Issue 207 sep/oct 2010
Los artículos en español aparecen en las páginas 6y7 Статьи на русском языке приводятся на стр. 6 и 7
Anger at pirates’ release page 2 Asbestos still a danger page 8 Success of Party in the Park page 8
UK registered charity no: 212432 Scottish charity register no: SC039211
The Sea is published by The Mission to Seafarers
Editor: Gillian Ennis News: David Hughes It is distributed free of charge to seafarers through chaplains and seafarers’ centres. However, if you want to be sure of getting it regularly, send us £3.50 or $5 for post and packing and we will mail it to you for a year (six issues). It is available from: Kathy Baldwin The Sea, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London EC4R 2RL. Tel: +44 20 7248 5202 Fax: +44 20 7248 4761 Email: pr@missiontoseafarers.org Website: www.missiontoseafarers.org
Seafarers’ safety posters relaunched
Satellites are watching you EVER more sophisticated oil-spill detection technology means coastal states can quickly spot ships illegally discharging oil, according to the North of England P&I club. The club highlights the CleanSeaNet satellite surveillance service which is used by both coastal states and the European Maritime Safety Agency to identify oil slicks. Oil spill alerts can be provided to coastal states within 30 minutes, enabling them to send spotter aircraft to confirm whether there is a slick. All ships in the vicinity – or known to have passed through it – are potentially subject to investigation. Samples of a slick can then be taken, analysed and cross-referenced against samples from suspect ships. “If the samples match, or there are no other ships in the vicinity, the evidence against the vessel is very strong and the usual outcomes, including claims, vessel arrest, fines for the owner and officers, and custodial sentences, can result,” says the club’s loss prevention executive, Colin Gillespie.
A SERIES of health and safety posters designed by seafarers for seafarers has been relaunched by the Chamber of Shipping to mark the International Year of the Seafarer. They were originally designed by seafarers for an annual competition, which started in the 1990s and ran for over ten years. The participants suggested the most important subjects based on their own experiences. The winning drawings were sent to a designer who drew up the ideas as suggested, but with a common style linking the series. They cover all aspects of work on a ship, from keeping stairs and walkways clear to making hatches and movable objects secure at sea. Mark Brownrigg, director general of the Chamber of Shipping, said the posters conveyed essential safety messages in a clear and direct manner – “exactly what is needed wherever there are hazards on ship”. The posters cost £1.50 each for members and £2 for non-members, with a standard charge of £5 per order for (UK) postage and packing. Visit http://www.britishshipping.org/publications/ posters to see the entire range of 33 posters and to order.
Union anger at compromise on hours of rest
IMO conference adopts revised training rules A
CONTROVERSIAL compromise on hours of work was agreed at an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) conference held in June in Manila to update the rules on training and qualifications for the global shipping industry. The “Manila amendments” to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) convention and associated code are mainly aimed at catching up with technical developments since the last revision. The Manila conference followed several years’ work at IMO and there was general agreement on most training and certification issues prior to the meeting. Rod Short, executive secretary of the training college organisation GlobalMET, told The Sea that there was strong
motivation at IMO to modernise. “Celestial navigation requirements were reduced and those concerning electronic navigation increased, with concern being expressed about the need for a much greater effort to ensure that watchkeepers are competent with e-navigation. “Tanker operations training is to be brought up to date. Engineering competencies are moving more towards plant and systems operation, implying a significant rethink about how engineers are trained. Able seafarer requirements for deck and engine shifted from the International Labour Organisation to STCW. Electro-technical officer training is now mandatory, with a cross-over between marine engineering and electro-technology,” he said. There was now more em-
phasis on leadership and management, he added. The Manila amendments, which come into force on January 1, 2012, include a new measure to stop certificate of competency fraud and new requirements for the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as updated medical fitness standards for seafarers. The conference also passed a large number of resolutions, including ones on: attracting new entrants to, and retaining seafarers in, the maritime profession; accommodation for trainees; and the promotion of the participation of women in the maritime industry. More controversially, delegates at Manila agreed, at an intense round of negotiations, a series of new provisions intended to provide watchkeeping officers aboard ships with
sufficient rest periods. The Manila amendments say that watchkeeping officers and ratings must have a minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24hour period and 77 hours in any seven-day period. That means maximum working hours allowed will be 91 hours a week. The compromise, however, gives flexibility to allow up to 98 hours of work in a week. Up to two consecutive 98-hour working weeks will be allowed in exceptional circumstances. When that happens, however, another period of extra long hours will not be allowed for the following month. International Chamber of Shipping secretary general Peter Hinchliffe said the organisation was very pleased that governments had responded to employers’ Continued on P3
MLC 2006 heading for ratification THE Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 is on course for ratification according to Cleo Doumbia-Henry, international director of labour standards at the International Labour Organisation. Speaking at the ITF world congress in July, she said that 10 countries had so far agreed to ratify the 2006 convention. It brings together and updates more than 65 international labour standards for seafarers adopted over the last 80 years. Ms Doumbia-Henry described the MLC as a new kind of convention, as it “has teeth” and incorporates procedures for implementation. Before it comes into force it has to be ratified by at least 30 countries, representing one third of the world’s gross tonnage. So far, 10 had done so, said Ms Doumbia-Henry, accounting for 46 per cent of world tonnage.