Telegraph October 2009 by Crew Admin

Health hazards Nautilus voices concern over port health 19

Scholars speak Trinity House scheme marks 20th birthday 21

Legal seminar Teaser heading Nautilus stages 00 a conference on criminalisation 22-23

Volume 42 | Number 10 | October 2009 | £2.85 €3.00

Insurers raise alarm over safety slump renewed concern that safety A standards in the shipping industry Marine insurers have raised

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson told TUC delegates of the brutal reality of present-day piracy Picture: Andrew Wiard

Piracy threat ‘is set to get worse’ Union motion to TUC as experts warn of long-term need for naval support

Amid warnings by defence experts that governments may need to maintain anti-piracy patrols in the Middle East for at least another ﬁve years, Nautilus has called for the TUC to step up pressure for further action to cut the threat to ships and seafarers. Alerts over an increase in attacks were issued last month for the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, and in SE Asia. And a US naval expert warned that things could get even worse in the Gulf of Aden if, as feared, Yemen becomes a dysfunctional state like Somalia. Speaking at the International Chamber of Shipping conference in London, marine director Peter Hinchcliffe said there are now 30 warships from 28 countries protecting merchant shipping off Somalia. ‘With no concrete progress towards ending instability in the

country, the need for military forces on station is unlikely to reduce for at least ﬁve or six years,’ he warned. ‘There is a danger of it becoming institutionalised, and a need to consider how to address the problem.’ Netherlands Navy Captain Georges van Aalst, from the EU Naval Force, told the conference that the EUNAVFOR mandate had already been extended beyond its original one year, and is likely to last at least another two or three years after the next mandate ends in December 2010. Kim Hall, of the US Center for Naval Analysis, warned that piracy is providing ‘a very attractive and lucrative business model’, and there is a risk the problem could spread — particularly if predictions that Yemen will also become a failed state materialise within a few years. ‘There are going to be problems on both sides of

the Gulf if we are not careful.’ She pointed to an absence of united effort among the EU, NATO, and combined maritime forces in the Middle East — with problems caused by the independent chains of command for all the naval forces in the area, and the different rules of engagement each had. ICS chairman Spyros Polemis accused governments of ‘skirting around the problem and not meeting it head-on’. The solution is political, he said, and until it was tackled navies would be ‘treating the symptoms, but not the cause’. With attacks off Somalia set to rise following the end of the monsoon season, warnings were also made last month of an increased threat in other regions — including SE Asia and Latin America. Delegates at the International Union of Marine Insurance con-

ference in Bruges heard that the economic downturn has sparked an increase in violent attacks on ships in Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia and Peru. Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the warnings were of considerable concern, and underlined the need for much more effective action to be taken to improve maritime security. Moving a Nautilus motion on the issue at the TUC Congress last month, he said it was totally unacceptable in the modern world that seafarers continue to face the threat of piracy. And he warned: ‘Everyone knows that we can’t solve the problem of piracy on the high seas; much more needs to be done through diplomatic and developmental support to sort out the dysfunctional state of Somalia.’

g Full report — see page 10.

could be slipping again as a result of the slump in maritime markets. Delegates attending the International Union of Marine Insurance annual conference in Bruges last month heard that ‘dire’ trading conditions are creating a ‘very worrying’ scenario. President Deirdre Littlefield opened the meeting with a warning of the bleak prospects facing the industry. ‘Every sector is in trouble, despite one or two bright spots,’ she said. ‘A lot of companies have already folded or filed for bankruptcy, and more will follow. This is putting considerable pressure on marine insurers.’ Insurers are having to face a rise in claims resulting from an increase in costly partial losses and the ‘leaking of money down the seemingly bottomless piracy drain’, she added. ‘Repair prices remain high, which may put further pressure on owners to defer essential repairs and maintenance, to the detriment of underwriters.’ Ms Littlefield urged underwriters not to ignore the danger signs at a time ‘when the shipping industry is literally on its knees’. Cedric Charpentier, head of IUMI’s facts and figures committee, said total ship losses were down to

92 in 2008, against 110 in 2007 and 98 a year earlier. Ocean hull committee chairman Peter McIntosh warned that while total losses have fallen signiﬁcantly over the past 20 years, last year’s levels were among the highest in the past 15 years. IUMI ﬁgures show an initial estimated total of 748 serious partial losses last year — expected to rise to about 800, less than the 975 in 2007 but well above the 2006 total of 725 and the 2005 total of 515. There were also nine serious casualties in the month leading up to the IUMI conference — estimated to have cost more than $250m. With bigger and more expensive ships, the costs of claims are on the increase and the underwriters are concerned at the large number related to machinery — the largest single factor, accounting for more than 40% of all claims. Joint hull committee chairman Simon Stonehouse said insurers were ‘haemorrhaging money on machinery claims’. The Lloyd’s market alone paid out $100m in machinery damage claims in 2008, with the average settlement running to $100,000. IUMI is concerned about the use of unauthorised ‘pirated’ spare parts to save money, and is also trying to examine the roles of crew negligence and lack of maintenance.

Inside

F Get yourself protected?

The Telegraph takes a look at the growing range of anti-piracy equipment being offered to shipowners — page 28-29 F A load of ballast

A special feature examines the slow progress towards agreement on ballast water discharges — pages 24-25

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Union could help to cut your power bills New members-only service could save the price of your subscription

Former general secretary Eric Nevin addressing the TUC Congress on behalf of the MNAOA in the 1980s

Nautilus has recently teamed up with Union Energy to give members living in England, Scotland and Wales access to a new independent energy price comparison service that could save you more than the cost of membership. Union Energy’s service not only promises to ﬁnd members the most competitive domestic energy deal available on the market, but also guarantees competitive prices in the future thanks to its Ongoing Monitoring Programme. To date, union members using

the service have saved an average of £154 per annum — and some as much as £585. Unlike most other energy price comparison sites, Union Energy’s service is 100% impartial and includes tariffs for every energy company active in the UK market for maximum choice. Customers therefore have all options available to them — be it standard gas and electricity paid by direct debit, single fuels, green energy, or capped rate products — supplied by smaller niche energy companies as well as ‘the big six’.

Nautilus assistant general secretary Paul Moloney, who is responsible for membership benefits, commented: ‘Our aim is to find benefits that save members money and therefore reduce the real cost of belonging to Nautilus International. ‘There is every possibility that using Union Energy could save you more than your annual subscription to the Union. ‘I hope that members will use the service — apparently, it would save me £346 a year on my present energy bill!’ Union Energy is owned by the

TUC and its new website is powered by Energylinx, a UK company with an excellent track record. What’s more, because its service is not just web-based, if you have any problems or queries you can pick up the phone and speak to an experienced person based in the UK who actually knows what they’re talking about. g Members wanting to ﬁnd out more should visit the website: www.unionenergy.co.uk or call 0800 094 9039 (MondayThursday 9am-6pm; Friday 9am-4pm; Saturday 9am-1pm).

2008/2009 Nautilus project to build 10 new retirement bungalows. On Capt Robinson’s behalf, she also received the gift of a replica ship’s bell and clock. Paul Robinson served at sea for his

whole working life, culminating as master with Ellerman’s. He was a member of the Welfare Funds Committee for some 25 years, and had served as its chairman since 1999, spearheading many important

initiatives to improve the lives of serving and retired seafarers. A memorial sundial donated by the Robinson family has now been installed in the grounds of Mariners’ Park as a permanent tribute.

Tributes for former GS Highest honour awarded Eric Nevin N

Tributes have been paid to former NUMAST general secretary Eric Nevin, whose funeral took place last month after he died following a long illness. Mr Nevin, who was 78, had been appointed general secretary of the Merchant Navy & Airline Officers Association in 1974 and led the Union through the merger of the Mercantile Marine Service Association and Radio & Electronic Officers Union that created NUMAST in 1985. Born in Waterloo, Lancashire, Mr Nevin was educated at St Mary’s College, Crosby, and at HMS Conway, completing his marine studies at Liverpool Technical College. He served at sea from 1948 to 1959 with Alfred Holt, Blue Funnel and Glen Lines and obtained his Master’s Foreign Going Certiﬁcate in 1957. He was member of the Royal Institute of Navigation and a fellow of the Nautical Institute. Mr Nevin joined the then MNAOA as assistant district secretary in the Liverpool office in 1959 and became a national secretary in 1961, with responsibility for the legal department and with additional responsibilities in training and maritime technical and safety matters. In 1968, Mr Nevin’s duties changed to cover industrial negotiations and he was appointed assistant general secretary in 1971 before being elected by the Council as general secretary in 1974. Mr Nevin represented the Union on a wide range of external organisations, including the governing bodies of HMS Conway, the London Nautical School and the Merchant Navy College. He also served as vice-chairman of the Merchant Navy Training Board and chairman of the MNTB technical committee, as well as being vice-

chairman of the joint International Labour Organisation/International Maritime Organisation committee on training. Other roles he ﬁlled included positions on the National Maritime Board, the Merchant Navy Welfare Board and the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund. Mr Nevin also served on the governing body of King George’s Fund for Sailors (now known as Seafarers UK), the Merchant Seamen’s War Memorial Society, the Marine Society and the Conway Trust. He was instrumental in establishing the JW Slater Memorial Fund — which provides support for ratings training for officer certiﬁcation — in memory of his immediate predecessor, John Slater, who had died in office. Mr Nevin leaves a widow, Kay, a son, Michael, and a daughter, Cheryl. In his address to the funeral service last month, Michael said: ‘Throughout his career my father was a leader who was respected for his fairness and pragmatism and as someone who possessed a steely determination to defend the rights of those who needed support.’ Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson attended the service, and commented: ‘Eric successfully led the Union through some very difficult times, and helped to lay the foundations for Nautilus by bringing the three UK officers’ organisations together as NUMAST. ‘He also had a strong record of achievement for seafarers at the international level, representing the Union at the ITF and the ILO — where he did a considerable amount of work on a number of conventions, including the development of Convention 147 on minimum conditions for merchant shipping,’ Mr Dickinson added.

Nautilus International has paid tribute to the work of the late NUMAST Welfare Funds chairman Captain Paul Robinson, with the presentation of the Nautilus Award to his wife Val, pictured right, and the installation of a memorial at Mariners’ Park. The Nautilus Award is the Union’s highest honour, presented for exceptional service to seafarers. The decision to recognise Capt Robinson’s work in this way had been taken by Council back in July 2008, so he was able to hear of the award before his untimely death from a serious illness in May this year — although he could not receive the award at the Biennial General Meeting as originally planned. Capt Robinson’s name has now been entered into the Book of Honour for Nautilus Award winners. To mark the occasion, Val Robinson was invited to the 8 September Welfare Funds Committee meeting. She was presented with a certiﬁcate and a framed photo of her husband ‘cutting the ﬁrst sod’ at the beginning of the

Cliff celebrates 25 years of service K

Mariners’ Park maintenance worker Cliff Jones, right, received a long-service award last month after notching up 25 years with the Union. Cliff was congratulated by NUMAST Welfare Funds Committee chairman Bob Thornton at a ceremony in Nautilus International’s northern office Nautilus House on 8 September. He later received a ﬁnancial bonus for his two-and-ahalf decades of service. The hard-working employee came to the Union with a background in marine plumbing, ship repair and shipbreaking, and has shown he can turn his hand to almost anything over the years.

Since he joined, he has seen the Mariners’ Park complex develop

into one of the UK’s most advanced and highly-rated retirement

facilities — and his own work has also moved with the times. Having started out as a traditional handyman, Cliff now also helps to support the increasing use of technology at the park, working with the teams installing computers and hi-tech care equipment for the residents. ‘The Union was pleased to have this opportunity to thank Cliff for his many years of excellent work,’ director of operations Mike Jess told the Telegraph. ‘In an age where the trend is for people to change jobs frequently, it’s good to keep loyal workers with us and help them develop their skills in-house as Cliff has done.’

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports AID ALERT: European shipowners have expressed concern about the potential for protectionist measures in the maritime sector in response to the economic downturn. ‘Order must be created in the bank sector and speculation in building ships should be avoided,’ the European Community Shipowners’ Association warned. Presenting their annual report in Brussels, the owners repeated concerns over the shortage of qualified seafarers and said a task force is being established later this year ‘to find a balance between employment conditions of seafarers and maintaining the competitiveness of European shipping’. COMPLIANT SCRUBBER: following a two-year trial onboard a Finnish products tanker, the Norwegian classification society DNV has issued a compliance certificate for an exhaust gas scrubbing system capable of meeting the requirements of SOx emission control areas. DNV said the approval ‘demonstrates that ship operators may in the future have the option of using traditional fuel oils, rather than low-sulphur fuels, when voyaging in designated sensitive areas such as the North Sea’.

Bungalow boost for Park Anew bungalows at Nautilus International’s Mariners’ Park retirement complex in Wallasey, on Last month saw the official opening of 10

the banks of the Mersey. At the 9 September ceremony, pictured above, senior Nautilus official Peter McEwen welcomed a range of guests, including Anthony Lydekker of Seafarers UK — the charity whose £340,000 contribution had made the building project possible. Also present were the bungalows’ architects and builders, as well as representatives of the seafaring industry. A plaque to commemorate the opening of the new homes was unveiled by Nautilus welfare director Liz Richardson and Val Robinson, widow of the late NUMAST Welfare Funds chairman Paul Robinson. The bungalows were built to expand and upgrade the independent accommodation at the park — increasing retirement dwellings for single occupants, as research has identiﬁed that there is

a higher proportion of these in the maritime community than in the population at large. The homes are designed to allow residents to live independently for as long as possible, with good access to entrances and exits, space to use wheelchairs and mobility aids, and ‘wet rooms’ where showers can be taken standing up or sitting down. One bungalow has additional equipment to help a resident with very limited mobility to live with the support of a spouse or professional carer, and all the residents beneﬁt from services offered throughout the park, such as domiciliary care (home help) and gardening. ‘We have a wide spectrum of abilities among the residents at the park, and we aim to give people as much or as little support as they need,’ said Mr McEwen. ‘It is pleasing that we are now able to offer independent retirement accommodation to the highest modern standards, to match the quality of our renowned care home.’ Park resident Sheena Shaw said she was very

satisﬁed with her new bungalow — one of the ﬁrst to be completed. ‘There are so many advantages,’ she stresses. ‘A lot of thought has gone into the design, making it a very viable home for people on their own who may have mobility problems.’ And she admits that the move to the bungalow encouraged her to de-clutter — which was ‘probably good for my soul and means that housework is not the chore it was in the past’. Captain Gerald Rolph took up residence in May this year, moving to the park from his old home in Moreton, around three miles away in the Wirral. Thanks to his new bungalow, he is able to live close to his wife Joan, a resident of the Mariners’ Park Care Home, and he likes the fact that he still has his own little garden. ‘It’s very good here,’ he smiles. ‘There’s more than adequate space in the house, with all the latest technology. I can see Joan every day, and I’m even working up to trying the park’s internet café.’

Porn raids ‘show scale of problem’ UK authorities defend checks on contents of visiting seafarers’ computers

Nautilus is continuing to press the UK authorities for assurances following a series of cases in which police, customs and Borders Agency personnel have inspected the contents of computers, mobile phones and memory sticks belonging to seafarers on visiting ships. The Union has written to home secretary Alan Johnson seeking information about the reasons why the checks are being carried out and to raise concern about the potential for retaliatory action against British ships and seafarers in other parts of the world. Nautilus was alerted following recent cases in which several Fil-

ipino seafarers were arrested and jailed for the possession of paedophile pornography after videos and photos were discovered during a search of crew quarters on ships visiting Liverpool’s Seaforth Docks. Similar checks have been conducted in a number of other UK ports, and Dutch members reported a visit by Special Branch ofﬁcers to their ship in Teesport, during which the master was warned about the consequences of crew members being caught with child pornography. UK authorities have assured the Union that checks are intelligence-led, and are not being carried out on a random basis. ‘It is not, and has never been the case

that UKBA ofﬁcers will conduct routine checks or trawls simply on the off-chance that they might recover illegal or prohibited material,’ Nautilus was told. But they warn that there appears to be a national and an international problem related to the possession of child pornography by some seafarers, and the Home Ofﬁce revealed that last year it seized over 2,500 items of illegal pornography — including large quantities of paedophilic material. It said the checks last year had resulted in 437 seizures of adult pornographic material — a total of 2,278 items — and 138 seizures of 500 items of paedophile material. The Union was told that in

cases where child pornography is found in a seafarer’s possession, the UKBA will always seek to prosecute. Nautilus told the home secretary that while the Union would never seek to defend the possession of illicit material, it was concerned by the potential intrusion into seafarers’ personal lives, and that authorities in other parts of the world could take an even tougher line with material that would be perfectly legal in the UK. The Union is liaising with the UK authorities over a future article for the Telegraph setting out the laws affecting seafarers, and the powers of the police and other agencies to inspect personal computers and mobile phones.

ARCTIC CIRCLE: two German merchant ships last month completed a transit through the ‘north-east passage’ from South Korea, along Russia’s Arctic coast, to Siberia. The Beluga multi-purpose heavy lift project carriers Fraternity and Foresight were heading for Rotterdam in a voyage that may demonstrate the feasibility of opening up the route to regular shipping services as a result of retreating ice cover in the Arctic. SOLO BLOW: a 16-year-old Australian seeking to become the youngest person to sail solo and non-stop around the world escaped injury after a collision with a bulk carrier just days before her voyage was due to begin last month. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it was looking into the cause of the collision between the yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady, and the Hong Kongflagged bulker Silver Yang. BULKER ALERT: the UK P&I Club has warned over the safety of iron ore cargoes following the loss of a Mongolian-flagged bulk carrier last month. One crew member died when the 37,657dwt Black Rose sank in the Bay of Bengal after developing a list. The club warned of ‘an increasing number of problems’ caused by high moisture content in iron ore fines loaded in the west coast of India. VIETNAMESE CADETS: Cardiff-based Graig Ship Management is to sponsor 20 Vietnamese officer cadets under an agreement with Ho Chi Minh Citybased University of Transport and Dutch education provider STC Graig Ship Management. The company currently sponsors seven UK officer cadets and says it plans to continue to train in the UK and the Philippines. ROTTERDAM DEAL: international shipowners have hailed as ‘an historic step’ the agreement last month by 15 countries, including five EU member states, on the new UNCITRAL convention on the carriage of goods by sea. Known as the Rotterdam Rules, the convention will introduce a new legal regime for cargo liabilities. PORTS HIT: freight volumes handled by UK ports slumped by some 11% in the first half of this year, according to new figures from the Department for Transport. Of the UK’s five busiest ports, Tees and Hartlepool suffered worst — recording a 23% slump in traffic in the first six months of 2009. DUMPING PAY-OUT: the Dutch-based oil trading company Trafigura has agreed to pay £28m damages to some 30,000 people in the Ivory Coast who claimed to have suffered ill health as a result of slops dumped by the vessel Probo Koala in 2006. CELTIC CHARTER: French operator LD Lines has chartered its vessel Norman Voyager to rival operator Celtic Link to run services between Portsmouth, Rosslare and Cherbourg.

04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports MAERSK CLAIMS: following feedback from members serving on Maersk containerships, Nautilus has submitted a formal pay and conditions claim seeking a substantial above-inflation pay increase. The Union has also called for increased employer’s contributions to pensions and improved onboard welfare facilities, including phonecards and internet access. A separate claim has been made for members employed by Maersk Offshore (Bermuda) and a meeting is due to be held on 14 October. ORKNEY TALKS: Nautilus is continuing negotiations with Orkney Ferries on a range of subjects, including outstanding pay issues, terms and conditions, call-back and annual leave. Industrial officer Steve Doran said some progress has been made, but not as quickly as the Union would wish. WESTERN INFORMATION: Nautilus has obtained information from Western Ferries on a number of issues raised at previous meetings. Industrial officer Steve Doran said the Union will be assessing the material, and will also be examining the draft new staff handbook. RED FUNNEL RISE: Nautilus has opened negotiations with Red Funnel on a pay and conditions claim for members. The Union is seeking a positive above-inflation pay rise, and talks on issues including bonuses, overtime, contracts and staff concessions. INTRADA SUBMISSION: Nautilus has submitted a claim seeking a pay rise above the cost of living for members serving with Intrada Ships Management and it is hoped that a meeting to begin negotiations will be held this month. BP CONCERN: Nautilus has requested a meeting with BP Oil (UK) to discuss concern about the potential impact of the sale of the Border Heather next year, as well as the end of charters for the Tartan and Thistle. ARTEMIS SALE: P&O Cruises has sold its 44,588gt vessel Artemis to an unnamed European operator. The 25-year-old vessel will be chartered back to P&O to operate scheduled cruises until 2011.

Nautilus conducts Singapore visits C

Nautilus International officials Ian Cloke and Willem Grooff are pictured meeting Captain Mukul Bhargava, senior general manager with Maersk in Singapore last month. The meeting took place as part of a week-long series of visits to maritime organisations and ships in Singapore. ‘The trip was undertaken to help consolidate our work for members in Singapore, and to develop the relationship between the UK office and the Nautilus presence there,’ said Mr Cloke. The visit took place shortly

before the UK-ﬂagged containership Maersk Kendal ran aground at the Sebarok Beacon, near Singapore. Nautilus is providing advice and support for members onboard the 6,188TEU vessel, which was transiting the traffic separation scheme bound for the port of Tanjong Pelepas, when it grounded on a sandbank. There were no reports of injury or oil pollution, but both the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore launched inquiries into the cause of the incident.

UECC proposes big changes in work patterns A

Nautilus has begun discussions with UECC Guernsey on cost-cutting proposals to shift members to a two-on/one-off working pattern. In initial talks last month, management said the changes were needed ‘to secure the future of the company’ following a huge drop in cargo volumes. The UECC ﬂeet has been cut from 32 ships to just 17, and the company also pointed to unfair competition from non-European ﬂagged operators using low-cost crews. Management said there was no alternative but to ‘restructure the cost picture’ to meet the competition from low-cost operators.

It wants ofﬁcers to move to a rota of eight weeks onboard, four weeks off, and ratings to work a pattern of 16 weeks on, four weeks off. Industrial ofﬁcer Gavin Williams said the Union had already concluded one set of cost reduction measures with the company, and is seeking to explore alternatives to the proposals. ‘Nautilus is also seeking to verify the need for the proposals, and to secure as best we can the future employment of members,’ he added. Members serving with the company have been asked to give the Union their views on the proposals before further discussions are held.

ITF mounts week of action in Baltic to check on conditions seafarers’ pay and conditions A on ships in the Baltic Sea was staged A week of action to check

by the International Transport Workers’ Federation last month. ITF staff helped coordinate vessel inspections by the federation’s inspectors in Germany, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. More than 50 ships were visited in the ﬁrst day alone, and the ITF said a number of discrepancies had been discovered ‘between the contractual terms and conditions the seafarers

signed at the point when they joined their ships and the actual conditions they have been subject to while on board’. In at least two cases, vessels were reported to the port state control officers after deﬁciencies were spotted during the ship visits, the ITF added, and negotiations were launched with owners and managers to ‘rectify issues related to wages and overtime payments, as well as to ensure that the seafarers obtain improved conditions in line with their contractual entitlements’.

P&O’s new ‘jumbo’ ferries take shape in Finnish yard on the construction of the ﬁrst F of two new 49,000gt ships for P&O Work is now well under way

Ferries, with a keel-laying ceremony for the ﬁrst ferry at the STX yard in Rauma, Finland, pictured above. In keeping with tradition, coins were placed under the keel for good fortune at a formal ceremony. P&O Ferries chief executive Helen Deeble told the event that the two ships — being built at a total cost of €360m — would consolidate the company as ‘market leaders in the UK ferry industry’. With an overall length of 212m, the two vessels are the largest ferries ever designed for the DoverCalais route. The ﬁrst will come into service at the end of 2010, followed

by the second in September 2011.

z Members serving in all the P&O

Ferries ﬂeets have been asked to submit views on the contents of the forthcoming pay and conditions claim. The Union is also holding further talks with P&O North Sea Ferries on its business review plans. Details of the medium and long-term strategy are awaited, and it is hoped a meeting will take place late this month. z Nautilus has requested a further meeting with P&O Ferries management to discuss concerns over the company’s policy on the use of voyage data recorder information. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the company had agreed to deal with the issue on a central basis.

Nautilus International industrial officer Steve Doran is pictured with members J.A. Chapman, J. Morrison, G. Skea and J.A. Osho during a visit to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company vessel Mersey Mammoth last month. Issues discussed included pay, and terms and conditions. New contracts have just been produced as the MDHC strives to more effectively market and utilise the vessel.

Protests over civil service severance RFA members urged to take part in consultation on compensation plans

Nautilus lent its support to an emergency motion at the TUC Congress opposing government plans to cut the civil service compensation scheme (CSCS). The CSCS provides funding for redundancy and early retirement, and Nautilus members serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are among the workers that could be affected by the proposed changes. Unions fear the proposals — which were announced by a leak in the Daily Mail — could see members losing tens of thousands of pounds of their present

entitlement in the event of voluntary or compulsory redundancy, and could also be the basis of a new round of public sector cutbacks. Nautilus is liaising with other unions on the issue, and members serving with the RFA have been urged to make their views known through a government consultation on the proposals. The TUC motion — which was carried unanimously — noted that the media had portrayed the plans as reform to end ‘goldplated’ pay-offs. ‘In reality, the proposals threaten to strip hun-

dreds of thousands of staff, including the low paid, of their current entitlements to compensation in the event of redundancy and make compulsory redundancy more likely.’ The proposals have been unanimously rejected by unions representing civil service staff, and the emergency motion called for the TUC general council to use its inﬂuence to seek a re-opening of negotiations. Moving the emergency motion, Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, said: ‘The government has stated its

intent to betray its own workforce and tear up the contractual redundancy compensation terms of half a million people. This would rob low paid workers and allow an incoming government, probably the Conservatives, to cut jobs on the cheap. ‘Let us be clear, the people the government are talking about aren’t your bowler-hatted Sir Humphreys, but low paid workers delivering services across the UK,’ he added. Unions have also threatened take legal action in the form of a judicial review of the proposals.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 05

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Svitzer visit

shortreports

HANSON LOSSES: a total of 16 seafarers are being made redundant from the Hanson Ship Management fleet following a decision to lay up two vessels. Nautilus has been involved in discussions over the job losses, and industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the Union had managed to get the number of compulsory redundancies to just two. ‘There has also been an equality of misery between those of different nationalities, on different contracts, working on vessels,’ he stressed.

Nautilus industrial officer Gary Leech is pictured right meeting members onboard Svitzer Marine tug Norton Cross — left to right, Ian Whitlock, Captain Jim Withers, Captain John McMurray, Captain and liaison officer Dave Strand, and Michael Jones. The meeting was arranged as part of consultations on the pay and conditions negotiations. Members have rejected a proposed pay freeze, and the Union is awaiting a response from the company to a request for further talks.

CEMEX JOBS: Nautilus has completed negotiations with Cemex UK Marine over redundancies caused by the lay-up of the Sand Weaver. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said 11 seafarers were losing their jobs, seven from the UK side, and the Union had represented one in an appeal on the basis of unfair selection. The Union had also argued that the company should have sought redundancies from across the fleet, rather than on a ship-specific basis.

Council to set pay strategy

CARNIVAL CUTS: Nautilus has been involved in talks with Carnival UK over the loss of computer services officers’ jobs from Cunard ships. Industrial officer Gavin Williams said further meetings are planned, and the Union has been providing members with advice and assistance, as well as seeking to ensure that contractual compulsory redundancy arrangements are adhered to. WYNDHAMS FREEZE: reconvened pay and conditions talks have taken place between Nautilus and Wyndhams Management Services. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said that despite Union representations on behalf of members, the company had maintained that the pay freeze will have to continue in current market conditions.

