Nautilus Telegraph August 2014

Raising awareness Nautilus stickers go into action for charity’s campaign 20

War on the sea Remembering the role of shipping in World War One 24-25

NL nieuws Drie pagina’s met nieuws uit Nederland 35-37

Volume 47 | Number 08 | August 2014 | £3.50 €3.70

Shipping ‘needs to respond to climate change’ a re-think of the way in which F ships are designed and regulated, a Climate change should force

Club aims to cut the number of heavy weather claims ro-ros face the highest risks of suffering hull F damage in heavy weather, according to a new P&I Heavylift vessels, containerships and

club report.

A study by the Swedish Club shows that 33% of all hull and machinery heavy weather claims happen in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. And of these claims 48% are for containerships, 27% for bulk carriers and 15% for ro-ro vessels.

The club has published a new guide — Heavy Weather — which seeks to cut the number of claims by providing seafarers with advice on how to avoid the many problems associated with adverse conditions. It includes checklists covering the importance of adhering to the cargo-securing manual, guidance on course and speed, and managing ballast conditions in the vessel.

Lars Malm, who commissioned the report

for the club, commented: ‘Warnings about the development of a hurricane or other serious weather phenomenon are usually available many days before the weather arrives. The key is how this information is being used and what preventive measures are being taken. We see examples of the crew not managing to avoid the heavy weather, not slowing down or altering course to avoid large waves pounding the vessel.’

shipowners’ leader said last month.

Speaking in Liverpool at a conference hosted by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) secretary-general Peter Hinchliffe said the industry is facing ‘enormous pressure’ to become greener and cleaner.

Increases in marine fuel — running at around 300% over the past decade — are driving the quest for efficiency, he said, and have given shipowners ‘every incentive they need to reduce CO2’.

He told the conference that owners are ‘already on a pathway to deliver ships by 2030 that will be 30% more efficient than those of just a couple of years ago’.

But, Mr Hinchliffe added, there is a growing need for the industry to take account of the impacts of climate change on shipping, given that

Owners fail to win sulphur cap delay Minister ‘disappointed’ by UK Chamber of Shipping lobbying over emissions regulations

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Politicians have rejected shipowners’ calls for the introduction of new curbs of sulphur emissions to be delayed to give the industry more time to comply.

Instead, maritime authorities from eight northern European nations including the UK and the Netherlands have agreed plans for a concerted inspection and enforcement campaign next year.

Owners’ groups such as the UK Chamber of Shipping mounted a major lobbying campaign against the sulphur emissions controls due to come in on 1 January next year — warning that they could cost up to 2,000 jobs and close some ferry routes.

During a House of Commons debate on the issue, Hull MP Karl Turner claimed the regulations could increase owners’ fuel costs by 85% and he feared the controls

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could jeopardise around 350 jobs in his constituency alone. ‘The route between Harwich and Denmark is to close because of declining demand and the £2m annual cost of cleaner fuel,’ he pointed out, ‘and I am concerned that other routes will follow.’

But then shipping minister Stephen Hammond said he was unconvinced by the owners’ protests. ‘I have to say that I am pretty disappointed that the UK Chamber of Shipping continues to react as if the sulphur limits are new and are somehow inherently undesirable, or else that the UK government should have avoided them,’ he told MPs. ‘The fact of the matter is that the regulations are about the protection of health and protection of the environment, which is a legal obligation.’

The minister said the owners have had more than six years to prepare for the regu-

lations and had described the deadlines as ‘realistic’ when they were put forward in 2008.

Mr Hammond said it was clear that there were no prospects of delaying the regulations, but talks are taking place on ‘applying a much more pragmatic approach to enforcement’. The scope for securing EU finance to help with the costs of compliance is also being explored, he added.

However, Denmark announced last month that it has secured a ‘best practice’ agreement with France, Norway, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden on the enforcement of the sulphur limits.

