd is a Merseysider who, as a purser, worked on ocean liners out of Liverpool in the 1960s, and thus brings an insider’s knowledge and insight to his study Liverpool’s Last Ocean Liners. Each chapter focuses on a particular shipping line, opening with

an overview of its history, followed by ship-by-ship sections on the liners still in service in the quarter-century or so after the second world war, headed by the vessel’s vital statistics and then the story of the ship. These sections are often augmented by supplementary material; for instance, Shepherd quotes from a 1932 Booth Line promotional brochure for the Hilary, which had been built by Cammell Laird in 1931, and which took passengers to Brazil to explore the wonders of the Amazon: ‘If a tramcar started from London to Liverpool and made a circle of 11,800 miles at a charge of two pence a mile, then the travelling public would be amazed at both the achievement and the price. Yet this is exactly what has been accomplished; only a magnificent liner takes the place of the tramcar, and the charge of two pence a mile includes not only transport but the services and cuisine of a first-class hotel.’ Anecdotal material includes, in the chapter on Cunard, Shepherd’s own memories of a year serving on the 21,947gt Carinthia, and there is also a chapter contributed by Peter Elson, senior features writer for the Liverpool Daily Post, on the Birkenhead-built Windsor Castle. The pages are lifted by the many excellent photographs and other pictorial material that Shepherd has amassed, including some dramatic shots taken from Carinthia’s bridge of

Contemporary view on Titanic The Sinking of the Titanic edited by Logan Marshall Nonesuch, £16.99 ISBN 978-1-84588-631-8

As a publishing phenomenon, the Titanic really has proved unsinkable. Never a year goes by, it seems, without new books launched on the most famous tragedy in maritime history. And that is to say nothing about the films, documentaries and whatnot inspired by the events of 10 April 1912, when the ‘practically unsinkable’ White Star fleet liner sank after it struck an iceberg, with the loss of some 1,500 lives. The Sinking of the Titanic, edited by Logan Marshall, certainly adds nothing new, but that matters not, because it was surely the first book ever on the theme — published in 1912 and featuring Marshall’s interviews with survivors in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Also featured are fascinating maps, diagrams, drawings, paintings and photographs, including

mountainous heaving seas during winter in the North Atlantic. Reading his book, one cannot help lamenting the passing of what Shepherd calls the ‘Golden Age’ of the beautiful ocean liners he celebrates. Reflecting from the perspective of own career on the liners, the author notes: ‘In the early 1960s it was a way of life which seemingly had no end, but towards the end of the decade it disappeared, almost overnight. Six almost new Liverpool-based passenger liners became redundant due to competition from the airlines; appalling industrial relations both amongst ships’ crew and shore labour, and, further exacerbating the situation, the ever-escalating cost of fuel oil.’

Celebrating Balmoral’s anniversary MV Balmoral: The First 60 Years by Alistair Deayton and Iain Quinn Amberley, £14.99 ISBN 978-1-84868-426-3

The pleasure steamer mv Balmoral was built in 1949 and is still in use today, some 60 years later, so the publication of this book is most timely.

one of the iceberg that did the damage, and a cartoon showing a be-suited figure in stars and stripes, contemplating a poster headed ‘ LUXURIES OF THE SEA’ which are listed as swimming pool, tennis courts, elevators, palm room, gymnasium, grill room, ‘BUT FEW LIFE BOATS’. Marshall’s racy journalese ties the whole thing vividly together. Some of his sensationalist depiction of what unfolded on that fatal night is doubtless questionable, and, of course, his book lacks important new knowledge and insights that have emerged subsequently. They include the findings documented in Titanic and the Mystery Ship, Senan Molony’s 2006 study which questioned the evidence brought to bear against Captain Stanley Lord, master of the UK-flagged Californian, who was convicted of ignoring appeal rockets and sailing away from the disaster scene. Marshall only once mentions the Californian, and there is no hint of the suspicion that would come to be cast upon it. But the Marshall book is an important historical document, and has a freshness and immediacy that later accounts lack, and therefore Nonesuch is justified in republishing it — although as a cheaply produced paperback of fewer than 200 pages, it is somewhat over overpriced at £16.99.

Built for the Southampton, Isle of Wight & South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co, Balmoral operated as part of the company’s Red Funnel fleet for 20 years. P&A Campbell purchased the vessel, primarily for pleasure steamer

services down the Bristol Channel to Wales, also serving on tender to a Swedish-American line. After P&A ceased trading in 1980 and a short lay-up, Balmoral moved to Dundee functioning as a floating restaurant, an unsuccessful enterprise. Present owners Waverley Steam Navigation Company bought Balmoral in 1985, and since reconstituted as a pleasure streamer, it has operated to ports all around the Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man, and also special calls, including to Rotterdam. The book, which is full colour, mark’s Balmoral’s 60th birthday more in captioned pictures than in words, but it opens with a brief history and additional information, including the captains it has sailed under.

To advertise your products & services in the Telegraph contact: CENTURY ONE PUBLISHING Tel: 01727 893 894 Fax: 01727 893 895 Email: ollie@centuryone publishing.ltd.uk

36 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

NL NEWS

Zeebenen zijn warm onthaald in de klas P

Piraterij en pensioenen: Jaarvergadering Nederlandse Branche van Nautilus International deed stof opwaaien ook zo vertrouwd. Op 25 juni jl F vond de eerste jaarvergadering Een nieuwe setting, maar toch

plaats sinds het samengaan van Nautilus NL en Nautilus UK. De opkomst was dan ook hoog en zowel actieve als gepensioneerde leden namen actief deel aan de jaarvergadering. Het aansluitende, openbare gedeelte van het programma, stond geheel in het licht van pensioenen. Assistant General Secretary, Marcel van den Broek, heette iedereen zoals altijd van harte welkom. De Jaarvergadering had een iets ander tintje dan de afgelopen jaren. Het was immers de eerste vergadering sinds het ontstaan van de nieuwe bond. Zoals gebruikelijk werden de verrichtingen besproken. Een terugblik op het afgelopen jaar. Leden stonden achter het in het afgelopen jaar gevoerde beleid en gaven hier hun goedkeuring aan. Ook de jaarrekening, eveneens vast onderdeel van de vergadering, werd goedgekeurd, waarmee het bestuur decharge werd gegeven. De begroting bestond dit keer uit twee delen, namelijk die van voor (tot en mei 2009) en na het ontstaan van Nautilus International. Na de oprichting van Nautilus International op 16 mei 2009 is een groot deel van het ﬁnanciële reilen en zeilen overgegaan naar het Hoofdkantoor in Engeland. Na aﬂoop van de gebruikelijke agendapunten van de jaarvergadering werd de leden gelegenheid gegeven om vragen te stellen aan het bestuur. INSPANNINGEN