Negotiations set to open against national backdrop of depressed rates

Pay talks covering thousands of Nautilus members with 1 January review dates are set to get under way in the coming weeks. And this month the Union’s Council will meet to consider the strategy to guide ofﬁcials in the negotiations, which open at a time when new ﬁgures show average pay rises in the UK have dropped to the lowest level in 15 years. A report published by the independent analysts Incomes Data Services last month said the median pay settlement in the three months to July had fallen to

just 1% — with more than a third of all agreements resulting in a pay freeze. IDS said that very few pay deals were being struck at the 1% figure, with a large proportion of freezes and more than two-fifths worth 2% or more. Some employers have even sought pay cuts, on the grounds that the retail price index has been a ‘minus’ figure — although the consumer prices index has remained around the 2% mark. Pay cuts, pay freezes and other changes in working conditions have also been agreed in some companies in an attempt to avert

the threat of redundancies. Nautilus assistant general secretary Paul Moloney said members need to look at a range of factors when considering the contents of a claim — including their workloads and responsibilities, and the company’s trading position. ‘The negotiations that Nautilus has completed so far this year have seen many members getting higher increases than the average ashore, with many settlements of between 2% and 3%,’ he said. ‘Although some members have had to accept pay freezes, a signiﬁcant number have bene-

ﬁted from multi-year deals secured by the Union, which have delivered increases of 4% and more,’ he pointed out. The TUC has urged companies not to impose pay freezes. General secretary Brendan Barber warned that the growing trend was dangerous — and could have serious knock-on effects for the economy if consumers have less money in their pockets. ‘While unions have negotiated pay freezes and short-time working in companies badly hit by the recession, many employers can afford settlements that provide real growth in wages,’ he added.

COLLEGE VISITS: the Nautilus International recruitment team has been arranging a series of autumn visits to maritime training institutions in the UK and Ireland. Visits have been lined up for Glasgow College on 23 October and Warsash Maritime Academy on 27 and 28. GLOBAL MEETING: Nautilus is set to meet Global Marine Systems this month to begin discussions on the pay and conditions claim. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the Union will also seek further talks on proposed changes to the drug and alcohol policy.

A degree put together with seafarers in mind

More than 35 members attended the Nautilus pensions forum, held at the Union’s Wallasey office last month, pictured above. Issues discussed included the likely outcome of the current MONOPF actuarial valuations — which are likely to be pretty poor for both sections — as well as the possible buy-in of part of the Old Section with an insurance company. The next meeting is due to take place on 17 November, at Leytonstone public library, near the Union’s London office.

Stena in yard deal an agreement to resume work A on two new superferries for the Stena Line says it has secured

Harwich-Hook route at the shipyards in Wismar and Warnemünde in Germany. The company building the two ropax vessels ran into ﬁnancial problems at the start of June, and Stena Line has been involved in discussions with the receiver since then. ‘We are obviously pleased to have

reached a solution and that we can continue to build our two superferries,’ said Gunnar Blomdahl, Stena Line chief executive. ‘We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the shipyard and its owners in the construction of these world unique ferries.’ Nautilus members serving with Stena Line have been asked to submit their views on the contents of the forthcoming pay and conditions claim.

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06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports NORTH STAR COMMS: Nautilus International has welcomed a move by North Star Shipping to upgrade communications for its crew. A new £2m contract with Selex Communications will see SeaTel 4006 VSAT and Iridium fixed satellite communications installed on 29 vessels, allowing crew members to send emails and make VOIP phone calls. Six new-build vessels will also be fitted with SeaTel 4004 satellite television. MAERSK REJECTION: Nautilus has urged Maersk Offshore (Guernsey) to improve its 3% pay offer after it was rejected by a substantial majority last month. Industrial officer Ian Cloke said members may have to be consulted on some form of industrial action if the company rejects any further improvements. SUBSEA OFFER: members serving with Subsea 7 are being consulted on a two-year offer, giving 1.5% increases this year and next. Industrial officer Gary Leech said he welcomed the company’s decision not to impose a pay freeze following representations by Nautilus. Feedback is needed by 15 October. SEALION SUBMISSION: following consultations with members serving with Sealion Shipping, Nautilus has presented management with a claim for an above the cost of living pay increase. The Union is also seeking improvements in onboard facilities and increased employer pension contributions. TECHNIP LEAVE: Nautilus is continuing to press Northern Marine Manning in an effort to ensure that all members can liquidate their leave down to the standard level of 14 days. CMA DEAL: following consultations with members serving with CMA Ships (UK) on Fugro vessels and the Geo Prospector, Nautilus has agreed a 5% pay offer, backdated to 1 January.

New ERRVs win long-term charters have been chartered by A Talisman Energy (UK) to support

Two new Craig Group vessels

operations in its northern business area in the North Sea. The two IMT 948 designed vessels, currently under construction at the Balenciaga shipyard, will go on long-term charter next year to provide emergency response and rescue services to the Piper B, Saltire, Tartan and Claymore installations. The two ships are part of a £130m investment programme in the North Star Shipping ﬂeet — said to be the largest investment in North Sea ERRVs by a British company. On delivery next year, they will bring the total number of new-build vessels in the North Star ﬂeet to 12.

The Craig Group says a total of 54 new jobs will be created as a result of these new contracts. This year North Star Shipping is putting more than 60 trainees through its cadet training programme — one of the largest maritime cadet schemes in Scotland. North Star managing director Callum Bruce commented: ‘We are delighted to have won this new contract with Talisman, who already have two identical sister vessels on long-term contract. ‘We have now secured long-term charters for all our new vessels delivered so far, justifying our conﬁdence in both the market and our customers’ appetite for modern, high quality and cost effective tonnage.’

HSE warns operators against complacency Oil & Gas UK hits back following warning from new offshore safety chief

Oil and gas producers reacted strongly last month to charges that they were likely to become complacent about safety following recent improvements in accident rates. In a brieﬁng to offshore executives in Aberdeen, the new head of the Health & Safety Executive’s offshore division, Steve Walker, said that he was keen to see that the industry does not take its eye off the ball. Mr Walker acknowledged that signiﬁcant improvements had been made — as reported in the Telegraph last month — on the fatal and major injury rates and on hydrocarbon releases.

However, he was quick to note that it only takes one inadequate pipe work repair or an unsound permit-to-work to lead to another Piper Alpha-scale disaster: ‘I recognise the challenges in keeping ageing installations ﬁt for purpose at a time when industry is looking at the technical and cost demands in developing existing ﬁelds, especially in the context of the economic climate and the ongoing energy debate. ‘However, this is no excuse for delaying or putting off essential work. Industry must pay attention to every detail, no matter how small, if it potentially puts safety at risk.’ The offshore operators’ asso-

ciation Oil & Gas UK appeared stung by the implication that its members’ recent good record was not typical of their safety practices, issuing a strong defence of the industry’s actions. The body’s health and safety director Robert Paterson said that the industry had made huge progress over the last 21 years in preventing the escalation of dangerous occurrences on offshore installations and reducing their impact. In the last few years alone, he pointed out, the industry ‘has invested more than £4bn in offshore asset integrity, and it is extremely encouraging to note that the number of major and sig-

nificant hydrocarbon releases fell by 17.5% in 2008-09, to the lowest figure on record.’ He highlighted the work of the Step Change in Safety initiative, which has created a specific workgroup to address asset integrity issues. Step Change has also recently revised and updated its Hydrocarbon Release Reduction Toolkit. But the success of these projects will not mean that the industry will rest on its laurels, he promised: ‘We know that safety is never done. We are resolved to keep full focus on this important issue throughout the life cycle of the industry, irrespective of the prevailing economic climate.’

Union launches recruitment campaign in the North Sea Bourbon advances A Bourbon Offshore has A launched the ﬁrst of what is

The Norwegian operator

claimed to be the most advanced supply vessel ever built. The Bourbon Front, pictured above, is the ﬁrst of four Ulstein PX105 platform supply vessels under construction at the Zhejiang Shipbuilding yard in Ningbo, China. ‘These ships are so efficient that it’s almost impossible to make them any better,’ claimed Bourbon Offshore Norway newbuilding and project manager Bjørn Bergsnes. ‘Conventional supply vessels have dedicated tanks, meaning they can hold only a few types of cargo,’ he added. ‘This requires plenty of space and is an enormous

waste of resources. We use MACS tanks, which can hold both dry and liquid bulk. So while conventional supply ships typically carry six or seven types of cargo, our ships can carry 21 different products at once.’ The four X-bow design ships will each have eight MACS tanks, four of which will be low ﬂashpoint tanks — as well as 12 conventional tanks. All of the tanks have separate pumps, enabling them to be unloaded independently. Bourbon says changes in the design of the exhaust system — with release points in the hull sides, just above the waterline — have freed up accommodation space, reducing noise and providing a 360-degree view from any point on the bridge.

Nautilus International has launched a recruitment campaign to increase membership density in the North Sea sector. The Union is highlighting the increasing importance of membership at a time of growing criminalisation of the maritime profession, and the resulting need to protect certiﬁcates. ‘Scarcely a week goes by without news of another ship being detained somewhere in the world following an incident or an accident at sea or in port,’ said national secretary Garry Elliott, who heads the recruitment team. ‘And when the authorities investigate these cases, it is often the seafarer who is in the ﬁring line whether at fault or not.’ He said the trial earlier this year of the master of the standby vessel Viking Islay — who was

Nautilus industrial officer Gary Leech is pictured above with member Andrew Dewar onboard the 2,237gt Isle of Man-flagged supply ship Far Scotia in Aberdeen last month. Mr Leech last month visited the company and members to discuss a number of issues following the recent agreement on a 5% pay offer.

successfully defended by the Union in a Crown Court trial — underlined the importance of

Nautilus membership and the expertise and support it can provide.

Mr Elliott said Nautilus International now represents more than 1,600 ratings worldwide, and has a number of single-union agreements with North Sea employers that entitles it to represent all ranks. Nautilus also has a ratings’ representative on Council, the governing body that determines the Union’s policy, and has ratings’ liaison and partnership delegates who help to negotiate on the Union’s behalf in the workplace. The Union has an ofﬁcial in Aberdeen most weeks, and any request for ship visits can be forwarded to the industrial team at the Wallasey ofﬁce.

f The Nautilus recruiting department can be contacted on 0151 639 8454 or via recruitment@ nautilusint.org. Non members can apply via phone, email or online.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

No arms on mystery ship, Russians claim

Progress on ETOs in STCW revision

campaign to secure official F recognition for the work of electro-

Nautilus International’s long

technical officers has taken a big step forward during International Maritime Organisation talks on the revision of the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping Convention. Senior national secretary Allan Graveson, who took part in the meeting, said it had reached a proposed agreement on the competencies for the post of ETO at operational level. The Union is continuing to press for the inclusion within the new convention of ETO competencies at managerial and support level. ‘ETOs are increasingly soughtafter, particularly in the cruise industry, the offshore sector and on LNG carriers and other specialist vessels,’ said Mr Graveson, ‘and it is important that their training and certification is recognised in the revised STCW. However, this will not result in the mandatory carriage of ETOs on all vessels.’ Last month’s talks also focussed on the issue of harmonising IMO and IMO hours of work and rest requirements — which would mean an increase in the STCW weekly rest period from 70 to 77 hours. Unions are resisting proposals for EU countries for derogations from the requirements in ‘special’ situations. IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos said last month that he was confident the revised STCW Convention will be signed, as planned, at a diplomatic conference next June. Final negotiations on the outstanding issues are due to be completed in January next year.

The Italian-flagged Costa Luminosa — the new 92,720gt flagship for the operator Costa Cruises, delivered by Fincantieri earlier this year — is pictured above visiting the port of Dover last month Picture: Fotoflite

EMSA is on the watch CAgency last month launched a new round-the-clock shipping and

The European Maritime Safety

pollution monitoring service at its headquarters in Lisbon. Running on a constant 365-daysa-year basis, the maritime support services (MSS) centre is responsible for overseeing the the SafeSeaNet vessel traffic monitoring system, which provides a continually updated picture of vessel traffic in and around EU waters and the EU LRIT long range identiﬁcation and tracking centre. It also monitors the CleanSeaNet satellite-based pollution system for detecting oil slicks; and is the ﬁrst point of contact for mobilising EU pollution response for the 16 EMSAcontracted oil pollution response vessels stationed around the EU. EMSA executive director Willem de Ruiter described the facility as ‘a major step forward in the improvement of EU vessel traffic and emergency monitoring capabilities’.

Nautilus officials Mark Dickinson and Peter McEwen are pictured above presenting a retirement gift to the Revd Canon Bill Christianson, who stood down this summer after eight years as secretary-general of the Mission to Seafarers. ‘Bill was a firm friend of Nautilus, and did sterling work for our members, and seafarers the world over,’ said Mr Dickinson.

Russian authorities said last month they had ﬁnished their investigation into the mysterious alleged hijacking of the Maltese-ﬂagged cargoship Arctic Sea and had found no evidence of suspicious materials onboard. The Russian-owned vessel sparked a major security alert when it disappeared for almost a fortnight after the crew reported being attacked by masked gunmen who boarded the ship in the Baltic Sea. The ship was eventually located off Cape Verde, amid claims that it was smuggling a

secret cargo — but investigators said they had found only timber onboard. However, they said they had found weapons and masks which showed the vessel had been a victim of piracy, and these would be sent to Russia for use in a trial against the suspected hijackers. Some media reports have suggested the Arctic Sea was carrying missiles bound for Iran, with a Russian criminal group having organised the shipment. Nautilus has raised concern about the case, warning that it demonstrates security shortcomings in the shipping industry.

EU warns on emissions Shipping industry needs to set clear reduction targets, says Commission

Shipowners have been warned that they need to set clear targets for reducing vessel exhaust emissions — or else Europe will move to unilaterally impose regional controls. The warning comes ahead of top-level United Nations climate change negotiations later this year on whether the shipping industry should be brought under the scope of global agreements to cut greenhouse gases. Speaking at the International Chamber of Shipping conference in London last month, European Commission environment department ofﬁcial Mark Major said shipping had failed to match other industries in setting out clear and deﬁned emission reduction targets. More than 200 of the world’s leading airlines had given a commitment to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050, he said. ‘I am missing this very clear and positive message from the shipping industry, and it really is a shame for shipping that when aviation is painting itself as a clean industry, shipping is not doing the same thing.’

Mr Major said the International Maritime Organisation had produced an excellent report on greenhouse gas emissions from shipping in 2000, but had failed to agree mandatory measures and it was odd that some developing nations had been blocking progress ‘for reasons that have nothing to do with shipping’. If the UN talks in December fail to produce an agreement on shipping, and if the IMO also fails to come up with a clear reductions package by the end of 2011, the European Commission would move to introduce its own measures by 2013, he said. ‘We would prefer a global solution, but that does not mean we will not be ready to make a Commission proposal if necessary,’ he added. ‘No action is not an option.’ Mr Major said the industry must deliver a strategy for emissions reductions between a base year and a target year. It must also be clear on what measures it will use to secure these and whether the plans will cover just CO2 or all emissions. The scale of the challenge was set out by Roberto Acosta, from

the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, who warned that key climate change scenarios are already taking place. International shipping accounted for 2.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2007, he said, but the figure could rise by up to 250% by 2050 if no controls are agreed. Mr Acosta said shipping is an important industry and it is vital that viable solutions are found. Jock Whittlesey, from the US Embassy in London, described the plans for a US/Canadian emissions control area up to 200 miles offshore. Although the scheme would cost around $3.1bn a year, it could save almost three times that by reducing deaths and ill health. The scheme would add just 3% to the operating costs on a 7,100nm trans-pacific voyage, he added. But International Chamber of Shipping chairman Spyros Polemis defended the industry. ‘Targets and performance improvements are complex issues,’ he said. ‘Changing fuel spec can have a significant impact on ship operations, and govern-

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ments need to consider the way rules might impact on design and operational aspects.’ Mr Polemis claimed it was a ‘myth’ that shipping is dragging its feet on global warming and he said owners are ‘absolutely committed’ to cutting emissions. But the industry wanted to be certain that any levy system is easy to implement, will affect ships of all ﬂags, and will go directly to helping the environment. IMO leader Efthimios Mitropoulos also defended the industry’s record, pointing out that 23 of the Organisation’s 81 conventions are environmentrelated. It is now considering ‘market-based’ solutions to the problem — including an ‘emissions-trading’ scheme or some form of bunker levy. z UK shipowners last month launched a new discussion paper detailing plans for a global ‘capand-trade’ system to reduce carbon emissions from shipping. The Chamber of Shipping is working with owners in Australia, Belgium, Norway and Sweden to encourage governments to back the proposals in the climate change negotiations.

08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

LARGE YACHT NEWS

‘Let’s welcome MLC’ ‘Bill of rights’ will help to tackle widespread ignorance on crew welfare, IoM conference told

Burgess Yachts crew manager Lucy Medd Picture: Frances Howorth

All sides of the large yacht sector should welcome the forthcoming international Maritime Labour Convention as a force for positive change in the industry, a leading crew agency representative said last month. Speaking at the first Isle of Man superyacht and aircraft conference, Lucy Medd — crew manager at Burgess Yachts — said the introduction of the convention in the next few years would help to combat widespread ignorance over basic crew welfare issues. The MLC — known as the ‘bill of rights for seafarers’ — will lay down important new rules governing the employment conditions of crews in both the merchant fleets and on large yachts. Vessels will be required to have a recognised maritime labour certificate, showing that the terms and conditions of their crews are in line with the convention requirements. Ms Medd said the large yacht

sector should welcome the way in which the convention should help improve social security cover and welfare provision for crews. ‘The payment of crew social security contributions has been a grey area for some time,’ she said. ‘Many yacht companies have ignored it, and this has been compounded by the lack of available information. ‘Everybody is waiting for someone else to put a solution into place, and nobody wants to be the ﬁrst to do it because it will be costly for the employer,’ she added. Many crew members have left themselves very vulnerable in terms of their long-term welfare, because they have been ‘under the illusion that the yacht’s insurance or crew employer will protect them for ill health and injury,’ she pointed out. ‘The industry should be educating crew members about social security and what it covers, and

encouraging them to make their payments in order to protect themselves and their families in the long-term,’ Ms Medd argued. ‘We should view this change, and the many others being brought about through the MLC, as positive,’ she added. ‘We should be striving to bring crew employment and welfare into line with workers ashore.’ IoM ship registry principal surveyor Andrew Jack also suggested that the MLC would beneﬁt the industry. ‘What better way to look after your high value assets than having a professional crew to operate it?’ he said. But Mr Jack warned that superyacht builders and designers must start thinking now about the way in which new vessels will have to comply with the convention requirements. He said the new rules could create major problems for smaller vessels and unusual designs, and the industry should now be actively working to address this.

Joint workshop success

Register’s head pleased with first conference Anow director of the Isle of Man ship register, has hailed the success Former MN officer Dick Welsh,

of its ﬁrst superyacht conference. More than 100 people attended the one-day event last month, organised by the IoM Yacht Forum, in association with the IoM Ship and Aircraft Registers. It was held in London, which is a key market for yacht and aircraft ﬁnance, chartering and management. Yacht captains, crew managers, marine insurers, lawyers and builders were among the audience as representatives from the superyacht and aircraft management sectors presented sessions on a wide range of topics, including registry choice, crewing, corporate structures, VAT and tax. ‘We were really pleased to be associated with such a wellorganised and well-attended event,’ said Mr Welsh. ‘The conference enabled industry specialists to discuss some of the major challenges and opportunities they face and how the Isle of Man, being at the forefront of developments in the industry, can provide solutions and structures to serve the needs of the growing yacht and aircraft industries.’

Solent seeks to attract large yachts by Michael Howorth

the dovaston crew agency A have taken their strategic Nautilus International and

partnership a further step forward, staging a joint workshop for superyacht crew in Majorca last month. National secretary Garry Elliott and dovaston managing director Phil Edwards staged the day-long event — designed to demonstrate the advantages of union membership for superyacht crew — at the company’s ofﬁce in central Palma. ‘There has been a general feeling in the private sector that union membership is unnecessary,’ said Mr Edwards, ‘but with the trend toward increasing yacht size more boats are coming under the aegis of IMO and ILO regulations, with captains having to demonstrate compliance to complicated legal codes.’ The ﬁrst workshop focused on captains and management companies, along with dovaston’s own placement team.

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Nautilus national secretary Garry Elliott, above left, addresses the dovaston crew agency workshop in Majorca

Compliance with MCA and SOLAS regulations is complicated — and Nautilus, as the organisation representing professional seafarers — is well placed to provide advice and assistance in all aspects of maritime law. ‘As crew agents, we are recruiting more personnel from the commercial sector who are

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already Nautilus members,’ said Mr Edwards. ‘We wanted captains and managers to see that far from being disruptive, this trend is a positive step — employing crew that are professionally indemniﬁed makes a safer working environment.’ The workshop was deemed a

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great success by all delegates. Captain Ian Wetherill, dovaston’s new Germany-based northern European consultant, acknowledged that the industry has to move forward. ‘The days of carefree yachting with private yacht captains able to ignore commercial regulations have long since disappeared,’ he

said. ‘It is hard for even the experienced captains and management agents to keep up with the rules, and knowing that we are employing commercially aware crew can only be an advantage.’ The workshop is the ﬁrst in a series that dovaston hopes to host to spread the word to current and potential crew members. Mr Edwards said the company prides itself on being different from other crew agencies and its ethos was one of the reasons it was chosen for the strategic partnership. ‘It was obvious that we could support each other,’ said Mr Edwards, ‘and this workshop has certainly been part of that process. We are delighted with the success of the day, and it was a great learning experience for us all.’ g Any members considering a career in the sector are invited to contact info@dovaston.com where fully trained crew agents are available for help and advice.

agents in the Solent are F seeking to attract superyachts such as Port authorities and ships’

Pelorus, Ecstasea, Maltese Falcon, and Mirabella V to the area. Numbers of superyachts using Solent ports are expected to rise — especially with the London Olympic Games offering an additional attraction. Several agencies are in the process of marketing the concept of berths in prime city locations like Portsmouth and Southampton, and are working with port authorities to make it happen. Tim Wainwright, MD of Southampton based Superyacht Agency, a division of local shipping company Wainwright Bros, said: ‘Already we are getting requests for a good berth in an attractive location near the city centre. Superyachts want good facilities, water and electricity and parking for drop-offs and we can offer a 120m superyacht berth, close by the Ocean Cruise Terminal that has all that and even a helicopter landing pad for the use of owners seeking to join the yacht.’

Fast work by Blohm & Voss Codes post

The German yard Blohm & Voss is developing a series of pre-designed custom yachts offering shorter delivery times as well as reduced building cost. The ﬁrst project in this series will be what the yard rather unimaginatively calls the B+V 110 MY/Fast. This 110m motor yacht, can trace its ancestry back to the Martin Francis designed yacht Eco which, back in 1991, was designed to be the fastest yacht of its size. Powered by twin MTU engines driving two steerable Wärtsilä 9000

water jets, the new high-speed yacht has close on 110,000hp and is expected to achieve speeds of more than 40 knots. Two gas turbines driving two further Wärtsilä 9000 water jets act as sprint engines to boost speed to the maximum. With such power packed into one small vessel, she may run foul of internationally agreed maximum power ratings that govern the engineers’ certificates. Once over 9,000kW, certificates issued as yacht engineer’s qualifications cease to be valid.

Captain Heiko Volz began in yachting as the commander of Hanseatic Explorer — a half yacht, half commercial crew training ship — and moved on to become one of the two captains aboard the Russianowned yacht A. Now he has swallowed the anchor and joined the Swiss-based company Yacht Management Group. He will be responsible for the ISM and ISPS Code services the company offers, and will also be involved with newbuild projects, where he will act as superintendent.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

Maersk master honoured

Mobile ECDIS training deal

Institute Shipmaster of the Year Award F has been presented to Captain Richard Phillips,

service has been launched A to help masters and ofﬁcers get to

The ninth annual Lloyd’s List/Nautical

master of the containership Maersk Alabama, who was held hostage by pirates off Somalia this year. The award was handed over to Doug Bannister, MD of Maersk Line (UK), on behalf of Capt Phillips, by Nautical Institute president Captain Richard Coates in a ceremony at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel last month. They are pictured right with Alastair Campbell, the press secretary for former prime minister Tony Blair, who acted as master of ceremonies. Capt Coates said the award was in recognition of the bravery and ‘heroic actions’

A new ‘portable’ training

displayed by Capt Phillips in protecting his crew when attacked by pirates off Somalia. ‘Not only did he give himself as a hostage, so as to affect the release of his ship, the antipiracy measures practised on board had frustrated the pirates’ intent of taking over and operating the ship. The bridge team were the only crew members captured whilst the others were in protected areas with plentiful supplies. ‘Three hijackings have done much to raise the political interest in the piracy problem — the Faina, the Sirius Star, and the Maersk Alabama — and we must hope that a combination of political will, economic measures and military action will resolve this age-old problem, and not just in Somalia,’ said Capt Coates.

grips with electronic charts and display information systems. Offering approved generic ECDIS training at almost any location — including onboard — the service is being delivered by a partnership between PC Maritime and ECDIS Ltd. ‘This is a convenient and less expensive solution which will help our customers achieve the required training for their ofﬁcers in time for the introduction of manadtory ECDIS,’ said PC Maritime MD Anne Edmonds.

Union backs ‘bill of rights’ training aid P

A package of training and support tools on the Maritime Labour Convention was launched last month, to prepare the industry for the pending shake-up in global shipping regulations that promises to greatly enhance seafarers’ rights. Nautilus was heavily involved in the negotiations that led the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to adopt the MLC in 2006. The convention is expected to come into force by 2011 — or even sooner — once ratified by at least 30 flag states whose fleets account for 33% of world gross tonnage. The Union also participated in the industrywide steering committee involved in production of the new MLC training support package, which includes a DVD training programme, a dedicated website and a computer-based training (CBT) program. The package was produced by Videotel Marine International in association with the

summit of Africa’s highest H peak has raised over UAED200,000 A gruelling mission to the

(£33,449) to support welfare work for seafarers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Only six members of the 16strong expedition from Dubai made it to the 5,895m summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for the Flying Angel, the ﬂoating welfare facility operated by the Mission to Seafarers which goes out to ships anchored off the east coast of the UAE. ‘Ascending Kilimanjaro was breathtaking in more ways than one,’ said the Reverend Stephen Miller, of the Mission to Seafarers, Dubai, who was one of the six to reach the top. ‘The views from the

International Maritime Employers’ Committee (IMEC), with the assistance of the ILO, the International Shipping Federation, the Bahamas Maritime Authority, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, the Paris MOU and Nautilus. The package includes self-assessment and computer-based checklists so those affected by the Convention can test their understanding of their responsibilities and forward a questionnaire to Videotel for marking, and to receive a course-completion certiﬁcate. The 25-minute DVD provides an outline of the purpose and practice of the Convention, encourages thought about what it means for individuals and their roles with their organisations, and includes a trainer’s guide and everything required to run a two-hour training programme. The CBT training course — available as a CDROM or online — is divided into ﬁve categories: shipping company managers; ships’ masters;

summit were unbelievable, but breathing difficulties at such a high altitude proved too much for some.’ The six who made it — Robert Desai, Alex Spence, Simon Eaton, Kayvan Bahraini, Scott Coombes and Rev. Stephen Miller — are pictured with Paul Oliver, leader, and the Mission to Seafarers ﬂag on the summit. Two other members — Kelly Seed and Tony Mansﬁeld — reached Stella Point (5,756m). The rest — Inga Stevens, Teagan Rowlands, Lea Radcliffe, Alexi Trenouth, Fathima Mohuiddin, Hugo Taylor, Ali Rahbari and Delphine Maillard — got to well above 4,800m, but suffered from acute mountain sickness.

manning agents; port state control inspectors; officials of flag states and labour supply countries. An associated website — www.mlc2006.com — includes: the full Convention; ILO guidelines for flag state and port state inspections; a short video on Videotel’s training programme; details of the CBT program and how to take the course online; and an outline of the DVD-based training session for managers and seafarers. Hailing the package, IMEC secretary general David Dearsley observed: ‘Shipping companies might not like each and every one of the standards that the Convention sets. But the standards are clear, the companies know what is required and have adequate time to make sure that they, their ship managers and manning agents are in compliance. They also know that it well be widely ratified and enforced by flag and port states, so their major competitors will also have to comply.’

