The Sea Feb/March 2016

www.missiontoseafarers.org themissiontoseafarers @FlyingAngelNews

Issue 240 Mar/Apr 2016

Статьи на русском языке приводятся на стр. 6 и 7

South East Asia battles with piracy increase page 2 Seafarers’ Ministry launches digital connectivity tools

page 3 Leaving shipboard bullying astern page 8 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 260 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 1.5 million merchant seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs.

The Sea Editor: Carly Fields News: David Hughes Assistant Editor: Lara Shingles The Sea is distributed free to seafarers through chaplains and seafarers’ centres. You can also arrange to receive it for a suggested donation of £3.50 or $5 per year (six issues). To find out more, contact: Laura Hayes, The Sea, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London, UK EC4R 2RL Tel: +44 (0)20 7248 5202 Email: laura.hayes@ missiontoseafarers.org www.missiontoseafarers.org Registered charity in England and Wales: 1123613 The Mission to Seafarers Scotland Limited, Registered charity: SC041938

Seaman Guard Ohio crew launch appeal

Prestige master ‘guilty’ again

Mission horrified by ‘unfair and unjust’ sentences while maritime security industry body criticizes shipowner for deserting its employees

T

HE Mission to Seafarers (MtS) has spoken out unusually strongly over the sentencing of 35 seafarers and anti-piracy guards, including six British nationals, to five years “rigorous imprisonment” and a 3,000 Rupee fine by an Indian court.

As The Sea went to press, lawyers for the convicted crew and guards confirmed that they would appeal the sentence in India’s High Court.

Lisa Dunn, sister of antipiracy guard Nick Dunn from Northumberland in the UK, said: “Our family are not prepared to accept this verdict and we will continue to do all we can to ensure justice prevails.”

The men were arrested when the Sierra Leone-flagged antipiracy ship Seaman Guard Ohio, operated by US-based security company AdvanFort, was detained off Tuticorin in October 2013. They have been held in India since then and have vehemently protested their innocence. A tortuous legal process has seen all charges dropped and then reinstated.

The MtS has supported the men and their families from the start.

The MtS’s director of justice and public affairs, Ken Peters, said: “I am horrified and filled with anguish at this decision, which is deeply unfair and unjust. These men are seafarers

Credit: Ambrey

Los artículos en español aparecen en las páginas 6y7

SAMI is conducting a survey of private security companies’ ‘floating armouries’

but it seems the court did not accept the basic fact that the ship was and is an anti-piracy vessel. The men carried arms in accordance with international maritime law for the purpose of ensuring the merchant fleet was protected properly from the very real risk of pirate attacks and hijack. The men have already suffered so much so

this is a terrible outcome. It is beyond belief.”

The men have been convicted on charges of carrying illegal arms, illegal refuelling and unlawfully entering Indian waters.

Eight Indian nationals charged with illegally supplying fuel to the ship were acquitted by the same court in Tuticorin.

The ship had 10 crew members, of whom eight were Indians and two Ukrainians, as well as 25 security guards – six UK nationals, 14 Estonians, four Indians and one Ukrainian.

At the time of publication, an online Justgiving fundraising appeal to support efforts to free the imprisoned men had raised over £32,000, but more is needed.

Security association criticizes SHO owner THE Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), which represents companies providing armed guards to merchant ships, says in a statement that it is “extremely disappointed by the decision by the Tuticorin Court”. It says that the guards “did not knowingly commit any form of pre-meditated crime and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

The statement adds: “SAMI is also appalled by the way in which AdvanFort, the company upon whose vessel they were embarked, have

deserted and betrayed their former employees by not supporting them for a mistake that was beyond their control. We would urge the Indian authorities to review who was responsible for the vessel breaking the law and placing the guards and crew, who were effectively passengers, in a location that constituted an offence.”

SAMI’s chief executive officer, Peter Cook, told The Sea that his organisation was conducting a survey of the way private security companies operated their vessels –

or “floating armouries”, as they are commonly known. This would be ready for consideration by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) maritime safety committee in May this year.

The SAMI survey involves visiting floating armouries and reporting on three main areas: the seaworthiness of the vessels, the security of the weapons kept on board and the physical security and safety of the vessels – including the ability to resist armed attacks, and emergency plans, including a port of refuge.

Mission supports Thorco Cloud survivors THE Mission to Seafarers (MtS) team in Singapore sprang into action to support survivors when their ship sank in midDecember. Six of the twelve-strong crew of the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargoship Thorco Cloud died when she sank following a collision with the Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker Stolt Commitment in Indonesian waters in the Singapore Strait six miles north-west of Batam.

Shortly after the incident, the MtS port chaplain in Singapore, Peter Manimathu, www.missiontoseafarers.org

said: “I met with the surviving crew and the captain, who were all very distraught.

They told me that they had survived by staying afloat with lifejackets but they all thought that they were going to die.

One crew mentioned that while in the water, he slipped on every attempt to get on to a floating metal cover as he was covered in bunker oil, it was very frightening for him. As they had lost all their personal belongings, I provided them with clothes and a phone so that they could call themissiontoseafarers

their anxious families, and prayed with them.”

The MtS regional director for East Asia, Stephen Miller, added: “This is a terrible tragedy for those crew and families involved in the collision in Singapore.” He added that the MtS welfare team in the port of Singapore were providing urgent support to those who had suffered. The MtS team went on to provide further practical care and assistance until the survivors were able to return home. @FlyingAngelNews

SPAIN’S Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling that had cleared the master of the tanker Prestige, Apostolos Mangouras, and instead has imposed a twoyear jail sentence.

He was convicted of recklessness resulting in catastrophic environmental damage, according to a statement by the court.

Responding to the new ruling and sentence, ITF seafarers’ section chair Dave Heindel said: “This decision represents the dying gasps of a 14-yearold attempt to deflect blame on to the shoulders of an octogenarian man, who has been cleared in the court of world opinion and by his peers. Thankfully it is likely to be as unenforceable as it is illogical. This innocent man cannot again be made to sit needlessly in jail.”

Mr Heindel added: “The Mangouras case was one of the worst examples of the knee-jerk criminalisation of seafarers. The ITF, like many other organisations and individuals, was able to support him during that ordeal. This latest piece of victimisation reminds us that we must all remain vigilant to protect seafarers from these injustices.”

Non-deck crew training warning MARINE insurer UK P&I Club says it has seen a growing number of incidents occurring when non-deck crew are used during mooring operations. It stresses: “It is important to have sufficient personnel to be able to moor the vessel safely and effectively, and all crew should be trained and be familiar with bights, snap-back zones and the hazards associated with mooring operations.”

According to the insurer, it is vital that time is taken to ensure that procedures are not only acceptable but that they are followed by the crew. It says: “A number of familiar factors reoccur in mooring incidents: seafarers stand in bights or snap-back zones, and when ropes part those involved are often injured. When crew with insufficient training are used during mooring operations, it is often these people who are seriously injured if something goes wrong.” And the insurer goes on to say that when the person supervising mooring is also involved with operations they are unable to carry out their role effectively.

2 the sea Mar/Apr 2016

South East Asia battles with piracy increase

Irish checks on migrant fishers THE Irish Government has identified the maritime industry, including fishing, as an area of potentially high risk for human trafficking due to the nature of the work and its employment structures.

A recently published report recommends new permission arrangements and information-sharing with immigration services.

The report was prompted by claims that undocumented migrant workers on Irish fishing trawlers were being exploited.

Somali threat remains contained but crime is rising in Asia, reports Dryad Maritime ‘protection fees’ in return for letting them poach Somalia’s rich fishing stocks.” It says the ‘detention’ of the three fishing vessels may have been the result of a dispute between the gangs offering ‘protection’.

It adds that fisheries experts have warned that many of the, mainly Iranian, fishing vessels are using huge illegal nets, causing potentially enormous damage to the country’s marine ecosystem.

The Telegraph comments: “For the pirates, the new racket offers a much-needed source of income after the hefty revenues that they used to extort through hijacks all but dried up. It is ordinary Somali fishermen and the ecosystem that are losing out.”

The newspaper quotes Steve Trent, the executive

director of the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation, as saying that the multinational naval force deployed to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia should extend its remit so that it can stop and detain vessels suspected of illegal fishing.

At present it has no mandate to do so.

“It is simply daft that they are not using those collective naval assets to ensure an effective fisheries management regime”, Mr Trent said.

“If you imposed a strong fisheries enforcement regime you would solve a great deal of problems here, as piracy and illegal fishing are closely interlinked, and the sense that their waters are being illegally plundered nurtures the feeling of grievance that many Somali fishing communities have.”

Dryad Maritime predicts rise in piracy

retrieve the crew’s passports from the ship’s safe before abandoning ship.