Hier werd goed gehoor aan gegeven en vooral piraterij stond hoog op de agenda. De leden spraken hun bezorgdheid uit over piraterij en vroegen naar de stand van zaken omtrent het plaatsen van mariniers aan boord. Assistent General Secretary Marcel van den Broek gaf een heldere toelichting over de rol van Nautilus International in het dossier. Hij gaf een uitvoerige opsomming van alle bondsinspanningen zowel nationaal als internatioinaal, die Nautilus had ondernomen om zowel overheden als

andere betrokken partijen te overtuigen van de risico’s en gevaren die zeevarenden lopen in oorlogs- en gevarengebieden. De resultaten hiervan beginnen steeds duidelijker zichtbaar te worden. Het protocol voor de Golf van Aden en de in ontwikkeling zijnde Gevarenregeling zijn enkele goede voorbeelden van de inspanningen van Nautilus International om zeevarenden te beschermen tegen aanvallen van buitenaf. Verder riep de Assistant General Secretary de leden op om massaal op 29 juni naar de Tweede Kamer af te reizen en hier algemeen overleg over piraterij bij te wonen. GROEIBRILJANT

Voor Van den Broek de vergadering afsloot, gaf hij nog het woord aan de General Secretary van Nautilus International, Mark Dickinson. Ook Dickinson ging dieper in op het onderwerp piraterij en hij liet weten dat Nautilus UK al sinds de jaren zeventig ruim aandacht besteedt aan het zeeterrorisme. Hiervoor zoekt de vakbond onder meer nauwe samenwerking met de redersgemeenschap en de internationale politiek. De Jaarvergadering was natuurlijk ook een uitgelezen moment om nader in te gaan op het samengaan van de Nederlandse en de Engelse vakbond. Dickinson blikte terug op de afgelopen jaren waarin hij de samenwerking tussen de Nederlandse en Engelse scheepvaartbond vergeleek met een groeibriljant, een groeibriljant die volgens de General Secretary is uitgegroeid tot een prachtig juweel. Door de internationale samenvoeging verlegt Nautilus International vele grenzen en kunnen nog grotere slagen gemaakt worden ten gunste van de leden. Nautilus International is er dan ook helemaal klaar voor om de belangen van zijn leden, waar zij ook wonen of werken, op de beste manier te behartigen. Na afsluiting van het besloten gedeelte vond een levendig symposium plaats over de toekomstbestendigheid van het pensioen van de leden. Verderop leest u daarover meer.

‘Zeebenen in de klas’ wil jongeren uit het basisonderwijs interesseren voor een baan in de scheepvaart. Het project is een gezamenlijk initiatief van Nautilus International, de kapiteinsvereniging NVKK, KVNR en diverse scholen in de drie noordelijke provincies. De pilot is weliswaar net afgerond, maar nu al kunnen we concluderen dat het een daverend succes is! Maar liefst 35 zeevarenden hadden zich voor dit unieke project aangemeld. Hiervan zijn zes mensen uit de noordelijke regio gekozen, waaronder Caro Cordes, stuurvrouw in de handelsvaart. Caro was een van de ambassadeurs die in samenwerking met een noordelijke rederij een aantal boeiende presentaties heeft verzorgd op drie scholen. Wegwijs

‘Fantastisch om te doen’, vertelt een enthousiaste Caro. ‘Het was voor mij de eerste keer dat ik voor de klas stond en de scheepvaart op een speelse en leerzame wijze onder de aandacht kon brengen. Aan de hand van een powerpointpresentatie aangevuld met eigen foto’s, videomateriaal én natuurlijk door te vertellen over wat ik allemaal meemaak op zee, maakte ik de kinderen wegwijs in de prachtige wereld van de scheepvaart. Voorafgaand aan de presentatie, kregen de scholieren een scheepstaalles toegestuurd, zodat zij zich het schippersjargon alvast eigen konden maken. Tijdens de les kwamen gezegdes als “alle hens aan dek” weer voorbij en je merkte dat de kinderen het enorm leuk oppakten.’ Op de brug

Opvallend is dat veel kinderen – maar volgens Caro ook volwassenen – een misplaatst beeld hebben van het leven op zee. ‘Zij denken bijvoorbeeld dat je met de hele bemanning op één zaal slaapt’, aldus Caro. ‘Ook wordt gedacht dat er nog echt aan het wiel wordt gedraaid. Die “romantische” beelden van de

brug hebben ze opgepikt uit ﬁlms en zijn natuurlijk allang achterhaald. Iedereen heeft tegenwoordig immers een eigen hut en bijna alles is geautomatiseerd. Je hebt niet meer die spierkracht nodig om een schip te bemannen (of te bevrouwen natuurlijk). Zo worden luiken en winches hydraulisch aangedreven, waardoor het werken aan boord lichamelijk veel minder belastend is dan vroeger. Ook het feit dat bijna elk schip over internet beschikt, kwam voor veel leerlingen als een verrassing. Hetzelfde geldt voor de werktijden; tegenwoordig hoef je niet meer maanden van huis te zijn en behoort 1 op 1 af ook te mogelijkheden. Dat sprak de jongeren duidelijk aan want vandaag de dag willen zij niet meer te lang weg zijn. Ik vond het heel inspirerend te zien dat de kinderen steeds enthousiaster werden en met allerlei goede vragen kwamen!’. Boeiend

De zeevaart betekent voor Caro haar lust en

NL National Committee bij dat we de belangen van onze leden nóg sterker kunnen behartigen. F We zijn nu echt een internationale bond. Dat betekent wel dat organisatorisch

haar leven. ‘Varen biedt een grote mate van vrijheid en tegelijkertijd ben je verantwoordelijk voor alles wat aan boord gebeurt. Je moet besluitvaardig zijn en daadkrachtig kunnen optreden. Het geeft mij een geweldig gevoel om met zo’n groot schip te manoeuvreren. Ook het laden en lossen is elke keer weer een uitdaging. Daarnaast gaan de ontwikkelingen op het gebied van automatisering en techniek in de scheepvaart snel. Je moet zelf dus ook continu bij de les blijven. Juist al die facetten maken mijn werk enorm boeiend en afwisselend. Ik hoop dat ik dát gevoel aan de kinderen heb kunnen overdragen. Ik ben daar hoopvol over omdat een aantal kinderen reeds heeft aangegeven een beroep in de scheepvaart te overwegen. En dat is toch geweldig.’ De pilot is inmiddels afgerond en er wordt gewerkt aan een rapportage. Vervolgens wordt gekeken of en op welke wijze het project landelijk verder uitgerold kan worden. We houden u op de hoogte!