Society sets up online MN learning club Club where seafarers can share best practice, post ideas, and A generally help each other out.

The Marine Society has set up an online Merchant Navy Learning

The MN Learning Club is part of The Open University’s OpenLearn website, which offers hundreds of free study units, from access to postgraduate level. Seafarers can use the resource to study independently at their own pace or join the MN Learning Club and use the free learning tools to work with others. Using OpenLearn and the MN Learning Club does not mean that users have to become an Open University student, or that they will have a tutor, sit exams, or gain a degree. But it does mean that they will have free, no-strings-attached access to high quality online educational material taken from OU courses. Marine Society director Brian Thomas said: ‘This is an excellent way for seafarers to test the water, to see if a particular subject is for them — with no commitment or outlay. ‘The Marine Society has taken OU learning to sea for 40 years — run its exams onboard and provided logistical support for study — this is another valuable facility that will help to ensure that seafarers’ access to learning is not compromised by the nature of their work and lifestyle.’ f Access is via: www.ms-sc.org/openlearn

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

NEWS

‘Time to end piracy risks’

Dickinson wins seat on TUC council

Nautilus was busy at last month’s Nautilus International general Dsecretary Mark Dickinson has TUC Congress, held in Liverpool for been elected to the ruling body of the — the general council — on his Nautilus warns of ‘appalling state’ of maritime security TUC the first time in over a century. ﬁrst attempt. Mr Dickinson secured a total of Andrew Linington reports on some Seafarers are increasingly 389,000 votes in the elections for the Delegates at the annual exposed to the threat of being 11 seats on the TUC general council TUC conference backed of the key debates, and Andrew shot at or kidnapped, Mr Dickin- reserved for smaller and specialist a Nautilus call for more son said, and in the past year Nau- unions. His was the seventh highest to be done to tackle the threat of Wiard took the photographs... tilus members had been held total vote. pirate attacks on merchant ships.

Tax hikes should hit the rich, says leader

’Britain cannot afford to write off another generation to mass unemployment.’ That was the clear warning from TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, pictured above, in his opening address to the annual Congress last month. It’s too early to talk about an upturn, the TUC leader told

delegates, and it’s certainly too early for the government to start taking the axe to public spending in an effort to cut the national debt. The UK economy has ‘fallen off a cliff’, Mr Barber said, and a real recovery could be claimed only when unemployment starts coming down, when decent jobs that pay decent wages are created, and when public services are safe from cuts. Mr Barber urged the government not to penalise the poor when coming up with its strategy to balance the books. ‘Tax increases are inevitable,’ he said. ‘The question is who will pay them: poor and average earners, or the best off? Fairness surely demands the latter.’ This year’s TUC conference was the ﬁrst to be held in Liverpool for 103 years, and Mr Barber said it was right for Congress to be back in ‘a great industrial city, a maritime city… and above all a union city.’

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The conference gave unanimous support to a Nautilus motion highlighting the growing number of attacks and the increasing levels of violence being used against seafarers. General secretary Mark Dickinson unfurled a skull and crossbones flag across the podium as he told delegates that today’s piracy is far removed from the romantic imagery of films such as Pirates of the Caribbean. ‘Six killed, eight missing feared dead, 19 injured, and more than 560 held hostage. That’s the stark reality of modern-day piracy for seafarers,’ he said. ‘And that’s just in the first half of this year. Over five years, it’s 63 killed, 165 injured, and almost 2,000 held hostage.’ Mr Dickinson said the recent mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Russian-owned, Maltese-flagged cargoship Arctic Sea had highlighted the appalling state of security in the maritime industry. Despite the introduction of the International Ship and Ports facilities Security Code, ‘ships

remain shockingly vulnerable to attack, and seafarers are increasingly exposed to the threat of being shot at or kidnapped’, he added. ‘Our union says it is totally unacceptable that such a critically important industry and its workers face a threat that should have been consigned to the history books ‘We rightly would not tolerate such attacks on aircraft,’ he pointed out, ‘and there would be an outcry if train drivers suffered the sort of systemic violence and intimidation encountered by seafarers.’

hostage and held for ransom off Somalia, and kept captive for seven months in Nigeria. ‘That’s just not acceptable in the modern world, and it’s time that piracy was put back into the history books and seafarers get the protection they deserve.’ Mr Dickinson said the naval protection put into place in the Gulf of Aden over the past year was welcome, but it did not address the root cause of the problem. The motion called for the UK and other governments to take further diplomatic and developmental measures to tackle the dysfunctional state of Somalia, as well as toughening up the ISPS Code. More pressure also needs to be placed on shipowners to provide better security equipment on their vessels, the Union said. Supporting the motion, Mick Stubbs of the ratings’ union RMT described piracy as ‘the scourge of the shipping industry’ and said there had been consistent failure by governments to address the threat to seafarers over the past 20 to 30 years.

‘I am delighted to have been successful in the ballot for the general council, which ensures that Nautilus continues to be represented at the highest levels within the UK union movement,’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘Being on the general council helps specialist unions like ours to box above our weight and keeps maritime issues high on the political agenda,’ he added. ‘It also helps us to get the support of the TUC in putting its resources behind our campaigns and getting our issues heard by government,’ he explained. ‘With an election coming closer, that will be more important than ever.’ Mr Dickinson said he had promised before becoming the general secretary of Nautilus International that the union’s domestic work would not be diluted as a result of becoming the ﬁrst transboundary trade union. ‘Our work with the TUC is a crucial part of our national agenda, and my election to the general council shows that we are sticking to our commitment to be a main player on the domestic, European and international stages,’ he added.

Pilots seek a North Sea safety summit tabled by the airline pilots’ A union, Balpa, calling for a ministerial Nautilus backed a motion

summit to discuss safety in the North Sea. Drawn up in response to the Super Puma helicopter accident in April, in which 16 people died, the motion called for ‘openness and transparency in all offshore safety-related activity’. Balpa delegate Reg Allen said the oil and gas companies have set up a safety task force in response to concerns about the accident — but the pilots’ union does not believe this is enough, warning that it will have ‘no input from the trade unions that represent the very people who have

their safety inexorably linked to that of helicopters’ nor from independent ﬂight safety experts. ‘We work in an increasingly competitive environment in the North Sea and that is why we need this safety summit,’ he added. ‘We need to look again at the North Sea safety regime, and in particular at helicopter activity.’ Mr Allen said it was important that there is proper discussion over proposals to improve safety. ‘For instance, the personal locator beacons that are being touted for all North Sea workers can actually make recovery more difficult and increase risk,’ he warned.

Alarm at pensions A

Nautilus lent its support to an emergency motion at the TUC Congress opposing government plans to cut the civil service compensation scheme (CSCS). The CSCS provides funding for redundancy and early retirement, and Nautilus members serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are among the workers that could be affected by the proposed changes. The motion notes that in the media the cuts have been presented

as reform to end gold-plated pay-offs. ‘In reality, the proposals threaten to strip hundreds of thousands of staff, including the low paid, of their current entitlements to compensation in the event of redundancy and make compulsory redundancy more likely.’ The proposals have been unanimously rejected by unions representing civil service staff, and the emergency motion calls for the TUC general council to use its inﬂuence to seek a re-opening of negotiations.

Cuts on the agenda, PM tells conference C

Prime minister Gordon Brown warned TUC delegates of potential cuts in public spending and continued restraints on public sector pay. In a 20-minute address to the conference, Mr Brown said that the government will have to ‘cut costs, cut inefficiencies, cut unnecessary programmes and cut lower priority budgets’. The prime minister also called for unions to accept ‘realistic’ pay settlements in the public sector. But he also assured delegates

that ‘Labour will not support cuts in the vital frontline services on which people depend’ in its battle to cut the UK deﬁcit in half over the next four years. His speech also included a robust defence of the actions taken by ministers in response to the global economic slump. The government had rescued the banking system, saved up to half a million jobs, and taken action to help businesses and home owners, he said. Without such action, the UK could have ended up in a second ‘great depression’.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

British crews ‘rarer Seafarers wage than blue whales’ need protection Member warns delegates of continued decline in UK seafarer numbers

and foreign ships regularly C running in and out of UK ports All seafarers serving on UK

‘My name is Lee and I’m an endangered marine species.’ That’s how Nautilus member Lee McDowell introduced the Union’s motion on maritime policy at the TUC conference today. As a British seafarer serving on a British-flagged ship, Mr McDowell said he was among a group that is now rarer than the blue whale — ‘and on present trends our numbers will almost halve over the next 20 years’. Urging delegates to support the Nautilus motion, Mr McDowell said it was disappointing that despite the increase in ship numbers generated by the introduction of the UK tonnage tax in 2000, the number of British seafarers continues to decline. Even with an increased number of trainee officers, the UK has lost 30% of its engineer officers in the past decade, seen a 22% decrease in general purpose ratings in the last three years, and remains on course for officer numbers to fall by a third in the next decade. Mr McDowell told the conference that shipowners and unions had united on an employment support package that would cost less than the price of a few feet of motorway. ‘Yet here we are, more than two years after the submission was made, still waiting for an answer, and if that wasn’t bad enough, we have started to see worrying signs that the government’s ‘joined-up’ approach to maritime policy is unravelling rapidly,’ he added. There has been continued failure to combat the exploitation of foreign seafarers in UK waters and on UK ships, with some foreign crews paid less than £2 an hour because of the discrimination allowed by their exemption from the Race Relations Act and the national minimum wage.

Crew clothing for a

should be covered by the national minimum wage, Nautilus International told the TUC conference. Speaking in support of a composite motion on the minimum wage, senior national secretary Paul Moloney said the shipping industry offers a ‘warning sign’ of the destructive and unfair competition that can ﬂourish when companies are allowed to compete through exploitation, discrimination and social dumping. All around the UK, there are many examples of ferry services where seafarers are being paid not just below the national minimum wage but below even internationally accepted minimum rates, he pointed out. ‘We have seen well-known companies operating ferry servCaledonian MacBrayne navigating officer Lee McDowell moved a Nautilus motion on maritime policy at the TUC conference this year — telling delegates of the need for skilled seafarers Picture: Andrew Wiard

‘Things have been made even worse by the way in which the UK has issued, like confetti, more than 15,000 certificates of equivalent competency over the past six years to allow foreign officers to serve on UK ships,’ Mr McDowell added. ‘The lack of a coherent approach to maritime policy has also been demonstrated by the continued attacks on the Seafarers’ Earnings Deduction tax arrangements — one of the few measures that go anywhere near to matching what other EU member states do to support their seafarers,’ he said. The motion urges the TUC to lobby the government for further measures to promote UK seafarer employment and training, to increase staffing and resources

perfect performance

for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, and to press for action to ‘end the scandal of seafarer fatigue’. Speaking in support of the motion, Phillippa Childs of the Prospect union spoke of the pressures faced by MCA surveyors, with additional duties arising from the Maritime Labour Convention at a time of growing staff shortages. Poor pay rates hampering the Agency’s ability to recruit sufﬁcient staff, she said, and the shortages mean it is increasingly difﬁcult to meet targets for mandatory inspections. Urging delegates to support the Nautilus motion, she said it was important that ‘seafarers have the protection they deserve and have the right to expect’.

ices employing seafarers from developing economies on rates appropriate to SE Asia rather than SE England,’ Mr Moloney added. ‘This is not about simplistic statements of British jobs for British workers, but it is about making sure that companies who do operate properly, and are committed to training and safety, do not face unfair competition from those who seek to have their income based in the UK but their operating costs based on developing economies,’ he said. The motion, which reafﬁrmed the TUC’s support for the national minimum wage, called for its scope to be widened to cover apprentices — including Merchant Navy trainee ofﬁcers — and to apply to all seafarers on UK and foreign registered ships operating on routes between ports in the UK, and between ports in the UK and the EU.

Lee tells why he was glad to take a stand for members DMacBrayne ferries, was part of the Nautilus International delegation to the TUC Congress in Liverpool

Lee McDowell, a deck officer serving with Caledonian

this year — speaking to the packed hall as he moved a motion on maritime policy. The Telegraph asked him about his experiences… z Why did you come to TUC? To represent all my fellow members, to highlight our Union’s objectives through networking, and to listen to new ideas our Council could learn from others. z Was it what you expected? It was much bigger than I expected, and much easier to understand than I thought it would be. z Any surprises? Being live on TV! My mum enjoyed seeing that. z Best bit? Finishing my motion was a relief — and seeing it passed

unanimously. It was also pretty good seeing myself on the TV not doing too badly with my speech. z Worst bit? That it had to end. z Nervous about speaking? Nervous isn’t the word. Petrified would be closer to the truth! My legs were shaking, my mouth was dry and I felt sick. z Glad you spoke? Definitely. It’s important that a seafarer speaks on behalf of other seafarers. It’s nerve-racking to get up in front of so many people and cameras, but I would definitely do it again. z Would you recommend it to other members? Definitely. It’s very informative on the general picture for all British workers, and very well presented with interesting fringe meetings.

‘Unions must build alliances’ A

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Trade unions need to engage with other organisations and interest groups to ensure that policies are put into practice effectively, Nautilus assistant general secretary Paul Moloney, right, told a fringe meeting at the TUC Congress. Speaking in a debate on policymaking, organised by the Unions 21 group, Mr Moloney argued that unions should make alliances with other bodies where interests coincide. ‘Our policies are determined by democratic means, but we recognise that if they are to be translated into effective action then we must build a consensus around them that goes beyond the union movement,’ he added. Working with quality ferry companies to combat unfair

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competition in the sector, and working with passenger groups in the campaign to protect Caledonian MacBrayne’s lifeline ferry services are two examples of such initiatives. ‘When acting together, we can create a very strong force for change and an environment in which we see our policy objectives achieved,’ Mr Moloney added.

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12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

HEALTH & SAFETY

Salvage teams prevent disaster off Dutch coast launched an investigation A into the causes of a collision

The Dutch Coastguard tug Waker, together with ﬁve Svizter and Kotug vessels went to the aid of the two ships and managed to stabilise the MSC vessel, pumping out water to prevent it sinking or capsizing. The MSC Nikita was towed into the Port of Rotterdam Europoort, where some containers were removed before further salvage work was carried out. Dutch authorities said the incident had occurred in calm seas, with good visibility, and an investigation will be carried out by the national water police.

Dutch authorities have

between the Isle of Man-flagged general cargoship Nirint Pride and the Panama-flagged containership MSC Nikita some 12 miles off the Hook of Holland last month. A major salvage operation was mounted after the 25 crew onboard the 32,629gt MSC Nikita abandoned ship when it began taking on water in the engineroom following the collision. An officer from the 8,861gt Nirint Pride had to be treated in hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in the bow of the vessel.

Picture: Danny Cornilessen

‘Complacency led to fatal tank fall’ MAIB probe finds faults ‘at all levels’ in safety systems on UK containership

hand and a gas analyser in the other. In a report on the incident, published last month, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the precautions for the ofﬁcer’s entry into the tank had failed to comply with the requirements of company procedures or industry best practice. Shortcomings included: z the failure to issue a permit to work z the absence of rescue equipment at the tank access z the failure to wear a fall arrestor or harness, and a safety helmet z lack of oversight of all his previous tank entries z the master’s ‘rectiﬁcation’ of an earlier ISM non-conformity for non-issue of permits to work, with no notable corrective action being taken

Complacency ‘at all levels’ has been blamed for a fatal accident in a ballast tank onboard a UK-flagged containership earlier this year. Croatian chief officer Luis Sokota died after falling 8m as he was entering the tank onboard the 2,954TEU CMA CGM vessel Ville de Mars in January. It was his 34th birthday and he was due to leave the ship when it arrived in Bebel Ali on the following day. Despite efforts by colleagues to revive him, Mr Sokota lost consciousness and died in a Royal Navy helicopter while being flown ashore to hospital. Investigators said it was almost certain that Mr Sokota fell off the unguarded edge of a stringer — possibly as a result of slipping on a 3cm deep layer of sludge after stepping off the ladder while holding his torch in one

Investigators discovered that the officer had conducted 15 tank entries onboard the ship – but no permits to work had been issued for them. The report also concludes that it was ‘extremely fortunate’ that there were not more casualties when other crew members entered the tank to rescue Mr Sokota. Although their response to the incident was quick, their decision to go into the tank without breathing apparatus, fall arrestors or measuring its atmosphere was ‘highly questionable’, it states. The MAIB said it appeared that only ‘lip-service’ had been paid to the ISM audit system when the failings of the vessel’s work permit system had been identified in May 2008. ‘The identification of a nonconformity is a warning to a ves-

sel’s master and shore management that procedures are not being followed,’ the report stresses. ‘This is one of an increasing number of accidents which have resulted from complacency,’ the MAIB added. ‘Preventing this kind of behaviour at sea, where shipowners and managers are frequently thousands of miles from their vessels, is a huge challenge.’ The report notes that CMA CGM has taken a series of measures in response to the incident, and it recommends that the company reviews and improves the effectiveness of its internal vessel audit regime. It also calls for CMA CGM to use ‘human factors’ experts to conduct a study to identify ways of combating complacency and creating a positive safety culture onboard its ships.

Investigators concerned by VDR problems Hperformance of voyage data recorders has been raised by German Concern about the

accident investigators. Problems with the systems — including poor quality audio, missed recordings from individual sensors, and confusing operating procedures — are often hampering efforts to determine the cause of incidents, says the German marine casualty investigation body BSU. The concern is raised in a report on a recent collision involving the 45,923gt ro-pax ferry Finnlady following the failure of a controllable pitch propeller system. The Finnish-ﬂagged vessel — which had 175 passengers and 34 crew onboard at the time — struck a pier loading bridge in the port of Travemundeat a speed of 3.4 knots after the CPP failed. The vessel was badly damaged, but no one onboard was injured. Although the vessel’s VDR was working, the lack of a visual display meant the master was unable to see whether the emergency back-up had been activated when he pressed the ‘save’ button. BSU said the lack of a uniform VDR design standard means systems,

interfaces and components often vary considerably — and the differences between ‘back-up’, ‘save’ and ‘preserve’ buttons are just the start of the problems. ‘Every manufacturer or even every individual VDR type of one and the same manufacturer can be equipped with a different method of initiation of an emergency back-up,’ BSU points out. The report notes that European marine casualty investigation authorities have a list of 33 VDR types from 16 different manufacturers and the ‘enormous multiplicity of types’ means that operating procedures can often be complex or confusing — sometimes creating difficulties in downloading and reproducing stored data. Crew members may also not notice that the equipment has developed a fault as the systems are not used on a daily basis — and as a result it may not be until after an accident that lost or incomplete data is discovered. The organisation says that while VDRs are increasingly important for accident investigators, there is a clear case for improved VDR performance standards.

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MOL says the training will focus on such issues as the potential difficulties of operating VLOCs in narrow channels, or in areas with strong tidal currents, congested vessel traffic and ships at anchorage. The company said it is also seeking to ensure safe operations by allocating experienced Japanese masters to serve as maritime advisers at loading and discharging ports and to provide onboard support during the maiden voyages of VLOCs.

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October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH & SAFETY

MAIB seeks urgent action on ferry stability dangers Report raises alarm at evidence of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;widespread acceptance of unsafe practicesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on ro-ros

Accident investigators have called for an urgent study of stability and operational issues affecting the safety of ro-ro vessels operating from UK ports. The call came last month in a report on the loss of the 6,041gt Seatruck ferry Riverdance in heavy weather in the Irish Sea last January. The Bahamas-ďŹ&#x201A;agged vessel was a write-off after grounding on a beach near Blackpool. In its report on the incident, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch says the case highlights â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a widespread acceptance of unsafe practicesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; connected with the stability of ro-ro vessels. Spot checks carried out on trailers after the accident revealed total under-declared weights ranging between 7.8% to 17.5%, and found that four trailers loaded according to the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manifest on one voyage could not be positively matched to any of those actually loaded. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fundamental requirements, from accurate knowledge of the weight and distribution of cargo to allow stability calculations to be made, through to the ability to properly chock and lash a trailer, and the securing of cargoes within trailers, have all become eroded with time,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the MAIB warns. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;As a consequence, there is an urgent need for a study of the means by which masters of all roro vessels operating to and from UK ports should ensure the safety of their vessels.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The 31-year-old Riverdance ran into difďŹ culties when sailing from Warrenpoint to Heysham in force 9-10 conditions. The ship sustained a severe list to port when cargo shifted as the sea state deteriorated markedly soon after passing the 20m depth contour near Lune Deep.

The freight ferry Riverdance had to be demolished on Cleveleys Beach near Blackpool Picture: MCA

In an attempt to bring the vesselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head into the wind, the master made a broad alteration to starboard â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but this exacerbated the port heel, causing the deck edge to immerse and possibly allowing water to enter the vessel through openings on the weather deck. The port main engine tripped due to the excessive list and, with only one engine, there was not enough power to bring the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head into the wind. Riverdance then lay beam-on to the wind and seas, rolling heavily with a large list to port as it drifted towards shallow water before grounding twice and ďŹ nally losing power and having to be evacuated. Investigators found that no stability calculations had been carried out before the ship sailed, and its ballast was never adjusted. Information on the weight of the trailers being carried was based

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on driversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; declarations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and because these were inaccurate no reliable stability calculations could have been made. The report points to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a level of complacencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; onboard and ashore regarding stability issues, with the failure to comply with the safety management system requirement for stability calculations before sailing It also notes how illogical it is that UK regulations require the weighing of trailers only for Class II and IIA ro-pax vessels. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;SOLAS Chapter VI is equally applicable to Class VII ro-ro cargo vessels,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it points out. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;In the absence of speciďŹ c and accurate information on the disposition and weight of cargo onboard his vessel, it is difďŹ cult to rationalise how any master can be expected to verify the stability of his vessel, especially when â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

like the master of the Riverdance â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he is faced with the need to take emergency measures such as counteracting the effects of sudden cargo shift or water ingress,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the report adds. The MAIB raises concern â&#x20AC;&#x201D; echoed in the ďŹ ndings of another investigation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a signiďŹ cant majority of goods vehicles shipped onboard ro-ro vessels are not ďŹ tted with appropriate lashing points, and that the lashing points provided on cargo decks of some ro-ro vessels operating from UK ports are not sufďŹ cient to allow such vessels to be adequately securedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Although the trailer lashings on the Riverdance proved to be extremely effective, the cargo still shifted because it was not properly secured within the trailers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with the MAIB noting the problem of hauliers and shipper fail-

Seafarers warned of gas poisoning experts are warning seafarers C of the need to beware of carbon UK port police and safety

monoxide poisoning onboard their vessels. The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading gas safety charity, The CORGI Trust, last month teamed up with the Port of Liverpool Police force to warn visiting crew members to be aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas that is present in the exhaust produced by gasoline engines and seafarers can be exposed when it enters through the exhaust ports of vessels that are either idling or underway, and by exhaust from generator sets. When

inhaled, carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in tissues and extended exposure can be fatal. Symptoms of CO gas poisoning include dizziness, headaches, weakness, and nausea. CORGI Trust manager Nigel Dumbrell commented: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We are witnessing more ship-related cases each day. Our concern is not only for the vessel crew members but also for those who have to inspect the ships, such as our emergency services.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Trust has recently provided Port of Liverpool police with personal CO detectors, and it recommends that audible carbon monoxide alarms should be carried by everyone working on ships in UK ports.

ing to recognise the importance of properly securing trailer contents before sea transport. Investigators ruled out suggestions that Riverdance had been hit by a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;freakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wave, noting that the area around Lune Deep is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;notoriousâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for large, steep-faced swells. But the report expresses concern that the Seatruck SMS provided no speciďŹ c advice for operating in heavy weather, and warns that IMO guidance is not being effectively promulgated to masters. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The vessel was proceeding in following seas at a speed slightly slower than that of the following wave train,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it points out. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Under these circumstances, a reduction in the vesselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stability can occur and more pronounced rolling can be experienced. Guidance on this phenomenon is promulgated by the IMO and other sources.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; In a safety ďŹ&#x201A;yer issued in response to the incident, the MAIB highlights key safety lessons to be learned: z the stability of the vessel and security of its cargo should always be veriďŹ ed before sailing z terminal operators should have procedures in place to ensure vessels are given accurate cargo information, including the weight and stowage of cargo to be loaded, so that ship stability can be accurately calculated z hauliers and shippers should be provided with guidance on the additional securing of cargo needed on trailers intended for shipping by sea, to withstand the greater forces that may be experienced z vessel operators should give careful consideration to the use of third-party emergency response services, such as those provided by several major classiďŹ cation societies, designed to support masters in an emergency

Company disputes findings H

Seatruck Ferries has disputed some of the core ďŹ ndings of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on the grounding of its freight ferry Riverdance. The company said the MAIBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conclusions on the factors leading to the grounding and subsequent loss of the vessel conďŹ&#x201A;ict with the ďŹ ndings of technical investigations by two teams of specialists it commissioned to identify the cause of the incident. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The MAIB concludes that the Riverdanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial list arose due to shifting cargo, but an increase in this list resulted from a number of other factors,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it noted. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Seatruckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experts disagree. They conclude that shifting cargo alone produced a list severe enough to set in chain the sequence of events which led to the grounding. The vessel sailed fully compliant with all stability legislation.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The company said it â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wholeheartedlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; backed the MAIBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommendations. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Seatruck has been proactive and supports the view that industry, governments and ďŹ&#x201A;ag states should act with urgency to implement new measures designed to improve safety in extreme weather â&#x20AC;&#x201D; wind speeds of up to 70 knots in the case of Riverdance,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it added. The company said there was clear evidence of extensive cargo spillage from trailers and it called for regulators to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;develop new rules to ensure vehicular cargo shipped in roro vessels is secure enough to withstand the full range of dynamic forces experienced at sea and that shippers are held accountable for the securing of cargo on, or in, trailersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

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14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports SHORTSEA SUPPORT: Louis Dreyfus Armateurs of France and Grimaldi of Italy are seeking a major ‘green’ subsidy from the European Union’s Marco Polo shortsea programme in addition to the €30m aid they expect to be paid by the French and Italian governments for their joint service between Gijon in Spain and Nantes, western France. Rival operators have complained about unfair competition. MAFIA PROBE: Italian politicians have launched an urgent investigation after the discovery of an unmarked wreck that prosecutors believe was used by the mafia to sink radioactive waste. There are fears that as many as 40 ships containing radioactive and other toxic waste may have been scuttled off the country’s coast in an illegal operation to dispose of dangerous substances at sea. HAPAG CUTS: the German containership company Hapag-Lloyd is cutting its shore-based workforce by 10% and reducing pay by 10% as part of a €900m cost-saving programme. The company — which is reported to be losing around €80m a month at present — is also seeking government guarantees for some €1.2bn in loans as part of its survival plan. CRUISE BLOW: Transocean Tours has become the first cruise operator to file for bankruptcy in the present crisis. The German company, founded in 1954, owns two cruise liners and five river cruise ships, and last year carried 60,000 passengers. It blamed its demise on technical problems with one ship and defaulted payments on a vessel charter. ROUTE BOOST: the frequency of the ro-ro link between Zeebrugge and Bilbao has increased from three to five return trips weekly and the operator, Finland’s Transfennica, has added a third ship to the service. The route was launched in September 2007 with financial help from the EU’s Marco Polo programme. SHIP SEIZED: the Brest commercial court last month ordered the seizure of the Liberian-flagged reefer Matterhorn following action by the ITF on behalf of 15 Russian and Ukrainian crew. The seafarers had been abandoned by the ship’s owner after it was detained in the port of Brest for alleged pollution. BRITTANY STABLE: western Channel operator Brittany Ferries (BAI) has managed to maintain traffic volumes between France, England, Ireland and Spain — carrying a total of 2.7m passengers in the past financial year. FRENCH GAIN: the number of merchant ships over 100 tonnes flying the French flag has increased by four over the past year, and now totals 215 vessels, according to new figures for the maritime department. FRENCH ZONE: France is planning to ask the United Nations to declare an exclusive economic zone extending some 70nm into the Mediterranean, to protect marine life and fishing stocks.

