Issue 248 Jul/Aug 2017
MtS targets justice and welfare in UAE
Abandoned and ‘virtually imprisoned’
Enhanced Mission team to tackle human rights abuses against seafarers by corrupt manning agencies and shipowners THE Mission to Seafarers in the United Arab Emirates is refocusing on combating human rights abuses against seafarers by unscrupulous manning agencies and shipowners. In the last two years, the Dubaibased team has dealt with 298 vessels which had significant welfare issues involving more than 1,600 seafarers. The number of cases has increased so much that the current justice and welfare team can no longer meet the demand for their support. “In any downturn, it is the seafarers who suffer the most,” says the Revd Dr Paul Burt, the Mission’s regional director for the Gulf & South Asia and senior chaplain in the UAE. “We receive around three new cases each week and know of several ships within our area whose crews
A larger justice team will contnue to battle human rights abuses against seafarers
are facing exceptionally hard circumstances, and for whom we are currently unable to offer support. “By increasing our justice team we will be able to help more seafarers in need – many of whom are often left without salary, food and water for months on end.” As a result of the changing
needs of seafarers, the Mission will retire its launch, Flying Angel, but pastoral visits to vessels at anchor will still be available on request. The current justice team of three full-time chaplains will be enhanced by a fourth, operating from Abu Dhabi, and a qualified welfare worker serving other ports.
IN A recent justice and welfare case handled by The Mission to Seafarers’ team in the UAE, two Filipino seafarers were abandoned on an anti-piracy vessel after a payment dispute and were left to fend for themselves. Most of the time they had no food or water and their virtual imprisonment on the vessel lasted 31 months. The Mission’s welfare officers supported them with regular deliveries of essential supplies and counselling. They also worked as their advocates, negotiating with all the disputing parties on their behalf, and paid for the men to retrain and renew their certificates while still on board. Eventually the Mission was able to broker a deal whereby the men were allowed to go home in 2016 with a promise that when the vessel was sold they would get their salaries.
ITF calls to halt tuna transshipment sea without oversight and that this unregulated situation allows illegal fishing, human trafficking, extreme
labour abuses, debt bondage, serious injuries, safety violations, and even murder to happen. Credit: Greenpeace
THE International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is calling for a moratorium on high seas transshipment by tuna long-line vessels in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea until companies implement what the ITF describes as “fair labour standards throughout their supply chains to protect fishers and seafarers”. Transshipment is the process whereby fishing vessels transfer their catch, supplies, and in some cases fishers, on the high seas, generally in international waters, far from land and any national or international inspectors or law enforcement officials. The ITF says this practice allows fishing vessels to spend months or even years at
The ITF claims transshipment leads to illegal fishing, safety violations and even murder
The ITF fisheries section chair and Norwegian Seafarers’ Union president, Johnny Hansen, said: “Fishers of all nationalities deserve to have basic safety and health protections, to work in an environment free from physical or mental abuse, and have the right to organise/freely associate to protect themselves. Too often, fishers are beaten or even killed for asserting their rights, and it’s time for us to take action against transshipment to protect everyone on the high seas.” To find a seafarers’ centre near you and for more information about the Mission’s services visit www.missiontoseafarers.org
Mitigating the risk of diabetes PRE-EMPLOYMENT medical examinations (PEMEs) are being used to screen for diabetes risk factors and the early signs of the disease and then recommend lifestyle changes and medication. “The treatment ... allows seafarers to remain gainfully employed in the careers to which they have often devoted their lives,” according to Dr Marcus Brauer, who carries out PEMEs for marine insurer UK P&I Club in South Africa. The Club set up its PreEmployment Medical Examination Programme in August 1996 and now has 67 clinics in 24 different countries, and has conducted over 360,000 examinations.
‘Right crew’ service promoted MARINE insurer North P&I Club is encouraging shipowners to use a crew evaluation and benchmarking service produced by Seagull Maritime to help it attract, recruit and retain the ‘right crew’ for their ships. “Low levels of knowledge can be a potential danger to the ship, the crew and to the individuals themselves,” said North’s deputy loss prevention director Colin Gillespie.
VLOC loss prompts concerns THE loss of the Marshall Islandsflagged very large ore carrier (VLOC) Stellar Daisy, which broke in two suddenly in March 2017 with the loss of 22 of its 24 crew members, has led to concerns that other former very large crude carriers (VLCCs) might be at risk of catastrophic structural failure. The ship was one of several single hull VLCCs converted to VLOCs when international regulations banned the use of single hull VLCCs.
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Whistleblower awarded US$1m US court sends signal to encourage reporting of environmental crimes with large cash reward for whistleblowing engineer A FORMER engineer who reported illegal discharges of oily waste from Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess has been awarded US$1 million by a US court. Christopher Keays became a whistleblower in 2013 shortly after joining the vessel and finding that a so-called ‘magic pipe’ was being used to illegally pump oily waste into British waters. His action led to a prosecution in the US courts for offences committed within their jurisdiction and the imposing of a US$40 million penalty on the Carnival Cruise subsidiary, the largest-ever fine for deliberate vessel pollution. The Caribbean Princess was Mr Keays’ first ship after training to be a junior engineer, in 2013. He has been reported as saying that he left the vessel feeling “hugely disappointed” that there was a “blatant disregard for the protection of the seas and in defiance of the law”. He then took up a shore job in
Credit: Princess Cruises
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Engineer Keays was “disappointed” to uncover the illegal discharges
Spain. Commenting on the award he said: “Thinking back, I had not considered the implications of my response and that my career may be over before it barely started. My actions were an automatic response to wrong, when so many others clearly turned a blind eye. I genuinely hope that this will be a wake up call for the industry, that my actions will be replicated and empower those with knowledge of these practices to do the right thing, and finally deliberate
pollution will become a past shame rather than a continued illegal practice that is unspoken of by many ships’ crew.” He added that the money would give him financial security. The US district judge who awarded the payment also directed that US$1 million of the US$40 million penalty should go to the Abandoned Seafarers’ Fund, which supports seafarers stranded in the US after witnessing maritime-related crimes.