De Council is het hoogste orgaan van Nautilus International en bestaat onder andere uit een afvaardiging van leden van zowel de NL National Committee als de UK National Committee.

Samen staan we sterk en het samengaan met Nautilus UK draagt ertoe

een en ander goed op de rails gezet moest worden. Zo is onder meer de National Committee in het leven geroepen. De National Committee is enigszins vergelijkbaar met de Raad van Advies die wij in Nederland kennen alhoewel er verschillen zijn in samenstelling en bevoegdheden. De leden worden gekozen voor een periode van vier jaar en komen voort uit verschillende kiesgroepen zoals die van kapiteins en stuurlieden, wertuigkundigen, gezellen en werknemers binnenvaart. Daarnaast is de General Secretary (Mark Dickinson) ook lid van de National Committee. De NL National Committee houdt zich bezig met de nationale aangelegenheden van de vakbond zoals de CAO’s, pensioenfondsen, onze contacten met FNV en andere bonden en zaken die op de nationale overheden betrekking hebben. Zij wordt elke vergadering geïnformeerd over de verschillende onderwerpen en is daarmee dus op de hoogte van de laatste stand van zaken van het reilen en zeilen van Nautilus International. Daarnaast kan de NL National Committee als voorbereiding en klankbord voor de Nederlandse leden van De Council dienen.

VERTROUWD

Vier keer per jaar vindt een vergadering plaats, waarbij in beginsel ook de voorzitter van de Council of zijn plaatsvervanger alsmede de zgn. Trustees als toehoorder aanwezig kunnen zijn. De ene keer wordt de vergadering in Engeland gehouden, de andere keer op eigen bodem. De eerste reguliere vergadering van de National Committee heeft begin Juli plaatsgevonden. Dit was enerzijds een moment van gewenning; het was immers de eerste samenkomst in Nautilus ‘nieuwe vorm’. Nieuwe setting, nieuwe vergaderomgeving en de aanwezigheid van een tolk voor de niet Nederlands sprekenden. Maar anderzijds was het als vanouds. De stand van zaken werd besproken en de koers bepaald. Zo kwam de overgangsregeling in de rijn- en binnenvaart ruimschoots aan bod en werd uitgebreid stilgestaan bij het onderwerp piraterij. Verder stond de toestroom van Filippijnse werknemers in de binnenvaart hoog op de agenda. Voor Europese werknemers op de binnenvaart is het nu onmogelijk te concurreren met goedkope arbeidskrachten uit de Filippijnen. De NL National Committee heeft de vakbond op het hart gedrukt zich in te zetten voor de bescherming van de Europese arbeidskrachten.

Reorganisatie P&O North Sea Ferries Noordzee-sector Ondernemingsraad en vakbonden geïnformeerd over de bij P&O F Ferries ingezette reorganisatie. Op vrijdag 10 juli jongstleden werden de werknemers,

Al eerder was bekend geworden dat de rederij diepgaand onderzoekt welke mogelijkheden bestaan om de routes op de Noordzee weer levensvatbaar te maken. Hierbij was al toegezegd dat geen enkel scenario zou worden overgeslagen. Tijdens de bijeenkomst werd al snel duidelijk dat alle afdelingen van P&O met de reorganisatie te maken zullen gaan krijgen, te beginnen met de afdelingen aan de wal. Daar zullen de nodige banen en mogelijk hele afdelingen moeten verdwijnen. Tevens zullen alle contracten met de zgn. agencies onder de loep worden genomen. Een totale bezuiniging van £ 14 miljoen is het doel. Wat later dit jaar gaat de aandacht uit naar mogelijke bezuinigingen op de

vloot. Medio september wordt Nautilus uitgenodigd om hierover mee te denken. Wat de rederij daarbij precies in gedachte heeft werd tijdens het gesprek niet duidelijk. De huidige bemanningssamenstelling is ons inziens de afgelopen jaren namelijk al meer dan genoeg gereduceerd en ruimte lijkt hier niet tot nauwelijks nog aanwezig. Wel gaf de rederij reeds te kennen, te overwegen om Filippijnen in zetten voor lash werkzaamheden en daarmee de lokale havenwerkers buitenspel te willen zetten. Dit laatste is inmiddels op fel verzet gestuit van bonden aan beide zijden van de Noordzee. Conluderend kan worden opgemerkt dat het volgens de rederij pompen of verzuipen is. Bezuinigen, en nog eens bezuinigen echter zonder dat daarbij duidelijk wordt of deze bezuinigingen het tij daadwerkelijk zullen kunnen keren. Nautilus International volgt de ontwikkelingen aan zowel de Nederlandse als de Engelse zijde op de voet zal zich in nauw overleg met de bondsleden en de leden van de OR beraden op haar inzet. Wordt vervolgd!

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 37

NL NEWS

Introduceer een collega C

Tot eind 2009 biedt Nautilus International haar leden een Cadeaukaart van V&D aan ter waarde van €25 voor het aanbrengen van een nieuw lid. Al dat u hoeft te doen om in aanmerking te komen voor deze stimulans is ons uw naam en lidmaatschapnummer te sturen tezamen met de naam, het adres, het email adres alsmede het best bereikbare telefoonnummer van een potentieel lid, en wij verzorgen de rest. U kunt deze gegevens per email verzenden aan recruitment@nautilusint.org of per post aan Nautilus House, Mariners’Park Wallasey CH45 7PH, Verenigd Koninkrijk. Er is geen limiet aan het aantal inzendingen hetgeen betekent dat u

een Cadeaukaart krijgt voor elke persoon die u aanmeldt. De Cadeaukaart wordt alleen verstrekt aan leden van Nautilus International en wordt verstrekt op het moment dat de door u aangemelde persoon een aanmeldingsformulier heeft ingevuld en over is gegaan tot het betalen van contributie. Dit aanbod is alleen van toepassing op potentiële leden die de volledige lidmaatschapbijdrage in hun categorie betalen en is niet van toepassing op potentiële leden die de afgelopen 12 maanden hun lidmaatschap hebben opgezegd en zich wederom bij de bond willen aansluiten. De Cadeaukaart is niet inruilbaar voor geld. Deze actie eindigt op 31 december 2009.