Philippines ferry probe D

Safety experts in the Philippines are investigating the cause of a ferry capsize last month in which 10 people died. The inter-island vessel SuperFerry 9 sank some six hours after developing a sharp list in heavy weather off the southern Zamboanga peninsula. A major search and rescue operation was mounted after the master ordered the 847 passengers and 117 crew, plus four sea marshals, to abandon ship. Following the incident, the Philippines Maritime Industry Authority suspended sailings of ﬁve other ferries operated by Aboitiz Transport Systems for almost a fortnight while seaworthiness checks were carried out. Picture: Reuters

Life onboard is good, seafarers tell survey Danish researchers find that crew members are generally happy at work by Andrew Draper

A survey by the maritime occupational health service Seahealth Denmark has found that the overwhelming majority of seafarers on Danish vessels are contented in their work and that life onboard is mostly good. The research into the psychological working environment was the most extensive ever done by the organisation — and Connie Gehrt, head of its secretariat, said it was good to sea that crew members were enjoying a good atmosphere at sea.

The 10 areas investigated by Seahealth Denmark included general well-being, job satisfaction, pay, social cohesion, management, rest time and harassment/bullying. Job satisfaction was evident — with 80% saying they were satisﬁed or very satisﬁed, and enjoyed being with their colleagues (also off-duty), while 91% said their general health was good. But variations were found among different crew members. Danes and western Europeans were less impressed with onboard management or the responsiveness of their employers to wishes

and requests than other nationalities. Filipinos and other Asians were the most content with the way onboard tasks were allocated. But a number of senior officers and masters found administration and external control a problem. Nine out of 10 felt they had overview of their work, while 82% knew what was expected of them. A fifth of respondents felt work was getting on top of them and affecting their private life. In terms of wages, the Filipinos and east Europeans were the most satisfied with their lot, while

Recruitment ads aim at mothers

Japanese unions target Dowa Line

Association is launching a new H recruitment campaign which seeks

a million workers have backed C a global campaign coordinated by the

The Danish Shipowners’

to persuade mothers to encourage their children to go to sea. The ads will be placed in women’s magazines and show a smiling woman with text urging

readers to encourage their teenage offspring to visit the campaign website. Martin Fyrst Jakobsen, advertising consultant at the association, told the Telegraph the ads reﬂected the fact that young people — especially boys — ‘listen a

lot to their mothers; umbilical cords are cut much later today’. Mr Jakobsen says the campaign — which will also include advertising aimed directly at young people — will be analysed in December to see if it lives up to expectations. He is conﬁdent it will.

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International Transport Workers’ Federation in support of Japanese seafarers seeking to improve working conditions onboard bulk carriers owned by Tokyo-based Dowa Line.

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the Danes were slightly less satisfied than the average. All felt they were generally well treated. Senior officers spent less time with colleagues during time off than other rankings (Filipinos spent most time together). A fifth felt isolated at home due to their work and 16% thought there was conflict between work and home life. f What do you think? Please let us have your views in the latest Nautilus ‘conditions at sea’ survey. The research will shortly be coming to an end, so please fill in the form online at: www.nautilusint.org/time-out

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October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

Abandoned crews aided by the ITF Saint Nazaire has agreed to a A request from the International A court in the French port of

Transport Workers’ Federation to temporarily arrest a Georgianflagged general cargoship in a dispute over the crew’s pay. The court ordered that a €100,000 bond should be paid before the 2,976gt Aspet is allowed to leave the port, where it has been held since 24 July. The seizure is the only way of ensuring that the 12-strong Turkish crew receives unpaid wages, and the ITF has requested an advance from the French government to ensure the crew’s return home. The 1983-built vessel, which is owned by a Korean company and managed by a Turkish firm, has previously been flagged in Cambodia and Belize. In 2007 it was detained for 132 days in a Greek port and this year for 115 days in a UK port. Captain Varol Colak, the master of the Aspet, has decided to break his silence and has called the vessel ‘a real rustbucket’ that suffered continuous breakdowns. g Fifteen seafarers who were stranded onboard an abandoned Panama-flagged vessel in the Moroccon port of Dakhla for nine months have finally been repatriated thanks to support from local ITF-affiliated unions. Efforts are continuing to recover US$483,936 in owed wages.

Union to fight piracy ruling Appeal lodged in battle to secure compensation for members held hostage onboard Danish cargoship by Andrew Draper

The Danish union 3F has lost the latest round in its battle to secure compensation for four members who were held hostage for 83 days off the coast of Somalia. The union has now appealed to a higher court against the Copenhagen City Court decision to reject a compensation claim on behalf of crew members onboard the general cargoship Danica White, hijacked in June 2007. In what could be a precedentsetting case, 3F claimed DKK1.3m (£155,839) from shipowner Folmer & Co, claiming the captain — and thereby the owner itself — was negligent in his duties before the hostage situation. The claim was based on personal injury, loss of earnings and compensation for stolen goods.

In its judgement, the court stated that the captain was indeed negligent in not keeping a proper lookout and thus preventing pirates from boarding the vessel, but it said this did not mean the shipowner could be held liable. The judgement stated that the owner emailed the ship with a warning about piracy in the area, but added: ‘the court ﬁnds that the captain may be rebuked for not doing anything else to counter the threat in the piratethreatened waters other than ensuring that Danica White was more than 200 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia’. The ruling further criticised him for not having sufﬁcient lookout when entering the highrisk area. The court said the main reason the pirates were able to board the ship was because the master was the only person on

the bridge, and he was busy with paperwork. It went on to note that the plaintiffs had not proven the owner could have done more to prevent the ship being hijacked. But Henrik Berlau, secretary for 3F’s transport section, commented: ‘That’s a wrong weighting of the grounds in the case. It’s not normally up to an employee to prove the employer’s responsibility when something goes wrong at work and ends in an accident. It must be the employer who must prove he does not have a liability when an accident has happened.’ The union also points to a Danish Maritime Authority investigative report which stated that neither the owner nor the charterer had given the ship speciﬁc instructions for the voyage regarding the threat of piracy.

shortreports ESTONIAN INCREASE: a three-year pay deal worth as much as 50% for some seafarers has been agreed for the 2,000 members of the Estonian Seamen’s International Union serving on Tallink Group ferries. The deal — which gives a 25% pay increase from September 2008, 9% this year and 6% in 2010, plus seniority bonuses worth as much as 10% — was agreed after lengthy negotiations and a one hour ‘warning stoppage’ in August that halted the company’s ferries in Tallin, Stockholm and Helsinki. UECC FERRY: United European Car Carriers (UECC) has expanded operations from its traditional carcarrying business with the launch of a new ferry service between Santander and Zeebrugge. The company has deployed its vessels Autobank and Autobay on the service, which is expected to receive EU funding for taking freight off the roads. ERIKA APPEAL: an appeal court in Paris will this month start to hear appeals from the oil group Total and the Italian classification society Rina against fines and damages awarded against them following a trial over charges brought as a result of pollution from the tanker Erika, which sank off the Atlantic coast in December 1999. EVERGREEN DEATH: a Taiwanese crew member onboard a UK-flagged Evergreen Marine containership has died after falling overboard off the Californian port of Oakland, the US Coast Guard said last month. The 76,067gt Ever Elite was manoeuvring near the San Francisco Bay Bridge when the incident occurred. NORMAN TRIALS: sea trials of a new ferry for the LD Lines’ cross-Channel LD operations are due to begin this month. The 162m Norman Leader, being built at the ST Marine yard in Singapore, is set to come into service next year. COAL BATTLE: an environmental group has launched a campaign to opposed plans by the French shipping company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs for a new terminal in Cherbourg to handle coal exports for British power stations. PIRACY POWERS: the French government is considering new legislation to give its naval vessels increased powers to act against pirates and to bring those arrested to justice in the country’s courts. GIB LINK: plans to launch a new fast ferry service between Gibraltar and Algeciras have been announced by the Barcelona-based shipping firm Transcoma. No service has run on the route since 1969.

Suez authorities seek to discover cause of tanker’s broken back after the 93,400dwt product tanker Elli C broke its back in the Suez Canal, above.

Investigations were launched last month

The 25 crew onboard the Panamanian-ﬂagged vessel, owned by Worldwide Green Tankers, had

to be evacuated after the 23-year-old ship suffered apparent hogging and split amidships near the southern entrance of the waterway. Investigations are focusing on a possible link with an incident in June, when the tanker ran aground

on a sandbank off Yemen. There were also reports that Egyptian authorities were investigating the potential role of ballast operations being carried out by the crew before the Elli broke apart. Picture: AP/Press Association Images

More pollution fines in US and France company has been hit with H ﬁnes totalling €580,000 A Lithuanian shipping

(£516,814) following an oil spill off the French coast last July. And the master of the Lithuanian-ﬂagged general cargoship Eurika was ﬁned €300,000 for his role in the incident — €280,000 of which the company was ordered to pay. The penalties were imposed on Baltnautic Shipping, owner and operator of the 998gt ship, and Captain Vladislav Zaicev. Both master and shipping company

denied responsibility for the pollution, which was spotted by a French naval helicopter trailing a 500m-long slick off the protected island of Porquerolles. z A Greek shipping company, Dalnave Navigation, has been ﬁned a total of $US1.35m in the latest ‘magic pipe’ oily waste dumping case. Two engineer ofﬁcers on the 70,400dwt bulk carrier Myron N were each sentenced to three months’ probation and a month in a correction facility for falsifying oily waste records onboard the ship.

ACADEMY AWARD: the French merchant navy academy in Nantes has won a special award for its research into maritime safety in NW European waters. SÈTE SERVICE: the Italian operator Grandi Navi Veloci has launched a new service between Morocco and the French Mediterranean port of Sète.

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16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

YOUR LETTERS

What’s on your mind?

Shipmates Saddened at

Tell your colleagues in Nautilus International – and the wider world of shipping. Keep your letter to a maximum 300 words if you can – though longer contributions will be considered. Use a pen name or just your membership number if you don’t want to be identified – say so in an accompanying note – but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number. Send your letter to the Editor, Telegraph, Nautilus International, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or use head office fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusint.org

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

[ STAR LETTER

Mixed messages about the MN for Telegraph readers It was gratifying to read on the back page of the August edition of the Telegraph that the paper has been praised in the annual TUC press awards. The August edition deserves a special prize, which I leave for the readers to decide. First of all we have a small snippet of news that the Liberian Bureau of Maritime Affairs has extended for a further 10 years the contract of LISCR to operate its shipping register with more than 3,000 ships of over 90m gt on its books. Great stuff — however, I don’t see any contributions from LISCR at funding navigational aids anywhere in the world or providing any colleges or schools to educate the men that are expected to crew them, not even a warship for an antipiracy cruise off Somalia. Then we have the erudite and learned Capt A.K. Bansal bewailing the

criminalisation of yet more seafarers from the tanker Tosa after its collision, of which there is no evidence, with a Taiwanese trawler. He also derides the theory that it could have capsized in the Tosa’s wake and comments that, ‘Anyone even with a nodding acquaintance with ships and seas knows that it is impossible for a trawler of that size to capsize in the wake created by a ship in calm seas… unless the trawler was inherently unstable and unseaworthy’. Come now Capt Bansal, trawlers earn their keep by ﬁshing with a trawl net dragged along the sea bed several hundred feet astern of the trawler to which it is connected by a stout wire warp, thus a ship passing close to the trawler could indeed foul the trawl warp and capsize the trawler. Come forward now to page 20: ‘Members at work’, ‘back to school with a

message about the MN’, ‘it’s a career option you might not have heard about’, ‘it’s a cracking career’. Now cut to the right lower corner of the page and there’s a picture of an avuncular gentleman and possibly his nephew examining a terrestrial globe, the gentleman probably telling the bright eyed young lad all about the far away places he has visited: like far away at the end of a two mile jetty loading iron ore, or far away from a tank farm at an SBM discharging crude oil, or far away and a two mile walk through a container terminal where another mile walk takes you to the main road. Then there’s all those likely young lads you will be sailing with, like the crew of a German-owned ship currently here in port manned by a crew of mixed nationalities, these being Filipino, Sri Lankan, Maldivian, Ghanaian, Indonesian and Russian; good if you’re

inclined to linguistics. Turning now to the next page, ‘Piracy’, and we get ‘How to protect and survive…’ and ‘Pirate warns of an increase in violent attacks’, and we aren’t talking about Long John Silver in a tricorn hat, frock coat, peg-leg, a sabre in his hand and a parrot on his shoulder; we’re talking about a bunch of Somali terrorists armed with machine pistols, RPGs and rockets. Over to the next page, ‘Life at sea, there’s room for improvement’, and Neil Ellis tells us that ‘for those on board merchant vessels there’s little escape from the built-in environment’. A couple more pages and we read that ‘seafarers’ families need more help’. Well done, editor. ‘What were you saying about a job at the bank uncle?’ Capt. W.R. Womersley mem no 310660

Basil brushes up chart work for Ocean Village shows The self-styled ‘casual cruise’ company Ocean Village has wheeled out ‘the most famous fox on the box’ — Basil Brush — in its latest promotions. Basil — who regularly pulled in more than 13m viewers for his TV show in the 1960s — has

been performing live shows onboard the Ocean Village with two other ‘family favourites’, Paddington Bear and Bagpuss. To announce the shows, Ocean Village issued this publicity picture and we couldn’t resist an invitation for

Have your say online Last month we asked: Should the police crack down on the contents of seafarers’ computers?

On opening my September copy of the Telegraph, I was saddened to read of Eric Nevin’s death. I had the good fortune to serve on Council during his term as general secretary. He was a great person to work with, as he had a great sense of humour and determination. I first met Eric when he was working in the Liverpool office, and always looked forward to seeing him come onboard any vessel in which I was serving, and we became firm friends. I would ask that my sincere condolences be passed on to his family. HENRY TOPPING

How can we keep taking the tablets? In response to the article in the September issue of the Telegraph headlined ‘Seafarers must keep taking the tablets’, I am due to return to duty for a five-month trip. I have coronary heart disease and have had three stents implanted. I have been classed medically fit for duty and have been prescribed medication. I have requested a five-month supply from my GP, but have been informed by the dispensary staff at the Dalston Medical Centre, Dalston, Carlisle, Cumbria, that the ‘Rules’ state that only three months’ supply can be issued at one time. My question therefore is this: ‘How can shipowners ensure seafarers have sufficient supplies of medication if “Rules” state otherwise?’ J. WILSON, mem no 18467

Left fuming by the ban

readers to come up with their caption for it. The best one wins a copy of the lavishlypraised book Lighthouses of the World by Marie-Haude Arzur, described as ‘a beautifully presented panorama of over 150 lighthouses from 56 countries all around the world’.

h Send your entries to the Telegraph — telegraph@ nautilusint.org — to arrive no later than Monday 12 October.

Eric’s death

Having been outraged at the Department for Transport’s proposals, reported in your latest edition, I have been moved to start a petition on the No. 10 website. h Petition to: Allow British sailors to smoke on ships if they want to. Number10.gov.uk You may wish to give it a wider circulation. DAVID GERRARD mem no 104338

Fox on the rocks? Basil on the bridge Picture: Ocean Village

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October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

Access to internet telegraph helps to create a better life onboard STAFF editor: Andrew Linington production editor: June Cattini reporters: Mike Gerber Sarah Robinson web editor: Matthew Louw

I was reading the article on life at sea and the environment that we work and live in at sea (Room for improvement? — August Telegraph). Personally, I’m not too concerned with the living conditions that I have to put up with — but one thing I insist on is having full internet access on the vessel. If the boat/ship does not have internet, I will not go onto it. I find that being able to e-mail my friends, family, read the local news or even check my bank accounts gives me the feeling that I can keep my social life going. Without internet, I feel isolated from the rest of the world and my life is put on hold for months at a time. Having the internet, I’m able to keep in constant contact with my family, so I know

what is going on at home — which I believe, in the long run, will keep our relationship tighter and make it less likely for us to drift apart and finally separate (as most seafarers have experienced in their life, with divorce because of separation). I have also found that vessels that have full internet usually have better living conditions and are much happier ships to work on. If the owner of the vessel has put internet on the vessel, they are usually a company that has a better understanding of life at sea and its isolation and look after their personnel better. WAYNE GAYNES Australia

Better definition of ‘seafarer’ is needed As a bridge officer working onboard various offshore supp-ort vessels, I have been following the recent changes in HMRC’s guidelines to SED claims for seafarers with some concern. Our Nautilus union is fighting for SED to be available for all seafarers, irrespective of the sector in which they serve or the ship type they work on, but surely it would simplify the whole issue if HMRC were to re-define the definition of seafarer rather than discriminate the type of vessels we work on. After spending hours reading letters from MPs, articles in the Nautilus newspaper and website, as well as statements from HMRC over the past 12 months, I am still confused by the guidelines which are posted on the HMRC website, as are most of the merchant seaman I have spent hours discussing this subject with whilst onboard different vessels around the world. Most of them are disappointed that the Union isn’t tackling the current situation more vigorously. If HMRC re-defines the definition of a seafarer, as opposed to discriminating against vessel type, this whole situation could be simplified immediately. Under current HMRC guidelines EIM 33101 the

definition of a seafarer is a person who works on a ship. This is clearly open to abuse by personnel working on ships with no marine qualifications. For example: z ROV pilots z Riggers z Offshore managers z Dive technicians z Project clients z Surveyors z Deck/barge foremen z Hairdressers on cruiseships z Entertainers on cruiseships The obvious and easiest way for HMRC to stop these personnel from claiming SED would be to redefine EIM33101 meaning of employment of a seafarer. For example: Definition of a seafarer is someone who is employed onboard a ‘ship’ and is STCW 95 certified and is part of the marine crew as defined on the safe manning certificate that are signed on ships’ articles. Why has the Union not approached HMRC about this? Is this due to the fact that Nautilus has these so-called seafarers enrolled in our Union and is afraid of losing members? The HMRC could then go on to list the positions that a person must hold onboard the vessel in order to qualify for an SED claim.

z Master z Chief Officer z 2nd Officer z 3rd Officer z Chief engineer z 2nd Engineer z 3rd Engineer z Electrician z Bosun z Able Seaman z Ordinary Seaman z Motorman z Cook z Steward This simple set of guidelines, in my opinion, would rule out all contract offshore workers from SED claims and allow all Merchant Navy STCW 95 qualified personnel to qualify for SED claims, no matter which type of vessel they served on. mem no 186653 I am not sure if you will publish this letter, as I am not a member of your organisation. I feel I must write to you regarding SED, and the attitude of some of your members. Most letters published in the Telegraph letters section seem to regard that only those signed

on articles should be eligible for SED. On articles being the definition of a real ‘seafarer’, does Nautilus take the same attitude to this subject? I feel that some of your members are living in the past. The days of sail are long gone. There are many specialist vessels sailing the seas nowadays. I work onboard a DSV. Your members do not seem to realise that without the specialist crew onboard these, and many other vessels, they would not have a vessel to sign on to. I spend six months of the year afloat on my vessel and feel I am as entitled as any of your members to call myself a ‘seafarer’. I am a member of the RMT. I feel we should be fighting to get a reversal of the Revenue decision together. We are after all in the same boat. PS: I have earned my living at sea in one way or another for the last 39 years.

KEITH McGILL Dive Tech Supervisor Acergy Osprey

Conditions

survey Life at sea: is it getting better or worse? Time is running out if you want to take part in the Union’s new ‘Social Conditions’ Survey at nautilusint.org/ time-out

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GENERAL SECRETARY Mark Dickinson MSc (Econ) HEAD OFFICE Oceanair House 750–760 High Road Leytonstone, London E11 3BB tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 www.nautilusint.org

NORTHERN OFFICE Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801

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18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

NEWS EXTRA

Union appeal to minister to mark MN Day P

Nautilus International marked UK Merchant Navy Day last month with a call for the government to sign up to a global agreement to protect seafarers against criminalisation. This year’s was the 10th annual Merchant Navy Day — an event introduced by the government to ‘celebrate the British shipping industry as well as providing an opportunity to remember the sacriﬁces made by merchant seamen over the years’. In a letter to shipping minister Paul Clark, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the government could do no better to honour seafarers than to formally support the international guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident. ‘We support the government’s initiative in staging Merchant Navy Day, and believe it does help to turn a welcome spotlight on the role played by shipping and seafarers,’ said Mr Dickinson. ‘However, to make the event more than mere words, we believe the government should do some-

Capt Chris Wells appointed as Queen Elizabeth’s first master been appointed master of the a new Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth,

Captain Chris Wells, right, has

which is due to enter into service next October. Born and brought up in Bournemouth, Capt Wells went to sea as a cadet with Shell and served with the company for 16 years. He joined Cunard in 1992 as second officer on QE2 — where he went on to become staff captain — and last year took command of Queen Mary 2. Capt Wells also holds the rank of Lt Cdr in the Royal Naval Reserve, where he has served since 1986.

thing practical to support seafarers — and there could be no better way than by implementing this agreement, and urging other countries to do the same. ‘Too often, seafarers are treated with contempt by the authorities after accidents, and it is essential that they are given the special protection that they need because of the global nature of the shipping industry and the different jurisdictions that they come into contact with,’ he added. MN veterans were joined by representatives from throughout today’s maritime industry at a service at Trinity Gardens, Tower Hill, London, to mark MN Day and the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the second world war, pictured right. Admiral Lord West of Spithead inspected the honour guard and took the salute of the veterans’ parade, whilst RFA Commodore Bill Walworth read a message from HM The Queen. The Sailors’ Society planted almost 1,000 red ensign ﬂags to create a ‘sea of remembrance’ at the memorial.

Former chief engineer officer becomes Graig’s ops director Management has appointed a former chief engineer officer Matt Cardiff-based Graig Ship

Callender, right, as its new operations director with responsibility for the day-to-day running of the GSM ﬂeet. Mr Callender has 35 years of experience in the shipping industry, serving at sea for 15 years following a shore-based apprenticeship and rising to the rank of chief engineer before switching to management work ashore. He worked for Reederi Nord Klaus Oldendorff and as general manager, technical, for OSG Ship Management before joining the Graig group as a general manager in March.

Picture: Andrew Wiard

Training Opportunities DECK

ENGINEERING (continued)

• Officer of the Watch Classroom - dates on application Flexible Route - start anytime Upgrade Modules - start anytime

• EOOW (Class 4) all pathways 4 Jan 2010, 19 April 2010, 6 Sept 2010

• Chief Mate Classroom - dates on application Flexible Route - start anytime

• Chief Engineer / 2nd Engineer EK only Courses 19 Oct 2009, 1 Feb 2010, 17 May 2010, 1 Sept 2010

SHORT COURSES

• 2nd Engineer 111/2 (Class 2) with direct entry to Chief Engineer Academic Subjects 4 Jan 2010, 19 April 2010, 6 Sept 2010

• Abrasive Wheels

• Master Orals dates on application • Deck Oral Preparation Courses for all Certificates dates on application

ELECTRICAL

• ECDIS

• Class 1 & 2 Fishing Courses dates on application

• Diesel Electrical Propulsion 26 Jan 2010, 7 June 2010

• Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas

NAUTICAL CATERING

• GMDSS Radio Maintenance 4 Jan 2010, 19 April 2010

• IMDG Dangerous Goods

• Food Hygiene Courses on request (Basic/Cert/Diploma)

• Marine Electrical Maintenance 1 Feb 2010, 7 June 2010

• OPITO Approved Offshore Safety Bridge, Engine and Cargo Simulation

• Ships Cooks Certificates of Competency Part 1 & Part 2: 6 week course

• Electronic Navigation Equipment Maintenance 19 April 2010

• Shipboard Safety Officer

• Highers: 4 week course Dates for the above courses are on application

• GMDSS GOC 16 Nov 2010, 10 May 2010, 21 June 2010, 5 July 2010

• Ship Security Officer

ENGINEERING

• High Voltage Awareness 18 Jan 2010, 1 March 2010, 21 June 2010

• Tanker Familiarisation

• Chief Engineer 111/2 (Class 1) 4 Jan 2010, 19 April 2010, 6 Sept 2010

• GMDSS Restricted Operators Certificate 14 Dec 2009, 15 March 2010

• 2nd Engineer 111/2 (Class 2) 4 Jan 2010, 19 April 2010, 6 Sept 2010

• 2nd Engineer 111/3 (Class 3) 4 Jan 2010, 19 April 2010, 6 Sept 2010

• GMDSS Long Range Certificate 1 March 2010

To book a place on the following short courses, contact: Marine Booking Centre, Tel: +44 (0)191 427 3772, Fax: +44 (0)191 427 3918, E-mail: marineshortcourse@stc.ac.uk

• Compass Adjusters - Distance Learning • Control and Instrumentation

• GMDSS SRC • Marine Control • Refrigeration

• STCW 95 short courses required for MCA Certification • Tanker Safety Courses, Oil, Gas, Chemical Advanced Inert Gas + Crude Oil Washing • VTS Operators and Supervisors • Welding Appreciation

For further information on marine courses, contact: Tel: +44 (0)191 427 3900 | E-mail: marine@stc.ac.uk | Web: www.stc.ac.uk South Tyneside College, St. George’s Avenue, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE34 6ET and Marine Safety Training Centre (MSTC), Wapping Street, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE33 1LQ

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

SAFETY AT SEA Port health authorities are the first line of defence in preventing the introduction into the country of dangerous epidemics, and contagious and infectious diseases. In a keynote speech to the UK Association of Port Health Authorities conference last month, Nautilus highlighted the case for more support to be given to help them deal with new demands from the shipping industry…

Unclean: Nautilus says port health inspectors need more support to tackle substandard conditions like this

UK port health services ‘need intensive care’ C

UK port health authorities need a substantial increase in staffing and resources if they are to be able to continue to meet the increasing challenges of protecting the public, passengers and seafarers, Nautilus International warned last month. In a keynote address to the Association of Port Health Authorities (APHA) annual conference in Newcastle, senior national secretary Allan Graveson said there was little public or political appreciation of the ‘vital contribution’ made by APHA members to health and welfare. At a time when the threat of an influenza pandemic is focussing attention on international population movement, there has been a marked lack of awareness of the comparative importance of seaports against airports, he added. However, port health authorities are facing growing pressures and demands, including: > increased international trade resulting in long-term growth in shipping activities > the re-emergence of a substantial passengership fleet, with significantly larger vessels > structural changes in ownership, management and crewing of the world merchant fleet > increased complexity of international, European and national regulatory requirements ‘Government has policies for roads, railways and airports, but the development of seaports is left to the market,’ Mr Graveson told the meeting. ‘All too frequently, this means the infrastructure lags behind. ‘Resources dedicated to port health are little more than that of a lottery and need to be seriously addressed,’ he added. ‘Failure to

do so threatens not only seafarers and passengers, but the population and prosperity of the nation.’ The forthcoming introduction of the international Maritime Labour Convention will add substantially to the roles and responsibilities of port health authorities — introducing comprehensive new rights and protection for the world’s 1.2m seafarers. Key elements of the convention include medical certification to ensure that all seafarers are fit to perform their duties at sea, measures to ensure that seafarers have decent accommodation and recreational facilities onboard, and access to good quality food and drinking water provided under regulated hygienic conditions. The MLC regulations also address the issues of seafarers’ access to medical care onboard and ashore, health and safety protection and accident prevention, and access to shore-based welfare facilities and services. Governments are required to appoint sufficient qualified inspectors to police and enforce such requirements, Mr Graveson told the conference. ‘This will be a challenge to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency,’ he warned. ‘The MCA is grossly under-staffed and an increasing number of ships on the registry has been matched by a reduction in the number of qualified surveyors.’ With many flag states clearly unable to abide by international standards, Mr Graveson said the effectiveness of the MLC will depend greatly upon the effectiveness of port state control — and in the UK this would not occur without the support of port health inspectors. The recent downturn in the

Resources for port “ health are little more than a lottery and must be addressed ”

Paramedics escort a passenger from the Rhine cruiseship Lady Anne after a norovirus outbreak Picture: Reuters

markets is already leading to an increase in cases of substandard shipping and abandoned seafarers, he added, and many port health inspectors would be familiar with cases of cockroaches and rat infestation, unhygienic galleys, rotting food and foul drinking water. The increasing importance of port health has been underlined by the expansion of the cruise market — and with some ships carrying more than 5,000 people, there are immense new and significant health challenges, Mr Graveson pointed out. The prevalence of norovirus within the sector was one example — with outbreaks not only creating health problems, but also a threat to safety if large numbers of crew are incapacitated. The sweeping changes in the maritime labour market and the massive growth in the use of crews from developing countries have also created new problems for health professionals, said Mr Graveson. ‘We have witnessed a growth in TB among seafarers,’ he added, ‘and so concerned have P&I clubs become that many have insisted upon special medicals and additional health checks.’ However, he said, even though port health is an issue of national and international importance, its funding is dependent on local commitment, and on local authority officials and councillors. With devolution in the UK, port health is now subject not only to local regulation but also to regional administration, Mr Graveson pointed out, and when the UK replaced the de-rat and derat exemption certificate with the ship sanitation certificate, chaos initially prevailed as a result of confusion amongst civil servants. ‘While the problems were recognised, they should not have arisen in the first place,’ he argued. ‘Other counties with devolved or federal systems of government appear not to have such problems. Could this be because shipping is not given sufficient consideration within our government?

