May 2009

In this issue:

PRINTS CHARMING

A WEIGHT ON THE MIND

SURVIVING THE CRISIS

A special supplement with the pick of the pictures in the ‘life at sea’ photo competition

Concern over the impact of obesity has been raised by new seafarer medical exam results

Four pages of reports on how to keep afloat in the maritime jobs market during the downturn

pages i-iv

page 19

pages 21-24

Telegraph

the journal of

Volume 42 ● ✪ Number 05 ● ✪ May 2009 ● ✪ £2.75

INDUSTRY PUTS FORWARD NEW SUPPORT PLAN

Hostage masters freed in Africa

Unions and owners unite on package for jobs IN A BID to break the two-year stalemate over the UK shipping industry’s proposals for improved seafarer training support, Nautilus has helped to table a new package for the government to consider.

A detailed submission given to ministers by Nautilus, the RMT and the Chamber of Shipping calls for urgent action to improve the maritime training aid measures, to ensure that ‘essential seagoing skills in our island nation are preserved into the future’.

The call comes two years after an earlier industry submission was made to the government. In the absence of a formal response to that package, the unions and the owners have given transport minister Geoff Hoon a proposed new framework to deliver improved incentives for investment in UK seafarer training.

In a letter to the minister, the industry partners stress the importance of maritime skills for the UK, and warn that ‘serious concerns’ remain on the supply of experienced seafarers.

Despite recent increases in the officer trainee intake overall officer numbers continue to decline, the industry alliance warns, and rating training levels have dropped ‘to an alarming degree’.

As a result, the submission warns, the average age of British officers and ratings ‘continues to rise to unacceptable levels’.

The owners and the unions stress the urgent need to ensure ‘a sustainable flow of maritime skills and professional expertise into the wider £55bn turnover, shorebased maritime cluster’.

Recent research shows a need for some 16,000 senior-level former seafarers in the key roles in a wide range of maritime businesses and services, ports, educational establishments, and offshore and subsea businesses, the submission points out.

The global seafarer skills crisis and the existence in the UK of world-class education and training establishments ‘provide a unique opportunity to build on the training link within the tonnage tax system’ and to ‘provide UKbased skills to a global shipping market,’ it adds.

Improvements in SMarT training support would help to cut the cost differentials between UK and foreign seafarers, the document argues, and would help to encourage individual officer and rating trainees to progress their careers through higher levels of learning and skills development, to the highest level they can achieve.

If the return for enhanced SMarT payments — which would provide 100% support for all training costs up to the second officer certificate and for ratings — shipping companies would give voluntary employment and training commitments.

‘We urge the government not to delay further,’ the industry adds.

‘Action now would both boost the maritime skills-set in this country and strengthen the perception of the government’s commitment to a positive maritime policy in the face of the uncertainties which have surrounded it in recent years.’

Nautilus general secretary Brian Orrell told Council members last month that he was extremely disappointed at the government’s failure to respond to the policy plans presented by the industry in April 2007.

‘There seems to be no real reason for the delay,’ said Mr Orrell, ‘but we do not believe the political will seems to be there.’

With the economic downturn now hitting the shipping industry, he added, it is by no means certain companies would still be willing to commit to the ongoing employment promises they had made when the original package was put together.

Despite this, the unions and the owners are continuing to lobby the government and the revised package — reflecting the government’s measures to support the development of ‘apprenticeships’ — has been submitted.

‘It is worth one further attempt to secure something positive on training and employment,’ Mr Orrell added, ‘and hopefully at some stage we will get a positive response.’

ABOVE: Maersk Alabama master Capt Richard Phillips, right, is welcomed aboard the US Navy vessel Bainbridge by Cmdr Frank Castellano following his rescue BELOW: Nautilus member Capt Robin Barry Hughes, who was freed by a Nigerian PICTURES: US NAVY/REUTERS rebel group last month after seven months in captivity

NAUTILUS has welcomed the release last month of two shipmasters who were captured in attacks on their ships off the coast of Africa.

Nautilus member Captain Robin Hughes was freed by a Nigerian rebel group after seven months in captivity since being kidnapped from the offshore support vessel HD Blue Ocean last September.

And US shipmaster Captain Richard Phillips was given a hero’s welcome when he returned home following a dramatic piracy incident off the coast of Somalia.

Capt Phillips had offered himself as a hostage to protect his ship — the US-flagged containership Maersk Alabama — when pirates came aboard some 300nm off Somalia. He was held prisoner on a lifeboat for five days until the US Navy rescued him, killing three of the pirates in the process.

Capt Hughes had been held captive by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, and reports suggested that he was freed by MEND because of apparent ill health.

Capt Hughes’ brother, Mark — a P&O Ferries engineering officer — said his family were ‘over the moon’, adding: ‘We couldn’t see an end to it, to be honest, because it was such a political issue.’

Nautilus asssistant general secretary Mark Dickinson said he was delighted to hear the news — but said the case of Capt Hughes highlighted the need for governments and shipping companies to focus attention on the safety and security of seafarers in this area.’ ✪Big rise in attacks — page 44

✪ newsfront 2–13 ✪ ● letters 16–17 ✪ ● reports 19-30 ✪ ● international 14–15 ✪ ● appointments 34–41 ✪ ● crossword 32 ✪

2● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

EMERGENCY TEST FOR TYNE STAFF A SIMULATED collision between a tug and a pleasure craft with 12 people onboard was carried out in real time at South Tyneside College last month as part of an emergency training day for the Port of Tyne’s marine department, pictured right.

The exercise was overseen by

MN TRAINING IS A DEGREE BETTER

more than 30 representatives from the port, police, fire and rescue service, ambulance, Coastguard and RNLI, as well as observers from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

Deputy harbour master Alan McPherson said the exercise — which was held as a requirement of the Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas regulations — has taken six months to plan because of the multi-agency involvement.

NAUTILUS has welcomed new figures showing the success of the Foundation Degree/Scottish Professional Diploma officer training programmes.

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson told Council members last month that a Merchant Navy Training Board review had

assessed the value and the benefits of the various programmes to train to first certificate level.

The percentage of the autumn officer trainee intake following FD/SPD courses has risen from 25% in 2006 to 31% last year, he said. Retention rates on the FD/SPD courses are particularly encouraging, said Mr Graveson, and were running at an average of more than 80% over the past year.

nautilus uk at work

MCA ‘MUST ACT OVER FATIGUE’ Council members warn of continuing problems with long hours

UNIONS CONSIDER RECESSION IMPACT NAUTILUS senior national secretary Paul Moloney is pictured above addressing a Unions 21 conference on the recession, held at the TUC headquarters in London last month.

The meeting — which was attended by Treasury chief secretary Yvette Cooper and employment relations minister Pat McFaddam — was called to discuss the impact of the economic downturn on union members.

Mr Moloney told the conference of the scale of the national and international seafaring skills crisis, and said unions should identify sectors where there are problems with supply and demand of expertise.

Nautilus has been working with the Professional Footballers’ Association in a bid to explore the potential for

a ‘skills exchange’ between the two sectors, he added.

The conference also heard that a survey of trade union leaders showed that 45% do not believe the economic climate will improve until 2010 — and nearly one-third of them fear there will be no recovery until late next year.

The survey showed the top priority for union leaders is to protect their members’ terms and condition of employment (cited by eight in 10). Since the recession began, a third of all unions (35%) said their members had been asked to accept lower pay rises; a similar proportion (30%) say their members are facing redundancy; one in five have been asked to accept changes to terms and conditions; and 7% have been asked to accept pay cuts.

NAUTILUS Council members have welcomed the government’s promise of action to combat seafarer fatigue.

But last month’s meeting also heard calls for more funding to be given to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to ensure that it has the staff and resources to properly police the hours of work and rest requirements.

General secretary Brian Orrell told Council members that the transport minister had written to the Union following a recent hard-hitting Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on a ship grounding caused by fatigue.

‘It was with some satisfaction that we received the response confirming that both the Department for Transport and the MCA fully accepted the recommendation regarding safe manning and fatigue and also fully accepted the “intention” of the recommendation to take robust unilateral action to ensure the safety of shipping in UK waters,’ he added.

Dennis Ayling said it was high time the authorities did some-

thing to address the problem. ‘I have been at sea for 39 years, and in the last 20 in particular we have been reading about fatigue ad nauseum and I have yet to see any improvement in manning levels.’

Roger Stuart said he believed progress is being made, with the problem of fatigue at sea now being officially recognised instead of being ignored. But unilateral action was essential he added. ‘It can bring a lot of pressure to bear — the US does it all the time, and their actions are taken very seriously.’

Glyn Garland said tanker companies were particularly responsive to the hard line adopted by US authorities, and every effort was made to ensure records were in order before visiting US ports.

‘If the Europeans did the same, they could sort the problem out quickly,’ he added. ‘But it seems that the governments are not interested.’

Trustee John Lang said advances are being made — but fatigue is a difficult thing to prove and there is still a long way to go

before the problem is dealt with. ‘I am afraid the answer is that we are going to have a lot more accidents before the penny will drop.’

Council chairman John Epsom said he was concerned that clear evidence of non-compliance with the regulations was not being picked up during ship inspections and audits. ‘Companies admit that they are not following the regulations and our own cloth are as bad because they do not fill in the records correctly,’ he added.

Mr Orrell said Nautilus had been told by the MCA that no ships have been detained as a result of breaches of the working time rules. ‘We accept that the issue of detention is difficult, but the problem will not be addressed unless there is strict enforcement and the MCA needs more money and more staff to get consistent enforcement,’ he added.

‘In the same way that seafarers are now exposed to random drug and alcohol testing, why can’t we have random fatigue testing as well?’ he asked.

Ulrich Jurgens explained the

problems facing port state control inspectors when trying to check compliance. ‘It is complicated work to compare the records with the actual hours worked,’ he pointed out.

‘Seafarers should be saying that there are rules in place and that they are going to comply with them,’ he added. ‘If we don’t comply with them, then we can’t ask the authorities to come in and fix it for us.’

But Stephen Gudgeon blamed the MCA for issuing safe manning certificates that failed to deliver realistic and practical crew complements onboard many ships.

Mr Orrell said he hoped the introduction of the international Maritime Labour Convention would help to change things. The ITF is drawing up guidelines for its inspectors as part of the enforcement procedures, he explained, and the so-called ‘bill of rights’ would enable seafarers to make confidential reports to port state authorities if their conditions were not in line with international requirements.

Recruitment boost for the Union NAUTILUS has recruited more than 1,500 new members since the start of last year, Council members heard least month.

National secretary Garry Elliott, who heads the Union’s recruitment and organising team, said intensive work is being carried out to meet the aim of membership growth.

Activities have included visits to 11 maritime colleges and universities in the UK and Ireland, as well as ship visits and concentrated campaigns in sectors such as large

yachts. The new members have included almost 800 trainee officers, 100 ratings and more than 100 shore staff.

‘The welcome increase in training meant that officials have met more trainee officers than ever before,’ Mr Elliott said. ‘However, it is also pleasing that we have recruited from a wide range of different categories, including a significant number of main rate payers.’

Nautilus is intensifying its recruitment campaign in the large yacht sector, he

explained, by attending a number of shows and meeting yacht agencies.

Talks are also taking place with a number of yacht management and crew agencies on the potential for strategic partnership arrangements to provide enhanced support and protection for professionals in the sector.

‘In the next few months, the team will look to further develop campaigns in the shore-side area and within hotel onboard services,’ Mr Elliott said.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪3

AGENCY FUNDING ALARM

GLOBAL MARATHON FOR QM2 CREW MEMBER

A GOVERNMENT spending watchdog has upheld Nautilus arguments for an increase in funding for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

General secretary Brian Orrell told Council members last month that a National Audit Office report had highlighted the need for the government to boost the Agency’s staffing and resources. But, he added, the Union was concerned that the NAO had suggested the MCA could outsource more of its work to classification societies.

QUEEN Mary 2 personnel manager Sally Spiers didn’t let sea service disrupt her training for last month’s London Marathon.

She is pictured left with hotel manager David Stephenson, chief engineer Brian Wattling, and Captain Nick Bates after completing a run onboard the 345m loa vessel.

‘The ship is huge, but three laps is only

equivalent to a mile and I would have to run 78 laps to match the 26 miles of the London Marathon, so as well as training onboard, I trained when we stopped off at ports,’ Ms Spiers said.

So her training also involved ‘runs ashore’ under the bright lights of Hong Kong, near Sydney Opera House, and on the sands of Brazil’s Copacabana Beach.

She aims to raise £2,000 for the British Red Cross (the charity partner of Cunard this year) through her marathon run. Find out more on: www.justgiving.com/run4redx PICTURE: RED CROSS

nautilus uk at work

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Dover addition: the expanding French ferry operator LD Lines has announced plans to launch a new fast ferry service between Dover and Boulogne. The company will be operating a new 112m Incat wave-piercing catamaran on the service, increasing frequency on the route to six sailings a day. The 11,000gt vessel will carry up to 1,200 passengers and crew, as many as 417 cars or 567m of freight and 417 cars.

Nautilus member Joe Mattock, in the centre of the front row, was among 20 seafarers from seven different countries who met industry leaders in London last month

YOUNG SEAFARERS VOICE CONCERNS Focus group highlights criminalisation and communications NAUTILUS UK member JOE MATTOCK was among a group of young seafarers from all over the world for a special ‘focus group’ session to discuss issues such as criminalisation, shore leave access, onboard training, safety and security, job security, accommodation standards and onboard living conditions. This is his report on the event…

The meeting was jointly staged by the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the tanker owners’ body Intertanko.

The focus of the group was to voice young seafarers’ concerns and compile these into recommendations to be given in a final meeting with the International Maritime Organisation secretary-general.

The possibility of building a network of young seafarers for the ITF was not ruled out.

During the three days of meetings a variety of issues were discussed. However, unlike other events there was no set agenda.

The emphasis was much given to free thought and an open table for discussion.

On the afternoon of the second day of the conference, heads of the

industry — including Nautilus assistant general secretary Mark Dickinson — met with the young seafarers to talk about current issues. Once again, it was an open discussion and many issues were explored in ways which conventional methods wouldn’t allow.

The main issues such as the criminalisation of seafarers were discussed and everyone agreed that this was unacceptable. In particular, the Hebei Spirit case was highlighted and how all parties had planned to protest outside the Korean embassy in the fight for justice. This showed the united industry fight against criminalisation.

Throughout the first day the seafarers were split up into groups to discuss separate issues and to generate food for thought. As part of my group, the reasons for choosing a life at sea were discussed and the perception by the general public was explored.

We felt that the public did not know enough about the Merchant Navy and that we seemed only to get bad publicity with relation to major accidents. It was generally felt that there are other problems

with the MN which needed to be resolved. The issue being that we cannot improve retention and recruitment if there are underlying problems stopping people from serving at sea.

A number highlighted the fact that many trainees had a much more glamorous view of what life at sea might be like and so left as soon as they went to sea.

Throughout the focus group it was discussed that seafarers from different parts of the world were likely to have varied contracts. For example, a European officer might typically work eight weeks on, six weeks off. Whereas someone from Asia might work a ninemonth contract, with no assurance of continuation. It was generally expressed that more should be done to help those on longer contracts to provide better job security.

On the third and final day a meeting was held with the IMO secretary-general, Efthimios Mitropoulos, who gave a brief introduction about the IMO’s ‘Go to sea!’ campaign. This was followed by two statements which were produced in the previous

days to voice the concerns of young seafarers. Mr Mitropoulos replied in a statement which very much supported and understood our concerns, and explained what has been done to address the issues highlighted — referring to the famous Winston Churchill quote that ‘never before in the history of mankind have so many owed to so few’.

Key summaries and conclusions ✪seafarers have the right to shore leave and the ISPS Code should not be used as an excuse for denial of this basic right ✪the IMO guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers should be made mandatory ✪there is a strong need to review manning onboard ship to take into account the quality and safety of life at sea ✪onboard internet should be available for work and personal use, free of charge to ship’s crew ✪consideration needs to be given to highly repetitive and tedious paperwork. Solutions could involve a database system, onboard administrator, more efficient procedures, avoiding overcomplication

Master jailed: the Indonesian master of a Sierra Leoneflagged cargoship that sank after being chased by Russian customs vessels in January has been jailed for three months by a Russian court. Eight crew died when the vessel New Star capsized in rough seas after leaving the port of Nakhodka following a row over the condition of the cargo.

Eleven detained: eleven unseaworthy foreign flagged ships were detained by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in UK ports during February. The list included a Georgian-flagged general cargoship with 26 deficiencies, and a St Vincent registered general cargoship with 12 deficiencies.

Prestige prosecution: a Spanish court has ruled that three Greek officers should stand trial in connection with the 2002 Prestige oil tanker disaster. The ship’s master, chief engineer and chief mate are being accused of obstructing attempts to tow the stricken vessel away from the coast.

Service delayed: plans to launch a new fast ferry service between Ramsgate and the French port of Boulogne were delayed last month by the operator Euroferries. The company said the service — which will run in partnership with Fred Olsen — is now likely to start in May. Idle reduction: the number of idle containerships has fallen

for the first time in six months, according to the consultancy AXS-Alphaliner. It released figures last month showing that 486 ships totalling 1.31m TEU — equivalent to 10.4% of the global fleet — was laid up.

DP development: Bibby Ship Management has opened a US$1.5m purpose-built DP training centre in Ukraine. The Sevastopol-based facility will offer training to around 250 students in its first year.

Antarctic ban: cruiseships carrying more than 500 passengers will be barred from landing in Antarctica under new rules agreed by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

Cadet competition: Nautilus UK is urging officer trainee

members to enter this year’s British Shipping safety at sea awareness awards. Entries need to be submitted by 28 August.

Spill fine: a Russian shipmaster has been fined S350,000 after

being found guilty of discharging oily water off the coast of France last July.

4● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

LITTLE PROGRESS ON ORKNEY PLAN PICTURED right is industrial officer Steve Doran with Nautilus, Unite, T&G, RMT and PCS representatives, along with Orkney Islands Council officials at recent talks on restructuring proposals.

Unions have been seeking to settle last year’s outstanding pay

INTRADA SEEKING FLEXIBLE RELIEFS

negotiations, with an additional 0.5% linked to the release of the Ashworth Black report on comparisons with other Scottish ferry operators.

The unions are also trying to secure an agreement on the framework for the marine restructuring proposals — involving the merger of Orkney Towage and Orkney Ferries — and although some progress has been made, Mr Doran said further talks are required.

MEMBERS serving with Intrada Ships are being consulted on proposals for flexible working arrangements in response to the economic downturn.

The company has told the Union that it has had to change the trading patterns of its vessels as a result of the different market

conditions, but as a result it had experienced problems in relieving officers on time.

Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said management has sought to avoid redundancies and Nautilus had been given assurances the two for one leave ratio would remain valid, but the company could not guarantee 10-week periods.

Members’ views on the proposed changes are being sought, he added.

nautilus uk at work

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IMT claim: following consultations with members serving with International Marine Transportation, Nautilus has submitted a claim for a ‘reasonable’ pay rise in line with company performance. The Union is also seeking recognition rights for members serving on FSOs, and talks on security issues off Nigeria.

Stevie Clarke offer: Nautilus is seeking feedback from members employed by MMS on Stephenson Clarke vessels after being offered a 1% pay increase last month. Industrial officer Gavin Williams said the proposals would be accepted unless there was substantial opposition.

Manx meeting: further talks on the harmonisation of terms and conditions for Isle of Man Steam Packet Company members were set to take place late last month. Industrial officer Steve Doran said he hoped to be able to move closer to agreement.

PNTL pay: Nautilus has presented a claim for a substantial pay rise, an extra two days leave, and an extra responsibilities bonus for members serving in the Pacific Nuclear Transport fleet. The Union also wants leave to move to a one-on/one-off system.

Wightlink hours: Nautilus officials and officer reps have held more talks with Wightlink on issues including masters’ meal breaks and hours of rest. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said further discussions are being sought.

Shell settlement: following talks between Shell International

Shipping Services management, Nautilus officials and shipboard reps, a 2% pay increase — effective from April — has been agreed.

NOCS terms: following further talks on proposed changes to

terms and conditions for members serving with NOCS (NMFD), Nautilus is awaiting a final draft from management.

Epic offer: members serving on Epic Shipping ro-pax ferries

are being consulted on a 2.5% pay offer. The company has also proposed improvements to leave and travel arrangements.

Western rejection: Nautilus has urged Western Ferries to

table an improved offer after a 3% proposed package was rejected in a membership consultation.

Union pressed: Nautilus is pressing Union Transport for a

response to a claim for a 5% pay increase.

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Concern over EMS cutbacks NAUTILUS is seeking to ensure that members’ redundancy rights are upheld following the announcement of job losses from the EMS Ship Management fleet.

The posts are going as part of a series of cutbacks being made by parent company Eitzen Maritime Services in response to the slump in shipping markets.

The company says it is scrapping some vessels and handing others over to other technical managers to take its fleet from 37 ships to just 11.

Industrial officer Steve Doran said he had been frustrated by the company’s failure to communicate effectively and to consult properly over the moves.

‘We are determined to ensure that members’ contracts of employment will be honoured, but have experienced serious problems in getting detailed information and formal notification of redundancies from the company,’ he explained.

Some officers had been given notice of termination of employment with effect from 20 April, but the company has assured the Union that contractual terms — including severance payments, bonus payments and notice periods — will be honoured in the event of redundancy.

MERSEY JOBS NAUTILUS UK is involved in a series of discussions over redundancies at Mersey Docks & Harbour Company. Industrial officer Steve Doran said jobs are at risk in the docks and stages and floating plant sections. The Union was also due to meet management late last month for more talks on revised shift patterns for VTS staff.

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TALKS BEGIN ON 4% HEYN PAY CLAIM MEMBERS serving onboard the Heyn Engineering ship rv Corystes are pictured above with Nautilus industrial officer Steve Doran during a ship visit last month.

The meeting was held ahead of talks with management in Belfast on this year’s pay and conditions claim. The Union has sought a 4% pay rise, and improvements in annual leave to give a ratio of one for one.

Mr Doran said the company needed to reflect on the loyalty shown by members at a time of growing global skills shortages.

The Union also argues that it needs to offer a package that would ensure it could recruit and retain the quality of personnel required to maintain high standards.

A formal response from the company was awaited late last month.

STUC backs call to safeguard ferries SCOTTISH trade unionists have backed Nautilus calls to resist any moves to privatise the country’s ferry services.

At the Scottish TUC annual congress last month, delegates rallied behind a resolution moved

by Nautilus senior national secretary Paul Moloney urging the STUC to ‘campaign vigorously’ for ‘safe, efficient, publicly-owned lifeline ferry services’.

Mr Moloney said members felt as if they were in an experiment — subjected to successive reviews of their services by the Scottish Executive and the European Union.

‘My Union smells a rat,’ Mr

Moloney told the conference. ‘The timing of these reviews cannot be coincidental, and we believe this continual round of reviews is because the private sector wants the rules changed so they can break the service up and compete for some routes.’

The EU had said it was investigating whether there had been an abuse of state and guidelines, he said, but Nautilus could tell the EU about abuse — ‘about companies receiving subsidies from European countries, flying flags of convenience and employing few if any EU nationals’.

This he said was not the case on Scottish ferries at present, ‘where

nationals are employed on terms and conditions appropriate to Scotland, not the Philippines’.

But if the private sector got its hands on some routes — as it tried and failed to do before — Mr Moloney warned it would ‘open the door to low cost, low standard operators who compete by being the cheapest, not the best’.

He said the STUC should campaign to ensure that members of the public recognise that their interests as passengers are the same as seafarers.

‘Safety and quality have a price, and the onus is on us to make sure that this is understood,’ Mr Moloney added.

CalMac ballot consult MEMBERS serving with Caledonian MacBrayne are being consulted on whether they wish to be balloted on industrial action following the company’s failure to improve a rejected pay and conditions offer.

Talks between Nautilus and management were unable to secure any improvement to a ‘final’ offer made in January.

CalMac had offered a one-

year deal worth 5% or a threeyear deal with additional improvements to various allowances and benefits. The Union had tried to persuade the company to agree to a simplified package, but this had been rejected.

Nautilus industrial officer Gary Leech said the Union was ‘extremely disappointed’ by the company’s refusal to improve the package.

The offer had been resoundingly rejected by members, and fell far short of their aspirations, he added.

It would do ‘little or nothing’ to address the problem of differentials or to reflect the increased workloads experienced by many officers.

All members have been urged to take part in the consultation, which is due to close on 5 May.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪5

TUPE TALKS WITH NORFOLKLINE PICTURED right are: Norfolkline liaison officer Peter Underwood, Gemma Griffin, general manager, fleet crewing; liaison officer Ross Watson and Nautilus industrial officer Ian Cloke at talks last month of proposed TUPE transfers.

The company is planning to

ASSURANCES FOR HEBRIDEAN CREW

reorganise its crewing arrangements as part of a costcutting package in response to the economic downturn.

Mr Cloke said the Union had expressed concerns over issues such as training, pensions and communications, and had been given assurances on some of these points — although the option of not transferring to NFL could not be offered. Further meetings and consultation are to take place, he added.

NAUTILUS has been seeking to protect members’ jobs following the collapse last month of Hebridean International Cruises and the sale of one of its two ships, Hebridean Spirit.

Administrators were called in after the company announced that it was withdrawing from

international operations in the face of rising costs.

The administrators said they had taken steps to ensure the Hebridean Princess could continue sailing whilst the sale as a going concern was arranged.

National secretary Paul Keenan said the Union had secured assurances over redundancy pay for members, and trial jobs had been agreed with the new owners of the Hebridean Spirit.

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PAY RISES RUNNING briefly...

AHEAD OF INFLATION

BP dispute: Nautilus has expressed concern at a decision by

BP Maritime Services to challenge an Isle of Man employment tribunal ruling on a member’s case for unlawful deduction of wages. National secretary Ronnie Cunningham said the company could end up spending much more in legal fees than the amount of money in dispute, and said he did not understand why it was opposed to a tribunal hearing.

Council hears that Nautilus settlements are better than average NAUTILUS is managing to secure above-inflation pay rises for members despite the impact of the global economic downturn, Council members heard last month.

Assistant general secretary Mark Dickinson presented the meeting with an analysis of the 2009 pay reviews, showing a median settlement of 3.5%.

A total of 49 agreements are due for review on 1 January — and by the middle of March 24 of these had been settled, five were at the consultation stage, and negotiations were continuing in 20 others.

‘This year’s negotiations have been notable for quite a bit of slippage,’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘The main reason has been the reluctance of employers to meet members’ aspirations in the economic climate of recession and falling inflation.

‘Many shipowners have used the economic situation to insist on low increases and, in some examples, pay freezes,’ he added.

Despite this, he said the figures showed the Union’s negotiators had managed to deliver increases that were significantly above the levels achieved in other industries, and ahead of the inflation rate.

Multi-year deals agreed with some companies had also delivered good results for members in the current situation.

Although the RPI inflation rate had dropped to 0.1% in February, the CPI rate had risen to 3.2% in the same period. But, Mr Dickinson cautioned, it would not be sensible for the Union to abandon RPI as a core element of its pay claims.

‘Our view is that we need to stick with RPI because it remains the most appropriate benchmark by which to measure real pay increases and it will serve members better in the long-term than flip-flopping between the indices,’ he explained.

Mr Dickinson also told the meeting that the Union’s labour market analysis made for ‘quite sobering reading — with the list of job losses getting longer by the week’.

The speed of the downturn in shipping had been remarkable, he added, and the Baltic Exchange dry cargo rate had shown levels that were ‘dangerously close to break-even and barely capable of

P&ONSF concern: Nautilus is set to hold more talks with P&O

North Sea Ferries management following a presentation on the company’s trading position. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the company had warned of ‘unsustainable losses’ created by the economic downturn, and various cost-saving strategies are being considered.

BW deal: consultations with members serving with BW Fleet Management have shown a majority in favour of accepting a 4% pay rise, together with increased death compensation, effective from 1 January.

Smit submission: following feedback from members serving

with Smit International (Scotland), Nautilus has submitted a claim for a substantial pay rise, and discussions on issues including differentials and seniority.

BP rejection: members serving with BP Oil UK have rejected

MEMBERS serving onboard the Holland America Line vessels Eurodam and Osterdam are pictured during one of a series of ship visits by Nautilus NL and UK officials last month. The visits were arranged to discuss members’ aspirations before talks on this year’s pay claim. covering combined operating costs of vessel, fuel and crew’.

However, Mr Dickinson pointed out, it is likely that the chronic shortage of skilled officers may help to act as a buffer and ease the threat of mass redundancies.

Owners may instead seek to keep as tight a lid as possible on their employment costs.

Nautilus has reviewed its internal procedures for dealing with redundancies, but it has been concluded that the existing approach is appropriate — with an emphasis on ensuring that any job losses are voluntary, and that members are given the opportunity as part of a package to acquire additional qualifications, such as dangerous cargo endorsements or dynamic positioning certification.

