The Sea, March/April 2011

Issue 210 mar/apr 2011

Call for IMO to act on box safety

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

Seafarer murdered off Somalia page 2 What we owe engineers pages 4/5 ISM and seafarers’ rights page 6

SOUTH Korean naval special forces take up positions during the operation to rescue crew members on the Samho Jewelry. (Photo: Ho New/Reuters)

Commandos re-take hijacked ship SOUTH Korean Navy commandos have re-taken a hijacked South Korean-owned 19,924 dwt chemical tanker, the Samho Jewelry, which had been seized by pirates in the Arabian Sea. In a major departure from the usual practice adopted by the navies patrolling the area, the destroyer Choi Young was ordered to track down the Maltese-flag ship and rescue the crew.

The warship located and then tracked the hijacked ship for nearly a week before an eventual successful assault, using diversionary tactics and mounting fake attacks, which were intended to exhaust the pirates.

The South Korean Government was determined avoid a re-run of the hijacking of the VLCC Samho Dream, another South Korean-owned vessel, which was hijacked in April 2010 and released in November on payment of a reported US$9m ransom.

The country’s president, Lee Myung-bak, ordered the navy to take “all possible measures” to free the eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 Burmese on board the Samho Jewelry.

The final decision to re-take the ship was made when another hijacked tanker, the York, approached the scene,

apparently to help the pirates on the Samho Jewelry, while at the same time some of the gang on the Samho Jewelry set off in small boats to attack a nearby Mongolian-flag ship.

Three commandos were wounded, but not seriously, when they came under pirate fire while boarding the Samho Jewelry over the stern. At that point the Choi Young’s helicopter opened up with a machine-gun, killing eight pirates, and the destroyer then sent the helicopter and a sea boat to stop the attack on the Mongolian-flag vessel.

Escalating problem off Somalia ‘unacceptable’

UN chief backs action plan to combat piracy UK registered charity no: 212432 Scottish charity register no: SC039211

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U

N secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has warned that piracy “seems to be outpacing the efforts of the international community to stem it”. He was speaking at the launch of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) action plan to promote this year’s World Maritime Day theme: “Piracy: orchestrating the response”. He added that the escalating problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia was “completely unacceptable” and required an urgent and co-ordinated response.

IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos said piracy and kidnapping had blighted the maritime community for too long and it was seafarers who bore the brunt. “We believe,” he added,

“that we can use the experience gained and the successes achieved in reducing piracy elsewhere to good effect in the current arena as well, but to do so requires a well orchestrated response.”

The launch of IMO’s action plan to fight piracy was overshadowed by reports that pirates had murdered a seafarer on the Beluga Nomination. It later emerged that two more of the crew were missing. Shipping industry organisations BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, Intercargo, Intertanko and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) issued a joint statement warning that shipowners and their crews would be “re-evaluating their current determination to ensure that this vital trade route remains open”.

Speaking at the launch, ITF general secretary David Cockroft said many crew members were at breaking point because of the stress of passing through the area off the coast of Somalia. “If the risks cannot be eliminated, then seafarers will demand not to sail into the area at all and responsible shipowners will support them,” he said.

The Mission to Seafarers has also voiced its concern about the escalating violence.

“It is all very well to discuss an orchestrated response, but the global community needs to prioritise this problem immediately and stop talking about it,” said the Mission’s secretary general, the Revd Tom Heffer. “Crews are crying out for better protection as reports of pirate torture

and brutality continue to rise.

Our chaplains are on the front line of providing assistance to seafarers, as well as comforting families when their loved ones are taken, so we know the terrible fear and anxiety they are having to live with on a daily basis. It is scandalous that the international community is allowing this to continue.”

As The Sea went to press, behind-the-scenes discussions, involving the major shipping industry organisations, were continuing, with a view to putting further pressure on the world’s governments to take more effective action.

The IMO action plan for 2011 has six prime objectives, to: increase political pressure for the release of all hostages Continued on P2

THE International Maritime Organisation is being urged to establish an international legal requirement that all loaded containers be weighed at the port facility before being loaded on to a vessel for export.

The move by the World Shipping Council and the International Chamber of Shipping follows widespread concern that overloaded containers can lead to stows collapsing and threaten the stability of vessels.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is also taking an interest in container safety. It has held a global forum on safety in the supply chain in relation to the packing of containers to examine container safety issues, including non-declaration of dangerous goods.

A spokesman for the ILO said that many accidents in the transport sector were attributed to poor practices in relation to the packing of containers, including the overloading of containers.

Computer system to tackle fires and floods A NEW computerised system will enable crews to tackle fires and floods more effectively.

The part EU-funded maritime transport project, FLAGSHIP, has developed what is claimed to be the first advanced emergency-situation management tool for fire and flooding with integrated ship-to-shore, realtime reporting – the FLAGSHIP-DSS (Decision Support System). It is designed to deliver an accurate, early prediction of how a fire or flooding may affect a ship at any given time. The system should enable efficient decision-making in emergencies, reducing risk and enhancing the effectiveness of mitigating actions.

2 the sea mar/apr 11

UN chief backs action plan Continued from P1 being held by pirates; improve IMO guidelines on preventive, evasive and defensive measures for merchant ships; make more effective use of the naval presence; promote antipiracy co-ordination and co-operation between states, regions, organisations and industry; assist states to boost their anti-piracy capabilities; and provide care for those attacked or hijacked by pirates and their families.

IMO will also promote further co-operation between states, regions and organisations to reduce the risk of attacks through informationsharing and the co-ordination of military and civil efforts and regional initiatives such as the existing IMO-led Djibouti Code of Conduct.

Industry accepts armed guards

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon with IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos

Dramatic rise in number of people taken hostage in 2010

Seafarer reported murdered by pirates off Somalia A FILIPINO seafarer was murdered

by Somali-based pirates as the piracy situation deteriorated rapidly in the early part of the year.

Shipowners and seafarers’ unions are once again seriously considering stopping sailing through much of the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal and the carrying of armed guards is becoming widespread.

Although reports remain sketchy, it appears that at least one seafarer on board the multi-purpose ship Beluga Nomination may have been killed in cold blood by pirates.

This could have been in retaliation for the death of one member of the pirate gang during an unsuccessful rescue attempt by the Seychelles Coastguard. However, another unconfirmed report says that the seafarer may have been killed after refusing to start the ship’s engine. Two further crew members, one of them Russian, are missing, presumed dead.

The Beluga Nomination hijacking happened shortly after eight pirates were killed in a successful operation by South Korean military personnel to rescue the crew of the Samho Jewelry (see P1).

The killing of the seafarers provoked outrage from the global shipping community, with BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, Intercargo, Inter-

tanko and the International Transport Workers’ Federation jointly issuing a statement condemning the action. They said the shipping industry was “truly disturbed” at reports that pirates had been torturing seafarers physically and mentally, often in the most barbaric ways, including hanging them over the ship’s side by ropes around their ankles with their heads under water.

The events of the early part of the year added to an already grim picture. More people were taken hostage at sea in 2010 than in any year on record, according to the International Chamber of Commerce and International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) annual global piracy report for that year.

Around the world pirates took 1,181 seafarers hostage. This compares with 188 in 2006 and 1,050 in 2009. Eight seafarers were killed and a total of 53 ships were hijacked. The number of pirate attacks against ships has risen every year for the last four years: in 2010 ships reported 445 attacks, up 10 per cent from 2009.

Although some incidents off West Africa are believed to have gone unreported, hijackings off the coast of Somalia accounted for 92 per cent of all ship seizures last year with 49 vessels hijacked and 1,016 crew members taken hostage.

In mid-February this year a total of 33 vessels and 712 hostages were being held for ransom by Somali pirates.

IMB director Pottengal Mukundan described the continued increase in these numbers as alarming. “As a percentage of global incidents, piracy on the high seas has increased dramatically over armed robbery in territorial waters. On the high seas off Somalia, heavily armed pirates are overpowering ocean-going fishing or merchant vessels to use as a base for further attacks. They capture the crew and force them to sail to within attacking distance of other unsuspecting vessels.”

Elsewhere, violent attacks have continued. Around Nigeria, 13 vessels were boarded, four vessels were fired upon and there were two attempted attacks in 2010.