The distress call was received by the containership, the COSCO Shanghai, which rescued all 21 Filipino seafarers four hours after their vessel sank.

Capt Montel later thanked the Shanghai’s master, Capt Shen and his crew, for the kind way they had looked after them until the ship reached Sydney.

The insurers of The Foxhound, HWL Ebsworth,

informed The Mission to Seafarers (MtS) of the situation and requested the presence of a Filipino chaplain to minister to the seafarers upon their arrival in Sydney.

MtS chaplains George Gayagay, David Davies and Un Tay, then played key roles in the care of the crew, and especially with helping to translate official documents. The MtS also provided the crew with immediate access SIM and re-charge cards so the seafarers could call their families.

Engineers on ‘magic pipe’ charges IN YET another instance of seafarers running foul of US anti-pollution laws, a US federal grand jury, in Greenville, North Carolina, has returned a nine-count indictment, charging two engineering officers.

The men, employed by Greek-based Oceanfleet Shipping, have been accused of crimes relating to the illegal discharge of oily wastes directly into the sea.

The charges against the two Philippine nationals, chief engineer Rustico Ignacio and second engineer Cassius Samson, allege illegal discharges

from the 29,513 dwt bulk carrier Ocean Hope.

According to the indictment, in 2015 Samson bypassed pollution prevention equipment with an unauthorised hose connection, or ‘magic pipe’, to discharge oil sludge directly into the sea. Samson allegedly also ordered crew members on numerous other occasions to pump oily mixtures from the vessel’s bilges into the sea using the ship’s general service pump, rather than processing these mixtures through the vessel’s pollution prevention equipment.

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THE Dutch master of a vessel taken from Europe and beached in South East India has been punished by a deferred suspension of his certificate for breaking national and European law prohibiting this type of demolition.

Seafarers’ union Nautilus International has highlighted the case as it shows the dangers of using social media.

The master had posted a video on YouTube showing him driving the ship on to the beach, which became the sole piece of evidence used against him.

Panama Canal precaution

Foxhound: Mission plays ‘key role’ ON 17 OCTOBER last year The Foxhound – a Philippines-flagged cargo vessel, sailing with a full Filipino crew – sank quickly and unexpectedly in the Bismarck Sea, about 15 nautical miles north west of Lae, Papua New Guinea.

The ship’s master, Jonathan Montel, sent a distress signal before he and his crew boarded their lifeboat and abandoned ship, leaving all their possessions behind.

Thankfully, Capt Montel had managed to

Master punished for beaching scrap vessel Credit: U.S. Navy Elizabeth

T

HE latest figures from UK-based maritime intelligence and operations company Dryad Maritime show that South East Asia continues to dominate maritime crime incidents globally, while the Somali threat in the Indian Ocean remains contained.

Dryad says 236 piracy and maritime crimes were reported in South East Asia last year, an increase of 10 per cent compared to 2014. Of these reported incidents, 106 incidents were in the Singapore Strait, an increase of 72 per cent from the previous year, 2014.

There were no confirmed attacks on merchant ships in the Indian Ocean and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Dubai’s Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) was reduced in area to reflect this.

Dryad Maritime’s chief operating officer, Ian Millen, says: “With no confirmed attacks on large merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean’s High Risk Area (HRA) during 2015, we may have seen a potential tipping point in maritime security terms.

With the welcome reduction of the BIMCOsponsored High Risk Area, we have the first real signs of optimism towards a time when the temporary and exceptional embarkation of armed guards may come to an end. We are not there yet; armed guards have, and continue to make, a significant contribution in reducing risk in some areas. Nevertheless, whilst the medicine is working, we can at least look forward to a future change of prescription.”

However, Dryad notes that the detention of three Iranian fishing vessels off the coast of Somalia shows the “continued resentment local fishermen have towards those engaged in Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, however, and highlights the need for continued caution in the area”.

Ironically, while the activities of foreign fishing vessels are widely seen as one of the factors that spurred Somali fishermen to turn to piracy in the first place, the UK newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, reported in January: “Pirates who raked in millions of dollars in ship hijackings have developed a lucrative new racket – acting as armed ‘escorts’ to foreign trawlers that steal the country’s fish”.

The newspaper says: “In a striking case of poacher-turned-gamekeeper, the same armed gangs who once preyed on the trawlermen are now acting as their bodyguards, earning huge

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The indictment further alleges that Ignacio and Samson ordered subordinate crew members to lie to the US Coast Guard during an inspection in Wilmington, North Carolina. The crew members were allegedly instructed to deny knowledge of the connection of the pipe used to discharge sludge and to tell the Coast Guard that an oily water separator had been used, as required under international law, to process oily mixtures before discharge, when they knew it had not.

Both men were charged with:

violating the federal Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for: failing to record overboard discharges in the vessel’s oil record book; conspiracy for their agreement to violate federal law; obstruction of justice for presenting false documents intended to deceive the Coast Guard, and for witness tampering for ordering subordinate crew members to mislead and lie to the Coast Guard. Samson was also charged with false statements and obstruction of justice for lying to Coast Guard inspectors about the discharges.

IN A new move the Panama Canal Authority says tankers carrying cargoes with flashpoints of less than 18°C must cool their main decks with water, using the on-deck water sprinkler system or any other means available to stop their pressure relief valves opening while going through the Canal.

The cooling is to take place between 1000 and 1800 hours while the vessel is under way at Gatun Lake, or at anchor in Canal waters.

Small increase in UK ratings THE number of UK ratings rose by 410, or 4.8 per cent, in 2015, the first increase since 2011, according to official figures.

The increase was almost entirely confined to the catering and onboard services departments where, UK maritime union RMT complained, “insecure employment contracts such as zero hours are common”.

The number of engine ratings fell by 13 per cent and deck rating numbers remained flat.

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3 the sea Mar/Apr 2016

Seafarers’ Ministry launches digital connectivity tools The Mission to Seafarers and the North American Maritime Ministry Association releases new digital platform to support seafarers the way seafarers interact with their loved ones and we have made much progress in adapting to ensure our support remains relevant and effective to their needs. We hope that the MARE project will inspire all maritime ministries to try new methods of service delivery that will enhance seafarers’ wellbeing.”

NAMMA is a broad association of Christian ministries, founded in 1932, that provides encouragement, advocacy, and professional development to its members. Through the MARE project, NAMMA aims to equip maritime ministries with the ability to use the internet to broaden their support services for seafarers.

Credit: NAMMA

THE Mission to Seafarers (MtS) and the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) has launched MARE, a new project aimed at enhancing the ability of seafarers’ welfare agencies to connect with seafarers through the use of innovative digital tools.

The new initiative will be delivered

by NAMMA and funded by the MtS, who will also provide strategic support. It will serve three purposes: first, to provide a tool that will actively help seafarers make the connection with shore-based seafarers’ welfare personnel; second, to produce and distribute social media on seafarers’ welfare that is shareable by local maritime ministries, and, third, to produce high-quality internet-based professional development tools for those involved in maritime ministry.

Dr Jason Zuidema, executive director of NAMMA and MARE project leader said: “Like many other traditional social service ministries, our members have had great success using seafarers’ centres and when they visit crews on board ships. But it is not always clear how to serve those who live more and more online. NAMMA’s MARE project will help develop new digital tools so that all ministries can continue to be effective.”

The MtS Secretary General, the Revd Andrew Wright, said: “We are delighted to partner with NAMMA in this exciting project. Technology has changed

MARE will make it easier for welfare agencies to connect to seafarers

Fishers face lethal fridges risk TWO marine insurers, North P&I Club and the Shipowners’ Club, have jointly published a technical briefing on the dangers of potentially lethal gas leaks due to poor operation and maintenance of fishing vessel refrigeration systems.

Recommendations include: the importance of crew members knowing and understanding the hazards of refrigeration systems; the need for safe systems of operation; the importance of regular and recorded maintenance; the need for safe design and positioning of retrofitted systems, and the importance of effective response management.

North warns that there have been “numerous incidents involving these refrigeration systems in the past decade, mostly relating to uncontrolled escape of potentially toxic refrigerant gases. Many of these incidents have resulted in serious injuries, some fatal, to fishing vessel crew members and shore-based workers”.

The insurers says the reasons for accidents include: fishing crews being unaware of the hazards of fluorocarbon and ammonia gas refrigerants; poor condition of the refrigeration plant and its components; poor standards of operation and maintenance of the refrigeration plant, and the positioning of unprotected refrigeration plant and equipment on the back deck or in busy areas, with insufficient warning signage and impact protection.

In addition North says there have been failures to identify high-risk tasks relating to the plant operation and maintenance; insufficient levels of formal training in refrigeration engineering and plant-specific operation, and defective or missing gasleak detection alarms.