‘While the UK remains an island nation dependent upon shipping and the sea lanes remaining open not only for our survival, but our economic prosperity, a generation has grown up with little, if any, connection with the sea,’ he added. ‘As a consequence, we have civil servants, politicians and the public who are not aware of the importance of our seaports and the importance of our maritime skills.’ However, Mr Graveson said, it is not hard to find examples of the need to invest in port health. The outbreak of foot and mouth in the UK in the spring of 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism with the cost to the country estimated to be £8bn. ‘The origin is unknown. However, imported meat with a South African connection has been considered a possibility,’ Mr Graveson stressed. ‘It is not legal but illegal imports that need to be guarded against. ‘I know from bitter experience a ship’s manifest listing what is in a container is often a perfect example of poetic licence,’ he added. ‘and the recent example involving the shipment of 89 containers from the UK to Brazil — whose contents included clinical waste, syringes, blood samples, condoms and old medicines — demonstrates the potential dangers of systemic mis-declaration.’ Much is talked about national security and protection of the national infrastructure, he said, but Nautilus considers this debate has so far failed to include the serious questions that need to be asked about the resources allocated to port health and the ability of all the government agencies and departments to work together to protect UK seaports. As a result, Mr Graveson argued, port health must raise its profile to ensure it gets the staff and funding it needs to meet the increasingly complex and significant challenges it now faces. ‘The role of port health is essential for this nation and especially its seafarers,’ he added, ‘and I believe we must work to ensure it is properly resourced.’

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

MEMBERS AT WORK

Jigsaw’s pieces put into place Women seafarers are taking a leading role within a shipping company that is delivering a different form of safety support in the North Sea...

Capt Emer Russell signs on in the Caledonian Victory’s logbook

Back in September 2007, the Telegraph published an article headlined ‘Completing the Jigsaw’. Two years on, all the pieces of this North Sea safety programme are now firmly in place. It has been an exciting and eventful two years for all those involved with Project Jigsaw — not least the seafarers serving on some of the new generation of emergency response and rescue vessels that have come into service to support the scheme. Vector Offshore, a Great Yarmouth-based company, helped to pioneer some of the new tonnage and new techniques used to support the project. And now it is leading the way with the employment of women seafarers in the traditionally male-dominated offshore sector. Captain Emer Russell — who recently became only the second female master in the North Sea — is now one of nine female officers who sail on the Caledonian Jigsaw Regional Support Vessels (RSVs) managed by Vector Offshore. One-fifth of Vector’s navigators are female, and the company says this has resulted in ‘a tangibly

The Vector Offshore RSV Caledonian Vision

...a tangibly different culture in the fleet

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different culture across the fleet’. Craig Warburton, HSEQ advisor, describes Capt Russell as ‘a true frontiersperson — leading where others are sure to follow’. Indeed, another Vector Offshore female chief officer intends to sit her Master’s orals in the new year. And further to Capt Russell’s success, Gemma Charlton has progressed from ARRC engineer to holding an STCW qualification as third engineer. Craig Warburton said he believes that Gemma has demonstrated more than sufficient aptitude to advance her career further to second engineer — ‘Perhaps a future article will be about the

Commanding position: Captain Emer Russell is pictured with Captain James Culham during handover onboard the Caledonian Victory

first female chief engineer in the North Sea,’ he adds. Capt Russell says she is ‘ecstatic to have finally reached the pinnacle of my career, and I relish the challenges that lie ahead in my new role as captain onboard the Caledonian Victory. ‘I am grateful for all the support and experience that Vector Offshore have given me over the years, and am proud to be part of the Jigsaw project,’ she adds. Caledonian Victory — the vessel of which Capt Russell has taken command — played a central role in both of the helicopter incidents in the North Sea earlier this year. The crew of the ship, and its autonomous rescue craft (ARRCs) have been praised for performing ‘an exceptional job in emotionally difficult circumstances’. Events such as this have resulted in a marked increase in the utilisation of the ARRC fleet, as well as seeing other oil and gas companies buying into the Jigsaw scheme. In a fiercely competitive labour market, Vector Offshore says it is proud to have managed to retain an enviable 96% of its officers. The company says an extensive

I’m ecstatic to have finally reached the pinnacle of my career

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study leave programme, the second highest victualling budget in the North Sea and the provision of a structured career tree appears to encourage loyalty. A number of deckhands, such as Ian Ralph, have been brought through the ranks. The company also provided extensive support to second officer Shane McCole, of Irish nationality and fishing background, to secure an STCW endorsement on his OOW certificate. Following enquiries with the Irish Maritime Safety Directorate, Shane was fortunate enough to be one of the first candidates to benefit from the implementation of Marine Notice No. 3 2009. All of the Caledonian RSVs were fitted out in 2008-9 with full DP(II) position-keeping equipment, which — thanks to the size of the vessels — has further improved an

”

already stable working platform. And Vector Offshore has launched other projects, such as the installation of a soil sampling winch on the Caledonian Victory and fitting out the Caledonian Vigilance in Montrose for a well stimulation job off the Machar platform. ‘It is always pleasing to see a conceptual project reach maturity, and to see officers move up through the ranks, like Capt Russell who joined in 2007 as a second officer, said technical director John Warburton. Vector says it is looking to further expansion — which, according to Craig Warburton, will allow the company to ‘realise and further its corporate ambitions’. What’s more, he stresses, it will provide more opportunities for sea staff — as well as providing places for some new applicants.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

SEAFARER TRAINING All sides of the industry came together in London last month to mark the 20th anniversary of a vital seafarer training support programme...

Scheme launches seagoing careers I

It’s 20 years since Trinity House launched its Merchant Navy Scholarship Scheme in response to concern over the long-term future supply of skilled UK seafarers at a time when the annual cadet intake had slumped to fewer than 300. And last month Nautilus International officials took part in a special seminar to celebrate the anniversary and to look ahead to the training needs of the next two decades. Introducing the event, Commodore David Squire — director of maritime training at Trinity House — said the scholarship scheme had built on more than 300 years of support for seafarer training by the Corporation of Trinity House. Since the scholarships were first offered in 1989, more than 300 men and women had been helped to gain their first certificate of competency, he said. And the scheme is continuing to be successful, with 25 cadets recruited for the 2008-9 academic year and an intake of 30 on the cards for the 2009-10 year. ‘The scheme has become so highly regarded across the indus-

broad overview of the shipping industry before they commit themselves to one particular company or type of ship on completion of their training. A succession of past and present cadets underlined this point, as they told the seminar about their experiences during and after training. Captain Emma Tiller, who was among the first intake in 1989, now works for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch after a career that has included time on cruiseships, tankers, ferries and vessel traffic services. As well as having worked for a maritime law firm, Capt Tiller became the first female superintendent at BP’s Hamble terminal and also worked in ship management for MOL Tankships. ‘I am very proud of being a Trinity House cadet,’ she said, ‘and I think this industry has a lot to offer young people.’ Heather Cowan, who now serves as an assistant engineer superintendent with MOL, started her career as a Trinity House cadet in 1996 and served with BP, Maersk and Shell before coming ashore after gaining her chief’s ticket.

I had dreamed about going to sea, and Trinity House helped me fulfil my dreams

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try that our “graduates” have little difficulty in finding jobs once they have qualified,’ said Cmdre Squire. ‘Indeed, we are beginning to see a number of them emerging in senior management positions both afloat and ashore.’ The training scheme was devised in 1989 by the then Deputy Master, Captain Sir Malcolm Edge, who recently said: ‘It is hugely satisfactory that the scheme has survived so well and even had other organisations paying us the ultimate compliment — copying it!’ Today, the scholarship offers an opportunity to train as deck, engineer or electro-technical officers, in a diverse range of ship types — including cruiseships, containerships, VLCCs, ro-ros, dredgers, general cargoships, ferries and lighthouse authority vessels. Trinity House says the range of experience offered through the system enables its cadets to gain a

‘It’s not always been an easy road, and there have been ups and downs along the way, but I do miss the sea,’ she said. Richard Wade, now a first officer onboard the P&O Cruises’ vessel Artemis, said his cadetship had started in 1997 on a selffunded basis. ‘I was 25-years-old, and not a single company would touch me,’ he said. But after securing support from Trinity House in 1999, he was able to complete his cadetship and in 2001 started work as a fourth officer with Holland America Line. ‘Things have moved on,’ he said, ‘and the industry is less old-fashioned now and looks much more to the future than it did.’ Michael Elleray, a second engineer with HAL, told the seminar: ‘I owe Trinity House a great deal of gratitude for the start they gave me to my career, and what I thought was best about the scholarship was being able to get sea

time on such a variety of vessels. I learned that there is a ship to suit every cadet.’ Padraig Condon, who was one of the first group of cadets trained at the new National Maritime College of Ireland facilities in Cork, echoed this. ‘The more varied cadetship gave me an insight into which area I would like to specialise in,’ he added. ‘This is a unique career, and I am very grateful to Trinity House for the start they gave me.’ Commodore Peter Melson told the seminar how the scholarship scheme has evolved to offer support towards a ‘third way’ of going to sea. The Trinity House yacht bursary scheme was launched two years ago to help fill a gap in training in the leisure sector. ‘There are 800-plus superyachts on order worldwide,’ said Cmdre Melson, ‘and there is a need for more than 3,000 professional crews to operate them. The UK is the only country with an internationally-recognised training scheme for people to do these jobs.’ Aidan Pinder, one of the first beneficiaries of the scheme, said he had recently served onboard the Pelorus — one of the world’s largest superyachts — and the Trinity House support had been ‘absolutely fantastic’. Aidan Gerry, who was working as an estate agent before he secured his bursary, added: ‘I had dreamed about going to sea, and Trinity House helped me fulfil my dreams.’

Top: the Trinity House scholars who spoke at last month’s seminar Above: the September 2009 intake of Trinity House cadets, with Commodore David Squire

A change of course for cadet at the age of 37 A

Deck cadet Patrick Ford, from St Austell in Cornwall, is one of the latest recruits to the Trinity House Merchant Navy Scholarship Scheme — starting out on a new career course at the age of 37. Patrick, who is married with two young children, trained as a shipwright and has worked within the marine industry for 15 years — as crew, bosun and mate on square riggers, and then in the yacht industry, including superyachts. Recently enrolled on the foundation degree course at Warsash Maritime Academy, Patrick already holds an honours degree in development studies — as well as being Royal Yachting Association yachtmaster offshore skipper. In recent years, he has been involved with the restoration and fitting out of classic yachts and superyachts, and has run his own bespoke joinery company. ‘My business as a bespoke furniture maker will be affected by the

Mature student: deck cadet Patrick Ford

changing economic situation, and although successful so far neither provides long-term security nor career opportunities such as are available in the Merchant Navy,’ he said. ‘I am keen to move on from my past achievements and capitalise on my personal strengths as a mariner and potential shipmaster. Having had many years’ seagoing experience in ocean yachts, my family and I are aware of the level of commitment — especially during training — but also the potential rewards.’ Commodore David Squire, director of maritime training for the Corporation of Trinity House, added: ‘We are delighted that Patrick has accepted a bursary through the scheme, and although he may be older than the average applicant he, like every male or female to whom we offer a bursary, has demonstrated that he has the necessary commitment and aptitude required of a trainee deck officer. I wish him well.’

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Make Union your first point of call

Arresting spectacle: US Coast Guard officers demonstrate their law enforcement boarding procedures Picture:USCG

Union urges members to ‘think before you speak’ following an accident on your ship...

The criminalisation of the maritime profession is one of the hottest topics in the shipping industry at present — highlighted by a series of cases in which masters and ofﬁcers have come before the courts following accidents at sea or in port. In the UK, recent incidents have served to demonstrate the way in which incidents can lead to legal action and to underline the need for seafarers to ensure that they call in the Union as soon as possible to ensure their interests are protected. Criminalisation of the maritime profession is,

of course, not a new phenomenon. Nautilus, like its predecessor unions, has extensive experience of handling legal cases arising from incidents — not just in the UK, but throughout the world. Whilst some form of criminal investigation is almost inevitable following a fatal accident onboard, and whilst Nautilus would not condone wilful acts of negligence, the Union has consistently taken the position that seafarers should not face the prospect of incarceration for errors of judgement or as a result of the actions of others onboard their vessels. When an accident occurs involving a UK-flagged ship or a foreign ship in UK waters, the master or senior surviving officer must send a report to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) as soon as is practicable. It is, therefore, very likely that in the aftermath of an accident seafarers are likely to face questioning from both bodies. The MAIB is an independent branch within the Department for Transport (DfT) and is separate from the MCA. The MAIB is not a prosecuting agency, and the sole purpose of an MAIB investigation is to discover the causes of an accident and to produce recommendations to prevent a repeat. Matters are somewhat different, however, as far as the MCA is concerned. Its surveyors will also seek to discover what went wrong and its enforcement unit — which is responsible for ensuring compliance with merchant shipping regulations — will often seek to take a case to court to serve as a ‘lesson for others’. The MCA enforcement unit seeks to ensure that ‘significant breaches of maritime legislation are investigated and effective action is taken’ — which includes the potential prosecution of offenders. To this end, the MCA will also conduct interviews following an incident to gather evidence in connec-

The court case brought after the deaths of three seafarers on the Viking Islay sparked an intensive debate at the Nautilus Biennial General Meeting earlier this year Picture: MAIB

They made me feel guilty from the start, I was so shocked that I did not have the sense to get in touch with the Union

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tion with possible prosecutions. Initial evidence collected by a surveyor may be passed to the enforcement unit as a report for potential action. In the UK, post-incident procedures and investigation processes are governed mainly by the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, and the 2005 accident reporting and investigation regulations. It is important to note that the regulations do not just apply to accidents, but also allow for the investigation of ‘hazardous incidents’ — unspecified events, such as near-misses, which might have led to an accident. Although there is no requirement to report hazardous incidents, the MAIB strongly urges seafarers to do so voluntarily. As well as setting out the powers to investigate accidents, the regulations also impose a duty on seafarers to cooperate with MAIB investigations. It can therefore be an offence under the Merchant Shipping Act for a seafarer to fail to cooperate with its inspectors or to refuse to answer questions. Any information given during interviews with the MAIB is kept in confidence and can only be released if a court orders it, or if the witness gives his or her written permission. An answer given by you to MAIB inspectors cannot be used in evidence against you in any proceedings, unless you make a false statement or sign a declaration which is false. In contrast, questioning by the MCA or the police is likely to be done under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Seafarers will have to be formally cautioned before interviews, and warned that statements that they make could be used as evidence in prosecutions. There, therefore, a clear separation in law between the MAIB and MCA or police investigations — although it is worth noting that there is a memorandum of understanding between the MAIB and the Association of Chief Police Officers that covers the areas of liaison and exchanges of information

during investigations. Following an accident, seafarers may be shocked and upset — particularly if shipmates have been killed or injured — and it may be even more stressful when the MAIB, the MCA, police, P&I club and owners’ representatives turn up to ask questions. It may be difficult to think clearly and to shift between giving the open answers required by the MAIB to the more considered and cautious responses that may be necessary when replying to questions that could lead to you being prosecuted. It is essential, therefore, that you contact Nautilus as soon as possible after an incident. In all interviews, you are entitled to nominate another person to be present while you are questioned — use this opportunity. All these issues were debated extensively at the Nautilus BGM earlier this year, in the presence of the head of the MAIB chief inspector Stephen Meyer, who gave assurances that he would robustly defend any attempts to use its evidence as part of prosecutions. Mr Meyer said it was important that the MAIB interviews seafarers as soon as possible after an accident, while memories are fresh. Inspectors have psychological training and take account of the shock suffered during incidents, he stressed. However, evidence may often be conflicting, and the MAIB has to use analytical tools to decide what is correct. Two members told of their experiences being interviewed by the MAIB and the MCA — both speaking of an ‘aggressive and nit-picking’ approach being taken by the MCA. ‘They made me feel guilty from the start,’ said one. ‘I was so shocked that I did not have the sense to get in touch with the Union.’ Internationally, the situation may be far more complex. In many countries the distinction between accident investigation and potential prosecution is much more blurred, and Nautilus is campaigning for governments to sign up to the IMO/ILO guidelines for the fair treatment of seafarers following maritime accidents. The guidelines state that investigations should be conducted in a ‘fair and expeditious manner’, taking steps to protect seafarers’ basic human rights and to ensure that they have access to representative organisations, such as Nautilus, or to independent legal advice. It has become clear that seafarers may be interviewed by many different parties following an incident, and there is no way that you can do yourself justice in such difficult circumstances following a stressful or traumatic accident. Our advice is clear: call the Union before you speak to anyone, and be cautious about accepting legal representation from your employer — because there may come a moment where your interests diverge and you will need independent support. It is of the utmost importance that you think before you speak. Our ability to protect you, and your defence against any charges brought against you, may be seriously damaged if you make statements to the authorities before securing appropriate legal or professional advice.

A special seminar on criminalisation D

Nautilus is pleased to announce that a free seminar on seafarer criminalisation will be held at Warsash Maritime Academy next month, in association with Andrew Jackson Solicitors of Hull. In the light of a number of highly publicised recent cases involving British seafarers and further legal and procedural developments, Andrew Oliver and Andrew Coish of Andrew Jackson Solicitors will be delivering a presentation outlining current issues facing seafarers. They will also provide practical advice on dealing with the various potential investigatory authorities. Topics which will be covered include: Role of the MAIB > the master’s role in reporting to/dealing with the MAIB > do the master and/or the crew require independent legal advice? > who else can be present during MAIB interviews? > what legal liabilities (if any) ﬂow from an MAIB interview? g The MAIB remains a vital government agency, whose role is to fully investigate incidents in an even-handed ‘no blame’ manner. Its primary purpose, to highlight lessons learned from investigations, remains of paramount importance. However, seafarers may necessarily feel conﬂicted in their dealings with the MAIB and guidance will be given on

‘Never off the record’ L

Inspectors call: French police visiting a ship suspected of causing pollution off the country’s coast Picture: Eric Houri

Seafarers should beware that there is no such thing as ‘off the record’ when the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s enforcement unit comes calling, a leading lawyer has warned. Writing in the Swedish P&I Club’s newsletter, John Strange — a partner with the London law firm Thomas Cooper — outlined the differences between the post-accident work carried out by the MCA and the MAIB. ‘The objective of the MCA enforcement unit is to establish whether any offence has been committed under merchant shipping legislation and, if so, to prosecute someone for it,’ he said. ‘Accordingly, extreme caution should be exercised whenever a shipowner or crew member receives contact from the enforcement unit.’ Mr Strange stressed that witnesses questioned by the unit have the right to silence, the right to legal advice, and the right to request the presence of an observer at the interview. But, he added, ‘as a general rule a shipowner or crew member should never speak informally to anyone from the MCA enforcement unit.’

Master fined for failure to report engine failure to French powers M

his vessel, the Bahamas-flagged Island Star had continued sailing while both engines had lost power in dangerous circumstances.

engines and was listing dangerously while off the cruise port of Villefranche with the risk of hitting rocks off nearby Cap Ferrat.

A court in Nice found that Captain Colm Clark had not warned the authorities and that

The court found that in September 2007, the 42,427gt ship, sailing in the Mediterranean with 1,500 passengers and 500 crew onboard, had lost power in its two

Capt Clark told the court that he had told the cruise liner’s operator of the technical difficulties but had not been aware of the obligation to inform the French authorities.

The Irish master of a cruise liner sailing in the Mediterranean with 2,000 people onboard has been fined for failure to report engine difficulties to the French authorities.

the MAIB’s role and responsibilities. Police investigations > why would the police investigate a maritime incident? > do I need legal representation if interviewed by the police? > coronial investigatory function of the police > murder/manslaughter g In incidents involving fatalities the police will lead an investigation, usually with the guidance of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). Sometimes the police’s function will purely be to obtain evidence for the beneﬁt of a local coroner, and such evidence will not be obtained ‘under caution’. However, seafarers need to be aware of the potential to incriminate themselves (or others) even in ‘informal’ interviews with the police. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA)

> dual role of the MCA — survey and enforcement

> port state control issues > enforcement issues > powers of the MCA g The MCA is ‘the police of the sea’ and

responsible for enforcing most regulatory offences, save for murder and manslaughter. It is therefore essential to be aware of its powers and when and how an MCA investigation may lead to criminal sanctions.

Advice will also be given on port state control-related issues. Potential offences > murder, manslaughter and corporate manslaughter > oil pollution > ISM-related offences g It is important to know which offences are ‘corporate’ offences and which can be committed personally — including by senior members of the crew. An understanding of a seafarer’s own potential personal liabilities will be of great assistance in knowing whether you may be in conﬂict — deliberately or otherwise — with the owners/operators of the vessel in the aftermath of an incident, meaning that independent legal advice and/or advice from Nautilus would be essential. The purpose of the seminar will be to lend Andrew Jackson’s signiﬁcant maritime experience in a practical setting to allow seafarers to understand the roles and responsibilities of the various bodies that now become involved following a maritime incident, and the role and potential liabilities of the seafarer concerned. f The free Nautilus seminar will take place in the Hambleview Conference Room, at Warsash Maritime Academy on Friday 6 November, starting at 1400hrs. To book your place, call Nautilus legal secretary Sharon Suckling on 020 8530 1656 or email legal@ nautilusint.org

Owners in new call to support fair treatment F

International shipowner bodies are writing to governments around the world warning of the damage caused by the increasing trend to criminalise seafarers after accidents at sea. The International Chamber of Shipping is spearheading a concerted lobby of governments, expressing alarm at the ‘disturbing’ use of criminal laws to arrest, hold, detain and sometimes imprison seafarers following incidents. It is warning governments that such action is violating international maritime law and standards — set down in the MARPOL Convention and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Both MARPOL and UNCLOS aim to ensure that uniform and consistent standards are applied and that seafarers are protected from ‘a multiplicity of national rules, standards and enforcement actions’. UNCLOS expressly prohibits imprisonment as a sanction for pollution other than in cases of wilful and serious acts of pollution in the territorial sea, the ICS stresses. Such safeguards are essential, the organisation points out, to avoid seafarers being exposed to ‘arbitrary imprisonment for accidental pollution’. ICS chairman Spyros Polemis, pictured above, said there was no evidence that criminal sanctions for seafarers will cut the number of pollution cases. Indeed, he

added, it is undermining morale and adversely affecting accident investigations — ‘fear of criminalisation does not encourage seafarers to cooperate fully and openly with casualty inquiries’. The ICS has agreed that national shipowners’ associations should continue to urge all governments to adhere to the IMO/ ILO guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident — ‘to provide the legitimate protection which seafarers deserve’.

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

SAFETY AT SEA

It’s slow ahead on ballast water systems Two decades since the IMO first looked at ways of tackling the environmental problems posed by invasive species in ballast water discharges, the shipping industry is inching towards a technical solution in a bid to stave off hardline unilateral action…

A US Coast Guard officer uses a refractometer to test a ship’s ballast water before discharge Picture: US Coast Guard

It’s now more than 20 years since the International Maritime Organisation first considered the environmental and economic problems caused by invasive marine species spread by ships’ ballast water discharges. It’s 19 years since the IMO adopted voluntary guidelines and five years since the international Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments was agreed in an attempt to curb the problems. But it’s still not clear when the measures will take effect. The convention cannot come into force until a year after it is ratified by 30 countries representing 35% of the world fleet. And so far barely half that target has been reached. Plagued by this slow progress and concerned by the growing threat of unilateral or regional action — with some US states imposing requirements between 100 to 1,000 times more stringent than the global standard — the IMO has been seeking to stir member states into action. Following the last meeting of its marine environment protection committee (MEPC), the Organisation is now preparing to urge member

states to ‘encourage’ the ﬁtting of ballast water management systems (BWMSs) on new ships.

The IMO’s ballast water review group argues that BWTS technology is now sufﬁciently advanced — with at least six typeapproved systems available and a further 10 undergoing testing — that newbuildings should now be equipped ahead of the convention coming into force. Indeed, the group pointed out, there are now BWMSs in successful operation on many ships — and the MEPC also agreed to give ‘ﬁnal approval’ to a further four ballast water management systems that make use of active substances and ‘basic approval’ to three other systems. Chlorine, heat, ultraviolet light, ozone and nitrogen are among the measures that have been considered as weapons in the battle to clean up ballast water. And there is an almost bewildering variety of systems either on the market or close to gaining approval — with treatment technologies ranging from electrolysis to microwaves.

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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or w ite, Wr ne no pho more for ails: det

Consultations have been launched over proposed new rules for ballast water discharges in the United States. The US Coast Guard is inviting comments on planned regulations that will require ships operating in US waters or bound for US ports to be fitted with approved ballast water treatment systems.

Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES. Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: info@seatax.ltd.uk www.seatax.ltd.uk

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US tables new rules

16/4/09 14:21:08

Under the proposals, discharges will have to meet IMO standards during a ‘phasing-in’ period from January 2012 to 2016, when even tougher rules could be introduced. Public comments on the proposed rule need to be made by the end of November.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

SAFETY AT SEA The Hyde Guardian system onboard Celebrity Cruises ‘ Mercury Picture: Hyde Marine

Long and winding road towards type approval A

We do not want to see systems that might damage the environment or create health hazards because of a reliance on a cocktail of chemicals, for instance — Nautilus

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senior national secretary ALLAN GRAVESON Among the approved systems is one that uses oxidation technology and another that electrically generates sodium hypochlorite and hydroxyl radicals to disinfect ballast water. The NEI Venturi Oxygen Stripping System uses an inert gas generator to deoxygenate water to levels that kill off most organisms, while the SEDNA system uses ﬁltration and a mix of peracitic acid and hydrogen peroxide and the OceanSaver equipment deploys cavitation and nitrogen super-saturation.

The Global Industry Alliance — which was created last year to help promote research and development of BWMS technology — is also looking at alternative methods involving ship design solutions that could ensure compliance with the convention without the need to ﬁt treatment systems. The U-M ballast-free ship concept, for instance, allows water to ﬂow into ‘trunks’ inside the ship’s hull, and then to pass out through outlets at the stern. Because the water inside the hull is always ‘local’, ships will not transport invasive species along with their ballast water. Tank tests have also suggested this system could offer savings of more than 7% in the amount of power needed to propel a vessel.

Securing official type approval for ballast water treatment (BWT) systems can be ‘fraught with challenges and bureaucratic delays’, says one of the companies that has pioneered the equipment. Before they can be fitted to ships, BWT systems need to meet performance standards set by the IMO. These standards relate to the biological efficiency of the systems in reducing the number of organisms in discharges. The IMO also has to give approval if systems use or produce an ‘active substance’ during the treatment process. The Hyde Guardian BWMS, made by the US firm Hyde Marine, was approved by the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Lloyds Register in April this year, and was also the first system accepted into the US Coast Guard Shipboard Technology Evaluation Programme (STEP) programme. Mats Björkendahl, the company’s chief operating officer, says the system is robust and reliable and will not add significantly to seafarers’ workloads. ‘The system also uses no chemicals in the treatment or maintenance, so there is no hazardous material carried onboard and no special training required for the crew,’ he told the Telegraph. Hyde began testing and operating its first BWT equipment in 2000, when it installed a ‘first generation’ UV/cyclonic separator system onboard the cruiseship Regal Princess. In the following year, four more systems were fitted to cruiseships, a containership and a chemical tanker. As a result of the experience gained on these vessels, the system was redesigned to include auto-backflush disk filtration in place of cyclonic separation, and a higher powered cross-flow UV system.