In Bangladesh, the number of armed robbery incidents rose for the second successive year, with 21 vessels being boarded, mainly by attackers armed with knives.

Almost all were anchored in the port of Chittagong.

Indonesia saw its highest levels of armed robbery against ships since 2007.

Thirty vessels were boarded, nine attacks were thwarted and one vessel was hijacked. Vessels were under way in 15 of the attacks.

Citadels can work, but not always RECENT incidents have highlighted both the advantages and the limitations of using “citadels” when pirates succeed in boarding a vessel. The idea is that when the vessel is attacked the crew should retreat to a citadel, or strong room, which the pirates cannot break into. In a few cases pirates confronted with a ship with no crew in sight, and no way of operating the vessel, have simply left.

The main reason for using a citadel, however, is that it provides a place of safety for the crew so that military forces in the area can intervene and retake the vessel without putting the seafarers at risk.

This worked in textbook fashion in January when pirates boarded the Malaysian-flag chemical tanker Bunga Laurel.

The ship was attacked by pirates just two hours after she had parted company with her Royal Malaysian Navy escort, the converted containership Bunga Mas 5.

Seven pirates armed with AK-47 assault rifles, light machine-guns and pistols climbed on to the tanker under cover of darkness and started firing. The ship’s master sent out a distress call and all 23 of the crew went into the citadel.

The Bunga Mas 5, which had Malaysia’s dedicated Shipborne Protection Team on board, was still close enough to reach the Bunga Laurel within a few hours and the team was able to board and re-take the ship.

Three pirates were wounded in the fight but all the crew were safe, staying out of harm’s way

in the citadel. The suspects were taken to Malaysia, where they now face trial.

An International Maritime Bureau spokesman commented that, in any operation, the rescue team should first ensure the ship’s crew were safe before boarding the vessel. “In this case”, he said, “I believe the crew had already locked themselves in a citadel or a room where they could survive for three to four days.” He added that if the crew were already being held captive, any drastic move by the authorities would have put their lives at risk.

In two other cases, however, the use of citadels did not work.

Although the Samho Jewelry hijacking was eventually ended successfully by force, the initial tactic, of the crew retreating

to the citadel, did not work.

After a time, believed to be a few days, they had to leave the citadel and surrender.

In the case of the Beluga Nomination (see above) the crew went into a citadel which the pirates were eventually able to enter. Following this incident the EU Naval Force (EU Navfor) issued a warning statement in which it stressed that “the use of a citadel by crew members does not guarantee a military response”. EU Navfor advised that detailed guidance on using citadels could be obtained from the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa. (www.mschoa. org). Commenting on the Beluga Nomination incident, EU Navfor said that its nearest warship at the time of the attack was over 1,000 miles away.

THE shipping industry’s main representative body has dropped its longstanding total opposition to the carrying of private armed guards on ships.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has reluctantly accepted that “many shipping companies have concluded that arming ships is a necessary alternative to avoiding the Indian Ocean completely”.

ICS chairman Spyros Polemis said that the decision to engage armed guards, whether military or private, had to be made by the ship operator and be subject to the approval of the vessel’s flag state and insurers.

But he warned that the consensus view among shipping industry associations remained that, in normal circumstances, private armed guards were not recommended, and were a clear second best to military personnel.

Seafarers’ union Nautilus has also agreed to the use of private armed guards when it is clear that no other means of protecting seafarers is available. It says the use of armed guards on board a vessel would not remove the right of seafarers under union-recognised agreements to refuse to sail into a high-risk area.

Maersk Alabama pirate jailed THE surviving Somali pirate from the gang that hijacked the US containership, Maersk Alabama, in April 2009 has been convicted of piracy in a US court and sentenced to more than 33 years in prison.

The prosecution said that Adbiwali Adbiqadir Muse had been the ringleader. Defence lawyers asked the court to impose only the minimum sentence of 27 years. However, the New York federal judge said when sentencing Muse, that his gang had acted sadistically, subjecting the vessel’s master to a mock execution. The other three pirates were shot dead by US Navy marksmen during a standoff after the gang escaped from the ship in a lifeboat, taking the master with them as a hostage.

Stowaways kept in containers ATLANTIC Container Line is using five converted 40-ft containers as “prison cells” to hold the growing number

of stowaways found on its vessels, according to a Lloyd’s List report. The stowaways are trying to get from Europe to Canada and can become violent when caught.

Apparently the shipping line has been unable to persuade local police to intervene and so has fitted out the boxes. The line, which sails across the North Atlantic, has reportedly equipped the containers with bathroom facilities and heating.

Fined for being in wrong traffic zone THE skipper and the owner of a Belgian trawler have been fined for using an inshore traffic zone in the English Channel when on passage from Milford Haven to Belgium, in March 2009.

The Dover Channel Navigation Information Service (CNIS) monitored the De Zwerver from off Brighton to close to Dover, where she had a near-miss with a cross-channel ferry. The ferry had to take action to avoid the De Zwerver and the ferry’s master reported the incident. The De Zwerver continued to transit the English Inshore Traffic Zone on her way home and did not respond to VHF calls.

The skipper, Brian Witdoeckt, pleaded guilty to contravening Rule 10(d) of the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea and was fined £1,015 including costs and expenses, while the owner, BVBA Deo Volante, had to pay £5,248. Rule 10(d) prohibits vessels of more than 20 metres in length from using inshore traffic zones.

CNIS manager Kaimes Beasley said the vessel should have been using the north-east-bound traffic lanes off the French coast to transit through the Dover Strait.

Concern over Venezuelan drug laws THE International Group of P&I clubs has expressed concern over a new Venezuelan drugs law which imposes sentences of up to 25 years and appears to place the onus on defendants to prove their innocence.

Even before the new law came into force in October last year, there was widespread concern among the global shipping community over the conviction and jailing of a number of seafarers on drugs charges where there appeared to be no clear link between the crew members and drugs found in external spaces only accessible by divers.

mar/apr 11 the sea 3

Delay at IMO ‘damning indictment of regulatory process’

Mandatory lifeboat fall preventers demanded S EVERAL shipping industry bodies have called for the mandatory use of fall preventers to be introduced immediately for all lifeboats fitted with onload release hooks, following failure to reach agreement at an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) meeting in October last year on how to stop lifeboat accidents.

C o n s e q u e n t l y, i t s e e m s likely that the use of these “temporary” improvisations to stop boats falling unexpectedly, could remain standard practice for a considerable time to come.

Since enclosed boats and on-load release hooks were made compulsory for new ships in 1986 many seafarers have been killed or injured during drills or while working on lifeboats. The total number of deaths is not known but UK accident investigation figures show 16 per cent of all fatalities on merchant ships are due to lifeboat accidents.

Seafarers’ union Nautilus’s senior national secretary, Allan Graveson, described the call to make fall preventers mandatory as a stop-gap measure, saying that preventers were “a seafarer’s solution for unsatisfactory design”.

On the prospects of an agree-

ment at IMO, Mr Graveson said he was “hopeful that we can get a satisfactory solution but there is little reason for such optimism given that it has taken almost a decade so far to solve what is a rela-

mandatory stability testing of hook systems.

David Bradley, vice president operations for major lifeboat manufacturer and service provider Schat-Harding Service, said the IMO

A Schat-Harding engineer services a hook on board tively simple issue. That is a damming indictment of the regulatory process.”

The drive to make safer on-load release hooks compulsory stalled at IMO last October when the UK and other EU flag states rejected a proposal to include the testing of the stability of hook systems in the new mandatory guidelines. They took this view despite the united backing of shipowners and seafarers’ unions for

debate over lifeboat hooks had gone on for too long.

“Seafarers deserve better. They deserve clear standards for lifeboat hooks and a clear timetable for replacing those which don’t meet the new standards. That will ensure their safety and renew their confidence in their boats. A lack of agreement at IMO by some industry bodies and flag states has pushed back consensus on this vital topic, and it could be two years or more

before we have a properly agreed amendment to SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea Convention) for lifeboat hooks.”

Mr Bradley said there was a broad consensus that the current standards set by IMO for on-load release hooks had failed seafarers. “It is time,” he said, “for a new generation of hooks, and the fact is that hooks are available which meet all the proposed regulatory requirements. But shipyards won’t specify them and owners will not rush to replace existing hooks while they still meet regulations, despite the well-known risks to seafarers.”

