The Sea Mar/Apr 13

Issue 222 mar/apr 2013

106 ships lost in 2012

Los artículos en español aparecen en las páginas 6y7 Статьи на русском языке приводятся на стр. 6 и 7

Crew freed after 1,000 day ordeal page 2 IMO aim to halve death toll page 4 MLC: good news for seafarers pages 4/5 The Mission to Seafarers Founded in 1856, and entirely funded by voluntary donations, today’s Mission to Seafarers offers emergency assistance, practical support, and a friendly welcome to crews in over 250 ports around the world. Whether caring for victims of piracy or providing a lifeline to those stranded in foreign ports, we are there for the globe’s 1.3 million merchant seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs.

The Sea Editor: Michael Keating News: David Hughes The Sea is distributed free to seafarers through chaplains and seafarers’ centres. You can also arrange to receive it regularly at a cost of £3.50 or $5 per year (six issues).

To find out more, contact: Michael Keating, The Sea, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London, UK EC4R 2RL Tel: +44 20 7248 5202 Email: Michael.Keating@ missiontoseafarers.org www.missiontoseafarers.org Registered charity in England and Wales: 1123613 The Mission to Seafarers Scotland Limited, Registered charity: SC041938

EU NAVFOR operations have helped reduce the number of pirate attacks at sea (Photo: EU Naval Force Somalia)

IMB figures show worldwide drop in piracy

Pirate attacks reach a five-year low in 2012 P IRACY on the world’s seas has reached a five-year low but the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which is a specialised division of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), warns that seafarers must remain vigilant and that the continued presence of warships off Somalia is “vital”.

The ICC/IMB Global Piracy Report records 297 ships attacked in 2012, compared with 439 in 2011. Worldwide figures were brought down by a big reduction in Somali piracy, though east and west Africa remain the worst hit areas, with 150 attacks in 2012.

Globally, 174 ships were boarded by pirates last year, while 28 were hijacked and 28 were fired upon. The IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre also recorded 67 attempted

attacks. The number of people taken hostage on board fell to 585 from 802 in 2011, while a further 26 were kidnapped for ransom in Nigeria. Six crew members were killed and 32 were injured or assaulted.

“IMB’s piracy figures show a welcome reduction in hijackings and attacks to ships. But crews must remain vigilant, particularly in the highly dangerous waters off east and west Africa,” says Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB, which has monitored piracy worldwide since 1991.

In Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, just 75 ships reported attacks in 2012 compared with 237 in 2011, accounting for 25 per cent of incidents worldwide. The number of Somali hijackings was halved, from 28 in 2011 to 14 last year.

The IMB says navies are deterring piracy off Africa’s east coast with pre-emptive strikes and robust action against mother ships. So too, it says, are private armed security teams and crews’ application of Best Management Practices.

Nevertheless, it adds, the threat and capability of heavily armed Somali pirates remains “strong”.

“The continued presence of the navies is vital to ensuring that Somali piracy remains low,” said Captain Mukundan. “This progress could easily be reversed if naval vessels were withdrawn from the area.”

Throughout the shipping industry the drop in Somali piracy has been given a cautious welcome. In its N e w Ye ar r e v ie w of the challenges facing shipping, industry organisation Baltic

and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) says: “The fight against piracy needs more than armed protection; it needs a combination of political, economic, legal and diplomatic efforts, possibly supported by military action will be needed if the problem is to be eradicated.”

Some progress appears to have been made towards strengthening the local and regional authorities and the UK Government has pledged more funds to achieve this.

A new £2.25 million (US$3.5 million) package of support for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime includes funds for the agency’s Post Trial Transfer Programme. intended to complete the construction of a new prison in Puntland, Somalia, to hold convicted Continued on P2

New Secretary General for The Mission to Seafarers THE Revd Andrew Wright took over as Secretary General of The Mission to Seafarers in February. He had previously been chaplain and director of operations at the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, also known as the Fishermen’s Mission.

“Seafaring remains a very dangerous and exposed occupation,” says Mr Wright. “It brings long, long periods of absence from family. Welfare issues can too often be hidden by inaccessibility and the vastness of the seas. Crews once held so high in public esteem and imagination are now largely forgotten. I am determined to raise the profile of the Mission’s vital work, and to champion the welfare of the men and women that crew the merchant fleet as my driving priority.

“I have worked in close collaboration with some of the

key maritime agencies in the UK, including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Department of Transport and the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, which will provide the essential context to my work in 2013 and beyond.

“I have travelled internationally, particularly in Canada and South America, and I have witnessed the sometimes brutal treatment of seafarers. My involvement with the International Christian Maritime Association has given me a real understanding of global maritime welfare issues.

“I believe in an action-based approach; I will aim for a measurable improvement in outcomes for those who face a dangerous, frightening and lonely life at sea.”

Mr Wright’s appointment follows the sudden death of the former Secretary General, the Revd Tom Heffer, in April 2012.

INSURANCE company Allianz reports that 106 ships were lost worldwide last year, according to the Allianz’s Safety and Shipping Review.

That is an increase from 91 ships in 2011, but a 27 per cent decrease on the average over the last ten years of 146 ships a year. The long-term downward trend, Allianz says, is driven by technology, training and regulation and a proactive response from the shipping industry to safety improvement.

Nevertheless, the report highlights that human error remains a root cause of most incidents. Fatigue, economic pressures, and inadequate training are causes for concern.

The report says 2012 was marked by two high-profile accidents, the Costa Concordia off Italy in January followed by the Rabaul Queen off Papua New Guinea in February, both with heavy loss of life.

Foundering was the most common cause of losses (49 per cent) followed by wrecking or running aground (22 per cent).

Working hours guidance

THE Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), whose members charter tankers and offshore support vessels, has published new recommendations on seafarers’ working and rest hours (www.ocimf.com/ Library/InformationPapers). “Safety and environmental protection is our greatest priority and OCIMF members see fatigue as a significant contributory factor to many incidents that occur within the shipping industry,” said OCIMF director, David Cotterell.

He added: “These recommendations set out our minimum expectations, which we hope shipping companies will take into account to achieve compliance with IMO and ILO rules, prevent fatigue and reduce fatiguerelated incidents.”

2 the sea mar/apr 13

‘Pirate’ trap is made available to owners

Westmark’s new anti-boarding system creates a barrier around the ship (Photo: GAC Maritime Security) GAC Maritime Security says it is now making the P-trap engineblocking system available to owners. The system creates a security zone around the ship to prevent other vessels from approaching too close and attempting to board. Created by Netherlands-based specialists Westmark, this patented anti-boarding device creates a non-lethal secure barrier around a ship, adding an additional

layer of protection from attack.

A set of long, thin lines are carried on side booms extending up to ten metres from the ship’s bow on both sides of the ship just below the water surface. Any vessel entering this security zone will run into these lines, which trap the propeller and disable the engines of the approaching craft.

Crew released after 1,000 days in the hands of pirates

Iceberg 1 crew finally freed after rescue raid

T

HE crew of a ship hijacked by Somali pirates almost three years ago was freed just before Christmas.

According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) the 22 remaining crew members of the Iceberg 1 were freed as a result of a two-week operation by the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) in Garaad in the Mudug region of Somalia.

The IMB commended the PMPF on their actions against the pirates. None of the crew were harmed during the operation, which resulted in the deaths of three pirates and the capture of three more.

However, the freed hostages showed signs of physical abuse and illness, and needed medical attention. During their years of captivity one seafarer took his own life.

The fate of the Indian chief

officer, Dhiraj Tiwari, who was tortured and separated from the other crew, remains unknown.

The Panama-flag vessel was hijacked off the Yemeni coast in March 2010. Since the vessel was hijacked the crew appear to have had little support from their owners.

While under the control of the pirates, the vessel grounded and is believed to be a total loss.

The Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) and its partners in the industry-wide coalition established to assist seafarers and their families with the humanitarian aspects of piracy incidents also welcomed the news of the release of the 22 crew members on the Iceberg 1 after 1,000 days in captivity in Somalia.

MPHRP programme director Roy Paul said: “The news of their release is a great

Christmas present for the families of these seafarers who have had a horrific ordeal for the past 1,000 days. MPHRP staff, along with its industry and welfare partners has tried to offer what support they could and we now will look at offering to support the national authorities and our network of responders to provide both immediate and on-going care.”