Supersize lifeboat passes boarding test LIFEBOATS that can take on more people than a jumbo jet are being built for a series of cruise ships being constructed by STX France and the first has recently passed a boarding test. However, the concept of having 440 people in one boat is controversial. Palfinger Marine’s new 15.5 metre MPC 49 is said to be the world’s first lifeboat Boarding of 440 people was successful in a trial run with seating on two decks. Classification society a real cruise ship, 200 employees DNV GL set a time limit of 10 and 240 local volunteers, aged minutes to board all of the 15 to 80, moved in an orderly passengers in a test embarkation fashion to the boat, entered in the company’s fabrication hall through the four entrances on at Seimsfoss, Norway. In the two deck levels, and found their event, from a ‘muster station’ seats in five minutes and 21 placed at exactly the same seconds. distance from the lifeboat as on However, Allan Graveson,
senior national secretary at Nautilus, commented: “It appears manufacturers are designing to meet prescriptive requirements, acceptable to certain flag states, rather than seeking to afford passengers a ‘reasonable prospect of survival’. Lifeboats need to be launched in potentially the most hazardous of conditions, therefore a 150-persons limit appears sensible given the current development of launching appliances including davits and fall wires.” There have been many fatal lifeboat accidents since the introduction of on-load release devices some 30 years ago. Many of these were caused by hook failures but more recently the focus has been on fall wires parting, apparently due to poor maintenance. Credit: Palfinger
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Mission highlights mental health issues THE Mission to Seafarers is highlighting the mental health challenges faced by seafarers and calling on the industry to offer wider services that could help safeguard their welfare. Much of the work undertaken by the Mission globally involves mental health support, from offering the ability to contact families, to being on hand to support seafarers struggling with depression and fatigue, and can even include providing support after cases of attempted suicide. Poor communication is a factor in mental health, with most seafarers being unable to rely on access to the internet to use platforms such as Skype or WhatsApp to maintain contact with loved ones. A recent survey by the Seafarers’ Trust reported that as many as 77 per cent of seafarers have their internet access limited to email or text, or have no access to internet on board at all. The Mission’s Secretary General, the Revd Canon Andrew Wright, added: “All of our chaplains are
Credit: MtS
Industry needs to do more to come to the aid of seafarers grappling with mental illness while working on board ship
MtS chaplains can provide support where industry assistance is lacking
trained to respond to a range of mental health issues and help seafarers deal with the stresses and strains of life at sea. We urge
any seafarer to contact one of our chaplains in port who will be able to provide a listening ear and support.”
Internet equals happy crews The insurer points out that the low speeds and high cost of onboard internet are still an issue but, as satellite communications technology becomes more advanced and bandwidth
limitations disappear, the cost of providing internet access at sea is becoming more affordable. “Coverage, reliability and speeds are improving all the time,” said Mr Baker.
Credit: ILO
ACCORDING to a survey by the independent charity, The Sustainable Shipping Initiative, provision of internet connectivity on board is a key welfare issue as it makes seafarers happier at sea. The Crew Connectivity report by Futurenautics Research also found that 73 per cent of seafarers say the level of onboard internet access influences which company they work for. The head of loss prevention at marine insurer North P&I Club, Tony Baker, said that shipowners should seriously consider whether they have good internet access on board. He said: “Engaging with friends and family and maintaining relationships via social media is now seen as the norm. In a competitive market for officers and crew, shipowners therefore need to do everything they can to provide good connectivity at sea.”
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British Government not giving up on SGO crew THE UK Government says it is still trying to secure the release of six Britons who are among the 35-strong crew of the anti-piracy ship Seaman Guard Ohio who are in prison in India after being convicted of illegally possessing firearms and sentenced to five years in jail. David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, said: “The Prime Minister has raised the case of the Chennai six with Prime Minister Modi of India; Foreign Office ministers and our High Commissioner in New Delhi have raised the issue many times with their Indian counterparts; and representations continue to be made to the Indian High Commissioner here in London.” The 10 crew and 25 guards were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs3000 each on 11 January, 2016.
Thome opens Philippines training centre THOME Ship Management has opened a modern training facility in the Makati district of the Philippines capital, Manila. The Thome Training Workshop and Dormitory can accommodate up to 50 seafarers/cadets and is equipped with WiFi, 10 standalone computer-based training stations and other state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.
Dog watch system most effective IN A report on a study for the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, researchers from Southampton Solent University’s Warsash Maritime Academy concluded that the most effective twowatch system is the Royal Navy dog watch system. The 12on/12off system recorded the highest risk of falling asleep, while the traditional 4on/8off three-watch system was found to be relatively low risk compared to a two-watch system.
Internet connectivity is crucial to seafarers’ happiness
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Credit: Videotel
Onboard training programmes have their critics
IT-based training: a blessing or a curse? Information technology is affecting many aspects of life at sea, not least when it comes to seafarer training and certification By David Hughes
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NFORMATION technology is changing the way seafarers learn their skills and, increasingly, the ways in which maritime authorities and ship operators record and monitor seafarers’ certificates of competency. Taking training first, there has been an explosion in the number of courses offered through distance learning by means of computer-based training packages. Some are directly connected to mandatory requirements. Others reinforce skills or meet specific requirements of ship operators. The providers of such training are usually frank about potential financial advantages to ship operators. For example, Viking
Saatsea, the Danish maritime e-learning unit of marine and offshore safety equipment leader Viking Life-Saving Equipment, has released a new set of 24/7-accessible, train-at-yourconvenience courses to make the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) training “more efficient and affordable”. It markets the package to “shipowners hoping to save training costs, reduce risks and increase the efficiency of ISPS Code maritime security compliance”. Shipowners operating internationally are required to ensure their crews have a range of competencies for dealing with maritime security situations such as piracy or terrorist attacks. Three levels of skills are mandated, depending on the duties and ranking of crew or ship’s officers. The
e-learning courses were, Viking says, developed as a response to customer requests and tested in close co-operation with a major shipping line. Viking Saatsea’s CEO, Kim Baarsøe, promises significant savings for shipowners – both in time and direct expenses. “ISPS courses take up to two days of land-based training, that’s a significant expense and a hassle for operations. But given that this type of training is almost entirely theoretical, it can easily be conducted on board. Our new courses bring greater flexibility with much lower impact on operations.” According to the company, shipowners stand to save as much as half of the normal costs of such training. But Viking emphasises that training cost-efficiencies are not its only priority. Under multi-year agreements, the new
courses can be re-taken at any time, such as before entering a high-risk region. This enables crew to refresh the skills they need to remain alert to, and prepared to cope with, situations that may compromise onboard security. The programme is largely unaffected by land-to-sea connection status, enabling it to run either online or offline – and can be accessed both at sea and from land-based locations for administration purposes. Moreover, the here-and-now training flexibility is preferred by crew being trained, because they are able to undergo training while at sea rather than in their home periods. Training status can be tracked at individual or vessel levels. Interestingly, Viking says shipowners and operators are not the only market for the
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Boosting safety through e-learning E-LEARNING programmes can be used to deliver training that complements mandatory courses. A recent example of this is Videotel’s new training programme, Report a Near-Miss, Save a Life, launched in association with marine liability insurer The Standard Club. The training programme examines the importance of sharing near-miss reports, so that lessons can be learned and publicised throughout a fleet, to help reduce the chances of similar incidents happening. The insurer says that, although standards have improved since the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) adoption of the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) in 1993, a high proportion of near misses at sea can still be attributed to human error. This was recently highlighted in the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch’s Safety Digest Report, which identified that 75 per cent of incidents reported to the Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) during the past 12 years could be traced to human factors. In the video and workbook of Report a Near-Miss, Save a Life, near-miss case studies are described and analysed in detail. These real-life examples of potentially serious incidents that almost happened to others are designed to trigger discussions about similar situations that may have gone unreported on board an individual ship or in the fleet. These can then be shared with other vessels with the aim of avoiding similar mistakes. n