Baken aan wal.... Familieleden van zeevarenden vinden elkaar bij VMG

‘Nederland doet het zo slecht nog niet...’ Symposium Toekomstbestendigheid van onze pensioenregelingen P

Hans de Hoog, toezichthouder pensioenfondsen van De Nederlandse Bank (DNB) en Willem Noordman, werknemersvoorzitter van de Vereniging van Bedrijfspensioenfondsen en tevens hoofdbestuurder van FNV Bondgenoten, waren de kopstukken die deze middag vanuit hun werkvisie een korte inleiding verzorgden. Ook de woordvoerder Verkeer & Waterstaat van de VVDfractie, Charly Aptroot, zou bij het symposium aanwezig zijn. Helaas werd hij op het laatste moment weggeroepen voor een stemming in de Tweede Kamer. Desondanks gaven de overige twee lezingen voldoende gespreksstof voor een boeiende discussie tussen de leden en de sprekers. DEKKINGSGRAAD

Vereniging van Maritiem Gezinskontakt is speciaal voor de partners en gezinsleden van zeevarenden in het leven geroepen. Hier vinden de ‘thuisblijvers’ elkaar om samen ervaringen te delen, kennis uit te wisselen en leuke activiteiten te ondernemen. ‘Toch merk ik dat nog niet iedereen bekend is met de vereniging. Jammer, want we ondernemen ontzettend leuke activiteiten en hebben veel steun aan elkaar’, aldus Mascha Bongenaar, PRadviseur van de vereniging. Vereniging van Maritiem Gezinskontakt (VMG) is een vereniging voor en door familieleden van zeevarenden. Hoewel de nadruk bij de vereniging op de activiteiten ligt, vinden de leden ook veel steun bij elkaar en soms ontstaan er zelfs vriendschappen voor het leven. VMG is er voor familieleden van elk type zeevarende. Er wordt geen onderscheid gemaakt tussen rangen of standen, kleine of grote vaart, baggerschepen, offshore, sleepdienst of visserij. Iedereen is bij VMG van harte welkom. Herkenning

Mascha is zelf lid geworden omdat zij niemand kende uit de zeevaart. ‘Ik kom zelf uit Brabant en daar kom je weinig mensen tegen die varen,’ lacht Mascha. ‘Mijn man werkt als werktuigkundige bij Jumbo Shipping en ik had behoefte aan contact met mensen die in hetzelfde schuitje als ik zitten. Dat vond ik in VMG en via het Forum heb ik al veel mensen leren kennen. Het is ontzettend prettig om ervaringen en emoties met “lotgenoten” te kunnen delen, bijvoorbeeld wanneer je partner door de Golf van Aden moet varen en jij angstig thuis zit te wachten tot je weer een teken van leven hoort. Je herkent elkaars problemen, maar deelt natuurlijk ook de leuke ervaringen met elkaar.’ Weekendjes weg

Activiteiten spelen een belangrijke rol bij VMG. De VMG bestaat uit regionale groepen en heeft een overkoepelend landelijk bestuur. ‘Regionaal worden diverse uitjes met kinderen en interessante lezingen georganiseerd, dichtbij huis’, vervolgt Mascha. ‘Veel thuisblijvers zien elkaar dan ook regelmatig. Daarnaast vindt jaarlijks een aantal landelijke activiteiten plaats, zoals de Scheepsmaatjesdag, Jonge Gezinnendag of Forumdag. In september vindt het Septemberweekend plaats, dat altijd weer enorm enthousiast ontvangen wordt. Dat is wellicht ook logisch; het weekend vindt plaats in een bosrijke omgeving, waar kinderen heerlijk kunnen ravotten en ouders ondertussen even helemaal kunnen relaxen of gezellig contact zoeken met de andere leden.’

enerzijds en de overheid anderzijds overeengekomen sociaal akkoord is overeengekomen dat de SER tot oktober van dit jaar de tijd heeft om met bezuinigingsalternatieven te komen die een verhoging van de AOW /leeftijd overbodig maken. Noordman noemde tijdens het symposium enkele van deze alternatieven. In de onlangs uitgebrachte Alternatievenkrant van de FNV zijn alle alternatieven terug te vinden. Deze is in PDF te downloaden via: www.fnv.nl

Interessante sprekers en een levendig debat: het symposium ‘Toekomstbestendigheid van onze pensioenregelingen’ dat op 25 juni jl. plaatsvond gaf een heldere weergave van de pensioenontwikkelingen. Spraakmaker Paulien Osse wist het symposium met ferme, doch zachte, hand in de juiste banen te leiden.

De Hoog ging dieper in op de wijze waarop pensioenfondsen hun organisatie zouden moeten besturen. Een vrij technisch verhaal dat door De Hoog zeer begrijpelijk uiteen werd gezet en inzicht gaf in de manier waarop pensioenfondsen risico’s kunnen voorkomen. Elk pensioenfonds moet natuurlijk rendement maken om de kosten te kunnen dekken. Maar de wijze waaróp je belegt speelt een belangrijke rol bij de dekkingsgraad. Ondanks de crisis, heeft BPF-Koopvaardij het hoofd afgelopen jaar goed boven

DEFINED BENEFIT

water weten te houden door voorzichtig te beleggen — en zit zelfs nog boven de door de Nederlandse Bank vereiste dekkingsgraad. Minder goed ging het met het Bedrijfspensioenfonds voor de Rijn- en Binnenvaart, maar dankzij een speciaal reddingsplan vaart deze langzaamaan weer de juiste koers. In het algemeen geldt dat pensioenfondsen alle zeilen bijzetten om het tij ten goede te keren. KOFFIEDIK KIJKEN