The insurer also points to evidence of poor emergency and evacuation procedures; a lack of crew familiarity with what to do in such an event, and improperly inspected and tested safety equipment.

The effects of ICT on seafarers’ health WHILE information and communication technology (ICT)-empowered telemedicine has the power to improve seafarers’ health, there is a risk that it may exacerbate the link between illness and unemployability, writes author Annamaria Dall’Anese who has a written an MSc dissertation, The Effects of the Implementation of ICT on Merchant Marines’ Health-Seeking Practices.

In my dissertation, writes Ms Dall’Anese, I state that modern maritime telemedicine seems to be focused not only on the treatment of acute or emergency cases, but also on a systematic collection and transmission of sensitive data on seafarers’ health.

In the face of this, seafarers may be tempted to hide their clinical conditions in order to keep their jobs, but their health will likely deteriorate if they conceal their medical problems. What I propose is a shift from the ‘right to health’

to the ‘right to illness’ to counter this phenomenon.

While international directives regulate seafarers’ absence, repatriation and right to care and wages in case of sickness or accident, the underlying principle of modern telemedicine has been an idealistic ‘right to health’ rather than a realistic ‘right to be ill’. To counter this, I suggest that “a shift from the expectation that crew members should be healthy to the acknowledgement that health does sometimes fail them would entail a more pragmatic approach to the management of sickness on board.

“As employers could not, by any good reason, deny their employees the right to be ill, they would be pushed to dissect the notion of illness into less vague and more manageable components.”

My dissertation also presents a more optimistic picture of the effects of the adoption of ICT on ships. Firstly, maritime

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telemedicine, which is provided regardless of rank, may be a more equitable way of accessing medical resources that on land are often allocated according to economic and social status.

Secondly, seafarers can potentially harness personal devices such as laptops and smartphones, which are becoming increasingly widespread on merchant vessels, to reach out for the support of their family and friends. Ethnographic evidence suggests that this support may be considered as important as a doctor’s consultation by ill individuals, especially those far from home, such as migrant workers.

Thirdly, private internet use on board would allow seafarers to consult medical websites and online health support groups, which are already widely available to land-based communities.

This article was contributed by Annamaria Dall’Anese.

Improper Cleaning lookout led up galley to collision water A COLLISION between the UK-flagged containership Ever Smart and the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Alexandra 1 near the entrance to the buoyed approach channel at Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, was partly caused by failure to keep a proper lookout.

At the time of the collision, on 11 February 2015, the containership was outbound at a speed of 12 knots and had disembarked its pilot. The tanker was inbound and was moving very slowly ahead while waiting for the pilot from the containership to board.

Both vessels suffered major structural damage to their bows but there were no injuries or pollution.

According to the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report, the collision resulted from several factors: a passing arrangement was not agreed, both masters acted on assumptions; the tanker’s master acted on scanty VHF radio information and the Ever Smart’s bridge team “did not keep a proper lookout or monitor the tanker’s movement”.

The Ever Smart’s bridge team only realised that Alexandra 1 was close ahead seconds before the collision when alerted by the port control.

The report added that the precautions of pilotage and the port’s vessel traffic service were ineffective on this occasion.

Onboard ECDIS training Videotel has joined forces with online maritime training business Safebridge GmbH to provide shipping companies with the ability to certify their seafarers on ECDIS typespecific training while serving on board.

As part of the agreement, a trainee on board will be able to log on to the video on-demand system and access more than 30 ECDIS typespecific courses.

After this, the trainee will proceed to practical training in onboard ECDIS, before taking their test using Safebridge’s validation systems.

“Training crew on ECDIS type-specific models has been a real headache for shipping companies and ship managers over the past years,” said Nigel Cleave, Videotel’s chief executive officer.

“We are delighted to further extend our long working relationship with Safebridge in this area, to introduce logical and costeffective training solutions to our customers.”

MARINE regulators have been urged to introduce performance standards for the separation of fats from galley water before the oily mix enters the onboard treatment process and causes system failure. Currently there are no International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards for the separation of fats, oils and grease from galley water, despite the treated water having to comply with an IMO regulation which does not allow the discharge of any oils.

Mark Beavis, the managing director of water treatment specialist ACO Marine, said: “Galley water should be free of waste sludge, fats, oils and greases before it enters the treatment process otherwise biological overloading and system blockages can occur, causing system failure and possible pollution.”

Mandatory IMO audits to start THE International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member State Audit Scheme, which brings in mandatory audits of member states, came into force on 1 January.

The aim of the scheme is to help improve the implementation of IMO treaties, by providing countries with an overview of how well they are carrying out their duties as flag, coastal and port states.

The scheme will also feed into IMO’s extensive technical co-operation programme, which provides countries with targeted assistance and capacity-building. It will also help to develop new IMO regulations.

Information technology ‘has a downside’ EASIER communications with family and friends may have a downside, as well as the obvious benefits, according to marine insurer North P&I Club. Its loss prevention director, Tony Baker, says: “While many ships now offer technology to help keep crews in touch with loved ones back home, care should be taken to ensure this does not make matters worse. For some seafarers, having easy access to friends, family and their ongoing domestic problems could lead to increased anxiety compared to the traditional clean break of departure.”

Mr Baker says digital technology may also be compounding the isolation problems at sea by reducing social interaction on board.

“Rather than interact with other crew members, it is now all too easy for seafarers to retreat to their cabins with their mobile devices,” he cautions.

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4 the sea Mar/Apr 2016

NEWS

MICHAEL GREY

Too many seafarers still in the internet ‘stone age’

It’s transpor

THE shipping industry is not investing enough to provide internet access at sea, according to online social network for seafarers Crewtoo. The company reports that respondents to its third quarterly survey who do not have internet access say they are still “in the stone age”.

The survey also highlighted that many seafarers both have no internet access and also very little or no shore leave.

Designed to monitor and benchmark seafarer satisfaction levels via 10 key questions, this third quarterly report shows a seafarer satisfaction level of 6.37 on a scale of 1 to 10, which is

Operating ships at below breakev Michael Grey explains why we

almost unchanged from the 6.44 overall level reported in August last year.

However, Crewtoo says the questions about connectivity and shore leave emerged as key issues among seafarers. As far as connectivity is concerned, seafarers’ responses indicated that there is growing disparity in internet access: some seafarers now get good, often cheap or even free access; some can occasionally gain access – but with cost or technical issues, and some have no connectivity at all.

This edition of the report shows that a number of respondents feel that there is insufficient investment

to ensure ongoing, high-speed, and quality connections.

The latest Crewtoo Seafarers Happiness Index also reveals a three-tiered system of shore leave is operating: some seafarers get good shore leave access and opportunities; some can occasionally get ashore – but not without difficulty, and some are denied any shore leave at all.

Responses highlighted that the majority of seafarers face the double jeopardy of poor quality, expensive, or non-existent connectivity – and difficult, expensive, or non-existent shore leave.

Credit: Wartsila

Time to say goodbye to mooring lines?

Look, no mooring lines!

ENGINEERING and technology companies Wärtsilä and Cavotec have agreed to jointly develop the world’s first combined induction charging and automatic mooring concept.

Wärtsilä has developed a wireless charging system based on inductive power transfer.

Cavotec provides automated mooring systems for various types of vessels, as well as shore power

and reel systems. Combining the strengths and expertise of the two companies, means an integrated wireless charging/ mooring concept can now be developed for use in Wärtsilä’s ship designs.

Wireless charging eliminates the cable connection between the vessel and shore, thereby securing and facilitating safe connections and disconnections.

It also reduces maintenance since wear and tear to physical connection lines is eliminated.

Similarly, damage to electrical outlets caused by seawater, snow and ice is also avoided. The new project’s integrated system will be capable of transferring more than 1 MW of electrical energy.

This is some 300 times more than that of current chargers used by electric cars.

New ship beats IMO’s Polar Code an observation submarine will provide opportunities for a new approach to exploration cruises.

The Scenic Eclipse will be powered by two separate diesel-electric propulsion plants and two pods.

The vessel will be granted the highest Bureau Veritas marks and

notations, including a new Polar Class and several additional class notations related to pollution prevention, such as an advanced waste water treatment system, a ballast water management system, waste holding capacity, and a Green Passport, which relates to eventual dismantling.

Credit: BV

NEW regulations mean that older cruise ships and those not meeting the International Maritime Organization’s newly adopted Polar Code will no longer be able operate cruises deep into Antarctic waters in the southern summer.

In order to meet the requirements of the new regulations, Australia’s Scenic Group has ordered a 165-metre vessel from Croatia’s Uljanik shipyard. For delivery in summer 2018, the Scenic Eclipse will have lower berth accommodation for 228 passengers and 172 crew.