Noting the ‘large economic incentive to bypass the regulations’, it said the countries had agreed to cooperate on a regional inspection and information campaign,

to exchange information on possible infringements, and to coordinate work on new sampling methods and monitoring technology.

The Danish authorities have already proposed the use of drone aircraft and ‘sniffer’ technology installed on bridges over shipping channels to test that emissions are within limits.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson pointed out that the regulations will create a level playing field, as they apply to all ships operating in the control area. ‘This is an issue that defines those who have a long-term strategy and are committed to the sustainability of an industry that seeks to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, society and protection of the environment,’ he added. g Scrubber call — see page 10.

extreme weather events appeared to be becoming more frequent.

‘Currently ships are built to regulatory requirements upon a definition of North Atlantic winter conditions — these determine the strength of the ship, the thickness of steel, the spacing of strengthening beams and so on,’ he pointed out.

‘Will there come a time when the definition will have to be upgraded?’ he asked. ‘If so, how soon will that be, bearing in mind the 30 year design life of a ship?’

Mr Hinchliffe also warned that very few port authorities are doing work to raise infrastructure — higher jetties, higher railway lines and roads — and building with a 50-year timeframe in mind.

‘But how many hydrographic offices are thinking about prioritising surveys to ensure that port approaches are surveyed ready for the requirement for new charts in 20 or 30 years’ time — or is it needed sooner than that?’

Inside F Viking discovery

Nautilus member makes amazing underwater finds in Ireland — page 21 F American attacks

Seeking justice for two British ships sunk by the CIA in the 50s — page 23 F Learning game

How electronic game technology is changing seafarer training — page 28 F Swiss history

Surprising stories from a tour of Switzerland’s maritime museum — page 30

16/07/2014 16:59

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Meeting agrees changes to rules

Pensions call to UK owners

a package of changes to the F Union’s rules and regulations which

Nautilus members have agreed

Union warns on New Section future

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Nautilus has urged shipping companies not to waste a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to ensure decent pensions provision for Merchant Navy officers.

In an address to the AGM of the MNOPF Employers’ Group, general secretary Mark Dickinson said the Union had been consistent in seeking improved pensions for its members, maintenance of the employer covenant and an industry-wide scheme, a guarantee over members’ accrued benefits, and streamlined governance.

Mr Dickinson said Nautilus acknowledges the risks associated with the MNOPF New Section.

‘The age profile of the members is such that the Fund does not have much time left in order to ensure that the pension liabilities (the payment of pensions to members) and the assets to pay for them are matched,’ he pointed out.

‘The demographics also impact on investment options and present a challenging investment timeframe which severely restricts de-risking options,’ he said, ‘and let’s not pretend we are free to do as we please, with an ever more interventionist Pensions Regulator breathing down our necks.’

Mr Dickinson said the Union had supported the successful de-

risking of the Old Section, and supported the establishment of a programme to de-risk the New Section over the next decade or so.

Warning of the potentially ‘catastrophic’ impact of triggering a Section 75 debt, Mr Dickinson said such a scenario could have adverse effects on employment.

He urged owners to be ‘reasonable and conciliatory’ in discussing plans for de-risking the New Section and providing a new defined contributions section which complies with auto-enrolment.

Both sides want change to reduce volatility and seek certainty over pension liabilities and the associated risks, but the solution needs to involve the provision of decent pensions, Mr Dickinson argued.

‘There is no prospect of agreement if saving money and providing the minimum required pension under auto-enrolment is your final offer,’ he warned.

‘Let’s not forget our history; the industry needs a decent pension plan to assist in the recruitment and retention of MN officers,’ he stressed.

‘It is the Nautilus view that to do this we need to maintain an industry scheme that meets at least the Pensions Quality Mark (10%) and moves with certainty in reasonable time to meet the PQM Plus standard (15%).’

Old Section buy-out agreement ‘is good news for members’ Pension Fund has concluded a A buy-out agreement with insurance The Merchant Navy Officers’

de-risking providers covering some £1.3bn of pension benefits in the Old Section.