Crew members on the Celebrity vessel Mercury installed the Hyde BWMS in four working days, while the ship was sailing Picture: Hyde Marine

The new model — the Hyde Guardian — was fitted to the Princess Cruises vessel Coral Princess in 2003 and in the following year was tested extensively to provide the necessary data for the STEP application, proving that it could meet the discharge requirements set by the ballast water management convention. The ship was also used again last year for the IMO type approval shipboard testing and STEP post-acceptance testing. Shipboard testing is a key part of the IMO approval procedure, but is complicated by the fact that there is at present no clear consensus on promulgated ballast water treatment standards. The current IMO regulations differ significantly from the USCG standards and the more stringent standards adopted in January 2008 by the state of California.

During the IMO debates, Nautilus has argued for the use of systems that do not add to the already onerous workloads of seafarers and against those that could present health and safety risks to crew. ‘We do not want to see systems that might damage the environment or create health hazards because of a reliance on a cocktail of chemicals, for instance,’ said senior national secretary Allan Graveson. As a part answer to such concerns, delegates at the last IMO MEPC meeting approved guidance on the safe handling and storage of chemicals used to treat ballast water and the development of safety procedures for risks to the ship and crew resulting from the treatment process. But both the IMO and the shipping industry are facing increasing pressure for more rapid action to control ballast water discharges. Research suggests that some 7,000 marine and coastal species are carried around the world every day in ballast tanks and the problems that have been caused by invasive marine species colonising new areas are blamed for global economic losses of more than £30bn as a consequence of the impact on ﬁsheries, aquaculture, industrial infrastructure and harbours.

Hyde Marine says the approval process ‘seemed daunting and essentially endless’ — especially in the United States. Because no mechanism was in place for a US administration to provide type approval under the IMO BWM Convention, or an equivalent requirement, it had to approach administrations in the European Union or in other countries for approval. Thanks to ‘excellent cooperation and effective planning and execution’ involving the MCA and LR, Hyde said it had managed to complete the IMO type approval process within a year from the initial application. In contrast, it said, the US STEP process ‘created a more than four-year ordeal for Princess Cruises and Hyde Marine and similar delays for the other US ship operators and manufacturers, who sought early acceptance into STEP’.

With dates now set for phasing in BWMS carriage requirements — from this year for smaller ships and up to 2012 for larger vessels — owners are being urged to equip their ships before the convention comes into effect.

Japan has raised concern about this increasing pressure, warning the IMO that the delayed entry into force of the convention will mean that many owners will have to retrofit recently delivered ships. But the IMO — whilst accepting that the installation of BWMSs may create ‘difficulties’ such as the potential need to modify ships’ designs — has insisted that there is no need to change or postpone the convention dates, that sufficient systems will be available for ships built next year, and has instead decided to send out an advisory note urging governments to ratify the convention at the earliest opportunity. The heat is on — and, indeed, in a paper presented to the International Symposium on Ship Design and Construction last month, American Bureau of Shipping principal engineer Shuji Maruyama warned owners, operators and builders that they should ‘begin preparing for the entry into force of these new requirements as early as possible…’

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

MARITIME HERITAGE

‘Bart, — would you mind building me a boat?’ Merchant Navy carpenters — a rarer breed on today’s vessels — are traditionally used to dealing with tasks onboard which are beyond the scope of any company handbook or Bosun’s Manual. So for Bart Taylor, newly-headhunted as Carpenter’s Mate for the maiden voyage of Ellerman’s City of Port Elizabeth, this particular request was water off a duck’s back. Together with his wife Jenny, Bart — now in his late 80s — is a native and continuing resident of Cullercoats, a village on England’s NE coast, not far from the Tyne, a river famed for its former heritage of world-class shipbuilding. Cullercoats itself, and the textbook little bay of golden sand embraced by two ancient breakwaters, is widely known. It is celebrated in America as the chosen location and temporary home of one of that nation’s greatest marine artists, Winslow Homer. He portrayed the heroic nature of the local ﬁshwives of the late 19th century, and the wooden sailing cables which were unique to these particular shores, and in their highly evolved design and method of building. The sinews of Bart Taylor’s family history run strongly through the traditions of coble ﬁshing, and the building not only of these beautiful craft, but also the ships which were the pride of the River Tyne. Amongst other vessels, Bart had been charge hand during the building of the Empress of England and the Empress of Canada; also the City of Port Elizabeth on which, by chance, he found himself as a key member of her crew.

Making light of his wartime experiences in the Navy, which took their early toll on his creative hands through frostbite, and his role as carpenter on the Liberty ship Samphire, he

The talented Mr Chippy TREVOR BOULT tells how a former seafarer helped to maintain an historic local boatbuilding tradition …

This Giles cartoon hangs in Bart Taylor’s kitchen, evoking memories of his backyard

came ashore in 1948 to start work at Vickers Armstrong as a shipwright. At about this time he built his ﬁrst model sailing coble — a half-model of the family’s own boat, the Hannah Taylor. Named after his grandmother, the coble was a livelihood for his grandfather, then his ffather. Compulsorily purchased for £250 by the Royal Navy during the last war, together with some 40 other local cobles, they were used in Scottish lochs 4 tto train commandos in beach landings. The Hannah Taylor did not return: few did. Today the model, T mounted on its pictorial backing, hangs in the hallway of the Taylor home. It is a masterpiece, veiled in w modesty. Bart recalled: ‘The sails were carved out of yellow pine. They were the hardest part to do.’

Today Bart’s hands may be slowed by arthritis, but they wield a pen enthusiastically to fill in his daily crossword puzzles. An active mind retains a vivid memory of the day he found himself on the City of Port Elizabeth — a petty officer with the remit to build a boat. ‘It was the Irish chief officer who offered me the job of carpenter’s mate. As charge hand, I knew the ship well — but I had to get my wife’s permission.’ A return to sea life would also mean a prolonged watch ashore for Jenny. ‘It was the chippy himself who asked me to build the boat,’ Bart remembers. ‘He wanted it for family purposes. We bought the wood — hemlock, mahogany and teak — from the sawyer at Walker’s naval yard. We got the copper nails and roves from the ship’s agent in London. A carpenter used to take his own tools to supplement those onboard.’ Warming to his theme, Bart continued: ‘She was a traditional clinker boat, with a drop keel; 15ft long, 5ft beam, 10 planks each side. She had a mast, a gunter gaff, and a pair of oars. She was originally varnished. We started building just after the ship had first sailed, to Middlesborough to load railway lines and girders; then to Hamburg, Antwerp and Rotterdam. She finished off at London Docks and embarked a hundred passengers. The ship called in at the Canaries for bunkers and to give the passengers a chance to have a walk ashore, before the passage to Cape Town.’

Without hesitation Bart quickly summarised the City of Port Elizabeth’s itinerary: ‘Cape Town — Port Elizabeth — East London — Durban — Lourenco Marques — and Beira. Then backloading: copper ingots and tobacco. The ports were reversed on the return trip to the UK. It took three months and 17 days. We also called at Newcastle — Spiller’s Quay — to discharge chromo by 5-ton

Bart Taylor’s boatbuilding skills led to a commission from the chief officer onboard a ship he served on Picture: Trevor Boult

grab. It was a heavy, dusty ore, and was going to the Consett steel works.’ As a dayworker, Bart downed tools for the ship at 5 o’clock each weekday afternoon, but picked up his own soon afterwards to continue working on the boat. Weekends also proved productive. Bart recounted the mystique of his trade: ‘To bend the timbers I had to make a steam box. Steam was made by using a blow-lamp to heat water in a tin.’ His trusted recipe: ‘Half an hour per half-inch thickness of wood.’ In bad weather the captain was protective of this new craft in the making, issuing instructions to the Indian crew to take it to the fo’c’sle alleyway and wedge it on its side. Bart remembers the City of Port Elizabeth as being a comfortable and seakindly vessel. Of her design, she was the ﬁrst of what came to be known as The Big Four. To our boatbuilder, with a ﬁnely-tuned eye for sweet lines and proportion, the new ship’s funnel seemed too large — especially when she was fully loaded: a characterful quirk nonetheless.

Bart continued his associations with the City of Port Elizabeth until her guarantee drydock. On that occasion the completed wooden boat was lifted ashore into a British Rail van. It was taken to Hebburn Station for onward carriage to Lee-on-Solent. Her builder surmised: ‘As far as I know she may well still be on the go.’ It was a simple statement of reasonable fact. Bart knows that he makes boats to last. He took his leave of the City of Port Elizabeth and went back to Vickers Armstrong. A year had gone by. The head foreman asked: ‘Are you coming back to work for us?’ He did, once more charge hand, but with a fresh injection of deepsea salt in his veins. In later years Bart Taylor became an inspector for MacGregor Hatchcovers before employment with Schat Davits. Home life found him doing modifications and repair work on cables at Cullercoats and nearby Blyth — ‘for reasonable rates’. Evenings at home by the fireside were enhanced by fulfilling orders for model cobles. The backyard remained a boatyard-in-waiting. When an order came, Bart had to ask his wife another question: ‘Would you mind if I built another boat...?’

The hybrid coble Embrace, built by Bart Taylor to a ‘yacht finish’ for Cullercoats fisherman Paul Robinson P icture: Trevor Boult

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

SAFETY AT SEA The 1990 Scandinavian Star ferry disaster claimed the lives of 158 people. Language problems between different nationalities were blamed for the high death toll Picture: Associated Press

Better communication among seafarers will save lives at sea and help to protect the environment

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A solution to bridge the language gap? Dr Martin Ziarati describes a new project to ease communications at sea...

It is no surprise that a large portion of accidents at sea are caused by poor communication. English is now universally accepted as ‘the language of the sea’, but the quality of English spoken by the world’s seafarers is very uneven. There have been several studies conducted in recent years which show that the lack of international standards in maritime English needs to be addressed (see the Telegraph, December 2007). Indeed, International Maritime Organisation (IMO) figures show that as many as 80% of accidents at sea are caused by human error, and nearly half of these are attributed to communication failures. The MarTEL project believes it has the solution to this problem. The introduction of the IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) was a useful first step, but the general English language proficiency of seafarers also needs tackling. What exactly is the level of English needed to do particular jobs at sea, and what vocabulary and grammar should the seafarers be expected to know? The core aim of the MarTEL project is to establish a series of maritime English language standards at three different levels, which will then be tested via the MarTEL online platform. These levels are: z Preparation standard, which will include tests at three levels of proficiency: Elementary, Intermediate and Upper Intermediate/Advanced. The content will be based on active learning and on

Dr Martin Ziarati pictured at Coventry University’s Technology Park

maritime terminology and usage, with little emphasis on grammar z Officer standard, which will be based primarily on either Navigation (Deck) English or Marine Engineering English. These tests will focus on the skill levels considered appropriate for a given type and rank of officer z Senior Officer standard, which is aimed at the senior officers in charge of vessels over 3,000gt. The standard will include a section on language requirements for these vessels. The standards for Officer and Senior Officer levels will give different levels of importance to the different skill and proficiency requirements of various ranks and duties. For example, a chief engineer should be competent in reading and writing but a more moderate level of speaking may be tolerated. MarTEL is at the forefront of

research in the ﬁeld. It has been developed by a consortium of highly experienced European partners; each from a different but related background that complements the project perfectly. The consortium includes maritime universities and training institutions as well as private companies which have speciﬁc experience or expertise in the project’s area. Better communication among seafarers will save lives at sea. Improved language skills will also help to protect the environment by making pollution disasters like that of the Prestige less likely. Although the SMCP were in place in 2002 when the tanker broke up off northern Spain, communication procedures broke down in the heat of the crisis — contributing to a devastating oil spill which contaminated over 100 beaches and led to the loss of

thousands of jobs in the fishing industry. MarTEL will therefore make a difference to the maritime community, and will offer a new and innovative approach to maritime English language testing across the European Union. The project is funded by the EU Leonardo da Vinci programme, and promotes lifelong learning among adult European learners as well as closer cohesion within Europe. To enhance MarTEL’s potential, each stage of the project has followed a process of evaluation and phase testing of the standards and their accompanying online testing facilities. The evaluation process included the assessment of the appropriateness (validity), currency and scope of the MarTEL standards under controlled conditions with real cadets at Maritime English Teaching (MET) institutions in Turkey, Poland and Finland. The findings were encouraging and showed the true extent of the MarTEL project’s potential in developing appropriate maritime English language standards. The MarTEL standards have now been evaluated and the tests are currently undergoing their final preparation before being piloted in a number of selected European MET institutions in the next couple of months. It is expected that MarTEL will be ready for delivery at the start of the new year. Several refereed papers on MarTEL have been published, and presentations are being made to major transna-

International Maritime English Conference October 2009 The world’s maritime English teachers and researchers meet annually to share their findings at the International Maritime English Conference, which is being held this month in Szczecin, Poland. As in Dr Ziarati’s work, several other lectures and workshops will address the issue of what to teach maritime English students and the best way to do this. In addition, there is a strong strand of ‘cultural diversity’ presentations dealing with the fact that effective shipboard communication relies on more than just language study. More to follow in future editions of the Telegraph.

tional and international conferences in September and October this year. The MarTEL standards are being transformed into internationally recognised qualiﬁcations. The next few months will there-

fore be an eventful period in introducing MarTEL and the expected improvements in safety at sea for European seafarers in the near future. f For more information, please visit www.maritime-tests.org

28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

SAFETY AT SEA

The US company Balinor International is offering a high-tech detection system that claims a range of up to 96nm, giving crew members ‘a serious edge’ in their security efforts Picture: Balinor International

Shipowners are being offered a growing range of systems to help protect their crews and vessels from pirate attack…

Major shipping ﬁrms — including BP Tankers — are working with Europe’s biggest defence company, BAE Systems, on the development of sophisticated new electronic early warning equipment to cut the risk of pirate attacks. Shipboard trials of the system are set to take place early next year, and if they prove successful BAE will become the latest in a growing number of companies offering security packages to the shipping industry.

Technology takes off in piracy fight Nautilus has consistently called for owners and operators to ﬁt equipment to their ships that will assist seafarers in detecting the threat of attack. However, the Union believes the industry has shown a marked reluctance to invest in the technology that has gone onto the market. BAE hopes to break through this resistance by working in partnership with major shipowners to ‘assess commercial requirements in order to create the most effective solution’to the threat of pirate attack.

The company revealed last month that it had developed a suite of technology that will help seafarers detect a ship and identify suspicious activity at distances of up to 25km. The early warning system will cover a 360-degree arc, and promises to give crews the vital time needed to take evasive action or alert navies to the danger. Nick Stoppard, director of solutions development at BAE, said: ‘Piracy is on the rise. Attacks in 2008 were double those of the previous year and there is a clear need for better methods to help commercial ships identify and evade pirates before an attack occurs. ‘Once a pirate has his hands over the railing, it is all over. The priority therefore has to be surveillance, detection and then prevention.’ The BAE system will be based on a high frequency surface wave radar to detect small boats well beyond the horizon, together with a 360-degree surveillance system including CCTV, movement detection and threat level alarms.

Testing the Triton Shield anti-piracy system onboard the US-flagged containership Horizon Crusader recently

The company is also considering a passive radar identiﬁcation system to provide early warning of an unidentiﬁed radar-carrying vessel, and a defensive laser system that could be used to dazzle attackers. The US-based company Balinor International is also offering owners a special detection and deterrence system to reduce the risk of attack. Its Anti-Piracy Technology (APT) system claims a 96nm range and can detect a 3.5m boat in 3m seas, as well as being able to automatically detect and register AIS-equipped vessels in the vicinity. Balinor CEO Norman Barta told the Telegraph that the system — which also incorporates the tried and tested Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), already used by more than 25 shipping companies — would provide ‘high-tech, nonlethal but effective protection against unwanted visitors’. As well as its long-range radar capability, APT includes camera technology that can identify vessels up to 10nm away in the daytime, and 5nm away at night using laser and infrared illuminators. An optional thermal camera system can detect a single human heat signature in the water 8nm away day or night, in any weather. ‘This gives the crew a serious edge in knowing exactly who is approaching their vessel 24 hours a day, and provides them the lux-

Prince visits RFA in the frontline I

HRH Prince Edward, in his capacity as Commodore-in-Chief to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), paid a special visit to Bahrain last month to meet members of the RFA, Royal Navy and Royal Navy Reserve supporting anti-piracy work in the region. He is pictured above meeting RFA officer Duncan MacColl and Royal Navy officer Phil Houghton. During his one-day visit, the Prince went onboard the RFA landing ship Lyme Bay, where he was met by the commanding officer, Captain Kim Watts, and Captain David Buck, of the RFA Cardigan Bay. He also met RFA personnel from both ships, as well as the RNR team that provides force protection for the RFAs in theatre. The Prince also visited the mine countermeasures vessel HMS Pembroke, and was briefed at the headquarters of the UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC) in Juffair.

ury of time to react,’ said Mr Barta. And, he added, ‘because APT is controlled from a command and control station on the bridge (or satellite stations elsewhere in the ship, at the shipowner’s option), no one needs to be on deck while defending the vessel — thus keeping the crew out of harm’s way.’

Another new system — the Triton Shield AntiPiracy System (APS) — was recently tested onboard the US-flagged containership Horizon Crusader. Developed by former seafarers working for the US firm International Maritime Security Network (IMSN), APS uses high-tech methods to detect any vessels that enter a one mile perimeter around a client ship. ‘With the Triton Shield Anti-Piracy System, a ship will be able to determine the difference between a fishing boat and a pirate craft, day or night,’ the company claims. The Triton Shield uses water to provide a basic barrier to potential boarders, although IMSN offers a ‘multi-layered defence package’ that also includes training and education, and ‘hard secu-

rity’ — security teams from a military or law enforcement background with the ‘tools and training needed to evaluate a potential threat and determine the proper amount of force needed for any given situation’.

Captain Timothy Nease, a co-founder of the company, said: ‘Our system will give every opportunity to fend off the pirates before the need for lethal force. Lethal force will only be considered when every option has been exhausted, and there is no other recourse to save the lives of the crew and maintain the safety of the ship.’ And if all of the high-tech systems don’t appeal, shipowners can always call in might and muscle. It was revealed last month that the Iranian tanker company NITC is using teams of former Royal Marines to protect its ships in the Gulf of Aden following a series of attempted attacks in the past year. Company chairman Mohammad Souri told the annual International Union of Marine Insurance conference that armed security guards were the most cost-effective way to deter attacks.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29

SAFETY AT SEA

Once a pirate has his hands over the railing, it is all over. The priority therefore has to be surveillance, detection and then prevention

“

”

The UK defence firm BAE Systems is working with the shipping industry on a ‘suite of technology’ to protect merchant vessels Picture: BAE Systems

New industry ‘best practices’ w

New anti-piracy advice for the Gulf of Aden and Somali coastal waters was issued by an industry coalition in

August. Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Coast of Somalia is now in its second version, incorporating lessons learnt from recent attacks on merchant ships. The advice document is supported by a range of maritime organisations, including the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) and the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). The latest analysis of successful attacks indicates that the following common vulnerabilities are exploited by pirates: z low speed

z low freeboard z inadequate planning and procedures z a visibly low state of alert and/or lack of evident self-protective measures z an obvious slow response by the ship It has also been noted that ﬁrst and last light are the most likely times for pirate attacks and that calm sea conditions raise the risk to merchant ships — wind strengths in excess of 18 knots and wave heights of over two metres provide protection to most vessels. The best management practices offer a comprehensive range of anti-piracy measures, explaining how to prepare a ship before transit of the high-risk area, how to act during transit and what to do if under attack or boarded by pirates. The advice includes common-sense reminders such as stowing ladders and out-

board equipment out of reach, as well as more radical tips such as the use of dummy seafarers in lookout positions to give the appearance of a larger crew. Guidance is also given on the best way to operate the ship safely in a group transit (convoy). The document notes the appropriate emergency communication procedures to follow when under attack and includes a template for submitting a post-attack report to the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA), the UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) Dubai and the IMB.

Collect up to £15,000 to help your studies… Are you a Merchant Navy rating considering career progression? The JW Slater Fund, administered by Nautilus International, offers awards of up to £15,000 to help ratings study for a first certificate of competency.

The money can be used towards the costs of any necessary full- or parttime education, and to provide some financial support during college phases for those off pay.

And there is a discretionary bonus of £1,000 on obtaining an approved OOW Nautilus International is now inviting Certificate. applications for the 2009 awards. If you want to make the next move, Over the past decade alone, Slater Fund awards have been given to more don’t leave things to chance — fill in the form below, or apply via than 800 individuals. Named in honour of former MNAOA general secretary John Slater, the awards are made to selected UKresident ratings aged 20 or over.

www.nautilusint.org

The Marine Society provides education and careers advice for applicants.

f Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Coast of Somalia is available online at www.intertanko.com (subscribers only).

Attacks set UK centre offers training to increase and support package to M

Operators of vessels off the east coast of Africa have been warned by a leading insurance expert to prepare for an increase in pirate attacks as the SW monsoon comes to an end. ‘There is a temporary lull in pirate activity at the moment off the east coast of Africa, but we expect this to be just that — a temporary lull,’ said William Tobin, of the not-for-profit mutual organisation Shipowners’ Protection Ltd. Speaking ahead of this month’s 2009 Middle East Workboats exhibition and conference in Abu Dhabi, Mr Tobin said the insurance industry is disturbed by the attacks on shipping. ‘The escalation and severity, coupled with the sophistication of the technology and ready availability of arms to modern-day pirates, are a cause of great concern,’ he added. Mr Tobin said the attacks showed the importance of shipowners having adequate marine insurance cover — particularly hull and machinery, war and protection and indemnity insurance. ‘There is also the issue of whether weapons of war are involved in an attack, which is a contentious matter,’ he added. ‘There are various views as to what constitutes a weapon of war — modern day pirates use very sophisticated weapons.’ He also warned that pirate activity off the west coast of Africa is also on the increase — particularly in the Gulf of Guinea.

combat pirate threat w

Not only do owners have a huge range of hi-tech security systems to choose from, they are now being offered a complete counter-piracy service delivering training and ‘ongoing operational support’. Launched last month by the UK-based Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre (MMWC), the service is described as a ‘stepchange’ in the shipping industry’s battle against piracy. Based in Poole, MMWC is a non-profit organisation that seeks to help owners to ‘adopt a coordinated, structured and sustainable approach to mitigating the financial, operational and human impact of piracy’. The centre offers certificated counterpiracy training for shore-based staff and seafarers, with classroom sessions in Poole and on-water and simulator training in Portsmouth. Its services also cover risk assessment, auditing and 24/7 operational support, including the provision of counter-piracy intelligence and threat

analysis to vulnerable vessels. Ships entered into the scheme will be regularly audited by MMWC staff, and given a counter-piracy handbook and three 5 x 2m banners, designed to be displayed when transiting at-risk areas, ‘showing potential aggressors that the vessel and crew are fully trained and prepared to repel an attack’. MMWC director Nick Davis said: ‘Our aim is to reduce the number of attempts that result in attacks through educating the industry and providing competence beyond compliance. ‘It’s a simple fact that crew who have been trained and drilled before passage are more capable of thwarting attempted attacks,’ he added. ‘We provide the tools to achieve this.’ Mr Davis said the centre is working with the marine insurance sector in a bid to establish its counter-piracy certiﬁcation as an industry standard, where compliance will be reﬂected in lower premiums.

COMPLETE THIS FORM AND SEND IT TO:

30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

OFFWATCH ships of the past General details BUILDER: Robert Duncan & Company, Port Glasgow, Scotland DATES: 1874-1890 OWNER: Albion Line DIMENSIONS: 230ft; beam 36ft; tonnage 1250.

‘Few ﬁner specimens of the shipbuilders’ art’ by Trevor Boult

The Dunedin was one of six iron colonial clippers of the Auckland class, designed as emigrant vessels capable of carrying several hundred passengers. Of these vessels it has been said that ‘there were few more perfect specimens of the shipbuilders’ art’. But Dunedin’s assured place in history is associated with the ﬁrst commercially successful shipment of frozen meat from New Zealand to England. The symbolic value of this voyage was immense. Farmers in New Zealand had been trying for years to transport the products of their meat enterprises to the lucrative markets in Europe. From these beginnings, frozen meat and dairy exports grew to become the backbone of New Zealand’s economy until 1974,

when the UK joined the European Economic Community. EEC trade restrictions excluded products from New Zealand. Dunedin’s maiden voyage from Glasgow to the port after which she was named took three months. Her arrival and those of her 500 immigrants was celebrated in the regional press, which reported: ‘The ‘tween decks were lofty, well lighted and ventilated. She has a doublepurchase steam winch for discharging cargo, and is provided with a splendid condenser — one of Chaplin’s — capable of condensing 480 gallons per day. She has also a large oven for the use of the immigrants.’ In 1880 company director and entrepreneur William Davidson convinced Dunedin’s owners to invest in refrigeration.

Negotiations with Bell and Coleman resulted in the ship being ﬁtted with the latest compression refrigeration unit. This worked by removing air, compressing it, then releasing it to a lower pressure refrigeration chamber — in this instance the hold — where the air cooled as it expanded. The steam-powered machine could chill the hold to 40 degrees below surrounding air temperature, freezing the cargo in southern New Zealand’s temperate climate, and holding it below zero in the tropics. Using three tons of coal per day the ship’s most noticeable modiﬁcation was the funnel for the refrigeration plant. Sited between her fore and main masts, she was sometimes mistaken for a steamship. Killing sheds were built near Oamaru. The freshly slaughtered carcasses of Merino-Lincoln and

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

Leicester crossbred sheep were railed to Port Chalmers overnight, sewn into calico bags and frozen aboard ship. Lengthy and complicated repairs to the machinery were needed, during which time several hundred carcasses of mutton and lamb had to be offloaded. Those that were not thrown overboard were sold to local bidders. The vessel eventually sailed with some 5,000 carcasses. Cargo also included slaughtered pigs, pheasants, turkey, chicken, and kegs of butter. Under the command of Captain Whitson, who was master for 13 of Dunedin’s voyages, the ship arrived in London after 98 days. Over the next fortnight her cargo was sold at Smithfield Market. Each carcass averaged a guinea — double their value in New Zealand. The Otago Witness newspaper was able to pronounce that ‘with the establishment of the frozen meat trade a new agreeable means of intercourse and interchange between colonists and their friends in England has come into existence’. Late in her career, the Dunedin was reduced to a barque rig. She was to make 17 round trips to New Zealand. On her last and final voyage, with a crew of 34, she sailed from Oamaru for London in March 1890, with a cargo of frozen meat and wool, and disappeared without trace. Her loss has been attributed to the excesses of Cape Horn, either to storm or collision with an iceberg. The ship is celebrated in art, with an iconic work by Frederick Tudgay, entitled ‘Dunedin off the Engish Coast’, pictured above. This oil painting of 1875 is unique in representing her in the original Albion Line colours. First owned by Captain Whitson, it now hangs proudly in the foyer of the prestigious Hocken Library, in Dunedin.