Mr Graveson believes that ultimately IMO should move to free-fall or float-free lifeboats and remove davits from ships, not just because of the danger of hooks releasing but also because of the possibility of falls parting or brakes failing. “In the meantime,” he says, “davit-launched boats should be fitted with hooks that have been tested in the laboratory and found satisfactory. This would involve the stability of the hook being proven through rigorous laboratory testing. Existing hooks must be replaced immediately where found to be unsatisfactory.”

Intercargo acts on ore cargoes

A simulation of a real situation in the Singapore Strait

Tug crews train in Singapore LIABILITY insurers the Shipowners Club has run a course to improve the safety of tug and tow sets operating in the Singapore Strait. Many such sets operate in the crowded waters of the Strait and the Singapore anchorage. The club said it had been alarmed by the increasing number of claims involving tug and tow sets in Singapore during the

Mersing Laguna tourist resort reclamation project in Johor, which started in 2009.

The club arranged for a two-day tug and tow handling simulator course in collaboration with Singapore’s Maritime Education and Tr a i n i n g S e r v i c e s .

After theory on the first day, the course moved on to simulator training presented in

English, Malay and Indonesian.

Simulations of real situations within the Singapore Strait involved real-time engine failures, overtaking and crossing traffic, collision situations, a loaded barge adrift and requiring intricate retrieval manoeuvres in congested waters, and the role of the Singapore VTS (Vessel Traffic Services).

CO2 flooding failure on cruiseship THE US Coast Guard (USCG) has issued two safety notices following a fire last November on board the 113,323gt cruiseship Carnival Splendor off the coast of Mexico, when she had 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew on board.

The vessel lost all propulsive power and was towed into port. The principal concern was that when the

master ordered the CO2 flooding of the engineroom to extinguish the fire, the system did not work. The USCG highlights numerous issues, including design and operating standards and shortcomings with the inspection and testing of the CO2 system. This in turn raises questions about the operation of the ship’s safety management system.

PROMPTED by the deaths of 54 seafarers in three separate sinkings, dry bulk shipowners association Intercargo has informed the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) about what it feels are the “unacceptable hazards” associated with iron ore fines and nickel ore. It has also called on shippers and cargo interests to conduct an urgent review of the testing and safety processes involved in shipping such cargoes following a spate of accidents and fatalities.

In a further move it has also called on shipowners to consider the risks associated with these cargoes, which are liable to liquefy, and for governments and relevant authorities to re-check the safety processes at ports of loading before accepting them.

“We know that all shipowners of quality care about the safety of their seafarers, and what has occurred in the last 39 days is completely unacceptable,” said Rob Lomas, secretary general of Intercargo.

Iron ore fines and nickel ore are used in

the steel industry and are exported from a number of countries, including India, Indonesia and the Philippines. The sinkings of the Jian Fu Star, the Nasco Diamond and t h e H o n g We i h a d many similarities. All three ships were carrying nickel ore, were loaded in Indonesia, were Chinese operated and manned under the Panama flag, were lost in broadly the same location, and were all bound for China.

“Our association has had an opportunity to forewarn its members about these cargoes,” said Mr Lomas, “and has been very surprised to learn from owners that the rudimentary loading conditions in some of the exporting countries may have contributed to accidents.”

Meanwhile, international legislation that may help prevent such tragedies, in the form of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code, came into force in January. It details how to handle some 150 different types of cargo and how to assess their suitability for carriage.

Lighter bulker will improve efficiency LLOYD’S Register and Shanghai-based Bestway Marine Engineering Design have jointly designed a “trend-setting environmental bulk carrier”. It has 12 per cent less steel in its construction than comparable modern vessels, thereby increasing cargo-carrying capacity. Fuel consumption has also been cut by 19.5 per cent.

According to the provisional data from the project, the new design for a 35,000 dwt bulk carrier will achieve an 18 per cent improvement in environmental efficiency over comparable previous versions when measured against the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Energy Efficiency Design Index.

The Sea asked the ITF’s John Bainbridge if a return to lighter scantling bulk carriers would be a concern. “With the introduction of a double skin construction,” he said, “there is the ability to use a lighter scantling whilst retaining the same overall strength. They must still be in compliance with International Association of Classification Societies’ bulker construction standards and the revised chapter XII of the IMO Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.“

Crews at risk from faulty oil valves REMOTELY operated fuel oil shut-off valves are in some cases being intentionally blocked, modified or poorly maintained, putting crews at greater risk in the case of fire, the US Coast Guard (USCG) has warned. It says crews may be trying to save on maintenance or repair costs.

The USCG has strongly recommended that ships’ engineers, port state control officers and class society personnel ensure that the valves can be operated remotely, as designed.

Arctic cruiseship abandoned THE owner of the 35year-old, 4,251 gt cruise ship Lyubov Orlova, abandoned the vessel in St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, after the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) arrested her in pursuit of an outstanding wage claim of more than US$300,000. The Cook

Islands-flag vessel had been chartered by Canadian company Cruise North, for cruises into the Arctic. ITF inspector Gerard Bradbury and the local community helped the crew survive after fuel and stores on board ran out. The seafarers were flown home in midDecember but the ship had still not been sold by mid-February. The ITF is still hoping the crew will be paid from the proceeds of the eventual sale of the vessel. In Canadian courts the crew are the first to be paid.

Call for UK to act on cadet death THE UK Government is being urged to conduct its own investigation into the death last year of 19-year-old South African deck cadet Akhona Geveza while serving on the UK-flagged containership Safmarine Kariba.

She was found dead in the sea off Croatia shortly after it had been alleged that she had been raped by an officer. UK authorities held back from carrying out an investigation while Croatian authorities were conducting their inquiries. However, UK shipping minister Mike Penning has now assured seafarers’ union Nautilus that he will look into whether the Croatian investigation was adequate. Meanwhile, allegations by other South African cadets of bullying and harassment while on UK-flag ships are being pursued through the UK’s Merchant Navy Training Board.

Running engine risk warning THE UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch has put out a safety flyer which warns of the risks of a vessel running the engine while moored alongside. The flyer, issued following an accident involving the ferry Ben-my-Chree in March last year, warns that the practice is “an extremely hazardous activity and must be controlled carefully”.

It says “sufficient safeguards must be put in place to mitigate the consequences if the controllable pitch propeller system fails to maintain the neutral position of the propeller blades and, specifically, to uncouple the hazards of engine operation from passenger or vehicle operations.”

In the Ben-my-Chree incident the ship surged ahead eight metres and consequently a walkway collapsed, leaving eight passengers trapped, although unharmed.

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4 the sea mar/apr 11

MICHAEL GREY

NEWS

Slower ship deliveries ease owners’ woes WORRIES about a glut of newbuilding deliveries last year may have been overstated, according to major shipbroker Braemar Seascope, because the three main industry sectors – dry bulk, container and tanker – avoided significant oversupply. It says that excess tonnage was avoided mainly because shipyards delivered fewer newbuildings than expected, partly because some yards were unable to meet schedules, partly because of cancellations and, in many cases, because of the renegotiation of delivery dates. Braemar Seascope believes the same thing may happen this year, too.

Owners have been looking for ways of delaying deliveries due to generally depressed

shipping markets. After a rally in late 2009, freight rates in the containership trades generally softened last year, while the tanker market was depressed throughout last year and the volatile dry bulk market has crashed to very low levels in recent months.

The fast-growing containership fleet was braced for more than 350 new ships last year, 80 of them over 7,500 teu. In fact 290, totalling 1.35m teu, were delivered against expectations of 1.7m teu.

Most observers seem to expect shipping will have at least another two difficult years. “Looking ahead,” the International Union of Marine Insurance president Ole Wikborg said recently, “all shipping sectors, perhaps with

the exception of boxships, will face challenges in 2011 and 2012. Tankers seem to be highly exposed and, in my opinion, are unlikely to recover in the near future.

The bulk trades are somewhat dependent on China, where things are slowing down, but not on China alone: India, for instance, is a big destination for bulk cargo.”

He warned that the biggest threat to bulk shipping was the oversupply of new tonnage. Underlining this point, in the dry bulk sector, 262 capesize ships are due for delivery this year. Braemar Seascope’s research manager Mark Williams said, however, that it was quite likely that the freight market outlook would encourage further delays in deliveries.