Under the terms of the agreement, all pension entitlements from this section of the Fund, which closed in 1978, are now fully insured and individual policies from the providers — Rothesay Life and Legal & General — have been sent to all 40,000 members.

The MNOPF said it was ‘delighted’ to have secured a deal with Rothesay Life to cover £25m of liabilities to improve the benefits that each member receives — a move which will result in a 2.2% pension increase payable through their policy from 1 July this year.

The Fund has also set up a simplified administration service for members — myMNOPFpension — a single point of contact through which members will continue to receive a

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single pension payment even if they have individual policies with both insurers and benefits from the Fund’s New Section.

Outgoing MNOPF chairman Peter McEwen described the deal as ‘good news’ for members. ‘It means that certainty and security over pension benefits have now been extended in full to all benefits of the Old Section through the insurance arrangements that are in place,’ he added.

‘Overall, our members will enjoy greater security than most pension fund members, thanks to the regulatory and capital requirements for insurers, which are more rigorous than those of most pension funds,’ he pointed out.

MNOPF chief executive Andrew Waring added: ‘Improving the Old Section’s funding position from a little over 80% in 2009 to full funding today, and completing these transactions, have been tremendous achievements in these very difficult markets.’

MNOPF Trustees at Trinity House to say farewell to Peter McEwen and William Everard Picture: Andrew Wiard

Tributes to ‘pillars’ of the MNOPF ‘pillars’ of the Merchant Navy F Officers’ Pension Fund (MNOPF)

Tributes have been paid to two

who retired last month after 14 years of joint leadership.

Nautilus senior policy adviser Peter McEwen stood down as MNOPF chairman at the same time as employers’ representative and vice-chairman William Everard also retired.

In a speech during a farewell dinner at Trinity House last month, MNOPF Trustees chief executive Andrew Waring said the pair had

made ‘immense’ achievements while leading the Fund through tough times and ‘an environment of ever-increasing governance expectations and restrictive legislation’.

Both had joined the MNOPF as trustees in 1983, Mr Waring said, and the pensions system had undergone massive transformation in the period since then.

Thanks to their work, he added, the Fund had weathered the storm caused by the ‘horror’ of the global financial crisis and had been

recognised with a string of industry awards.

‘Full insurance of the Old Section was achieved a full seven years ahead of schedule and put the scheme into a position to buy-out and wind-up,’ Mr Waring said. ‘The New Section recovered its poise, has a well-defined journey plan and with the funding level back up to 77% is on a trajectory to full funding.’

‘With apologies to Churchill, it is fitting to say of their partnership that never was so much owed by so many to so few,’ he concluded.

Concerns over crew levels in EU inland navigation review negotiations over a new F European scheme for the training and Nautilus is involved in

certification of personnel working in the inland navigation sector.

Senior national secretary Nick Bramley told Council members last month that the discussions on a new framework along the lines of the STCW requirements for merchant seafarers are approaching their conclusion.

‘After 18 months of work, an expert working group is coming close to making a recommendation to the European Commission,’ he explained.

A new scheme will replace the current system of national responsibilities

and standards set by the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine.

Mr Bramley said some of the discussions have been difficult — notably on questions of local knowledge and whether there should be different training and certification requirements for boatmasters, boatmen and intermediate categories onboard.

‘We are pressing for the highest possible standards,’ he added. ‘These are often large vessels carrying cargoes worth millions, and we are trying to bring the industry into the 21st century.’

There are concerns that the Dutch government — in seeking ‘modernisation and flexibility’ — is also aiming to reduce crewing levels, he added. Further talks are due later this year, and he warned that there could be ‘a long and bitter fight’ on the issue.

Long hours, stress and poor working and living conditions are big problems, and upgrading of the fleet is vital, Mr Bramley said. Investment in more modern dual-fuel vessels is also essential if the sector is to retain its green credentials against increasingly efficient road transport, he pointed out.

include amendments to clarify membership eligibility and changes to election procedures.