50 YEARS AGO In industry generally, a recovery is getting quite well under way. But four industries, which are among Britain’s oldest and most important, are deﬁnitely lagging behind the rest. These are cotton, coal, shipbuilding and shipping. Shipping’s trouble is that there are simply too many ships in the world for the present level of trade and a surplus of ships keeps freight rates down. There has been a great deal of talk among shipowners about the need for scrapping surplus ships, many of which are very old. Most seem to admit the need for this, yet very little has been done about it so far MN Journal, October 1959

25 YEARS AGO A call for a campaign to restore the 25% tax relief on seafarers’ overseas earnings was overwhelmingly carried at the TUC annual conference last month. A motion deploring the government’s decision earlier this year to phase out the relief was tabled by the National Union of Seamen and seconded by the MNAOA. Speaking to the motion, MNAOA national secretary Brian Orrell said members had felt ‘insulted and betrayed’ by the government’s decision to scrap the relief with no warning, consultation or justiﬁcation. He said the loss of the relief would lead to a ‘sharp and signiﬁcant cut’ in take-home pay for seafarers who had little or no say in how long they would be out of the country and unable to take full advantage of the services provided from their taxes The Telegraph, October 1984

10 YEARS AGO Deputy prime minister John Prescott promised a ‘new era for British shipping’ last month as he helped to raise the red ensign on the first ship to reflag to the UK as a result of the introduction of long-awaited support measures. The 4,400TEU P&O Nedlloyd containership Peninsula Bay was formally transferred back from the Bahamas register in a special ceremony in Southampton. P&O chairman Lord Sterling said the 50,538gt vessel was the first of at least 50 P&O ships that would return to the red ensign following the government’s decision to launch a UK tonnage tax scheme. Latest figures underline the urgent need for the support, with a net loss of 1.7m dwt from the UK-owned fleet in the second quarter of the year The Telegraph, October 1999

THEQUIZ Which countries belong to the ‘Red Ensign Group’ of ship registries?

How did the term ‘bosun’ originate?

Which country’s shipowners have the largest number of passenger vessels on order?

What was the claim to fame of the vessel Great Western launched in 1837, and designed by the Bristol-based engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

What is the average age of the world’s general cargoship ﬂeet?

What proportion of EU freight (measures in tonnes/km) is moved on inland waterways?

J Quiz and quick crossword answers are on page 42.

Name: Address:

Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015. Closing date is Friday 16 October 2009. You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to: telegraph@nautilusint.org by the same closing date.

QUICK CLUES 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. 17. 20. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Across Refuse receptacles (8) River (6) Little homework (4) It’s war (4,2,4) Knockout stages (6) Fib (4,4) Whenever (7) Generosity (7) Representative (8) Translate (6) Mollusc (5-5) Popular history (4) Water gate (6) Inventive (8)

Down Newspaper (8) Halt (4) Entertainment ring (6) Cut off (7) Spanish scarf (8) Olympic competitor (10)

Telephone:

7. 13. 16. 18. 19. 21. 22. 24.

Aussie taunt (6) Medicament (10) Brewer (8) Calming potion (8) Owl sound (7) Annual (6) French cromlech (6) Buddy (4)

CRYPTIC CLUES Across 8. Retreat from 13 north of the border (8) 9. Somewhat bothersome, somewhat different (6) 10. A copper’s one to make up new phrase (4) 11. Bribe at Wimbledon perhaps (10) 12. Half please, about to go out on a kind of beach (6) 14. Stray vet treated is not what it should be (8)

Membership No.:

15. Little ﬂower was a con the French cobbled together (7) 17. Trill like Lulu after she returned and had dinner (7) 20. Garment mice also made a mess of (8) 22. Cover with drapes everywhere (6) 23. Crooked circus manager? (10) 24. Keep right on to the end of the line (4) 25. (See 13 down) 26. Sections of (an) act in (a) news story? (8)

Down Boat sure to have been damaged by one (8) 2. Duck chaps, it’s a sign of things to come (4) 3. A voice three times as great (6) 4. Parking over Los Angeles California is a ﬂipping alien — calm down (7) 1.

5. It is attracted to light dance — this should repel it (8) 6. Odds 50-50, otherwise it’s a high ranking figure (10) 7. Something annoying about religious instruction, could be the instructor (6) 13. & 25. across Where Christopher and Alice went for a change (10,6) 16. Lee’s on or about with warm-up delivery (8) 18. Ironed on in football move (8) 19. Kitchen humour, not very lively (7) 21. A cow is a very good — in the field; but we turn her out of a garden (Samuel Johnson) (6) 22. Positive Tony’s heartless, though he stood this with a pound of flesh (6) 24. What Schumacher did to most opponents — at such a speed (4)

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

books

OFFWATCH

Illuminating MN history Britannia’s Realm by Richard Woodman The History Press, £30.00 ISBN 13: 978-0752448190 oughly depressed reading this, the K second volume in Richard Woodman’s It could be very easy to get thor-

authoritative and elegantly written history of the British Merchant Navy. As with so many examinations of our past, it contains considerable parallels with the present — boom and bust, skills shortages, piracy, safety at sea to name but a few — prompting the inevitable question ‘when will we ever learn’? Thankfully, however, there is much more to provoke thought and reﬂection within the 350 pages of this excellent book which forms the second in a ﬁvepart series that starts in 1500 and will take us right up to today. Subtitled In Support of the State, this

Great piece of detective work to solve an old sea mystery Sydney, Cipher and Search by Captain Peter Hore Published by Seafarer Books 102 Redwald Road, Rendlesham, Suffolk IP12 2TE, £9.95 ISBN 978-1-906266-08-0

f www.seaforthpublishing.com

As we mark 70 years since the outbreak of the second world war, it may seem surprising that there is anything we still don’t know about the conflict. But it can take time for the truth to come out — for all the right information to come together, and for the right person to interpret the evidence. In the meantime, farfetched explanations and conspiracy theories tend to circulate whenever there is a wartime mystery, as Captain Peter Hore explains in his new work Sydney, Cipher and Search. Capt Hore aims to be the ‘right person at the right time’ to scotch the rumours surrounding the disappearance of the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney in the Indian Ocean in 1941. The naval historian has laid his hands on some fascinating new sources, including an encrypted account of the incident by the captain of the German ship credited (controversially) with the sinking. The problem, Capt Hore explains, was in understanding how the lightly armoured German merchant raider Kormoran could have sunk the pride of the Australian Navy. Could the

volume concentrates on the period between 1763 and 1815 — a time of immense turbulence, not only for shipping but also for western society. A seemingly endless stream of sea battles triggered by colonial conﬂict in north America and the Far East, and with the struggle for sea supremacy within Europe, underpins much of the narrative. Richard Woodman seeks to rescue the Merchant Navy’s important role within these events from its submersion by the Royal Navy. The two services had been closely intertwined over the centuries, he notes, yet recognition of the MN has been overshadowed by the way history has been written. Indeed, the frequent references in this book to the dreaded press gangs and the constant plundering by the RN of the MN’s seafarers demonstrate what he argues as ‘a state of undeclared but

Japanese have also been involved, just before they officially entered the war? What if a vessel from Vichy France played a part? And to what extent could the Allies believe the accounts of German survivors? The author has been investigating these questions since 1999, but his research was given a boost by the 2008 discovery of the wrecks of the Sydney and the Kormoran. In addition, a stroke of luck led to the emergence of a previously un-investigated dictionary belonging to Captain Detmers of the Kormoran, which contained microscopic dots under some of the letters, proving to be a coded battle record. Capt Hore also addresses the ways in which gaps in military intelligence contributed to the disaster. The Kormoran, it seems, was essentially a ‘Q-ship’ — a military vessel disguised as a merchant vessel — but lessons on the use of such ships in the first world war may have been learnt better by the Germans than by the Allies. Another issue now acknowledged, although not admitted at the time, is that design weaknesses in the Sydney contributed to the high loss of life in the disaster. This is an impressive book, combining meticulous research with a detective’s eye for a clue. The codebreaking elements are particularly enjoyable, as the author (who has an impressive command of German) explains how he put together a

understood social and civil warfare’ between the two services. Maritime expertise is also a strong theme within this volume, with many examples of recurring problems caused by seafarer shortages. Indeed, the present system of certificates of equivalent competency for foreign officers shares a symmetry with the decision in 1780 to allow British merchant ships to have up to ‘threefourths of their crew foreigners’. The book also underlines the increasing importance of maritime know-how as the merchant fleet expanded its trading areas to ever-more hostile regions of the world. And it was not just in far-flung parts that danger lurked: the ‘scandalous disgrace’ of wrecks in the Thames Estuary during the 18th century was largely the result of inadequate funding for navigational aids. By this time, the British merchant

narrative from Detmers’ dictionary and another encrypted notebook. This new study of primary sources has enabled Capt Hore to correct some past mistakes of interpretation which contributed to the confusion surrounding the case. There have been previous works on the subject of the Sydney, but the thoroughness of this account is testament to Capt Hore’s strong belief that someone must finally get it right this time. As he says: That the loss of the Sydney is felt still there is no doubt. It is my hope that this account of Sydney, Cipher and Search will give a little comfort to family and friends of the missing, and to all those affected. This reminds us that 70 years is not such a long time; the war is still within living memory, and we need to set the record straight before we can truly move on. Commendations, then, to Capt Hore for providing us with such well-researched and well-written answers to some painful questions.

Classy guide to deck course NAVBasics by Abdul Khalique Witherby Seamanship, £50 ISBN 978-1-905331-41-3

marine had become the world’s largest carrier of trade — boasting a remarkable 12,766 owned and registered vessels in 1792 — some 5,500 of which were engaged in foreign trade. Richard Woodman tells how the birth of the registration system, in 1786, had grown from the matching need to regulate the expanding Merchant Navy. Some contemporary accounts also give a vivid insight into life at sea at this time. One of the best is taken from the memoirs of Captain Samuel Kelly, whose descriptions of the experiences of ‘the harassed and perplexed situation of the shipmaster’ will resonate today. There are references to the appalling loss of life at sea — with some estimates that as many as 2,000 ships a year were lost around this time. With mutiny, piracy, privateering and impressment also ﬁguring strongly, the book certainly offers a pretty bloody and violent chronicle.

Highly recommended, this book is both extremely readable and thoughtprovoking — delivering fresh and incisive insights into the way ships and seafarers have helped to mould our world — for scant reward or recognition, and illustrated by the ‘infamous ruling in law establishing that it was perfectly proper that merchant seamen should have no liberties if, by oppressing that minority, the far greater majority of Britons might be guaranteed freedom secured by a properly manned Royal Navy…’

a wealth of additional useful syllabusrelated information. The first volume covers the Earth and the rudiments of compasses, charts and coastal navigation, along with tides, passage planning and nautical publications. Volume two looks at ocean and offshore navigation and celestial navigation, whilst the third book addresses issues including the methods of navigation, watchkeeping procedures, electronic and radar navigation, and AIS and ARPA. This is a classy production, well structured and extremely ‘userfriendly’, and it should prove to be an essential buy for deck officer trainees.

The inexorable rise of e-navigation has in no way diminished the need for seafarers to understand the fundamental principles of navigation —and NAVBasics, a new threepart boxed series from Witherby Seamanship International, offers a great starting point. Written by Warsash Maritime Academy principal lecturer Abdul Khalique and presented with commendable clarity, the three books aim to provide aspiring deck officers with all the information needed for the navigation syllabus at OOW level. Packed with graphics and punctuated throughout with worked examples and exercises, the books also feature extensive appendices containing

Marvellous tribute to the art of the chart The Sea Chart by John Blake Conway Maritime Press, £16.99 ISBN 978-1844-869639 tical mapping is celebrated in K style by former Royal Navy officer

The art and the science of nau-

John Blake in The Sea Chart — ﬁrst published in 2004 and now out in paperback format. Well written and laid out, the 160page book is sumptuously illustrated with a spectacular selection of the chart maker’s art from the 15th century onwards, when the portolan charts of the Italian and Portuguese

more, but the tradition of racing these historic vessels is still going strong. And for those whose interest has been piqued by witnessing the annual Thames Sailing Barge Match — founded in 1863 — there is now a beautiful illustrated book to answer all their questions. The Racing Horlocks: 1868-1971 tells the story of the Horlock bargemen, a real old-fashioned dynasty who dominated the barge-racing scene in the Thames and Medway for over a century. ‘I was born into a family for whom racing was everything,’ said the late Chubb Horlock, whose copious notes on barge-racing history and specialist vessel design form the basis of the book.

Maintaining memories of a proud tradition The Racing Horlocks by Ron Weyda with Bob Horlock £24.50 including 1st class P&P R.J. Horlock, Calm Waters, Green Lane, Mistley, Essex CO11 1HS email: bobhorlock@onetel.com tel/fax: +44 (0)1206 393708 Cheques to R.J. Horlock

There may not be much call for commercial sailing barges any

navigators helped to underpin remarkable voyages of exploration. The book traces the evolution of technique and presentation, using geographically-organised chapters to show the way in which the mapping of these areas — sometimes with truly amazing accuracy — helped to pave the way for colonialisation and commercial development. Many of the charts are of immense historical signiﬁcance — including those of great sea battles or the exploration of the Antarctic, for instance. And the artistry displayed in many of the designs can be breathtaking (not least, a 1776 survey of New York that bears a striking similarity to Google Earth!). This is a lovely book that pays a heartfelt tribute to the achievements of the pioneers who widened the understanding of the world at sea and examines the many advances that were made in the sciences of navigation and surveying techniques. Its appearance in more affordable paperback format is most welcome.

Charming photos of the moustachioed bargemen of yesteryear accompany the text, alongside numerous illustrations of the vessels themselves. As the authors admit, the work is mainly aimed at a specialist readership, but it is accessible to the novice, and ensures that the memory of a proud tradition is preserved.

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

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

NL NEWS

FNV Veranderingen Waterbouw Rijnvaart op komst dagvaart werkgevers: door nieuwe Aanpassing Europese Richtlijn werkingssfeer P nu niet wenselijk! De Europese richtlijn nummer 883/2004 die volgend jaar mei in werking treedt, gaat gevolgen hebben voor het zogenaamde Verdrag sociale zekerheid Rijnvarenden. Dit Verdrag tussen de Rijnstaten Nederland, Duitsland, Belgie, Luxemburg, Oostenrijk, Frankrijk en Zwitserland vormt al vele jaren tot grote tevredenheid de basis voor een optimale regeling voor het in goede banen leiden van de sociale zekerheid. Door de introductie van de nieuwe richtlijn dreigt de sociale zekerheid op de tocht komen te staan.

Cruciale verandering

Ieder schip dat de Rijn bevaart in het bezit dient te zijn van een Rijnvaartverklaring. In deze verklaring staat ondermeer vermeld waar de opvarenden verzekerd zijn. Dit is, gezien de bonte mengeling van mogelijke situaties, geen overbodige luxe. Want waar ben je nu eigenlijk sociaal verzekerd als je vaart onder Zwitserse vlag, de reder Nederlands is en het uitzendbureau Roemeens? De Rijnvaartverklaring zorgt voor duidelijkheid door

te regelen dat de vestigingsplaats van de werkgever bepaalt onder welk sociale zekerheidsstelsel de opvarenden vallen. De richtlijn 883/2004 gaat daarin verandering brengen. De vestigingsplaats van de werkgever zal na invoering van deze richtlijn niet langer alleen bepalend zijn voor de sociale verzekeringen omdat ook de woonplaats van de opvarenden een belangrijke rol gaat spelen.

Oplossing in zicht

Doordat de woonplaats van vele opvarenden niet altijd duidelijk aanwijsbaar is, dreigt er onduidelijkheid te ontstaan. Nautilus is zich dit wel bewust en denkt mee over passende oplossingen opdat ook in de nieuwe situatie duidelijkheid blijft bestaan over de criteria van de sociale verzekeringen. In Duitsland heeft de overheid behoorlijk resoluut gereageerd met het voornemen om het Verdrag op te zeggen. Uiteraard is hierdoor onrust ontstaan en vooral omdat er geen overleg heeft plaatsgevonden met de vakbonden en de reders. Nautilus International wil natuurlijk een andere aanpak be-

werkstelligen en heeft een goed gesprek gehad met het ministerie van Sociale Zaken. We hebben het probleem wat zich voordoet bij de intrede van de nieuwe Europese richtlijn, onder de aandacht gebracht. Het ministerie van Sociale Zaken heeft op dit moment nog geen standpunt ingenomen maar is akkoord gegaan met het verzoek van Nautilus International en de werkgever om zich over de kwestie te buigen. Hierbij is de achterliggende gedachte dat het goed functionerende Verdrag niet zomaar kan worden opgezegd zoals dat in Duitsland is gedaan. Er is wel degelijk zicht op een oplossing maar de uitwerking ervan moet zorgvuldig worden afgewogen alvorens er een beslissing komt. De mogelijkheid wordt geboden binnen de Europese Richtlijn om met één of meer lidstaten afwijkende afspraken te maken die bindend zijn voor de lidstaten. Het ministerie van Sociale Zaken heeft beloofd de sociale partners uit te nodigen voor een gesprek voordat er een daadwerkelijk een beslissing wordt genomen. We houden u op de hoogte over deze ontwikkelingen.

Vlootstafcontract Van Oord nog altijd niet conform CAO! stafmedewerkers het vlootstafcontract F aangeboden om hen zo iets extra’s te kunnen De baggermaatschappij heeft zijn 350

Dat het CAO-boekje voor de Waterbouw 2008-2010 nog altijd niet klaar is, is voornamelijk te wijten aan de opstelling van de werkgevers. Zoals u in een eerdere uitgave van ons blad heeft kunnen lezen, hebben werkgevers de wens geuit de werkingssfeerbepaling van de CAO te willen aanpassen. In de CAOonderhandelingen is de werkingssfeerbepaling echter helemaal niet ter sprake gekomen, én dus ook niet meegenomen in het bereikte principeakkoord. Desondanks weigeren de werkgevers nu hun handtekening te zetten onder de gemaakte CAOafspraken. FNV Waterbouw heeft de vereniging van waterbouwers daarom nu gedagvaard. De werkingssfeer bepaalt waar, wanneer en op wie de CAO voor de waterbouw (CAO BTER) van toepassing is. De werkgevers hebben aangegeven niet tevreden zijn met de omschrijving van de bepaling zoals deze nu in de CAO Waterbouw staat. Zij zijn namelijk van mening dat de werkingssfeer hen belemmert om personeel te vinden en willen daarom dat de geograﬁsche

reikwijdte ingeperkt wordt, zodat ook op Nederlandse werken een beroep kan worden gedaan op buitenlandse werknemers met hun eigen buitenlandse loonen arbeidsvoorwaarden. FNV Waterbouw heeft de werkgeversvereniging laten weten eerst zorgvuldig onderzoek te willen doen, alvorens van een eventuele aanpassing van de werkings-sfeerbepaling sprake kan zijn. Immers, de vakbond wil natuurlijk voorkomen dat het personeel op de hoppers buiten de boot valt inzake de geregelde arbeidsvoorwaarden en Bedrijfstak Eigen Regelingen. Ook is duidelijk dat het nu niet het juiste moment is om de werkingssfeer aan te passen omdat dit ten koste zou gaan van de Nederlandse werkgelegenheid. Ondanks het bereikte principeakkoord, weigeren de werkgevers nu hun handtekening onder de CAO te zetten. FNV Waterbouw laat het hier niet bij zitten en blijft zich inzetten voor zijn leden. Inmiddels heeft de vakbond de vereniging van waterbouwers gedagvaard. Gaat de werkgeversvereniging overstag of gaat zij de rechtzaak met de vakbond aan? Wij houden u op de hoogte!

bieden. Dit klinkt natuurlijk heel aardig, ware het niet dat Van Oord met dit contract de CAOafspraken en de buitenlandregeling probeert te omzeilen. Natuurlijk is het een goed initiatief je medewerkers te belonen voor hun inzet, maar dan wel met het niveau van de CAO als minimum. En hoewel het vlootstafcontract op het eerste gezicht aantrekkelijk lijkt, is het nog maar de vraag of de medewerkers er op lange termijn ook wel bij varen… Een deel van het loon wordt bijvoorbeeld omgezet in een bonus, maar de hoogte ervan is wel afhankelijk van het bedrijfsresultaat. Verder worden zaken als overwerk niet meer vergoed. Het loon van de stafmedewerker is in de CAO gebaseerd op een 36-urige werkwerk, terwijl dit in het vlootstafcontract gebaseerd is op 40-uur. Een ander punt is dat toeslagen in het vlootstafcontract netto worden uitgekeerd in tegenstelling tot de CAO waar deze bruto zijn. Hierdoor is het voor de medewerkers lastig een goede vergelijking te maken en te kijken of het vlootstafcontract nu echt wel zoveel voordelen biedt. FNV Waterbouw gaat daarom onder-zoeken op welke punten het contract nu precies afwijkt van de CAO. Leden die het vlootstafcontract inmiddels getekend hebben en achteraf afwijkingen in negatieve zin ontdekken, kunnen contact opnemen met FNV Waterbouw; deze zal dan kijken of er op individuele basis

geclaimd kan worden. Daarnaast onderzoekt de vakbond de mogelijkheid om collectief te claimen wegens ‘union bashing’ door Van Oord. Door het aanbieden van het vlootstafcontract ondermijnt de baggermaatschappij namelijk de CAO-afspraken en het draagvlak van de CAO en brengt hiermee

schade toe aan de reputatie van de vakbond. We houden u vanzelfsprekend op de hoogte van alle ontwikkelingen. g Voor meer informatie kunt u contact opnemen met FNV Waterbouw, telefoonnummer: 088-575 77 60. U kunt ook mailen naar: info@fnvwaterbouw.nl

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 33

NL NEWS

Uit de dienstgang Stormachtige tijden voor de Hoe een gezellig zeevarenden van Jo Tankers BV: boottochtje De rederij verkoopt alle schepen uitmondde in onder Nederlandse vlag een ware lijdensweg... P C

Jarenlang was ons lid al werkzaam bij zijn werkgever, toen hij in het buitenland tijdens zijn vrije uren met een aantal andere zeevarenden collega’s een stukje ging varen. De bestuurder van de Zodiac werd echter wat overmoedig waardoor ons lid overboord viel en met zijn hand in de beschermkap van de schroef geraakte. Gevolg: de huid, pezen, zenuwen en het spierweefsel in zijn hand waren dusdanig kapot waardoor ons lid jarenlang na het ongeval tal van operaties en ernstige pijnen moest ondergaan. In het begin was werken natuurlijk niet mogelijk, maar ons lid bleef erin geloven dat hij uiteindelijk kon terugkeren naar de werkvloer. Na twee jaar werd ons lid door de keuringsarts van Inspectie van Verkeer en Waterstaat voor zes maanden goedgekeurd, enthousiast meldde ons lid zich voor werkzaamheden bij de werkgever, maar de werkgever wilde hier niet mee akkoord gaan. Ons lid kreeg voortdurend vage afwijzende antwoorden en voelde zich aan ‘het lijntje gehouden’. Uiteindelijk kreeg ons lid als reden te horen dat de ARBOarts van de rederij het niet veilig achtte dat ons lid al weer aan het werk zou gaan. Overigens kreeg ons lid dit pas na een jaar te horen, terwijl hij al meerdere malen getracht had contact op te nemen met de werkgever. Ook had hij ondertussen gesolliciteerd naar de vacature van super intendent bij dezelfde werkgever. Ons lid werd hiervoor afgewezen omdat dit ‘te hoog gegrepen zou zijn’. Ons lid ontdekte later dat deze functie aan een collega

met minder kennis en ervaring was gegeven. Ons lid was dus op onjuiste grond afgewezen en voor hem was de maat nu echt vol. Hij wilde immers gewoon weer dolgraag aan de slag, maar werd aan alle kanten tegengewerkt. Ons lid kwam bij ons voor hulp en wij zijn een kort geding gestart op straffe van een dwangsom. Vlak voor de zitting heeft de werkgever echter nog een second opinion aangevraagd bij het hoofd medische dienst van de Inspectie van Verkeer en Waterstaat over het oordeel van de keuringsarts. De zitting is toen in afwachting van de uitkomst van deze second opinion uitgesteld. Het hoofd medische dienst liet testen of ons lid aan alle veiligheidseisen kon voldoen door hem een training ﬁre ﬁghting te laten doen. Deze heeft ons lid met goed gevolg afgelegd. De dreiging met een procedure leidde er vervolgens toe dat de werkgever bereid was om in onderling overleg, zonder procedure, tot een oplossing te komen. Hoewel ons lid natuurlijk veel eerder de kans had moeten krijgen terug te keren naar de werkplek, heeft de werkgever zich uiteindelijk zeer ruimhartig opgesteld. Niet alleen heeft de werkgever alle schade vergoed ten gevolge van het ongeval, ook is ons lid weer volledig aan de slag als HWTK. Deze zaak is een schoolvoorbeeld van doorzettingsvermogen. Want ondanks alle tegenslagen en helse pijnen, heeft ons lid zich met verve terug weten te knokken naar de werkvloer.

Jo Tankers BV bracht Nautilus International op 21 augustus jl. op de hoogte van zijn plannen om de dienstverbanden met de zeevarenden op te zeggen aan boord van alle schepen onder Nederlandse vlag. Dit in verband met de op handen zijnde verkoop aan een Singaporese koper die niet de intentie heeft de schepen onder Nederlandse vlag te brengen. Gevolg is dat voor 55 medewerkers ontslag aangezegd wordt. De rederij heeft een sociaal plan voorgesteld waarin werk naar werk de nadruk heeft. In een eerste overleg liet Jo Tankers BV weten in gesprek te zijn met een potentiële werkgever die alle werknemers een aanbod wil doen voor een nieuw dienstverband. Omdat de rederij op dat moment de naam van de werkgever nog niet wilde prijsgeven, was het onmogelijk de invulling van het voorgestelde sociaal plan op waarde in te schatten. Na een vervolggesprek op 10 september werd duidelijk dat het om detacheringbureau Atlas gaat die de werknemers een contract voor bepaalde tijd wil aanbieden. Wij betwijfelen echter of dit een goede oplossing is. Er zitten namelijk nogal wat haken en ogen aan; niet alleen biedt Atlas onvoldoende zekerheid, ook is onduidelijk of de 55 werknemers wel hetzelfde werk onder dezelfde loonen arbeidsvoorwaarden kunnen blijven doen. Collectieve oplossing

Wij richten onze hoop nu op de vier Nederlandse rederijen die ook kenbaar hebben gemaakt geïnteresseerd te zijn in overname van de zeevarenden van Jo Tankers BV. Hiervan heeft tenminste één zeewerkgever aangegeven álle zeevarenden in dienst van de rederij een nieuwe arbeidsovereenkomst te willen aanbieden. Het meest ideaal zou zijn wanneer de koopvaardijreders gezamenlijk tot een goede oplossing kunnen komen voor de werknemers. We moeten eerst onderzoeken of er collectieve verplichtingen aan verbonden zijn en wat de mogelijkheden zijn een gezamenlijk arbeidsvoorstel in het sociaal plan op te nemen.

Kantonrechtersformule

In fases

Ook hebben we met de rederij gesproken over een beëindigingvergoeding gebaseerd op de kantonrechterformule. Ons uitgangspunt hierbij is dat de werknemer schade lijdt als gevolg van de beëindiging en een werkloosheidsuitkering moet aanvragen maar in ieder geval ander werk zal moeten accepteren dat in vrijwel alle gevallen zal leiden tot verminderde loonen arbeidsvoorwaarden. Ook dan is compensatie van deze schade op zijn plaats. Bij de door Nautilus International gehouden ledenvergadering, waarbij iedereen die met verlof was en kon komen aanwezig was, werd duidelijk het ongenoegen over de plannen van Jo Tankers naar voren gebracht. Onder de leden bestond het vermoeden dat de schepen werden verkocht aan een andere vennootschap van de familie Odfjell, eigenaren van Jo Tankers, en dat hier slechts sprake was van vervanging door goedkope arbeidskrachten.

Jo Tankers heeft aangegeven de verkoop en omvlagging van alle schepen onder Nederlandse vlag (Jo Spruce, Jo Cedar, Jo Selje en Jo Sypress) gefaseerd te laten plaatsvinden. De rederij wil de beëindiging van de arbeidsovereenkomsten gefaseerd laten verlopen. Naar verwachting wordt het eerste schip in december verkocht, waarna de andere schepen in het eerste kwartaal van 2010 volgen. Hierover zullen wij verder onderhandelen met de rederij. Immers, de medewerkers moeten natuurlijk wel de kans én tijd krijgen om te solliciteren als werk naar werk niet mogelijk blijkt. Nautilus International stelt alles in het werk om tot de beste oplossing te komen in het belang van alle 55 medewerkers. Tijdens het ter perse gaan van dit nummer was er nog geen resultaat op de onderhandelingen. We houden u vanzelfsprekend op de hoogte van de voortgang.