‘We are taking the downturn very seriously, and analysing the situation to make sure that all our policies and procedures are robust and capable of dealing with whatever comes our way,’ Mr Dickinson added.

Several Council members expressed concern about the way in which some companies were responding to the slump — and in particular that certain operators were suspending all non-mandatory training as a result of market conditions — and they urged the Union to maintain pressure on employers not to slash their investment in seafaring skills.

Subsequent consultations with members showed a three to one majority in favour of an improved offer giving a 2% pay rise plus merit increases. National secretary Paul Keenan said discussions will now be held on proposed new sailing systems.

company proposals for a pay freeze. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said management have been asked to reconvene negotiations.

VT claim: Nautilus has presented a claim for a substantial pay

rise to be given to members serving with VT Integrated Services on Environment Agency vessels.

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6● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

MASSIVE SLUMP IN N SEA ACTIVITY OFFSHORE activity on the UK Continental Shelf has slumped by as much as 78%, according to figures released last month.

A review published by Deloitte’s Petroleum Services Group last month said the number of appraisal wells spudded in the first quarter of

SAFER TRANSFERS FROM SHIPPING

2009 was down by 78% from the same period last year.

The survey also showed a 41% decrease in drilling activity over the same period.

Operators said the figures showed the need for the Chancellor to implement measures to increase North Sea production.

Oil and Gas UK said tax cuts for oil and gas projects would pay for themselves in the long term through extra revenue.

PICTURED left is the Norwegian-flagged multipurpose offshore support vessel REM Mermaid, which has been equipped with a new access system claimed to offer a safer and more efficient form of personnel transfer between ships and installations.

Supplied by Offshore Solutions BV, the Offshore Access System (OAS) is a heave compensated telescopic gangway designed to operate in 2.5m significant wave height sea states.

The REM Mermaid’s OAS will service four platforms, and will initially be used to connect the vessel to GDF Suez E&P Nederland’s K12D and L10L platforms, in the Dutch sector of the southern North Sea.

offshore bulletin

briefly...

BPOS offer: members serving with Boston Putford Offshore

safety are being consulted on a 2% pay offer. In talks with the Union last month, management said it was the most they could afford — but agreed to consider calls for safety officers and bosuns to be paid in line with AMAs, and for a bonus to be paid for ship security officers. Results of the consultation will be known early this month.

Vroon volunteers: Nautilus is seeking more volunteers to serve as liaison officers. Industrial officer Steve Doran said the work of member representatives was essential — particularly when the two-part 2009 pay increase was being imposed by the company in a way that undermined the collective bargaining process.

Farstad claim: Nautilus has presented Celtic Pacific Ship

Management with a claim for a substantial pay rise for members serving on Farstad vessels. The Union has also called for improvements in such areas as leave, travel and study leave. A formal response was awaited last month.

Maersk consult: members serving on Maersk Offshore supply vessels are being consulted on an RPI plus 1.5% pay offer. Together with improvements to pensions and increments, the package is valued at between 2.5% and 3%.

Results of the consultation are due early this month.

SED CALL BACKED STUC conference supports Nautilus on seafarer tax motion SCOTTISH TUC delegates have given unanimous support to the Nautilus campaign to protect seafarers’ income tax concessions.

The STUC conference last month backed a Nautilus motion, seconded by the TUC, condemning the government’s attempts to restrict the Seafarers’ Earnings Deduction.

The resolution also calls on the government to amend the scheme ‘to meet its original aim of encouraging the recruitment of all British seafarers’.

Industrial officer Gary Leech told the conference that the special tax rules were introduced to reflect the fact that seafarers’ jobs often take them out of the country for months,

that they work in one of the world’s most competitive labour markets, and that the country requires a supply of seafarers for defence needs.

The SED ‘183-day rule’ was introduced in 1991 to safeguard the employment and training of British seafarers and bring the tax regime in line with most other major maritime nations, he added.

But ever since then, he said, the system has come under sustained attack from the Inland Revenue and the Treasury — with a series of measures that increasingly restrict the number of seafarers able to claim the concession.

Mr Leech said the proposed new rules

Farstad’s new ship is ‘the strongest ever built’ PICTURED left is the Far Samson — claimed to be most powerful offshore support vessel ever built, which has gone into service with Farstad Shipping following an acceptance ceremony in Edinburgh.

Registered in the Isle of Man and built by STX Europe, the 15,620gt vessel was designed and equipped by Rolls-Royce and is a special development of the UT761 CD design.

Far Samson is said to be the world’s strongest construction vessel, with the main winches having demonstrated a continuous

Saipem rejection: fresh talks are being arranged with Saipem after a unanimous rejection by Nautilus members of the company’s ‘derisory’ 3% pay offer. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the reconvened negotiations would also involve the RMT union.

Sealion deal: consultations with members employed by Seahorse Maritime on Sealion vessels have shown a 105-12 majority in favour of an offer giving increases ranging between 4.5% and 6% on basic salary, effective from 1 December 2008.

Swire submission: a 5% pay offer has been tabled in talks between Nautilus and Swire Pacific. Industrial officer Gary Leech said the proposal failed to meet members’ aspirations, and further talks were being arranged late last month.

tabled by HMRC late last year could have excluded many thousands of seafarers working in the North Sea from the concessions.

The impact on maritime employment could have been devastating, he said.

In the face of a storm of protest from maritime unions, owners and politicians, they backed down and modified the changes. ‘But we fear that they will come back for more,’ Mr Leech warned.

‘It’s time this nonsense stopped,’ he said, ‘and ministers act to ensure that the rules do what they were always intended to do: protect the recruitment and retention of all British seafarers.’

bollard pull of 423 tonnes using all available power, and more than 377 tonnes using just the main engines.

The multifunctional vessel is capable of carrying out heavy ploughing operations for pipes and cables on the seabed, as well as subsea installation work in ultra-deep water, towing, remote underwater (ROV) and other subsea operations. It can cut trenches 2.5m deep in the seabed — a metre more than previously possible — in water up to 1,000m deep.

Far Samson’s first job is a five-year contract for Saipem UK.

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NAUTILUS has backed calls from North Sea helicopter pilots for a review of the reliance upon Dacon Rescue Scoops in adverse conditions.

Concerns over the safety of the system were raised by the pilots’ union BALPA in a motion approved by delegates at the Scottish TUC conference last month.

BALPA says the Dacon Scoop or other forms of mechanical recovery should not be the primary means of rescue in all sea states if a helicopter ditches.

Nautilus official Mike Jess told the STUC conference that BALPA’s position should be taken seriously. ‘If the pilots are concerned, their views should be respected rather than swept under the carpet,’ he added.

Concerns over the potential for commercial pressures to be placed on pilots or shipmasters to operate helicopters or fast rescue craft in adverse conditions lie behind the questions over the existing arrangements, Mr Jess said.

And recent tragic incidents in the North Sea had served to underline the scale of the serious and ever-present dangers that face workers in the sector — as well as highlighting the importance of reliable emergency and rescue resources, together with a good mix of rescue methods.

Whilst the Dacon Scoop is a tried and tested system, Mr Jess said its effectiveness as a means of rescuing survivors is open to question and more research needs to be undertaken into improved rescue technologies.

OFFSHORE operators have agreed to make urgent changes to the technical specifications for personal locator beacons (PLBs) after they were found to have interfered with long-range rescue beacons in a North Sea helicopter accident.

Investigations into the February ditching found that the interference from the PLBs worn by passengers had resulted in the main aircraft long-range rescue beacons being shut down — which could have seriously hampered search and rescue operations.

A draft new specification was drawn up last month, and discussed with the Civil Aviation Authority. If accepted and implemented, the operators say it will allow the use of PLBs

without interfering with the long-range rescue beacons fitted to helicopters and liferafts.

The problem was deemed to be one of the most important safety issues to be addressed by an industry task group set up in response to the loss of a second North Sea helicopter, on 1 April, in which 16 people died.

Initial results from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch showed that the Eurocopter Super Puma L2 had suffered a ‘catastrophic failure’ of the main rotor gearbox.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said he was concerned at the developments, and said there appears to have been a transfer of risk from the platforms to ships and helicopters.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪7

RFA SHIP GETS A LONG LIFE REFIT PICTURED right is the 33-yearold Royal Fleet Auxiliary supply ship Fort Rosalie leaving the Mersey after completing a £28m refit that will extend its working life well into the next decade.

Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird completed the work as part of a £180m five-

STUDY WARNS OF ORDERS IMPACT

year 11-ship contract with the Ministry of Defence.

‘The scale of this job was formidable,’ said Commanding officer Captain Bill Tait. ‘The whole ship has undergone massive changes.’

The project included a £5m overhaul of the accommodation, installation of new weaponry, navigation and communications equipment, and upgrades to fire safety systems, engines and machinery. PICTURE: GRAHAM BRASSENDALE

THE WORLD fleet of dry bulk and general cargo vessels is expected to continue growing through 2012, in spite of weak freight rates and general overcapacity of tonnage, a new report from Lloyd’s Register-Fairplay Research predicts.

While scrapping of existing

ships is starting to increase, it will not be sufficient to offset the massive influx of new ships — resulting in a net growth of tonnage in most sectors of the market, which includes dry bulk carriers, general cargo ships, reefers and dry cargo barges.

But in spite of the current overcapacity and depressed freight rates, the report cites the underlying strength of world demand for seaborne deliveries of key bulk commodities.

news

OWNERS’ TRAINING CALL Chamber of Shipping’s new president warns of need to address ‘uncompetitive’ UK officer costs

Outgoing Chamber of Shipping president Martin Watson passes the badge of office on to his successor, Jesper Kjaedegaard

IT’S TOO early to tell if, or by how much, the slump in shipping will hit seafarer training programmes, UK owners said last month.

Speaking following his appointment as new president of the Chamber of Shipping, Jesper Kjaedegaard — the former chief executive of the Maersk Company — said continued investment in training is vital.

And vice-president Jan Kopernicki, from Shell, said the industry could not yet say whether recruitment budgets will be slashed in response to the downturn. ‘It is evident that the economic situation will have an impact on shipping, but it is very difficult to see how long the situation will last and what the full impact will be,’ he added.

Mr Kjaedegaard — who is the first foreign national to hold the president’s post in the Chamber’s 131-year history — said urgent government action on the industry’s joint training and employ-

ment package proposals is essential.

‘For a number of years now, we have seen an increasing number of young people training as Merchant Navy officers in the UK. And that’s absolutely great! But while the cost of employing British junior officers remains uncompetitive, owners will never be able to offer training and careers to as many as they might like,’ he argued.

‘We all recognise the advantages of employing British officers.

They have an enviable reputation for quality throughout the world, but during the junior officer phase they cannot compete on cost and — particularly at a time like this — that presents a major challenge.

Many owners simply find it too costly to employ UK junior officers.’

Mr Kjaedegaard also urged owners not to skimp on safety in response to the slump. ‘We have seen some industry casualties

already, and I am unfortunately convinced there will be more to come,’ he stressed. ‘2009 will be tough, and I am not convinced 2010 will be much different.

Shipowners around the world are all feeling the pinch.’

In such circumstances, he added, ‘there is a real risk that some shipowners, operating in financial survival mode, may resort to spending shortcuts which could compromise safety.

In my view, this would be both madness and bad business. The human, environmental and economic costs of an incident are too high for any sensible shipowner to contemplate making cutbacks that affect safety — even in these difficult times.

‘By nature I am not a control freak — but this is one area where I appeal to all owners, in all parts of the world, not to make any compromise,’ said Mr Kjaedegaard. ‘If you cannot operate safely, you should not operate at all.’

The new Chamber president said he was concerned about the apparent lack of government interest in the shipping industry — with a range of political problems including a ‘ludicrous’ proposed increase in light dues, possible changes to capital allowances for investment in new tonnage and instability in the tonnage tax system.

‘This has a big impact,’ he explained. ‘If you are ordering ships, you have to consider the stability of where you flag into.’

Mr Kjaedegaard said the uncertainty over maritime policies had cost the UK flag at least 50 ships — with Evergreen being the latest operator to choose a rival register (in this case Singapore) for its vessels.

‘This is what we are up against,’ he added, ‘and the Treasury understands that we would like to see individual shipping companies treated as customers who have a choice’.

‘Increased interest in MN careers’ INTEREST in careers at sea is running at a high level, according to Clyde Marine, the UK’s largest maritime training provider.

The Glasgow-based company says it has dealt with a total of 2,737 new applications from school leavers in the last 18 months. Of the new applications, 7.2% were received from females — some 2% more than the industry average.

Operators and trainers attending Clyde Marine’s 19th conference in Glasgow heard that a major recruitment campaign — including TV and radio advertising — has helped to generate increased interest in sea-

faring, with particular emphasis on attracting engineering candidates.

Clyde Marine is currently managing 887 trainees working towards their first deck, engineer or electro-technical OOW certificate of competency — and the number is expected to reach 1,000 later this year.

But training supervisor Katy Womersley warned about the difficulties of finding berths for some trainees. The reasons for this included suitability and berth management, she explained, and training managers were urged to consider offering additional berths, where feasible.

Officer trainees Vicky Gren, Peter Abram, Gordon Bagwell and Matthew Lloyd answer questions at the Clyde conference Clyde Marine Training director Colin McMurray told the meeting about the development of the company’s trainee

extranet following a client suggestion at a previous conference. ‘This advanced system allows our sponsoring compa-

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An open session was held in which four current trainees at different stages responded to questions on their experiences of life onboard, the importance placed on senior officers in assisting them in completing their training record books, and their aspirations.

The four trainees were: Vicky Gren, a deck trainee who is sponsored by Wilhelmsen Ship Management; Peter Abram, a deck trainee sponsored by Chevron Manning Services; Gordon Bagwell, an engineer trainee sponsored by S.B.S Marine; and Matthew Lloyd, an engineer trainee sponsored by O+P Zodiac Maritime Agencies.

8● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

SUPER TERMINAL IN BERMUDA PERFECTLY positioned on the cruising route between North America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, Bermuda is now offering the first new superyacht docking facility in the islands.

The new Super Yacht Terminal can accommodate yachts of 100m-plus, either alongside or

BUSY TIMES FOR YACHT CARRIER

stern-to, on a berth that is able to supply yachts with duty-free fuel.

Secure dockage, a dock master and line handlers are now available year-round in St George, Bermuda.

Additional dockside services include: complimentary highspeed wifi, a crew recreation area and a concierge service.

The superyacht terminal area is a short cobblestone stroll from historic downtown St George, Bermuda’s oldest town.

THE SPECIALIST large yacht carrier Dockwise Yacht Transport says it is fighting off the economic recession with a high number of recent movements.

The DYT vessel Super Servant 3, pictured left, recently carried 32 power and sailing yachts,

worth some US$140m, from the US and the Caribbean to Toulon.

In early March, Super Servant 4, departed from Port Everglades, heading to Palma de Mallorca with another $140m worth of yachts.

‘It’s clear that our services, which once were a novelty, are now integral to the economy of an extensive global network of marine businesses and developments,’ said DYT president Clemens van der Werf.

large yacht news

Attack on yacht ANTIBES ATTENDANCE SPARKS crew in St Lucia ‘KEEN INTEREST’ IN NAUTILUS ✪ by MICHAEL HOWORTH CREW members on the 31m yacht Diamond Girl have become the latest victims of gun crime in the Caribbean.

Four of the yacht’s crew were held up during an island tour they made while sightseeing on the island of St Lucia.

All four lost money and valuables to masked gunmen wielding sawn-off shotguns, but were themselves left unharmed.

The attack happened close to the fishing village Anse La Raye.

The gunmen did, however, show a humanitarian streak — by returning to the captain the SIM card from his mobile phone and to

another of the crew, the storage card containing photographs on the digital camera they stole.

Captain Mark Robinson, the master of the US-flagged yacht, said: ‘There is no way that the perpetrators of this crime knew that we were crew from a yacht.

‘The crime took place well away from any yachting centres or marinas at a waterfall in the rainforest. The crew were not wearing uniforms and, at the time of the incident, the yacht was berthed in Rodney Bay Marina some 25 miles by road away from the scene.

This was, regrettably, another tourist crime, not a specifically yachting crime.’

NAUTILUS UK officials Garry Elliott and Steve Doran are pictured at the Union’s stand at last month’s Antibes Yacht Show, in the south of France.

Officials from the Union were among more than 140 exhibitors at the prestigious event, which also attracted more than 80 yachts.

Mr Elliott said attendance at the show is a valuable part of the Union’s recruitment and organising efforts. ‘There was a keen interest in Nautilus, in particular from corporate bodies on the services that we offer,’ he said.

‘We also were able to meet with existing members, potential members and crews at the back of their yachts.

Concerns were raised by all in relation to pending regulations and the need to protect both their certificates and safety.’

Mr Elliott said that a

Free comms audits MODERN luxury yachts depend on good communications — but many could be simplified by reviewing existing service plans and pricing structures.

In the current lean economic climate, e3 Systems — a company that specialise in advanced yacht electronics — is offering all existing and potential clients a free audit of their communications.

Communication systems on a yacht have often evolved rather

than being strategically planned, it says, and could benefit from being consolidated and more actively controlled and managed.

The company has devised a detailed questionnaire which can be completed by the captain, manager or owner. Once the questionnaire has been assessed, e3 Systems will make recommendations on how cost savings can be made, or how systems can be managed in a more cost-effective way.

China keeps growing THE 14th China International Boat Show, held in Shanghai last month, underlined the growing importance of the country to the large yacht business.

Ahead of the show, Marine Dragon Consulting released figures for 2008 showing big increases in the value of the Chinese boating industry.

China has strengthened its strategic industrial and commercial partnerships with leading US yacht and equipment makers, and figures show trade in this area rose

by US$178m last year.

The network of marinas along the coastline of China keeps growing, with 15 projects receiving approval in 2008.

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number of fresh approaches were made via agencies and corporate bodies during the event, and these may form part of a new strategy in realising the large potential of members that exists in the large yacht sector.

‘The possibility of a framework agreement was raised on numerous occasions by interested parties,’ he added. ‘I also feel that a framework agreement is largely overdue and industrial support and service does hold the key to spreading the word positively.’

Nautilus believes that the economic climate will underline the importance of the membership benefits, Mr Elliott said, and the application of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 to the large yacht sector will also increase the need for dialogue and professional industrial relations.

Edmiston broker aims to get both feet on the table in charity trek IN DAYS gone by, sailors who had rounded Cape Horn were entitled to put one foot up onto the table after dinner and those who had crossed the Arctic Circle were entitled to put both feet up.

With the intention of achieving both privileges, yacht broker Chris Cecil-Wright — from Edmiston’s Monaco office — has set up an expedition force called Two Feet on the Table.

Raising money for charity, the team of nine set out last month from Ice Station Barneo in a quest to reach the geographic North Pole by foot.

Mr Cecil-Wright will be accompanied by team members Doug Stoup, Jim Ratcliffe, Jeannot Joly, Henri Thurier, Sam Ratcliffe,

George Ratcliffe, Adam Carey and Fred Wadsworth.

On the way, they will be contending with temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees centigrade, broken ice pressure ridges as high as houses and skiing whilst hauling their equipment in sledges.

Conditions can become so treacherous that frequently the daily ice-drift can see a whole day’s northward gain wiped out while they sleep.

They will be raising money for The AquaLung Trust — an organisation set up by Nick Baker, a yacht broker with Camper and Nicholsons International in London. In June 2001, as a non-smoker, Mr Baker was some-

what surprised to learn he had lung cancer.

After setting up the trust and raising over £500,000, Mr Baker died in May 2008 — but his fund continues to fire the imagination of equally brave adventurers.

The AquaLung Trust helps fund cancer research and also to provide health care to vulnerable people caught up in natural disasters, conflict, disease and health system collapse.

In addition, the trust funds programmes promoting understanding and tolerance among young people of different backgrounds, faiths and cultures by means of challenging adventure programmes.

Donations can be made on the website: www.justgiving.com/Twofeetonthetable

Innovative trimaran prototype in the finals of young superyacht designer competition CHRIS Burden, Julian Cuzon and Sophie Chudziak are three naval architects participating in QinetiQ graduate development scheme, who have been selected among the finalists in the Superyacht Young Designer of the Year 2009 competition with a truly innovative trimaran design they have named Eurydice after the mythological sea nymph.

Using the company’s own Paramarine

software product to optimise and extend the concept into a fully analysed and balanced design, the yacht’s shape combines efficiency, comfort and elegance.

The philosophy of the design is driven by these three themes and balances art with science. The idea of a trimaran/monohull hybrid is inspired by the pursuit of a low environmental impact yacht with large usable deck areas while maintaining com-

fort and aesthetics to the highest possible level.

The software programme used by the team is the world’s only fully integrated design and analysis naval architecture product that can deal with the complexities of both military and civil ship and submarine design.

The overall winner will be announced at the awards ceremony in London this month.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪9

DOLPHIN ARRIVAL IN PORTSMOUTH PICTURED right is the arrival of a new dolphin structure for Portsmouth’s Continental Ferry Port on 19 March. The delivery is part of a big project to improve passenger and freight facilities in the port.

Work is currently underway to extend Berths 3 and 4 to

UNION WELCOMES TRIBUNAL RULES

handle larger ships, such as the ferries Pont-Aven and Norman Voyager, which now regularly use the port.

Work is also underway to replace the 1976-built passenger terminal with a new building. The replacement terminal is expected to cost £15m and will be fully operational for the start of the 2011 season.

NAUTILUS has welcomed a new streamlined process for resolving disciplinary and grievance issues, which came into effect last month.

The government says the changes to the employment legislation are intended to reduce the number of people going to

REPORT & PICTURE: GARY DAVIES/MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC

employment tribunals and to simplify the systems for dealing with workplace disputes.

Charles Boyle, director of Nautilus legal services, said the new rules should simplify matters and were welcomed.

‘It is hoped that the new system brought in by the Employment Act 2008 will bring in flexibility, with an incentive to continue to resolve disputes within the workplace before resorting to a tribunal,’ he added.

news

UK LIGHT DUES DISPUTE Operators threaten to divert ships if government goes ahead with proposed rises of up to 67% SHIPPING companies are threatening to bypass British ports if the government goes ahead with controversial plans for increases of up to 67% in UK light dues.

Ministers say the rises — which could increase the costs of a call for large containerships from £12,000 to £20,000 — are needed to cover a £21m deficit in the General Lighthouse Fund between this year and 2010.

But owners and port groups have labelled the planned new dues as ‘staggering’ and warn that they could cause significant damage to the UK maritime sector, with some major operators — including cruise companies — talking of re-routeing their tonnage to continental ports.

Under the plans, the light dues levy would increase from 35p to 41p per net registered ton, along

with an uplift in maximum chargeable tonnage from 35,000 to 50,000 net registered tons, and an increase in the maximum number of chargeable voyages from seven to nine.

The French shipping line CMA CGM said its annual bill could rise by £1.5m, and the car carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen said it was facing a £300,000 a year increase.

The Independent Light Dues Forum (IDLF) — which represents the owners and operators of more than two-thirds of UK-flagged tonnage — said: ‘Increases of this magnitude are almost unprecedented and certainly have not been seen over the last two decades. There is a significant risk that some ships would divert to ports on the continent where lighthouse costs are financed through public expenditure.’

Ship’s maiden call to namesake port PICTURED right is the 974TEU containership BG Felixstowe making its maiden call to its namesake port in March.

Owned and operated by BG Freight, the 8,246gt vessel has been deployed on the ‘Dublin Express Link’ — a weekly service between the Port of Felixstowe and Dublin. The Antigua & Barbuda-flagged vessel will provide additional capacity between Rotterdam, the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Chris Lewis, CEO of Hutchison Ports UK, commented: ‘The new service further enhances the range of shortsea and feeder options available at Felixstowe.’

The Port of Felixstowe is also part of a new weekly east coast coastal service — Feederlink — which offers twice-weekly calls from Felixstowe to Teesport, in addition to calls at Grangemouth and South Shields.

gation of responsibility by the flag state — and had reluctantly accepted the authorisation of a single designated authority for the conduct of radio surveys.

The response expresses the Union’s opposition to any further delegation to class, and stresses the need for ‘authorised persons’ to be exclusive surveyors employed directly by the

respective classification societies.

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson said it was essential that the MCA also ensures that it has the ability to effectively monitor and audit surveys carried out by classification societies and others it authorises to carry out radio surveys.

this time could lead to lines missing out stops at UK ports altogether,’ he added. ‘The City of London, as the global centre for shipping, could also ultimately be affected.’

Mr Brazier said it was ‘absurd’ that the UK government is continuing to subsidise Irish lights some 80 years since the Irish Free State received its independence.

Mark Brownrigg, director-general of the Chamber of Shipping, warned of potentially ‘disastrous consequences’ if the dues increases go ahead, and said successive ministers had failed to act on a promise made in 2004 to end the Irish subsidy.

Port of London Authority chief executive Richard Everitt described the proposed increases as ‘crackers’ and warned that they could spark a ‘downward spiral’ in the UK maritime sector.

Global slump ‘sparks stowaway increase’ THE GLOBAL economic slump is starting to fuel an increase in the number of stowaway cases, a leading P&I club has warned.

A 60% increase in the number of stowaway incidents during the past year has been recorded by the Standard Club — reversing a decline over the previous five years.

In an analysis of the problem published last month, the club said it had dealt with 982 claims involving 2,051 stowaways since 2000.

The club said the number of stowaways involved in the 80 cases it dealt with last year was 149 — compared with 87 in the previous year.

‘There is the beginning of an upward trend which bottomed

Union opposes plans for further delegation of radio survey work NAUTILUS has registered its opposition to proposals to further delegate Maritime & Coastguard Agency radio survey work to classification societies.

In a response to a consultation on a draft Marine Guidance Note, the Union said it has consistently opposed delegation to class — believing it to be a dero-

Michael Drayton, chairman of the maritime organisation One Voice, said light dues ‘are a significant cost and the increase creates a real danger of a reduction of traffic to UK ports, significantly increasing the cost of our trade in both directions’.

In a letter to the shipping minister, he urged the government to re-think the proposals and to come up with different ways of tackling the deficit — including a combination of cost reductions, the exploitation of other sources of funding and the immediate ending of the annual subsidy to Ireland.

Opposition shipping spokesman Julian Brazier has also urged the government to drop the plans — calling for the three existing general lighthouse authorities to be merged into a single organisation, delivering cost and efficiency savings.

‘Any additional and unnecessary cost pressures at

out in the years 2006-7,’ it added.

‘This may continue to increase owing to the recent economic turmoil.’

In a bulletin to members, the Standard warned that the task of preventing stowaways from getting onboard is becoming harder in many areas, and the biggest threat is in ports and terminals where the ISPS Code ‘is not being implemented with any vigour’.

Some 35% of cases occurred in west Africa, 35% in South Africa and 15% in Columbia, whilst almost half of all the stowaways originated from west Africa.

Around 45% of cases involved containerships, 16% bulkers and 11% car carriers.

‘Masters must ensure that robust counter-stowaway meas-

ures are implemented in all west African ports,’ the club advised. ‘South African ports are also popular with stowaways who come from countries like Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Ports in Columbia and Venezuela are also cause for concern as stowaways attempt to enter the US.’ ‘Shipowners should review their stowaway procedures and give the resources to masters and crew to prevent stowaways from boarding,’ the club added. They should ensure that crews are properly trained, and provide instructions and procedures to ensure the ship can ‘provide a determined deterrent stopping stowaways from boarding and/or sailing with the ship’.

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10● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

MAIB WARNS ON BRIDGE MANNING THE MARINE Accident Investigation Branch has urged a Norwegian shipping company to review its bridge manning level requirements following a contact incident on the river Cylde.

The 9,125dwt bulk carrier Mornes suffered structural damage after striking a concrete

NAFC WINNER ON COURSE CHANGE

dolphin whilst leaving Hunterston jetty in March.

An MAIB preliminary investigation found that the master, who was alone on the bridge, had instructed the mooring parties to let go the head and stern lines before he had control of the propulsion systems on the bridge.

The MAIB has written to the owner, Erik Thun AB, expressing concern that the master was alone on the bridge at the time.

ALAN MOODY, a student at the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland, is pictured left being presented with an engraved trophy for receiving the highest mark in the Class 1 Fishing Navigation exam.

Presently working for Solent Towage in Southampton, Mr

Moody was unable to attend the annual prize giving held in December 2008 as he was at sea. But he has now returned to Shetland to undertake the Officer of the Watch conversion course, with a view to joining the Merchant Navy.

‘I’m extremely honoured to win this award,’ he said. ‘Out of all the colleges I’ve attended, studying at the NAFC has been the most productive in helping me achieve my goals.’

news

CREWING FEARS RECEDE Survey shows ship owners and operators are now more worried about finance and fuel costs SHIPPING industry concerns over skill shortages have receded in the face of the global economic downturn, a new survey has revealed.

The annual Shipping Confidence Survey published by the maritime accountancy and consultancy firm Moore Stephens shows that overall confidence levels among owners, managers, charterers and brokers have slumped by some 20% over the past year.