The proposals were approved by members attending the Rules General Meeting (RGM) in Rotterdam last month. The new rules will be published on the Union’s website and in an updated version of the rule book.

Introducing the proposals, senior policy adviser Peter McEwen said one group of changes had been developed to ensure that eligibility for Nautilus membership is clearly defined as those employed exclusively within the maritime industry.

Former Council member Tony Minns said he was concerned by the implications of the proposed changes and he suggested the RGM should have been held at the same time as the full general meeting of the Union to ensure maximum participation by members.

And David Hughes said he was concerned that new rules covering the general secretary elections could restrict the choices available to members.

But Mr McEwen said this would not be the case. ‘Any full member will be able to stand for election as general secretary, as they always have done,’ he pointed out.

He said the changes — including another group which update and shorten the procedures for the suspension and expulsion of members — were being dealt with now on the basis of legal advice.

The changes to the disciplinary rules reflected changes in communications and will speed up the process, without affecting the grounds under which the procedures can be used, Mr McEwen explained.

The RGM rejected a motion proposing a rule change to require that each member should be individually responsible for paying their subscription. Mr Hughes suggested that this would be in the interests of transparency, but Mr McEwen said the current arrangements had been upheld by the trades union Certification Officer.

Nautilus wins praise in TUC comms awards team —clockwise from centre, F Andrew Linington, June CattiniThe Nautilus communications

Walker, Sarah Robinson, Deborah McPherson and Debbie Cavaldoro— are pictured as the Nautilus Telegraph received the runner’s-up prize for the second year running at the TUC’s annual Communications Awards.

The Telegraph was highly commended in the section for the best journal — which was won by the USDAW union — with judges describing it as a ‘superlative magazine and a sheer joy to read’.

The judges particularly liked the mix of news, features, humour, and Dutch content, and said the Nautilus newspaper is comprehensive, campaigning and crisp’.

Nautilus also won praise for

a Telegraph feature on offshore wind farm safety, which the judges described as a ‘gripping read’. They gave ‘rich praise’ to the Union’s Protect and Respect booklet on bullying and harassment — summing it up as ‘a class production’.

There were also warm words for the Union’s ‘smart’ Fair Transport campaign work, and the new Nautilus Welfare Fund website was highlighted as being ‘bright, clear and content-packed’.

TUC assistant general secretary Paul Nowak commented: ‘Once again, these awards showcase the incredibly high standard of work being produced by unions on behalf of their members. It is fantastic to see that the quality is so high, despite tightening budgets.’

16/07/2014 17:00

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Job ‘scam’ alert to ITF Congress Nautilus motion calls for ‘naming and shaming’ of fradulent crew agencies

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Nautilus will be among union delegations from around the world attending the 43rd International Transport Workers’ Federation Congress, taking place in Bulgaria between 10 and 16 August.

The Union has submitted three motions to the meeting — including one which urges the ITF to conduct a ‘name and shame’ campaign against fraudulent crewing agencies offering nonexistent seafaring jobs.

In another motion, Nautilus is calling for further work to reaffirm the ITF’s Mexico City policy — including the promotion of national flag shipping regulated by bona fide flag states and a balance between ratings and officers in all elected office holders in the ITF’s seafarers’ section.

The Union has also tabled a motion on seafarers’ leadership skills — welcoming the work the ITF has done to help women in the transport sector and to expand the ‘excellent’ programmes it has developed for ITF seafarers’ affiliates.

The Nautilus motions are among 64 to be debated during the ITF Congress, which will be attended by around 1,400 delegates.

In a briefing to Nautilus Council members last month, ITF policy coordinator Sarah Finke said this year’s Congress will be of particular significance. ‘There is a new leadership with very clear ideas about how the ITF should be — a more open organisation and a more listening organisation,’ she said.

The global labour movement is the largest democratic force in the world, Ms Finke pointed

ITF policy coordinator Sarah Finke with, L–R, vice-chairman Wilco van Hoboken, Council chairman Ulrich Jurgens and Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson at last month’s Council meeting

out, and the ITF brings together around 700 unions representing more than 4.5m transport workers in around 150 countries.