Arbeidstijden in de binnenvaart F

In de Europese Unie geldt sinds 2003 een Europese richtlijn voor arbeidstijden, die alle lidstaten hebben verwerkt in de nationale wetgeving. Deze richtlijn heeft een algemeen karakter en houdt geen rekening met sectorspeciﬁeke omstandigheden. Sinds enige tijd discussiëren de Europese organisaties van werkgevers en werknemers in de binnenvaart met toestemming van de Europese Commissie over een eigen richtlijn voor de binnenvaart die wel rekening houdt met sectorspeciﬁeke elementen.

Bescherming werknemer

Het doel van de richtlijn is het beschermen van werknemers tegen bovenmatige werktijden en te weinig rust. De richtlijn is dan ook van toepassing op alle werknemers aan boord inclusief eventuele uitzendkrachten. Binnenvaartondernemers zijn uitgezonderd. Bovendien beoogt de richtlijn vooral de zogenaamde nachtarbeid te beperken. Overigens wordt onder werken tevens verstaan het gereed houden om te werken. Uitgangspunten

De maximale arbeidstijd per jaar bedraagt 2304 uur, waarvan de nationale feestdagen, die voor elke lidstaat iets kunnen verschillen, nog moeten

worden afgetrokken. Het aantal van 2034 uren is berekend door 52 weken minus 4 weken vakantie maal gemiddeld 48 uur per week. De normale dagelijkse arbeid is 8 uur en de maximale dagelijkse arbeid is 14 uur. Onder nachtarbeid wordt verstaan de arbeid tussen 23.00 en 06.00 uur en mag per week maximaal 42 uur bedragen. Uitgaande van een vaar-verlofschema van 1 op 1 af mag de maximale dienstperiode aan boord niet langer dan 31 dagen bedragen en mag per week niet langer dan 84 uur worden gewerkt. Samenvattend: Maximum arbeidstijd per jaar 2034 uur Maximum arbeidstijd per week 84 uur Maximum arbeidstijd per dag 14 uur Maximum nachtarbeid per week 42 uur Maximum dienstperiode aan boord bij 1 op 1 af 31 dagen Andere vaar-verlofschema’s

Als er meer gewerkte dagen dan rustdagen zijn (dus indien geen 1 op 1 af wordt gevaren), dan geldt in afwijking van het bovenstaande een maximale dienstperiode van 4 maanden en een maximale arbeidstijd van 72 uur per week. Voorts moet er afhankelijk van het aantal achtereenvolgens gewerkte dagen minimale rusttijden worden

aangeboden volgens onderstaand schema: Van 1 tot 10 gewerkte dagen 0,2 rustdag per gewerkte dag Van 11 tot 20 gewerkte dagen 0,3 rustdag per gewerkte dag Van 21 tot 31 gewerkte dagen 0,4 rustdag per gewerkte dag Werkt men bijvoorbeeld 10 dagen achter elkaar, dan ontstaat er recht op minimaal 10 maal 0,2 is 2 rustdagen. Werkt men 20 dagen achter elkaar, dan is er minimaal recht op 10 maal 0,2 en 10 maal 0,3 is 5 dagen rust. Andere belangrijke zaken

De richtlijn impliceert de verplichting dat de werktijden aan boord schriftelijk worden bijgehouden. Daarnaast krijgen alle werknemers recht op een jaarlijkse medische keuring die de werkgever moet betalen. De kapiteins krijgen het recht om alle bepaling met betrekking tot arbeid- en rusttijden buiten werking te stellen indien het schip zich in een noodsituatie

bevindt. Zodra de noodsituatie is opgeheven, hebben de bemanningsleden het recht om gemiste rusturen in te halen. Voor de schepen in de River Cruise wordt overlegd over een aangepaste regeling om meer rekening te houden met het seizoensmatige karakter van de vaart. Hoe nu verder?

De Europese werkgeversverenigingen EBU en ESO en de Europese werknemersorganisatie ETF hebben afgesproken om in het najaar deze concept richtlijn met de leden te bespreken. Ook Nautilus International wil dat graag doen en nodigt alle leden werkzaam in de binnenvaart uit voor de ledenvergadering die zal worden gehouden op: 2 november 2009, om 13.30 uur in de Rustburcht, Strevelsweg 744, 3083 AT Rotterdam

g Om de zaal en dergelijk te kunnen afstemmen op de opkomst, verzoeken wij u vriendelijk om uw komst naar de ledenvergadering per email te melden (mschmidt@nautilusint.org) of even telefonisch door te geven (010-4771188). Tot ziens op de ledenvergadering.

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 41

ETHICAL ISSUES

Jumping ship to deliver Mercy

Billy Walsh is going back to work after a spell volunteering for Mercy Ships Picture: Mercy Ships

Third officer Billy Walsh tells why he switched ships this summer…

Maersk third officer Billy Walsh showed that the seafaring life is still full of adventure when he jumped ship in Benin this summer to volunteer for the Mercy Ships charity. ‘I’d been working on the West Africa containership route for a while,’ he explained, ‘and whenever we were down in Cotonou in Benin, I felt curious about this big vessel docked in the port.’ The vessel turned out to be the hospital ship Africa Mercy, and when 22-year-old Billy went to take a closer look, he was told that the crew were short of a third officer. Knowing that he had a good chunk of leave due, Billy signed up without delay: ‘I think they fasttracked my application because I was there and they needed someone. All it took was to arrange with Maersk to delay my flight home.’

Mercy Ships volunteers do not receive salaries or expenses from the charity, so the two main ways to join are by raising sponsorship for living costs or, like Billy, to work for a short time during leave from a paid job. The Africa Mercy was in Benin’s main port to offer free healthcare to the people of the country — often involving specialised surgery that would not be available elsewhere. Once onboard, Billy discovered that there were some 450 volunteers from all over the world living and working on the ship, including doctors and nurses of course, but with many playing other important roles. ‘The Africa Mercy is like a town,’ he said. ‘I was amazed by its size. It requires cooks, cleaners, deck hands, engineers and even a third ofﬁcer to maintain the running of the ship.’ It is important that there are good facilities onboard ship for all these people, as they can be spending several months on the ship’s outreach missions, and the local infrastructure may not be able to offer much for them to do in their free time. Billy was impressed that the Africa Mercy had a small swimming pool, but felt that the best thing about the vessel was its broadband internet: ‘It was so good to be able to get photos’. As the local people came and went for their medical care, he did

his bit by carrying out duties that were, on the whole, familiar from his day job with Maersk: ‘It was business as usual, really. One of us from the deck ofﬁcers would always be on watch, and we also did all the things you have to do when you’re alongside, like dealing with loading and unloading and carrying out maintenance checks.’

In some ways being on a passengership made a difference: ‘There was so much more firefighting gear than we have on the containerships. And with the big turnover of volunteers, we did a lot of work showing people round the vessel and familiarising them with procedures and equipment.’ The third officer did not have to look far to see the vital medical work he was supporting. ‘It was the children with bow legs from malnutrition that really made an impression on me,’ he said. ‘If they could get to us when they were still very young, the operation to correct the problem wasn’t so serious, but it was a tough one if they were older. The terrible facial tumours people came in with were quite shocking too — you never see that at home. I mean, you know about these things, but it’s different when you see it for yourself.’

Having met Beninese people onboard ship, Billy made a point of seeing as much of their country as possible: ‘The parts I saw were mainly quite marshy, but Mercy Ships have their own Land-Rovers for reaching projects inland, so it was a question of hitching a lift with one of those.’ Now back at home in Youghal in Cork, Billy is gearing up to return to work with Maersk after his leave: ‘I hope I’m on the West Africa route again. I like containerships because there’s lots of action, and the climate on the Algeciras-Cotonou run is pleasant — certainly easier than the Gulf. Hopefully I’ll be able to drop into the Africa Mercy and say hello. It sounds a cliché, but it was nice to do something not for yourself. You do see it makes a difference.’ f More information about shortand long-term volunteering positions with Mercy Ships: www.mercyships.org.uk/volunteer

Fair trade for shipping call backed by Co-op The Co-operative Party put its weight behind fair treatment for the world’s seafarers last month, passing a conference motion in support of the Nautilus campaign to ensure ‘fair trade’ products are carried only on ships with decent pay and conditions. Van Coulter of the Midcounties Co-operative society gave a strong speech on 12 September in support of the motion, which was received with applause and cheers from the conference delegates. The fair trade movement has become extremely popular among UK consumers eager to do the right thing by developing-world farmers, he noted. However, these efforts to give poor workers a fair deal do not extend to those transporting the so-called ‘fair trade’ produce across the oceans. ‘More than 90% of our imports and exports come and go by ship,’ he said. ‘And the sad fact is that far too many of those ships are substandard — as many as 15% according to some statistics.’ The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) had been brought in to address this problem, he explained,

ensuring a decent minimum level of pay and conditions for seafarers. But the UK — in common with most other EU countries — has still not ratified the convention, which will not have true global clout until a critical mass of influential countries have given it their backing. And until MLC-approved working practices become standard throughout the shipping industry, action must be taken to boycott shipping firms which do not come up to scratch. ‘Fair trade’ importers should only be using ships whose flag state has ratified the MLC, argued Mr Coulter. For retailers, fair treatment for seafarers should be a condition of carrying respected badges like the Fairtrade Mark on their goods. ‘It’s wrong that people may be buying products with the rosy glow that fair trade gives when such products may have been carried here on unseaworthy rust buckets with poorly paid, poorly trained and ill treated crews from the third world.’ ‘That is why,’ he concluded, ‘we ask the co-operative movement to add its voice to the

call to make sure the fair-trade label covers the way in which those products reach our country. Make sure that the ships that carry those goods carry an ILO Maritime Labour Certificate and that Decent Work and the protection of trade union collective bargaining agreements are provided to all seafarers.’ Mr Coulter told the Telegraph that he was very pleased with the conference’s reception of the motion. ‘However,’ he acknowledged, ‘this has been the easy part. Now comes the difficult bit: to get a progressive policy implemented and the actors pulling in the same direction; towards decent work, decent conditions and decent pay for all, whether on land or at sea.’ Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson welcomed the support of the Co-operative Party on this issue and said he looked forward to working with like-minded campaigners to ensure justice for seafarers — both those involved in the transport of fair trade goods and in the industry at large.

42 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

SHIP TO SHORE

The face of Nautilus Sharon Suckling, legal services

M-Notices M-Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency recently include: MGN397 (M+F) Guidelines for the Provision of Food and Fresh Water on Merchant Ships and Fishing Vessels These guidelines provide practical advice on the provision of food and water for merchant and fishing vessels under current legislation, but also take account of the International Labour Organisation’s 2006 Maritime Labour Convention which is expected to come into force by 2011. Key points are that: z all ships should provide free of charge food and drinking water ‘of appropriate quality, nutritional value and quantity’ to meet the needs of those onboard z food hygiene principles and the provision and maintenance of fresh water must be applied regardless of the age, size and type of vessel z bacterial contamination is the most serious risk to food and fresh water safety z those preparing or serving food must be properly trained and demonstrate a working knowledge of the principles and practice of food hygiene, including food storage, rotation, handling, cooking and serving z prevention using a risk assessment and management approach is one of the most effective means of ensuring food and fresh water safety Current regulations, the notice points out, specifically require the supply of provisions and water that: are of suitable quantity, nutritive value, quality and variety for the size of crew and nature of the voyage; and contain nothing likely to cause sickness or injury or which renders water unpalatable. Crew accommodation regulations for merchant ships and fishing vessel 15m and over require galleys, storerooms, sanitary and cabin accommodation to be maintained in a clean and habitable condition with all equipment and installations maintained in good working order. Religious requirements and cultural practices of seafarers as they relate to food must also be taken into account. Periodic assessments should be made of the effectiveness of training or instructions for those responsible for catering, and ship audits should be able to verify competency, the notice says. If there is any evidence of poor hygiene practices, designated cooks or others working in the galley should receive refresher training or other appropriate food hygiene training. Catering staff should also be aware of potential problems associated with food allergy and intolerance and have a basic understanding how to avoid crosscontamination and the importance of providing accurate information to crew. Information on food and water safety should be readily available to crew members in a clear language that includes English. The M note, in detailed appendices, includes information on food and safety, hygiene and on fresh water supplies. Catering staff must beware, for instance, that contaminated food ‘tastes and smells completely normal unless it is so contaminated that spoilage occurs’, and that contamination usually

career, Sharon Suckling, g secretary at Nautilus’s London head Because of her husband’s

occurs through ‘recklessness, ignorance and people taking short cuts, and handling or storing food carelessly’. It also stresses that cross contamination, where bacteria is transferred, is ‘a constant threat to food safety’. Present regulations require that an inspection is made at least once a week of food and water supplies by the master or his/her deputy with a responsible member of the catering department. MSN1735 (M+F) Amendment 3 Type — Approval of Marine Equipment (UK Nominated Bodies) This notice covers the latest amendments to marine equipment listed in European Council directive 96/98/EC. These amendments, introduced in response to changes in testing standards, apply to equipment for which no agreed international testing standard presently exists. The notice includes a detailed listing of such equipment covering life saving appliances, marine pollution prevention equipment, fire protection equipment, navigation equipment, radiocommunication equipment, equipment under COLREG 72, bulk carrier safety equipment, marine engineering equipment, and crew accommodation equipment. The note also updates the contact details of the UK nominated bodies approved to undertake type approval of the equipment listed. The designated bodies are: ABS Europe, Bureau Veritas Marine Division, Det Norkse Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd AG, London Design Support Services Lloyds Register EMEA, QINETIQ, Registro Internationale Navale (RINa Spa). This third version of MSN1735 now revokes MSN1735 Amendment 2. MIN354 (M) Written examination dates 2009/10: Deck and Engineer Officers (Merchant Navy) This notice sets out the written examination dates for Merchant Navy officer certificates of competency for the 2009-10 academic year. MIN355 (M) Written examination dates 2009/10: Engineer Officers (Yachts and Sail Training Vessels) This notice sets out the written examination dates for engineer officer certificates of competency, limited to yachts and sail training vessels, for the 2009-10 academic year.

z M-Notices are available in three ways: a set of bound volumes, a yearly subscription, and individual documents. z A consolidated set of all M-Notices current on 30 July 2007 (ISBN 9780115528538) is published by The Stationery Office for £195 — www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp z Annual subscriptions and copies of individual notices are available from the official distributors: Mail Marketing (Scotland), MCA, PO Box 87, Glasgow G14 0JF. Tel: +44 (0)141 300 4906; fax: +44 (0)141 950 2726; email: mca@promosolution.com z Individual copies can be collected from MCA offices, electronically subscribed to or downloaded from the MCA website — www.mcga.gov.uk — click on ‘Ships and Cargoes’, then ‘Legislation and Guidance’.

office, has previously resided in such places as South Africa and Hong Kong. In South Africa, Sharon — who is originally from Cheshire — worked for an airline where, besides her secretarial duties, she trained as a back-up stewardess. ‘I did about four ﬂights and never wanted to do that again.’ Sharon — who has also worked for the National Nuclear Corporation and for Barnardo’s — landed at Nautilus in September last year. Initially working as a temp, she now

provides secretarial and administrative support to Charles Boyle, director of the Union’s legal department, and to senior national secretary Allan Graveson in the professional & technical department. ‘Legal, I’m dealing with initial queries,’ she explains. ‘If somebody contacts the Union with regards to a personal injury query, then I get all the details from them — what happened, where. ‘Charles will assess the details and if it is felt that there’s a case, it will be sent to the external solicitor. ‘It’s very interesting, especially now we’ve been dealing with ship arrests and insolvency, because with

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

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

SCOTLAND Members employed by companies based in the west of Scotland should contact Nautilus International at Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park, Wallasey CH45 7PH (tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454). Members employed in the offshore oil sector, or by companies based in the east of Scotland, should contact +44 (0)1224 638882. This is not an office address, so members cannot visit in person. Future dates and venues for Nautilus International meetings of the National Professional & Technical and National Pensions Forums include:

g National Professional & Technical Forum — this body deals with technical, safety, welfare and other professional topics relevant to shipmaster and chief

engineer officer members. The next meeting is due to be held on Tuesday 1 December at the Union’s London head office, starting at 1300hrs.

g National Pensions Forum — this body was established to provide a two-way ﬂow of information and views on all pension matters and pension schemes (not just the MNOPF). This forum is open to all classes of Nautilus International member, including associate and affiliate. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 November at Leytonstone public library, starting at 1100hrs. All full members of the relevant rank or sector can attend and ﬁnancial support may be available to some members by prior agreement. For further details contact head office.

INDICATORS ACDB inﬂation rates and average L pay settlements dropping to Latest ﬁgures show key UK

historically low levels. According reports released by the Office of National Statistics last month, the UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) — the government’s preferred measure — dropped to an annual rate of 1.6% in August from 1.8% in July. But the Retail Prices Index (RPI) inﬂation measure — which includes mortgage interest payments and

housing costs, and is often used as factor in pay negotiations — rose slightly, to -1.3% from -1.4% in the previous month. RPIX inflation — the ‘all-items’ RPI excluding mortgage interest payments — was 1.4% in August, up from 1.2% in July. As an internationally comparable measure of inflation, the CPI shows that the UK inflation rate in July, at 1.8%, was above the provisional figure for the European Union as a whole of 0.2%.

The ONS also said that average earnings in the UK rose by just 1.7% in the three months to July, down from 2.5% in the previous month. Average earnings excluding bonuses, or regular pay, rose by 2.2% in the year to July 2009, down from the June rate of 2.4%. According to the independent analysts Incomes Data Services, average UK pay rises have fallen to 1%, the lowest on record, with almost half of British ﬁrms having frozen their employees’ pay.

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

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

the credit crunch, things have changed quite a lot.’ The legal department also deals with cases for members who have suffered injuries or ill health through work. ‘What’s nice is that you get to know some of the members, and they’ll get to know you, they’ll say, “Oh, hello Sharon”. You build up a bit of a rapport, and you get to know some of the experiences they’ve been through.’ Adds Sharon: ‘Allan’s department is interesting in a different way because a lot of it is health and safety, with issues such as exemptions on crew accommodation, and newbuilds.’

Quiz answers 1. The Red Ensign Group is comprised of the United Kingdom, UK Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) and UK Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena and the Turks & Caicos Islands). 2. Bosun derives from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘batswegen’ — bat meaning boat and swegen being Norse for servant or lad. 3. Italian shipowners have the largest number of passenger vessels on order — a total of 18 ships. 4. The Great Western was the ﬁrst purpose-built Atlantic steam ship. 5. The average age of the world’s general cargoship ﬂeet is 17.1 years. Some 3.3% of EU freight is moved on inland waters, against 37.3% by sea.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 8. Dustbins; 9. Amazon; 10. Prep; 11. Call to arms; 12. Finals; 14. Tell lies; 15. Any time; 17. Largess; 20. Symbolic; 22. Decode; 23. Razor-shell; 24. Myth; 25. Sluice; 26. Creative. Down: 1. Guardian; 2. Stop; 3. Circus; 4. Isolate; 5. Mantilla; 6. Paraplegic; 7. Pommie; 13. Antibiotic; 16. Maltster; 18. Sedative; 19. Screech; 21. Yearly; 22. Dolmen; 24. Mate. This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph. Congratulations to Nautilus member S.C.J. Williams whose name was the ﬁrst to be drawn from those who successfully completed the September cryptic crossword. Cryptic answers from September Across: 1. Michael; 5. Jackson; 9. Nasal; 10. Transient; 11. Heartless; 12. Oomph; 13. Ledge; 15. Bombarded; 18. Phalanxes; 19. Tusks; 21. Lance. 23. Armstrong; 25. Stoolball; 26. Khaki; 27. Easy day; 28. Nunnery. Down: 1. Menthol; 2. Cassandra; 3. Allot; 4. Letterbox; 5. Jeans; 6. Cosmonaut; 7. Steam; 8. Notched; 14. Enamelled; 16. Musk-melon; 17. Dislocate; 18. Pelisse; 20. Signify; 22. Nooks; 23. Araby; 24. Token.

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

October 2009 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 43

JOIN NAUTILUS

When trouble strikes, you need Nautilus

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

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

7. Savings Being a Nautilus International member costs less than buying a newspaper every day and gives you peace of mind at work, with access to an unrivalled range of services and support. It’s simple to save the cost of membership — by taking advantage of specially-negotiated rates on a variety of commercial services ranging from tax advice to UK credit cards, and household, motoring, travel and specialist insurance. 8. In touch As a Nautilus International member, help is never far away — wherever in the world you are. Officials regularly visit members onboard their ships and further support and advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ and college visits throughout the UK and the Netherlands. There is also an official based in Singapore.

CALL NOW TO JOIN NAUTILUS ON: +44 (0)151 639 8454 It’s never been more important to be a member and it’s never been easier to apply for membership. You can now join over the phone, or online at www.nautilusint.org — or post us this form to begin: SURNAME FIRST NAMES GENDER

DATE OF BIRTH

ADDRESS POSTCODE PERSONAL EMAIL HOME TEL

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DISCHARGE BOOK NO (IF APPLICABLE) If you are, or have been, a member of another union please state:

9. Your union, your voice Nautilus International is the voice of some 25,000 maritime professionals working in all sectors of the shipping industry, at sea and ashore. As one of the largest and most influential international bodies representing maritime professionals, the Union campaigns tirelessly to promote your views.

NAME OF UNION

10. Get involved! Nautilus International is a dynamic and democratic union, offering members many opportunities to be fully involved and have your say in our work — at local, national and international levels.

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

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44 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2009

NEWS

Shipping ‘set to face slump for It’s good to talk, years to come’ Negotiations onboard the Eastwind reefer vessel Annapurna secured owed wages and flights home for the crew Picture: ITF

ITF tells owners Workers’ Federation has F repeated its call for shipping

The International Transport

companies to get in touch if they are facing financial problems. It said last month that opening up dialogue at an early stage can help to prevent serious problems later on — such as seafarers being abandoned in foreign ports as a result of unpaid bills. The ITF call came following extensive work over the past few months to care for seafarers affected by the bankruptcy of the New Yorkbased shipping company Eastwind. Inspectors and affiliated unions in Chile and New Zealand last month secured back pay and flights home for crew members on two Eastwind vessels, Annapurna and Azov Wind. It is continuing to work with the bankrupt company’s trustees and companies buying up its ships. Eastwind had a fleet of more than 60 ships, some of which have been sold and some arrested. The ITF was called in by the crews of a number of these, and has so far been instrumental in resolving all of them. In Chile, the ITF recovered some

US$340,000 in owed wages for the crew of the Azov Wind, and a similar amount was obtained by inspectors in New Zealand for the crew of the Annapurna. In the UK, the ITF recovered more than $266,000 for the crew of the EW Snowdon and owed wages totalling almost $650,000 were secured for the crews of the Yamasaka, in Norway, the MSC Peru, in Panama, and the MSC Parana and Yucatan in the United States. ITF maritime coordinator Steve Cotton said: ‘Picking up the pieces of the Eastwind collapse is a difficult but not impossible situation. The ITF is one of the organisations — including agents, banks, port authorities, lawyers and unions — looking for a solution, and the contact between us and them has paid off in the successes that each week are making a very bad state of affairs a little bit better. ‘Once again, it underlines why we want anyone having difficulties to talk to us at the earliest possible stage,’ he added. ‘If Eastwind had done that, instead of leaving it to panicked crews to alert us, then the relief effort might be even further along now.’

Analyst warns that ‘orders overhang’ will continue to drive down rates

World shipping could continue suffering from an economic slump long after the global ﬁnancial crisis comes to an end, experts warned last month. For a massive ‘orderbook overhang’ is set to fuel a long-term imbalance between supply and demand for tonnage in key sectors, Colin Cridland, head of market analysis at the brokers Clarkson’s, told a conference in London last month. And a separate industry survey revealed that shipping companies are bracing themselves for conditions to get even worse in the next few months — with more than 80% expecting bank lending to the industry to remain tight for at least another year. Mr Cridland outlined what he described as ‘the sobering truth of today’s market’ in a presentation to the International Chamber of Shipping conference. Demand for shipping has been slashed as industrial production has slumped by as much as 40% in some key countries, and

exports from China had almost halved. The outlook for world trade remains ‘pessimistic’ in the immediate future, with seaborne drybulk trade forecast to fall 4%, container volumes dropping about 8.5%, and year-on-year time-charter earnings down by as much as 76% for containerships, 75% for dry bulk carriers, 49% for crude tankers, and 47% for product tankers, he said. At the same time, he warned, the orderbook has trebled since the 1990s and yards are busy working on orders made during the good times of the past decade — with ships on order amounting to 64% of the existing bulker ﬂeet, 41% of the current boxship ﬂeet, 33% of oil and chemical tankers, and 15% of LPG carriers. Mr Cridland said the Clarksea Index of shipping earnings had averaged $11,900 a day in the 1990s, and rose to almost $50,000 in December 2007 and May 2008. Today, however, the index is barely at the $14,000 mark and

average earnings this year look set to fall to under $11,000 — compared with $32,131 last year. Product tanker earnings are down by 47% from this time last year, crude tanker rates down by 49%, dry bulk earnings down by 75% and containerships by 76%. The end result, he said, is that the earnings for many new ships are failing to cover their capital expenses and operating costs. ‘There is concern at how this will impact on quality,’ he added, ‘not to mention the cost of compliance with new regulations over the next two to three years.’ Andreas Nordseth, of the Danish Maritime Authority, said governments were very concerned about the impact of the ﬁnancial downturn on shipping. ‘There are major challenges to ensure free trade, open markets and level playing ﬁelds for quality shipping, when many governments have a national focus with their stimulus packages,’ he added. Traditional maritime nations are anxious to preserve their mar-

itime expertise, said Mr Nordseth, and are worried about the threat to employment. There is also a fear that substandard shipping could once again start to ﬂourish as a result of the economic conditions, he said. ‘The industry has to work together to ensure ships are of the same standard, as governments may act unilaterally or regionally in the event of an incident,’ he warned. Meanwhile, a survey of shipping companies carried out by the law ﬁrm Norton Rose showed some 80% expect conditions in the sector to worsen in the coming months. Almost two-thirds of those polled predicted widespread bank enforcement of troubled shipping loans and 33% believe ship values will continue to drop for at least six months. ‘In current market conditions many companies will struggle to survive without some material change,’ said Norton Rose partner Simon Hartley.

Isle of Man register in Chinese mission P&I club warns over A

Officials from the Isle of Man Shipping Registry have launched a mission to attract more business from China — with a weeklong trip to meet government and business representatives. Members of the top-level trade mission — including chief minister Tony Brown and trade and industry minister David Cretney — hope to secure more tonnage for the ﬂag, which recently passed the 10m gt milestone. Pictured right is the newbuild bulk carrier Caly Manx, one of the latest ships to be put under the Isle of Man ﬂag. Due to be delivered this month, the £21.7m 58.400dwt

seamanship failures

vessel is being built at the Tsuneishi Zhousan Shipyard near Shanghai for LT Ugland Bulk. Lars Ugland, chief executive of Isle of Man-based shipping companies LT Ugland Bulk and Seven Mile Shipping, was part of the delegation to promote the Manx registry, and the mission included a visit to the yard for the Caly Manx naming ceremony. Registry director Dick Welsh commented: ‘In the last year, we have seen growing interest from China and elsewhere in the Far East, and this is the perfect opportunity to communicate the beneﬁts of registering with the Isle of Man.’

Concern over the standards of seamanship has been raised in a P&I club report on collisions and groundings. In a special newsletter published last month, the Standard P&I Club expressed unease about the continuing rate of collisions and groundings, despite the introduction of new technology and bridge resource management courses. It highlighted the impact of ‘human elements’ — such as ‘lack of experience and knowledge, lack

of correct bridge management and leadership, and a mixture of fatigue, overconﬁdence, negligence, and poor communication, training and shore management’. The club also warned of evidence that ‘passage plans and position-keeping are not being carried out in a professional manner, and that there is a lack of use of parallel indexing, for example’. Chris Spencer, director of loss prevention, asked why shipping operated so diffently from aviation, despite the similar potential for signiﬁcant losses.

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