It also uncovers a significant shift over the past 12 months in the factors that the industry considers most critical for business performance.

Last year, ship operating costs, crew supply and tonnage supply were cited as the three most influential issues. In the latest survey, demand trends (27%), the

cost and availability of finance (21%), and competition (20%) were named as the top three factors.

Crew supply — which was the second biggest area of concern a year ago — is now the seventh-placed business performance issue, overtaken by factors such as tonnage supply, fuel prices and operating costs.

But despite the marked downturn in average confidence levels, the survey did uncover some grounds for optimism — with a number of industry executives suggesting that the situation is likely to improve over the coming 12 months.

Comments included: ‘As owners we have already touched the bottom, and I don’t believe we can go any lower’; ‘As soon as the financial markets stabilise, the

‘Seafarer safety net’ hailed by IMO leader INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organisation leader Efthimios Mitropoulos has welcomed the recent agreement on a global ‘safety net’ system to protect abandoned or injured seafarers.

He said the joint IMO-ILO agreement on the provision of financial security for claims for death, personal injury and abandonment of seafarers has rightly been described as ‘historic’.

The IMO secretary-general said the measures — which are likely to be adopted as amendments to the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention — should help efforts to boost the recruitment and retention of seafarers.

But, Mr Mitropoulos warned, the industry’s continued ability to recruit and retain is being threat-

ened by the unfair treatment of seafarers in many parts of the world.

‘In this context, it is worrying that, in certain prominently reported cases, criminal sanctions have been applied against seafarers following maritime accidents — especially when no criminal intent or even negligence had been proven,’ he added.

Mr Mitropoulos urged the IMO’s legal committee last month to consider what further measures could be implemented to safeguard seafarers’ basic human rights.

He said countries should also be encouraged to comply with the international guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers following maritime incidents.

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shipping markets will be the first to respond’; ‘There are clear signs that trade and shipping are picking up in some parts of the world’; and ‘We are quite confident that there will continue to be good business opportunities in the months ahead, and perhaps this is a good time to enter the market from the point of view of investment.’

Some operators suggested the biggest problems could come in the next six to nine months — warning of a ‘domino effect’ as companies go bust.

Although some respondents suggested that the slump would force a lot of substandard operators out of the market, others were worried about ‘unhealthy competition in all sectors, because everybody is looking for cashflow’.

However, there were signs that many within the industry believe the shipping rates slump has bottomed out.

The number of respondents expecting finance costs to rise fell from 60% to 47%.

The number who anticipate an increase is dry bulk rates is up from 35% in October last year to 46% in February this year, whilst the number expecting tanker rates to fall has dropped from 52% to 42% over the same period.

More than one-third of respondents said they expected containership rates to be lower in 12 months’ time, compared with 50% last year, while the number anticipating higher rates rose from 20 to 23%.

Moore Stephens shipping partner Richard Greiner commented: ‘Given what has been happening in the world

economy, the fall in confidence levels was to be expected.

‘Perhaps the real surprise is that confidence levels have not fallen by even more.

The fact that they haven’t is doubtless due to the fact that shipping is historically a resilient and resourceful industry, and because, even in a depressed world economy, there is still sufficient demand for global trade which can only be transported by sea.

‘Shipping is a cyclical industry, and the current slump in rates is all the more keenly felt now because it comes on the heels of a prolonged period of buoyancy,’ he added.

‘Those who ride — and survive — the cycle will, as always, be those who are best prepared to do so,’ Mr Greiner stressed.

Wight masters present award to Carisbrooke Shipping trainee OFFICER training past and present was discussed when Nautilus member Orry Crews was presented with the Merchant Mariners of Wight (MMW) Tony McGinnity Award for 2009.

Prior to the presentation, MMW member Capt Hedley Kett DSC, RD, RNR spoke of his own cadetship — which commenced 80 years ago in 1929! — and compared navigation then and now.

Orry delivered an illustrated presentation on a cadet’s life at sea in the 21st century, which was introduced by MMW member Capt Jill Kernick, a senior lecturer at Warsash Maritime Academy and one of the selection panel for the award.

Orry grew up in Cowes, where he developed his love of the sea. His first maritime job was as a Cowes Harbour operative before becoming coxswain on an ABP pilot launch at Portsmouth, where — seeing the large ships coming and going — he got the urge to ‘go deepsea’.

After some research, Orry was fortunate to obtain sponsorship with Carisbrooke Shipping, and is now in the second year of his apprenticeship and studying at Warsash Maritime Academy.

The first two sea phases of Orry’s training involved two

two-month voyages on ships sailing to and from South America. The third sea phase was to join the Carisbrooke Shipping vessel Natacha C in South America, involving two transits of the Panama Canal and loading and discharging varied cargoes at several ports on the east coast of South America.

He told how the much smaller crews employed on modern ships (only 11 in total on his last ship) meant

that ‘all hands’ had to work together — the motorman and cook could find themselves ‘turned to’ on arrival and departure from port. Small vessels gave a more ‘hands-on’ training in ship-handling and, under the master’s supervision, Orry often found himself carrying out much of the engine control and steering of the ship during berthing manoeuvres.

Orry praised Carisbrooke

Shipping for its support in his training; unlike many other companies, Carisbrooke is willing to offer employment and a career to cadets following qualification.

Pictured above, left to right, at the presentation are Vincent Powell — runner-up for this year’s award, Capt Jill Kernick, Capt Hedley Kett, Orry Crews, Peter Hedley (MMW chairman) and Georgie Hibberd, Mr McGinnity’s partner.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 11

PRAISE FOR COOL TALL SHIP’S CREW EMERGENCY services have praised the professionalism of crew members serving on the Jubilee Sailing Trust square rigger Tenacious following a medical alert last month.

Tenacious was in the Irish Sea en route from Cork to Gran Canaria when one of the

FIRST LNG CARGO FOR SOUTH HOOK

volunteer crew members onboard complained of feeling unwell.

An RAF helicopter was scrambled from the Culdrose air station in Cornwall, winched the man onboard and airlifted him to the North Devon District Hospital.

The helicopter crew praised the professionalism of the crew under Captain John Etheridge, whose efforts ensured a speedy evacuation was carried out from the deck of the tall ship.

THE 136,410gt LNG carrier Tembek is pictured left delivering the first cargo to the new South Hook marine terminal at the Welsh port of Milford Haven.

The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel discharged a cargo of more than 210,000 cu m of LNG

from Qatar as part of the berthing and commissioning process for the new facility.

A second LNG terminal at the port — the Dragon — is due to be commissioned within the next few months. The two sites will have the capacity to supply around 25% of UK gas demand.

Tembek, which was delivered from Samsung shipyard in November 2007, is one of seven sister ships of the Q-flex design.

Each has cost $235m to build.

news

Four RFA ships take part in six-month RN task force FOUR Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are taking part in the largest UK task force deployment to the Far East in more than a decade.

Eleven RFA and RN ships in the six-month Taurus 09 deployment, led by the flagship HMS Bulwark, are pictured right.

The task force left the UK in February and is expected to return in August after completing a 20,400 mile round-trip.

RFA vessels involved in the two-phase operation — which is designed to exercise the ability to deploy globally — include Mounts Bay, Lyme Bay, Fort Austin and Wave Ruler.

As well as carrying out amphibious training, the task group is being made available for a range of potential maritime security missions — such as counter-piracy operations, delivering humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

FRESH CONCERN OVER MCA ‘Fatal fire might have been prevented if Agency had spotted vessel’s survey was overdue’ — MAIB NAUTILUS has voiced concern at a fresh case revealing shortcomings in the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s survey and inspection work.

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on a case last year in which three seafarers died during a fishing vessel fire concludes that the incident might have been prevented had the MCA spotted that the vessel’s intermediate survey was overdue.

Filipino crew members Ramilito Calipayan and Benjamin Potot, and Latvian Rimants Venckus were killed on 1 August last year when fire broke out and thick black smoke spread through the accommodation areas onboard the UKflagged trawler Vision II in the port of Fraserburgh.

The MAIB said the most likely cause of the blaze was an electric fan heater in the galley, but investigators concluded that a non-extinguished cigarette could also have been to blame.

The report on the incident raises particular concern about the significant expansion over the past decade in the

numbers of foreign crews working on UK fishing boats.

At the time of the accident, the MAIB estimates that there were some 200 foreign seafarers serving on fishing vessels based in Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

The report notes the consequential increase in the numbers of foreign crew ‘in semi-permanent residence’ onboard vessels in UK ports.

‘Current regulation and design requirements for fishing vessels have not adapted to the increased use of vessels alongside as a place of accommodation,’ it adds. ‘There is therefore a need for a “new approach” toward fishing vessel regulation, applicable to those vessels employing crew who will be expected to live onboard in port.’

The MAIB said it had recorded 26 crew deaths since 1999 while fishing vessels were secured alongside in port. Fire accounted for five fatalities, carbon monoxide poisoning three and 21 were the result of falling overboard.

Investigators said they found that a fire door onboard the Vision II had been held

open with a hook and a self-closing mechanism disabled, in contravention of safety regulations, which led to an oxygen flow that caused the flames to spread rapidly through the vessel.

A piece of scaffolding had been used to lock one of the doors, and an emergency escape hatch from the main cabin was found to have been wedged shut.

Investigators also discovered that a smoke alarm, which should have had two sources of power, had been turned off — probably when the crew switched from onboard batteries to an on-shore power supply.

None of the crew had undertaken the fishing industry’s mandatory basic safety awareness course and no routine safety drills had been conducted.

The MAIB found that there was no record of annual verification checks having been conducted by the skipper or a representative onboard the vessel, and that an intermediate inspection had not been carried out by the MCA within the December 2007 deadline.

Had the intermediate inspection

taken place, the report added, it could have identified some of the safety shortcomings and revealed the lack of annual self-certification checks, the failure to conduct routine safety drills, and the absence of formal written risk assessments onboard.

The MCA said it had reviewed the safety issues associated with crews living onboard fishing vessels in port in response to the incident, and had also implemented a regime of targeted inspections. But the MAIB report calls for the MCA to broaden its review — and, as a minimum, examine: the impact of security arrangements on emergency access and egress; provision of fire, flood, gas and other detection and alarm systems; limitations of operating on shore power and the requirement and procedures for reverting to ship’s power in an emergency; emergency training drills; and safe access requirements to and from the vessel.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the report raised worrying questions about the MCA’s performance. ‘It is little wonder that the fish-

Settlement agreed for family of ferry officer killed by broken mooring line COMPENSATION of S750,000 has been agreed for the family of a Polish officer who was killed when a mooring cable broke onboard the Norfolkline ferry Dublin Viking in August 2007.

The payment to the family of second officer Patrycjusz (Patrick) Zawadowicz was agreed in a High Court settlement, secured with the assistance of the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

Mr Zawadowicz — who left a wife and daughter, who was born shortly after he died — was struck by a stern mooring line as the 21,856gt UK-flagged ferry was prepar-

ing to leave Dublin. Both his legs were broken and the left leg was almost severed. He died in hospital six days later.

Accident investigators found that Mr Zawadowicz had to stand in ‘snap-back’ zones near the fairleads whilst supervising the casting off operations so that he could relay orders to line handlers ashore and deck crew. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch found that the mooring line’s breaking load had reduced from 60 to 35 tonnes, largely as a result of exposure to sunlight.

It also discovered that the operator of the

stern line winch had heaved in the line instead of paying out slack. The winch equipment operated in the opposite directions to those indicated on the controls because power supplies had been reversed.

Although the operator was aware of this, the report found that he was distracted and had probably been affected by stress and fatigue.

ITF inspector Ken Fleming said the MAIB report demonstrated ‘a litany of errors’ and ‘that even ships operated by leading shipping companies can be dangerous places if proper procedures are not observed’.

ing industry is 115 times more dangerous than the average shore-based industry when the regulatory authority is failing to act diligently in exercising its functions,’ he added.

Mr Graveson said there had been a number of other cases showing shortcomings in the MCA’s survey and certification of fishing vessels. ‘There is a clear need for a more structured policy approach in this area, and significantly more staff and resources to meet the demands for greater consistency in enforcement,’ he argued.

International Transport Workers’ Federation coordinator Norrie McVicar welcomed the report. ‘We’re delighted that the findings back our call at the time of the fire for a wider investigation into conditions for foreign workers in the Scottish fishing industry,’ he added.

‘We utterly endorse the MAIB’s call for the MCA to take an urgent and much wider look at what is going on in our waters today. These are working boats, not living quarters. If the vessels aren’t fit for their purpose, then the crews should be housed ashore.’

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12● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

NAPOLI REMOVAL WORK CONTINUES WORK on removing the stern section of the containership MSC Napoli from the Devon coast has reached its second milestone, pictured right.

Following a successful test, the project team — led by the Dutch firm Global Response Maritime — has completed positioning all 12 lifting chains under the wreck.

ENGINE FAILURES ‘ON THE RISE’

The 12 chains were put in place in less than three weeks with the first successful, totally subsea, use of a revolutionary subsea drilling system in an offshore wreck removal.

With all lifting chains in position, the main operational phase is set to get under way early this month.

When the stern section is brought to the surface, wreck sections of around 100 tonnes each will be cut until total weight is reduced to around 1,200 tonnes and a decision will be made on final removal and disposal.

TANKER owners have expressed concern after revealing that incidents involving main engine failure have more than doubled over the past five years.

Peter Swift, MD of the independent tanker owners’ organisation Intertanko, said the increase is likely to be linked to ships and seafarers being worked harder. Other issues — including fuel quality and the standards of components — are also thought to lie behind the problem.

Intertanko said it is looking at inter-industry workshops — including manufacturers and bunker suppliers — to find ways of reversing the increase.

health and safety

POLAR CODE IS ‘VITAL’ Antarctic loss report shows need for improved controls over shipping in ice regions, says Union NAUTILUS is calling for a new code to govern shipping operations in polar waters following the publication of a report on the loss of a cruiseship in the Antarctic in 2007.

The Liberian Registry investigation into the sinking of the 2,398gt Explorer off the South Shetland Islands concludes that the prime cause of the casualty was the master’s mistaken interpretation of the nature of the ice in the area the ship was entering.

The Swedish-owned ship sank on 23 November 2007 whilst on an 18-day cruise from Argentina into Antarctica. All 54 crew and 100 passengers abandoned the ship without loss of life or major injury and were rescued by the Norwegian vessel Nordnorge.

The ship suffered rapid flooding after it struck what crew described as ‘a wall of ice’ and sustained a 3.1m hole in the hull.

Investigators said the Explorer’s Swedish master — who had more than 25 years of experience working on ships operating in ice — had been ‘under the mistaken impression that he was encountering first-year ice when in fact ...it was much harder land ice’.

The report says that while the master was familiar with ice in the Baltic, he was unfamiliar with the type of ice encountered in the Antarctic. ‘The master should have altered course to open water and not have entered the ice

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field during darkness,’ it adds.

‘However, once he had entered the ice field and approached the wall of ice there is no indication that he reduced the Explorer’s speed as he approached and then made contact with the wall of ice.’

It recommends that administrative action should be taken against the master’s certificate of competency ‘in view of the lack of knowledge which contributed to the cause of the casualty’.

And it also calls for the IMO to establish competency training requirements for ice navigation – arguing that the incident may not have occurred had the Explorer’s master been trained for ice conditions in the region.

However, the report praises the crew for their ‘heroic efforts’ to prevent loss of life. Engineers had ‘demonstrated ingenuity and bravery’ in their work to keep power going while the evacuation took place, and in doing so had helped to save lives, it points out.

But the report also warns: ‘Although the rescue of the passengers was successful due to the actions of the crew and because of favourable weather conditions, the outcome may have been different under different circumstances and there are lessons to be learned from the accident.’

It highlights a number of problems, including the failure to start three of the four lifeboat engines, passengers not being adequately prepared for the evacuation, and

The passengership Explorer sinks in the Antarctic after hitting a ‘wall of ice’ in November 2007 the failure of crew to follow abandon ship procedures.

Investigators were unable to determine the extent of the role played by the diminution of shell plating on the 1969-built vessel because records dating back to construction were not available.

The report recommends that the Explorer’s classification society, DNV, should revise its procedures to ensure that gauging records are maintained and avail-

able throughout the life of any vessel, and also revise its minimum requirements for deck and shell plating thickness for all ice-class vessels.

It also calls for DNV to review its survey procedures — focusing on the lessons learned from the investigation — so that surveyors review flooding boundaries to determine if vessel systems and components, such as the sewage system and down-flooding ducts,

PICTURE: REUTERS

can compromise the vessel’s watertight boundary in the event of damage and flooding.

The report also urges the Explorer’s operator, GAP Shipping, to review its abandon ship and crowd control procedures, and drilling and training in connection with lifeboat engines.

The Liberian administration is to undertake another review to determine whether some of the IMO guidelines, circulars and res-

olutions — such as those relating to vessels operating in Antarctic and Arctic waters, minimum safe manning, float-free or quickrelease VDR installation — should be made mandatory.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the case highlighted important safety issues, including training and experience for seafarers serving on ships operating in the Antarctic and Arctic.

‘It also demonstrates the urgent need for a new polar code to govern the operations of vessels in such areas, to ensure that they are fit for purpose and that the grade and thickness of steel is appropriate for the conditions,’ he added.

‘Watertight integrity also needs to be such that any flooding is minimised in the event of a breach of the hull,’ Mr Graveson stressed. ‘The existing standards remain inadequate across all vessel types.’

Steve Wellmeier, executive director of The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), said his members had taken a number of measures in response to the Explorer’s loss. ‘We understand and share the concern that has arisen from this and other recent ship-related incidents in Antarctica,’ he added. ‘However, the overall safety record and environmental stewardship of shipbased tourism over the past 40 years is very good.’

Slump in world fleet has helped to improve safety, insurers suggest THE SLUMP in world shipping seems to be improving the industry’s safety record, marine insurers have suggested.

Figures released by the International Union of Marine Insurance last month indicate that total losses last year fell by around 10% from 2007.

Total tonnage lost was down by almost a quarter over the same period.

Cédric Charpentier, chairman of IUMI’s ‘facts and figures’ committee, said there are grounds for cautious optimism — with the reduced loss rate contrasting with significant expansion of the world fleet throughout much of 2008.

IUMI said it had recorded a total of 74

ship losses last year, totalling some 372,000gt, and against 82 vessels at the same time last year. It forecasts that the figure will eventually rise to 95 ships of 470,000gt as more losses are confirmed in the next few months.

If the predictions are correct, the volume of tonnage lost in 2008 could be the second lowest total over the past 28 years.

The insurers said there were similar signs of a fall in serious or partial losses — with the total of 748 down by 18% from the previous year.

IUMI believes the final figure will be around 800, which compares with what

it described as a ‘staggering’ 975 in 2007, and against 725 in 2006, 515 in 2005 and just 247 in 1998.

Whilst weather was the main cause of total losses (42%), machinery damage was the most common cause of major serious losses (35%-plus of the number of incidents during the past five years), followed by collisions (26%) and groundings (22%).

IUMI president Deirdre Littlefield said it appears that the 2008 loss figures ‘may be helpfully spiked by the greatly reduced number of ships in service and, at last, an increasing amount of old tonnage heading to the breakers’ yards’.

She also noted ‘encouraging pointers that the safety culture is taking firm root’ in the shipping industry.

Despite this, Ms Littlefield warned, there is a need for caution in the current climate — and insurers are concerned that ‘catastrophic consequences’ could result from ill-advised cutbacks.

‘Ship operators are being buffeted from all sides in the growing economic crisis,’ she pointed out. ‘But to cut corners on maintenance or training can only have one result in the long term: more casualties, higher claims on insurers, and higher premium and deductible levels for shipowners.’

MAY 2009â—? âœŞ Nautilus UK Telegraphâ—? âœŞ 13

SAR ADVANCE FOR AFRICA

‘GREEN’ FEATURES FOR NEW UK-FLAG BOXSHIP

THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organisation has welcomed a major advance in the standards of search and rescue cover off the east coast of Africa.

IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos has commissioned two new SAR sub-centres — in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Victoria, Seychelles — which will operate in conjunction with the MRCC in the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

He said the new centres would play an important role in strengthening safety, security and environmental protection in the Indian Ocean.

PICTURED left is the new UK-flagged containership CMA CGM Andromeda – claimed by its owners to be the world’s first boxship to be fitted with a ‘state-of-the-art fast oil recovery system’ designed to prevent marine pollution.

Built in South Korea, the 11,400TEU vessel utilises the system originally designed for tankers, in which pipes are

strategically located to enable the rapid recovery of oil from a ship’s tanks following an incident without having to make a hole in the hull.

The 131,332gt Andromeda also includes a number of other special ‘green’ features, including an electronically controlled engine which is said to cut fuel and lubricants consumption by as much as 25%, a ‘pre-swirl’ fixed blade stator system and a ‘twisted leading edge rudder’ to improve hydrodynamic qualities, and onboard equipment to enable the use of shore power while at berth.

health and safety

Stack collapse led to loss of 31 boxes in a minute A CONTAINERSHIP lost more than 30 boxes off the Australian coast within the space of a minute, investigators have found.

A major counter-pollution operation had to be mounted when two bunker tanks on the Hong Kong-flagged Pacific Adventurer, right, were holed as the containers were swept overboard in adverse conditions off Queensland in March.

A preliminary report published by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau last

month describes how the Swire Navigation vessel began to roll violently in force eight winds and 8m swells during a voyage between Newcastle and Brisbane.

A container stack was seen to collapse when the ship rolled by as much as 40 degrees, causing 31 containers to fall from both sides of the ship.

Around 270 tonnes of fuel oil was lost from the ship as a result of the bunker tanks being holed.

The ATSB said the ship had

implemented risk assessment procedures before sailing, and the cargo had been lashed in accordance with the chief officer’s lashing plan.

However, it added, the investigation will continue and will focus on issues including the adequacy and condition of the lashing equipment, the departure loading condition and the associated ship stability, the actions of the crew during the voyage, and the safety management and risk assessment systems.

FATIGUE BLAMED IN GROUNDING CASE Channel incident highlights shortfalls in training, Union argues OFFICER fatigue and a failure to make proper use of electronic charts and display systems have been blamed for an accident in which a German containership ran aground in the Dover Straits last year.

Nautilus UK has raised concerns over the case of the 90,499gt LT Cortesia, which was stranded on the Varne Bank sandbank last January after the officer of the watch altered course to avoid what he had mistakenly assumed to be fishing vessels.

A report from the German accident investigation body BSU criticises the ‘incomprehensible’ failure of the German officer and his lookout to recognise the Varne lightship and the two cardinal buoys.

A joint probe by the BSU and the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch found that the OOW had taken an evasive manoeuvre that took the 6,170TEU ship between the two buoys after they were interpreted as moving fishing vessels.

The 53-page report says that up to 20 different acoustic alarms had gone off as the ship approached the sandbank and grounded — but the 58-year-old chief officer had assumed these were related to a problem with the engine system.

Investigators said the confusion over the buoys would not have occurred had the officer taken ‘the necessary care and attention’.

And the report says it was ‘astounding’ that neither the officer nor the lookout had spotted

The German-flagged containership LT Cortesia aground on the Varne Bank in PICTURE: MCA January last year and identified the buoys before the grounding.

It criticises the crew’s ‘inadequate voyage management system skills — particularly in relation to the depth contours, the chart alarms and the depth settings’.

Accusing the officer of misconduct, the report says he failed to exercise due diligence in interpreting the chart display. Had he chosen a better night display, or a two-colour display in conjunction with a better setting of the safety contour, the incident might have been avoided.

The 57-year-old officer had relied too much on the electronic

charts and display system and navigated ‘solely according to the computer’, the report states. ‘A chief officer with such extensive professional experience must have been able to foresee that such action entails extreme risks.’ However, investigators noted that the officer was probably suffering from fatigue at the time — even though he had joined the vessel only six days earlier. His working hours in two of the days before the accident ‘significantly exceeded’ the maximum limits, the report adds, as they totalled up to 18 hours in a 24-hour period.

He had also worked a total of

76.5 hours over the week — and the report concludes that there were ‘legitimate indications’ the officer was ‘overtired’ at the time of the incident, and that fatigue was the reason why had had failed to notice the ship had run aground.

Recommendations include a call for better training in voyage management systems — and in particular the varied device parameters and settings, and differing electronic chart system-status information.

The report also urges German flag ship operators to ensure that seafarers’ work and rest time limits are abided by. ‘If necessary, arrangements are to be made to relieve the chief officer by another work organisation — particularly in the case of coastal trading,’ it adds.

It says the International Maritime Organisation should introduce compulsory training requirements related to ECDIS carriage requirements — in particular for planning, conducting and monitoring voyages.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the case demonstrated the way in which fatigue can rapidly affect seafarers, and underlined the importance of the new European Union-backed research into how the problem affects performance and decision-making. ‘The report also delivers a pretty damning indictment on the industry for its failure to integrate the human element — training and education — with the equipment fitted onboard ships,’ he added.

‘Near-miss’ yacht passed within 3m of Danish ferry GERMAN maritime investigators have reported on an incident in which a collision between a sailing yacht and a ferry was very narrowly averted.

The incident — reported by the BSU, Germany’s federal bureau of maritime casualty investigation — highlights similar concerns to those raised by the Union in the case of the Ouzo, the yacht whose three crew drowned off the Isle of Wight in 2006.

The latest incident occurred on 3 May 2008 after the training yacht Intention IV left its mooring in the Baltic resort of WarnemĂźnde in NE Germany.

The skipper and four trainees for the coastal skipper certificate were aboard.

Soon after casting off, visibility rapidly worsened because of thick fog. ‘The crew suddenly heard a fog signal very close on

the port side,’ the BSU report states.

The skipper managed to manouevre the yacht out of danger, but it was estimated to have passed within 3m of the Danish-flagged ferry Kronsprins Frederik. Later, Intention IV was involved in a further near collision — this time with another yacht.

The report concludes that Intention IV was in command of an experienced skipper, but that electronic aids and the VHF radio were not used sufficiently, given the decreased visibility.

In the Ouzo case, the watchkeeping officer from the P&O ferry Pride of Bilbao was tried and cleared on manslaughter charges, but the incident heightened fears in the industry about the number of close encounters between merchant vessels and leisure craft.

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14● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

NEW SHIP JOINS THE AIDA FLEET PICTURED right arriving in the French port of Le Havre on its maiden voyage is the new German-managed cruiseship AIDAluna.

Built by Meyer Werft in Germany, the 69,200gt Italian flagged vessel brings the size of the AIDA fleet to six ships. The

$2.5m PENALTY FOR OIL DUMPING

company has three other vessels, each of 2,174 passenger capacity, due to be delivered over the next three years.

Costing some M315m, AIDAluna can carry some 2,100 passengers and 634 crew and is the third in a series of six.

The ship will operate a series of cruises in the Baltic over the summer, before transferring to the Canary Islands in September.

A SPANISH ship operator has been fined US$2.5m in the latest ‘magic pipe’ dumping case.

The penalty was imposed on Madrid-based Consultores de Navegacion — operator of the 43,538dwt tanker Nautilus — after it admitted charges including conspiracy, falsification

PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

of records, false statements, obstruction, and failing to maintain an accurate oil record book.

The US district court in Boston heard that a US Coast Guard investigation had discovered that engineering staff on the Cyprusflag tanker had rigged up a bypass around the oily waste separator and used it to dump oil-contaminated bilge water overboard between June 2007 and March 2008.

international news

Brittany’s new route to Spain

briefly...

Finnlines shake-up: the Italian shipping company Grimaldi is to shake up the Helsinki-based ferry firm Finnlines in a cost-cutting move that will reduce its workforce. Grimaldi, which took a majority shareholding in Finnlines in 2007, said it had been chartering expensive tonnage while demand was falling and operating the wrong ships on the wrong routes.

Ships will be repositioned and jobs lost in a bid to reduce costs.

Talks are underway with the unions.

Pay strike: seafarers serving on the flag of convenience

general cargoship OMG Gatchina went on strike in the French port of La Rochelle in a bid to secure unpaid wages worth some £120,000. Following intervention by a local ITF inspector, the crew were repatriated with some of their salaries paid, while the ship — owned by the Vyborg Shipping Company was seized by the port authorities for unpaid bills.

Hapag cuts: Hapag-Lloyd — the world’s sixth-largest

container line — has frozen recruitment and slashed its spending in a big cost-cutting and restructuring programme that will save it $360m this year. The company says it hopes to avoid job losses with measures such as returning chartered tonnage and renegotiating charter contracts and those with terminal operators.

African rescue: the German-owned containership Dorian rescued 75 passengers and crew from the sinking Comororegistered vessel Ile d’Anjouan off the coast of Tanzania last month. A crewman on the 1,524TEU Liberian-flagged ship was killed during the rescue operations, which took place in adverse sea conditions.

Recruitment campaign: the French navy has launched one of

the biggest recruitment campaigns in its history in a bid to attract 3,500 young people to fill officer and rating positions.