Under the new leadership, the ITF has increased its focus on strategic planning and building connections across the different modes of transport and supply chains.

The ITF is also putting a particular focus on young people, Ms Finke said. ‘There is concern that memberships are getting older,’ she pointed out. ‘A lot of young

The take-up of the Maritime Labour

Dickinson told last month’s Council meeting.

The so-called seafarers’ bill of rights has now been ratified by 57 countries representing 80% of world merchant tonnage, he added, and agreements have also been reached on amendments which will help to protect abandoned seafarers and provide financial security in the

people are sympathetic to unions but are not involved and we need to find different ways of working to get them involved.’

She said the organisation is also campaigning on the issue of corporate social responsibility.

‘A lot of companies say they are socially responsible and there is a lot of leverage for us in it,’ she explained.

Council member Mike Lloyd said he wanted to see the ITF take more of a lead in campaigning on long-standing issues such as

fatigue, safe manning, enclosed spaces and criminalisation.

Ms Finke said the ITF is aware of the importance of these topics and their significance as social justice issues, and that it does a lot of work to confront them.

Council member Henk Eijkenaar said the ITF is appreciated by seafarers — and especially for its work to help those working on substandard ships. g Find out more and follow the Congress on the website: www. itfcongress2014.org

event of death or long-term disability.

The International Labour Organisation has identified the need to tackle the issue of seafarers saving for retirement, and Nautilus has provided it with the results of its research into the issue of introducing provisions for pensions within the MLC, Mr Dickinson said.

However, he added, it has not been easy to get support for the proposals because many shipowners reject the idea that they should be

responsible for a universal scheme.

The Union is still determined to see the introduction around the world of the ILO convention on seafarer ID, Mr Dickinson told the meeting. The convention will help protect rights to shore leave, and it has been ratified and is being enforced by some countries, but both the UK and the Netherlands have indicated they will not sign up until the US does. ‘We need that local logjam to be broken,’ Mr Dickinson added.

Call for independent action on cruise safety

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BREAKING NEWS: France has become the first European Union member state to ratify the Hong Kong international convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. Norway and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the only other countries to have signed up so far, but Belgium has promised to ratify the convention as soon as possible and the European Commission is encouraging other EU members to follow suit.

GAS DEATH: a Russian engineer officer died onboard a Dutch-registered general cargoship in the Danish port of Fredericia last month. Initial reports indicated the crewman had been overcome by carbon monoxide gas in the cargo hold of the 3,332gt Lady Irina.

Four crew members who went to look for him had to be treated in hospital ashore after they were also affected by gas.

Convention around the world has been ‘truly A impressive’, Nautilus general secretary Mark

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DANNY DEMAND: Nautilus has made a top level call for the International Maritime Organisation to learn the lessons from the loss of the livestock carrier Danny FII in 2009. Speaking on behalf of the shipmasters’ organisation IFSMA at the IMO last month, professional and technical assistant David Appleton pointed to the lack of internationally accepted design issues covering the safety of such vessels, and he questioned what action flag states are planning to take to address the problems.

NET LOSS: the TUC has launched a new campaign to encourage the UK government to ‘save the safety net’.

It is planning a series of newsletters highlighting the devastating effects some of the proposed changes to universal credit will have on the lives of working people and is calling on the public to sign a petition urging the government to stop the destruction of the UK’s welfare safety net. Visit www.savingoursafety net.org.

MLC global take-up is ‘truly impressive’

Concerns over passengership safety were raised at last month’s Nautilus Council meeting — with warnings that operators are obstructing new initiatives tabled in response to the Costa Concordia disaster.

Assistant general secretary Marcel van den Broek told the meeting that Nautilus had urged the International Maritime Organisation’s maritime

shortreports

safety committee to commission an independent analysis of design and construction, operation and manning, fire-fighting and life-saving systems.