NYK holds fleet-wide safety campaign THE NYK group carried out a safety campaign, entitled “Sail on Safety”, early this year. The large Japanese shipping company emphasises that it promotes safe ship operation and environmental protection through information-sharing all year round.

However, every winter, which is when bad weather is most frequently encountered, the company holds a safety awareness campaign throughout its fleet.

This winter. 345 NYK staff visited 207 vessels, where they presented case studies and led discussions on how to avoid unsafe practices that can lead to accidents. The ship visits are also intended to promote mutual understanding between crew and shore staff.

A MEMBER of NYK shore staff visiting a ship.

ICS and Carbon War Room in row over measuring carbon footprints A ROW has broken out between the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the not-for-profit organisation, Carbon War Room (CWR), founded by Virgin Airlines boss Sir Richard Branson. The dispute is over the way CWR is using the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) newly developed Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI).

Carbon War Room has published an online database of efficiency data for 60,000 individual merchant ships, based on IMO’s EEDI, with the intention of allowing charterers and shippers to compare the carbon footprints of the

The Mission to Seafarers

the telephone card you can trust

ships they are using.

The ICS has made it clear that it has considerable problems with this project. It has also said that Sir Richard’s claim, made in an interview with the UK’s Guardian newspaper, that “the shipping industry is doing pretty well nothing” about greenhouse gases did not help relations between the two sides. The ICS secretary general, Peter Hinchliffe, complained that the EEDI was being used completely out of context by CWR. The ICS and its member national shipping associations are firmly against CWR’s project, but it does have the support

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of a number of big shipping operators, including Heidmar and AP Moller-Maersk.

CWR said that by the end of 2010 the site had logged over 25,000 visitors, while over 1,500 users had registered to make full use of the online service.

“We’re delighted by the response from the industry, but this is just the beginning,” said CWR’s chief operating officer Peter Boyd, adding that the aim of the new online database of efficiency data was to enable market participants to more easily factor vessel efficiency into their decisionmaking.

However, Mr Hinchliffe said the ICS was also concerned that CWR was using different formulae from IMO to calculate EEDIs, which meant owners did not know what data was being used to make the calculations.

“We should remember that IMO and the shipping industry are working together to build upon the progress achieved over the past 50 years. The industry’s earnest wish is to have legislation in place, following the next IMO marine environment protection committee meeting this year,” he added.

What we owe engineers Greener and more efficient ships will come about through the people who know how to run them and to produce creative design ideas, not those who just shout a lot, says Michael Grey

E

VERYONE knows about the Fire Triangle – the combination of material, heat and oxygen which will support combustion, just as long as each is present, and how a fire is prevented by removing just one of these.

But what about the “Ignorance Triangle”, which sadly afflicts the shipping industry, with politicians, the media and the public all regrettably unaware of the importance of shipping to our lives? It is worth thinking about this ignorance in the context of the current environmental debate which has sort of overflowed over shipping, once considered to be the most “green” mode of transport.

It seems that everyone is having a pop at the shipping industry, whether it is shouting about the exhaust emissions from funnels, or screaming about the alien species in ballast water. “Ships produce carbon in large quantities so shouldn’t we stop exporting and importing and promote local production, thus doing away with a lot of ships?” This is the sort of confused argument enjoying a lot of traction in green circles. The sad thing is that members of the public, the media and some politicians

BEN BAILEY

T

HE cold-blooded killing of a seafarer on board a hijacked ship has once again turned the spotlight on the international community’s response to the pirate-infested waters of the Indian Ocean. The shipping community expressed outrage as reports filtered through that a seafarer had been murdered on board the Beluga Nomination which was hijacked off the coast of the Seychelles at the end of January (see P2). At the time of writing, 33 vessels are being held by pirates, with some 712 hostages. And as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) attempts to provide an orchestrated response to the problem, commentators are asking what more can be done to protect those who work at sea.

“There’s a feeling among seafarers that they are left on their own when transiting these waters,” says The Mission to Seafarers’ Mombasa chaplain, the Revd Michael Sparrow.

“Many of them have told me that they do not see the navy ships when they’re out at sea, which is contributing to the loneliness and trepidation they already feel.”

On a recent visit to Mombasa, I met many seafarers who were terrified at the prospect of sailing out into such troubled waters. Such is the fear among

all nod their heads wisely at this nonsense, largely because they really don’t know enough about ships.

But it is worth pointing out that while all the activists and their supporters are bellowing about global warming and the dangers of “carbon”, a large number of engineers are in fact working hard to make ships even more environmentally friendly than they are today.

People who build marine engines are moving fast to catch up with the astonishing environmental and efficiency gains produced in the automobile world in recent years.

The truth of the matter is that engineers will always give people what they want. For many years, engineers were told that shipowners wanted to run their ships on the “bottom of the barrel” of the refining process, using fuel that was barely distinguishable from the stuff people used to spread on roads.

Now, there is a demand for cleaner-burning engines, which will produce the power but without the harmful components in the exhaust gases. And engineers will produce exactly this. All they need is just a little time to design and test engines which are hugely more efficient and far less harmful in every

DNV’s Triality concept VLCC Photo: © DNV/Making Waves category. Engineers deserve a lot of credit for the work they are doing in promoting efficiencies, using waste heat more effectively and reducing harmful emissions.

Across the board there is a lot of work being done by

engineers and naval architects to produce ships and machinery that will be more efficient, greener and sufficiently attractive to make people want to buy them. Late last year, the classification society DNV revealed their “concept” very

large crude carrier Triality, which in one design answers a whole lot of current concerns about emissions, ballast, volatile organic compounds and efficiency. The ship may never be built, but the ideas contained in her surely will, whether it

is in the use of LNG for fuel, the ballast-free hull design, the use of gas cooling for promoting machinery efficiency etc.

Clever people who appreciate innovation see these ideas and run with them, which is exactly what DNV intends.

In the search for sustainability, the engineers and naval architects seek everywhere for a few percentage points of improvement here, a few more there, which add up to a worthwhile overall improvement. A better propeller design, hydrodynamic improvements to promote water flow around the bow and stern, better coatings to smooth the laminar flow of water around the hull, the design of ducts and fins to help the propeller bite more efficiently, are just some of the contributors to a worthwhile overall improvement.

Years ago we sort of assumed that the bulbous bow was the last word in hydrodynamic gain. Now we have seen a whole range of exciting and seemingly revolutionary bow designs such as the “X” bow, the “Axe bow” and other shapes, that will improve seakeeping or efficiency. We have seen experiments that smooth the passage of a vessel through the water by bubbling air under the flat bottom of a ship, the use of solar panels, the greater use of waste heat generators to make the fuel go that much further, and even the use of wind generators to reduce the ship’s electrical load. Engineers and design-

Piracy: the view from Mombasa crews that some are signing off early from their contracts and leaving the sea altogether.

“We try not to think about it, but with this trip there’s a chance we will be caught,” says chief mate Flores as we stand talking on the quayside. “We have put razor wire around the vessel and will carry out extra watches so that hopefully we can detect the pirates earlier.”

There is growing evidence that the violence towards captured seafarers is getting worse, with some reporting being forced to sit in stress positions and others saying that the abuse is mental as well as physical.

“They are using mother ships and are attacking further out at sea,” says Flores. “Before it got so bad we would speak to a ship if we passed on the voyage. Now we can’t, because we are concerned that it might be a mother ship. Some ships are switching off their AIS and that makes us nervous. So we respond by altering our course so that we stay as far away from them as possible.”

Part of the international community’s response to the

problem is to deploy a coalition naval force made up from members of the European Union. Operation Atalanta aims to escort vessels carrying World Food Programme aid to Somalia. When I was in Mombasa, the operation’s command was being transferred to the Spanish Navy. Force Commander Rear Admiral Juan Rodríguez said that the operation was working because the number of vessels being hijacked had not increased since it started but had remained constant.

“It is worth remembering that the size of the patrol area is the same size as the continent of Europe. Operation Atalanta is just a small part of the naval response in this region. We don’t assume that we can solve the problem because the root causes are on land.”