Vooral het ophogen van de pensioengerechtigde leeftijd naar 67 jaar baart veel leden zorgen. Het kabinet wil door ophoging van de pensioen gerechtigde leeftijd tot 2040 maar liefst vier miljard bezuinigen. Dat is best vreemd aangezien er momenteel geen enkel probleem is met de ﬁnanciering van de AOW. Volgens FNV-bestuurder Noordman

gebruikt de overheid de crisis als excuus om de pensioengerechtigde leeftijd op te hogen, terwijl de effecten van deze periode pas over jaren duidelijk zullen zijn. Het is volgens Noordman vooral het maken van een keuze. En als we in meerderheid in Nederland vinden dat de AOW-leeftijd ongewijzigd dient te blijven dan is dat gewoon haalbaar. Ander punt is natuurlijk dat er speciale pensioenarrangementen in het leven zijn geroepen (conform het ILOverdrag) voor medewerkers in de koopvaardij zodat zij nu op 60jarige leeftijd kunnen uittreden. En ook de binnenvaart kent een bijzonderdere regeling die het mogelijk maakt dat werknemers iets eerder dan 65 jaar met pensioen kunnen gaan. Hoe deze veilige havens overeind houden als de AOW/leeftijd met 2 jaar wordt opgehoogd? In het eerder dit jaar tussen sociale partners

Tijdens het symposium kwamen ook de verschillen tussen de Nederlandse en Europese pensioenfondsen uitgebreid aan bod. Zo werkt Nederland hoofdzakelijk volgens het principe defined benefit, waarbij het pensioenfonds een bepaald bedrag garandeert wanneer de deelnemer met pensioen gaat. Dat geldt echter niet voor de meeste pensioenregelingen in de rest van Europa. Daar worden namelijk pensioenafspraken gemaakt volgens het defined contribution principe .Deelnemers betalen een vast bedrag, waarmee het pensioenfonds vervolgens gaat beleggen. Het resultaat wordt uitgekeerd bij het pensioen. Dit kan verstrekkende gevolgen hebben, aangezien de deelnemer compleet afhankelijk is van de beleggingen — en eventuele grillen — van het pensioenfonds. Uit het symposium kwam naar voren dat de Nederlandse pensioenfondsen het zo slecht nog niet doen en dat we hier een goed systeem hanteren. En zolang we zorgvuldig blijven opletten en verstandig beleggen, zijn we best bestendig voor de toekomst!

CAO-akkoord Koninklijke Van der Wees Watertransporten BV vakbondsleden van Van der Wees over naar F Nautilus International en werd een In de eerste helft van 2009 kwamen de

ledenvergadering georganiseerd voor de nieuwe CAO. Dat leidde tot een voorstellenbrief richting directie en op 17 juni werd een CAO-akkoord bereikt voor een éénjarige CAO met een looptijd van 1 januari tot 31 december 2009. OVER VAN DER WEES

In de CAO is overeengekomen dat medewerkers, naast het gekende systeem van prijscompensatie, een loonsverhoging van 1,1% krijgen met terugwerkende kracht tot 1 januari 2009. Tevens wordt de winstafhankelijk eindejaarsuitkering met 10% verhoogd tot een uitkering van €550,- bruto. Dit resultaat wordt door Nautilus International met een positief advies voorgelegd aan de leden.

Van der Wees Watertransporten BV is onderdeel van de Koninklijke Van der Wees Groep in Dordrecht. De onderneming bestaat verder uit de onderdelen wegtransport en logistiek en beschikt over een depot van Linde Gas. Van der Wees Groep is gespecialiseerd in het transport van havenkranen, jachten en equipment in de ruimste zin des woords. Het bedrijf draait zijn hand niet meer om voor het slepen van

baggervaartuigen, jachten, pontons en schepen. Daarnaast assisteert de groep met/bij afzinkbaar ponton, beachlandings met pontons, bruginstallatie en -verwijdering, kranen op pontons, pontons (spuds, ror en drive-in), roro linkspan installatie en de tewaterlating van schepen. Van der Wees Groep kreeg vooral landelijke bekendheid door het transport over water van een Boeing 747 en de Concorde.

46 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

SHIPTOSHORE

M-Notices M-Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency recently include: MGN 387 (M+F): Guidance on the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Port Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations 2003 and amendments Previous marine guidance notes on port waste reception facilities regulations are consolidated in this M note, which also revises information and sets out the additional sewage requirements. The note relates to the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Port Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations 2003, as amended in 2009, and covers requirements for ports and terminals and for ships. It also includes the updated notification form that needs to be completed, and the updated IMO inadequacy form that reflects changes agreed by the International Maritime Organisation. Also provided is notification of and information on the introduction of an hourly fee for the issue of a port waste exemption certificate, together with an explanation of the exemption process, and the appropriate application form. Under the 2003 regulations as amended, every UK harbour authority and terminal operator must provide waste reception facilities adequate to meet the needs of ships that normally call in, without causing them undue delay. Many UK ports operate on a landlord basis, where it may fall to the terminal operator to produce a port waste management plan and provide reception facilities. In new cases, the Secretary of State will, upon a request from the port and terminal, provide a direction to the terminal on provision of the plan and facilities. Most, if not all, such terminals already have plans and facilities, and the guidance says: ‘These will need to be updated in the light of the 2009 amendments to the 2003 Regulations. Where responsibility is unclear, terminals should clarify the local situation with the Harbour Authority.’ In cases where there is a dispute, the Secretary of State has powers to issue a direction determining who has to discharge the duties under the amended regulations. Ships under the amended regulations must: z notify the harbour authority or terminal operator before entry to the port/terminal of the waste they will discharge, including information on types and quantities — but they don’t have to notify about sewage if they intend to discharge at sea in accord with Marpol prevention of pollution at sea regulations z deliver their waste to port reception facilities before leaving the port or terminal, unless it is sewage or they have sufficient dedicated storage capacity for the waste accumulated, and expected to be accumulated during the voyage to the next port z pay a mandatory charge to significantly contribute to the cost of port facilities for ship-generated waste, whether or not they use them. Recreational craft meanwhile authorised or designed to carry no more than 12 passengers, and fishing vessels, must deliver their waste other than sewage to the facilities, but are exempt from the requirements to