Aimed at 15 to 24 year-olds, the campaign has the tagline ‘it takes ordinary people to do extraordinary things’.

Biggest boxship: Daewoo Shipbuilding in South Korea has

delivered what is claimed to be the world’s largest container ship. The 14,000TEU MSC Denit — which is 365.5m loa — takes the title from the 12,500TEU Emma Maersk.

Crew clothing for a

perfect performance

NZ UNION WARNS OVER RULING ON RELIEF MASTERS Appeal court judgement ‘creates grey area’ THE NEW Zealand Merchant Service Guild has voiced concern about an appeal court judgement ruling that chief officers can be classed as masters while having the con of a ship.

The union said it is disturbed by the ‘grey area’ created by the court’s decision last month to uphold an appeal against a High Court judgement involving the first mate of the Cook Strait ferry Santa Regina.

In what was seen as a precedent-setting case, David Birchall had been cleared of a conviction of failing to report an incident to the authorities as soon as possible — on the grounds that he was not master of the vessel at the time the vessel nearly ran aground in June 2005.

But the regulatory authority Maritime New Zealand appealed against the High Court ruling — and the latest judgement backs its contention that Mr Birchall fell

within the legal definition of master whilst Captain Steve Hoedemaecker was asleep in his cabin.

The appeal court argued that Mr Birchall was the person ‘having command or charge’ of the Santa Regina at the relevant time — which included the responsibility to comply with the incident reporting rules.

‘We don’t agree with this decision and its “functional” approach, which still doesn’t make the mate/master the real master in our view,’ said NZMSG general secretary Helen McAra. ‘But if the mate/master is now to be held accountable in law as a master, then it definitely raises the issue of aligning the two pay rates.

‘Of concern to us is the grey area created — is every OOW now the master in the absence of the real master from the bridge?’ she added. ‘Does that therefore create real confusion who the master is

for the purpose of regulatory matters including reporting?’

The Guild says there is a possibility of appeal to New Zealand’s Supreme Court on a question of law, but because Mr Birchall’s conviction was not reinstated the union is unlikely to take the matter any further via legal channels.

The earlier High Court judgement had highlighted ‘a surprising dearth of authority’ on the circumstances in which an officer can be legally held to be a master, and referred to other cases — including a UK employment appeal tribunal involving the terms of employment of masters serving on a dual command system onboard P&O’s crossChannel ferries.

It also argued that the overall level of responsibility as master is ‘such that only one person is capable of meeting that description for a particular vessel at any point in time’.

Master fined for pilotage offence For more information on how we can dress your crew T +44 (0)23 8033 3771 E sales@miller-rayner.co.uk W www.miller-rayner.co.uk

A CHINESE shipmaster has been fined A$6,500 (£3,113) for sailing through part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef without a pilot.

A court in Gladstone heard that Capt Xu Chang Quan, master of the Hong Kong-flagged Charlotte Bulker, had crossed the Whitsundays compulsory pilotage area without a pilot and

sailed outside the designated shipping lane on 3 March.

Prosecutor Clive Porritt said the compulsory pilotage area existed to protect the reef and the related economy. It was only through ‘good fortune’ that the 32,000dwt ship successfully navigated the passage without striking the reef, he added.

Defence solicitor Barry Ross said his client — who had admitted the offence — took the incident extremely seriously and explained that the master had inadvertently broken the law because his limited knowledge of English led to a misunderstanding over which reef areas required a compulsory pilot.

THE FRENCH cross-Channel operator Brittany Ferries has launched a new route to northern Spain with a weekly service from Portsmouth to Santander using the £100m flagship Pont-Aven, pictured left.

The company claimed a record for the 690m crossing between the ports, with the inaugural voyage taking 23 hours and 15 minutes — some five hours quicker than the rival service to Spain operated

by P&O Ferries’ Pride of Bilbao.

The new crossing will be operated alongside the established Brittany Ferries’ route from Plymouth to Santander, which now becomes weekly instead of twice-weekly. ✪Brittany Ferries (BAI) claims to be shrugging off the economic crisis despite a 2.2% year-on-year drop in turnover and a big fall in profits — from M37m to M4.5m between September 2007 and September 2008.

BAI blamed the figures on high fuel costs and the weakness of sterling, but said its performance was boosted by a doubling of freight volumes between the UK and Spain following inauguration of the Poole-Santander route at the end of 2007.

PICTURE: GARY DAVIES/MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC

P&O seeks to block aid for French rival P&O Ferries is mounting a legal challenge against the funding arrangements of French crossChannel rival LD Lines.

It is seeking an injunction against Syndicat Mixte de Promotion de l’activité Transmanche (SMPAT), which is providing French public sector support for LD Lines’ Transmanche cross-Channel ferry services — including the French operator’s recent expansion to new routes from Dover to Dieppe and Boulogne.

P&O has filed the claim at a court in Rouen, and says its action is based on alleged breaches of French administrative law and EU state aid law.

But LD Lines insists it has done nothing to contravene the law, and warns that it ‘reserves the right to take any measures necessary to protect the company’s name and reputation’.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 15

LIBERIA TAKES ON 3,000th VESSEL PICTURED right is the 3,000th ship to join the Liberian register — the 105,400dwt aframax tanker Ise Princess.

Managed and operated by Piraeus-based Tsakos Shipping, the tanker is one of almost 600 Liberian-flagged Greek-owned ships, totalling some 38m dwt.

UNCLEAR FUTURE FOR SEAFRANCE

Scott Bergeron, Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry CEO, said there was ‘a delightful symmetry’ that Ise Princess had become the latest milestone for the flag as the first ship to use the Liberian registry — the World Peace, in 1949 — had also been a Greek ship.

Liberia is claiming continued growth of the flag despite the downturn in world shipping, with 110 ships added in the first two and a half months of 2009.

THE PLOT thickens at ailing Channel ferry operator SeaFrance — with the initial end-of-March deadline for deciding its future running out with no apparent solution in view.

Seafarer unions have unanimously opposed the company’s cost-cutting plan that

would reduce the workforce by 40%. Rival operator LD Lines no longer appears to be in the running to buy the operation, although a bid by Brittany Ferries to take a 75% stake in SeaFrance remains on the table.

The CGT and CFDT sefaring unions firmly reject both LD Lines’ and Brittany Ferries’ takeover plans, as they believe that SeaFrance can survive the crisis and should not be sold off to the private sector.

international news

PRESSURE MOUNTS ON briefly...

DUTCH CREWING COSTS Nautilus and owners await decision on employment support NAUTILUS NL is continuing to press the Dutch government for measures to enhance the employment and training of the country’s seafarers.

But in a close parallel of the position in the UK, Dutch ministers are taking a long time to respond to proposals jointly submitted by the union and owners.

The two sides have been discussing the plans with ministers for more than a year. They have presented a package which seeks to boost recruitment and training, and to cut the number of seafarers leaving the industry prematurely.

The proposals also seek to

reduce the cost of employing Dutch seafarers by around 40%, with income tax concessions to match the support given in countries such as Germany and Belgium.

Dutch owners are concerned that Holland — which was one of the first countries to adopt a tonnage tax scheme — has slipped back into a ‘middle of the road’ position in terms of competitiveness.

The size of the national fleet has dropped since 2003, following seven years of strong growing, and the number of Dutch-flagged vessels has fallen back to under

750. The number of Dutch seafarers has also declined, to around 4,500.

Nautilus NL and the Dutch owners’ association KVNR both welcomed the recent approval by the European Commission of new tonnage tax rules which are designed to make it cheaper to register a ship in the Netherlands.

But both the union and the owners say the employment measures are more important.

‘We’re happy with the tonnage tax changes as these, in an indirect way, are good for the employment possibilities of Dutch seafarers,’ Nautilus NL president Marcel van

den Broek told the Telegraph.

‘However, we would be even happier when the government approves tax changes that would benefit the Dutch seafarers directly. This also is one of the aims of the joint Nautilus-KVNR Taskforce but has, until date, had no success,’ he said.

KVNR managing director Guido Hollaar said the owners have been given positive assurances by the government, but an announcement on the package is still awaited. The owners say the support is essential to ensure they can crew the large amount of tonnage they have on order.

NEW SHIP FOR SAFMARINE PICTURED left is the naming ceremony in Korea for the Safmarine Benguela, the second of two new 3,100TEU containerships being delivered to Safmarine in 2009. The 35,835gt vessel has been placed under the UK flag and will be deployed on the company’s Europe-South America service.

Pictured from left to right are: chief engineer Stanley Broers, Jörg Conrad (owner and president of Anker Leschaco Group), Elke Conrad (the ship’s godmother), and Captain Andrew Walker.

US reveals plan to create world’s biggest emissions control zone PLANS to establish the world’s biggest shipping emissions control area have been tabled at the International Maritime Organisation by the United States and Canada.

The two countries are seeking the go-ahead for a proposal to establish a consolidated emissions control area stretching out 200nm from their coastlines.

If approved, the US and Canada would designate most areas of the coastal waters covered by their Exclusive Economic Zones for the control of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, and particulate matter emissions.

‘This is an important, and long overdue, step in our efforts to protect the air and water

along our shores, and the health of the people in our coastal communities,’ said Lisa Jackson, administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The proposed emissions control area would cover waters adjacent to the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, and the main Hawaiian Islands. Not included are the Pacific US territories, smaller Hawaiian Islands, the Aleutian Islands and Western Alaska, the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and the US and Canadian Arctic — but they could be included in the future after assessments are done.

The emissions control area would aim to cut

sulphur levels by as much as 96%, particulate matter emissions by 85% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 80%.

One recent study suggested that some 87m people in the US are at risk from shipping emissions. The creation of the US/Canadian ECA would save up to 8,300 lives in each country every year by 2020 and avoid some 3.4m cases of respiratory ailments, such as asthma, according to an analysis the two countries conducted in support of the application to the IMO. The plans are to go before the IMO in July, and a decision is expected to be made by the middle of next year.

‘Shortage continues’: V.Ships president Roberto Giorgio says that the officer shortage is continuing to bite, despite the global economic crisis, and especially on chemical carriers and tankers. The Monaco-based ship manager has added more than 40 ships for management this spring and, since it took over International Tanker Management and its 45 managed ships earlier this year, now claims to have around 26,000 seafarers and 1,000 ships on its books.

French fears: members of the French officers’ union UGICT-

CGT have expressed concern at the growing number of vessel lay-ups. New general secretary Rolf Monloup told the union’s national conference in Le Havre that the ITF estimates some 1,200 ships are laid up worldwide — with 20,000 jobs at stake. At the national level the union is concerned at threats to current officers’ rights laid down in the national labour code.

MSC expansion: Mediterranean Shipping Company — the

world’s second largest containership operator — increased fleet capacity by 11.6% in the second half of 2008, to reach 1.5m TEU. Latest figures show MSC has just 1% of its fleet laid up, compared with 1% for Maersk, 16% for CSCL and 10% for Cosco.

PSC warnings: the European Commission is to send warnings to Poland and Spain for failing to comply with EU port state control rules. Brussels says the two countries have not yet satisfactorily implemented the 1995 safety rules that were updated in 2002 following the Erika disaster.

Scandlines support: the German ferry operator Scandlines

could soon be asking for state aid to avoid redundancies. The Rostock based operator has already begun to reduce its workforce from 2,400 to 2,000, but so far is maintaining its routes to Denmark, Sweden and Baltic ports.

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16 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

Have your say: online Last month’s poll asked: Do you think DNV is right to warn that the shipping crisis could get much worse? As the Telegraph went to press, there was an emphatic result:

This month, we want your views Th on the continued threat of piracy off the coast of Africa — of

93% Yes 7% No

Do you think there is a danger D tth h pirate attacks will get that m more violent if naval forces u s lethal force to recover use sships h and seafarers?

Vote now, on www.nautilusuk.org

A simple solution to the seafarer tax problem FURTHER to various articles and letters concerning Seafarers’ Earnings Deduction (SED) and the apparently unrestricted issuance of ‘Seafarers’ Discharge Books’ (emphasis on SEAFARER), let us go back to the original method — a discharge book should only be issued to a person with a valid employment offer/contract from a recognised company.

When I joined the Merchant Navy (Ben Line Steamers) I had to supply a letter from the company to the then Department of Trade requesting that I be issued with a discharge book.

I also had to prove I was a British citizen and, therefore, entitled to apply before I was issued with my discharge book and other seafarers’ documents.

If the MCA and Inland Revenue got together and reverted to this method, maybe things could be sorted for the bone-fide seafarer.

ULRICH SIGNER mem no 136859

What’s on your mind?

Tell your colleagues in Nautilus UK — and the wider world of shipping — through a letter to the Telegraph.

Keep to a limit of 300 words if you can — though longer contributions will be considered. ✪ You may use a pen name or just your membership number 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 UK, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or use head office fax 020 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusuk.org

A REUNION of seafarers who

sailed on the Furness Bermuda Line in the 1950s and early 60s is set to take place on Saturday 16 May 2009. Some 50 former crew and their relatives have already confirmed their attendance — some coming from as far away as Canada, Bermuda and New Zealand — and the organisers of the event are hoping to find even more.

The reunion of crew members from the Furness sister ships, Queen of Bermuda and Ocean Monarch, is taking place at The Merchant Seaman’s War Memorial Society in southern England.

Queen of Bermuda and Ocean Monarch departed on Saturday afternoons from Pier 95 on New York’s Hudson River to make the 700-mile voyage to Bermuda.

Stephen Card, born in Bermuda and renowned for his paintings of these and other ships, recalls ‘the many Monday mornings when I would arrive by ferry in Hamilton and, instead of rushing to school, wait to watch the Queen slowly come alongside at No 1 dock. On Wednesday afternoons, as sailing

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time approached, her triple-chime steam whistles could be heard all over the island’.

Queen of Bermuda made her maiden voyage to Hamilton in 1933. Accompanied by Monarch of Bermuda until the outbreak of war in 1939, they became known as the ‘Millionaires’ Ships’ as they attracted the wealthiest passengers — and the famous, including Clark Gable, TS Eliot, Gertrude Lawrence and child film star Shirley Temple.

After a distinguished war service, Queen of Bermuda returned to the Furness Bermuda Line, this time running with the newly-built but smaller Ocean Monarch. Throughout the 1950s, they were dubbed the ‘Honeymoon Ships’, their Saturday departures from New York fitting in well with the weeklong honeymoons of many couples. The celebrity list continued, this time including former US president Harry Truman, Cary Grant, Noel Coward and Princess Soraya, former wife of the Shah of Iran.

It also included a Cockney lad called Tommy Hicks, who joined the Queen as a bellboy, later returned to London to become a rock ‘n’ roll singer and changed his name to Tommy Steele.

Most of the crew came from the UK, and many later made their homes in North America and Bermuda. Bob White, from London, now lives in Canada.

‘After serving as assistant purser on both ships from 1961 to

1966,’ he says, ‘I joined Canadian Pacific Airlines and, in the early part of my career, lived all over the country. I married in 1971 in the Yukon Territory, honeymooned in Bermuda — of course — and eventually settled in Toronto.’

Another Brit, Des Kirkpatrick, has lived in Manhattan for more than 40 years. ‘I left Ocean Monarch in 1966 and went to work in the shore excursion office of American Express in New York.

Several years later, I moved to Swedish American Line, Flagship Cruises and then Lindblad Travel.’

Others, like David Gillmon, returned to the UK. He joined Queen of Bermuda as a radio officer in 1955 and sailed on her final voyage to Faslane in Scotland in 1966. ‘I went on to join P&O Lines,’ he says, ‘serving on Oriana for 18 years, then moved to passenger ferries in the UK and finally swallowed the anchor in 2002.’

Shirley Thompson (now Layne) also returned to the UK. She ran the souvenir shop on the Queen for four years and recalls that ‘in the 60s, there were usually just 10 women crew members on the ship: me, a hairdresser and the stewardesses.’

Bermudians also found employment on these ships. Allen Soares, bellboy and waiter on Queen of Bermuda from 1961 to 1965, remembers the fine dining on the ship. ‘Dinner was a very elegant occasion, all silver service

In the purser’s office onboard Ocean Monarch in 1964 and usually five courses with many selections. The passengers were very generous, some tipping a waiter as much as $100 for the week’s round trip from New York.’

Another Bermudian, Allan Davidson, joined the Queen as a cadet in 1956 and, as he moved up through the ranks to become junior chief officer, returned from time to time to serve on both Queen of Bermuda and Ocean Monarch. ‘As cadets,’ he says, ‘we learned to navigate the ocean by the stars. We met all sorts of interesting people and forged friendships, which have proved to be enduring.’

For many, life aboard these ships was a happy, memorable experience. Dave Townson, from Liverpool and now living in Toronto, was an assistant purser on Ocean Monarch. He recalls: ‘The ship was our address but, week after week, we enjoyed both the excitement of New York and the enchantment of Bermuda. Off duty on the island was an afternoon at the beach, a stroll at sunset back to the ship and a dinner of pate de foie gras, caviar and steak, accompanied by the

run by certificated ex-officer

familiar chorus of tree frogs on a still sub-tropical night.’

Now, more than 40 years on, he and other crew will reunite to share their memories and mementos. Bill Cox, assistant purser on both ships from 1956 to 1966, is always on the lookout for memorabilia. ‘I hope,’ he says, ‘the reunion will feature a model of Queen of Bermuda, originally displayed on Pier 95 and recently discovered in the Fred Olsen Line warehouse. The model is due to be presented to the Bermuda Maritime Museum.’

While the focus is on Queen of Bermuda and Ocean Monarch, Peter Manley, reunion organiser and former bellboy-deck steward on both ships, has been contacted by a Monarch of Bermuda

veteran. He says: ‘Fred Burney served for three years on the Monarch. Now 91, he is planning to join the reunion in May, thanks to his son-in-law, who read about the event in the Ships Monthly magazine. Fred is the oldestknown survivor of the Furness Bermuda Line crew.’

The organisers would love to hear from more crew — or their relatives — and, of course, welcome them to the reunion. ✪ Contact: Bill Cox at william. cox15@btinternet.com or Peter Manley at pmanley@graham-eng. co.uk; tel +44 (0)1282 695121; or Bob White in Toronto at bob. brenda@sympatico.ca tel +1 416 762 5707.

SARAH AVERY Reunion press officer

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MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 17

Broadstairs to mark the role of the MN at Sea Sunday event I WONDER whether it would be possible for the Telegraph to devote some space to an event being held here in Broadstairs on 5 July this year?

I am co-organiser here of the annual event called ‘Sea Sunday’, which consists of a

parade through the town of civic leaders from across southern England, together with exService groups, youth organisations, and all the local churches.

We move through the town to a service for seafarers at the harbour and whilst offshore we hope, once again, to have representative vessels from the Royal Navy, Revenue & Customs, Trinity House, HM Coastguard, the pilot service, RNLI and many more!

Our last such event in 2007 was led by the Band of HM Royal Marines — this year our lead band is the Royal British Legion Youth Band.

Our theme this year is ‘The Merchant Fleets’ and, as such, we are cooperating closely with local members of the MNA and Marine Officers Society.

I am sure many of your members would be interested — can you assist by ‘spreading the word’? ✪ Please look at our website — this will give a better idea of what we are about — www.broadstairsseasunday.org.uk

MICHAEL R. BON Chairman Broadstairs Sea Sunday 2009

Shipmates reunited WISH you’d kept in touch with that old colleague?

Why not try Shipmates Reunited? Nautilus UK’s electronic friend-finding noticeboard is still going strong after seven years, and it gets regular hits from seafarers all round the world. Maybe someone’s looking for you. To find out, go to www.nautilusuk.org and click on the link from our homepage. And if you want to put a posting on Shipmates Reunited, simply send your message and your contact details to webmaster@nautilusuk.org

letters Training is first victim of cuts

The view from Muirhead

IT WAS with some interest that I

read the lead article in the March Telegraph on the research by Drewry Shipping Consultants that the shortage of ships officers will keep the pressure on to increase pay and conditions.

Last year, the UK officers in this company were offered the fantastic opportunity to accept a 0% increase in salary — although this was very reluctantly negotiated to an unresistable 2% basic.

This year, our crewing manager has been changed to the Far East, and in an obvious attempt to prove their value they have immediately set upon a programme to ‘standardise’ the level of welfare across their managed ships — ie, reduce things to the minimum all round (a la STCW); which has meant the removal of long-established welfare items such as the seafarers’ library from the Marine Society and the provision of DVDs from the Walport company.

This, together with the company collection of sludge

money previously used to improve life onboard, as well as a reduction in the company welfare budget, have not in my opinion done anything to improve the standard of life aboard ship.

Despite frequently being told by management of the value of UK officers to the fleet, and the desire to ‘see’(note not keep) UK officers as part of the manning schedule, they are giving a pretty clear impression that actually they would be happy to see the back of us, sooner rather than later, and are keen to drive away as many as possible — which to a large part they are succeeding well!

Regarding the amount of cadets being taken on — where are they? Certainly they don’t appear frequently on UK flag ships, and when they do, they seem to have been fed such wonderful tales of life at sea — mostly by people that have never been there — they are totally disappointed with what they find onboard and leave; a 50% failure rate in my recent personal experience!

There are, I am sure, enough of us around of the age to remember this cycle from back in the 1980s, when the first victim of cuts was training (we have recently been told all non-flag state required courses will be stopped — including renewal advanced fire fighting!), and recruitment of cadets — that is why now there is this alleged shortage; whole generations lost relatives who worked at sea and the link with the sea was cut.

I do not see any fleet personnel manager being strong enough to resist the same action again if the current crisis continues.

Not that it would trouble owners for too long — they will march cap in hand to the IMO and demand a further reduction in the standard of junior officers and crew, thus leaving the few senior officers to be spread around further, so at least there is still someone to point the finger at and carry the can when there is an accident!

STCW 2010 is on the way! mem no 179029

Please don’t encourage seafarers to ‘have a go’ at the pirates I AM writing to take issue with what I feel was irresponsible reporting by the Nautilus Telegraph, regarding the Zhen Hua 4 incident (Page 15 — March 2009).

As a person closely involved in anti-piracy operations, in my role as Merchant Navy Liaison Officer with EU NAVFOR — Operation Atalanta (MSCHOA), it is clear that East African piracy presents a very real danger to merchant shipping operations in the region.

Even with a significant increase in military assets in the region, it is still recognised that the key to preventing hijacking is effective preparation/planning and comprehensive shipboard anti-piracy measures which either deter the attackers or allow

more time for military units to provide assistance.

In the Zhen Hua 4 article you have discussed and photographed crew members whom had opted to engage attackers (who boarded their vessel) using fire hoses and improvised molotov cocktails and had been handsomely rewarded.

In this case, actions of the crew proved successful — but what would happen onboard the next vessel who, after reading your article, opt to use ‘improvised molotov cocktails’ but the pirates fight back and gain control of the vessel?

How does the Telegraph expect such crew members to be treated by the pirates?

How would Mr Grady (same issue, page 19) have expected to

be treated had he and his colleagues ‘taken on’ the pirates once they had boarded the Sirius Star?

Obviously guidance and advice will differ from company to company and the security of the vessel will ultimately rest upon the master and ship security officer, but in general I would advise that crew members are directed to use only nonlethal force to defend their vessel.

Anti-piracy measures are designed to make it as difficult as possible for attackers to gain access and control of the vessel.

With this in mind, you may be interested to note that the rigging of fire hoses is generally designed to ‘swamp’ pirate boats and not directly fight the pirates.

Lastly, do you consider that

news of such handsome rewards would now encourage crew members to ‘have a go’ at the pirates?

In closing, I would confidently suggest that the large majority of your readers families and employers would much rather they did not put themselves in harms way should they be unfortunate enough to come face to face with pirates!

STUART WALKER The editor replies: Nautilus policy has consistently been against any move to arm the crews of merchant ships, and the Telegraph has repeatedly carried articles giving advice on the recommended best precautions for ships to adopt to deter attacks. The article about

the Zhen Hua 4 was included because it was judged to be of interest to readers — its inclusion does not imply endorsement of what the seafarers did. Our

editorial approach is to include a broad a range of articles, so that members are given as much information as possible about the industry in which they work.

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18 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

QE2’s final master downsizes vessel to highlight success of clean river project CAPTAIN Ian McNaught — the last master of the QE2 — went onboard a somewhat smaller vessel on the river Tyne last month to show his support for an

environmental project to keep the waterway clean through a mix of ‘prevention and cure’ techniques.

He took control of the 15m debris collection vessel Clearwater — some 278m shorter than his previous ship — to launch the new Clean Tyne Project website.

The project — which operates two debris collection vessels — is a partnership between the Port of Tyne, SITA Trust and the river’s bordering council authorities of Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Newcastle.

Using a mix of practical measures,

education and awareness-raising, the project aims to keep the Tyne’s status as one of the cleanest rivers in the country. The river now has one of the best salmon catch rates in England — a far cry from the industrial scenes of the 19th and early 20th century when it was heavily polluted.

‘I am very proud of the North East and, in particular, our rivers,’ Capt McNaught said. ‘This project is an excellent example of how local authorities and the community can work together to make our rivers a better place to live, work and enjoy our leisure time.’

readers’ letters

Dave keeps on going for charity SEAWELL’S DAVE Fryer from Liverpool is a retired member — but the 68-year-old can’t keep away from the sea and the picture shows him in his role as a volunteer aboard Africa Mercy, the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

The vessel is operated by Mercy Ships, the international charity that for the last 30 years has provided free medicals to the poorest people in more than 70 countries, and helped local communities develop water, sanitation, agricultural projects and education programmes.

Every crew member — including the captain, deck and engineer officers, surgeons, nurses, chefs, and electricians — is a volunteer who pays for their own accommodation onboard, as well as transport to the ship.

Dave first went to sea as a junior engineer with Blue Funnel in 1965, and subsequently sailed with Container Fleets to get a steam endorsement to his chief’s ticket. He left the sea in 1975 to become a lecturer at Riversdale College of Technology in Liverpool, mainly to teach on the engineer cadet alternative training scheme.

‘I first volunteered with Mercy Ships in September 2006 when the Africa Mercy was being converted from a Danish rail ferry to what it is today, a state-of-the-art hospital ship,’ he says.

‘I was involved in helping prepare the ship for operation. I went on sea trials and also sailed on the maiden voyage to Liberia.

‘I felt honoured to be part of something that was going to help so many people have a better life. It really was an overwhelming experience.’

Dave has since revalidated his certificate, and has been serving as watchkeeping engineer onboard Africa

Mercy, with additional responsibilities for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and hospital services systems.

‘My first trip with the Africa Mercy was for 11 months and I have since been back for two more trips, one for five months and the last for two months,’ he says. ‘I hope to keep returning to the Africa Mercy for as long as I can continue to pass my medical. The experience has changed my life for the better. Not only have I seen first hand the lives that Mercy Ships has changed but the experience has increased my knowledge of my profession.’

‘Volunteers such as Dave are so valuable to us,’ says Judy Polkinhorn, executive director for Mercy Ships UK. ‘The volunteer engineers ensure the ship is fully functional enabling the medical teams to treat the thousands of patients suffering at the hands of poverty.’ ✪ For more information, to make a donation or volunteer, visit www. mercyships.org.uk or call 01438 727800.

SAFETY SUPPORT CAPTAIN Mick Swan, master of the offshore multi-role support vessel Seawell, is pictured above presenting Deacon Brian Killkerr, of the Aberdeen branch of the Apostleship of the Sea, with an £800 charity donation.

The donation was part of a total of £12,000 presented to charities from money earned under a scheme to reward safe working practices and behaviour by the ship’s owner, Helix Well-Ops UK. Under the scheme, the charity fund builds up over the year from January to December — with monthly targets being met when the vessel achieves zero recordable incidents, zero high potential incidents and zero environmental discharges.

Crew members are asked to nominate a charity each December,

and at the first safety committee meeting of the year the nominations are reviewed and charities are chosen and the size of the donations decided.

‘It was a pleasure to support the Deacon towards the aim of establishing a seafarers’ centre in Aberdeen and continue our support of his work,’ Capt Swan told the Telegraph.

‘The crew have selected over a dozen charities from around the country with money donated by the company to reward an excellent safety culture onboard, and I can only commend them and their selections of the charities who will benefit from the cash.’

MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 19

Weighty problem health and safety

We have to ask whether there is a link between this and factors such as night work, excessive working hours and the quality of food onboard Allan Graveson Senior national secretary Nautilus UK

NAUTILUS has expressed concern at some of the trends revealed in the analysis of the seafarer medical examinations carried out by Maritime & Coastguard Agency approved doctors last year.

The Union is particularly disturbed by a marked increase in diabetes cases — with a 25% increase in 2008 in the number of seafarers whose certificates were restricted as a result of diabetes not requiring treatment with insulin.

‘This is an extremely worrying development, and we have to ask whether there is a link between this and factors such as night work, excessive working hours, and the quality of food onboard,’ said senior national secretary Allan Graveson.