Mike Lloyd said he was concerned that the cruise lines were seeking to block new regulations being introduced by the IMO and had curtailed a debate on lifeboat capacity.

‘I believe we should go further and that the safety of cruiseships

should be taken away from the IMO and given to a separate body as it is no longer capable of dealing with the complexities,’ he added.

Mr van den Broek said lifeboat capacity was an important issue — particularly within the context of the increasing passengership operations in remote or polar areas.

But general secretary Mark Dickinson said it was unrealistic to

expect that governments would agree to a new organisation to handle passengership safety. However, he added, incidents such as the Sewol ferry sinking in South Korea would drive change at the IMO. Wilco van Hoboken said he was concerned that moves to set double hull requirements for engineroom areas of passengerships would create dangerously hot conditions for crew.

MASTER ARRESTED: a Dutch shipmaster was arrested in the Danish port of Aalborg last month on suspicion that he was over the alcohol limit. Police were called to the general cargo vessel Simon B after the ship sailed past the designated berth and struck the dock.

Tests revealed the master had a blood alcohol level 2.07 — more then 10 times over the limit.

CONFIDENCE FALLS: overall confidence levels in the shipping industry have fallen slightly, according to the latest survey by the maritime accountancy firm Moore Stephens. Despite the fall, the research showed confidence among owners, managers and charterers is still at the second highest level of the past six years.

DREDGING DEAL: the Dutch firm Boskalis and its cable-laying JV partner Volker Wessels have announced that they have each secured a €55m share of a contract awarded by Statoil and Statkraft for cabling works for the Dudgeon Offshore windfarm project, some 32km off the UK’s north Norfolk coast.

TRIDENT MEMBERS: the 11 shipping companies who have signed up to the Trident Alliance organisation which seeks ‘robust’ implementation of the sulphur emission regulations have been named. The list includes Maersk, Stena, Hoegh Autoliners, Eukor Car Carriers, UECC and Unifeeder.

COASTGUARD ALARM: fresh concerns over the staffing of UK Coastguard stations has been raised after the House of Commons heard new figures showing how numbers in many key MRCCs have regularly dropped below risk-assessed levels during shifts in the first half of this year.

MLC CALL: the specialist marine insurance intermediary Securus has called for proper enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention ahead of new amendments designed to provide a system of financial security to protect abandoned seafarers.

GAS TUG: the Dutch builder Damen Shipyards is working with the Danish tug operator Svitzer on plans to launch the world’s first reverse stern drive tug powered by compressed natural gas.

16/07/2014 19:28

04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports

RFA Future Development consultation under way

FMS ARRANGEMENTS: a meeting to discuss the 2015 pay review for members employed by Fleet Maritime Services and serving on Cunard and P&O Cruises vessels has been rearranged. The meeting will now take place on Friday 1 August and partnership at work delegates have been invited to put their names forward to attend the meeting. For vessels which do not currently have a PAW delegate, members can nominate an officer to attend. Members should contact industrial@nautilusint.org as soon as possible to register.

CORYSTES CONSULT: members employed

by Serco Marine and serving onboard RV Corystes are being consulted on a pay and conditions offer from the company. Officers are being offered a 2.9% increase in pay. Ratings have recently changed to back-to-back manning, which has improved their terms and therefore they have been offered a 1% increase in pay. The results of the consultation are due at the end of the month.

ENDEAVOUR OFFER: members employed

by P&O Maritime Services and serving onboard Cefas Endeavour are being consulted on a joint unions’ improved pay offer of a 3.5% increase in pay (including a 1.5% increment increase). Unite and Nautilus International had previously rejected the company’s offers of 1% and 1.5%. Results of the new consultation should be known early this month.

MADOG MOVE: members employed by P&O Maritime Services and serving onboard Prince Madog are being consulted on the company’s full and final offer of a 1.5% increase in pay. Members had previously rejected the company’s offer of a pay freeze. Consultation results were due as the Telegraph went to press.