notify before entry and to pay a charge. The notes also includes guidance on what is expected of certain classes of ship and recreational craft that fall outside the scope of the amended regulations. In addition, it gives details of the procedures that should be followed by the masters of UK-flagged and foreign-flagged ships if faced with inadequate reception facilities. MIN 347 (M): Navigation: Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) Under the amended STCW 1978 international convention on standards of training, certification and watchkeepers, the ability to use standard marine communication phrases (SMCP) is mandatory for certification of officers in charge of navigational watch on ship of 500gt and above. This M note gives information on the use and availability of SMCP, adopted by the International Maritime Organisation in 2001 to get round the problem of language barriers at sea and avoid misunderstandings that can cause accidents. The phrases cover the most important safety-related fields of verbal shore-to-ship, ship-to-shore, ship-to-ship and onboard communications, from routine situations such as berthing to responses for use in emergencies. MIN 348 (M): Navigation: Vessel Traffic Services V103 and Local Port Services Course Dates 2009-2010 This notice sets out 2009-10 dates for IALA V103 and the Local Port Services courses for UK part and harbour authorities at MCA-accredited training institutes. The dates are agreed with South Tyneside College and Fleetwood Nautical Campus. MGN 394 (M+F): Local Supplier of Fuel Oil Registration The 2008 Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) regulations require that local suppliers of fuel oil to ships must register with the Secretary of State. To remain on the resister, they need to then make an annual declaration, otherwise they can no longer supply fuel legally. This M note gives information about the relevant ships covered by the regulations (vessels of 400gt and above, and platforms), together with contact details for registering and making the annual declaration. M-Notices are available in three ways: a set of bound volumes, a yearly subscription, and individual documents. z A consolidated set of all M-Notices current on 30 July 2007 (ISBN 9780115528538) is published by The Stationery Office for £195 — www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp z Annual subscriptions and copies of individual notices are available from the official distributors: Mail Marketing (Scotland), MCA, PO Box 87, Glasgow G14 0JF. Tel: +44 (0)141 300 4906; fax: +44 (0)141 950 2726; email: mca@promosolution.com z Individual copies can be collected from MCA offices, electronically subscribed to or downloaded from the MCA website — www.mcga.gov.uk — click on ‘Ships and Cargoes’, then ‘Legislation and Guidance’.

The face of Nautilus Willem Grooff, Singapore office custodian of the Union’s g Singapore office. Founded some 40 Willem Grooff is the present

years ago by Nautilus International’s Dutch forerunner, FWZ, the office functioned as a station for members of Dutch-ﬂagged and Dutch-manned vessels, particularly the Nedlloyd ﬂeet. Today, the port receives fewer vessel visits from what has become P&O Nedlloyd, and now also from Maersk. ‘But a lot of the same seafarers are still met in Singapore and — lately — Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia,’ says Willem. ‘Through the years, we have also served many of our other companies’ vessels and,

since we established FNV Waterbouw, dredgers.’ Nearly all Nautilus’s Dutch senior staff and industrial officers have done terms in Singapore. Willem previously spent 1992 to 1999 stationed there. More recently, it was staffed by volunteers. Then, says Willem, in 2008, ‘the stricter than ever security measures in the port areas and shipyards forced us to man the office permanently again. As from January 2009 I am back in this position’. Willem’s seagoing career spanned nearly 24 years. He began as a Royal Netherlands’ Navy yeoman serving on hydrographic vessels, worked as

an AB on a merchant ship, became a third mate, and ultimately, attained his master’s certiﬁcate. In 1990, Willem began working for the Union, becoming a national secretary. Now his role in Singapore extends to representing UK seafarers. ‘I have already started visiting UKﬂagged vessels. For the time being, it is more a matter of getting acquainted to each other and to build things out from there.’ He adds: ‘The recent transfers of many manning agents for the UKcolleagues could mean that the Singapore office will be asked to act as an intermediary between the manning agent and seafarers.’

Nautilus meetings with members: diary dates Nautilus has always had a ﬁrm commitment to dialogue with its members and that commitment continues to this day, with the Union placing a high priority on contact between members and officials. UK-based officials make regular visits to ships, and a variety of different meetings are held by the Union to encourage a healthy exchange of views. The Union also offers the chance for members to meet Nautilus International’s UK officials when they make regular visits to ships in ports and nautical colleges, or stage specialist forums. These visits aim to give members the chance to get advice on employment and other problems that cannot easily be dealt with by letter or email. Times and venues for meetings in the next few months are:

COLLEGE VISITS Nautilus International’s recruitment team is now holding regular meetings with trainees and members at all the UK’s maritime colleges. Contact Garry Elliott or Blossom Bell at the Wallasey office for visiting schedules and further details. SHIP VISITS If you have an urgent problem on your ship, you should contact Nautilus — enquiries@nautilusint.org — to ask for an official to visit the ship. Wherever possible, such requests will be acted upon by the Union and last year more than 200 ships were visited by Nautilus International officials as a result of contact from members. If you need to request a visit, please give your vessel’s ETA and as much information as possible about the problem needing to be discussed.

SCOTLAND Members employed by companies based in the west of Scotland should contact Nautilus International at Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park, Wallasey CH45 7PH (tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454). Members employed in the offshore oil sector, or by companies based in the east of Scotland, should contact +44 (0)1224 638882. This is not an office address, so members cannot visit in person. Future dates and venues for Nautilus International meetings of the National Professional & Technical and National Pensions Forums include: g National Professional & Technical Forum — this body deals with technical, safety, welfare and other professional topics relevant to shipmaster and chief engineer officer members.

The next meeting is due to be held on Tuesday 22 September in Rotterdam, at a venue to be announced later, starting at 1300hrs. g National Pensions Forum — this body was established to provide a two-way ﬂow of information and views on all pension matters and pension schemes (not just the MNOPF). This forum is open to all classes of Nautilus International member, including associate and affiliate. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 16 September at Mariners’ Park, Wallasey, starting at 1100hrs. All full members of the relevant rank or sector can attend and ﬁnancial support may be available to some members by prior agreement. For further details contact head office.