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) reported that the 22 hostages, who are of seven different nationalities, were helped to get home by the UN Political Office for Somalia and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s Hostage Support Programme, with support from other agencies including Interpol, the MPHRP, the seafarers’ consulates and the ITF. In mid-January the ITF said the released men were “in urgent need of psychological

help to address the trauma they were deliberately subjected to, and assistance with rebuilding their lives.

Many have medical problems and are looking for help.” The ITF also called on Panama to join the effort to help the crew recover from their ordeal.

ITF seafarers’ section chair Dave Heindel explained: “There is a good understanding across the shipping industry of just how much these seafarers and their families have suffered over the last three years, and it’s no surprise that some people in the industry have offered financial support.

However, we’d particularly like the flag state, which in this case is Panama, to join them and us in sponsoring this relief effort.”

According to reports the three captured pirates have been sentenced to between three and ten years in prison.

New west Africa armed guards guidance THE use of armed guards is now widespread in the Indian Ocean, as a deterrent to Somali pirates. With piracy off west Africa frequently involving high levels of violence some owners are turning to the use of armed guards in this area too.

Unlike Somali pirates, many attacks in the area are against stationary ships and involve sophisticated criminal gangs, operating across national boundaries, as well as politically motivated militias.

However, in new guidance, marine insurer North P&I Club says shipowners employing armed guards to protect their ships

from pirate attacks in west Africa need to be “extremely careful”.

The club’s risk management executive Colin Gillespie said: “Local laws require that armed guards should be from the local security forces. This introduces safety, security and political issues, particularly if a vessel operates in the territorial waters of more than one state.”

According to Mr Gillespie, employment of armed guards usually takes place through local agencies, but some agents are employing off-duty armed guards at less cost, causing issues such as the suspension of legitimate services by one state in the region.

Piracy attacks reach a five-year low in 2012 Continued from P1 pirates in facilities that meet international standards. The package includes funds for a project to tackle corruption in the Somali penal system and $240,000 to develop the Somali coastguard.

UK Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said: “Piracy and maritime security are global issues. We must be vigilant to such threats and neutralise them. When we work together we can thwart the intentions of those who would use threats and violence to extract financial gain. If we remain steadfast, we can eliminate the scourge of piracy from our seas.”

Meanwhile, suspected pirates continue to be intercepted

by warships patrolling off Somalia and, in some cases, now face trial. In January 12 men suspected of attacking a ship some 260 miles out in the Indian Ocean were transferred by the French warship Surcouf to Mauritius for prosecution. In France four Somali men have received sentences of between four and ten years for an attack on the cruise ship Ponant in 2008.

Two others charged over the same incident were acquitted and awarded €90,000 each to compensate for being imprisoned for four years. They are now appealing for €450,000 each.

New record book THE International Shipping Federation (ISF) has updated its widelyused On Board Training Record Book for Engine Cadets to meet the latest International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements governing seafarers’ training.

New regulations set out in the 2010 amendments to the IMO’s Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention, which sets seafarers’ training standards, came into force in January.

The standards must be applied to new trainees from July 2013, and the use of a training record book providing evidence of structured on board training is required for trainees seeking to qualify as officers. The ISF books are referred to as a model in the footnotes to STCW 2010.

“The competence of engine officers is critical to safety and environmental protection”, explained the ISF’s director of employment affairs, Natalie Shaw. “The updated book enables cadets and their companies to monitor and evaluate training in a structured manner in accordance with the new requirements.”

The ISF says it is currently in discussion with major seafarersupply countries such as the Philippines to ensure that ISF books are approved as a part of their national STCW certification processes.

Avoiding tug and barge dangers TUGS and barges are often dangerous work environments, especially in choppy seas, says marine insurer UK P&I Club.

It notes that crew and visitors transferring between tugs or tugs and barges can easily slip and find themselves in the water or crushed between the two vessels.

The club advises that “care needs to be taken at all times and ladders and rails need to be in first class condition”.

The insurer says that crews have a major role to play in promoting the safety of tugs and barges, by noting hazards as they move around the vessel. It says that frayed wires, ropes and straps left where they could cause a trip, and oil leaks and drips,

no matter how minor, should all be attended to straightaway. As in many other shipping sectors, “following good practice is usually very inexpensive and can be achieved, for example, by better signage and marking of danger areas such as on the mooring decks”.

‘Insider’ novel lifts lid on piracy A NEW novel is claimed to give the inside story on Somali piracy. The author of The Reluctant Pirate, John Guy, served on merchant ships and warships for 16 years before becoming a ship inspector and then a specialist shipping journalist. He told The Sea that his novel was based on extensive research, with input from both experts closely involved in negotiations with pirates and from the Somali community.

Brought up in Cardiff in a Somali family, the hero, Abdi, goes to Somalia for an arranged marriage and finds himself taking part in the hijacking of a Greekowned tanker.

Mr Guy says the book, published on Amazon Kindle, highlights the hypocrisies and hidden agendas which drive modern piracy.

UK switches on GPS back-up SHIPS in the Port of Dover, its approaches and part of the Dover Strait can now use eLoran radio navigation technology as a backup to systems such as GPS and Galileo, the General Lighthouse Authorities of the UK and Ireland (GLA) have announced.

The ground-based eLoran system provides alternative position and timing signals for improved navigational safety. The Dover area, the world’s busiest shipping lane, is the first in the world to achieve this operational capability. This is the first of up to seven eLoran installations to be implemented along the east coast of the UK. Although intended as a maritime aid to navigation, eLoran could become a costeffective back-up for a wide range of applications that are becoming increasingly reliant on the position and timing information provided by satellite systems.

mar/apr 13 the sea 3

Industry is still waiting for answers one year on

Costa Concordia report still incomplete A YEAR after the sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia the Italian Marine Casualty Investigation Central Board has yet to produce its report on the technical investigation into the incident. This breaks European Union rules requiring such a report within a year of an accident occurring.

Under Italian law, criminal proceedings take precedence and prosecutors took charge of crucial evidence after the sinking, which claimed 32 lives, causing this delay.

The failure to produce a definitive report has been widely criticised because it is preventing the International Maritime Organization from responding to failures identified by the investigation.

However, Dr Stephen Payne noted that the Costa Concordia was not built to current standards, which are based on the ‘safe return to port’ concept. At the Cadwallader symposium, Dr Payne, former chief naval architect with Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding, said safety rules had kept pace with the increasing size of cruise ships and that there had been a “real tightening up” on safety issues such as crew training and communications. He added that the new probabilistic damage stability rules moved away from the standard which was in force when the ship was built and introduced a new formula that allowed lessons to be learned from other accidents.

Dr Payne was, however,

The Costa Concordia disaster quoted as saying: “Let me say categorically, Costa Concordia met all the rules and regulations required for her construction and certainly there was nothing deficient in her design. If, as widely reported, the ship was damaged over 60 metres, breaching more than five compartments, it is not unexpected that the ship sank - because the damage was well beyond the level she was designed to cope with.”

He added: “I am very, very dismayed when people or the press ask how could a modern passenger ship like the Costa Concordia sink. It is inevitable; it is physics. If you damage a ship enough outside its design envelope, it is going to sink.”

Former UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch chief inspector John Lang

claimed 32 lives in 2012 (Photo: R Vongher) told the same meeting that investigation is to ensure that the desire to find scapegoats lessons and recommendations for accidents was the indus- are promulgated as soon as try’s ‘Achilles’ heel’. He said: possible after the event.”

“It was inevitable that most Since the accident there people would ask how could has been much criticism consuch a ship with, presumably, cerning the ship’s master, well-qualified and experi- Francesco Schettino, who enced crew, state of the art now faces criminal charges. navigation equipment, and Seafarers’ union Nautilus proceeding on a perfectly nor- International’s magazine, the mal voyage in well-charted Telegraph, published an excluwaters, possibly find herself in sive interview putting across such a predicament.” He add- his side of the story. He said: ed that, as with the 1912 Ti- “I am not the person that has tanic disaster, people wanted been described. I accept my to know what had happened, responsibilities, but I am not who was to blame and wheth- a criminal.” er large passenger-carrying He also rejected reports ships really were safe. that he had panicked and He stressed: “Safety at said VDR evidence would sea can only improve if we prove that he had followed a learn the real, rather than plan which had prevented a the convenient, lessons so a “catastrophic” accident and prime responsibility of any a greater loss of life.