The vessel will be classed by French classification society Bureau Veritas, which says particular attention has been paid to safety.

The new design meets the Safe Return to Port criteria, and the most stringent BV Comfort Class criteria. All guest suites will have a private balcony and the ship will be equipped with a new generation of zero-speed high efficiency stabilizers. Two helicopters and

The Scenic Eclipse will accommodate 228 passengers and 172 crew

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I

T IS panic stations in the shipping industry, not for the first time, as the Baltic Dry Index plummets to a record low as people running bulk carriers find that their ship’s earnings barely pay the wages, let alone the running costs.

It is no better in the liner trades, with a huge surplus of containerships carrying around a lot of fresh air in 40ft boxes and more giant ships due to be delivered in the coming months. And while the slump in the price of oil should transfer itself positively to the price of bunkers, it is disaster on stilts for the offshore sector and all its sophisticated floating tools, with demand for its services at a low ebb.

Why does the maritime industry get into such a mess, so regularly? There is nothing new about this feast-to-famine world in which it lives. Fifty years ago, people who wrote economic textbooks were citing shipping and shipbuilding as the perfect examples of ‘lumpy investment’ as they bounced from surplus to shortage in short order.

Shipping represents another example of classic economics, that

of ‘derived demand’: a perfect service industry that can only respond to, but never increase, the demand for its ships. You can advertise them widely, paint them pretty colours, even lower the price of using them to rock-bottom levels, but if the cargo is not there, you will not manage to fill your ships any faster. You just have to wait until either there is more demand, or sufficient numbers of ships have been taken out of service.

It doesn't help that shipowners appear to be such optimists that despite their successive disappointments, they seem unable to resist amazing deals in the shipyards, as desperate shipbuilders lower their prices to fill their emptying order books. Is there a compelling and present need for these new ships? No, but the price may go up and we will have missed the opportunity of real bargains, they will tell you, as they jump into aeroplanes to go and meet the shipbuilders.

Another problem is that unlike people going off to the shops to the spring sales, shipowners usually have to wait a long time for delivery of their nice new ships. They may

have ordered the deal of forethoug analysis of the econ but by the time th delivery, event intervened and ev a lot less promisin Shipowners ar exhibiting somet mentality. It is an timing of purchas really matters, but just sadly get it wr are saddled with n paid for, all reach at the same time a nice new competit shippers delighte they have availab People making purchasing decision amount of sy understanding an trivialise their effo alone people op shipping world, banks were going such a storm in you would have wise or extraordi have forecast the tim of last year’s oil pr way in which economy has evo

CARLY FIELDS

Protecting the

Carly Fields speaks with ex-se used to call home and how we

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FTER more than 30 years at sea, British seafarer Fazilette Khan hung up her oil skins for the last time and returned to shore. But rather than seek out a desk job in a shipping company, she chose to channel her continued love of the sea into environmental gains.

Fazilette qualified as a marine electro-technical engineer from the Merchant Navy College and became a radio officer at a time when women at sea were few and far between. Throughout her career she has worked for many prominent companies, including Stena Line, P&O Cruises, Cunard, Spliethoff, and Swire Pacific.

During her time at sea, she witnessed first-hand the growing problem of marine debris on our oceans and set up a charity, GreenSeas Trust, to address the issue back in 2002. Now that she is landside full-time, Fazilette wants to take her charitable work to the next level.

“I have had a long and illustrious career at sea and I feel I would like to give something back to protect the oceans,” she tells The Sea. “Marine debris is a huge problem, which has

affected some of the most remote and pristine places I have had the privilege to visit in the past.

These once beautiful beaches and coves are now littered with plastics and other nonbiodegradable rubbish and the problem is only getting worse, as it is now entering our food chain too.”

GreenSeas Trust has proposed the introduction of a Deposit Refund Scheme for plastic beverage bottles in the UK, using reverse vending machines. These machines give back a deposit to the consumer when plastic beverage bottles are returned.

Countries that have adopted this scheme, Fazilette notes, have seen a return of over 80 per cent of plastics, which is then reused.

Her vision is particularly timely, with the climate deal agreed at December’s 2015 Paris Climate Conference deliberately omitting shipping from the pact.

Global nations would prefer to see shipping’s international regulator, IMO, take the lead in reducing emissions from shipping.

Likewise, Fazilette believes that self-regulation can improve the cleanliness of the world’s oceans, and that it all starts with better

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awareness on b about awareness the crew that the so love is getting with plastics frag toxins they relea of the shipowner fines and serious if they pollu deliberately negligence, and aw port that it needs in providing ade for ships to dispose without charging it.

“When I first was normal to ch into the ocean. It I saw this huge trac in the middle o Ocean that I bec the fact that the hole where the rub to.”

In addition to charitable ambit like so many oth the end of their s is facing the pros work onshore in that is unfa oversaturated.

While she adm still finding her seeker market, she

5 the sea Mar/Apr 2016

rtation, not charity

hem with a great ought and expert conomic prospects, they are ready for nts might have d everything looks ising. are not unique in mething of a herd an industry where hasing and selling but a lot of people wrong. Then they h new ships to be ching the market me as a lot of other etitors, leaving the hted at the choice lable. ng these important sions need a certain sympathy and and we shouldn’t fforts. Nobody, let operating in the d, knew that the ng to be rocked by n 2008. Equally, ve had to be very rdinarily lucky to e timing and extent price crash, or the h the Chinese volved.

Credit: Google Earth

even has implications for maintenance, crewing, and ultimately safety. e need to find ways to better balance supply and demand

The number of laid-up offshore ships in Aberdeen reveal how desperate times have become

It is also a good deal harder to adjust the supply of ships today than it was in the great shipping slump of the 1980s, when people who couldn’t make a living from ships simply laid them up in huge numbers. Modern ships, stuffed

with electronics, put into ‘cold’ lay-up require infinitely more care than the simpler ships of the past, and reactivation will be costly and complex. So slow steaming, drifting, or waiting in convenient anchorages are the

orders of today, but these also cost money.

You might point out that the oversupply of ships is the obvious reason for the fact that too many of them are failing to make any, let alone reasonable, returns on

the capital employed. Shippers who employ vessels have become horribly accustomed to the idea that ships are so cheap that they barely notice the cost of sending their cargo by sea. The distinguished maritime economist Dr Martin

Stopford memorably pointed out that marine transport, like the British National Health Service, is virtually “free at the point of use”, delightful for the user, but disastrous for anyone with ships to run at anything other than a loss.

Nobody can ignore the consequences of all this profitless ship operating, which forces desperate cost reductions at every level on everyone who tries to make a living from ships. Repairs may be postponed, which is bad news for the repair yards and people who supply spares and could be worse for crews if ships break down or become dangerous. There will be a squeeze on onboard costs of every kind, with crews having to work harder for less. There will be pressure to employ even cheaper crews, with the emphasis being upon their cost, rather than their expertise.

A healthy maritime industry would be better balanced with supply more attuned to demand and a decent reward encouraging best practice and generosity. But of course textbook solutions rarely happen.

e world’s oceans from within

seafarer Fazilette Khan about her drive to clean up the seas she welfare support remains as important as ever

board. “It’s all ess: awareness of the seafood they ng contaminated agments and the lease; awareness ner that there are us consequences lute the seas or through d awareness of the ds to play its part dequate facilities ose of their wastes ing the earth for

rst went to sea it chuck everything It was only when ractor tyre floating of the Atlantic became aware of here is no black rubbish disappears

n to pursuing her bitions, Fazilette, other seafarers at r seagoing career, ospect of finding in a job market nfamiliar and

admits that she is er feet in the job he feels that there

isn’t enough support for seafarers looking to move to an onshore role after a career at sea. “It is very hard for us to even work out which skills we have that are transferable and how we can use our expertise and knowledge, which is quite vast. There is no help if a crisis strikes in the middle of the ocean.”

Certainly seafarers are increasingly aware of how to live with tighter regulations.

“These can be a ‘mixed blessing’,” she says. “In some cases they have improved safety standards and in turn the wellbeing of seafarers. Gone are the days when you would scamper up to the radar mast without a safety harness as the platform gently swayed in the wind. On the other hand, there is an abundance of sometimes meaningless checklists where things get ticked off because it is a requirement rather than providing any real benefit.”

But some things haven’t changed, and the unwavering support of The Mission to Seafarers and its network of seafarers’ centres is one steady force for which Fazilette is grateful.

“While there has been much improvement in communications, there are still crews working on ships with tight turnaround schedules, where internet access is only available at the Mission’s seafarers’ centre,” she says. “It’s also nice to just get away from the ship’s environment even if it's just for a couple of hours.

From my experience, seafarers’ missions are usually close to where the ships dock and if not, they always provide a pick-up service which is of tremendous benefit.”