The operation is made up of nine EU member countries, each making a permanent contribution to the patrol. It also benefits from occasional input from other naval forces, such as the UK’s Royal Navy. Russia, South Korea, the United States and Britain have also separately sent ships to the region.

Ben Bailey talks to seafarers and those working to support and protect them However, each task force has its own rules of engagement and from discussions with seafarers in Mombasa it seems they feel the response is not nearly as coordinated as it could be.

“On our journey to Mombasa, we didn’t see any navy,” said Flores. “We did see the Kenyan Navy’s patrol boats when we were waiting to come into port, but on the journey there was nothing.

“I think governments are trying, but the problem is that it is a very big area of sea to patrol. They cannot accommodate every vessel unless they put more forces into the area. They are doing their best but more is required.”

The coastal city of Mombasa has been a jewel in Kenya’s tourism crown for many years, with cruise ships stopping so that passengers can enjoy its bustling markets, national parks and ancient forts. But, says Michael

MISSION to Seafarers Mombasa chaplain Michael Sparrow (right) with visiting seafarers.

Sparrow, since piracy has increased, fewer ships are calling.

“There has definitely been a drop in the number of ships coming to Mombasa,” he says.

“This time of year is traditionally when many cruise ships call in, but we have seen two ships so far this year. I think many tourism companies are cancelling because they think the risk is too great. One of the ships was attacked as it sailed from here, although thankfully

no one on board was harmed and the pirates did not succeed in capturing the vessel.”

Since the situation on the Beluga Nomination, many within the shipping industry have been reconsidering their opinion on placing armed security on board ships. In January, shipowner Stolt-Nielsen told Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv that it was inevitable that armed guards would become standard in

order to protect ships and their crew. “We would gladly avoid having to do this but we have no choice,” Niels G StoltNielsen said.

That sense of inevitability seems to be shared by seafarers, many of whom feel that the only way forward is to have armed guards, or for seafarers themselves to be trained and take up arms against the pirates.

“I would like guns on board,” says Flores. “I think that the problem is similar to someone trying to rob a bank. If the robbers know that the bank is heavily armed then they are less likely to attack. But, in our case, the pirates know that we only have a water canon and some razor wire and they’re not afraid to pursue us.”

For the Mission’s chaplain visiting the ships in port, the feeling of fear among seafarers is constant, even if the ships and the cargo regularly change.

“I find that my main ministry is to the crews who have to sail through the danger zones,” says Michael. “Seafarers do want to talk about their fears and I make myself available to them both when ship visiting

ers are working with Flettner rotors and huge kites to use natural resources to power a ship along.

Seafarers – the people who have to operate ships – also play a part in helping to create more efficient vessels. A Scandinavian ferry company spent a lot of time asking its operating crews for their ideas and were astounded by what the seafarers came up with.

Many of the dozens of highly practical responses they produced cost little and saved lots, like the ingenious idea of using reflective foil on the big picture windows to save the ship’s heating and aircon plants during both summer and winter.

There are lots of ways that better ship operation can reduce waste and make ships more sustainable. Why rush across an ocean at full sea speed when there is a long wait for a berth at the end of the sea passage? What can be done to use prevailing winds, ocean currents and tides around the coasts to save fuel?

It is people who know how to run ships, who can run them efficiently and produce creative design ideas that will make the difference, not folk who just shout a lot.

or when they visit the seafarers’ centre. As part of my training to be a chaplain, I have completed a course in crisis counselling.

This course is currently being rolled out across the Mission’s worldwide network so that seafarers can access help wherever they are.”

As I was talking to Flores and other seafarers in Mombasa, in London the secretary general of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon, was unveiling IMO’s action plan to promote the theme for World Maritime Day – Piracy: orchestrating the response. He called on the international community to work more closely to solve the problem. “The only truly successful way to address the problem in the long term,” he said, “is through a strategy that focuses on deterrence, security, the rule of law and development.”

It remains to be seen whether IMO’s campaign will do more to protect the men and women transporting the world’s cargo, many of whom still sail these waters to provide for their families despite the constant threat. As Flores said just before his ship departed for its next port: “I love this job.

Everything I have given to my family is from my work as a seafarer. And even though there are pirates, I will keep coming back because this is my life.”

6 the sea mar/apr 11

JUSTICE MATTERS  BY DOUGLAS STEVENSON

ISM and seafarers’ rights THE International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) International Safety Management (ISM) code is an effective instrument for reducing maritime casualties and pollution from ships. It is also an effective instrument for protecting seafarers’ rights.

Almost every shipping company and commercial vessel must comply with the ISM code. Because most maritime casualties and pollution incidents are caused by human error, the IMO designed the ISM code to require ships and shipping companies to create integrated management systems that would eliminate accidents caused by human error. The ISM code deals with manage-

ment systems. It does not create rules and regulations for ship operations. Rather, it provides a framework for management systems that will ensure compliance with existing rules and regulations.

Under the ISM code, shipping companies must have an effective Safety Management System (SMS).

An SMS should ensure that ships and shipping companies comply with all applicable conventions, statutes, rules and regulations. An SMS should contain, among other things:  a commitment to the SMS from the company’s top management;  a dedicated person to be a link between the ship and

shore staff;  defined levels of authority and lines of communication between shore and shipboard personnel;  a manual containing instructions and procedures to ensure safe ship operations, the protection of the environment and compliance with legal requirements; and  a system for identifying non-conformities and for correcting them.

Under the ISM code, shipping companies must have a Document of Compliance (DOC) indicating that they are capable of complying with the ISM code. In addition, each ship subject to the ISM code must have a Safety Management Certifi-

cate (SMC) verifying that the ship complies with its SMS. DOCs and SMCs can be terminated for major nonconformities. A ship cannot trade without an SMC. Major non-conformities are deviations from an SMS that pose serious threats to the safety of personnel or ship or a serious risk to the environment. In addition, port state control can detain a vessel found with a major non-conformity.

A fundamental objective of the ISM Code is to require shipping companies and ships to have effective management systems that will ensure compliance with mandatory rules and regulations.

The major causes of maritime casualties are human factors. Flag state law establishes a number of seafarers’ rights, the violation of which

affects the safety of life and property at sea. Similarly, the ILO’s Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976 (ILO-147), was created to improve safety at sea and to prevent marine pollution. ILO-147 prescribes a set of minimum standards for such things as minimum age, medical care, hours of work, food and catering, accommodation, and accident protection. (ILO-147 provisions will be incorporated in the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 when it comes into force.)

When seafarers are not paid their wages, when they are not repatriated at the completion of their contracts, when they are not provided with medical care, when they work excessively long hours without rest, when they are not provided

El ISM y los derechos de los marineros EL Código Internacional de Gestión de la Seguridad (ISM) de la Organización Marítima Internacional (OMI) constituye un instrumento eficaz para la reducción de accidentes marítimos y de la contaminación ocasionada por los barcos. También es un instrumento eficaz para la protección de los derechos de los marineros.

Casi todas las compañías navieras y los buques comerciales deben cumplir con el Código ISM. Debido a que la mayoría de los accidentes marítimos y los incidentes contaminantes son causados por fallos humanos, la OMI elaboró el Código ISM a fin de exigir a los barcos y compañías navieras que creasen sistemas de gestión integrados para eliminar los accidentes causados por errores humanos. El Código ISM trata sobre los sistemas de gestión. No crea normas y reglamentos para las operaciones navieras. Al contrario, brinda un marco para los sistemas de gestión que pueda garantizar el cumplimiento con las normas

y los reglamentos actuales.

De acuerdo con el Código ISM, las compañías navieras deben contar con un Sistema de Gestión de la Seguridad (SGS) efectivo. Un SGS debe garantizar que los barcos y las compañías navieras cumplan con todos los convenios, estatutos, normas y reglamentos aplicables. Un SGS debe incluir, entre otras cosas:  el compromiso de los directores de la empresa con el SGS;  un persona que actúe como vínculo entre el personal del barco y el personal en tierra;  una definición de los niveles de autoridad y las líneas de comunicación entre el personal en tierra y el personal a bordo;  un manual con instrucciones y procedimientos para garantizar la seguridad en las operaciones del barco, la protección del medio ambiente y el cumplimiento de los requisitos legales; y  un sistema para la identificación de los incumplimientos y la

corrección de los mismos.