new ISPS Code courses. Existing seafarers looking for work and new entrants to the industry will also be able to sign up for one-time access, enabling them to obtain training as part of their efforts to find employment. Other training packages allow crew to comply with shipspecific requirements. ECDIS (electronic chart) producer Danelec Marine has recently launched a new computer-based training (CBT) programme for its latest products. The company said: “ The convenient and user-friendly CBT courseware allows students to download the training curriculum to their own computers or laptops and perform the self-study portion offline, at home or at sea. At the end of each module, the student takes a self-administered test. The student can communicate with an ECDIS instructor at any stage of the self-study portion by email or interactive chat. Upon completion of the 32-module course, the student logs on to the internet for a multiplechoice exam, followed by a livecam interview with a certified instructor. When the student
Knowledge sharing can help prevent accidents
achieves a passing grade, Danelec Marine issues a certificate of completion.” Hans Ottosen, CEO of Danelec Marine, says: “We have designed this training curriculum to make it easy for ship’s officers to attain the type-specific familiarisation certification required by international regulations without
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Assurance Training online courses as its ECDIS type specific continuous personal development training strategy. The agreement enables MISC to monitor online its officers’ progress on the three different ECDIS systems used on its ships. Some courses are simply intended to improve safety without
Seafarer knowledge assessment and benchmarking are important tools to highlight knowledge gaps the time and expense to travel to a classroom training centre.” Meanwhile, in a move aimed at ensuring competencies are maintained, major Malaysian shipowner MISC has contracted eMaritime Group to provide ECDIS Annual Competency
leading to a qualification. Last year, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) released a training programme, produced by UK-based Videotel, to encourage safe navigation in the Singapore Strait. Carrying an estimated one third of the world’s traded goods,
the Singapore Strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Aimed at experienced ship’s masters and bridge teams, Safe Passage in the Singapore Strait, is a three-part training package of two full-length videos and an interactive computer-based module. The programme is being distributed free to shipping companies by the MPA. Union official Allan Graveson has, however, serious doubts about distance learning and the way it is being used in the shipping industry. Speaking to The Sea, the senior national secretary at Nautilus International says that in principle, distance learning through computer-based training is possible on ships where a threewatchkeeper system is in place and if the vessel is undertaking long sea passages. But he adds: “Where ships are engaged in intensive, short-haul trades it just can’t be done. People are so tired after finishing their watches that expecting them to do courses when off-watch is entering Alice in Wonderland territory.” He also pointed out that training using online access was not possible on most ships due to lack of internet access.
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In general, he is sceptical about the use of distance learning at sea, and especially for mandatory courses, and he is a particularly unhappy about ECDIS familiarisation courses. He is adamant that type-specific ECDIS training should be carried out ashore and says that the idea that familiarisation could be done on board while the ship was operational was “utter nonsense”. Another bone of contention for the union is, Mr Graveson says, that officers are increasingly being expected to take distance courses at home while on leave, and quite often at their own expense. Despite Mr Graveson’s serious misgivings, distance learning courses are quite clearly now a fact of life at sea and these programmes increasingly feed into systems that monitor seafarers’ qualifications. In this context, Tsakos Columbia Shipmanagement (TCM) has contracted Seagull Maritime to bring TCM’s in-house Tanker Competence and Promotion Management System (TCPMS) to its fleet of fifty-five tankers through Seagull’s Competence Manager. Available both on board and online, Seagull’s Competence Manager allows shipping companies to monitor the career development of their seafarers
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and implement competence and promotion requirements. It works in conjunction with Seagull’s extensive reports and statistics on the existing e-learning material
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According to North’s deputy loss prevention director Colin Gillespie, North’s root-cause analysis of major claims identified issues with officer quality and
Low levels of knowledge can be a potential danger to the ship, the crew and to the individuals themselves. Where low levels of knowledge are identified they must be addressed
on board. TCM has used Seagull’s e-learning modules and crew evaluation tests since 2004, with fleet-wide implementations since 2008. Seagull’s Crew Evaluation System (CES) can be used for crew evaluation and benchmarking. Marine insurer North P&I Club is encouraging shipowners to use the Seagull systems to recruit and retain the ‘right crew’ for their ships.
Finding knowledge gaps in seafarer learning can help prevent accidents
safety culture to be present in the majority of incidents. He said: “Seafarer knowledge assessment and benchmarking are important tools to highlight knowledge gaps.” The CES tests, which can be taken anywhere on a standard PC, are based on over 5,000 multiplechoice questions on knowledge areas in the International Convention on Standards of Tr a i n i n g , Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). Test results are recorded and benchmarked against the CES global database of over 700,000 tests carried out since 2010. Seagull reports that 8 per cent of qualified seafarers scored less than 40 per cent in the tests. “Low levels of knowledge can be a potential danger to the ship, the crew and to the individuals themselves. “Where low levels of knowledge are
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identified they must be addressed. This may be through training programmes,” says Mr Gillespie. Maritime authorities are, not surprisingly, also digitalising their seafarer records. The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) has put its sea service records online in a move it says will make it easier for seafarers to apply for certificates, keep track of their seagoing service and access the information held about them. DMA director Rasmus Høy Thomsen says: “ The new solution will make it fast and easy for seafarers to type in their seagoing service before applying for certificates. You can, inter alia, see whether you have sufficient seagoing service to have your certificates renewed, and you can get a record of your total seagoing service if, for example, you need this in relation to your employer.” Commenting on the trend towards seafarer information becoming more easily available to ship operators, regulatory authorities and seafarers themselves, the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s (ITF) representative at IMO, Branko Berlan, tells The Sea: “Administrative burdens on board the ships are enormous and every new and upcoming international regulation is making it worse. So, new and advanced technology in electronic record keeping is very much to be welcomed not only by the industry and ITF but also administrations.” He notes that, a few years ago, IMO started work on its Single Window (SW) which aims at keeping all ship and seafarers’ records in one place. IMO still hopes to set up the SW system but in reality different countries have gone ahead and set up their own systems, making it difficult to harmonise the different approaches. Mr Berlan says there is a danger of ending up with many systems which cannot be universally accessed and that there will still be a need for hard copies of documents to be kept on ships. However, looking at the general trend towards the use of electronic record keeping, he says: “The bottom line is that transparency will not harm seafarers.” But then he adds: “At least, I hope not.” n
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A master’s responsibility Credit: IMO
It’s time for international maritime law to update itself to reflect the reality of the modern ship master’s responsibility and authority By Michael Grey
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HE authority of a ship master, it is said, has been greatly eroded, but the responsibilities of this officer have at the same time, been greatly increased. Wonderful communications have made it tremendously easy to bend the captain’s ear, no matter where the ship may be situated, so that everyone, regardless of time zones, feels able to offer advice, instructions or threats. But none of this will alter the fact that if something goes wrong, it will be the master who will get the blame, as in law, he or she retains the sole responsibility for the conduct of that ship. Once upon a time, this made sense, as it was the master who took the decisions on the route of the ship, her speed and courses, and, although much would be delegated to the officers, the master carried ultimate responsibility for safely loading and discharging the vessel, and even for finding the cargo and agreeing the rate for its shipment. Now, of course, the master operates to closely prescribed company/ charterer or flag state instructions. So how on earth can the poor master be responsible for the contents of the thousands of containers which may be loaded aboard a big vessel? The terminal may provide early warning of hazardous or special cargo, but on the other hand, the first the master may know of the cargo will be as the ship prepares to leave port, when a terminal manager might provide a manifest. The relative helplessness of the modern master in respect of cargo was underlined last year when a big car carrier became unstable and nearly turned over, partly because the terminal had altered the cargo plans and stowed all the heavy cargo high up in the ship. It is not even unusual in the container trades to discover that the total manifested weight stated on the documents bears little resemblance to that determined by checking the ship’s draft marks.