Fazilette herself has directly benefited from the support that the Mission’s local chaplains offer. "When I first went to sea, there were very few women,” she says.

“There were times when the constant haranguing would just get too much. I recall visiting a seafarers’ Mission centre in Kenya and telling the chaplain there that I was going to either jump over the side or punch the captain in the nose, whichever came first! Needless to say, after a couple of hours of tea and sympathy all was well thereafter.”

She has also witnessed the amalgamation of welfare resources

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Fazilette (right) oversees a donation drop

offered by seafarer charities in some ports, which has ultimately, in her view, improved the

available facilities.

“This has led to better equipped and properly funded

places for seafarers to visit – please keep up the good work!”

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6 the sea Mar/Apr 2016

JUSTICE MATTERS n BY DOUGLAS STEVENSON

Dealing with a rise in ‘foreign bodies’ LAST year more than one million migrants from the Middle East and Africa entered Europe, the vast majority of them by sea over the Mediterranean. Attempting to cross the Mediterranean has proven to be very dangerous for the migrants, who lack seagoing experience, and at least 3,770 migrants died attempting to cross the Mediterranean in 2015.

Merchant ships most often encounter migrants at sea as stowaways or as persons in distress. While the motivations for people attempting to migrate to Europe across the Mediterranean may be similar, maritime law treats stowaways and persons in distress very differently. Timeless maritime custom and modern law places a high priority on rescuing persons at sea, while stowaways are considered nuisances or criminals.

Rescuing those in distress at sea is a fundamental seagoing custom and duty. Seafarers benefit from this duty because should they need to be rescued some day, they will be able to count on others to try to rescue them – irrespective of their status, nationality, religion or politics. Merchant ships and governmental authorities, notably the Greek Coast Guard and the Italian Coast Guard and Navy, have rescued thousands of migrants in peril on the Mediterranean.

A seafarer’s moral duty to aid persons in distress at sea has been

supplemented by legal obligations. Customary maritime law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS), and the domestic laws of most maritime nations require ships’ masters to go to the aid of persons in distress at sea if they can do so without seriously endangering their own ships.

Stowaways, on the other hand, are treated quite differently from persons in distress at sea. A stowaway is defined as a person who hides on a vessel about to leave port to get free passage. In other words, a stowaway is a person who steals passage on a vessel. In many countries, stowing away on a ship is a crime, but stowaways are rarely prosecuted.

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) provides ships with procedures designed to prevent stowaways from boarding ships. Seafarers are sometimes blamed for not finding stowaways before sailing due to lax ISPS compliance. In reality, however, despite vigilant compliance with the ISPS and thorough pre-sailing searches, stowaways are finding very creative ways in which to board and hide themselves on ships.

Once stowaways are discovered on board a ship, the shipowner

must care for them and find a port where they can be disembarked.

Even though stowaways are often viewed as criminals or, at least, financial burdens for shipowners, they must be treated humanely.

The UN Declaration on Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the IMO Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) provide guidance on how stowaways should be treated. Stowaways should not be degraded or treated inhumanely. While on board the ship, they should be provided with food, water, clothing, accommodation and, if necessary, medical care. Stowaways who are required to work on a vessel could be considered as seafarers entitled to wages, medical care and other seafarers’ rights.

IMO’s Resolution FAL.11(37) provides shipowners, seafarers, port states, and flag states with detailed recommendations on preventing stowaways from boarding vessels and procedures to be followed if they are discovered. A fundamental principle of the guidelines is that “stowaway incidents should be dealt with in a manner consistent with humanitarian principles. Due consideration must always be given to the operational safety and security of the ship and to the safety and wellbeing of the stowaway.”

El tratamiento de los ‘cuerpos extraños’ EL año pasado entraron en Europa más de un millón de inmigrantes procedentes de Oriente Medio y África, la mayor parte de ellos llegó en embarcaciones por el Mediterráneo. Intentar cruzar el Mediterráneo es muy peligroso para los inmigrantes, que carecen de experiencia marítima. En 2015, al menos 3.770 inmigrantes murieron cuando trataban de cruzar el Mediterráneo.

Los buques mercantes encuentran inmigrantes en el mar con suma frecuencia, bien sea como polizones o como personas en peligro. Si bien los motivos para intentar emigrar a Europa por el Mediterráneo pueden ser muy parecidos, las legislaciones marítimas difieren mucho en cuanto al trato a polizones y personas en peligro.

Tanto la tradición marítima como las legislaciones modernas otorgan una gran prioridad al rescate de personas en el mar, mientras que los polizones son considerados como una molestia o como delincuentes.

No existe una tradición marítima más fundamental que el deber de los marinos de rescatar a todas las personas que se encuentren en peligro en el mar. Los marinos se benefician de este deber porque, si algún día necesitan ser rescatados, podrán contar con otros para que lo hagan, independientemente de su condición, nacionalidad, religión o ideas políticas. Los buques mercantes y las autoridades gubernamentales, en particular las guardias costeras de Grecia y de Italia, han rescatado a miles de inmigrantes en peligro en el Mediterráneo.

La obligación moral de la gente de mar de ayudar a las personas en peligro ha sido

complementada con obligaciones jurídicas. El derecho marítimo consuetudinario, la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar (UNCLOS), el Convenio Internacional para la Seguridad de la Vida Humana en el Mar (SOLAS) de la Organización Marítima Internacional y las leyes nacionales de la mayoría de los países marítimos exigen a los capitanes que acudan en auxilio de las personas que se encuentren en peligro en el mar si están en capacidad de hacerlo sin poner en grave peligro sus propios barcos.

Por otro lado, los polizones reciben un trato muy diferente al de las personas en peligro en el mar. Se define como polizón a una persona que se esconde en una embarcación para abandonar un puerto sin pagar por el pasaje.

En otras palabras, un polizón es una persona que roba pasaje en una embarcación. En muchos países, viajar de polizón en una embarcación es un delito, pero los polizones rara vez son enjuiciados.

El Código internacional para la protección de los buques y de las instalaciones portuarias (Código PBIP) proporciona a los barcos procedimientos diseñados para evitar que los polizones suban a bordo. A veces se culpa a la gente de mar por no encontrar a los polizones antes de abandonar el puerto debido a un cumplimiento poco estricto de las normas del Código PBIP. Sin embargo, en realidad, a pesar del cumplimiento cuidadoso del PBIP y de las inspecciones que se llevan a cabo antes de zarpar, los polizones están encontrando formas muy originales de subir a bordo y esconderse.

Cuando se encuentra a un polizón a bordo de una embarcación, el armador debe brindarle asistencia y buscar un puerto en el pueda desembarcar. A pesar de que a menudo los polizones son considerados delincuentes o, al menos, una carga económica para los armadores, deben recibir un trato humano. La Declaración de la ONU sobre los Derechos Humanos, el Convenio Europeo de Derechos Humanos y el Convenio para facilitar el tráfico marítimo internacional (FAL) de la OMI son fuentes de información sobre el trato que deben recibir los polizones.

Los polizones no deben recibir un trato inhumano ni degradante. Mientras estén a bordo del barco, deben recibir alimentos, agua, ropa, alojamiento y, si fuese necesario, asistencia médica. Si se exige a los polizones que trabajen en la embarcación, deben ser considerados como marinos con derecho a una retribución salarial, a la asistencia médica y con otros derechos de la gente de mar.

La resolución FAL.11(37) de la OMI ofrece a los armadores, marinos, estados portuarios y estados de abanderamiento recomendaciones detalladas para evitar el acceso de los polizones a las embarcaciones y procedimientos que deben seguirse cuando se descubre a un polizón a bordo. Uno de los principios fundamentales de esas directrices es que “los casos de polizonaje deben tratarse de un modo acorde con los principios humanitarios. Debe otorgarse siempre la debida importancia a la seguridad operacional delbuque y a la seguridad y el bienestar del polizón”.