In his commentary on the figures, Dr Tim Carter — the MCA’s chief medical adviser — notes that the number of cases where seafarers’ fitness is limited by diabetes that does not require treatment with insulin rose from 360 in 2007 to 448 in 2008.

‘While some of this rise may represent a more active approach to diagnosis in the community and a greater need to maintain close surveillance of the condition, an increase of 25% in a year almost certainly represents a real increase in the condition,’ he pointed out.

‘The form of diabetes that does not initially require insulin treatment (Type 2) is to an extent a complication of obesity — an issue that also continues to be a major cause of limitations placed on fitness.

‘However it is of even more concern in terms of the future crewing needs of the industry because it is associated with a considerable increase in the likelihood of a person having a heart

LATEST UK seafarer medical statistics show an alarming rise in diabetes cases

Maritime medics are concerned about the connections between obesity and the number of seafarers affected by diabetes attack or developing other forms of arterial disease, as well as frequently needing insulin treatment in a few years time,’ Dr Carter explained.

‘Both heart disease and the need to use insulin are commonly reasons why careers at sea are terminated prematurely,’ he added.

‘Maritime employers can do much to reduce these risks by provision of dietary options that encourage weight control and by running exercise and weight control programmes for their seafarers.’

The total number of medical examinations carried out in 2008 was 41,479 — compared with 39,346 in 2007 and 24,987 in 2006.

The MCA stresses that these

Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief medical adviser Dr Tim Carter

numbers relate to the number of examinations — and not to the number of seafarers examined.

‘While some of the increase has come from the issue of a larger number of certificates with durations of less than two years there has also been some growth in the number of examinations,’ Dr Carter explained.

‘In part this continues to arise from the increasing numbers of medicals done for the commercial yachting sector. It is also apparent that, because they trust the assessment process, some employers — for instance in the growing offshore wind farm sector — are requiring these medicals for workers who are outside formal scope of the Medical Examination Regulations.’

Almost 94% of the examinations resulted in the issue of ENG 1 unrestricted fitness certificates.

Almost 5% were restricted, 1.2% were temporarily unfit and only 0.34% were permanent failures.

The most common causes of permanent failure were joint diseases and joint replacement, cardiac events, and insulin-using diabetes.

The most common causes of time-limited and restricted certificates were obesity, hypertension and eyesight issues.

The analysis shows that the

number of restricted certificates has remained relatively constant in recent years, as have the numbers failed either temporarily or permanently.

However, the number of cases seen by referees has increased to its highest level since 2002 — the year when the present fitness standards were introduced, which was followed by a fall in cases for the next few years.

With the existing standards now due for revision, the MCA says doctors are encouraging seafarers to refer certain cases to referees on the grounds that advances in medical treatment have made it more possible to continue working at sea.

Mr Graveson said Nautilus believes the referral process is working well, and the Union will be making an input into the revision of the medical standards.

Two categories in particular — cardiac events and hip replacements — accounted for a significant proportion of additional referrals last year, as well as for the high frequency of changes to AD decisions by the referees.

‘When the new standards are in place they will contain revisions relating to these conditions that will allow ADs to let more seafarers return to a wider range of duties at sea,’ Dr Carter added.

PICTURE: LIQUIDLIBRARY

MEDICALS: THE VITAL STATISTICS KEY FIGURES from the report on the seafarer medical examinations conducted by the MCA’s approved doctors during 2008: ✪ Total number of examinations — 41,479 ✪ Number of Cat 1 ENG 1 certificates issued — 38,880 ✪ Number of Cat 2 restricted ENG 1+3 issued — 1,956 ✪ Number of Cat 3 temporarily unfit issued — 502 ✪ Number of Cat 4 permanent failures issued — 141 ✪ Number of cases referred to medical referees — 90 ✪ Number of AD decisions changed on appeal — 56 ✪ Number of cases involving obesity — 1,709 ✪ Number of cases involving diabetes — 507 (of which 448 were non-insulin) ✪ Number of cases involving hypertension — 1,376

20 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

Cause for alarm safety at sea

‘MAN OVERBOARD’ incidents continue to be one of the biggest causes of death at sea.

But seafarers and owners are now being offered new alarm systems that could help boost the chances of survival…

THERE ARE currently no regulations that oblige employers to equip vessels with dedicated man overboard (MOB) alarms or safety systems — even though MOB is one of the largest causes of death at sea.

Because of the varying conditions of the marine working environment, it is difficult for employers to completely remove the risk of a MOB event — so the focus has to move to using technology that automatically detects the MOB. Over the years there have been a number of attempts to solve the automatic detection challenge, with varying outcomes. Detection is crucial in a MOB event, as the chances of survival are directly related to the time the person is in the water.

‘There is a sharp incline in the time in water/water temperature curve for a MOB casualty,’ explains Lindsay Lyon, CEO of the Australian company Mobilarm.

‘Less than two hours in 5°C water could cause death from exposure, whilst even water temperatures up to 20°C could still lead to exhaustion by hypothermia and eventual drowning.

‘If ships continue to sail without a reliable way of detecting a MOB incident, therefore limiting the ability to act and retrieve the victim quickly, we will certainly continue to see accidents turning into tragedies,’ he adds.

The Crewsafe display console on the bridge of a ship The most popular MOB detection method to date has been the use of Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) using 121.5MHz radio frequency for both event detection and subsequent location of the MOB. The 121.5MHz technology was also detected until recently by the COSPAR-SARSAT satellite network. The satellite detection of 121.5MHz has now been phased out, although 121.5MHz direction finding is still supported on most search and rescue (SAR) retrieval assets.

But the 121.5MHz MOB system has not been without its drawbacks, with radio directional finding (DF) equipment delivering mixed results and hand-held systems faring the worst, being

exceptionally difficult to use in any sea state over a fresh breeze.

Another limitation has been the system’s problems in distinguishing between multiple signals in the case of multiple MOBs in the water.

Mobilarm’s take on personal MOB detection — the V100 VPIRB (VHF Position Indicating Radio Beacon) — sends out an automatic or manual alert on VHF radio should the device be activated through a MOB incident.

It also ensures that seafarers can choose to protect themselves, as it doesn’t require any onboard infrastructure to be installed.

‘We looked at the positioning technology of the traditional PLB and believe that VPIRB offers a

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ABOVE: the Mobilarm V100 VPIRB will automatically transmit an initial man overboard alert as a DSC data message on Channel 70 — and subsequently as a synthesized voice on VHF Channel 16.

LEFT: the Crewsafe display console, which will raise an alarm and implement GPS tracking if communication is lost with the Tag transceiver carried by crew members clearer and more accurate alternative,’ says Mr Lyon. ‘Unlike 121.5MHz PLBs, the Mobilarm V100 provides the actual GPS coordinates of the victim’s location, using the VHF radio band in plain English and via VHF DSC. This means that the MOB casualty’s position is automatically marked and can be tracked on a chartplotter connected via NMEA to the VHF unit.

‘Just seconds after going overboard, the closest potential rescuer, being the victim’s own vessel or other vessels sailing within VHF range, will be alerted, allowing crew to take immediate action. This will reduce the casualty’s time in water and greatly improve chances of survival.’

The VPIRB can be activated automatically or manually, therefore ensuring an alarm will sound even if the casualty has been knocked out during a fall, or on impact with the water.

The Mobilarm V100 VPIRB automatically sends out the initial ‘Mayday, Man Overboard’ distress alert as a DSC data message on Channel 70. As soon as a GPS lock is obtained by the integrated GPS receiver, usually within 45-60 seconds, the device transmits the distress call again, complete with position coordinates, and also in a synthesized voice on VHF Channel 16. The message is repeated at regular intervals to update the rescuers on its current position. This continues until the device is deactivated; the Mobilarm V100 battery will support transmission for at least 12 hours in normal conditions.

The pocket-sized VPIRB is a very personal safety device. It has been designed specifically for the commercial marine environment, so is ergonomic, can easily be attached to clothing or lifejackets and won’t get in the way when you’re at work. ‘The VPIRB offers personal choice, but the fact that it is a simple solution that requires no onboard infrastructure means that offshore and merchant marine employers can easily bring it in as part of their safety regulations too,’ adds Mr Lyon.

His company launched a new ship-wide network system at December ’s International Workboat Show in New Orleans.

Mobilarm Crewsafe will automatically initiate a vessel-wide

alert to all personnel within seconds of an incident occurring, such as MOB. With additional features including duress, general and covert alarms, paging and employee location monitoring, it offers security as well as safety benefits.

‘There is a perceived high cost and complexity of scaling MOB detection systems for larger merchant vessels, platforms and for dockside operations, which means that voluntary investment by private firms is not as common as some would like,’ says Mr Lyon.

‘So in developing our new Crewsafe system, we placed a lot of focus on providing extra functionality to enhance crew communications and security onboard. These additional features could be the key factor in more operators and owners deciding to install the system.’

Each employee carries a palmsized transceiver — a Tag — whose wireless signal keeps them connected to the network via a series of wireless sensor routers. The network immediately detects any break in the Tag signal and will automatically raise the alarm if the connection is not re-established within a few seconds.

Therefore, if a worker goes overboard, the signal is lost, the alarm is raised and GPS tracking is implemented. The Tag also features a duress button that can be manually activated if an employee is in distress but not in the water.

The system can be scaled to almost any size of vessel and number of crew and offers a choice of management systems, which can provide access to com-

The Crewsafe Tag can be worn on a belt

munication functions such as crew paging, vessel and personnel details, safety equipment logs and emergency response procedures, as well as full network operational and performance functions.

Unlike VPIRB and other emergency distress beacons, Crewsafe is an active monitoring system which will raise an alarm if communication is lost, rather than when a distress signal is received. The protection provided by the technology is based on a ‘fail-safe’ principle; any communication failure, for any reason, raises an alarm to make sure crew are safe. If the Tag is damaged, if its battery dies or if a person moves out of range of the network, the alarm is raised to ensure that co-workers are immediately aware of a potential emergency, an operational fault or un-networked zone.

When installed on vessels, the Crewsafe network can interface with onboard navigation systems and GPS. Therefore, in a man overboard emergency, Crewsafe automatically logs a waypoint position on the vessel’s chartplotter of where the incident occurred and provides the essential track back navigation data to that position. The system can report and track multiple events, but will always prioritise the more serious risk of man overboard over other emergencies.

Until MOB alarm carriage requirements are introduced, Mr Lyon says the answer has to be systems that put the responsibility in the hands of the individual seafarer or are designed to offer a more attractive investment for employers.

MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 21

the jobs market

A MAJOR maritime employment agency says it has evidence to show that there are still plenty of well-paid positions on offer for skilled seafarers considering making the move to shore-based work...

THE ECONOMIC downturn has failed to make a significant dent in shore-based demand for skilled and experienced seafarers, according to research carried out by a leading agency.

And the study reveals that salaries in the sector are also remaining buoyant — with an average annual rate of £55,620 for former seafarers filling technical roles within the shipping industry.

Shipping companies, classification societies and other organisations needing maritime expertise are ‘all too aware of the demographic timebomb facing their businesses,’ says the specialist recruitment company Faststream.

It has analysed the posts it helped to fill between September last year and February this year and concludes: ‘Salaries remain firm and good experienced candidates are still in demand. The sector has an older age profile and many companies do have succession plans in place.’

MD Mark Charman said the study showed that ‘despite the doom and gloom, there are still positions which need filling and high quality candidates are in demand’.

Faststream said the shipping industry is facing difficulties, like almost every sector of the global economy, as a result of the severe global economic slump. ‘In many cases these difficulties have of course translated into job losses, hiring freezes and a general lack of confidence in the employment market,’ the report points out.

However, while some companies — notably those in the energy sector — have declared recruitment freezes, they still need to fill critical safety and technical roles. Tanker companies in particular continue to demonstrate a strong demand for technical personnel.

The Faststream research examined technical roles within shipowning, operating and management companies, classification societies and marine consultancies. It notes the impact of the worldwide maritime skills shortage — with some 40% of the existing classification societies’ workforce due to retire within the next five year.

‘A workforce approaching retirement age, a greater number of ships to be surveyed, managed and maintained mean that companies are having to address staffing levels,’ it points out.

Faststream predicts strong demand for seafarers from classification societies, as 40% of their current surveyors are due to retire within the next five years

Reasons to be cheerful: Faststream MD Mark Charman says seafarers remain in demand ashore The study says that recruitment is all too often viewed as a problem and a distressed purchase, and companies need to take a longer term approach to recruitment by planning well in advance.

Faststream said salaries for technical roles in the shipping industry remain firm, with the average across all sectors standing at £55,620 and the highest rates — averaging £59,583 — being paid by ship operators and managers.

These businesses also offer the best packages — with nearly three-quarters of candidates placed within shipping companies being offered some form of bonus scheme, compared with only a quarter of those placed with classification societies.

Shipping companies are also more likely to offer pensions and private healthcare, said Faststream, while classification societies appear to be more creative with packages — offering incentives such as free accommodation, gym membership and car allowances.

Classification societies are currently unable to compete with shipping companies on salaries — offering an average rate of £46,431 — but Faststream says the sector remains attractive because of the variety of work and the career opportunities offered.

Faststream said it had placed around 200

people with classification societies in the past two years, but it cautioned that many of the societies have put their investment plans on hold as a result of the slump in shipping markets.

Its research showed the average age of candidates placed with a classification society now stands at 30, compared with 41 for technical superintendents with shipping companies.

‘The shipping companies have an immediate demand for experienced people which is making it more difficult for younger candidates to gain employment through these companies,’ the report adds.

Typically, says Faststream, many candidates are straight from sea or are younger and less experienced. ‘Many western shipping companies more often than not will hire people who have experience in similar types of organisations,’ the report adds. ‘Shipping companies are often more likely to express a preference about the type of seafaring experience of ex-seafarers they hire, with many larger operations preferring ex-seafarers who have sailed with similar size outfits.

‘Classification societies however, with their broad customer base, welcome seafarers with first-hand experience of a range of shipping companies.’

Faststream said staff seem less willing to leave their jobs in the uncertain economic climate ‘and prefer to stay put if possible’.

Candidates placed within a shipping operation had been with their previous employer for an average of nearly four years, it found.

‘The best salaries on offer are still those in the Middle East and there are a number of large scale LNG and oil infrastructure projects with a requirement for experienced technical shipping people,’ the report states.

‘However, it would be unrealistic for candidates to think that a couple of years in the region will pay off the mortgage back home as the cost of living has soared. Space in international schools is short and many companies prefer candidates without dependents who can accept positions immediately.’

The survey was carried out by Faststream consultants in Southampton, Oslo, Fort Lauderdale and Singapore. Just over half the candidates it placed were UK nationals, and 55% of the posts filled were based in the UK. The company said it will continue monitor developments and plans an update of the survey later this year.

Top dollar: average salaries on offer in the key shore-based employment sectors where Faststream has placed GRAPHIC: FASTSTREAM former seafarers during the past year

Despite the doom and gloom, there are still positions which need filling and high quality candidates are in demand Mark Charman Managing director Faststream

22 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 23

What to do if the axe falls on you nautilus at work

CV can give you a good head start A CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) is often your first chance to market yourself to potential employers, who will often use them to decide who to interview for a vacancy. Use it to emphasise your strong points, and include details about personal qualities, skills and achievements, education and work experience.

Make sure your CV is well presented, clear, concise and easy to read. Ask someone else to check it for content, spelling and grammar before you send it. Keep it to one A4 page, if you can, and certainly no more than two.

AS THE global recession bites harder and seaborne trade volumes tumble, the spectre of redundancy has begun to haunt the maritime profession for the first time in many years.

Although redundancy may often come as a shock, very many members find another job quite quickly. Redundancy need not be the end of your seafaring or marine career — the national and international shortage of skilled and experienced officers means vacancies continue to arise in many sectors.

But because the industry has been buoyant for the past decade or so, many Nautilus members may not have experience of losing their job.

As a result, the Telegraph has put together this basic guide to redundancy and job-hunting.

It is important to remember that the laws are complex — especially for seafarers employed on non-UK contracts — and individual circumstances may vary dramatically. It is always important to seek advice and assistance from the Union.

✪ first, collect all the factual information required — including dates, grades of qualifications, experience, etc ✪ include relevant non-work activities, such voluntary/community work, hobbies, sports, etc ✪ ensure that you include experience, skills and qualifications that are most relevant to the job on offer

Lying idle: ships awaiting orders off Singapore last month — some reports suggest that more than 10% of the world containership fleet had been put into lay-up

Q: I think my company may be on the verge of announcing job losses. What should I do?

Firstly, tell Nautilus. If we have an agreement with the company, officials can get involved at an early stage in consultations and negotiations. Often, the Union is able to reduce the number of planned job losses and to ensure that any redundancies are on a voluntary basis.

If the company is of a certain size, and has a recognition agreement with the Union, it is required to discuss reasons for the redundancies, the numbers and descriptions of those affected, the proposed method of selecting those to be made redundant — such as ‘last in, first out’ — and how any redundancy payments better than the legal minimum will be worked out.

Q: My company says it will continue to employ me, but not in my existing role. Is that legally acceptable?

If your employer offers you an alternative job, you will need to think carefully. If you turn it down you may no longer be legally redundant, and would be in the same position as if you had just resigned. If your employer says you have left a suitable job and is refusing you redundancy pay, you will need to make a claim in an employment tribunal and show them why the job was unsuitable. If the tribunal finds that you have refused a suitable offer of alternative employment you will lose your right to a redundancy payment.

Q: What should I do if I believe that I have been unfairly selected for redundancy?

Q: I have been made redundant. What are my rights to redundancy pay?

It is important to note that UK employers are required to follow proper procedures — including consultation and notice periods — when making people redundant. The UK laws on redundancy changed with effect from 6 April 2009, but the rules require employers to discuss your redundancy and to consult with you about alternative jobs. You have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union official. If this does not happen, then your dismissal may be legally unfair and you may be entitled to compensation. Again, it is important to always seek advice before taking a complaint to an employment tribunal — contact the Union!

UK law sets out minimum redundancy pay, but not everybody is entitled to it. To be entitled to the legal minimum you must have: ✪ worked continuously for at least two years for your employer and ✪ be an employee. (The difference between an employee and a worker is a complex legal point. Most people are employees, but you may be a worker if you do not have a contract of employment and have a looser relationship with your employer — many agency workers are not employees, for example.)

Q: What factors do employers consider when deciding who will be made redundant?

UK companies are not allowed to select on the basis of sex, race, disability, age (unless objectively justified), sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, pregnancy or trade union membership. They can make selection on the following grounds: ✪ skill and capability (sometimes this can lead to the particularly stressful process of people having to re-apply for their jobs) ✪ attendance record ✪ conduct record ✪ any agreed existing procedure ✪ type of work needed to be done by those remaining

Q: What about notice?

If you are made redundant you are entitled to a minimum period of notice.

For every year you have worked for your employer, you should get one week’s notice, up to a maximum of 12 weeks. If your employer makes, or lets, you leave before this period you should still be paid for the full notice period. Your contract of employment may be more generous.

Q: How much will I get?

The UK legal minimum you should get depends on: ✪ how long you have worked continuously for your employer ✪ redundancy pay (maternity, paternity and parental leave

count as part of continuous employment) ✪ how old you are ✪ how much you are paid Some employers will offer better terms and some will include these in your contract of employment. If your company has an agreement with the Union, improved terms may be in place or negotiated.

Your employer may also offer a ‘severance’ payment, which is a lump sum offered as compensation for ending your employment. This must be above the legal minimum if your job is being made redundant.

When you leave, make sure your employer gives you: ✪ your P45 form ✪ written details of your redundancy package, and ✪ a good reference

Q: What should I do with my redundancy pay?

Redundancy payments are often quite modest and will only help tide you over until you get another job. But with long service or a redundancy payment greater than the legal minimum, you may get a decent amount. A redundancy cheque may be one of the biggest amounts of money you receive in one go. It can be tempting to spend it all!

But unless you know you have another job to go to, think carefully. A priority should be paying off any debt that you have.

Servicing debt is expensive, and you can quickly get into real difficulties if you find that you cannot keep up payments while you are unemployed. If you have any left over then you may need it simply to help meet everyday living costs.

If you have got a more substantial sum, it might be good to use it towards studying for a higher certificate or qualifications such as dynamic positioning or dangerous cargo endorsements that will improve your chances of finding another job.

Q: What should I do about my pension arrangements?

Members who are in pension schemes (whether defined benefit or defined contribution) will have to carefully consider the options open to them.

Those who are in company pension schemes should have their options explained to them by their employer when they

PICTURE: REUTERS

cease to be employed. For some, early retirement might be an option — but this should only be considered after receiving independent advice.

For those still contributing to the MNOPF it may be possible to continue making voluntary contributions of, say, £5 per month which will maintain their contributor member status under the MNOPF rules. This status is important as it may protect certain rights relating, for example, to ill health pensions and death benefits.

For members who are forced to come out of a company scheme, MNOPP or the MNOPF, it may be appropriate to join The Maritime Stakeholder Plan which does not require employer contributions.

Independent financial advice on pension and other matters can be obtained from Russell Warman, Pensions & Wealth Planning Limited, Pensions Lakeside Business Park, Swan Lane, Sandhurst, Berkshire GU47 9DN. Email: Russell.Warman@ penwp.co.uk; Tel: 01252 861380; Fax: 01252 861381.

Q: What about state benefits?

If you are made redundant, you are likely to be eligible for Jobseeker’s Allowance. Other benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support may be available in limited circumstances. From April 2009 income support for mortgage interest (ISMI) benefit will be paid on the first £175,000 of your mortgage and will begin after 13 weeks of unemployment for new claimants. However, the benefit will only cover interest repayments; it will not cover any repayments of capital.

For further information, contact: ✪ Your Nautilus official ✪ The TUC’s Know Your Rights line — 0870 600 4 882. Calls are charged at the national rate ✪ The Citizens Advice service website www.citizensadvice.org.uk ✪ HMRC (formerly the Inland Revenue) is on 0800 597 5976 or you can use the website www.hmrc.gov.uk to find your local office. ✪ The Jobcentre Plus benefits claim line is 0800 055 6688 (Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm). Your local office will be in the phone book and the website is www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

✪ there is no set order for the headings in your CV, but your name should be given at the top. Other personal details can go either with the name or at the end ✪ decide on the headings that present your positive points in the best way.

Although many CVs begin with education, qualifications, employment etc., you might feel that your skills, abilities and achievements gained through other life experiences are more important ✪ personal details should include: name, address, telephone number (including day contact number), date of birth (if you feel that your age may be off-putting to the employer, you do not have to put it on the CV) ✪ education should include: dates (year), names of schools, colleges and training courses ✪ Qualifications — give dates (year), examinations, subjects and grades ✪ Work experience (or work history) — start with your most recent or present job.

Give the dates (year or month and year) of employment, name of firm and address if relevant. Do not forget to include details of holiday jobs, temporary and voluntary work ✪ Achievements — these can be work related or personal, such as getting awards for voluntary work and winning prizes, or nonacademic qualifications like first aid or sport ✪ Interests and hobbies — particularly those that are relevant to the job and support your application ✪ Additional Information — such as special knowledge or an ability to speak another language. Membership of any relevant organisations could also be included here ✪ References — referees are usually teachers and/or employers. You can use ministers of religion, youth leaders or someone who knows you well. It is not always essential to list referees on a CV and may not be appropriate if you are making a speculative application

Finding a new job NAUTILUS staff and officials are dealing with an increasing number of queries from members seeking fresh employment. If you haven’t been in the jobs market for a while, it can be confusing — because things have changed a lot in recent years.

Where to look for jobs Vacancies can be advertised in many different types of places — newspapers, magazines, vacancy boards and on the internet. The Telegraph has more jobs for maritime professionals than any other publication, and members can also access recruitment pages on the Union’s website. Other newspapers, such as Lloyd’s List and Tradewinds, also feature job adverts in the maritime industry.

How to reply to job adverts Make the right impression with prospective employees by following their instructions. Read the adverts carefully — don’t call if they want you to write, and enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope if requested.

Don’t expect an acknowledgement of your application.

Many companies no longer bother to confirm that they have received your reply to their advert.

Some adverts ask you to telephone for details. If so, it is important to be prepared, and make sure you have a copy of the advert and any relevant reference numbers, a pen and note pad to take down any details, and be prepared to answer any questions — this may be part of the interview process.

You may be sent a recruitment pack containing an application form, a job description, a person specification, and guidance notes.

When preparing your application: ✪ find a quiet place to work in and make sure you have plenty of time set aside ✪ read any guidance notes, follow all the instructions, and answer all the questions ✪ think ‘ABC’ — Accurate, Brief and Clear ✪ study the person specification and make sure you demonstrate how your knowledge, skills and experience relate to these points when you write your supporting statement ✪ pay attention to spelling and grammar ✪ ensure the application is clear and easy to read — you could complete the form in pencil first ✪ ask someone to check it before you send it ✪ keep a copy of the application, as it may be referred to if you are asked to go for an interview ✪ use the space for adding further information or supporting statement, if available

If you are called for an interview ✪ Make sure you get all the details — when, where and with whom, and how to get there! ✪ Prepare thoroughly — re-read your application and the information in the recruitment pack, and find out as much as you can about your prospective employer ✪ Some of these questions are bound to be asked — make sure you have the answers ready: — The ice breaker: Did you have a good journey? or Did you find us all right?

— What can you tell us about yourself?

— Why do you want to be a...?

— What can you offer us?

— Why do you want to work for us?

— What do you see yourself doing in 5-10 years’ time?

— What are your hobbies/interests?

— What do you consider your greatest strength and weakness? ✪ Assemble a record of work and any other relevant material. Take this with you, and be sure to organise it so that it is well presented and can be looked at quickly ✪ Make sure you have some key points and examples of your relevant knowledge, skills and experience to give to the interview panel ✪ Think of any questions you wish to ask ✪ Make sure you arrive on time

At the interview ✪ Wear clothes that make you feel professional, confident and comfortable ✪ As soon as you arrive behave as if the interview has started — reception staff may be asked for their impressions of you ✪ A selection test may be included as part of the interview.

If you know the type of test in advance, you could spend time practising similar exercises ✪ Be polite, courteous and respectful. Thank the interviewer(s) for seeing you ✪ Sit up and appear interested, alert and enthusiastic — and don’t be negative about yourself: you have been successful at getting an interview when others were not! ✪ Make sure you state all your key points ✪ Try to expand on what you put in your application form ✪ Listen carefully to the questions and think before answering ✪ Don’t worry if you get stuck for words, and pause before answering if you need to think about your reply ✪ Ask for the question to be repeated if you didn’t hear it properly or are unsure what was meant ✪ Feel free to use a pen and paper to jot down any thoughts or points that arise ✪ Prepare a list of questions about things you want to know, to ask at the end of the interview

24 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

Developing nicely... the jobs market

A NEW website has been launched to promote continuing professional development in shipping...

AS THE global economic crisis starts taking its toll on members’ jobs, some good news has blown in by way of the Nautical Institute — the arrival of a website-based service that promises to be a great aid to seafarers in planning their future careers.

In the current climate, the NI’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme — launched last month in London — might be viewed as an internet portal in a recessionary storm for the seafaring community.

The timing of the launch is just coincidental, however, as the Institute began contemplating the benefits of a CPD scheme several years ago, and set up a working group some 18 months ago to bring it to fruition.

The Institute’s scheme — the first such initiative in the shipping sector — promises to be an invaluable tool to assist seafarers in making the optimal employment, training and qualification decisions throughout their career.

The Institute is party to the ‘Go to Sea!’ campaign — the International Maritime Organisation-backed initiative launched last autumn to attract new recruits into the industry as the shipping world faces up to projections that the global short-

fall of officers could reach almost 84,000 by 2012.

Where the new CPD scheme differs is in its primary aim of keeping maritime professionals employed in the industry. Peter Aylott, the Institute’s director of professional development, comments: ‘Few people actually plan their careers or know where to go to get information about training. This lack of information of career opportunities can lead to frustration.’

The inconvenient truth for the maritime industry, he points out, is that not enough people are being attracted in, not enough are staying and there is no formal link to industry or career. ‘Things have to change and the NI decided that it could help with this.’

So it developed the CPD scheme. ‘There is nothing like this in the maritime industry at the moment, although it is standard practice in other industries,’ Mr Aylott adds.

The NI scheme, developed with the Northern Ireland-based CPD specialist Aurion Learning — which previously established CPD systems for organisations such as the Law Society — is a password-protected service.

Accessible via the NI’s website, it was still being tweaked as the Telegraph went to press, and the

Institute took note of delegates’ feedback from workshops at the launch.

The scheme, which was planned to go live by the start of May, will enable users to: ✪ electronically store, in one secure place, their certificates and other evidence of their professional development — including participation in programmes of mandatory and approved voluntary study, research, job exchanges and secondments and job shadowing, and attending, writing for and making presentations at workshops, at seminars and conferences ✪ look at jobs, career pathways, and learning opportunities

✪ access a facility called ‘The CPD Wheel’, which helps users to research, plan, record and then reflect on their learning, in line with career aspirations Another benefit — directing users towards mentors within the industry — was highlighted at the launch by Chris Haughton, MD of the educational consultancy Haughton Maritime, and chair of the NI’s CPD working group.