Confusion reigns over ID situation in Brazil LONG-STANDING problems concerning seafarers’ identity documents persist in Brazil, according to marine insurer Steamship Mutual P&I club. For some time certain immigration authorities have been imposing fines and preventing crew from disembarking in Brazilian ports if they were from countries which were not signatories to either the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 185/2003 or the earlier Convention 108/1958. There is now confusion about which Convention is recognised in Brazil.

The 2003 Convention authorises a country to issue seafarers’ documents to its nationals or permanent residents while the 1958 Convention allowed the flag state to issue documents to all seafarers on ships flying its flag. Recently, the crew of a Bahamas-flag vessel had Bahamas identity documents but were neither nationals nor residents of the Bahamas. Their documentation was valid under the 1958 Convention, but not the 2003 one. Steamship Mutual has argued that even if a seafarer’s identity document is invalid that merely means that the state is not required to allow entry to the seafarer – neither of the Conventions gives a right to impose fines.

The 2003 Convention has not been sanctioned by the President of Brazil, so some authorities appear to have been

enforcing the 1958 one, which may be where this issue lies.

The Mission to Seafarers has been actively pursuing the Brazilian authorities at port and federal levels to allow seafarers shore leave in the country. The Mission points out that seafarers need to have rest and relaxation away from ships to help relieve the stress that comes from long periods of isolation away from their homes, families and friends.

Canon Ken Peters said: “There is recognition within international law of the right to shore leave, under the IMO Convention on the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 1965 as amended (FAL), which states that crew members shall not be required to hold a visa for the purpose of shore leave.

“In addition, governments should take the human element and the critical importance of shore leave into account when implementing the provisions of the ISPS Code.”

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 has shore leave requirements, with Regulation 4.4 ensuring “that seafarers working on a ship have access to shore-based facilities and services to secure their health and well-being” and Regulation 4.4.1 stating that “each member shall ensure that shore-based welfare facilities, where they exist, are easily accessible.”

Getting ready for the introduction of the MLC THE INTERNATIONAL Shipping Federation (ISF) has published new Guidelines on the Application of the ILO MLC to help ship operators get ready for the introduction of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) in August. The MLC is intended to ensure that all seafarers, regardless of their nationality and the flag of the ships they work on, enjoy decent working and living conditions.

The new guide covers MLC requirements relating to seafarers’ contractual arrangements; oversight of manning agencies; work and rest hours; health and safety; crew accommodation; catering standards; and new requirements concerning onboard complaints procedures.

Meanwhile classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) and marine insurer UK P&I Club have developed the ILO MLC Pocket Checklist in both a conventional format and as a smartphone app.

UK P&I Club director Karl Lumbers said: “The MLC represents a significant change to the regulation of employment terms and working conditions for seafarers. It consolidates and updates more than 65 international labour standards adopted over the last 80 years. For the first time, it creates a system of certification and inspection to enforce those standards. Masters and senior officers taking steps now to ensure their ship is compliant with MLC will need support.”

Shipowners fund UN Somalia project A GROUP of major shipowners are to jointly donate US$1 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support job creation and skill development projects in Somalia in 2013 and 2014. The collaboration between Mitsui OSK. Lines, Shell, BP, Maersk, Stena, NYK and “K” Line with the UNDP is the first step in an initiative, launched in February 2012, to promote the rebuilding of a stable Somalia and so reduce the risk of piracy to seafarers in the Indian Ocean.

The UNDP will focus on supporting long-term youth employment with the aim of providing viable employment alternatives to piracy for Somalia’s youth in the agriculture, livestock, and fishing industries.

The shipping industry will provide additional funding of $1.5 million to support other skill development projects in Somalia.

EU clarifies Iran bunker rules CLEARING up earlier uncertainty, EU regulations now provide that Iranian oil can be used as long as the bunkers are produced and supplied by a country other than Iran and that they are used for propulsion, according to law firm Ince & Co. The firm also says that if a vessel is forced into Iranian waters in an emergency, the purchase of Iranian bunkers for vessel propulsion is permitted.

While bunkers from oil of Iranian origin can be used, the effect of the amendments is to prohibit almost all shipping-related business with Iran.

Fewer tanker spills ACCIDENTAL oil spills from tankers now constitute a negligible proportion of oil finding its way into the marine environment, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF).

When releasing its annual statistics, ITOPF said in a statement that “while no accident involving an oil spill should be ignored as both government and industry strive towards ‘zero tolerance’, to put the figures into

perspective, the volume of oil spilt during 2012 represents less than one millionth of the quantity of oil transported by sea”.

There were no spills of more than 700 tonnes recorded last year and seven medium-sized spills of between seven and 700 tonnes. The number of small spills was up compared with the previous two years, but they resulted in less oil being spilt overall.

Seafarers’ Trust donates £1m THE ITF Seafarers’ Trust’s plans for 2013 include £1 million in grants, a review of its operations and ongoing provision for victims of piracy.

The charity arm of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) says the £1 million is in addition to ongoing grants to bodies such as Seafarers’ Rights International.

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust has donated nearly £11 million in the last two years to organisations which work for seafarers’ welfare.

The Seafarers’ Trust is continuing to support the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) by seconding its assistant administrative officer, Roy Paul, to be full-time MPHRP programme director for the next two years.

Remote monitoring increases AS FUEL costs and emissions levels come under more scrutiny, paper logbooks and noon reports are no longer the most effective means of monitoring and communicating fuel consumption and emissions data, according to software house NAPA. It says ship operators with large fleets under their control, are increasingly turning to electronic operational solutions that automatically communicate with shore-based offices as frequently as every ten minutes.

This gives managers ashore real-time information such as the ship’s location, its speed, fuel consumption, local weather conditions and other data.

The development also raises questions about who is really in charge, the ship’s master or a ship’s shore-based managers.

4 the sea mar/apr 13

MICHAEL GREY

NEWS

Maersk hits CO2 targets

A questio

The Seafarers’ Identity Documen generally accepted. Is this becau

W Concept image of the new Maersk Triple-E container ship (Photo: Maersk Line) THE world’s largest container shipping company, Maersk Line, recently announced that it has already reached its 2020 target of reducing CO2 emissions by 25 per cent from its benchmark 2007 levels, based on data verified by Lloyd’s Register.

The company’s chief operating officer, Morten Engelstoft, said: “We are proud to hit this mark eight years ahead of schedule. And to keep that momentum we’re raising the target to a 40 per cent reduction in CO2 by 2020.”

Predicting further progress, Mr Engelstoft

said: “We reached this target from a combination of operational efficiency, network and voyage optimisation, slow steaming and technical innovation.

“We will hit the 40 per cent target with more of the same. Other important factors will be the continued co-operation with our vessel leasing partners to retrofit their ships, and the arrival this year and next of the Triple-E vessels, which will be the largest and most energy efficient ships on the water.”

IMO head aims to halve death toll

IMO leader Koji Sekimizu outlines his vision (Photo: IMO) HALVING lives lost at sea and eradicating pirate attacks is the vision for the International Maritime Organization (IMO), secretary-general Koji Sekimizu said recently.

The number of lives lost annually at sea has been over 1,000 for each of the past five years, said Mr Sekimizu. He went on to say that despite the difficulty in obtaining precise and reliable data for such

losses, approximate figures for 2012 included around 100 lives lost in the fishing sector, 400 in domestic operations, and about 500 in other categories, including international shipping.

An ambitious, but achievable target, he said, would be to aim for a 50 per cent reduction, to no more than 500 lives lost annually, by 2015.

He said the matter could be

addressed at the IMO Symposium on Future Ship Safety in June, and went on to identify a number of ways to go about achieving his target.

Mr Sekimizu’s suggested measures included: implementation of the Torremolinos Protocol through the Cape Town Agreement, to improve fishing vessel safety; improving domestic ferry safety through IMO’s Technical Co-operation activities, and his own initiative for an “Accident Zero” campaign, in conjunction with the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA).