De acuerdo con el Código ISM, las compañías navieras deben tener un Documento de Cumplimiento (DOC) que indique su capacidad para cumplir con el Código ISM. Además, todos los barcos sometidos al Código ISM deben contar con un Certificado de Gestión de la Seguridad (SMC) que establezca que el barco cumple con su SGS. Los DOC y los SMC pueden invalidarse por incumplimientos graves.

Los barcos no pueden comerciar sin un SMC. Los incumplimientos graves son irregularidades de un SGS que suponen amenazas graves a la seguridad del personal del barco o un riesgo grave para el medio ambiente. Además, las autoridades portuarias pueden detener un buque en el que se haya detectado un incumplimiento grave.

Uno de los objetivos fundamentales del Código ISM es exigir a las compañías navieras y a los barcos que dispongan de sistemas de gestión efectivos para

garantizar el cumplimiento con las normas y los reglamentos obligatorios.

Las principales causas de los accidentes marítimos son errores humanos. La legislación del país de abanderamiento establece una serie de derechos para los marineros, cuya violación afecta la seguridad de la vida y la propiedad en el mar. Del mismo modo, el Convenio de la Marina Mercante (normas mínimas) de la OIT de 1976 (OIT, No. 147) se creó para mejorar la seguridad en el mar y prevenir la contaminación marina. El Convenio 147 de la OIT establece un conjunto de normas mínimas para aspectos como la edad mínima, la asistencia médica, las horas de trabajo, la comida y la restauración, el alojamiento y la protección frente a accidentes. (Las disposiciones del Convenio 147 de la OIT se incluirán en el Convenio sobre el trabajo marítimo de 2006 una vez que entre en vigor).

Cuando los marineros no reciben sus salarios, cuando no son repatriados al concluir

МКУБ и права моряков Международный кодекс управления безопасностью (МКУБ), принятый Международной морской организацией (ИМО) — это эффективный инструмент, призванный снизить количество морских аварий и предотвратить загрязнение окружающей среды, причиной которого является судоходство. Это также эффективный инструмент защиты прав моряков. Практически каждая судоходная компания и каждое коммерческое судно должны соблюдать МКУБ. Поскольку причиной большинства морских аварий и случаев загрязнения окружающей среды является ошибка, связанная с человеческим фактором, организация ИМО разработала МКУБ, требующий от судов и судоходных компаний создания интегрированных систем управления, призванных искоренить чрезвычайные происшествия, обусловленные человеческими ошибками. МКУБ занимается системами управления. Он не создает правил и нормативов для эксплуатации судов. Скорее, он определяет рамки для систем управления, которые обеспечат соблюдение существующих правил и нормативов. В соответствии с МКУБ судоходные компании должны иметь эффективную Систему управления безопасностью (СУБ). СУБ должна обеспечить соблюдение судном и судоходной компанией всех существующих конвенций, законодательных актов, правил и норм. СУБ должна содержать, помимо прочего, следующее:  обязательства соблюдать СУБ со стороны высшего руководства компании;  специально назначенного человека, осуществляющего связь между судовым и береговым персоналом;  четко определенные уровни полномочий и

линии связи между береговым персоналом и персоналом на борту судна;  руководство, содержащее инструкции и процедуры, обеспечивающие безопасность эксплуатации судна, защиту окружающей среды и соблюдение правовых требований; а также  систему для выявления несоблюдения требований и исправления этого. В соответствии с МКУБ, судоходные компании должны иметь Документ о соответствии (ДОС). В дополнение, каждое судно, подчиняющееся МКУБ должно иметь Свидетельство об управлении безопасностью (СвУБ), подтверждающее, что судно соблюдает требования его СвУБ. Действие ДОСов и СвУБов может быть прекращено в связи с грубым несоблюдением требований. Судно не может эксплуатироваться без СвУБ. Серьезные несоблюдения требований — это отступления от положений СвУБ, представляющие серьезную угрозу безопасности персонала судна или серьезную угрозу окружающей среде. В дополнение, органы контроля государства порта могут арестовать судно с грубыми нарушениями требований. Принципиальной задачей МКУБ является требование к судоходным компаниям и судам наличия эффективной системы управления, обеспечивающей соблюдение обязательных правил и нормативов. Основной причиной морских аварий является человеческий фактор. Законы государства флага определяют права моряков, нарушение которых может создать угрозу безопасности жизни и собственности в море. Аналогично, для повышения уровня безопасности в море и для предотвращения загрязнения морской среды Международной

организацией труда (МОТ) была создана Конвенция о минимальных стандартах в коммерческом судоходстве, 1976 (ILO-147).

ILO-147 предписывает соблюдение ряда минимальных стандартов по таким пунктам, как: минимальный возраст, медицинское обслуживание, часы работы, питание и обслуживание, проживание и защита от несчастных случаев. (Положения ILO-147 будут включены в Конвенцию о труде в морском судоходстве 2006 года, когда она вступит в силу.) В случае, когда морякам не выплачивается жалованье, когда их не возвращают на родину по завершении их контрактов, когда им не предоставляется медицинская помощь, когда они работают значительно дольше положенного времени без отдыха, когда им не предоставляется вода и пища надлежащего качества и количества или когда им отказано в соблюдении других прав — нарушаются обязательные правила и нормы, ставящие безопасность под угрозу. Такие нарушения выявляют недостатки в системе управления безопасностью судна, которые должны быть устранены моряками, государствами флага и государствами порта посредством применения положений МКУБ. Если на судне нарушаются права моряков, моряки должны быть осведомлены о процедурах СвУБ судна по выявлению недостатков и их исправлению, включая сообщение о недостатках ответственному лицу в береговом офисе судоходной компании. Государства порта и флага должны рассматривать несоблюдение прав моряков как нарушение СвУБ судна и требовать корректирующих действий для обеспечения соблюдения обязательных правил и норм.

sus contratos, cuando no se les brinda asistencia médica, cuando trabajan demasiadas horas sin descanso, cuando no se les ofrecen los alimentos y el agua que necesitan, o cuando se les niegan sus derechos, se están violando las normas y los reglamentos obligatorios relacionados con la seguridad. Tales violaciones subrayan los fallos del sistema de gestión de la seguridad de un barco que deben ser abordados por los marineros, los países de abanderamiento y los estados rectores del puerto a través de las

with proper food and water, or when other rights are denied, mandatory rules and regulations that affect safety are violated. Such violations highlight failures of a ship’s safety management system that should be addressed by seafarers, flag states and port states through the ISM Code provisions.

When seafarers’ rights are violated on a ship, seafarers should be aware of the ship’s SMS procedures for identifying deficiencies and correcting them, including communicating deficiencies to the shipping company’s designated person at the shore office. Flag and port states should recognise seafarers’ rights violations as a failure in the ship’s SMS and require corrective actions to ensure compliance with mandatory rules and regulations. disposiciones del Código ISM. Cuando se violan los derechos de los marineros en un barco, los marineros deben conocer los procedimientos del SGS del barco para identificar las deficiencias y corregirlas, incluyendo los fallos en la comunicación con la persona designada por la empresa naviera en la oficina en tierra. Los países de abanderamiento y los estados rectores del puerto deben considerar las violaciones de los derechos de los marineros como fallos en el SGS del barco y exigir las medidas correctivas necesarias para garantizar el cumplimiento de las normas y los reglamentos obligatorios.

mar/apr 11 the sea 7

FOCUS ON FAITH  BY PETER ELLIS

Reflecting on death and hope A FEW weeks ago I received a somewhat disconcerting email. Its first sentence put it bluntly. “Is it about time you thought about making some financial arrangements regarding your funeral?” It is a question that is guaranteed to get anyone’s day off to a good start! That same day I also received a letter from a former seafarer asking me to take his funeral whenever he passed on. The instructions for the funeral service were very matter of fact and uncomplicated and the content of the letter certainly made the advertisement for funeral insurance seem more relevant. Preparation for our own dying is exceedingly sensible. But, like receiving your tax returns or having your memory jogged about an uncompleted household chore such as changing a light bulb, we can resent being reminded. From every aspect of the media to games

on the internet, images of death invade our daily lives, but it is other people who are dying, not me or you.

We might choose, like Woody Allen, to make light of it. “I am not afraid to die.