Today’s ship masters are being blamed for all sorts of things they cannot control
The master may scratch his head and worry about where all that extra unexpected weight was actually stowed, hoping it is not on the very top of the deck stack. But it is still the master’s responsibility, even if it is hopelessly impractical for the master to intervene in the detailed stowage. “You just cross your fingers and hope for the best
port on route to her destination. The authorities in that port, perhaps because of a ‘tip-off’ or because of their close scrutiny of the cargo documentation, discovered that the vessel’s cargo, loaded at a previous port of call and bound for the ship’s destination, contained military items, to which the authorities took grave exception.
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It is just that the poor old master will be the most convenient person, no matter how unjust, to carry the can that the terminal hasn’t hopelessly messed it all up,” said one master when asked about these matters. But really bad things still happen, which see ship masters blamed for all sorts of things they cannot, in all conscience, control. Consider the case of the master of a very large containership which put into a way
Sensible people might argue that this transit cargo was no business of the country in which the vessel happened to be docked on her normal port rotation. They were vehicles merely being returned to the country where they were owned, after a military exercise. But because of the particular
relations between the country of origin and that of the way port, the discovery of the cargo provoked a major political disagreement. In this escalation of confected anger, the owner of the ship and the poor master found themselves charged with the importation of “strategic commodities” and were hauled into court, facing serious criminal charges. The sensible strategy might have been for the shippers of the cargo to have thought about the possible repercussions and sent their goods home directly. But once again this emphasises the sheer practical nonsense in expecting the master of the ship to be fully conversant with the contents of every one of the thousands of containers loaded. Surely it is time for international maritime law to update itself to reflect the reality of the modern ship master’s responsibility and authority. However, we all live in a society which is obsessed with the need, when things go wrong, to attribute blame. It is just that the poor old master will be the most convenient person, no matter how unjust, to carry the can. n Para basahin ito sa salitang Tagalog, pumunta sa: http://bit.do/mtstagalog
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Face-to-face with the scourge of piracy The Sea speaks with former Maersk Alabama master and escaped hostage Capt Richard Phillips about life after his terrifying encounter with Somali pirates By Carly Fields
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t’s not often in shipping that you can refer people to a Hollywood blockbuster film to explain the perils of the sea and the modernday threat of piracy. But Sony Pictures’ biopic, Captain Phillips, provides that visual aid, stunning and surreal in its realistic depiction of the workings of Somali pirates. While the events may not have happened exactly as portrayed on screen – this is Hollywood, after all – the ship of the film’s eponymous Captain was certainly hijacked in April 2009, leading to him being taken hostage. He was freed by a daring US Navy rescue four days later. The master of the Maersk Alabama, Capt Richard Phillips took 14 months to return to sea after his ordeal, but return he did, emboldened by his experiences. Now, having retired from his 35year sea-going career, he can reflect on the lessons learned. “For me, it was a pleasure to finally get back to the world I know,” he says, in conversation with The Sea. “There was really no fear as I knew what was out there.” He learned much from the hijacking that he integrated into his plans on board once he got back to the helm. Previously,
The Sea editor, Carly Fields, meets Capt Phillips
it had been hard to get people to buy in to piracy protection measures, but after the incident, Capt Phillips said he didn’t have to push people to toe the line on security. When piracy in Somalia first surfaced, ships didn’t really do much to prepare for passage through at-risk waters. But that’s far from the case today. “Any captain worth his salt would always prepare for it today. Being prepared before you get into the area is very important.” That said, piracy is not restricted to
the waters off Somalia, adds Capt Phillips, and masters need to have robust anti-piracy procedures and routines in place wherever they sail.
Analysis of piracy Capt Phillips refers to piracy as “a crime of opportunity; they’ll take anything and everything” and likens an attack to facing up to a bully: if the ship is prepared and can fight back, the pirates will back down and go somewhere else. Essentially, they are only looking for easy wins. “I also liken
Richard Phillips Born May 16, 1955 in Massachusetts Enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to study international law but transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Graduated in 1979 Served as captain of the Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in April 2009 n
it to the wildebeest in the herd,” he adds, “they’re just picking off the slow and the sick.” He is particularly concerned about the threat of a terrorist situation, where the pirates do not care about the people or the ransom and capture a ship only to cause an environmental disaster or close a major port. “It’s already a known plan to try and use a ship for that, and, why wouldn’t you? It’s very easy. If you have people who know how ships work you can go undetected for a long time. That for me is the scariest thing.” Capt Phillips counts himself lucky that his company was supportive: immediately after the incident, the company flew a team out to another of the fleet that was about to enter the High Risk Area. Insurance companies are generally less supportive. “They don’t want the liability, they don’t want to pay for it. They put out best practices like ‘don’t fight’ and ‘don’t argue’, which I don’t think works.” In his view, a little prevention is usually cheaper than the cure and employing armed guards does make crews and captains feel much better. But it’s not just about the weapons: “There’s no silver bullet. What I told my crew then and tell everybody else sailing out there today is that standing a proper navigational watch will protect you from pirates. I have always stressed that if we did our job right, we could and would detect pirates – and we did.”