He added that, in the first instance, IMO should use its mechanism for the collection and collation of statistics on lives lost to enable formal, official figures to be produced, which would help to measure improvements in the field more effectively and allow them to be reported and shared with the community.

Seafarers’ union Nautilus International has backed Mr Sekimizu’s initiative. Its senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: “The secretary-general is to be commended for a very courageous statement. This is a great aspiration, but unless there are fundamental changes in the safety culture of the industry such a target could take more than a generation to attain.”

Mission on hand after North Sea collision ELEVEN seafarers died in a collision between a car carrier and a containership off the Dutch coast on 5 December last year. The Bahamas-flag, Isle of Man owned car carrier Baltic Ace was reported to have sunk within minutes of the collision with the Cyprusregistered containership Corvus J west of Rotterdam. All those who died were members of the crew of the 2007-built Baltic Ace. Fortunately The Mission to Seafarers was on hand. The Revd Stephen Hazlett responded

immediately with Vlissengen colleague the Revd Ank MullerRobinson to offer support and facilities to survivors.

He said: “The most important thing was that the rescued crew had continuity and a friendly face that they could recognise throughout the rescue process.

They knew about the Mission and had used our centres in the UK, and around the world, so they felt comfortable talking to me.

“The survivors talked of how poor the visibility was, due to the

weather conditions; it had not only snowed but was very windy and had been raining heavily. It all happened so quickly.”

Reuters quoted Panagiotis Kakoliris from Greek-based Stamco Ship Management, which managed the Baltic Ace, as saying: “We had a very violent collision, which was the reason for the quick sinking of the vessel.”

German shipping firm Juengerhans, owners of the Corvus J, said it would “offer its full cooperation into the investigation.”

HY is it taking such an enormously long time for the seafarers’ identity document, devised as a result of the Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (ILO 185) to be accepted by the wider world and immigration authorities? The convention was adopted ten years ago, after an extraordinary effort and much goodwill on the part of a large number of people reacting to the demands for greater security, following the terror attack on the United States in September 2001.

Enhanced homeland security was part of the expected reaction to that attack, which we must recall was airborne, and the United States was anxious to see tighter control of foreign seafarers, who might be coming in and out of US ports with no documentation other than their seafarers’ ID. Accordingly, the International Labour Organization (ILO), energetic governments and representatives of employers’ and seafarers’ organisations went to work with a will. Such conventions usually take years

of to-ing and fro-ing but after working non-stop throughout 2002, ILO 185 was adopted in Geneva in 2003.

But has this document gained general acceptance from all the immigration officials boarding ships in the world’s ports? Not a bit of it!

This disappointing lack of progress was commented on recently by the International Shipping Federation’s Natalie Shaw, speaking at the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA) seminar in Manila. She deplored the fact that in the ports of the United States, those of Europe and so many places elsewhere, shore leave and crew transits require seafarers to obtain visas in advance. And in so many cases, seafarers must jump through hoops to obtain these documents long before they arrive in a port. No visas – no shore leave – no negotiations – orders must be obeyed!

Seafarers of an inquiring mind might ask what the point was of ILO 185, if nobody is taking any notice of it. But unfortunately the Convention did not specifically prohibit

Seafarers work

port states from visas from visiti merely discoura tice. Mrs Shaw s visas have to be able, it ought to for seafarers to o

BEN BAILEY

Finally, some g

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 com

T

HE forthcoming Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) is very good news indeed for the world’s 1.3 million seafarers.

At The Mission to Seafarers we are delighted that the required number of ratifications has been reached in order for the MLC to enter into force in August 2013.

For the first time, we have a single Convention with minimum requirements for employment, catering and almost all other aspects of a seafarer’s working life. But this is not a time for complacency. Oh no. The clock is ticking and the international community needs to ensure its house is in order. And what about the seafarers? Who’s telling them the good news?

Since the ratifications, organisations have been busily publishing guides which detail what the MLC will mean for their stakeholders, but we have yet to see one directed exclusively towards the people the Convention has been created for. There’s little point in giving seafarers rights if they don’t know what they are.

It came as a shock when I realised – pretty quickly after I joined the Mission – that I’d lost count of

the number of times someone had said to me: “that’s all going to be sorted when the MLC comes into force”. In those days, port reports would flood into our headquarters with distressing tales of how a crew had been abandoned in port by their owner, or how a seafarer had complained about being bullied, only to find himself fired and dumped at the next port of call.

Now, five years on, while reports detailing horrific abuses continue to arrive, our chaplains are re-training in order to be able to assist seafarers to adapt to the new criteria laid down by the MLC. Seafarers are particularly stoic and are usually unwilling to complain unless a situation becomes unbearable. However, a rogue minority of shipowners continues to put profit before the safety and wellbeing of their staff. The MLC’s enforcement will expose these groups and ultimately raise standards, but we are kidding ourselves if we think this will happen overnight. That said, the new Convention will afford seafarers the opportunity to speak out about bad practice and mistreatment.

“There is a whole section within the Convention which

cover real b show just a says C justic to Sea “T proce adequ comp is cau Cano an on to run will t can ta In globe of ser and, dated our c facilit conta their the 2 easier today cent s onbo ities. take i mobi

mar/apr 13 the sea 5

on of identity

nts Convention was passed ten years ago, yet the document is still not use of a lack of respect for seafarers’ rights, asks Michael Grey

k their way through the port security in New York (Photo: Mike Hzovda)

m demanding ing seafarers, it aged the pracsuggests that if e made availo be possible obtain them

on arrival at a port. After all, when you sign on a ship in the international tramp trades, you probably have no more clue than the owner might have as to where that ship may end up.

Plenty of organisations con-

cerned with seafarers’ welfare have made much the same arguments, but sadly there doesn’t seem to be much sign of any action to either accept the provisions of the Convention and its documentation, or

to adopt a more conciliatory attitude. Many unconvincing reasons were given, mostly involving technical difficulties or bureaucratic blockages, for the delay, but the real reason, one suspects, is the old reason: seafarers don’t make waves, don’t earn brownie points and fail to appear on any list of government priorities.

There are no votes in rushing around to help seafarers, who don’t form any sort of constituency. They are not tourists enjoying their holidays, who may take their custom somewhere else, if the conditions are not up to scratch. They are not big spenders, nor are they supported by powerful foreign services in their home countries which will raise ‘merry Hell’ if their nationals are treated badly by foreign powers. Seafarers are mostly foreign, and with just a small complement of them on most ships other than passenger vessels, are regarded as something of an administrative nuisance. Rather than changing procedures (which will take time and trouble) it is much easier to keep this alien

workforce aboard their ships, possibly with an armed guard on the gangway.

There may indeed be technical difficulties with the seafarers’ identity documents, but nobody in their right mind would suggest that these cannot be overcome, in an age where tens of millions of people daily employ electronic charge cards of many different types. If immigration authorities cannot cope with 1.3 million seafarers, why not hand the problem over to an agency which can, such as one of the electronic card companies?

But, goes the argument, why bother? In most parts of the world, there is virtually no knowledge whatsoever, about the shipping industry everyone depends upon to feed and fuel the population. There is simply no awareness of the essential workforce that keeps ships running and the goods flowing, day after day after day.

If there was, then the needs of seafarers might be advanced up the scale of priorities and the important officials that stamp up gangways in ports might be rather more respectful of

a labour force upon whom everyone depends.

It is because they have no appreciation at all of how vital seafarers are to us all that they treat them as a confounded nuisance, getting angry and even disobliging when they have to stir themselves to grant permission for a seafarer to visit the doctor or dentist, or take the trouble to call on an agent, whose assistance they need to help a crew member with repatriation.

Seafarers don’t demand a lot, but a little civility and respect from port officials in so many places where they are darned hostile, would go a long way. Seafarers are not, and have never been, a security risk and there is no reason whatever why, with sensible, properly devised documents, they cannot be enabled to live a civilised life, just like people ashore.

Everyone else these days shouts like mad when their ‘human rights’ appear to be prejudiced or infringed in some way by the authorities.