處理偷渡者 去年，超過 100 萬移民從中 獲得自由通行而躲藏在即將 東和非洲進入歐洲，其中絕 離港的船舶上的人。換句話 大多數是從海上，即渡過地 說，偷渡者是在船上竊取通 中海進入歐洲的。試圖渡過 行的人。在很多國家，在船 地中海已被證明對這些沒有 上偷渡是一種犯罪，儘管偷 航海經驗的移民非常危險： 渡者很少被提起公訴。 2015 年期間，至少 3770 名 《國際船舶和港口設施保安 移民在試圖渡過地中海時 規 則 》（ISPS） 為 船 舶 提 供 喪生。 了旨在防止偷渡者登船的步 商船在海上遇到的最常見移 驟。海員們有時被指疏於遵 民是偷渡者或遇險人員。儘 循 ISPS， 以 至 於 未 能 在 啟 管企圖渡過地中海遷居歐洲 航前發現偷渡者。但在現實 的人們的動機可能相似，但 中，儘管積極遵循 ISPS，在 海事法律對待偷渡者和遇險 啟航前進行徹底搜索，但偷 人員是非常不同的。古老的 渡者正在找到非常有創意的 海上習俗和現代法律都高度 方式登船並在船上躲藏。 注重救援海上遇險人員，而 一旦在船上發現偷渡者，船 偷渡者被認為是討厭的人或 東必須照顧他們，並找到他 者罪犯。 們可以下船的港口。即使偷 海員有義務救助所有海上遇 渡者經常被視為罪犯，或者 險人員——沒有比這更為根 至 少 被 視 為 船 東 的 財 務 負 本的航海習俗了。海員們受 擔，但他們必須得到人道對 益于這個習俗，因為如果他 待。《聯合國人權宣言》，《歐 們有朝一日需要救助，他們 洲人權公約》以及國際海事 將能夠指望別人去嘗試救他 組織的《便利國際海上運輸 們——無論他們的身份、國 公約》（FAL）提供了應該如 籍、宗教或政治如何。商船 何對待偷渡者的指引。偷渡 和政府部門，特別是希臘海 者不應該被侮辱人格或受到 岸警衛隊和義大利海岸警衛 非人的對待。在船上期間， 隊以及海軍，在地中海營救 他們應該得到食品、水、衣 物、住宿，在必要情況下還 了數以千計的遇險移民。 要獲得醫療保健。被要求在 海 員 救 助 海 上 遇 險 人 員 的 船上勞動的偷渡者可被視為 道 德 責 任， 已 得 到 法 律 義 海員，享有工資、醫療和其 務 的 補 充。 習 慣 海 事 法 他海員權利。 律，《 聯 合 國 海 洋 法 公 約 》 （UNCLOS）， 國 際 海 事 組 國際海事組織 FAL.11(37) 決 織 的《 海 上 人 命 安 全 公 約 》 議就如何防止偷渡者登船、 （SOLAS）， 以 及 多 數 海 事 在船上發現偷渡者之後應該 國家的國內法律，都要求船 遵循什麼步驟，向船東、海 舶的船長在不嚴重危及本船 員、港口國和船旗國提供了 安全的情況下救助海上遇險 詳盡的建議。這些指引的根 本原則是“偷渡事件應該以 人員。 符合人道主義原則的方式得 另一方面，偷渡者得到的對 到處理。必須始終考慮船舶 待 與 海 上 遇 險 人 員 相 當 不 的運行安全和保安，以及偷 同。 偷 渡 者 的 定 義 是 為 了 渡者的安全和福祉。”

Правила приема «незваных гостей»

В ПРОШЛОМ году Европа приняла более одного миллиона беженцев из стран Ближнего Востока и Африки, основная часть которых прибыла по Средиземному морю. Это путешествие оказалось весьма рискованным для беженцев, у которых не было мореходного опыта, и в результате в 2015 году при попытке пересечь Средиземное море погибло по меньшей мере 3770 мигрантов. Очень часто коммерческие суда обнаруживают беженцев у себя на борту в качестве безбилетных пассажиров или лиц, терпящих бедствие. Несмотря на схожесть целей, которые преследуют люди, пытающиеся мигрировать в Европу, морское право по-разному рассматривает «безбилетников» и «лиц, терпящих бедствие». Как древние морские законы, так и положения современного морского права уделяют приоритетное внимание проблеме спасения людей на море, однако безбилетные пассажиры все равно считаются злоумышленниками или лицами, преступившими закон. Другого фундаментального закона мореходства, помимо обязанности моряков спасать всех людей, терпящих бедствие на море, просто не существует. Наличие такого закона выгодно и для самих моряков: если они окажутся в положении терпящих бедствие, то смогут рассчитывать на помощь других – вне зависимости от своего статуса, национальности, вероисповедания или политических убеждений. И коммерческие суда, и государственные органы, среди которых особого внимания заслуживают береговые службы Греции и Италии, и военно-морские подразделения уже спасли тысячи мигрантов, оказавшихся в Средиземном море в угрожающей для них ситуации.

Моральный долг моряка по оказанию помощи лицам, терпящим бедствие на море, подкрепляется законодательными положениями. Обычное морское право, Конвенция ООН по морскому праву (UNCLOS), Международная конвенция Международной морской организации по охране человеческой жизни на море (СОЛАС), а также национальные законодательные положения большинства морских государств требуют, чтобы капитаны судов оказали помощь лицам, терпящим бедствие на море, если спасательные операции не поставят под серьезную угрозу их собственные корабли. Что же до «безбилетных пассажиров», то они оказываются в совершенно иной ситуации. «Безбилетным пассажиром» считается лицо, которое скрывается на борту судна, собирающегося покинуть порт, и не платит за свое пребывание на нем. Другими словами, «безбилетный пассажир» находится на борту судна обманным путем. Во многих странах безбилетные поездки квалифицируются как преступление, однако редко бывают наказуемы. Международный кодекс по охране судов и портовых средств (ISPS) устанавливает для судов процедуры по предотвращению проникновения на борт безбилетников. Моряки, которым не удалось обнаружить на судне прятавшихся там безбилетников, часто обвиняются в несоблюдении положений этого кодекса. Однако в реальности даже несмотря на неукоснительное соблюдение всех положений ISPS и тщательный осмотр судна перед отправкой, безбилетникам все же удается проникнуть на борт и спрятаться там в результате использования разнообразных хитроумных ходов. При обнаружении безбилетников владелец судна берет заботу

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о них на себя и подыскивает порт, в котором они могут высадиться. Даже несмотря на то, что безбилетников нередко считают преступниками или, как минимум, причиной финансовых расходов для владельцев судов, они все равно имеют право на гуманное обращение. Принципы обращения с безбилетными пассажирами изложены в Декларации ООН по правам человека, Европейской конвенции о защите прав человека, а также Конвенции Международной морской организации по облегчению международного морского судоходства (FAL). Безбилетные пассажиры не должны подвергаться унижениями или негуманному обращению. На время их пребывания на борту судна они должны быть обеспечены пищей, водой, одеждой, местом для проживания и, при необходимости, – медицинской помощью. Безбилетники, которых вынуждают работать на судне, могут получить статус и права моряков, включая право на заработную плату и медицинское обслуживание. В резолюции Международной морской организации FAL.11(37) содержатся подробные рекомендации по предотвращению проникновения безбилетников на суда, а также процедуры на случай обнаружения безбилетников на борту для владельцев судов, моряков, государств порта и государств флага. Эти рекомендации в первую очередь основываются на том, что «инциденты с безбилетными пассажирами должны решаться с соблюдением принципов гуманности. Всегда следует должным образом учитывать правила охраны труда и техники безопасности проводимых на судне рабочих операций, а также меры по обеспечению безопасности и благополучия безбилетного пассажира».

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7 the sea Mar/Apr 2016

FOCUS ON FAITH n BY KEN PETERS

Drawing strength in times of crisis As I reflect on what is right and good in the shipping industry I find myself giving thanks for the seafarers who enable world trade and without whom we would all be in a very sad state, lacking food, fuel, raw materials and finished goods.

That train of thought then inevitably leads me to the many companies that set a good example in caring for their crew by ensuring really good living and working conditions. If only all companies would follow their example there would not be any exploitation or abuse.

Too often, we at The Mission to Seafarers have been involved in protracted disputes where seafarers are made to wait for their due recompense as companies fail to recognise their responsibilities.

When we are in a dispute with others it can feel like a tiring battle, and before long we may be ground down by anxiety and stress. On such occasions we need sustenance for the long periods of doubt, discomfort, worry and concern. So I ask where do you draw your strength from? Do you have the faith to see you through the long periods of separation from your loved ones and the long sea passages? In the Christian scriptures we can read a passage from one book called the Psalms which reads: “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

The passage continues: “The Lord watches over you, The Lord

will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.” This is such a straightforward statement with no ambiguity. God is there watching over us. Sometimes when we lose sight of this truth we feel very alone and vulnerable. If you are not accustomed to reading the Holy Bible or any other scriptures perhaps you might turn to secular writings that may also point the way to a truth of faith.

So it is that I think of the popular poem called ‘Footsteps’.

A Wikipedia summary of the poem reads: “This popular text describes an experience in which a person is walking on a beach with God. They leave two sets of footprints in the sand behind them. Looking back, the tracks represent various stages of their life. At various points, the two trails dwindle to one, especially at the lowest and most hopeless moments of the person's life.

When the person questions God, believing that the Lord must have abandoned His love during those times, God gives the explanation: ‘During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you’.”