And as Dr Maureen Murphy, Aurion managing director, informed delegates at the launch, the NI system is designed to operate on low bandwidth. ‘You don’t need a very high speed internet connection.’

The keynote address was given

by Captain Martin Burley, group training director of V Ships. He explained that there are three different types of CPD system — mandatory, obligatory and voluntary.

Capt Burley explained why the NI has plumped for the voluntary CPD model. ‘It would be difficult to enforce a CPD requirement upon Institute members when they already have so many mandatory training requirements as it is.

‘Instead,’ he added, ‘the Institute looked at how a CPD system could fulfil a need for personal development. The opportunity within the industry is vast, but many maritime professionals are poorly informed, do not have

role models or access to information to research their options and identify their aspirations. A CPD system can have a role here in facilitating opportunity as well as learning.’

The Institute, Capt Burley added, had decided to provide a voluntary CPD system to support seafarers in their research and career development, identify career aims and objectives, seek the required learning and then reflect upon the outcomes against their plan.

The system, he said, would complement the competence management systems that many companies already have. ‘The former enables the individual to manage their own learning against their own goals; the latter manages the collective capability of a company’s employees to ensure that they can fulfil assigned duties.’

Captain Andy Winbow, director of the International Maritime Organisation’s administrative division, took the opportunity to made a broader point: ‘We have had enough examples in the recent history of the shipping industry where the savings axe fell on training in the search for economies, only for those shortterm gains to return in the guise of a long-term shortage of the skilled, professional seafarers the industry so clearly needs. I think all of us here would wish to see the range of opportunities in the shipping and maritime industries that are available being taken by those with seagoing experience — not only to provide a welcome career progression for individuals but also for the health of the maritime industry at large.’

Nautical Catering South Tyneside College is approved by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency as a School of Nautical Cookery. We offer:

• A wide range of courses including Ships’ Cooks’ Certificates of Competency at Pt 1, Pt 2 and Higher level. Food Hygiene is also available • Well-equipped kitchens, staffed by highly experienced chefs who are also qualified teachers • Over 40 years’ experience in providing nautical catering training • Onsite accommodation if required • A friendly community college atmosphere

All courses start 22nd June until 10th July 2009 To book a place contact Kerry Oliver, tel: +44 (0)191 427 3544, fax: +44 (0)191 427 3535, e-mail: kerry.oliver@stc.ac.uk South Tyneside College , St. George’s Avenue, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE34 6ET and Mill Lane, Hebburn, Tyne & Wear, NE31 2ER.

Peter Aylott, NI director of professional development; Capt Andy Winbow, from the IMO; Chris Haughton, conference chairman; Capt NI president Richard Coates; Dr Maureen Murphy, Aurion Learning MD; and V Ships training director Capt Martin Burley

MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 25

safety at sea

THE TENTH anniversary of the first mandatory implementation date for the ISM Code has prompted much retrospection and not a little introspection.

Rather like a middle-aged man approaching yet another ‘significant’ birthday, we seem driven to ask, with a sense of urgency not to be found at other times, ‘How did it go?’ ‘Was it worth it?’ and Where do we go from here?’

Our inclination to focus on questions like this at particular intervals may appear irrational, but the questions themselves are no less worthy of our attention because of it. Let us take the first two questions together.

For the Kelvinists* among us, the answers must lie in measurement and numerical analysis.

There just has to be a definitive statistical indicator out there somewhere that will prove beyond all doubt the success or otherwise of the ISM Code — it is simply a matter of knowing where to look. Unfortunately, the quest for such a number is futile.

It was apparent from the outset that, if the Code was to have the anticipated impact, a fundamental change in attitudes and culture would be required throughout the industry, and that this would take time: several years, if not a generation or two.

There is a great deal of qualitative evidence available that is at least as reliable and informative as any statistic. Those who carry out audit and certification work every day in hundreds of companies and on thousands of ships have a very clear impression of the Code’s impact. They will tell you that the results have been mixed. Some companies have embraced the Code and benefited greatly. Some already good operators have surprised themselves and done even better. Others rub along, not altogether convinced.

And the rest we all know about.

This analysis could be applied to every regulation ever enacted, but in the case of the ISM Code it is often presented as a cause for condemnation. Since the Code was introduced, collisions, groundings and other incidents have been quickly followed by articles, speeches and papers insisting that it has all been a

‘The underlying assumption seems to be that the ISM Code was intended to eliminate all risk...’ waste of time and effort, and that the Code should be torn up. The underlying assumption appears to be that the ISM Code was intended to eliminate all risk and provide a guarantee that there would never again be another accident.

It is not clear why, of all the rules and regulations governing shipping, only the ISM Code is expected to deliver perfection.

So, has the ISM Code worked or not, and was it worth it? In a very important sense, these are the wrong questions. The implementation of the Code was not a single event to be evaluated like the introduction of a technical fix that either worked or did not. It is a process. The question we should be asking is not ‘Has it worked’ but ‘Is it working?’ The answer is that it has begun to work. Is it worth continuing the effort?

Most certainly it is.

So, where do we go from here?

There is no doubt that things could be improved. The process began badly and is still struggling. But it can be made to work better. To achieve this, we need to understand why the Code had such a difficult birth and why it continues to be controversial.

To begin with, it was oversold.

For a variety of reasons, the impression was allowed to take hold that it was a panacea. As a consequence, expectations were too high and the results were

always going to disappoint. The Code was to be the single, allembracing remedy for all that messy, ill-defined and difficult stuff that lurks wherever people are to be found. Unfortunately, and to everyone’s consternation, people persist in being complicated, unpredictable and wilful.

It was oversold to an industry that was under-prepared for it.

Before the Code’s introduction, shipping regulation had consisted almost entirely of very detailed, very prescriptive, technical rules. For the first time, ship operators were confronted by a set of requirements that were anything but detailed, were deliberately non-prescriptive and contained not a single technical term.

Achieving compliance would require a completely different approach.

The qualifications of those whose job it was to make it all work — ashore and on board — were also mostly technical. People with little or no training in, or understanding of management, systems thinking, risk, organisational design and human factors were left to develop, implement and maintain their own management systems and create a safety culture.

No attempt was made to inform and educate the people upon whose understanding, acceptance and effort the whole enterprise depended. Even now,

the ISM Code features in seafarer training courses as just another piece of regulation to be complied with.

There are many other reasons for the Code’s difficulties. It still prompts the usual human response to anything new and different; not all organisational cultures are amenable to more formal, systematic ways of working; the Code’s introduction in more deferential and strongly hierarchical societies continues

to be difficult; old attitudes persist; myths and misunderstandings abound.

Not everyone is opposed to the ISM Code, but even among those who support it in principle there is widespread unease about just how effective it has been. They worry that momentum has been lost and wonder what can be done to revive it.

Unfortunately, as so often happens when a set of requirements appears not to have had the intended effect, the response has been to tinker with the regulation itself.

Many industry organisations lack confidence in the Code.

Nervous about the lack of prescription and seeking precise measures of an operator’s ability to reach an acceptable standard according to their own preferred criteria, they have developed checklists and inspection processes of their own. Each one is presented as the ‘successor’ to the ISM Code or is described as ‘going beyond’ it: in other words, the next magic bullet.

I think we are missing the point. There are useful ways in which the Code could be amended and the wording could be clarified, but if we are to bring about the significant improvement that so many would like to see, we need to step back and take a much broader view. We must create the conditions in which the objectives of the ISM Code are more likely to be achieved. The following steps would be a beginning: 1. a fundamental re-appraisal of seafarer training from the point of view of management, systems, organisational design and human factors to promote understanding and acceptance of the principles that underpin the Code and provide the skills necessary to improve implementation

2. a thorough revision of the guidelines to administrations (as adopted by Resolution A.913(22)) to produce a coherent document based on the many lessons learned since the Code’s introduction 3. enhancement of the Code, not by simply adding to the list of operational requirements, but by incorporating provisions that embed within it genuine systems and human factors concepts 4. an examination of the audit and certification process in the light of experience during the past decade 5. a coordinated, industry-wide initiative to rationalise the plethora of audits, inspections, surveys and assessments that impose excessive demands on ships’ crews, create pointless repetition, cause people to see the ISM Code as just one more in a long list of rules and regulations, and bring the whole regulatory process into disrepute.

Many will view this as an idealistic wish list, but the ISM Code has long-term implications for the regulation of shipping that go far beyond its significance as a piece of regulation per se, and it is important to realise that what has been created is a foundation, not an edifice. Many more elements need to be brought together, in a systematic way, before the building is complete.

Endlessly chipping away at the cornerstone will not get the job done. *Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, (1824 – 1907), Scottish mathematician and physicist, held that unless one can measure something and express it in numbers, one does not know enough about it. (He also said that X-rays would turn out to be a hoax, radio had no future, and heavier-thanair flying machines were impossible.)

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.

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26 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

Honouring heroes safety at sea

DO YOU know of an act of bravery or a dramatic rescue at sea? A UK charity is seeking nominations for awards to honour them….

The Society’s trustees believe it is important to recognise acts of heroism to help keep in the public eye an awareness of the perils faced by those whose business is the sea

SINCE 1851 the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society has been making annual awards for outstanding acts of skill and gallantry at sea and probably has one of the UK’s most comprehensive records of such incidents and the people involved.

In the 19th century the awards were gold and silver medals, barometers and amounts of

money. Over time, these have changed and today there are three principal awards and individual commendations.

The oldest of these is the Emile Robin Award. In 1880 the French philanthropist Monsieur Emile Robin gave the Society a sum of money in trust to provide an annual award for the British master and chief officer of a

The 2008 Emile Robin Award went to RNLI coxswain Mark Criddle for his role in rescuing crew from the stricken cargoship Ice Prince

British merchant vessel who incurred the greatest peril in rescuing survivors at sea.

The term ‘British merchant vessel’ now includes Britishowned but flying a foreign flag, and rescues by other civilian craft are also considered. Last year it was won by Coxswain Mark Criddle of the Torbay Lifeboat for his part in taking off eight crew members from the general cargoship Ice Prince.

The Edward and Maisie Lewis Award is given for an outstanding air/sea rescue. It was instituted in 1980 by Richard Lewis, in memory of his father and mother, Sir Edward (of Decca fame) and Lady Lewis.

The award is made annually to the helicopter crew who together displayed the greatest skill and courage in carrying out an air/sea rescue or casevac. Last year it was awarded to the crew of ‘Rescue 137’ — a Sea King helicopter from D Flight 202 Squadron RAF Lossiemouth, who rescued a severely ill crewman from the Russian fishing vessel Semyon

Many seafarers we note are under the illusion that to qualify for the 100% foreign earnings deduction, all they have to do is spend 183 days out of the country on foreign going voyages.

Many have found to their cost, when investigated by the Revenue that it is not that straightforward and of course it is then too late to rectify.

Make sure you are not one of them by letting Seatax Ltd plan your future claim step by step.

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Maersk master Capt Glenn Wostenholme was presented with the 2008 Lady Swaythling Trophy for the most outstanding feat of seamanship Lapshenkov at the extreme limit of its range.

In 1973 the Lady Swaythling Trophy was instituted and is awarded to an individual for the most outstanding feat of seamanship. Preference is given to instances that prevented the loss of a ship or reduced the risks to life or limb, but the emphasis is on seamanship not rescue.

All categories of vessel — including commercial, private and public service vessels and offshore energy installations — are eligible. Last year it was awarded to Captain Glenn Wostenholme of the Maersk Kendal — on her maiden voyage — for his part in finding and rescuing survivors from the cargoship Pailin Maritime.

Commendations are also made to individuals whose endeavours are regarded as being worthy of public recognition, but whose actions do not fit into any of the main award categories. The presentations are made at the Society’s awards ceremony and annual general meeting which is held at the Fishmongers’ Hall in October.

Each year in late March the Society writes to over 100 organisations and companies seeking nominations (deadline mid-May) — but confesses that where merchant shipping companies are concerned it can be difficult to get a response, even when the Society is aware from other

sources that an action worthy of an award has occurred. Chief executive Malcolm Williams believes this is due to a combination of factors, including pressure of work, the split between owners and managers, and a lack of knowledge about the awards.

So, if you know of an incident that you believe is worthy of public recognition then contact the Shipwrecked Mariners through its website or by phone at any time of the year.

The Society’s trustees believe that it is important to recognise acts of heroism — not only for their intrinsic worth, but also to help keep in the public eye an awareness of the perils faced by those whose business is the sea.

This year — to celebrate its 170th anniversary — the Society is producing an ebook, which will be available on CD, listing all the awards it has made since 1851, together with details of the incidents concerned. It will be available from the Chichester office from August onwards. Proceeds will go to support its principal activity — providing support to former merchant seafarers and fishermen and their dependants who are in need. ✪ To find out more: visit www.shipwreckedmariners.org.uk or contact; Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, 1 North Pallant, Chichester PO19 1TL. Tel: 01243 789329. Email: general@shipwreckedmariners.org.uk

MAY 2009 âœŞâ—?

Nautilus UK Telegraphâ—? âœŞ 27

100 not out for PLA members at work

THE PORT of London Authority’s centenary is being marked by a series of special events...

Chief Harbour Master David Snelson slices the cake with staff at the PLA Thames Barrier Navigation Centre as the centenary celebrations kicked off last month

PORT OF London Authority pilots, VTS officers, boat crews, divers, salvage teams and shore staff have taken part in a series of events to mark the centenary of the organisation.

Gatherings took place at Richmond Lock and Weir, Bakers Hall in central London, the Thames Barrier Navigational Control Centre at Woolwich, and at London River House and Denton in Gravesend to kick off the celebrations.

Chief executive Richard Everitt told them: ‘Reaching 100 years is a major achievement. It means 100 years of keeping the river open to traffic, 100 years of helping keep the river safe, 100 years of facilitating trade. ‘That work is as essential today as it was 100 years ago. The need for our work will continue as long as people need to eat, wear clothes and have fuel for heating and power.’ One hundred years to the day since the PLA was formed, shipping minister Jim Fitzpatrick opened a special celebratory exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands.

The three-week exhibition featured rare archive material and images, as well as stories from PLA staff documenting their time working on the tidal Thames over the last century.

The PLA has deposited its entire archive of documentary records, and some 30,000 photographs, on the second floor of the museum. The archive — which is open not only to researchers but to the general public by prior appointment with archivist

One of the PLA’s longest serving employees, John Window, cuts the centenary celebration cake at the Gravesend headquarters Claire Frankland at cfrankland@ museumoflondon.org.uk — includes materials from the private port system that pre-dated the establishment of the PLA. Mr Fitzpatrick — in whose Poplar and Canning Town constituency the museum is located — said the exhibition served as an important reminder of the benefits that ports bring to everyone.

London is Britain’s second largest port, the minister added, praising the ‘professionalism and

commitment’ of PLA staff who ‘continue to make London a very safe, efficient and competitive port’.

Other centenary events have included a concert (Celebrating London and the Sea) in aid of the RNLI last month and the publication of a new book, Port of London Authority: A Century of Service, which was also launched at the museum. A review will appear in next month’s Telegraph.

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The Port of London chalked up a 0.4% increase in overall trade last year, handling some 53m tonnes of cargo

28 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 29

Steam governors maritime history

‘WHEN it reaches you from somewhere off in the distance, a steamboat whistle is the sweetest music ever heard’ — the words of Captain Henry Miller Shreve, a veteran of 40 years on America’s western rivers, who could justly be described as the creator of the steamboat.

The contribution that steamboats made to the development of the continent was inestimable, yet today Henry Shreve is evidently uncelebrated in the annals of America’s history. The echoes of his achievements are as individual as the signature blasts from the days of the great rivalries amongst steamboat captains, where it was no idle boast that a boat could be recognised by its whistle long before it was seen.

The railroads are often crediited with opening up the West, b but steamboats have a more subsstantiated claim. On the small rrivers, as well as the big, wherever tthere was sufficient water under ttheir extremely shallow hulls, the

PICTURED right is the City of Albany, originally built as the Hudson River steamboat Adelphi in 1863. The vessel was rebuilt and renamed after a boiler explosion and fire in 1878 .

maritime history

TREVOR BOULT reflects on the pivotal, yet often uncelebrated, role of the steamboat in the evolution of the United States...

If the heyday of the steamboat provided elegance and luxury for its passengers, one thing it did not guarantee was safety

PICTURED left is the US Mail steamboat Kate Adams. Built in 1882, the vessel was hailed as one of the fastest and most successful packets ever to have operated on the Mississippi.

steamboats made and supported hundreds of new settlements and growing towns. Often they were the only means of wider communication — as true on the Rio Grande as on the Upper Missouri, the rivers of California and the Pacific Northwest.

Robert Fulton — the acknowledged creator of the steamship — was also to become Henry Shreve’s arch business rival. In 1811 the vessel New Orleans, designed by Fulton, made the remarkable first steam transit of the Ohio and Mississippi, from Pittsburgh to the home port whose name she bore — a journey of 2,000 miles in turbulent and uncharted waters. At New Orleans, the press extravagantly but accurately forecasted the day when a multitude of steamboats would ply the Mississippi with their riches: ‘The future prosperity and growth of this city is now assured.’

Fulton went on to secure an exclusive grant from the state of

Steamboats were as important to the development of the west of the United States as they were to the south New York for the steam navigation of its waterways. Anticipating similar grants from states having sovereignty over the Ohio and lower Mississippi, his monopolistic designs failed to recognise the temperament and response of the populace in the west: ‘Our rivers have always been free and they must remain free.

The pioneers and their sons did not wrest this western country from the Indians to have it turned over for the special privilege of any group of Eastern capitalists.’

Only the key state of Louisiana capitulated, sufficient for the Fulton group to thwart other shipping from reaching New Orleans. The appearance of the New Orleans sparked a lengthy controversy. As a Fulton ‘monopoly’ ship, her more appropriately designed — and more accurately named — steamboat successors legally choked all competition.

They were also able to ‘attach’ any rival craft attempting to reach the southern city.

But the Fulton group were about to more than meet their match, in Henry Shreve. At that time a man of modest means, he was still an unwavering warrior for justice. He refused to be cowed by the imperialistic hostility of the monopolists. In open defiance, he steamed into New Orleans and put bail up for his boat even before it was attached.

It was to take years of legal skirmishing to wear down the socalled steamboat monopoly, which eventually saw such grants ruled unconstitutional and invalid.

In heroically establishing the freedom of steam navigation, Henry Shreve became one of the West’s greatest benefactors. His later contributions to river navigation by steam power were many — not only on the Mississippi, but wherever paddle wheels were to turn on the inland waters of

America. Steamboats carried the great tide of emigration westward long before the railroads; sleepy river towns became thriving cities and a measure of culture, romance and prosperity flourished in the outback.

An ex-flatboat captain, Shreve was a consummate riverman.

Almost single-handed, he devised the structural and mechanical innovations without which the steamboat would have been relatively useless. He had cast a critical eye over the building of Fulton’s New Orleans. Seeing her boiler and engine being placed deep in the hull, which gave the vessel a draught of 5ft, the concept ran contrary to what he believed a functional steamboat should be: time proved him right.

Rivermen knew to copy the lines of the traditional keelboat in their hulls. Flat and shallow, they would skim over the water’s surface, not plough through it.

Shreve’s radical ideas included an engine for each paddle wheel to enhance manoeuvrability, deckmounted boilers and high pressure horizontal engines, their connecting rods permitting the cylinders to remain stationary, and new features which made huge fuel savings. All had merit, for steamboat builders down through the years were to adopt them in nearly all the 2,000-plus

Riverboats at New Orleans in a busy waterfront scene painted by an unknown artist in the 1840s

boats that were to grace the Western rivers.

The early steamers were crude and ugly, but they steadily evolved into the form that represented the famous Mississippi style of steamboat architecture. Not in any way progeny of the steamship, unlike Fulton’s short-lived New Orleans, their shallow draught could contend with the numerous shallows, sandbars, shifting channels and submerged timber ‘snags’.

Shreve’s first proper steamboat was the Washington. Her round trips from Louisville to New Orleans in 1817 dispelled doubts about the ability of such craft to navigate the great rivers and their tributaries. Such reliable, fast, economical transport would bring even the remotest settlements and towns closer together and provide a market for the products of farms, factories, mills and mines. Emigration further west would also benefit.

Shreve was also to invent the snagboat. With their help, in two years, he cleared some 300 miles of the Mississippi of thousands of snags, rendering it, in press terms, ‘as harmless as a millpond’. Similar success attended his years of breaking up the Great Raft that had closed the Red River to navigation for 150 miles — all this whilst he was US Superintendent of Western River Improvements.

When a steamboat announced its coming with a long mellow blast of its whistle, there was evidently something personal about its arrival, unlike a train arriving at a depot to pause briefly to disgorge passengers and goods before speeding onwards. The steamboat was never in such a rush. As it lay tied up at the landing, blowing off steam, its big wheels idle, the town would come to life and there would be a general movement down to the river to see who was coming home and catch the latest news. If the boat was lying over for the night some entertainment would be forthcoming.

If the heyday of the steamboat provided elegance and luxury for its passengers, one thing it did not guarantee was safety. Owners accepted the fact that three years was the average life of a steamboat, no matter how palatial. In that time they would not only return their cost but accrue handsome profits. A boat was no sooner lost than its successor was ordered.

Most were lost by striking hidden timber snags. Some were lost by fire, collisions, or the effects of ice, particularly in the annual spring break-up. A far greater number succumbed to exploding boilers and burst steam pipes. In the beginning there was little supervision of steamboat opera-

Built in 1927, the Mississippi steamboat Delta Queen is now on the National Register of Historic Places and a National Historic Landmark tions, but the frequency of accidents and disaster soon spawned a whole body of state and federal laws. Regular boiler and hull inspections became mandatory.

Explosions were always spectacular and responsible for the greatest loss of life. Some were traceable to ignorance and carelessness, but the vast majority were due to the foolhardy practice of racing.

Racing was the great sport of the times. Dangerous as the travelling public knew it to be, it chose to ride the packets that had a reputation for accepting any challenge. Thus, a captain who sensibly refused to race soon found his boat unpopular.

Captains also knew that to be caught racing meant instant dismissal. The phenomenon of racing was to reach its climax in 1870 with the famous duel between the Robert E Lee and the Natchez.

Steamboats were fundamental in opening up the central valley of the United States, from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, in the great American adventure that was the settlement of the West.

In the early decades of the 19th century the strategic position of the old French settlement of St Louis ensured its growth and prosperity as the hub from which the pioneering movement emanated. When St Louis recognised the importance of the steamboat, and enthusiastically embraced it as the prime mode of transportation, it inevitably became the metropolis of the Mississippi valley, and the steamboat capital of the United States.

Steamboats were instrumental in the movement and distribution of particular ethnic groups and creeds, to lasting effect — including Indian tribes, Chinese

workers, and black crew members who had been made free men by the Emancipation Proclamation.

In the south, the lower Rio Grande and its use by steamboats had also shaped the course of history. After the war with Mexico the river became the boundary between the two republics. It took the conflict to bring the first steamboats to the Rio Grande. As transport for troops, supplies and munitions, it was to be their busiest time.

The great rivers played their roles in the American Civil War. It brought threats to steamboating as a business, as both the Union and Confederacy seized what craft they could, for conversion into rams and gunboats.

Many others were taken into government service, at profit to their owners.

After the end of hostilities it soon became apparent that what was to become the golden era of the packets was beginning — a

phenomenon that endured until the advancing railroads superseded them.

The discovery of gold in California had brought an international prospecting rush of ‘forty-niners’, many of whom needed onward transport. As the Sacramento River was the main thoroughfare to the Mother Lode country, steamboat owners made fortunes out of the two-way traffic. In 1860 the steamboat Antelope had the honour of racing to San Francisco with the first mail to arrive at Sacramento by Pony Express. Graced with an accident-free record, Wells Fargo entrusted her with bringing downriver millions of dollars in gold dust and bullion, to its bank in San Francisco.

Natural wonders of a different variety were tenaciously pursued by the naturalist John Audobon.

Constrained to travel by steamboat on the Upper Missouri, the frequent stops for wooding and for cleaning the river mud out of

A US Coast Guard safety and security team passes the New Orleans steamboat Natchez at the Tall Stacks steamboat festival on the Ohio River PICTURE: US COAST GUARD

the boilers gave Audobon and his party frequent opportunities for going ashore. Many birds and animals they secured proved hitherto unknown to science.

Many steamboats were unashamedly utilitarian. On the Red River they were floating workhorses, shifting huge tonnages of cotton, molasses and other sugarcane products, sulphur and farm produce out of one of the richest valleys in America, to the New Orleans market of the outside world. Steam boating on the Arkansas reaped unparalleled prosperity. In support of the government’s treaty obligations, they transported rations, basic implements of husbandry and livestock to some 100,000 semi-civilised Indians on their newly allotted lands. On the Upper Missouri steamboat operations came to monopolise the fur trade.

From the humble beginnings on the Sacramento River was to come a great fleet of packets.

Every year new boats appeared — always faster, finer and more luxurious than those they replaced. Many closely echoed the traditional Mississippi pattern. They were also joined by former east coast steamers, deep draughted paddle wheelers that had braved the Atlantic, their decks boarded up to maximise the carriage of fuel, traversing the Straits of Magellan and the Pacific in order to reach San Francisco Bay. These fine vessels, which now had salt in their veins, also ran coastwise: south to beyond San Diego and north to the Columbia River.

In 1865, the small stern wheeler Forty Nine became the first to cross the 49th parallel, overcoming ice and rapids, under the redoubtable command of

Captain White. A topographical survey of the Colorado River did not lend encouragement to its potential for navigation. Yet with government backing venturers proved it to be viable. They introduced the steamer as an emblem of civilisation. The navigable river became the territory’s lifeline; from every steamboat landing good roads radiated many distant camps and settlements.

However, like their brethren of an earlier period on the Mississippi, they made a grave error in believing that the burgeoning railroads would be a great feeder for the Colorado river traffic. Even at their peak, realists had dimly perceived the future effects of what was to become the mortal enemy of the steamboats.

Several collaborative ventures between boat and rail operators did flourish and inaugurated the first steamboat schedule in history. Central Pacific Railroad itself invested heavily in new luxurious craft. The ultimate in Sacramento River steamers were the huge identical twins, Delta Queen and Delta King, which appeared in 1926.

The railroads had driven the steamboats off the Upper Mississippi and were now about to do the same on the Missouri.

Within a period of 30 years the great business of the river had peaked and vanished. The fur trade had slumped and the Plains Indians had been subjugated.

The steamboat was generally becoming an anachronism. With growing frequency boats began to sink or burn, leaving insurers to underwrite the losses.

Without any regard for sentiment the railroads gave Arkansas River steamboating the final coup de grace by acquiring the disembowelled hull of the oncerenowned Robert E Lee for use as a wharf boat, before finally being lost to fire. Its formidable rival of earlier days, the Natchez, ended up as a storage hulk before suffering the same fate.

America’s great rivers had been a sound economical means of transportation, but with the fading of the steamboat era their usefulness waned. The Sacramento River steamboats were the last to succumb to progress.

Government dams, toll bridges and irrigation projects ensured their demise.

It has been said that, with the passing of the river steamboat, something that was good, and as truly American as the water on which it floated, disappeared.

Songs and stories have been written about them which at least may help the steamboat’s echoing whistle endure.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author kindly acknowledges the material assistance of Harry Drago.

30 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

Race for survival maritime heritage

MIKE GERBER reports on a fight to save a ship ranked as highly as the Cutty Sark...

SOME claim the City of Adelaide — a once illustrious 19th century British clipper — is of even greater historical significance than the Cutty Sark. Yet the vessel is rotting away on a slipway leased by the Scottish Maritime Museum, and the museum has given up on any possibility of raising the funds to preserve and eventually restore her.

Two cities a world apart — Sunderland and Adelaide — have historic and emotional stakes in this ship, and both have ardent lobby groups that are seeking to raise the readies to take City of Adelaide off the museum’s hands and save her.

Built at the William Pile and Hay shipyard, Sunderland in 1864 for London merchants Devitt and Moore, City of Adelaide is nearly six years older than Cutty Sark — the only other surviving composite clipper — and is similarly ranked among our top 10 National Historic Ships.

Her significance in the early development of Australia cannot be overstated.

City of Adelaide completed some 23 trips in as many years carrying British and German immigrants to Adelaide in the new colony of South Australia, and returning to London loaded with wool, wheat and copper.

At the time, she was the fastest passenger clipper, capable of making the trip to Australia in only 64 days. Some quarter million Australians are reckoned to be descendents of those immigrants.

‘It is difficult to imagine a more vital icon of the making of modern Australia, and of the relationship between Britain and the Australian colonies,’ says the website of the Save the Clipper Ship City of Adelaide Action Group.

The group has been campaigning for some 10 years in South Australia, the state of which Adelaide is the capital. Its website at http://cityofadelaideclipper.org is packed with fascinating historical information, including the 1864 to 1865 crew list.