Onshore communication Discussing other modern-day challenges for seafarers, Capt Phillips says he recognises the disconnect between shore and ship when it comes to communication and encourages shore-based staff to listen more to the people on their ships. “Companies need to listen to people on the front lines, but unfortunately they don’t. I understand the economic considerations effecting the ship
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theSea | Jul/Aug 2017 9 Credit US Navy
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The daring rescue of Capt Phillips was successful, freeing him after four days of captivity
– we see this in the number of shipping companies that have disappeared in the last yearand-a-half and I think more failures are on the way – but this communication has to be there.” When he first went to sea, Capt Phillips said, you were unlikely to hear from the onshore office unless there was a problem. Now, with fewer seafarers serving on bigger ships and extra regulations to meet, there’s a more pressing need for robust communication between the ship and the office. He also bemoans the shifting role of the master, saying that they “very seldom” get to do their real job of operating the ship. Instead, they spend too much time having to respond to the barrage of emails that they get on a daily basis. “The job is all-consuming and everybody is overworked. There’s always at least four or five people on a ship who are not getting the required rest and still aren’t able to finish their job because they have too much to do.” He encourages ratings to speak up and be involved, no matter what their rank. “No one is an extra on a ship, everyone has to work together,” he says. “And that’s the important part, this is a job we do well and we do safely, and we have to make sure our shipmates are safe too. We
have to look out for each other, and that’s something we have to do better. One thing everybody knows on a ship is that we’re all in it together, everybody knows that so we’re all dependent on each other.”
All-American The Maersk Alabama had an allAmerican crew at the time of the attack, which should have been a positive when it came to their reactions in an emergency. The phrase is that everyone panics in
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their mother tongue – during the hijacking, so at least Capt Phillips did not have to battle a myriad of different languages. However, he points out that managing an all-American crew can be just as challenging as a mixed crew: “Communication is difficult on every ship, even when everybody speaks English. We all think differently and as a leader, I think the most important thing is to figure out how people think.” After the piracy attack, Capt Phillips’ leadership style was
There’s no silver bullet. What I told my crew then and tell everybody else sailing out there today is that standing a proper navigational watch will protect you from pirates. I have always stressed that if we did our job right, we could and would detect pirates – and we did
brought under the spotlight, with both criticisms and praise of his approach. He defends his ‘micromanager’ style of leadership to The Sea, saying that he firmly believes that it is a leader’s job to make sure his team does not fail, whatever that takes. “That requires constant feedback,” he says. “Once you get a person to that level you can step back, because what I’ve found is that if you give someone a foundation then they’ll go higher than you even thought they’d go with their ideas.” Now in his retirement, Capt Phillips wants to bring his message about shipping to the next generation of potential seafarers. He frequently speaks at schools and tries to explain the journey a US$7 t-shirt from a local store has travelled to reach that point. “I try to explain the infrastructure and the supply chain that get it from factory to shelf in weeks from the Far East. People don’t understand how it gets there. Much like everyone has a Johnny Depp-esque view of pirates, they have a lack of understanding of shipping and logistics.” And while his real-life Maersk Alabama story can quash the Pirates of the Caribbean stigma, the shipping industry remains a harder story to get across. n
10 theSea | Jul/Aug 2017
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Books to dive into at sea
From heart-warming stories of friendship on board ships to true tales of the terrors of high-seas hostage-taking, here are five books for seafarers to enjoy
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UST like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy. Reading has been proven to encourage focus and concentration, improve memory function and reduce stress. Depending on what you are reading, it can teach you a thing or two as well. If you want to start reading but you’re not sure where to start, here are five of the best novels inspired by life at sea for you to choose from to pass the time on board while giving your brain a good workout. Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian Master and Commander is a nautical historical novel by English author Patrick O’Brian, first published in 1969. Set against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, it follows the friendship between young Jack Aubrey who has just been promoted to the rank of Master and Commander, and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and an intelligence agent.
A Captain’s Duty by Richard Phillips Richard Phillips tells his extraordinary story about trying to protect the Maersk Alabama from armed Somali pirates off the east coast of Africa. It’s a thrilling first-hand account of the terrors of high-seas hostage-taking, and also a compulsively readable tale
of adventure and courage in the face of death threats and mock executions. The Abyss by Orson Scott Card The Abyss is a science fiction novel based on an original screenplay by Canadian filmmaker, director and producer James Cameron. A US submarine is mysteriously attacked in the Caribbean. Foul
play by the Soviets is suspected, threatening to start a nuclear war. It soon becomes clear, however, that the attack had nothing to do with human deeds… The Seafarers by Nevil Shute The Seafarers is a previously unpublished novel found among Nevil Shute’s papers following his death. It is a short but interesting novella about a British naval lieutenant and a Wren who meet in the immediate aftermath of WW2, as the lieutenant’s boat is being decommissioned at Portsmouth. The two quickly bond, but the relationship falters when they reconnect with civilian life. Down to the Sea in Ships by Horatio Clare Down to the Sea in Ships is an award-winning novel which tells the captivating stories of men who live their lives at sea. Horatio Clare joins two containerships on their voyages across the globe. As the ships cross the seas of history and incident, seafarers share the stories of their lives, painting a beautiful yet terrifying portrait of life at sea. n
Sudoku
The aim of Sudoku is to fill in the empty cells so that each column, row and 3x3 region contains the numbers 1 to 9 exactly once. Find the answers to both puzzles in the next issue. INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
BEGINNER LEVEL SOLUTION (ISSUE 247)
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL SOLUTION (ISSUE 247) Credit: www.sudokuoftheday.com
BEGINNER LEVEL
Jumble
Can you correctly unscramble these anagrams to form four words? If so, send your answers by email to thesea@missiontoseafarers.org by September 30, 2017. All correct answers will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a Mission to Seafarers’ Goodie Bag, containing a pen set, mug, water bottle and handmade woolly hat. Please include your answers, name, the vessel you are working on, nationality and finish this sentence: “I like The Mission to Seafarers because…” 1) A Y E G O V _ _ _ _ _ _
2) R E F F I C O _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3) F A T O A L _ _ _ _ _ _
4) M A P N A X A _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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theSea | Jul/Aug 2017 11
It’s the skipper – they found a container of onions past their sell-by date!
Get in touch!
Have you got news or views that you’d like to share with The Sea? Please get in touch: thesea@missiontoseafarers.org. Jos Standerwick, The Sea, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London, UK EC4R 2RL T: +44 (0)20 7246 2981 E: jos.standerwick@missiontoseafarers.org
The Sea is distributed free to seafarers through chaplains and seafarers’ centres.