INDICATORS ACDB The UK government’s key inflation measure — the consumer prices index(CPI) — has fallen below the Bank of England’s target rate of 2% for the first time since 2007. Lower food prices caused the CPI to drop to an annual rate of 1.8% in June from 2.2% in May, official statistics showed last month. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation measure, which includes mortgage interest payments and housing costs, also fell, to -1.6% from -1.1%. The RPI is now at its lowest

since records started in 1948. RPIX annual inflation — the ‘all-items’ RPI excluding mortgage interest payments — was 1.0% in June, down from 1.6% in May. As an internationally comparable measure of inflation, the CPI shows that the UK inflation rate in May, at 2.2%, was above the provisional figure of 0.7% for the European Union as a whole. Other Office of National Statistics figures released last month showed that UK average earnings including

bonuses rose by 2.3% in the year to May 2009, up from the April rate of 0.9%. Average earnings excluding bonuses, or regular pay, rose by 2.6% in the year to May 2009, down from the April rate of 2.7%. In the year to May pay growth (including bonuses) in the private sector stood at 1.9%, compared with 3.5% for the public sector. Excluding bonus payments, growth in the private sector stood at 2.4%, compared with 3.4% for the public sector.

Get knotted with the Nautilus International tie! Nautilus International has produced a stylish new tie to enable members to show off their membership with pride. The high quality navy blue silk tie features the word Nautilus displayed in the International Code of Signals ﬂags. It is available from head office for just £7 or €8.50. Members can also help to stick up for the maritime profession with the Union’s popular ‘delivered by ship’ stickers. These free stickers show the wide variety of products that reach our shops thanks to merchant ships and seafarers, and are ideal for

putting on envelopes, or handing out at schools and festivals. UK-based members may also get the ‘Sea Sense: keep our maritime skills’ car stickers, which have been designed to support the campaign for action to reverse the maritime skills crisis. Send a cheque for a new Nautilus tie, or if you’d like some free stickers, simply contact Nautilus International’s Central Services department at head office and let them know how many you need. Call Central Services on +44 (0)20 8989 6677 or email centralservices@nautilusint.org

Quiz answers 1. Greek owners have the biggest share of the world orderbook, in terms of deadweight tonnage — a total of 67.6m dwt. 2. The average age of the world merchant fleet is 11.8 years. 3. The name Stoker was associated with Manchester Liners. 4. Viking Line is based in Helsinki, Finland. 5. There are just over 17,160 general cargoships in the world merchant fleet, according to Lloyd’s Register/Fairplay statistics. 6. Lloyd’s List first appeared in 1734 as a weekly journal, including details of ships arriving at English and Irish ports. Lloyd’s News, a forerunner, was first published in 1696.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 1. Sirrah; 5. Sample; 9. Rooster; 10. Rating; 12. Historiographer; 13. Soda; 14. Egyptology; 18. Restaurant; 19. Stir; 21. Take a deep breath; 24. Strips; 25. Imagine; 26. Hymnal; 27. Dotted. Down: 2. Ironsides; 3. Ration; 4. Harbinger; 5. Sprig; 6. Methanol; 7. Lynch; 8. Orchestrate; 11. Prayer wheel; 15. Panoplied; 16. Ostracise; 17. Taxation; 20. Breast; 22. Kitty; 23. Easel.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition. The answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph. Congratulations to Nautilus member Peter Smith whose name was the ﬁrst to be drawn from those who completed the July cryptic crossword. Cryptic answers from July Across: 1. Get the picture; 10. Unequal; 11. Delilah; 12. Trappists; 13. Nitre; 14. Rebate; 15. Presides; 18. Poltroon; 20. Minute; 23. Wages; 25. Financier; 26. Excerpt; 27. Ink-horn; 28. Climbing frame. Down: 2. Ewe lamb; 3. Trumpeter; 4. Enlist; 5. Industry; 6. Talon; 7. Related; 8. Custard powder; 9. Sheep-shearing; 16. Spinnaker; 17. Confetti; 19. Logical; 21. Uniform; 22. Ending; 24. Strum.

Need to contact Nautilus International in the Netherlands? The address is: Schorpioenstraat 266 3067 KW Rotterdam Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 Email: infonl@nautilusint.org Correspondentieadres: Nautilus International Postbus 8575 3009 AN Rotterdam

August 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 47

JOIN NAUTILUS

When trouble strikes, you need Nautilus

www.nautilusint.org Ten good reasons why you should be a member: 1. Pay and conditions Nautilus International negotiates on your behalf with an increasing number of British, Dutch and foreign flag employers on issues including pay, conditions, leave, hours and pensions. The Union also takes part in top-level international meetings on the pay and conditions of maritime professionals in the world fleets. 2. Legal services With the maritime profession under increasing risk of criminalisation, Nautilus International provides specialist support, including a worldwide network of lawyers who can provide free and immediate advice to full members on employment-related matters. Members and their families also have access to free initial advice on non-employment issues. 3. Certificate protection As a full member, you have free financial protection, worth up to £102,000, against loss of income if your certificate of competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a formal inquiry. Full members are also entitled to representation during accident investigations or inquiries. 4. Compensation Nautilus International’s legal services department recovers substantial compensation for members who have suffered work-related illness or injuries. 5. Workplace support Nautilus International officials provide expert advice on work-related problems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying or discrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions. 6. Safety and welfare Nautilus International plays a vital role in

national and international discussions on such key issues as hours of work, crewing levels, shipboard conditions, vessel design, and technical and training standards. Nautilus International has a major say in the running of the industry wide pension schemes in the UK and the Netherlands.

7. Savings Being a Nautilus International member costs less than buying a newspaper every day and gives you peace of mind at work, with access to an unrivalled range of services and support. It’s simple to save the cost of membership — by taking advantage of specially-negotiated rates on a variety of commercial services ranging from tax advice to UK credit cards, and household, motoring, travel and specialist insurance. 8. In touch As a Nautilus International member, help is never far away — wherever in the world you are. Officials regularly visit members onboard their ships and further support and advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ and college visits throughout the UK and the Netherlands. There is also an official based in Singapore. 9. Your union, your voice Nautilus International is the voice of some 25,000 maritime professionals working in all sectors of the shipping industry, at sea and ashore. As one of the largest and most influential international bodies representing maritime professionals, the Union campaigns tirelessly to promote your views. 10. Get involved! Nautilus International is a dynamic and democratic union, offering members many opportunities to be fully involved and have your say in our work — at local, national and international levels.