According to Traditional Boats & Tall Ships magazine, the Australians ‘realised some time ago that a full Au$40m restoration of the clipper would not be possible, and their focus has since shifted

LEFT TO RIGHT: Bow view, Irvine Slipway Adelaide as she was On the slipway, from the stern In the hold, 2004 PICTURES: SCOTTISH MARITIME MUSEUM

from restoration to preservation. They are working hard with the state government to secure the Au$3.5m needed to move her overseas’.

Not if the Sunderland City of Adelaide Recover Foundation (Scarf ) gets its way — and, unlike the Australians, its plans include an eventual full restoration. The Telegraph learned about Scarf ’s campaign through Nautilus member Aidan Osmialowski, whose father, John, is on Scarf ’s committee.

John, a salesman who began working

The 20th anniversary of closure of the last shipyard in Sunderland, outside the yard gates. Peter Maddison’s daughter Adelaide is the girl sitting on the red ensign PICTURE: COURTESY OF EASTWISE PUBLICATIONS

life as an apprentice marine engineer, says: ‘We do need to save some of our maritime heritage.’

But what if the Australian group got the Adelaide? He’s philosophical. ‘It’s like that biblical story, about the baby (King Solomon) — it’s got to be saved, whoever gets it.’

Scarf ’s chairman, Sunderland councillor Peter Maddison, is adamant that his city is the natural home for the vessel.

‘After 600 years of building ships, we can claim to have an even greater emotional and physical relationship with that ship.

We built her, and our need as a city and people is greater than the Australians.’

So committed is Cllr Maddison, he named his daughter Adelaide after the ship, and saving it is the reason he entered politics as an independent. ‘I got involved with local politics because I saw the great need for regeneration to happen in the city. The Adelaide is the blue touch paper which will reignite that regeneration. Every city needs its iconic symbol to tell the rest of world who we are and what were about and Sunderland was once the greatest shipbuilding city in the world.’

Cllr Maddison was in the Royal Marine Volunteer Reserve when City of Adelaide, renamed HMS Carrick, was used as RNVR’s HQ club on the Clyde in

Glasgow. His seagoing career began when he joined his first ship in Rotterdam as junior engineer. ‘I was in the British and Norwegian merchant navies. I ended up as skipper and owner of a 20m Norwegian old wood sailing ship built in 1913. I sailed as electrician, as AB, as old wooden boat restorer, rigger and crew.

So I know about restoration projects, what can be done and how to do it.’

In fact, Scarf can call on a broad range of specialist ability — including architects, designers, and former shipwrights, shipyard workers and engineer officers.

Scarf is calling for donations to help raise £2m, but estimates that far less is needed initially to transport the ship to Sunderland. ‘A recovery company in Rotterdam has calculated that we could do the job for less than £400,000,’ Cllr Maddison explains. ‘More importantly than the money, we’ve had to demonstrate to National Historical Ships, and the Scottish Maritime Museum that not only are we capable of recovering the ship but we are capable of sustaining a 25-year full restoration project,’ he adds.

‘That is going to take millions. What’s important is that they feel confident that Scarf and the people of Sunderland are going to look after that ship.’

Scarf has already raised half that initial £400,000, and Cllr Maddison reveals that he has just returned from a highly promising meeting with a Sunderland businessman: ‘He’s joined Scarf, he’s a Sunderland patriot and determined that that ship will be brought back to Sunderland and willing to commit his money, time and contacts to that cause. We’re working towards a recovery date in September.’

Will that be too late though? The Telegraph has been in touch with Scottish Maritime Museum acting director Jim Tildesley. The reason the vessel is in Scotland, he points out, is because that is where she spent the greater part of her life. In 1887 she was sold to the bulk cargo trade, used as a Newcastle to Dover collier, then as a transatlantic timber carrier. Southampton Corporation bought her in 1893 for service as a cholera isolation hospital.

Scotland enters the frame in 1923 when, bought by the Admiralty and renamed HMS Carrick, she functioned as a RNVR drill training ship in Greenock, as a WW2 merchant ship

gunner and detention centre for deserters, and post-war as an RNVR club.

After she sank a second time, the museum acquired her for a token £1 in 1992 and moved her to a slipway in Irvine owned by Ayrshire Metal Products. There she has lain ever since.

Mr Tildesley said the museum acquired the City of Adelaide prior to the reorganisation of local government in Scotland and initially had no problem in raising the first £1m to save the vessel, and to start restoration. However, after re-organisation bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and other trusts and government agencies would not support the museum’s projects, as there was no guarantee of adequate revenue on a long-term basis.

‘With no funding, no support from HLF and a requirement to move the vessel, the trustees had no choice but to dispose of the ship,’ he added.

Disposal would allow for the retention of the bow, stern and a midships frame by the museum, subject to funding. If funding is not available then a small number of sample materials will be retained.

There can be no further delays without jeopardising the future of Scotland’s entire national maritime collection, Mr Tildesley warns. ‘The only way to prevent deconstruction now is for an organisation to guarantee they can remove the vessel from the slipway in a matter of months. To do that, our experts believe that they must have around £1m ready to spend and be able to commence work by early summer.’

Unless Scarf or the Australians can raise the funds quickly, they both risk missing the boat. ✪ For further information about the Sunderland City of Adelaide Recover Foundation, or to pledge a donation, go to www.cityofadelaide1864.co.uk. Or contact Cllr Peter Maddison at 19 Azalea Ave, Sunderland, SR2 7EY, or phone him on 07908 520 842.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 31

ONRUST IN DE WATERBOUW HET is de laatste tijd wat onrustig in Waterbouwland. Eerder hebben werkgevers de dringende wens geuit om het personeel op de hoppers niet meer onder de CAO te laten vallen. Dit verzoek was tijdens de onderhandelingen voor het buitenlandcontract naar voren gebracht en hiervoor was al een onderzoekswerkgroep in het leven geroepen.

De werkingssfeer van de CAO: het waar, wanneer en voor wie is de CAO van toepassing? is niet iets wat even tussendoor kan worden aangepast en vergt natuurlijk het nodige onderzoek.

Het moet immers voorkomen worden dat mensen tussen wal en schip vallen betreffende de geregelde arbeidsvoorwaarden en Bedrijfstak Eigen Regelingen.

Boekje Bij de CAO-onderhandelingen in 2008 is het onderwerp werkingssfeer echter niet

ter sprake gekomen. De huidige regel voor werkingssfeer die in de CAO staat, blijft daarom ongewijzigd van kracht tot hierover andere afspraken worden gemaakt.

Ook heeft u tot op heden nog geen CAO-boekje ontvangen; dit is deels te wijten aan de opstelling van werkgevers in dit dossier. Tot het moment van het schrijven van dit stuk was er nog geen goedkeuring op de reglementteksten waardoor nog geen CAO-boekje kon worden gemaakt. FNV Waterbouw doet er nu alles aan om deze twee zaken niet

met elkaar te laten vermengen. De vakbond wil best meedenken over oplossingen, maar dit mag natuurlijk niet ten koste gaan van reeds gemaakte afspraken.

Werkingssfeer Het onderwerp werkingssfeer van de CAO zal ook ter sprake komen tijdens onze jaarvergadering op maandag 18 mei 2009 op het kantoor van FNV Waterbouw te Woerden, waarvoor alle leden inmiddels een uitnodiging hebben ontvangen. U bent dan ook van harte

welkom als u met ons over dit onderwerp van gedachte wilt wisselen. Uiteraard houden wij u van de laatste stand van zaken op de hoogte via www.fnvwaterbouw.nl of via de e-mail nieuwsbrief. Ontvangt u nog geen e-mail nieuwsbrief ? Vul dan uw emailadres in op de website van FNV Waterbouw.

netherlands news

NAUTILUS NL WAVES FAREWELL TO MARITIEM MAGAZINE A new era for Dutch news in Nautilus International Telegraph WITH the launch of Nautilus International in May, Nautilus NL will discontinue their Maritiem Magazine and news will be included in an all-new monthly journal, the Nautilus International Telegraph.

Over the last 100 years, several unions merged to become Nautilus NL. Before, most of these organisations used to inform their members by using some form of communication. Most of the time the tone was a serious one with a legal touch. For example, a single annual meeting could easily provide text for an extensive serial in ‘Ons Bestek’ (CKV monthly).

The editor of ‘Journaal’ and

‘Peiling’, Jacques Gerritse, played a significant role in progressing news from the union world — a definite break in tradition was made in 1980 when Peiling and Journaal received a facelift, both on the outside and with editorial content.

Though they still existed as two separate monthlies, subjects were similar and interviews with honorary board members helped bridge the gap with members.

The trend continued with Gerritse’s successor, Ed Sarton. A more journalistic approach took shape and in 1993 the two magazines became FWZ Maritiem Magazine.

The new magazine adopted a consistent approach to their members, where the appearance of the publication often changed but never the subject and style of editorial content.

In the first issue, FWZ explained how it believed the magazine should continue its responsibility of looking after the interests of members and inform them of the activities taking place within the organisation.

In 2002 the looks of FWZ Maritiem Magazine changed once again and new technological advances made it possible to use extra colour in printing.

In 2006, FWZ became Nautilus NL and the editors decided to continue Maritiem Magazine with some minor changes.

Together with Maritiem Magazine, Nautilus NL members have been receiving the Nautilus UK Telegraph.

When the new Nautilus International Telegraph is launched next month, there will be two pages completely dedicated to Dutch members in the Dutch language.

Members have expressed a large deal of enthusiasm, hence the Nautilus International Telegraph will be the new monthly for all members.

top left and right: 1958 and the last cover design; centre: two copies from 1983; bottom: other designs used over the years

TERUGBLIK OP EEN BIJZONDER VAKBONDSBLAD VOOR u ligt het laatste nummer van Nautilus Maritiem Magazine. Met het ontstaan van de nieuwe bond Nautilus International komt er immers een nieuw maandblad voor de Britse en de Nederlandse leden gezamenlijk. Dat vonden wij voldoende reden om terug te blikken op het ontstaan en de ontwikkeling van Nautilus Maritiem Magazine.

Nautilus NL is voortgekomen uit een heleboel bonden die in de loop van meer dan honderd jaar fuseerden, opgeheven werden of van naam veranderden. De meeste van die organisaties hadden al een periodiek of een nieuwsbrief waarin de leden op de hoogte gehouden werden van de strijd die de bonden voor hen voerden. Het waren mededelingen van het bestuur aan de leden en daar was blijkbaar veel behoefte aan. Als je bijvoorbeeld het maandblad ‘Ons Bestek’ van de CKV bekijkt, zie je paginalange verslagen van vergaderingen en uitvoerige verhandelingen over ‘de doolhof der sociale verzekeringen.’

Een in januari gehouden jaarvergadering bood in die dagen stof voor een feuilleton van maar liefst zeven afleveringen waarin verslag gedaan werd van alle gebeurtenissen.

Ook de latere periodieken ‘Journaal’ en ‘Peiling’ begonnen hun leven met gedetailleerde verslagen en boden vooral ook voorlichting. Zo was de bespreking van interpretatiegeschillen betreffende het CAO reglement razend populair.

De juiste uitleg werd in Journaal en Peiling onderbouwd met letterlijke citaten uit correspondentie, rapporten en verslagen van vergaderingen. De lezer kreeg op deze manier een helder inzicht in het juridisch onderbouwde standpunt van de bond. Weliswaar gedegen en uiterst correct, maar niet altijd even makkelijk leesbaar.

Dat was enerzijds de geest van de tijd, tegelijkertijd was het de keuze van de redactie. De voorlichting moest vooral degelijk en correct zijn. Er werd namelijk gevreesd dat een meer journalistieke aanpak het risico van misverstanden met zich mee zou brengen.

NIEUWE RUBRIEKEN In de loop van het bestaan van Journaal en Peiling en later FWZ Maritiem Magazine zien we de stijl van de bladen geleidelijk aan veranderen.

Er komt meer afwisseling in de behandelde onderwerpen, de artikelen worden minder uitgebreid en de lay out wordt levendiger.

Het was Jacques Gerritse, die eindredacteur was van 1967 tot 1983, die in 1980 een ingrijpende face lift gaf aan Journaal en Peiling.

De bladen bleven apart als Journaal (voor de kapiteins en officieren van de GHV) en Peiling (voor de overige zeevarenden) bestaan. Veel artikelen kwamen overeen, maar de bladen oogden moderner en er werden nieuwe rubrieken geïntroduceerd.

Terug van weggeweest was ‘Kort nieuws van de lange deining’, een rubriek met scheepvaartnieuws in het hart van het blad. ‘Uit de dienstgang’ was een nieuwe rubriek waarin veel aandacht was voor individuele zaken met ook een algemeen belang. Tenslotte hoort individuele belangenbehartiging tot de kerntaken van de bond. Verder werd door middel van interviews de schijnwerper gericht op de onbezoldigde bestuurders van de VKO en de AVZ. De bladen zorgden er mede voor dat leden en bestuur dichter bij elkaar kwamen.

DE INHOUD Maar ook al was het belangrijk het bondsblad een aantrekkelijk aanzien te geven, het draaide uiteindelijk wél om de inhoud. CAOonderhandelingen, overleg met de overheid, de instelling van ondernemingsraden in de zeevaart en experimenten met geïntegreerde gezellen en geïntegreerde officieren, waren onderwerpen die in de zeventiger en tachtiger jaren van de vorige eeuw nadrukkelijk aan de orde kwamen.

Bestuur en staf van de FWZ werden aangespoord onderwerpen aan te dragen en er ook zelf over te schrijven. En om deze schrijvers ervan te doordringen dat het schrijven van een artikel toch wel iets anders is dan het schrijven van een beleidsnota of een ledencirculaire, werd een spoedcursus journalistiek schrijven

georganiseerd. Vakbondsjournalist Bert Duijn geeft waardevolle adviezen die gewaardeerd worden en dat is duidelijk terug te lezen in de bladen.

In aanmerking nemende dat de schrijvers van al die artikelen het werk doen naast hun dagelijkse bezigheden als vakbondsbestuurders of –medewerkers, geeft dit natuurlijk een extra dimensie aan de onverbiddelijke deadline waarmee het maken van een blad gepaard gaat.

FWZ MARITIEM MAGAZINE Van 1983 tot 2007 was Ed Sarton eindredacteur van de bladen. Hij zette de door Jacques Gerritse ingezette lijn voort. Het aanzien van de bladen bleef herkenbaar, maar Sarton ging wel met zijn tijd mee. Zo kregen de gebruikte foto’s en andere illustraties een nadrukkelijker functie in de artikelen.

Behalve de schrijvers en de eindredacteur, speelde ook het redactiesecretariaat een belangrijke rol bij de totstandkoming van de bladen. Mies Hagendijk zorgde jarenlang voor de organisatie van het blad, de contacten met de uitgeverij, de correctie van de drukproeven en de verzending naar de schepen. Zij beheerde het foto archief en zorgde waar nodig voor het typwerk.

In 1993 werd een grote stap voorwaarts gezet. Journaal en Peiling waren in de loop der jaren zo op elkaar gaan lijken, dat besloten werd afscheid te nemen van afzonderlijke bladen voor de twee verenigingen AVZ en VKO. Er kwam een nieuw blad: FWZ Maritiem Magazine. Dit werd in de introductie overigens meteen gerelativeerd: ‘De vormgeving van het blad is vernieuwd, maar aan de inhoud van de artikelen zal niet veel veranderen. Het blijft tenslotte een verenigingsblad waarbij de leden van de verenigingen op de hoogte gehouden worden van de activiteiten van de organisatie die voor hun belangen opkomt.’

Die zinsnede uit het redactionele voorwoord zou je gerust de missie van alle maandbladen van Nautilus NL en zijn voorgangers kunnen noemen.

Het nieuwe magazine opende met een

verhaal dat de aandacht van andere media trok.

Een pakkend verhaal over misleidende personeelsadvertenties in de cruisevaart en wat de ITF daartegen wilde doen. Een goede start voor een nieuw tijdschrift. Een ongebruikelijke start ook, want door de lange productietijd van het ma gazine moest het blad het niet van de actualiteit hebben.

VERNIEUWING In 2002 veranderde het uiterlijk van FWZ Maritiem Magazine opnieuw. Nieuwe technieken maakten het financieel mogelijk een aantal pagina’s in kleur uit te voeren. En een blauwe steunkleur gaf het blad een fris uiterlijk en maakte het op de leestafel gemakkelijk herkenbaar.

Toen in 2006 de FWZ zijn naam veranderde in Nautilus NL betekende dat automatisch ook het einde van FWZ Maritiem Magazine. De redactie besloot echter tot een beperkte wijziging. Het werd Nautilus Maritiem Magazine en de kleurstelling werd aangepast aan de nieuwe huisstijl. Dit alles in afwachting van de vorming van de nieuwe bond Nautilus International.

En nu staat een nieuwe wijziging voor de deur. Samen met Nautilus Maritiem Magazine hebben de leden al een tijdje de Telegraph, het blad van Nautilus UK, ontvangen. Veel leden zijn enthousiast over het blad, dat naast vakbondsnieuws, ook veel nieuws bevat uit de scheepvaartwereld. Daarom is besloten dat de Telegraph het verenigingsblad van Nautilus International zal zijn. Ten behoeve van de Nederlandse leden komen er twee pagina’s in de Nederlandse taal. Maar ook in de rest van het blad zal plaats zijn voor nieuws uit Nederland. We nemen afscheid van Nautilus Maritiem Magazine met dank aan allen die er jarenlang aan hebben meegewerkt. Als het was blijven bestaan was het ongetwijfeld verder met zijn tijd meegegaan. Maar nu kijken wij uit naar de Nautilus International Telegraph, het nieuwe blad van onze nieuwe bond!

32● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

50 YEARS AGO IN A previous issue of the Journal, we reported a case in which a member had lost the sight of an eye due to a heavy sea striking the wheelhouse window, splintering it, and a fragment of glass entering the member’s eye. A little while later, a similar incident occurred on a Dutch north Atlantic passenger liner when the

master, who was in the wheelhouse at the time, suffered a severe injury to his eye. The MNAOA has raised this matter with the Ministry of Transport, urging that it should be a compulsory requirement to fit unsplinterable glass in wheelhouse windows. At the present time, there are no rules requiring either toughened armour plate or unsplinterable glass — MN Journal, May 1959

25 YEARS AGO INCREASING pressure is being placed on governments around the world to provide proper waste disposal facilities in ports by October — the date by which that section of the MARPOL Convention comes into force. A new survey published by the International Chamber of Shipping highlights the scale of the problem. The survey — to

which many MNAOA members contributed — covers 300 ports in almost 100 states, and shows ‘a disturbingly large number of reports of inadequate facilities’. It describes the overall picture as ‘depressing’ and says governments need to show greater urgency. The MNAOA is urging members to provide updated reports on disposal facilities around the world — The Telegraph, May 1984

10 YEARS AGO NUMAST is stepping up the political pressure for the government to introduce a tonnage tax as part of its package of measures to end the decline of the UK shipping industry. The Union has submitted detailed evidence to an independent inquiry set up by Chancellor Gordon Brown to consider the case for the special

tax regime. NUMAST says tonnage tax is of ‘critical importance’ to the future of the British merchant fleet and the continued recruitment and employment of UK seafarers.

The Union argues that the estimated £10-20m annual cost of the scheme is ‘a drop in the ocean’ compared with the massive economic and social benefits that it would deliver — The Telegraph, May 1999

ships of the past

First tanker under New Zealand flag

Telegraph prize crossword This month’s Telegraph cryptic crossword is a prize crossword!

The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book The Cruel Sea Retold (reviewed on the facing page).

To enter, simply complete the form below and send it, along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus UK Telegraph Crossword Competition, Oceanair House,

750–760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or fax 020 8530 1015.

Closing date is Tuesday 12 May 2009.

You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to telegraph@nautilusuk.org by the same closing date.

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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QUICK CLUES

General details

✪ by TREVOR BOULT PAUA was the first purpose-built tanker for the New Zealand coast, and the first such vessel to fly that country’s flag.

A one-off design, she was built as Yard No. 750G by Harland & Wolff Ltd, at Govan, Glasgow. She had nine oil compartments: three centre tanks with a capacity of 804 tons of motor spirit and three port and starboard wing tanks holding another 273 tons.

The tanks were also fitted with special hatches so that they could be used to carry cased oil. There was a forehold able to stow a further 2,550 cases.

Bulk oil was discharged by two cargo pumps, each with an hourly capacity of 100 tons. Derricks were used for self-handling case oil.

Built by: Dates: Dimensions: Picture:

Harland & Wolff, Glasgow 1927-1957 217ft overall; 36½ft breadth; 15ft draught Michael Pryce

Twin six-cylinder oil engines generated 225nhp, delivering a service speed of 10 knots.

Launched in April 1927 and registered initially in London, her delivery voyage began at Southampton, in ballast for Singapore, via Suez. At Singapore she loaded some 800 tons of petrol, taking a further 28 days to reach New Zealand. She discharged at Bluff and Timaru before arriving empty at Wellington, where her port of registry was changed. She began coastal trading in the September.

In 1939 the Paua had her tank

The Quiz 1. A total of 64.2m gt of new tonnage was completed last year. What was the total of tonnage demolished during the year?

2. What percentage of the world’s merchant fleet was under the red ensign at the outbreak of the second world war?

3. Roughly how many ships are presently on order around the world?

4. Luxembourg is one of a few

landlocked countries operating a ship register.

What does its flag look like?

5. Carnival is the world’s biggest cruise shipping company, with a 45% stake in the market. Which operator is second biggest, and what is its stake?

6. What contribution did John Harrison (1693-1776) make to navigation? ✪ Quiz and quick crossword answers are on page 42.

section renewed in Hong Kong.

Opportunity was also taken to extend her length by 26ft, increasing her size to 1,412 gross tons. Returning to service the following January, she traded around most of the New Zealand ports, including Auckland, Wanganui, Wellington, Picton, Lyttelton, Oamaru and Dunedin.

At the end or 1950 her New Zealand registry was closed when she was bought by Colon Shipping of Hong Kong and renamed Heather. In 1954 she was sold to Pan Norse Steam Shipping and given the name Lucky Carrier.

Some years later she went aground in heavy weather off the Burmese coast. Towed to Singapore, she was declared a constructive total loss. The vessel was broken up in 1957, at Singapore.

Her original name, in addition to being a prized and boat-shaped iridescent seashell, means mutton-fish, and the Maori for fish hook.

This dedicated little vessel ably inaugurated the growing movement of oil about the challenging coasts of New Zealand, and the development of larger purpose-built craft for the trade.

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Across Paternal chronometer (6,4) Potato (4) Arrangement (10) Hairdressing implement (4) Racer (8,4) Headwear (9) Intestine (5) Induction coil (5) Forced entry (9) Over the top (12) Wild party (4) Part of watch (6,4) Satisfy appetite (4) Without consciousness (10)

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Down Kingdom of Scotland (4) Pastry (4) Stationery (7,5) University teacher (5) A beggar (9) Good on film (10) Lowering (10) Farming economics (12) Temperate (10) Torch (10) Disturbance (9) Less than 90 degrees (5) Young sheep (4) Nervous (4)

CRYPTIC CLUES Across 1. Symbolic of climate change, MBE thrown in (10) 6. Drunk by England after victory (4) 9. On the way around defence, that’s a relief (10) 10. A long time chopping sage (4) 12. National confidence to hold back the drink, after one or two (5,7)

15. Quite a performance, but could be torturous (9) 17. North of border, landowner’s home for animals and daughter (5) 18. Country watering hole is fashionable (5) 19. Carrier brother in France took in a number of (9) 20. A close shave … (5,7) 24. … or neat cut (4) 25. Global factories had banks on the defensive (10) 26. Go on about the fish (4) 27. As optimistic as an astronomer (6-4) Down 1. See a chapter has every one in it (4) 2. Bad piece of theatre, however it may be blown up (4) 3. Change into suit love, you’re after

Darwin (12) 4. Old Mexican street atlas, transformed etc (5) 5. ‘Songs of --- and Experience’ (William Blake) (9) 7. Get into favour with Tina, a tiger of sorts (10) 8. Londoners in the soap business (4,6) 11. Soup from Western isle, I state an owl colour (12) 13. Artificial rope stitch, tied to branch of surgery (10) 14. Not acquainted with this sort of fun airmail (10) 16. Tell worker he’s a useful source (9) 21. A learner with road cover found in church (5) 22. Useful when waiting in restaurant (4) 23. Employed American an news chief (4)

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 33

BEAUTIFUL SERIES OF SHOTS FROM A CLASSIC PERIOD FOR COASTAL SHIPPING CLASSIC ships from a classic period — even if, as author Bernard McCall says, it is hard to find a suitable definition of the word that covers the ships featured in his publication Coasters of the 1950s.

This 80-page work brings together a collection of marvellous images of a rich variety of vessels in an equally rich variety of locations — ranging from

Malaysia, Turkey and the Bristol Channel — demonstrating the versatility of coastal shipping and its remarkable development in the post-war period.

Each picture comes with an informative caption summarising the ship’s history, and often putting its work in a bigger context — such as the role of coastal shipping in the massive reconstruction work commissioned in Europe after the war, or the ‘lifeline’ supply services to island communities.

The book is organised largely around the country of build — starting with the Grangemouth Dockyard Company’s Ballycastle, built for John Kelly of Belfast. Particular attention is paid to Dutch ships —

with nine pages devoted to coasters built at yards on the Winschoterdiep — and there are also many fine German vessels on display.

As Rod Stewart once sang, every picture tells a story — and these pictures tell much about the way in which the coastal shipping sector has been neglected in recent years, with few ships that match the post-war vision of ‘joined-up’ transportation strategy demonstrated by the purpose-built gas and electricity board vessels Sir John Snell and Lambeth. ✪Coasters of the 1950s by Bernard McCall (ISBN 978 1 902953 373) costs £16 and is published by Coastal Shipping — www.coastalshipping.co.uk

books

Cruel Sea revisited NICHOLAS Monsarrat’s 1951 novel

The Cruel Sea was a powerful work that did much to inform the public of the horrors of the Battle of the Atlantic.

The success of the film that was based on the book ensured huge exposure for the tale of life and death on the convoys.

Now former shipmaster Bernard Edwards has turned his hand to giving the story new life in the 21st century, with The Cruel Sea Retold: The Truth behind Monsarrat’s Epic Convoy Drama.

In doing so, he looks at three key convoys — OG71, HG73 and HG76 — which all took place on the UKGibraltar route and each serve as well chosen representations of the different stages of the war at sea.

survival in the most extreme of circumstances, and Bernard Edwards notes in his introduction the often ‘despicable treatment’ of the survivors after their return home.

His well written book also puts the first two convoys into the bigger picture — noting how the huge losses of 1941 and 1942 were typical of ‘defeat on a catastrophic scale’ and of the Royal Navy’s inability to properly defend merchant ships at this stage.

The account of Convoy HG76, however, strikes a more positive note — noting how the capture of the Enigma machines in the first half of 1941had helped to provide more effective protection to merchant shipping. Together with the ‘unerring’ judgement of Commander Johnny

Walker — whose proactive tactics put the U-boats onto the back foot — the battle began to turn in favour of the Allies.

Given the book’s title, it would perhaps have been interesting to have had rather more information about Monsarrat, his background and war service, and his novel. But, that criticism aside, Bernard Edwards has delivered a strong and moving coda to the original book and it is a story that deserves the re-telling. ✪The Cruel Sea Retold: The Truth behind Monsarrat’s Epic Convoy Drama (ISBN 978 1844 1586 38) costs £19.99 and is published by Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS — www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

Fine study of the ships and the seafarers of Athel Line

Find a word for it — in 10 different languages WATERDICHT is Dutch for ‘watertight’. We know that from dipping into the new third edition of Yachtsman’s Ten Language Dictionary — the latest incarnation of a work that was first published more than 40 years ago.

To the eight original languages — English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese — Greek and Turkish were added in the 1995 first edition of Yachtsman’s Ten Language Dictionary in recognition of the volume of sail yachts venturing into the eastern Mediterranean.

Both the eight and the earlier 10 language versions went through various reprints, attesting to the dictionary’s popularity with yachting enthusiasts. New words added in the latest edition bring the dictionary up to date.

The nearly 3,000 words are organised in sections defined by subject or situation, with the earlier sections covering phrases needed in a hurry, starting with boat emergencies, then medical emergencies, followed by the formalities of entering harbour.

OG71, in fact, was the convoy that Monsarrat drew from his own experience as a Lieutenant onboard an escort corvette. Making extensive use of first-hand accounts and contemporary reports, Bernard Edwards does a fine job of conveying the drama, the danger and the difficulties that were an inherent part of the operations described in Monsarrat’s book.

There’s no shortage of incredible stories within these pages — such as the 900-mile voyage completed by a lifeboat with survivors from the HG73 convoy ship Lapwing, navigated by an officer using an uncorrected boat’s compass and a chart he had drawn up from memory on a scrap of paper.