SMIT REJECTION: Nautilus members employed

by Smit International have rejected a 2% pay and conditions offer. Industrial organiser Paul Schroder will be writing to the company to advise them of the outcome and seek a meeting to discuss the rejection.

MEDWAY DEAL: members employed by the Port of Sheerness and serving in the Medway Navigation Service have voted unanimously in favour of accepting the company’s 2% pay offer.

MARINE TAX SERVICES (CARDIFF) LTD complete service for mariners run by certificated ex-officer qualified accountants always available computerised 100% claims and forecast projection will writing service available 26 High Street, Barry CF62 7EB, South Glamorgan, UK Tel. Barry (01446) 739953 MARINETAX@YAHOO.COM Established 1974

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A

Nautilus International was represented at this year’s 130th Durham Miners Gala by industrial organiser/ITF Inspector Tommy Molloy, who travelled to the event, pictured above, with trade union colleagues from across Merseyside.

‘It was great to be able to attend such a celebration of trade unionism, particularly as this was the 30th anniversary year of the miners’ strike,’ said Mr Molloy.

‘The city was absolutely rammed with thousands of representatives of trade unions from all over the UK and Europe and beyond.

‘It was fantastic to see and hear the bands from all those pit villages still defiantly playing long after the pits were closed down,’ he said.

‘And it seems clear from the huge numbers of young people marching and carrying union banners that this is a tradition that will thankfully be around for a long time yet.’

consultation process on F the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s Future The first stage of a formal

Nautilus industrial organiser Lisa Carr is pictured with Thames Clippers liaison officer Malkeet Virdi during one of a recent series of ship visits to encourage more staff serving with the company to join the Union

Development programme is expected to begin this month, and Nautilus is undertaking a series of meetings with members to get their views.

Full-time liaison officer Russell Downs is undertaking at least nine ship visits and cluster groups during July and August. National secretary Jonathan Havard is planning to join him in Liverpool for one of the cluster groups and on other vessels, including RFA Fort Rosalie.

‘Nautilus will be consulting

its members in due course, once feedback has been received from these visits and the management team has had the opportunity to present its proposals,’ Mr Havard said.

‘We will be guided by the views of the membership in such a consultation and will only consent to the implementation of the programme with a mandate from our members.’

Mr Havard urged members to participate in the consultation processes — stressing that every vote matters. Any member who has not received the appropriate paperwork should contact Mr Downs.

Anger rises over public pay policy

UK appoints new minister for shipping in reshuffle

TUC backs Nautilus call for unions to have online voting

shipping minister following A a government reshuffle last month

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Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers took strike action last month, against a range of government policies which the TUC says has left the average public sector worker over £2,200 worse off.

Teachers, firefighters, civil servants and rail transport workers took action as part of on going disputes over pay, pensions and working conditions; and they were joined by a range of other local and national government civil servants who are angry about the continuing limited pay increases and pay freezes.

The TUC claims the government is holding down pay, even though the economy is growing again and all inflation indicators are showing a rise.

The June figure for inflation (released in July) showed a sharp rise to 1.9% for CPI — the rate the government uses — and 2% for RPI.

‘It is becoming harder for people to get by as average wages continue to fall behind the rising cost of living,’ said TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady. ‘Ministers may have moved on from Britain’s living standards crisis, but it’s still the top concern for families.

‘The government’s meanspirited approach to public sector pay has had a huge impact on the spending power of almost six million households in the UK where at least one family member works in the public sector.’

The TUC said that public sector workers had to struggled to make ends meet for the past four years as their pay lagged behind prices, and the news that they may have to wait another four years before their pay prospects start to revive will hit morale hard.

‘The economy may be picking up, but having paid the price in pay freezes and below-inflation

New rotation plans for Princess Cruises planning to introduce a new F rotation plan for members serving Fleet Maritime Services is

onboard Princess Cruise Lines and P&O Cruises Australia vessels.