I recommend that you reflect on this and in hard times call to mind God’s explanation that during times of trial and suffering, “it was then that I carried you”.

De dónde sacar fuerzas en los momentos de crisis Al reflexionar sobre lo que está bien y lo que está mal dentro del sector naviero, termino dando las gracias a los marinos que hacen posible el comercio internacional y sin los cuales todos estaríamos en una situación muy mala, sin suficientes alimentos, combustible, materia prima y productos acabados.

Después, esas reflexiones me llevan inevitablemente a la gran cantidad de empresas que sientan ejemplo al preocuparse por sus tripulaciones y garantizarles unas buenas condiciones de vida y laborales. Si todas las empresas siguiesen ese ejemplo, no habría explotación ni abusos. Al contrario, todos los marinos serían considerados profesionales dignos y nobles, de sobra merecedores de respeto.

Con demasiada frecuencia, en The Mission to Seafarers nos hemos visto involucrados en prolongadas disputas cuando una empresa no cumple con sus responsabilidades y hace esperar a los marinos por la retribución que les debe.

Cuando nos vemos envueltos en una disputa con otras personas a veces nos sentimos como si estuviésemos en una agotadora batalla, y al poco tiempo nos vemos abatidos por los nervios

y la tensión. En tales circunstancias, estamos menos dispuestos a dirigirnos a los demás con una mentalidad abierta y a tratar de alcanzar un acuerdo con las concesiones necesarias, y menos dispuestos aún a admitir nuestros errores y pedir disculpas.

En tales ocasiones necesitamos fuerza para los largos periodos de duda, malestar, preocupación e inquietud. Mi pregunta es: ¿de dónde sacas esa fuerza? ¿Tienes la fe necesaria para atravesar los largos periodos de separación de tus seres queridos y de los largos trayectos en el mar sin poder escapar del ruido y las vibraciones? Cuando estamos envueltos en una disputa, hasta las molestias más pequeñas pueden acentuar nuestro malestar. En las escrituras cristianas hay un pasaje de los Salmos que dice: “El auxilio me viene del Señor, que hizo el cielo y la tierra”. El pasaje continúa: “El Señor es tu guardián, el Señor es tu sombra, él está a tu derecha. El sol no te molestará de día, ni la luna de noche. El Señor te guardará de todo mal, él guardará tu vida; guardará tu partida y tu regreso, desde ahora y por siempre”. Se trata de un alegato muy directo, sin ambigüedad. Dios está ahí y es nuestro guardián. A veces, cuando olvidamos

esta verdad nos sentimos muy solos y vulnerables.

Si no estás acostumbrado a leer la Santa Biblia u otras escrituras, tal vez quieras leer textos seculares que también apunten a una verdad de la fe.

Eso me hace pensar en el famoso poema titulado Huellas en la arena. Esto es lo que dice la Wikipedia sobre el poema: Este famoso texto describe la experiencia de alguien que está caminando por una playa junto a Dios. Al hacerlo, van dejando atrás sendas hileras de pisadas en la arena. Las huellas representan diversas etapas de sus vidas. En algunos puntos, las hileras se funden en una, especialmente en los que corresponden a los momentos más bajos y desesperados en la vida de la persona. Cuando la persona interroga a Dios sobre eso, creyendo que el Señor la abandonó en esos momentos, Dios le explica: “En los momentos de tribulaciones y sufrimiento solo ves una hilera de pasos porque era cuando yo te llevaba en mis brazos”.

Te recomiendo que reflexiones sobre esto y que, en los momentos difíciles, recuerdes las palabras de Dios sobre los momentos de tribulaciones y sufrimiento: “era cuando yo te llevaba en mis brazos”.

在危機時刻汲取力量 視為尊嚴而高貴的專業人 員，絕對值得尊重。

護你，免受一切的災害。他 要保護你的性命。你出你入 主要保護你，從今時直到永 遠。 ” 這 是 如 此 直 截 了 當 的一個聲明，毫不含糊。上 帝在那裡看著我們。有時， 當我們忘記了這個真理時， 我們感到非常孤獨和脆弱。 如 果 你 不 習 慣 閱 讀《 聖 經 》 （Holy Bible）或其他任何經 文，你也許可以轉向世俗的 著作，它們也可能指明信仰 真理的道路。

很 多 時 候， “海員使團”介 入漫長的糾紛，企業不承認 自己的責任，使海員不能及 時拿到自己應有的報酬。當 我們與他人發生糾紛時，可 能感覺像是一場令人筋疲力 盡的戰鬥，我們可能很快會 因為焦慮和緊張而透不過氣 來。在這種情況下，我們變 得不太願意以開放的心態對 待他人，不太願意在需要妥 協的時候尋求妥協，更不願 這 讓 我 想 起 了 流 行 詩 歌 。維基 《足跡》 （Footsteps） 意承認錯誤並表示抱歉。 百 科 對 這 首 詩 簡 介 如 下： 在這樣的情況下，我們需要 “這段流行文字描述一個人 寄託，以挺過曠日持久的懷 與主一起漫步海灘的體驗。 疑、不適、擔心和憂慮。所 他們在身後的沙灘上留下兩 以 我 問， 你 從 哪 裡 汲 取 力 套腳印。回過頭去看，這些 量？你有信仰，能夠讓你忍 足跡代表了他們生活的各個 受與親人長時間分離，忍受 階段。在某些點，兩條足跡 無法逃離噪音和振動的漫長 減少到一條，尤其是在那人 海上航行嗎？在發生糾紛期 的人生中最低沉最絕望的時 間，哪怕是很小的煩惱也似 刻。他相信主肯定在那些時 乎會加重我們的不適。 候放棄了他的愛，於是他問 主，主解釋道： ‘在你艱難困 在基督教的聖經中， 《詩篇》 苦的時候，你只能看到一套 （Psalms）中的一段是這麼說 腳印，因為那時我背著你’ ” 。 的： “我的幫助從造天地的主 而來。 ”這一段繼續說： “保 我建議你想一想這個故事， 護你的是主。主在你右邊蔭 在 困 難 的 時 候 記 得 主 的 解 庇你。白日太陽必不傷你， 釋：在艱難困苦的時候， “那 夜間月亮必不害你。主要保 時我背著你” 。

Источник сил в часы страданий Размышляя о хороших и правильных вещах в транспортной индустрии, я понял, что хочу сказать морякам «спасибо» за их великий вклад в международную торговлю. Без них мы нам пришлось бы очень плохо: мы бы испытали дефицит пищи, горючего, сырья, готовых товаров. При этом мои мысли неизбежно обращались к тем многим компаниям, которые подают пример внимательного отношения к своим экипажам за счет создания достойных условий для их жизни и работы. Если бы все прочие компании последовали их примеру, то мы бы навсегда покончили с эксплуатацией и насилием. Вместо этого моряки считались бы благородными, славными профессионалами своего дела, более чем достойными уважения. К сожалению нам, сотрудникам «Миссии в поддержку моряков», часто приходится подолгу обсуждать ситуации, когда моряки оказываются вынуждены ждать компенсации за выполнение обязанностей, которые их работодатели отказываются признавать. В спорах мы нередко устаем, как в сражениях, и вскоре оказываемся побеждены волнением и стрессом. В таких случаях нам уже меньше

хочется открываться другим людям и искать компромиссов, даже если мы чувствуем их необходимость. Еще меньше мы склонны признать свою неправоту и попросить прощения. Тогда нам нужны силы, чтобы выстоять в течение долгого периода сомнений, дискомфорта, беспокойства и озабоченности. Откуда же нам взять эти силы? Есть ли у вас вера, которая поддержит вас в течение долгих морских путешествий и продолжительных разлук с любимыми, когда нигде нет спасения от шума и вибрации? В смутные периоды споров даже незначительные раздражения могут стать причиной усиления нашего дискомфорта. В Священном писании есть следующие строки из Книги псалмов: «Я обретаю помощь от Бога, Создателя небес и земли». И далее: «Бог охраняет тебя, Бог – это тень твоей правой руки; солнце не повредит тебе днем, луна не повредит тебе ночью. Бог охранит тебя от всех бед, Он будет охранять твою жизнь; Бог будет охранять твой приход и уход, ныне и во веки веков». Это предельно простое и недвусмысленное утверждение. Бог охраняет нас. Иногда,

неспособные разглядеть Его истину, мы чувствуем себя одинокими и уязвимыми. Если вы не привыкли к чтению Библии или других священных книг, вам, возможно, поможет чтение мирской литературы, которая также способна указать путь к праведности веры. Например, это может быть популярная поэма Footsteps («Следы»). В «Википедии» мы читаем о ней следующее: «В этой популярной поэме рассказывается о прогулке человека и Бога по берегу моря. Гуляя, они оставляют позади себя две дорожки из следов, символизирующие разные этапы их жизни. В нескольких местах две дорожки пересекаются в одну, особенно в самых тяжелых и лишенных надежды периодах человеческой жизни. Когда человек спросил Бога, почему он лишил его Своей любви в эти периоды, Бог ответил ему: «Когда твоя жизнь была полна испытаний и горестей, ты видишь только одну дорожку из следов, потому что в это время Я нес тебя на руках». Я советую вам подумать об этом, и в тяжелые периоды своей жизни вспомнить о том, что во время испытаний и горестей Он несет вас на руках.