It’s easy to apply for membership online at www.nautilusint.org But if you can’t get internet access right now, why not fill in this form and let us start your enrolment process? SURNAME FIRST NAMES GENDER DATE OF BIRTH ADDRESS POSTCODE PERSONAL EMAIL TEL MOBILE EMPLOYER SHIP NAME RANK DISCHARGE BOOK NO (IF APPLICABLE) If you are, or have been, a member of another union please state: NAME OF UNION SUBSCRIPTIONS PAID UNTIL MEMBERSHIP NO (IF KNOWN) DATE OF LEAVING

Please post this form to: Membership services department Nautilus International Oceanair House 750-760 High Road London E11 3BB United Kingdom

48 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2009

NEWS

Celebrity squares up for Southampton inaugural season Anew cruiseship launching in the UK market this year, is pictured Celebrity Equinox, the only

arriving in Southampton last month. Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, the 122,000gt vessel can carry up to 2,850 passengers and was set to run an inaugural cruise to Norway early this month before operating a series of Mediterranean voyages into the autumn. The £700m Bahamas-ﬂagged vessel has features including an onboard grass lawn larger than eight tennis courts, 10 different restaurants and more than 60 onboard solar panels that can generate sufficient power to operate all the ship’s lifts. Celebrity Cruises is due to base sistership Celebrity Eclipse — currently under construction — in Southampton for the summer of 2010. Picture: Gary Davies/ Maritime Photographic

Industry alarm over criminalisation case Nautilus joins calls for Taiwan to release seafarers detained for three months with no charge

Nautilus International has added its voice to global protests about a new case of alleged seafarer criminalisation. The Union has written to Taiwan’s ambassador to London expressing concern about the detention without charge of three seafarers from a VLCC. The master, second officer and an AB from the 302,159dwt tanker Tosa have been held for more than three months after it was alleged that their ship had been involved in an incident in which a fishing vessel capsized with the loss of two lives. However, unions and owners have united to challenge Taiwan to produce evidence of a collision following reports that the tanker was at least one hour from the position where the fishing vessel capsized and that investigations had failed to show any evidence of a collision on the tanker or the salvaged trawler. Nautilus has also expressed concern that the Panamanian-

ﬂagged tanker was on the high seas, well outside Taiwan’s territorial waters, when it was intercepted and taken under Coast Guard escort into Taiwanese port waters following the incident on 17 April. Since then, the master — Captain Glen Patrick Aroza, from India — has been forbidden to leave Taiwan, the second mate has been in jail, and the AB has been released on bail but ordered to stay in Taiwan while investigations continue. General secretary Mark Dickinson said: ‘This has all the hallmarks of another case where seafarers’ rights to fair treatment are being blatantly ignored. We believe that such cases are not only immensely distressing for the individuals involved, and their families, but also do immense damage to the maritime profession and its attempts to rectify a serious international recruitment and retention crisis. ‘We have therefore urged the Taiwanese authorities to take our

Captain Glen Patrick Aroza, master of the tanker Tosa, has been detained for three months

concerns seriously, and ensure that the three men are treated in line with internationally-agreed guidelines.’ Mr Dickinson said the case was another example of the need for countries around the world to sign up to the principles enshrined in the IMO/ILO Guide-

lines for the Fair Treatment of Seafarers in the Event of the Maritime Accident, agreed in 2006. The Hong Kong Shipowners Association has called on Taiwan to either show that it has sufﬁcient evidence and jurisdiction to prosecute the seafarers or to arrange their immediate release from Taiwan. HKSA managing director Arthur Bowing commented: ‘Enough is enough. Quite apart from the questionable legalities involved in this instance, there are just too many seafarers being treated badly and without respect. ‘Politicians must realise that we have had enough, and are not now prepared to sit quietly when seafarers are not afforded the basic human right of being presumed innocent unless proven guilty,’ he added. ‘Continuing to keep seafarers detained in such circumstances not only shows a total lack of regard for human rights but also, once again, the triumph of poli-

tics and public appeasement over the law.’ Capt Aroza’s wife, Preetha, told the Telegraph that the Taiwanese prosecuting authority’s request for an extension of the case has been granted by the court for a further two months. She said the continued detention was ‘agonising’ for her husband and his two colleagues. ‘Being the son of an ex-Merchant Navy ofﬁcer, he grew up in a background of discipline with the importance of moral values and a sense of justice and uprightness becoming natural parts of his personality,’ she added. ‘I fear he is breaking down and losing his conﬁdence going through such mental agony and trauma,’ she said. ‘Why are the seafarers — despite being the backbone of international trade — allowed to be criminalised?’ And, Mrs Aroza pointed out: ‘The local prosecutor has not been able to gather concrete evidence, even after two and half months!’

Telegraph praised in annual TUC press awards

The Nautilus Telegraph won two commendations in the TUC’s annual Union Communications Awards last month. The Telegraph was commended in the best journal section of the awards, with judges praising its ‘exciting, hard-hitting newspaper layout’ and its ‘accessible and highly readable style’. Nautilus was also highly commended in the best feature section, with a special report on piracy winning praise for its ‘strong research and powerful first-hand accounts’. The Nautilus website also won plaudits from the judges, who described it as ‘a confident site with a range of information of obvious interest to readers’. The Fire Brigades Union monthly magazine won the best journal or magazine award, while the shopworkers’ union USDAW won in the best campaign category. The civil service union PCS won best website and best feature categories. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: ‘When times are tough, members look to their union for support. It is absolutely vital that unions communicate what they are doing for their members. On the evidence of this year’s award winners, they are doing a fine job.’

FOR THE MARITIME INDUSTRY

DYNAMIC POSITIONING DP Induction DP Simulator DP Maintenance (Kongsberg & Alston Systems)

Phone: 00 44 1502 525025 Fax: 00 44 1502 525106 www.lowestoft.ac.uk/maritime.asp

MEDICAL Elementary First Aid Medical First Aid Onboard Ship Medical Care Onboard Ship & Refresher Offshore First Aid & Refresher

MERCHANT OPERATIONS (DECK) Certificate of Competency Officer of the Watch (OOW) Unlimited January/May & September

E-mail: maritime@lowestoft.ac.uk

RADIO GMDSS ROC/GOC/LRC

St Peters Street Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 2NB

Accredited by

STCW95 Basic Safety Certificate (5 Day)

NAVIGATION NaRAST (O) & (M)

OTHER Efficient Deck Hand CPSC&RB Personal Survival Techniques Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting & Advanced BRIDGE SIMULATOR Bridge Team Management Command & Control Bespoke courses enquiries welcome Ships Safety Officer/Security Officer Tanker Familiarisation Specialist Tanker Training (Oil)

Chief Mate/Masters (Unlimited) May & September Masters MCA Orals Preparatory Course SQA Prep (4 weeks)