The Sea Editor: Carly Fields News: David Hughes Assistant Editor: Lara Shingles www.missiontoseafarers.org
The Mission to Seafarers The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.5 million men and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. We work in over 200 ports in 50 countries caring for seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs. Through our global network of chaplains, staff and volunteers we offer practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers through ship visits, drop-in seafarers’ centres and a range of welfare and emergency support services.
You can also arrange to receive it for a suggested donation of £3.50 or $5 per year (six issues). missiontoseafarers
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Shipwrecked – and then left to their fate
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An early morning wake-up call from a desperate crew run partially aground provides yet another sad example of the all-too-common problem of seafarers being abandoned
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HE REVD DR Paul Burt’s phone rang. It was two in the morning. He roused himself from sleep and answered the call. “Sir, please help us, we are sinking!” the caller told The Mission to Seafarers’ regional director. Some hours earlier, during the afternoon, Dr Burt had driven out to the seaward edge of the artificial island of Palm Deira, Dubai, taking emergency food and water supplies to a crew who had called to say that they had been abandoned and their tug had run aground. After a lengthy search all along the breakwater, Dr Burt finally spotted the vessel. Stopping the car, he climbed up on to the rocks of the breakwater to get a closer look. The vessel was wallowing, without power, about 25 metres offshore, partially aground. The bad weather was throwing the tug from side to side and the crew looked and sounded desperate. But with the vessel not close enough to the breakwater there was no way of getting the supplies to them. Planning to try and organise a rescue by boat the next day Dr Burt drove away, having
The MtS has dealt with many cases of seafarers who have been left to their fate
told the crew to hang on as best they could. Then came the panicky phone call during the night. Dr Burt called the Coastguard and the Dubai Police, and between them they were able to rescue the men just before dawn as the vessel finally turned over.
Dr Burt went to Port Rashid Police Station later that morning to see the men, and to give them some clothes, shoes and a little money. All they had was what they stood up in, having had to leave their belongings on the sinking ship. Patient interrogation
eventually allowed Mission staff in Dubai to find out who the owner of the vessel was. In due course, they would confront him with his responsibilities – to pay the men their salaries (they had received no money since joining the vessel nine months earlier) and to salvage his wrecked vessel. It was his abandonment of the vessel and its crew that had led to their being helpless in the face of the late winter storm. Having bought the men air tickets to fly home, the Mission bid farewell to them some days later. However, the sense of relief at having played a part in saving these men’s lives was offset, yet again, by the frustration felt at having to step into a situation that should never have been allowed to happen – if the shipowner had managed his vessel professionally and his crew compassionately this would simply not have happened. Thank goodness for all those people whose generosity continues to allow the Mission to bring help where and when it is needed – especially in cases of dire emergency. n
In partnership with the police THE MISSION to Seafarers deals with many cases of seafarers being abandoned by shipowners who neither care for their crews nor carry out their business in a professional or honest way. Abandoned crews who have been left to their fate by shipowners who ignore their pleas for help sometimes turn to the port police in their desperation. Once, The Revd Dr Paul Burt received a call from Capt Mohammed at the port police station in Hamriyah Port, Dubai. He had six abandoned Pakistani crew sitting in his office and he wanted some help in getting them signed off and back home. Could The Mission to Seafarers help with paying the men’s airfares so they could go home, if he, Capt Mohammed, could get the shipowner into his office to pay their salaries? With AED 3,000 (US$816) in his pocket, Dr Paul arrived at the port police station and sat down in Capt Mohammed’s office. Capt Mohammed had managed to get his officers to track down the owner. The shipowner sat in the police office looking very uncomfortable, but also defiant. No, he would not pay these men, because, he said, he “didn’t have any money”.
Dr Paul took the 3,000 dirhams out of his pocket and placed the cash on the captain’s desk. Turning to the shipowner he said: “I will pay the men’s air fares home, if you pay the men the salaries you owe them.” Eventually Capt Mohammed persuaded the shipowner to accept the deal and pay up, so the shipowner got up to go out and “get the money”. “Sit down!” said the captain. “Phone your brother and get him to bring the money here. You are not going anywhere until these men have their money in their hands.” Twenty minutes later the brother walked in with a fist full of cash. An hour later the Pakistani crew were on their way to the airport. Two weeks later, Dr Paul called on the shipowner at his office near the port. After 30 minutes of pleasant conversation about family, business, and how tough it is to make money these days, the shipowner sent his office boy out on an errand. Five minutes later he returned with 3,000 dirhams. “Give that to Dr Paul,” said the shipowner. “I owe it to him.” The authority of the police, and the experience of shame can make even the hardest of shipowners do the right thing! n
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theSea | Jul/Aug 2017 13
Getting on board makes all the difference
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The Revd Stephen Thanapaul, one of The Mission to Seafarers’ chaplains in Bahrain, highlights the importance of ship visiting for seafarers’ mental wellbeing and spirituality
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he Mission in Bahrain works through the Bahrain International Seafarers’ Society (BISS – a local charity). It serves six ports in Bahrain: the main Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP), the ship repair yard (ASRY), Bahrain Steel and three private industrial ports. Each is located within 15 kilometres of each other. The Mission’s main focus is visiting ships. Out of the six terminals, there are seafarers’ centres only in KBSP and ASRY. Caretakers are appointed to manage the centres. The centre in KBSP was built by the government and provides internet services, a small shop, indoor games, a library, a kitchen, and prayer and counselling room facilities. Ship visiting has become a prime goal of the Mission here as the shipping industry changes. Apart from the two centres, the other terminals do not have any single facility due to safety concerns, so the only way to help the seafarers is by ship visits. This creates a space to be with them, and makes the Mission special in terms of listening and counselling them as well. The chaplain’s time on board is mostly taken up by counselling, which involves not only the mental and emotional wellbeing of the seafarers but also their spiritual wellbeing. It is a great joy to conduct Holy Communion on board, and in the centre, and to take the crew to the churches in Bahrain. Also, ship visits provide opportunities to distribute free books on board. The port provides shuttle buses within the terminals. So, although the Mission’s vehicle is used occasionally to transport seafarers to the centre, the Mission also provides free transport into the city and for short tours. Although local frustrations can range from obstructions in obtaining port passes, to slow court procedures, to having to circulate around six different ports, the Mission is blessed with
The local Mission offers services to the main Khalifa Bin Salman Port, as well as five others in Bahrain
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Advocacy is one of the indispensable services the Mission provides. It raises its voice for those requests which are either denied or delayed when they are lawful. Whenever a crisis arises, the Mission immediately contacts the agent, and with the help of BISS tries to solve the problem
full co-operation from BISS and the port authorities. The Mission also receives support from the Sacred Heart (RC) Church, the independent churches and the local charities whenever seafarers are in
need. The Mission functions under the patronage of St Christopher’s Cathedral. Advocacy is one of the indispensable services the Mission provides. The Mission raises its
voice for those requests which are either denied or delayed when they are lawful. Whenever a crisis arises, the Mission immediately contacts the agent, and with the help of BISS tries to solve the problems. A typical example is the Surya Kuber, which was arrested in December 2014. The 16 Indian and Myanmar crew were eventually repatriated after they sued. The vessel is still in Bahrain and the crew are in contact with the Mission: the good news is that their salaries should be paid soon. The Excellency arrived in Bahrain in February 2017, only to release a deceased Filipino seafarer’s body who had committed suicide. The sixteen Filipino crew mustered in the salon for prayer, their faces full of sadness and fear. After the prayers on board, the crew requested that the Mission bless the ship and we went through the whole vessel. After the blessing, they were all released from their fear and prepared to sail. The Revd Stephen Thanapaul is one of The Mission to Seafarers’ chaplains in Bahrain. n