I just do not want to be there when it happens.” Many a time I have been asked to read out at funerals part of a sermon preached at the funeral of Edward VII by Canon Henry Scott Holland.

“Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way you always did.” These words are often seen as words of comfort, but they can also be seen as denying the reality of death.

Christians do believe in the reality of death.

St Paul in his Letter to the Corinthians, and now JK Rowling in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,

write that “the last enemy to be conquered is death”.

Christians live according to the promise that death, this enemy, is finally defeated by the events of the first Easter weekend when the death and resurrection of Jesus gives them the capacity to face their own death in the hope of the resurrection to eternal life. This was what Canon Holland was trying to get across in his wellknown sermon to the vast congregation in St Paul’s Cathedral: not that death is some sort of illusion but rather that death does not have the final triumph.

Seve Ballesteros, the famous Spanish golfer who, when he could not be present at the Open at St Andrews in Scotland or the Ryder Cup in Wales because he was recovering from a brain tumour, spoke these wonderful words: “For everything in life there is

always a beginning and there is always an end”. They are very much like the words in the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible: “A time for living and a time for dying”. But Seve Ballesteros also went on to say: “This is the tough part, the most difficult thing, when one sees that it’s coming: the end”.

Now that is quite a statement, and it can leave us either totally depressed or, more hopefully, we can learn from those words and positively reflect not only more openly on death but also be aware of the brevity of life, the preciousness of every moment and our need to savour its existence to the full, to work out what really matters and to live fully for what does really matter.

Have a happy Easter and remember that the Book of Ecclesiastes that I mentioned above also speaks of “a time to laugh”.

Reflexiones sobre la muerte y la esperanza HACE unas semanas recibí un correo electrónico algo desconcertante. La primera frase lo decía claramente: “¿Ha llegado el momento de empezar a hacer los preparativos económicos para su funeral?” Es una pregunta que sin duda hace empezar bien el día a cualquiera. Ese mismo día también recibí una carta de un antiguo marinero que me pedía que oficiase su funeral cuando muriese. Las instrucciones para el oficio fúnebre eran muy sencillas y directas, y el contenido de la carta sin duda hacía que ese anuncio del seguro funerario cobrase una mayor relevancia.

Realizar preparativos para nuestra propia muerte es algo extremadamente sensato.

Pero, al igual que sucede con las declaraciones de la renta o con el hecho de que nos tengan que refrescar la memoria acerca de una tarea que no hemos terminado, como cambiar una bombilla, puede que nos moleste que nos lo recuerden. En todos los medios, en videojuegos y en Internet, las imágenes de la muerte invaden nuestras vidas cotidianas, pero son otras personas las que mueren, no soy yo ni eres tú.

Podemos elegir, como Woody Allen, bromear sobre el asunto: “No tengo miedo de morir. Simplemente no quiero estar ahí cuando suceda”.

Muchas veces me han pedido que en un oficio fúnebre lea parte del sermón que el Canónigo Henry Scott Holland pronunció en el funeral de Eduardo VII: “La muerte no es nada. Simplemente me he escabullido a la habitación de al lado. Llámame por mi viejo y conocido nombre, háblame con la facilidad con que siempre lo hiciste”. Estas

palabras con frecuencia se consideran reconfortantes, pero también se pueden interpretar como la negación de la realidad de la muerte.

Los cristianos creen en la realidad de la muerte.

San Pablo, en su Carta a los Corintios, y ahora JK Rowling en Harry Potter y las reliquias de la muerte, dicen que “el último enemigo que hay que vencer es la muerte”.

Los cristianos viven de acuerdo con la promesa de esa muerte, ese enemigo que finalmente es vencido por los acontecimientos del primer fin de semana de la Semana Santa, cuando la muerte y resurrección de Jesús les da la capacidad de enfrentarse a la suya propia con la esperanza de la resurrección y la vida

eterna. Estos es lo que el Canónigo Holland estaba tratando de transmitir con su conocido sermón a los numerosos feligreses en la Catedral de San Pablo: no que la muerte es una especie de ilusión sino que la muerte no ostenta la victoria final.

Seve Ballesteros, el famoso golfista español, pronunció estas hermosas palabras cuando no pudo estar presente en el Abierto de St Andrews en Escocia o en la Copa Ryder en Gales por encontrarse recuperándose de un tumor cerebral: “Para todo en la vida hay un comienzo y un fin”.

Esas palabras se parecen a las del Libro de Eclesiastés en la Biblia: “Hay tiempo para vivir y tiempo para morir”. Pero Seve Ballesteros añadió: “Esta

es la parte dura, la parte más difícil, cuando uno ve que se acerca: el fin”.

Esa es una declaración que nos hace pensar y nos puede dejar totalmente deprimidos o, con suerte, podemos aprender de esas palabras y reflexionar positivamente no solo de una forma más abierta sobre la muerte sino también sobre la brevedad de la vida, sobre lo valioso de cada momento y nuestra necesidad de saborear su existencia al máximo, de entender qué es lo verdaderamente importante y de vivir a plenitud para lo que realmente importa. Os deseo una feliz Semana Santa y recordad que el Libro de Eclesiastés mencionado arriba también nos dice que hay “tiempo para reír”.

Размышления о смерти и надежде Несколько недель назад я получил немного смутившее меня сообщение по электронной почте. Начиналось оно недвусмысленно: «Не пришло ли время подумать о финансовой стороне своих похорон?». Этот вопрос может гарантированно стать хорошим началом нового дня. В тот же самый день я получил письмо от одного бывшего моряка с просьбой о том, чтобы я провел службу на его похоронах в случае его смерти. Распоряжения о похоронной службе были очень прозаичными и незамысловатыми, а содержание письма определенно сделало рекламу похоронного

страхования более уместной. Подготовка к собственной смерти крайне благоразумное действие. Но, как и в случае необходимости заполнения налоговой декларации или завершения невыполненной домашней обязанности, такой, например, как смена перегоревшей лампы, нам не нравиться, когда об этом напоминают. Начиная с любого аспекта работы средств массовой информации и заканчивая играми в Интернете, картины смерти вторгаются в нашу повседневную жизнь, но это смерть других людей, не твоя и не моя. Мы можем решить, как Вуди Аллен, отнестись

к этому с юмором. «Я не боюсь умирать. Я просто не хочу присутствовать, когда это случиться». Много раз меня просили прочесть часть проповеди, произнесенной при погребении Эдуарда VII каноником Генри Скоттом Холландом. «Смерть это ничто. Я просто ушел в другую комнату. Зови меня моим привычным именем, говори со мной так же легко, как и всегда». Эти слова часто принимаются как слова утешения, но их также можно рассматривать как отрицание реальности смерти. Христиане верят в реальность смерти. Св. Павел в послании к Коринфянам, а теперь

и Дж. К. Роулинг в книге «Гарри Поттер и Дары Смерти», говорят о том, что «последний враг, которого необходимо победить — смерть». Христиане живут в соответствии с обещанием, что этот враг —смерть, будет побежден событиями первых Пасхальных выходных, и смерть и воскресение Христа дают им силы встречать свою смерть лицом к лицу в надежде на воскресение к вечной жизни. Именно это каноник Холланд пытался донести в своей широко известной проповеди огромной массе прихожан в соборе Св. Петра. Он говорил не о том, что смерть является какой-то иллюзией, но,

скорее, о том, что она не одерживает над нами последнего триумфа. Сив Баллестерос, знаменитый испанский игрок в гольф, когда не мог присутствовать на Открытом чемпионате на Сент-Эндрюс в Шотландии или на Кубке Райдера в Уэльсе, потому что восстанавливался после лечения опухоли мозга, сказал следующие удивительные слова: «Все в жизни имеет свое начало и свой конец». Они очень схожи со словами Книги Экклезиаста в Библии: «Есть время жить и время умирать». Но Сив Баллестерос продолжил: «Это очень тяжело, нет ничего труднее, чем видеть, как приближается

финал». И это серьезное заявление. Оно может либо повергнуть нас в уныние, либо, что более оптимистично, может быть поучительно для нас. Мы сможем не только более открыто рассуждать о смерти, но также осознавать быстротечность жизни, бесценность каждого мгновения и необходимость насладиться им в полной мере, выяснить для себя, что наиболее важно и посвятить свою жизнь этому. Желаю вам счастливой Пасхи, и помните, что Книга Экклезиаста, упомянутая мной выше, также говорит и о том, что «есть время смеяться».