Don’t seafarers have human rights, too?

good news for seafarers

mes into force in August. The Mission welcomes it, says Ben Bailey, but with some reservations

rs enforcement and that is of benefit to seafarers because it ws that the Convention is not a bit of paper – it has teeth,” Canon Ken Peters, director of ce and welfare at The Mission afarers.

The onboard complaints edure in the MLC is far from uate, as seafarers might be plaining to the person who using them the trouble,” says on Peters. “But it also calls for nshore complaints procedure n alongside. I believe crews turn to a port chaplain who ake up the case.” n over 250 ports across the e, the Mission provides a range rvices which are encouraged in some circumstances, mand, under the new MLC. All of centres have communication ties, allowing a seafarer to act home and reconnect with family. It’s a sad fact, but in 21st century, it is probably r for ET to phone home than y’s seafarers, with only 30 per saying they have access to oard communications facilThat’s why our chaplains internet-enabled laptops and ile telephones on board, as

well as low-cost telephone cards so that seafarers are not subjected to unnecessarily high international-roaming charges.

But as well as providing a practical service, the Mission is an advocate on whom seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs can, and often do, depend. “Our chaplains are the eyes and ears of the industry,” says Canon Peters.

“They have the trust and confidence of the seafarers they meet and so if there’s a problem, crews know that the chaplain will handle it in an effective, yet sensitive way.

Our chaplains are a familiar sight around ports and they work hard to maintain good relationships with agents, harbour masters and port state control. This means they can usually resolve a difficulty before it becomes a formal issue.”

However, while the Mission welcomes the ratification of the MLC it does have some reservations. One of these concerns the fear that seafarers could continue to be denied access to shore leave, despite it being mandated under the MLC. Ever since the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code came into being, many seafarers have been denied

MISSION chaplain the Revd John Attenborough discussing issues with one crew member (left) and Canon Ken Peters (above) shore leave either because of an overzealous application of the regulations or because of misinterpretation of the regulations.

Overall however, the MLC will add strength to the position that seafarers have a legal right to shore leave and it will impose easy access conditions to shore-based welfare

facilities.

And so the countdown has begun until the Convention, which has been hailed as the fourth pillar of seafarers’ welfare alongside STCW, MARPOL and SOLAS, comes into being. Some might say about time, too. For too long, there have been significant deficiencies in the

living and working conditions of seafarers. The industry has invested significant time and money into bringing the Convention about because, according to Canon Peters, “there are segments of the industry which need to be cleaned up”.

Is the entire industry finally coming round to our opinion that a ship’s most precious asset is its crew? We hope so. Seafarers’ welfare extends far beyond employers and facilities providers. All of us within this great industry have an obligation to ensure that the way we operate supports and enhances seafarers’ lives rather than hinders them. Denying crews shore leave and providing inadequate portside facilities, coupled with the unwillingness of some shipping companies to offer post-traumatic counselling to seafarers who are piracy victims is, in the end, far more costly to a shipowner.

In the MLC we have a piece of legislation which clearly champions seafarers’ health, safety and general wellbeing. These are vital elements of the good management of the industry, and the enforcement of the MLC is essential if shipping is going to meet its global challenges.

6 the sea mar/apr 13

JUSTICE MATTERS  BY DOUGLAS STEVENSON

The MLC’s impact on the recruitment of seafarers WHEN the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) comes into force this August, seafarers’ recruiting and placement services will have new standards, designed to protect seafarers from abuses. In labour-supplying countries where there are more qualified seafarers than good jobs, seafarers are vulnerable to unscrupulous employment agencies’ unfair practices. The MLC will level the playing field by imposing significant responsibilities on labour-supplying countries and on flag states that have ratified the Convention, to protect seafarers in the recruiting process. The Convention will also have considerable ramifications for laboursupplying countries that have not ratified the MLC. The MLC will require labour-supplying countries (that have ratified it) to regulate private seafarer recruitment and placement services through licensing, certification or other forms of regulation. To be certified, seafarer recruiting and placement agencies must meet the following minimum standards:

n Agencies cannot blacklist seafarers from getting jobs for which they are qualified. Standard A1.4.5(a). n Agencies cannot charge placement fees directly or indirectly to seafarers. They can, however, charge seafarers for the costs of getting a national medical certificate, a national

seafarers’ book, a passport or other similar personal travel documents other than visas. The MLC requires shipowners to pay for seafarers’ visas. Standard A1.4.5(b). n Agencies must inform seafarers of their rights and duties under their employment agreements, and they must give them an opportunity to examine the agreements before and after signing. They must also give seafarers a copy of their employment agreement. Standard A1.4.5(c)(ii). n Agencies must ensure seafarers are qualified for, and have the necessary documents for, the job concerned. They must also make sure that the seafarers’ employment agreements conform to legal requirements and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Standard A1.4.5(c)(iii). n Agencies must verify that shipowners can protect seafarers from being stranded in ports. Standard A1.4.5(c)(iv). n Agencies must investigate and respond to any complaint about their activities and advise the authorities of any unresolved complaint. Standard A1.4.5(c)(v). n Agencies must have insurance or ‘equivalent guarantees’ to compensate seafarers for financial losses caused by the agency or by the shipowner’s defaulting on its contractual obligations. For example, if a shipowner fails to pay wages

or repatriation expenses, the agency must have provisions to cover these obligations to seafarers. Standard A1.4.5(c)(vi).

Flag states that have ratified the MLC will require shipowners flying their flag to use only recruitment and placement services that conform to the MLC requirements.

If shipowners want to use services in countries that have not ratified the MLC, they must still verify that the service providers conform to the MLC requirements.

For a shipowner, the choice is easy: it will be simpler and more reliable to use a rservice that has been licensed or certified by a country that has ratified the MLC than to have to verify a service’s compliance itself. Labour-supplying countries that have ratified the MLC will have a competitive advantage over non-ratifying countries in obtaining jobs for their seafarers. Accordingly, there is a great incentive for labour-supplying countries to ratify the Convention.

The MLC’s standards for recruitment and placement services will enhance seafarers’ rights worldwide by confronting abuses in countries were seafarers are hired and by encouraging labour-supplying countries to ratify and implement all of the MLC’s comprehensive protections.

El MLC 2006 y la contratación CUANDO el Convenio sobre Trabajo Marítimo de 2006 (MLC 2006) entre en vigor en agosto de este año, los servicios de contratación y colocación de la gente de mar estarán sometidos a una nueva normativa diseñada para proteger a los marinos de los abusos. En los países que suministran la mano de obra, en los cuales el número de marinos calificados es superior a las oportunidades laborales que se les ofrecen, la gente de mar está expuesta a las prácticas abusivas de determinadas agencias de contratación exentas de escrúpulos. La introducción del MLC contribuirá a suprimir estas prácticas ya que, según estipula, los países de donde proviene la mano de obra y los estados de bandera que hayan ratificado el Convenio serán responsables en gran medida de la protección de la gente de mar en el proceso de contratación. El Convenio tendrá también una importante repercusión en los países suministradores de mano de obra que no lo hayan ratificado.

El Convenio exige a los países suministradores de mano de obra que lo hayan ratificado que regulen los servicios de contratación y colocación de la gente de mar mediante sistemas de licencias, certificaciones y otras formas de regulación. Para obtener la certificación, las agencias de contratación y colocación de la gente de mar deberán satisfacer los requisitos mínimos siguientes: n No podrán utilizar listas negras que impidan a la gente de mar acceder a puestos para los que estén cualificados. [Norma A1.4.5(a)] n Tendrán prohibido facturar a la gente de mar, directa o indirectamente, los honorarios u otros emolumentos por concepto de contratación, colocación u obtención de un empleo.

Sin embargo, sí podrán facturar los costos correspondientes a la obtención del certificado médico nacional obligatorio, de la libreta nacional deservicio y de un pasaporte o de otros documentos personales de viaje similares (con la excepción del costo de los visados, cuya cuantía total se imputará al armador). [Norma A1.4.5(b)] n Deberán asegurarse de que la gente de mar conozca los derechos y obligaciones previstos en sus acuerdos de empleo, y darles oportunidad de estudiar sus acuerdos de empleo antes y después de haberlos firmado. Se asegurarán también de que reciban una copia del acuerdo de empleo. [Norma A1.4.5(c)(ii)] n Se asegurarán de que la gente de mar posea las calificaciones y los documentos necesarios para el empleo de que se trate.