14 theSea | Jul/Aug 2017
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Tackling abandonment of crew together Credit: Human Rights at Sea
The maritime communities will have to work together if they are to drive home the message that abandonment is unacceptable By James Wilkes
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HE shipping industry has been through its worst downturn in 30 years. Several major shipping firms have collapsed. Many ‘one-vessel operations’ have slipped into obscurity. It can hardly be a surprise that abandonment – a symptom of economic distress – appears to be on the rise. The only active database tracking ship abandonment is run by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). That database recorded 13 cases of abandonment in 2016. The International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), which operates a helpline for abandoned crews, suggests the figure is higher. What is clear is that some owners see the abandonment of vessels and crew as a legitimate ploy. The cost of abandonment is met by its victims, the seafarers. The notorious case of the bulk carrier Liberty Prrudencia (which independent maritime human rights charity Human Rights at Sea has published further information about at www.humanrightsatsea. org/abandonment-mv-libertyprrudencia-crew-abandonedzhoushan-china/), stranded at anchor off Zhoushan, China, for months on end, exposed the desperate conditions that can descend on a ship. In February this year, just weeks after the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) amendments became live, the crew were reporting that their wages had remained unpaid since December and that they were living in unheated cabins without hot water. By March, their outstanding wage bill was in excess of US$148,000. The crew were suffering from skin problems and other sicknesses. They
The crew of the Liberty Prrudencia felt the impact of abandonment were experiencing depression and stress and were anxious for their families back in India. Unfortunately, their story was far from unusual. Outside some restricted maritime circles their plight went unrecorded and unaddressed. It is often left to charities and unions to highlight hardships faced by abandoned crews but not everyone in the wider shipping community has been silent. Arthur Bowring, the recently retired managing director of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA), has spoken of his “extreme” concern and pointed to the absence of a mechanism to bring irresponsible owners to book. But despite exceptions, Katie Higginbottom, maritime projects and campaigns leader for the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), says the maritime community as a whole has been unwilling to take responsibility for the worst end of the industry. Speaking to the maritime investigation, intelligence, and security consulting company Gray Page, she said: “We spent some
10 years in an ILO/IMO group on abandonment and crew claims before the adoption of the MLC. “We considered abandonment to be a totally unacceptable breach of human rights, a catastrophe for the seafarers and their families and a blight on the industry. Our shipowner counterparts thought it a statistical insignificance that didn’t warrant inflicting costs on virtuous owners.” She and Mr Bowring are agreed that owners who abandon their crew should never own ships again. The amendments to MLC 2006 require shipowners to have a financial security system in place to ensure they can still pay compensation to seafarers and their families in the event of abandonment, death or longterm disability due to occupational injury. They also require ships to carry documentary proof to show the insurance is in place. ITF president Paddy Crumlin hopes the MLC 2006 amendments will “finally treat the running sore of crew abandonment”. The federation’s general secretary, Steve Cotton, has said it is now
time for everyone “to work together” to see the amendments are put into action. But Ms Higginbottom says MLC 2006 will only make a significant difference if it is effectively implemented and properly policed. “In areas where MLC is not ratified – that includes some Middle East and Gulf States – or where there is limited capacity and resources to implement as in parts of Africa, it’s virtually impossible to enforce.” The Convention alone cannot eradicate the scourge of abandonment. The maritime community, including crews, flag states and ship operators will have to work together if they are to drive home the message that abandonment is unacceptable. What is needed is a change of heart. n James Wilkes is managing director of maritime investigation, intelligence, and security consulting company Gray Page. He has more than 20 years of experience helping clients manage corporate malfeasance, criminal activity, political instability, terrorism and other complex problems.
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theSea | Jul/Aug 2017 15
Meeting the changing demographics of seafarers Credit: IMO
Changes in the seafaring community are putting pressure on welfare providers to respond better to mariners’ needs By Dr Jason Zuidema
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AST spring, the BIMCO-ICS Maritime Manpower Report said the number of qualified mariners in the world fleet was declining. However, another finding – one that many did not notice – was that there are now more registered Chinese than Filipino seafarers. Although the BIMCO-ICS study was very basic, these statistics are important. In the last generation, Filipino seafarers made up the large majority of the world fleet. In fact, their majority was so large that few people expected that any other group would ever become the largest seafarer community. Chinese mariners rising to the top is the biggest change among many major shifts in modern seafaring. However, these changes are more significant than seafarers of one nation decreasing and mariners from another increasing. What we are witnessing today is that, more than ever before, life and work at sea are both changing rapidly. In order to understand what is now the world’s largest seafarer community, the North American Maritime Ministry Association, NAMMA, began a project in 2016, along with The Mission to Seafarers, to learn about Chinese seafarers who come into ports across North America. We have called it the MARE Project, and, among other tools it offers, is a magazine on seafarers’ welfare topics, which is available online at https://issuu.com/ namma9. With the help of project assistant Dr Kaimei Zhang, NAMMA sought to understand Chinese seafarers in order to serve them better. Over a period of several months, Dr Zhang visited ships in various ports, held more than 100 detailed conversations, and
Chinese seafarers are unfamiliar with support structures in ports
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What is remarkable is not only that there are so many more Chinese seafarers, but how Chinese seafarers themselves are changing had thousands of other moments of contact with Chinese seafarers. The results of the BIMCOICS research show how much the seafaring community is changing. What is remarkable is not only that there are so many more Chinese seafarers, but how Chinese seafarers themselves are changing. As China has sought to respond to the huge demand for seafarers, there has been incredible growth in the number of training facilities,
and in recruitment from different regions in China, even in places with no tradition of seafaring. These maritime schools have succeeded in providing technical training, but they have struggled to teach students about the difficulties of life far from home, cut off from friends and family. Through the research conducted by NAMMA, we learned that most new Chinese seafarers were unfamiliar with the social support structures in
ports around the world, such as seafarers’ centres, chaplains and ship visitors. Many Chinese mariners believed the seafarers’ club was simply a front for foreign government agents or labour unions. And even more widespread was their concern that religious workers would try to convert them to different faiths. Some seafarers thought that seafarers’ clubs were simply businesses that sold overpriced goods to mariners. The mariners we talked to were surprised to learn that seafarers’ centres usually provide services at a reasonable cost or for free. After they understood how seafarers’ centres worked, Chinese mariners usually wanted to visit the centres and often became repeat visitors. The biggest obstacle NAMMA’s research project faced was language: seafarers’ welfare workers rarely know Chinese, and Chinese seafarers often do not know conversational English. This means, however, that seafarers’ centres have a unique opportunity, because Chinese seafarers are eager to practise English with native speakers. As we learned, when chaplains and ship visitors offered to make conversation to help them with their English, many Chinese seafarers found this helpful and interesting, both professionally and personally. NAMMA is not alone in trying to serve Chinese seafarers better. The Mission to Seafarers is also working hard to make sure that these mariners receive the best in welfare services. It will be very interesting to watch as we and other welfare providers learn how to better respond to Chinese mariners’ needs in the coming years. n Dr Jason Zuidema is executive director of the North American Maritime Ministry Association.