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, 118 Export Street, Port Newark, NJ 07114, USA. Tel: +1 973 589 5825 Fax: +1973 817 8656

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

College Hill, London EC4R 2RL, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7248 5202 Fax: +44 (0)20 7248 4761 Email: Justice@missiontoseafarers.org 评论? 质问? 给我们发送电子邮件! themissiontoseafarers

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8 the sea Mar/Apr 2016

Leaving shipboard bullying astern

Nicaragua Canal progress

New ICS and ITF guidelines put emphasis on tackling onboard harrassment

M

The ICS and the ITF say that, in recognition of the fact that any form of harassment and bullying can have serious consequences for seafarers, the guidance sets out what shipping companies, seafarers and seafarers’ organisations can do to help prevent bullying and harassment from becoming a serious concern.

The Sea asked both the ICS and the ITF how big a problem they considered bullying to be. The ICS’s director employment affairs, Natalie Shaw, said: “The number of reported cases is low, but

ways and it can sometimes be a matter of pointing out how something may be offensive to another that can actually resolve an issue which is of considerable concern to the affected person, but which the person responsible may not be aware was causing such distress.”

ITF general secretary, Steve Cotton, said: “Bullying and harassment in the workplace are unacceptable wherever they happen – but they have a particular horror at sea, where those affected may be isolated and alone, hundreds of miles Credit: Videotel

ARITIME employers’ and seafarers’ unions have joined forces to publish new international Guidance on Eliminating Shipboard Harassment and Bullying. The new guidelines, developed by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), can be downloaded from the ICS and ITF websites.

The guidelines are being distributed throughout the global shipping industry via ICS national shipowners’ associations and ITF union affiliates.

Bullying and harassment was the subject of a 2014 online ETF programme

The issuing of the new guidelines comes two years after the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and Videotel created an anti-bullying programme that is still available online at Videotel (www.videotel.com/ETF). The programme was distributed free of charge worldwide to over 10,000 vessels at sea through Videotel’s onboard computer training system.

The latest move came just before an International Labour Organization (ILO) special tripartite committee meeting on the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) in February in Geneva, which considered the issue. Under the MLC, governments are already required to respect the fundamental right of seafarers not to be discriminated against during their employment on board ships. Now the emphasis is on tackling harassment and bullying.

we do not know whether this is because seafarers are unsure of what to do in such circumstances. The idea of the guidance is to put in place an international framework of best practice so that seafarers are aware of what they should do if they feel they are being bullied or harassed or if they see others who are clearly being affected in this way.”

Mrs Shaw added: “There have been a few situations which have had very serious negative consequences and we hope that the guidelines will help to promote an onboard conducive culture which values diversity and recognises the important role played by all crew members.”

According to Mrs Shaw there was no evidence as to whether the problem was more prevalent or not in multinational crewed vessels. But she noted: “Different cultures understand things in different

from home. Until now there has been a lack of practical common sense guidelines and we’re delighted that we have been able to work side by side with the ICS to address this need.”

Mark Dickinson, general secretary of maritime union Nautilus International and ETF adviser, said: “It’s difficult to put an exact figure on how many seafarers are affected by bullying and harassment at sea – but from testimonies received we know that it is widespread. In a 2010 survey we conducted of our members at Nautilus International we found that whilst matters had improved over a similar survey 10 years earlier still a shocking 43 per cent had personally experienced the problem in the previous five years. That is why the ITF and ICS have joined together to try and tackle this problem and we very much welcome these new international guidelines.”

Places of refuge progress welcomed THE body representing salvage companies has welcomed progress on European Union Operational Guidelines on Places of Refuge.

International Salvage Union (ISU), which has been campaigning on the issue for many years, joined forces with the International Chamber of Shipping, the International Union of Marine Insurance and the International Group of P&I Clubs to press for improvement internationally after the case of the fire-damaged MSC Flaminia in the eastern Atlantic. It was weeks before she was admitted to a European port.

ISU has acknowledged that making the decision to bring a damaged vessel closer to shore or to port is very difficult, and that the risk of pollution cannot be eradicated.

However, a damaged vessel often needs to be brought to a Place of Refuge where her condition can be stabilised. It says the EU Operational Guidelines will “go a long way to improving the situation in the important and busy waters of the Member States of the European Union”.

In particular, “salvors welcome the statement that ‘unless unsafe there should be no

www.missiontoseafarers.org

rejection of a casualty vessel without inspection’”.

Now ISU wants the EU to take a global leadership position on Places of Refuge in other parts of the world and hopes the influence of the EU will bring more progress internationally. It says the cases of the Maritime Maisie – a burning chemical tanker which the authorities in the Far East refused to assist – another case in the Far East, the Eastern Amber, and the Stolt Valor in the Middle East have all demonstrated the need for improvement. themissiontoseafarers

THE Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Group (HKND) has commissioned a series of marine and port assessments for the proposed Nicaragua Canal.

UK-based consultant BMT will assist the development and validation of the canal’s design and operations, through a structured framework. The move comes as the expansion of the Panama Canal nears completion.

China sets up ECAs CHINA’S Ministry of Transport (MOT) has set up emission control areas (ECAs) in the three main coastal waters of the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and the Bohai Rim in order to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter from ships, and to improve the air quality.

From this January, existing International Maritime Organization requirements, including its 3 per cent sulphurin-fuel cap, have been strictly enforced, while ports within the ECAs can now require ships at berth to use fuel oil with sulphur content not exceeding 0.5 per cent. This lower limit will gradually be phased in throughout the ECAs and will apply to all vessels by 1 January, 2019.

Ships may use shore power, clean fuel and exhaust gas treatment systems as alternative ways to comply.

Halul’s OSV simulator QATAR-BASED Halul Offshore Services, part of the Milaha group, has bought a ‘stateof-the-art’ offshore support vessel (OSV) ship-handling simulator, claimed to be the first of its kind in the Gulf State.

President and CEO of Milaha, Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai, said: “The use of such modern equipment affirms our longstanding commitment to provide the highest level of training to our staff. This simulator supports the development of our operational capabilities, and will allow Halul to continue to provide innovative solutions to our partners and clients in Qatar and beyond, particularly in today’s challenging market.”

IACS focuses on cyber safety THE International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has set up a Cyber Panel to tackle what it says has become a “key industry issue”, by upgrading the existing Expert Group on Cyber Systems.

IACS says it has taken this step because it now sees cyber security as being as important as IACS’s traditional focus areas of safety, environment, hull, machinery and survey. It will, IACS says, significantly enhance the organisation’s ability to address cyber safety concerns and support the protection of human life, property and the marine environment.

Tanker Lack of rushes to refugees aid planning On 15 January the FSL Tokyo, a tanker then operated by Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM), while en route to Kingston, Jamaica, responded to an alert from another vessel requesting assistance with the rescue of seventeen people, including five women, from a raft.

The group, apparently would-be refugees from Cuba, were in good health despite having been at sea for 15 days. They were disembarked in Kingston, Jamaica, by the local authorities on January 16 and were taken to a Red Cross institution to await repatriation to Cuba.

CSM expressed its appreciation to Capt Robert Stanescu and his crew for their professionalism and good seamanship but declined to provide further details about the ship, which they no longer manage. However, Tan Suan Jow, director of the Marine Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, expressed his thanks to Columbia Shipmanagement Singapore: “Please accept our commendations and appreciation to the crew of the Columbia managed tanker for their gallant deeds.” @FlyingAngelNews

led to fall

THE UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) says there was no proper plan or supervision when high-value motor yachts were being loaded as deck cargo on to the Norjan in June 2014.

During the operation the chief officer fell from a hatch cover into the hold and suffered fractures to both legs. He was off work for 12 months.

MAIB notes that working on the hatch covers was a day-to-day activity; without edge protection, the risk of falling off the hatch covers was ever present.

The crew and the loadmaster gave insufficient regard to the risks posed when working on the hatch covers; their perception was that the risk of falling off the hatch covers could be controlled by remaining alert to the hazard and taking care when working close to the edges.

MAIB found that the lifting operation on board the Norjan was not properly planned, appropriately supervised or carried out in a safe manner.