También se asegurarán de que los acuerdos de empleo de la gente

de mar sean conformes con la legislación aplicable y con todo convenio colectivo que forme parte de los acuerdos de empleo.

[Norma A1.4.5(c)(iii)] n Se asegurarán de que el armador tenga los medios necesarios para evitar que la gente de mar sea abandonada en un puerto extranjero. [Norma 1.4.5(c)(iv)] n Examinarán y darán respuesta a toda queja relativa a sus actividades y notificarán toda queja pendiente de resolución a la autoridad competente. [Norma A1.4.5(c)(v)] n Establecerán un sistema de protección, por medio de un seguro o de una medida apropiada equivalente, para indemnizar a la gente de mar por las pérdidas pecuniarias resultantes del incumplimiento de las obligaciones contractuales con ellos contraídas. Si, por ejemplo, un armador no paga los salarios acordados o los gastos de repatriación, la agencia de contratación y colocación deberá disponer de provisiones necesarias para cubrirlos. [Norma A1.4.5(c)(vi)] Los Miembros deberán exigir a los armadores de los buques que enarbolen su pabellón que recurran a servicios de contratación y colocación de gente de mar que estén en conformidad con los requisitos establecidos en el Código. Los armadores que recurran a serviciosde contratación y colocación de gente de mar basados en países o territorios en los queno se aplique el presente Convenio deberán asegurarse de que esos servicios estén en conformidad con los requisitos establecidos en el Código.

La alternativa que se ofrece a los armadores es simple: les resultará más fácil y fiable utilizar un servicio de contratación y colocación que cuente con licencia o certificación de un país que haya ratificado el Convenio que tener que ocuparse ellos mismos de comprobar su cumplimiento. Los países suministradores de mano de obra que hayan ratificado el MLC disfrutarán así de una ventaja competitiva sobre los países que no lo hayan hecho a la hora de obtener puestos de trabajo para su gente de mar.

Esto constituye un importante incentivo para que los países suministradores de mano de obra ratifiquen el Convenio.

La normativa del MLC para los servicios de contratación y colocación protege y amplia los derechos de la gente de mar en todo el mundo, ya que aborda frontalmente el problema de los abusos en la contratación y la colocación en los países donde la gente de mar es contratada, e incita a que los países suministradores de mano de obra ratifiquen el MLC y apliquen en su totalidad el completo sistema de garantías que ofrece.

MLC 2006 и комплектование личного состава КОГДА Конвенция МОТ о труде в морском судоходстве 2006 (MLC 2006) вступит в силу в августе этого года, начнут свое действие и новые стандарты работы служб набора и трудоустройства, призванные защитить моряков от злоупотреблений. В странах-поставщиках рабочей силы, где наблюдается избыток квалифицированных моряков по сравнению с имеющимися рабочими местами, моряки не защищены от недобросовестных методов работы некоторых беспринципных агентств по трудоустройству. Конвенция MLC уравняет правила игры, связав страны-поставщики рабочей силы и государства флага, ратифицировавшие конвенцию, значимыми обязательствами по защите прав моряков в процессе рекрутинга. Конвенция также будет иметь серьезные последствия для стран-поставщиков рабочей силы, не ратифицировавших MLC. Конвенция MLC потребует от стран-поставщиков рабочей силы (ратифицировавших ее) упорядочить работу частных служб набора и трудоустройства моряков посредством лицензирования, сертификации или других методов регулирования. Для получения сертификата агентствам набора и трудоустройства моряков будет необходимо соответствовать следующим минимальным стандартам: n Агентства не могут вносить моряков в «черные списки», препятствующие получению работы, соответствующей их квалификации. Стандарт A1.4.5(b). n Агентства не могут прямо или косвенно взимать с моряков плату за трудоустройство. Они, тем не менее, могут взимать стоимость получения предусмотренного национальным законодательством медицинского свидетельства, национальной книжки моряка и паспорта или других аналогичных личных проездных документов, исключая расходы, связанные с получением виз. Конвенция MLC требует оплаты виз моряков от судовладельцев. Стандарт A1.4.5(b). n Агентства обязаны информировать моряков об их правах и обязанностях, указанных в трудовых договорах. Они обязаны обеспечить морякам возможность ознакомиться с содержанием трудового договора перед его подписанием и после. Они также должны предоставить морякам копию этого договора. Стандарт A1.4.5(c)(ii). n Агентства обязаны проверять, чтобы моряки обладали квалификацией и имели все документы, необходимые для выполнения соответствующих работ. Они также обязаны удостовериться, что трудовые договоры моряков соответствуют действующему законодательству и нормативным правовым актам, а также положениям действующих коллективных договоров. Стандарт A1.4.5(c)(iii). n Агентства должны будут удостоверяться в том, что судовладелец обладает средствами для

обеспечения защиты моряков от опасности оказаться в затруднительном положении в иностранном порту. Стандарт A1.4.5(c)(iv). n Агентства должны будут расследовать и реагировать на любые жалобы в отношении своей деятельности, а также информировать компетентные органы о неурегулированных жалобах. Стандарт A1.4.5(c)(v). n Агентства должны будут иметь систему защиты в форме страхования или в иной равнозначной форме для компенсации морякам денежного ущерба, который они могут понести в результате невыполнения службой набора и трудоустройства или судовладельцем своих обязательств в соответствии с трудовым договором. Например, если судовладелец не в состоянии выплатить заработную плату или расходы по репатриации, то агентство по набору и трудоустройству обязано иметь в наличии резервы для покрытия данных обязательств перед моряками. Стандарт A1.4.5(c)(vi). Государства флага, ратифицировавшие MLC, потребуют от владельцев судов, плавающих под их флагом, использовать только те службы набора и трудоустройства, которые соответствуют требованиям MLC. Если судовладельцы желают использовать службы набора и трудоустройства в странах, не ратифицировавших Конвенцию, то они обязаны проверить эти службы на соответствие требованиям MLC. Для судовладельцев выбор прост. Будет легче и надежнее использовать службы набора и трудоустройства, которые были лицензированы или сертифицированы страной, ратифицировавшей MLC, чем самим проверять эти службы на соответствие требованиям. Страны-поставщики рабочей силы, ратифицировавшие MLC, будут иметь конкурентное преимущество перед странами, не ратифицировавшими Конвенцию, в получении рабочих мест для своих моряков. Соответственно, в ратификации Конвенции кроется огромный стимул для стран-поставщиков рабочей силы. Стандарты MLC для служб по набору и трудоустройству послужат значительному укреплению прав моряков во всем мире путем противостояния злоупотреблениям при рекрутинге, а также стимулом для стран-поставщиков рабочей силы ратифицировать и вводить в действие все обширные средства защиты, предоставляемые MLC.

mar/apr 13 the sea 7

FOCUS ON FAITH  BY JOHN ATTENBOROUGH

Lent: a time for reflection SOME years ago, I visited Walvis Bay on the coast of Namibia, west Africa. During my time there, along with a few friends, I travelled into the desert very early one morning. The sun had not yet come up, and there was fog all around us. Our guide drove us in over dirt tracks for a few miles, then he stopped and told us to get out: from here we would explore the area on foot.

At this stage we were surrounded by fog, and we could not see much of our surroundings until, just a few minutes later, the sun came up. The fog suddenly lifted off the desert floor, and we could see we were among the sand dunes. Now you may

think a desert is just plain, flat and full of sand, but what we found was real beauty. The contrast of light and shadow, caused by the early morning sunshine, played across the dunes and it was breathtaking. Then there was the silence: outside, in all of that space, the only sound you could hear was the sand moving under your feet as you walked across it. We sat down at the bottom of a huge dune and just took it all in. It was a wonderful time of peace, tranquillity and prayer. However, when it was time for us to leave, we were glad we had a guide with us to lead us back to civilisation!

During the season of Lent, when the Christian

Church prepares to celebrate Easter, the feast of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we are reminded that Jesus too spent some time in a desert, forty days in all. He went through many tests and trials while he was there but he overcame everything that came his way. It was after this time in the desert that Jesus called his disciples to him and began his ministry of reaching out to those who were lost and to those who needed God’s love.