16 theSea | Jul/Aug 2017
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The power of forgiveness
Failure to forgive and failure to say sorry is not only sad, it can be dangerous for communities, including our fellow crew members on board ship
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ORGIVE us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” Just as we call on God for forgiveness for our many failings, so we are called ourselves to be forgiving people. In one of my previous parish churches there was an elderly lady who lived in a little house in the town. Directly opposite her, just across the street, lived her brother. When I went to visit her, I discovered a sad story. She had not spoken to her brother for over 40 years. Back in 1950 they had an argument over something. Since that time, both of them had seen each other every day but they had refused to speak. They had watched each other’s children grow up but never got to know them. Both had refused to say sorry. Each said that the other must make the first move. Both
A prayer for seafarers God of all grace, we pray that as we daily seek and receive your full and free forgiveness of our sins, so we may as fully and freely forgive those who do us wrong; and may we offer our forgiveness, even as you grant us yours, for the sake of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen (Frank Colquhoun – New parish Prayers) had become deeply embittered. It was a great personal tragedy and it could so easily have been put right. We are all part of families
and communities, including our fellow crew on board ship. In such communities, there will always be annoyances and grievances; there will always be people we
find difficult, and there will always be things to forgive. If we fail to forgive; if we fail to say sorry, it is so easy for anger and resentment to flourish. That is bad for us and bad for the community. This is not the way of God. I have not seen that lady from my parish for many years but I fear that her feud never ended and she and her brother were never reconciled. Aboard ship the growth of such bitterness is not only sad, it can be dangerous. If we are finding it difficult to forgive, it is always worth remembering our own many failings. And, as I always say, it always pays to return ungraciousness with graciousness. That, after all, is the way of the God who loves and forgives us despite everything. Who do you need to forgive today? n
Ang kapangyarihan ng pagpapatawad Ang kabiguang magpatawad, at kabiguang magsabi ng paumanhin ay hindi lamang nakalulungkot, maaaring maging mapanganib ito sa mga komunidad, kabilang ang ating kapwa tripulante na nakasakay sa barko
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ATAWARIN kami sa aming mga pagkakasala gaya nang pagpapatawad namin sa nagkakasala sa amin.” Gaya ng pagtawag natin sa Diyos para sa kapatawaran para sa ating maraming kamalian, kaya tawag natin sa ating sarili ay mga taong mapagpatawad. Sa isa sa mga simbahan ng aking parokya mayroong matandang babae na naninirahan sa isang maliit na bahay sa bayan. Direktang kasalungat niya, pagtawid lang ng kalye, ay naninirahan ang kanyang kapatid na lalake. Nang bisitahin ko siya, natuklasan ko ang isang malungkot na kuwento. Hindi siya nakikipag-usap sa kanyang kapatid na lalake sa higit na 40 taon. Noong 1950 nagkaroon sila ng pagtatalo sa isang bagay. Magmula noon, parehong nakikita nila ang isa’t isa araw-araw ngunit tinatanggihan nilang magusap. Nasubaybayan nila ang paglaki ng bawat mga anak nila ngunit hindi kailanman nagkakilala ang mga ito. Parehong tumangging magsabi ng paumanhin. Sinabi ng bawat isa na mauna na muna ang isa. Parehong
Isang dasal para sa mga manlalayag Diyos ng lahat ng pagpapala, kami’y nagdarasal na habang araw-araw naming hinahanap at tinatanggap ang iyong buo at malayang pagpapatawad sa aming mga kasalanan, upang kami ay ganap at malayang patawarin ang mga may sala sa amin; at maaari ba naming ihandog ang aming pagpapatawad, kahit na ibigay mo sa amin ang iyong mga kapatawaran, para sa kapakanan ng ating Tagapagligtas na Hesukristo. Amen (Frank Colquhoun – Bagong mga Dasal ng parokya) naging labis na sumama ang loob. It’o’y naging malaking personal na trahedya at maaari itong naging madaling itama. Tayong lahat ay bahagi ng mga pamilya o komunidad, kabilang
ang ating kapuwa tripulanteng nakasakay sa barko. Sa naturang mga komunidad, parating magkakaroon ng mga pagkayamot at karaingan; palaging magkakaroon ng mga taong matitigas ang ulo, at palaging
magkakaroon ng mga bagay na ipagpapatawad. Kung hindi nating magawang magpatawad; kung hindi nating magawang magsabi ng paumanhin, napakadali para sa galit at pagdaramdam na yumabong. Masama iyong para sa atin at masama para sa komunidad. Hindi ito ang paraan ng Diyos. Hindi ko pa nakita ang babaeng iyon sa aking parokya sa maraming taon ngunit natatakot ako na ang kanyang alitan ay hindi matatapos at siya at kanyang kapatid na lalaki ay hindi kailanman magkakasundo. Sa barko ang pagtubo ng naturang kapaitan ay hindi lamang nakalulungkot, maaari itong maging mapanganib. Kung nahihirapan tayong magpatawad, palaging may kabutihan sa pag-alala sa sarili nating mga kamalian. At, gaya ng parati kong sinasabi, na palaging nagbubunga na gantihan ang kagaspangan ng ugali ng pagkamaunawain. Iyon, sa wakas, ay ang paraan ng Diyos na nagmamahal at nagpapatawad sa atin sa kabila ng lahat ng bagay. Sino ang kailangan mong patawarin ngayong araw? n