There are many remarkable tales of

Subsequent sections cover such areas as: the boat; the engine; electrics and electronics; the boatyard; at sea; navigation; classic boats — which includes line drawings; and a useful general reference including numbers, clock times, countries, materials (sub-divided into metals, timber, plastics), and weights and measures — covering temperature, capacity, Beaufort scale, and rope.

Whilst aimed at the leisure marine market, the dictionary will be relevant for many professional seafarers — particularly in this era of mixed nationality crewing.

A phonetic guide to pronunciation would have been very useful, but that would have made it much larger and harder to fit into a cruising library. So users will need to familiarise themselves with pronunciation from other sources. ✪Yachtsman’s Ten Language Dictionary by Barbara Webb and Cruising Association, (ISBN 9780 7136 8440 7), costs £17.99. Published by Adlard Coles Nautical — www.adlardcoles.com

SHIPPING line histories naturally focus heavily on the corporate top brass and the evolution of the company fleet, but all too often the seafarers who actually worked on the vessels figure as a shadowy presence.

Dr Ray Solly’s meticulously researched Athel Line: A Fleet History, his study of the ships that served the United Molasses Company, makes a welcome contrast. Dr Solly was a navigating officer on supertankers and cargo ships, and his book makes excellent use of sources that include first-hand anecdotal insights provided by crew members’ diaries and correspondence.

Although he never sailed with Athel, Dr Solly ‘liked the style of these tankers’ when he encountered them, and noted how the onboard ‘relaxed ethos within disciplined structures’ contrasted with the more traditional approach of his own employer.

He writes: ‘To hundreds of merchant seafarers they will be remembered as comfortable tankers owned and operated by generally considerate

superintendents who held concern for the seafarers they employed.’

The ethos was set by the line’s Danish-born founder, Michael Kielberg, who when he died in 1958 was affectionately remembered by one master as ‘a benevolent dictator’. Kielberg was knighted after the second world war, during which 205 Athel seafarers were killed directly as a result of enemy action, while others died later as a result of their injuries.

The company lost 17 ships and 11 were damaged during that conflict, but the post-war market situation was propitious for the molasses trade and Kielberg ordered 14 new tankers from British shipyards. Towards the end of the 50s, however, market conditions fluctuated considerably and several of the company’s tankers ‘joined those of many operators as laid up vessels’.

Dr Solly’s book laments the gradual demise of the company.

‘Undoubtedly, first signs of the decline began in 1958 when traditional trading patterns of molasses failed to meet contemporary market requirements,’ he writes. ‘Fifty years or so on, the fleet name is maintained only through a solitary existing tanker, so, once Athel is scrapped, which will undoubtedly be unannounced and without trumpet blasts, then so this famous shipping name will finally become buried.’

Thus concludes Part One of his book. Part Two includes details of Athel Lines ships and of other vessels with which the company was associated. The book also features pictorial

images throughout, including many fascinating photographs, often complemented by detailed captions that add information not found in the main narrative.

All in all, this study pays fitting tribute to what was a world-class British shipping company. ✪Athel Line: A Fleet History by Dr Ray Solly (ISBN 978 0 7524 4827 5), costs £20 pbk.

Published by The History Press — www.the historypress.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES IN THE TELEGRAPH

CONTACT

Century One Publishing Ltd tel: 01727 893 894 fax: 01727 893 895 email: ollie@centuryone publishing.ltd.uk

42● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

The face of Nautilus UK: Blossom Bell, recruitment assistant BLOSSOM Bell is a very new face at Nautilus — having recently joined the Union as recruitment assistant.

Working with national secretary Gary Elliott, she is helping with the vital recruitment and organising work — seeking to attract new members and retain those already in membership.

A member of the Union since she first went to sea in 2003, Blossom has a solid background of varied experience in different sectors of the maritime industry.

It all began while she was working at a pub near the

nautical college in Warsash. Almost daily, she would speak to cadets, hearing about how they travelled around the world — and this inspired her to pursue a career at sea.

Blossom undertook a cadetship for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and went to sea as a qualified third officer. She then studied at Liverpool John Moores University and was awarded a BSc Honours in Nautical Science.

After some time at sea and a short spell of lecturing at

Telegraph Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

ISSN 0040 2575 staff editor: Andrew Linington production editor: June Cattini reporters: Sarah Robinson/Mike Gerber web editor: Matthew Louw

advertising managers 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 UK 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.

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

Nautilus UK meetings with members: diary dates NAUTILUS UK 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.

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 UK officials when they make regular visits to ships in ports and nautical colleges, or stage specialist forums around the UK. 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 UK’s recruitment team is now holding regular meetings with trainees and members at all the UK’s maritime colleges. Contact Steve Doran or Garry Elliott at the Wallasey office for visiting schedules and further details.

M–Notices

under SOLAS, the guidance insists, ‘this document must be taken into account before a lifeboat is used for training, maintenance or servicing’.

Advice is also included for on-load release gear to which it is impractical to fit FPDs. And where an FPD is not fitted, consideration should be given the use of shoreside facilities such as a hired boat to board the lifeboat safely once it is afloat. Consideration should also be given to an approved modification, including the fitting of attachment points, such that the boat can be used with an FPD. If any on-load release hook is subject to a premature or unintentional release, the MCA says it must be informed as soon as possible, and the master should provide a full report.

The notice also covers shore-based training, recommending that training establishments provide training in the principles of FPDs as detailed.

M-Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency recently include: general secretary Brian Orrell

head office Oceanair House, 750–760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 telex: 892181 DIAL G (marked for the attention of Nautilus UK) website: www.nautilusuk.org

northern office Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park, Wallasey CH45 7PH tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801

department e-mail addresses general: enquiries@nautilusuk.org membership: membership@nautilusuk.org legal: legal@nautilusuk.org Telegraph: telegraph@nautilusuk.org industrial south: industrialsouth@nautilusuk.org industrial north: industrialnorth@nautilusuk.org central services: centralservices@nautilusuk.org welfare: welfare@nautilusuk.org professional and technical: protech@nautilusuk.org In order to better serve the membership efficiently and cost-effectively, Nautilus UK has started to compile a list of members’ email addresses.

It would be helpful if members with email addresses could notify them to the IT Department, indicating their membership number.

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

South Tyneside College, Blossom joined Nautilus last month. Her role will include visiting members, and potential members, at nautical colleges and universities around the UK and helping to build membership in sectors such as the large yacht industry.

‘I’m excited about the challenges which lie ahead of me,’ she said. ‘The Union does so much for its members.

I am amazed at how Nautilus serves not only those who are actively at sea, but also its retired members at Mariners’ Park. It’s great.’

MGN 388 (M+F) Lifeboats: Fitting of ‘Fall Preventer Devices’ to reduce the danger of accidental on-load hook release Because of concerns over the large number of lifeboat accidents, the International Maritime Organisation is considering the design criteria for on-load hooks, and the use of fall preventer devices for existing equipment.

But negotiations at the IMO have only recently started, and it will be some time before new measures are agreed, so the Maritime & Coastguard Agency has issued this interim guidance on the design considerations, shipboard operation, testing and potential problems associated with fall preventer devices (FPDs). The notice is only applicable to davit-launched lifeboats fitted with on-load release hooks.

FPDs can be used to minimise the risk of injury or death in the event that the on-load hook or its release mechanism fails, or in the event of accidental release of the on-load hook. The guidance suggests that their use should be considered as an interim measure to allow time for new hook design criteria to be agreed at the IMO. Guidance is given in the MCA notice on: installation of FPDs; modification of existing type-approved on-load hooks already fitted on a ship to incorporate an FPD; and replacement of an existing on-load release system with an alternative approved system that incorporates an FPD. The guidance notice also covers the design and operation of FPDs, and on lifeboat and hook design to incorporate FPD. The guidance recommends that the master or officer in charge of any lifeboat lowering or lifting operation ensures that the lifeboat FPD is fitted before commencing any drill, testing, inspection or maintenance where people are in the lifeboat. That is unless the lifeboat either has an off-load hook system or has been approved to be used without an FPD. Crew must be fully trained in operating the FPD fitted to their ship’s lifeboat. But the guidance warns that it should be taken into account that with certain types of ship such as oil, gas or chemical tankers, it may impossible to use an FPD in an abandon ship situation where the release mechanism of the device is not inside the lifeboat.

The guidance includes detailed information on conducting drills, testing, inspections or maintenance of lifeboats and launching appliances.

Although use of an FPD is not currently mandatory

SHIP VISITS If you have an urgent problem on your ship, you should contact Nautilus UK (enquiries@nautilusuk.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 UK 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.

MGN 385 (M+F): Guidance on the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage and Garbage from Ships) Regulations 2008 This note provides new guidance for ships on regulatory sewage and garbage management, treatment and discharge, and highlights port and flag state control issues and illegal offences.

The guidance relates to the 2008 Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage and Garbage from Ships) Regulations. The requirements apply to ships engaged on international voyages of 400gt or above, and of less than 400gt that are certified to carry more than 15 persons, and also to fixed and floating platforms and offshore installations. Ships which fall outside the scope of the 2008 regulations may voluntarily opt into the provisions of the requirements by requesting survey and certification. Although the regulations do not as yet apply to any non-commercial ship owned or operated by a state, including naval auxiliary, the note suggests that ‘as a matter of good practice’, these ships are recommended to apply.

All ships to which the sewage requirements apply must have at least one of the following by the date the regulations enter into force, and to the standards laid down: a sewage treatment plant; a sewage comminuting and disinfecting system, or a holding tank for sewage retention which has sufficient capacity and a visual indicator of the amount of its contents. All ships should be equipped to allow their sewage discharge pipeline to connect with the pipe of a sewage reception facility on land.

The 2008 regulations also apply sewage discharge controls and these, together with survey and certification requirements, are also detailed in this note along with other requirements for the owner and master of a ship.

Ships of 400gt or more, and every ship certified to carry 15 or more persons must complete a garbage management plan. Ships must display placards that

SCOTLAND Members employed by companies based in the west of Scotland should contact Nautilus UK 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 UK meetings of the National Professional & Technical and National Pensions Forums include: ✪ National Professional & Technical Forum — this body deals with technical, safety, welfare and other professional topics relevant to shipmas-

notify the crew and passengers of the requirements for garbage disposal. Guidance is also included on garbage discharge controls outside and inside designated special areas.

There is also guidance on garbage management, including incineration, the disposal of incinerator ashes from plastic products which may container toxic or heavy metal residues, and the disposal of cargo tank or hatch washings.

The notice also explains the associated procedures for port and flag state control, including the process for appealing against detention.

ter and chief engineer officer members.

The next meeting is due to be held in Rotterdam, at a venue to be announced later, on Tuesday 22 September, starting at 1300hrs. ✪ 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 UK member, including associate and affiliate. The next meeting will be held at the Quality Hotel, Ferensway, Hull, on Friday 8 May, 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.

Quiz answers 1. A total of 13.4m gt was sold for scrapping during 2008.

2. About 26% of the world merchant fleet was under the red ensign at the start of the second world war.

3. A total of 11,289 ships were on order in March.

4. Red, white and blue horizontally — similar to the Netherlands, but the flag is longer and the blue

MSN 1807 (M+F): The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage and Garbage from Ships) Regulations 2008 — SI 2008 No 3257 This details the key technical requirements laid down under the 2008 Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage and Garbage from Ships) Regulations. These include the carriage of a garbage record book and a garbage management plan on certain ships, and the standard dimensions of flanges for discharge connections for sewage. The note gives guidance on the development of garbage management plans, as well as the form for the garbage record book.

MGN 391 (M+F): Local Supplier of Fuel Oil Registration Registration requirements for a local oil supplier under the 2008 Merchant Shipping Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships regulations are outlined in this guidance note.

The regulations require that a local supplier of fuel oil for combustion purposes delivered to and used on a relevant ship must register with the secretary off state via the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

Relevant ship means a platform, or a ship other than a platform of 400gt or above. All local suppliers must provide an annual declaration; if not, the supplier will be removed from the government’s list of local fuel supplies and will no longer be able to supply fuel legally. ✪M-Notices are available in three ways: a set of bound volumes, a yearly subscription, and individual documents.

is lighter.

5. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is the world’s second largest cruise company, with some 20% of the market.

6. He made the first chronometer reliable enough to enable the calculation of longitude at sea.

Crossword answers QUICK ANSWERS Across: 1. Father time; 6. Spud; 9. Formatting; 10. Comb; 12. Stirling Moss; 15. Balaclava; 17. Ileum; 18. Tesla; 19. Intrusion; 20. Melodramatic; 24. Orgy; 25. Minute hand; 26. Sate; 27. Insensibly.

Down: 1. Fife; 2. Tart; 3. Elastic bands; 4. Tutor; 5. Mendicant; 7. Photogenic; 8. Debasement; 11. Agribusiness; 13. Abstemious; 14. Flashlight; 16. Agitation; 21. Acute; 22. Lamb; 23. Edgy.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition. The answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph. Congratulations to the April crossword winner — Nautilus UK member Peter

✪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

Coull.

✪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@promo-solution.com

11. Closed; 12. Minority; 13. Temptress; 15. Seam;

✪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’.

6. Deterrent; 7. Erratum; 8. Champs Elysees;

CRYPTIC ANSWERS FROM APRIL Across: 1. Millau; 4. Bridge; 9. Isle; 10. Upholstery; 16. Gear; 17. Slapstick; 21. Tsunamis; 22. Napkin; 24. Habiliment; 25. Rake; 26. Eiffel; 27. Stripe.

Down: 1. Moselle; 2. Leeds; 3. Asunder; 5. Relent; 14. Plaintiff; 16. Gustave; 18. Punster; 19. Cricket; 20. Umpire; 23. Puree.

MAY 2009● ✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ 43

Stick up for Nautilus UK’s Sea Sense campaign!

Indicators

NAUTILUS UK offers a range of free stickers to help you show your support for British shipping.The ever-popular Sea Sense car stickers have been spotted all over the world — why not put one in your back window? We also have some smaller paper Sea Sense stickers to put on envelopes.

There is also the ‘delivered by ship’ selection, showing the variety of products that reach our shops thanks to merchant ships and seafarers. These are ideal for handing out at schools and festivals.

UK ANNUAL inflation measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) went negative in March for the first time in almost 50 years.

According to figures released by the Office of National Statistics, RPI was down to minus 0.4% in March, down from zero in February. RPIX inflation — the ‘all items’ RPI excluding mortgage interest payments — was 2.2% in March, down from 2.5% in the previous month.

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell to 2.9% in

All the stickers promote Nautilus UK’s special campaign website www.seasense.co.uk, designed to raise public awareness of the need for maritime skills — and where you can sign an electronic petition urging the government to take more effective measures to support British shipping and seafarers.

If you’d like some free stickers, simply contact Nautilus UK’s Central Services department and let them know how many you need. Call Central Services on +44 (0)20 8989 6677 or email centralservices@nautilusuk.org

March after February’s unexpected rise to 3.2% — still well above the government’s target of 2%.

RPI is often used in pay negotiations, and TUC general secretary Brendan Barber warned that the negative figure should not be taken as an excuse to freeze wages. ‘Widespread wage freezes would prompt families to cut back on their spending, which would be the last thing the UK’s struggling economy needs right now,’ he added. The latest figures on pay deals from the Labour Research Department’s (LRD) Payline show a median increase of 3.3% in the three months to the end of February, down from 3.5% in January. And Incomes Data Services said one in every 10 deals over this period involved pay freezes.

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE A NAUTILUS UK MEMBER… 1. Pay and conditions Nautilus UK negotiates on your behalf with an increasing number of British 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 seafarers in the world fleets.

2. Legal services With the maritime profession under increasing risk of criminalisation, Nautilus UK provides specialist support, including a worldwide network of lawyers who can provide free and immediate advice to full members on employmentrelated 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 UK’s legal services department recovers more than £1m every year in compensation for members who have suffered work-related illness or injuries.

5. Workplace support Nautilus UK 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 UK 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. The NUMAST Welfare Funds charity runs

a 15-acre welfare complex in Wallasey providing homes and care for retired seafarers, and administers welfare pensions and grants to seafarers in need. Nautilus UK has a major say in the running of the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund and the Pension Plan. It also launched The Maritime Stakeholder Plan to meet the needs of seafarers and others working in the shipping industry, at sea and ashore, who are unable to participate in the MNOPF or MNOPP. 7. Savings Being a Nautilus UK 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 credit cards, and household, motoring, travel and specialist insurance.

8. In touch As a Nautilus UK 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. 9. Your union, your voice Nautilus UK is the voice of more than 16,000 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 UK is a dynamic and democratic union, offering members many opportunities to be fully involved and have your say in our work — both at local and national level.

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44 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ MAY 2009

PHILIPPINES BAN ON PIRATE AREAS THE PHILIPPINES government last month announced moves to ban the country’s seafarers from serving on ships in the high-risk piracy areas off Somalia.

More than 100 of the 320 crew members held hostage in the region last month were Filipino nationals, and a

WARSASH MOVES MODEL TRAINING

spokesman for president Gloria Arroyo said a series of directives had been issued to ban the deployment of the country’s seafarers in ‘pirate-threatened sealanes’ in the Gulf of Aden and up to 200nm off Somalia.

The Manila-based United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) organisation criticised the move as ‘ridiculous’ — warning that it threatened to cause ‘lost opportunities for many Filipino seafarers’.

WARSASH Maritime Academy’s ship model training facility is to transfer to one of the UK’s oldest reservoirs as part of a £1.5m investment programme.

The entire Marchwood-based manned model operation — which is one of only a few in the world where seafarers can learn

shiphandling skills on scaleddown ships — will be moved to Timsbury Lake, near Romsey, in the winter of 2010.

‘The purchase and planned development of Timsbury Lake for the manned model operation reflects Southampton Solent University’s commitment to remaining at the very forefront of maritime training — not only in the UK, but worldwide,’ said Warsash Maritime Academy dean and director John Millican.

news

‘Going to sea was the best decision I ever made,’ says trainee of the year NAUTILUS member Thomas Barkley has been presented with this year’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency officer trainee of the year award.

Thomas — now serving as a second officer with Whitaker Tankers — was warmly praised by his employers and college lecturers when the prize was awarded at the annual UK Ship Register reception in London.

And shipping minister Jim Fitzpatrick — who presented the award — said Thomas was a ‘very worthy winner’ of the prize, which was the fourth to have been made by the MCA. Thomas qualified as an officer last July after studying for an HND in nautical science at Fleetwood.

A career at sea was not his first choice — but he describes it as the best decision he has ever made. Having completed a degree in Spanish and management, he worked in Spain for a while before deciding that a deskbound job was boring.

‘I got a bit tired of doing the same thing every day, and wanted something that would offer more of a challenge.

Shipping seemed to fit the bill and I applied to the Safe Ship Training Group and went for an interview in Rochester.

‘Dad was a fisherman for 25 years, and I am an active crew member on the Filey lifeboat,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘Friends in the Merchant Navy encouraged me to have a go — and I have never looked back.’

Thomas said he particularly enjoys the variety of work involved in his job, as well as the time-on/time-off working arrangements. ‘There’s a sense of freedom, and it’s different every day — I love it,’ he added.

‘I like the banter of working

SHOCK AT SOARING PIRACY Union meets IMO on security

Shipping minister Jim Fitzpatrick presents the MCA’s Officer Trainee of the Year award to Thomas Barkley at sea,’ Thomas said. ‘I have met people from all over the world, and I have made some great friends that I will keep for the rest of my life.’

Working onboard a 3,000gt coastal tanker is great fun, he says. ‘I like getting my hands dirty, and it was a good experience being a cadet as you got to do a bit of everything.’

Tony Dumbell, head of maritime operations at Fleetwood, said Thomas had been nominated for the award because of his leadership skills, his support for other students and his commitment to the training.

‘He set out three and a half years ago to achieve this, and has done it with style,’ he added.

‘Thomas is personable, a natu-

ral leader and very much a true officer.’

Whitaker Tankers operating officer Harry Williams said he was delighted that Thomas had won the award. The company had made a commitment towards cadet training back in 1990, he added, and has since seen its trainees rise to master and chief engineer positions.

‘We have had one ship manned from master to second officer with our former cadets, and our ambition is to get them right throughout the fleet,’ he said.

Whitaker Tankers now has around 150 sea staff and an operational fleet of 11 ships. ‘We try to take three deck and three engine cadets at each intake,’ said Mr

Williams, and we have 14 cadets in the system at present.

Mr Fitzpatrick said he was impressed by Whitaker Tankers’ commitment to training efforts.

‘Part of the government’s commitment to a progressive and vibrant shipping industry is the training and development of future officers,’ he told guests at the ceremony, ‘and this remains vitally important.’

The minister said the government is seeking to continue the growth of the UK merchant fleet, and in the past year the register had grown by 54 ships — including seven COSCO containerships and vessels from CMA Ships, CPO Tankers and Safmarine Container Lines.

NAUTILUS has voiced alarm at new figures showing that armed attacks on merchant ships in the first quarter of 2009 have almost doubled from a year ago.

A report released by the International Maritime Bureau last month showed a total of 102 attacks in the first three months of the year — compared with 53 in the same period in 2008.

It warns of increasing levels of violence being used against seafarers, with two crew members killed, nine injured, 178 taken hostage and five kidnapped in the first quarter.

The IMB said the increase in attacks is due almost entirely to increased pirate activity off the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Somalia. The two areas accounted for 61 of the 102 attacks during the first quarter, compared with six incidents for the same period in 2008.

It said Nigeria also continues to be a high-risk area, with evidence to suggest at least 20 attacks in the first three months of 2009.

Disturbed by the escalating threat to ships and their crews, Nautilus is to meet International Maritime Organisation officials to discuss calls for a root and branch review of the security rules for shipping.

General secretary Brian Orrell told Council members last month the Union had proposed a review of the International Ship & Port Facilities Security Code in response to the continuing attacks on merchant vessels.

While the secretary-general of the IMO had responded positively to the call, Mr Orrell said there had been only a ‘lukewarm’ response from shipowners who appeared more concerned about the possibility of increased costs.

Mr Orrell said it is also important for the industry and the authorities not to overlook the threat of attacks in areas other than the Gulf of Aden.

‘There are a disturbing number of atrocities off Nigeria, and we have had one of our members held hostage there for seven months,’ he pointed out.

IMB director Capt Pottengal Mukundan said the naval presence off Somalia had helped to curb the number of successful attacks. ‘It is vital that these operations continue,’ he added. ✪The Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Wave Knight was praised last month for helping to thwart two pirate attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden.

Working with Dutch and a Canadian warships, the RFA replenishment vessel went to the aid of two ships under attack and helped to secure the release of 13 hostages and disrupted the activities of 14 Somali pirates.

‘This is a clear demonstration of how cooperation between more than a dozen international naval forces can result in the successful disruption of piracy activity,’ said Royal Navy Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy commander of the Combined Maritime Forces in the region.

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MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪i

BGM 2009 uniting maritime professionals life at sea competition N autilus/Endsleigh contest shows a wealth of photographic talent within the seafaring community...

AN AMAZING array of images from all corners of the world and all sectors of the shipping industry will be on show at the Nautilus Biennial General Meeting in Gateshead this month.

These pages give a taste of the thousands of entries that flooded in to the ever-popular ‘life at sea’ photographic competition run by Nautilus and Endsleigh Insurance Services since its launch late last year.

The competition is staged to showcase the world of seafaring, and we asked for the best shots showing what it’s like working in the shipping industry today, leaving you to interpret that in whatever way you wish — from the good to the bad.

The response was fantastic — with a remarkable range of images, from the abstract to the very real, from sunsets to storms, and from tough and gritty images of work to relaxed moments off-duty.

Judges had a hard task to decide the winners, and just a few points divided the prize-winning entries.

The first prize, of £750, went to Andrej Bogacenko, who serves with North Star Shipping, of Aberdeen.

His portfolio included an impressive compilation of pictures (some reproduced on this page) showing all aspects of work and play onboard a North Sea emergency response and rescue vessel — and offering a great sense of the camaraderie that can exist among crew members.

‘These pictures really made you feel as if you were there,’ said Pauline Wardleworth, from Endsleigh. ‘They were beautifully composed, and were full of humour and drama, perfectly capturing the theme of life at sea.’

Second prize, of £500, went to Simon Peter Macaulay, a navigating officer serving on Maersk Supply vessels, who also submitted a stunning selection of shots — mainly taken whilst working off

Angola. Judges praised the colour and framing of his photographs, and the quality of the images despite being taken in some testing conditions.

Third prize went to Paul Weychan, who serves with the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, for what judges described as a marvellous mix of pictures showing his experiences onboard the FPVs Vigilant and Jura.

Once again, colour and composition was praised, as well as the range of images (including chief engineer Jim Nelson on the bagpipes at sundown!) and his lyrical and descriptive captions.

Warm words of praise went to the runners-up — including Andrew Corrie for his powerful picture of an LNG tanker and dry dock work, Andrew Walder for a great series of shots from Antarctica, and Michal Kwiatkowski for his varied and sometimes humorous images (notably the ‘full monty’ crew!).

Judges also singled out Maersk Offshore chief officer Simon Capes for his professional portfolio, Andy McDowell for some idyllic images of Marchwood (!) and Ascension Island, and Northern Marine navigating officer Aayush Giri for his evocative pictures of the Panama Canal. Special mentions also for engineering cadet Sean Bryant for his superbly composed shots, Shell officer Laura Lloyd Hughes for her lovely pictures portraying her three years at sea so far, and chief officer David Britton.

Last word once again goes to Endsleigh’s Pauline Wardleworth: ‘You cannot help to be bowled over by the incredible talent on display in these photographs, and the way that they capture the power and range of the sea.

I cannot give enough praise to all those who took the time and trouble to enter.’

Prizes will be presented at this month’s Nautilus UK BGM, where exhibitions of the photographs will also be staged.

ii ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ MAY 2009

MAY 2009 ✪● Nautilus UK Telegraph● ✪ iii

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: a selection of some of the highly praised entries — ‘A sparkling sea’ by ERIC SUPERINA

‘Shouldn’t you have a hard hat on?’ by KARL RADANKE

‘Sunrise at the Immingham Oil Terminal while the

‘Wildlife at rest’ by PYOTR KISELYOV

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ‘Chain’ by DAVID BRITTON ‘Drydocking’ by ANDREW CORRIE ‘Snow scene’ by MICHAL KWIATKOWSKI ‘Bridge to heaven’ by AAYUSH GIRI ‘Mud tank’ by PATRICK McCARDLE Stormy seas by ANDY McDOWELL Relief of the Emderma 2008

by ANDREW WALDER ‘Welding’ by SIMON CAPES Up the mast by LAURA LLOYD HUGHES

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: a selection of some of the best of the thousands of photographs submitted to the latest Nautilus/Endsleigh ‘life at sea’ photographic competition: Barrow wind farm, Morecambe Bay by A. ATKINSON, skipper of the Coastal Guardian ‘Amigos’ by JULIAN BILCHIK, a second mate serving in the North Sea A view taken from the bow of the port pontoon onboard the West Aquarius at anchor in Okpo Harbour, South Korea by CHRIS BALL A beautiful bow shot taken onboard the Dole

‘Tall ships, Liverpool, 2007’

by DAVID STYLES

‘Anchors away’ by HapagLloyd deck cadet SAM HUGHES

life at sea competition

HIGHLY COMMENDED

mv Pearl discharges’ by HOWARD BEISLY, skipper of the British-owned backhoe dredger Pat M

Chile, in the southern Caribbean by engineer cadet CHRISTOPHER KEAYS A stunning sunset shot submitted by CHRISTOPHER COWELL Engineroom work — one of a series entered by Anglo-Eastern engineer cadet SEAN BRYANT ‘Watch that ship!’ – part of the portfolio entered by engineer officer DEREK MOFFAT ‘Sunset: smoke covers the Earth’ by chief engineer officer JACEK WEBER who works on Vroon Offshore vessels in the North Sea ‘Morning calm’ — an entry from PETER BARKER

iv âœŞâ—?

Nautilus UK Telegraphâ—? âœŞ MAY 2009

BGM 2009 uniting maritime professionals life at sea competition ON THIS PAGE: a selection from the Nautilus/Endsleigh Insurance Services life at sea photo competition second and third prize winners SIMON PAUL MACAULAY and PAUL WEYCHAN. Mr Macaulay took his series of photographs whilst serving as a second officer onboard the Isle of Man-flagged anchor handling support vessel Maersk Searcher off Angola.

Mr Weychan produced his collection — modestly described as ‘snaps caught on the spur of the moment’ — whilst working on the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency vessels Vigilant and Jura TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: ‘Kizomba A, TLP A & PSP’ ‘Maersk Searcher in dry dock, Dakar’ ‘Maersk Searcher approaches PSP’ BOTTOM ROW, LEFT: ‘Luanda panorama’

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TOP: ‘Captain Temple and grand-daughter Evie’ CENTRE: chief engineer Jim Nelson pipes the sun down BOTTOM: Richard Butler measures a net

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