For Christians Lent is about more than just giving up chocolate. It’s a time of personal renewal when we can prepare ourselves through prayer, confession, self-denial and supporting

the less fortunate. It is a time when we can really refocus our lives back on Christ. But we do not have to go to the extremes of finding a desert in order to sit and pray! A quiet corner for a few moments is all that is needed to remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us all.

Sometimes in our own lives we may feel that we are lost and in a dry desert place.

But the Lord is our guide and will never leave us. Jesus came out of the desert prepared for his ministry and he changed the world from that moment. Lent doesn’t only help us to look forward to Easter, a time of celebration, new life and growth, it also helps us to look at ourselves.

La Cuaresma: un tiempo propicioa la reflexión HACE algunos años me invitaron a visitar la bahía de Walvis en la costa de Namibia, en África occidental. Durante mi estancia allí, una mañana, muy temprano, me interné en el desierto en compañía de unos amigos. El sol aún no había despuntado y nos rodeaba una densa niebla. Después de conducir unos cuantos kilómetros por pistas de tierra, nuestro guía detuvo el vehículo para que continuáramos explorando la zona a pie.

Seguía reinando una espesa niebla que no nos permitía más que intuir lo que nos rodeaba. Poco después, sin embargo, el sol hizo su aparición en el horizonte y levantó la niebla de la superficie del desierto, revelando un impresionante paisaje de dunas de arena. Cuando pensamos en el desierto, a veces lo visualizamos como una extensión arenosa monótona y sin interés, pero lo que nos encontramos en aquella ocasión fue un lugar de extraordinaria belleza. La rasante luz matutina creaba un complejo juego de luces y sombras cuyo efecto sobre las ondulaciones de las dunas era simplemente mágico. A esto había que sumarle el silencio: al aire libre, como nos encontrábamos, rodeados de un vasto espacio vacío, el único sonido que nos alcanzaba era el rumor de la arena bajo nuestros pies. Recuerdo que nos sentamos al pie de una duna gigantesca y que nos dejamos empapar por la atmósfera del lugar. Fueron unos maravillosos instantes de paz, tranquilidad y oración. Aún así, cuando llegó el momento de marcharnos, nos alegramos mucho de contar con un guía que nos devolviese a la civilización.

Durante la Cuaresma, el período en que la Iglesia cristiana se prepara para celebrar la Pascua, festividad de la resurrección de Jesucristo de entre los muertos, la liturgia nos recuerda que Jesús también pasó algún tiempo en el desierto, cuarenta días para ser exactos. Durante esos cuarenta días, Jesús se vio sometido a numerosas pruebas y tentaciones que superó con muchas penalidades. Fue a la vuelta de su estancia en el desierto cuando Jesús llamó a sus discípulos e inició su ministerio, que ayuda a quienes están perdidos a encontrar el camino y lleva a los necesitados el amor de Dios.

Para los cristianos, la Cuaresma es mucho más que un sacrificio simbólico, como renunciar al chocolate, por ejemplo. La Cuaresma es un tiempo de renovación personal durante el cual podemos prepararnos a través de la oración, la confesión, el sacrificio y la ayuda a los necesitados. Es una oportunidad para volver a centrar nuestras vidas en Cristo.

Y para hacerlo no es necesario buscar un desierto para orar y meditar: basta con pasar unos momentos en un rincón tranquilo recordando el enorme sacrificio que Jesús hizo por todos nosotros.

En ocasiones, en nuestra vida, nos sentimos como perdidos en un vasto desierto, árido, solitario y vacío. Pero el Señor nos guía y no nos abandona. Jesús volvió del desierto preparado para su ministerio y transformó el mundo. La Cuaresma no solo nos permite anticipar con alegría la llegada de la Pascua, que es un período de celebración, renovación y crecimiento vital; también nos ayuda a reflexionar sobre nosotros mismos.

Великий Пост — время размышлений

НЕСКОЛЬКО лет назад я был приглашен в Уолфиш-Бей на побережье Намибии в Западной Африке. Одним ранним утром вместе с моими друзьями мы отправились в пустыню. Солнце еще не взошло, и все вокруг было скрыто туманом. Наш гид проехал несколько миль по грунтовой дороге, а затем остановился и попросил нас выйти из машины. Далее нам предстояло идти пешком. Нас окружил густой туман, и мы практически ничего вокруг себя не видели пока, спустя несколько минут, не взошло солнце. Туман неожиданно поднялся с поверхности пустыни и мы оказались в окружении песчаных дюн. Вы можете думать, что пустыня — это всего лишь ровная, невзрачная песчаная поверхность, но то, что мы увидели, было поистине прекрасно. Свет и тени, созданные зарождающимся солнечным светом, играли на дюнах, и это было захватывающее зрелище. А еще тишина... Во всем этом пространстве единственным слышимым нами звуком был скрип песка под нашими ногами. Мы расположились у подножия огромной дюны и просто впитывали в себя окружающий нас мир. Это был удивительный момент умиротворения, покоя и молитвы. Однако, когда наступило время уезжать, мы были рады, что у нас есть проводник, способный привести нас назад в цивилизованный мир! В период Великого Поста, когда христианская церковь готовится к празднованию Пасхи — празднику воскрешения Иисуса из мертвых — мы вспоминаем, что Иисус тоже провел некоторое время в пустыне, целых сорок дней. Находясь там, он подвергся множеству испытаний и искушений, но с честью выдержал все, выпавшее на его долю. Именно после пребывания в пустыне Иисус призвал к себе своих учеников и начал свое служение, протягивая руку помощи заблудшим и нуждающимся в Божьей любви. Христианский пост — это не просто время, когда нужно отказаться от шоколада. Это время обновления личности, время подготовки себя посредством молитвы, исповеди, самоограничения и поддержки обездоленных. Это время, когда мы можем полностью поменять приоритеты нашей жизни и обратиться к вечным христианским ценностям. Но нам нет необходимости впадать в крайности и уходить в пустыню для молитвы! Все, что нам нужно, — это спокойный уголок, где несколько минут можно поразмышлять и отдать должное величайшей жертве, которую Иисус принес во имя всех нас. Иногда в своей собственной жизни мы можем ощутить себя заблудшими в пустыне. Но Господь — наш проводник, и он никогда не покинет нас. Иисус вышел из пустыни подготовленным к служению, и начиная с этого момента он изменил мир. Великий Пост не только помогает нам с радостью ожидать Пасху, — время празднования, новой жизни и роста — он также помогает нам заглянуть внутрь самих себя.

Seafarers: have your say CALLING all seafarers: we would like to hear from you!

As part of the worldwide welfare work of The Mission to Seafarers, we would like to hear what you think about key issues affecting the shipping world.

How much money do you spend each month contacting home?

Under $20

$61-$80

$21-$40

$81-100

$41-$60

Over $100

To cast your vote, please tear out this poll and return it to a Mission to Seafarers port chaplain, or complete the poll online at www.missiontoseafarers.org/vote

If you have any questions about your rights as a seafarer, or if you want more information or help, you can contact: Douglas B Stevenson, Center for Seafarers’ Rights, 241 Water Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. Tel: +1212 349 9090 Fax: +1212 349 8342

Email: csr@seamenschurch.org or Canon Ken Peters, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal,

College Hill, London EC4R 2RL, UK. Tel: +44 20 7248 5202 Fax: +44 20 7248 4761 Email: Justice@missiontoseafarers.org

8 the sea mar/apr 13

Five killed in cruise ship lifeboat incident FIVE seafarers died when a lifeboat they were in fell while being hoisted back to the davits on the Malta-flag cruise ship Thomson Majesty after a drill at Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands.

Three Indonesians, a Filipino and a Ghanaian were killed and three others injured as the boat fell more than 20m into the sea.

The ship, operated by Thomson Cruises, is owned and technically managed by Cyprus-based Louis Cruises.

Initial reports suggested that one of the wire falls parted, causing the boat to fall and land upside down on the water.

Bjorn-Erik Kristoffersen, the ITF’s representative on the lifeboat working group of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee, said: “This is a sad and awful accident, made doubly so because it happened during a drill whose whole reason is to safeguard lives. These accidents are all too common, and dramatically show that this is a recurring problem.”