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 11

UK’s hand forced on equal pay SEAFARERS from European Economic Area (EEA) countries serving on UK-flag ships will soon be paid at the same rates as UK nationals doing the same job.

The European Commission (EC) has moved to force the UK Government to stop owners of UK ships paying EEA nationals different rates based on their country of residence, prompting opposing responses from owners and unions.

The UK’s owners’ body, the Chamber of Shipping, has consistently warned that ships will leave the UK fleet if the current situation is changed. In a statement it says it considers the EC’s actions to be “most regrettable”.

Seafarers’ union Nautilus International, on the other hand, had urged the EC to take this action and welcomed the “long overdue” move by the UK Government to end pay discrimination between seafarers of different nationalities on UK ships.

The UK Government must now amend its national law but has said it will make the minimum changes required

to comply with the EC instruction. The changes are not expected to affect wage rates for non-EEA nationals on UK ships.

Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson said the union was glad the UK was finally acting on this, although it was concerned at reports that pay discrimination continued in some other EU member states.

Warning owners not to move their ships away from the UK flag, he said Nautilus also reiterated its wish to work with shipowners to avoid the threat of flagging out, and to find ways of constructive compliance that would keep UK ships internationally competitive. “ We h a v e a c h i e v e d this in the Netherlands through effective social partnership and if the political will exists in the UK we could achieve it here too. However, we will also spare no effort in tracking down those owners that do switch their UK ships to other flags to evade their responsibilities for decent working conditions.”

MLC 2006 ratification delayed a year at least

THE latest poster in North P&I Club’s clean seas series highlights the importance of adhering to the regulations for preventing air pollution as set out in annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol).

The club points to a recent case where a ship did not comply with environmental regulations because it was using fuel with a sulphur content exceeding the maximum allowed. (Poster reproduced with kind permission from North of England P&I Association.)

Economic downturn may be reason for drop in accident rate

Casualties down except in eastern Mediterranean S

HIPPING casualties worldwide were down last year. Overall global incidents dropped by eight per cent and ship sinking incidents fell by more than 30 per cent as compared with 2009 figures, according to the Lloyd’s List Intelligence Casualty Service (LLICS).

Unprofitable shipping rates, more stringent port state control inspections and fewer severe weather events are likely factors behind the decline in the number of ship casualties, say LLICS analysts.

A similar picture emerged at a press conference following the January meeting of International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) committee members. IUMI president Ole Wikborg said there had been relatively

few major claims in the past year.

The new LLICS data also revealed, however, an apparent accident hot spot in the eastern Mediterranean areas of Greece, Turkey and the Black Sea, which experienced a year-on-year rise in accidents of more than 4 per cent in 2010.

“Indeed, the eastern Med region accounts for a hefty fifth of all incidents reported by the casualty service,” said Adam Smallman, head of content for the Lloyd’s List Group. “These numbers may support anecdotal and movements evidence that the region is a magnet for substandard vessels. Vessel traffic in the region is dense but other regions have seen traffic rise and incidents fall.”

He added that stricter imple-

mentation of regulations in those other regions might be a factor.

However, despite the rise in eastern Mediterranean casualties and the high-profile oil spills of 2010, the global picture is better than for the previous year.

Oil rig incidents are included in shipping casualty data and BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster in April was the worst. An explosion aboard the tanker M Star, loaded with 270,000 tonnes of crude, in the Strait of Hormuz in July, was another of last year’s high-profile casualties.

LLICS said the fall in global incidents might be related to shipowners laying up vessels as rates made it uneconomic to operate them last year. Economic woes may

also have contributed to less demanding and strenuous schedules.

In addition, said Steve Olley, head of LLICS, stringent port state control regulations in ports all around the world were having an increased impact. Shipowners were now aware that substandard tonnage would be routinely detained in port until the problems on board were resolved.

Mr Smallman added that port state control inspectors would jump on anything, from faulty navigation equipment and hygiene in the vessel’s kitchens to inadequate fire-fighting and life-saving drills. “But also the economic situation is undoubtedly a factor, with the pressure taken off crews to fulfil such demanding schedules.”

Warning on dangers of ballast water exchange MARINE insurer North P&I Club has warned that ships’ officers must take great care when exchanging ballast water at sea. This is now required by many countries and soon an international convention will come into force, imposing strict controls on ballast water.

The 2004 International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM convention) needs to be ratified by just three more states with 10 per

cent of world tonnage.

The new regulations are designed to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful marine organisms by shipping, and one of the most common ways of complying is to exchange ballast water on passage.

H o w e v e r, s h i p s f a c e a serious risk of a loss of stability when exchanging ballast water if a proper plan is not developed and rigorously followed on board, the club warns. It says that emptying and

refilling ballast tanks can significantly reduce a vessel’s stability, both by reducing ballast weight and also by introducing freesurface effects. In dynamic deep-sea conditions, this can potentially lead to an angle of loll and ultimately capsize.

“An angle of loll,” says the club’s risk management executive, Simon MacLeod, “is a very dangerous situation and should be corrected as soon as possible. However, the effects of corrective

actions should be carefully calculated to ensure matters are not made worse.

“Given the potential risks associated with deepsea ballast water exchange, it is critical that a proper plan, including the sequence in which the tanks have to be emptied and refilled and the weather limits to be observed during operation, is carefully developed and implemented.

Full use should be made of the vessel’s stability book and loading computer in developing the plan.”

EARLY hopes that the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 would come into force in 2011 have been dashed and it is not even certain that it will take effect next year. It must be ratified by 30 countries with 33 per cent of the world’s commercial tonnage before it can come into effect.

As of mid-February, only 11 countries had ratified the International Labour Organisation’s convention, although they represent 48 per cent of world tonnage.

Among those which have signed up are the major open registers of Panama, Liberia, the Bahamas and the Marshall Islands. St Vincent and the Grenadines has also ratified, as have a few national flags: Norway, Spain, Croatia, Bulgaria, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It had been hoped that all of the 27 EU countries would have ratified last year but it appears many, including the UK, are finding the task of updating national legislation to be more complicated and time consuming than expected.

IMO gets record payment LIBERIA made the single largest payment the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has ever received at one time from a member state, when it handed over a cheque in February for £2,826,000 (US$4.52m) to cover in full its annual assessment contribution for 2011. The IMO assessment is based on the size of the fleet under the registers of individual countries.

The Liberian fleet now exceeds 112m gross tonnage, making it the world’s second largest ship registry. Panama is the largest.

UK Club issues PSC advice THE liability insurer UK P&I Club has issued advice to its members on how to meet the requirements of the new Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on port state control (PSC) inspection regime.

The publication is also available to non-members via the club’s website (www.ukpandi.com).

The club says many shipowners and their masters remain unsure of what is required from them if they are to meet the new requirements.

Getting it right reduces to the minimum the number of times ships are selected for inspection, says the club. “Getting it wrong can lead to detentions and, ultimately, the banning of vessels from major trading areas such as the region covered by the Paris MoU i.e. the waters of the European coastal states and the North Atlantic basin from North America to Europe.”

Growth in demand for OSVs RISING demand for more complex deepwater field developments, including in the Gulf of Mexico, means that steady growth is being projected in the offshore service vessel (OSV) market from now until 2020, according to classification society Germanischer Lloyd.

In addition, the society says that as well as the traditional uses of OSVs in the maritime and oil and gas industries, interest in OSVs is increasing exponentially in the growing offshore wind industry. It says European offshore wind farms will create a demand for 15 to 20 installation ships, that an additional 40 to 50 installation ships will be needed as China and the US enter this market, and that these vessels will require 200-300 service craft, such as crewsupply and service and maintenance vessels.

New engine powered

by LPG MACHINERY manufacturer MAN Diesel & Turbo has launched its Liquid ME-GI (Liquid Gas Injection) engine, powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). A number of gas-fuelled marine engines are under development but the emphasis has been on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

MAN says the potential LPG fuel market is smaller than for LNG but could be significant for river traffic and coastal shipping.

One advantage of LPG is that it is already a well established fuel ashore with a mature, global supply network, less costly terminals and comparatively minor safety problems compared to LNG.