He continued: “This incident again shows the risks seafarers run every day, and underlines the need for progress on this issue.”

The general secretary of seafarers’ union Nautilus International Mark Dickinson said: “The dangers associated with lifeboat drills are well known, and there is now extensive evidence to show the scale of fatalities arising from accidents. In the light of this, Nautilus has consistently advised members not to be in lifeboats when they are being raised or lowered, unless strops are in place.”

He added: “We believe there is a need for much more concerted action to address design shortcomings. It is not only an issue of maintenance and training – it is a question of procedures.

It is also time for radical thinking about the concept of lifeboats and to examine the potential of alternative evacuation systems.”

This latest accident occurred only weeks after amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS),

The Thomson Majesty in La Palma (Photo: AP) aimed at preventing accidents during lifeboat launching, entered into force on 1 January. These require lifeboat on-load release mechanisms not complying with new International Life-Saving Appliances (LSA) Code requirements to be replaced no later than the first scheduled dry-docking of the ship after 1 July next year and, in all cases, no later than 1 July, 2019.

The amendments are intended to establish stricter safety standards for lifeboat release and retrieval systems, and will require the assessment and possible replacement of a large number of lifeboat release hooks. The move follows many deaths and injuries caused by hook failures during lifeboat drills since enclosed lifeboats became compulsory for new ships in 1986.

The Mission to Seafarers has launched an appeal with Thomson Cruises to support the families of those who lost their lives in the accident. Visit www.justgiving.com/thomson-majesty for more information.

Liberian Registry protests against ‘outdated thinking’

‘Don’t call us an FOC’ demands Liberian Registry T HE Liberian Registry is arguing against what it calls “outdated thinking” which results in all open registers, irrespective of their safety record, being referred to as “flags of convenience” (FOCs). The term FOC has for many years been used by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to describe ships without strong links to the flag state.

Scott Bergeron, chief executive officer of the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says: “Liberia is one of 13 flags which have just been given a clean bill of health by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in its flag state performance table. This means it has earned positive indicators from the ICS with regard to its performance in relation to port state control, convention ratification, recognised organisations, age of vessels, IMO attendance, and completion of STCW and ILO reports.”

ICS director of external relations Simon Bennett says: “Our table is intended to encourage shipowners to maintain a dialogue with

The Mission to Seafarers

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their flag administrations to effect any improvements that might be necessary in the interests of safety, the environment and decent working conditions.”

The ICS’s latest Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table can be downloaded from the ICS website, www.ics-shipping.org.

The ICS also says it is keen to emphasise that, in today’s modern global i n d u s t r y, “ d i s t i n c t i o n s between so called traditional flags and open registers are increasingly meaningless and actually unhelpful”. It adds that the table shows that many open registers, such as Liberia and the Bahamas, are amongst the top performers, alongside several European flags, as well as Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

However, ITF maritime c o - o r d i n a t o r To m a s Abrahamsson responds: “This is a regular call from the ICS and the LISCR. We can well understand why their users would like to bury the term ‘flags of convenience’. ‘Open register’ sounds so much more open and transparent and authoritative.

Unfortunately those are

n Launched over ten years ago n Best overall rates n Call from anywhere worldwide n No hidden charges n Extra services added all the time n Fair and open pricing n The only card endorsed by The Mission to Seafarers n Because we care

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not qualities associated with most FOCs. Convenience is: the convenience of cutting costs, switching loyalties when it suits, and, at least for some, escaping oversight and accountability. With some honourable exceptions openness is not something associated with FOCs, as the wider public, who continue to use the term, well understand.”

This year’s table includes some new flag states which, the ICS says, seem to be increasingly popular with some shipowners. It notes that Moldova and Sierra Leone join the ranks of flags such as Bolivia, Cambodia and Mongolia in being revealed by the table to have “a somewhat patchy performance”.

Canon Ken Peters at

The Mission to Seafarers says: “We commend Liberia for not only ratifying the MLC 2006 in the letter o f t h e l a w, b u t f o r a l s o recognising the spirit of the law which upholds the dignity of seafarers. More flag states should follow the example of Liberia in training its MLC inspectors in the principles of welfare that address the holistic wellbeing of crew.

“Ensuring that inspectors are aware of the cultural aspects of the Convention is an important step to ensuring a continuum of care for seafarers. All flags should be commended for improvements being taken in the care of crews on ships registered in their jurisdiction.”

New collision avoidance guide published THE North P&I Club has published a new guide for bridge watchkeepers entitled Collisions: How to Avoid Them.

Designed specifically for use on ships’ bridges, it focuses on what the Club considers to be the most important “rules of the road” in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (Colregs). A Club spokesperson said: “The guide very much has the computer generation in mind and is partly intended to get officers to look away from their ECDIS screens and out of the window more often.”

The guide focuses on the 12 regulations North considers are most often misinterpreted. These concern: responsibility;

look-outs; safe speed; risk of collision; action to avoid collisions; traffic separation schemes; overtaking; headon situations; crossing situations; action by giveway vessels; action by standon vessels; and conduct of vessels in restricted visibility.

The Club’s head of loss prevention, Tony Baker, said: “We believe these rules are the key to collision avoidance as we see them breached time and time again when they occur. The guide shows how the rules fit together and how interpreting and applying each of them can be influenced, sometimes wrongly, by the vast mass of information now available from electronic aids to navigation.”

New training initiatives THE International Ship Managers Association (InterManager) is planning new initiatives to tackle the global maritime skills shortage. Its president, Gerardo Borromeo, says its executive board is to consider a number of projects to “help ensure a stronger image of the industry, to help attract the best and brightest into the workforce of the future, be it on board or ashore in support of operations”.

A survey of InterManager members has identified the main concerns affecting the industry. These include the impact of challenging market conditions on operating budgets, and the difficulties of finding and retaining quality staff.

In response InterManager plans to introduce a number of new initiatives this year to address training and recruitment matters, including: a cadet scheme; working with owners to provide “adequate and timely berths” on board for the necessary competency-building sea time; developing “flexible and workable” budgets with shipowners; and carrying out crew surveys to identify what else needs to be done.

Grounding officer jailed THE officer of the watch of the bulker Shen Neng 1 has been jailed and her master fined A$25,000 by an Australian court following a grounding on the Great Barrier Reef in 2010 that led to a spill of about four tonnes of fuel oil. Wang Xuegang is expected to have to serve three months of an 18-month sentence.

He was said to have failed to plot the ship’s position every 15 minutes.

Evergreen courses certified A RANGE of courses run by the Evergreen Seafarer Training Center (ESTC), Taiwan, has been certified by the Japanese classification society, ClassNK. Its training courses in bridge resource management, electronic chart display information systems (ECDIS), and engine room resource management all meet ClassNK standards, the International Maritime Organiza-

tion (IMO) model course requirements, and the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Code.

Located in Taoyuan County, ESTC was established by the Evergreen Group in 1999 to carry out advanced training for its officers and seafarers.

Arctic issues COUNTRIES bordering the Arctic Sea should respect the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as shipping in the region increases, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) argues in a new position paper on Arctic shipping.

The paper sets out its key principles for the future governance of Arctic waters. “As the volume of Arctic shipping increases,” said a spokesperson, “there is a growing awareness of the need for a high degree of care. The proper forum for concerns is the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is currently developing a Polar Code that is expected to be mandatory. It is most important that Arctic nations avoid unilateral measures that might cut across IMO Conventions or the provisions of UNCLOS.” The new ICS position paper can be downloaded at www. ics-shipping.org.

Lawhill’s first master mariner

TOBELA Gqabu has become the first former pupil of South Africa’s Lawhill Maritime Centre to obtain a foreign-going master’s certificate of competency. He applied for a Safmarine bursary in 1999 to complete his schooling at the Simon’s Town centre, which prepares young South Africans for employment by providing them with maritime-related skills and knowledge while they are still at school.

Brian Ingpen, head of the centre, says he hopes Gqabu’s achievement and the success of Lawhill’s partnership with Safmarine, which provided much of the school’s funding, will inspire other companies to collaborate with educational bodies to address skills development and unemployment in South Africa.

Safmarine’s chief executive officer, Grant Daly, said: “Tobela’s achievement is an example of how mutually beneficial this partnership between business and education has been.”