The move follows complaints over many years from members who have had to work in excess of 243 days a year, as well as requests from officers for shorter postings with a more generous work/leave ratio.

Following consultation with Nautilus members, the company has agreed to a 90-day shipboard tour length, followed by 60 days’ leave for all two-stripe and above marine and technical officers covered by the Nautilus collective bargaining agreement.

The new rotas start to come into effect from 1 January 2015, with full implementation by 1 July 2015.

A statement is currently being agreed between Nautilus and the employer to allay members’ concerns

about reduced take-home pay over the year. A combination of attendance on courses, travel days, handovers and extended tours of duty, for example, will provide for close to the current days most officers are working — being around 240 per annum.

Any officers wishing to increase the number of days they work each year can contact the HR department in Southampton, with a view to potentially covering such things as short-term vacancies and project work.

National secretary Jonathan Havard is planning a series of ship visits to discuss this and other issues members may wish to raise. He will be in Ketchikan from 10 to 14 August and plans to visit the Pacific, Coral, Island, Star, Grand, Golden, and Crown Princess.

Further visits to the P&O Cruises Australia vessels are currently being planned for mid-December 2014.

pay increases for several years there is to be no financial let-up for town hall employees and other public sector workers,’ added Ms O’Grady. ‘For them there are no shares to be had in the UK’s economic recovery. Instead several more years of penny-pinching and frugal living lie ahead.’ z The TUC is to push for workers to have the right to take part in online ballots in the workplace — in line with a motion to Congress that was tabled by Nautilus last year.

Responding to government threats of new laws to raise the voting threshold required for strike action, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said the option of electronic voting would boost turn-outs.

She accused the government of hypocrisy in warning of new rules for union ballots while governing without a popular mandate.

Discipline guide

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A new edition of the Master’s Guide to Shipboard Disciplinary Procedures has been published by the UK Chamber of Shipping, following a comprehensive review of the Code of Conduct for the Merchant Navy.

The document aims to provide advice on good practice for the conduct of investigations and hearings.

The UK has yet another new

which saw Stephen Hammond transferred from the post to a job at the Home Office.

Former skills minister John Hayes, MP for South Holland & The Deepings, has been given the job — which has now been upgraded to the level of minister of state.

Mr Hammond, MP for Wimbledon, took over the post from Mike Penning in September 2012, and had helped to develop a new strategic partnership between the government and the industry, as well as a ‘joined-up’ approach between the various government departments with maritime interests.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said he was disappointed to see yet another shipping minister being replaced.

‘Stephen Hammond did appear to be genuinely committed to the post and was someone who understood the industry — and as such he will be missed,’ he said. ‘However, we have offered to have an early meeting with Mr Hayes to discuss the many important issues that are in his in-tray.’

UK Chamber of Shipping chief executive Guy Platten commented: ‘Stephen Hammond has been one of the most proactive shipping ministers for a long while and we wish him well for the future. His legacy will be one of increased investment in maritime training, lower light dues and the ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention.’

Nautilus industrial organiser Gary Leech is pictured with Captain Paolo Lestan and chief officer Gillian Gray during a recent visit to Seatruck Ferries’ UK-registered ro-ro Clipper Progress

16/07/2014 18:46

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 05

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Eurotunnel hits out at ferry ban Competition authority gives MyFerryLink six months to pull out of Dover

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Eurotunnel is to contest a UK Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) ruling that it should be barred from operating its MyFerryLink (MFL) service from Dover for 10 years.

And French maritime unions have also pledged their opposition to the decision — disputing allegations that Eurotunnel’s involvement in ferry operations is having a damaging effect on competition in the shortsea sector.

The CMA said it had determined it had jurisdiction over Groupe Eurotunnel’s (GET) acquisition of three ferries and related assets which previously belonged to SeaFrance, and said the company would be given six months to stop running the MFL services.

CMA panel deputy chairman Alasdair Smith warned: ‘With two of the operators on the Dover– Calais route making substantial losses, it remains our view that the current level of competition on the route is unsustainable and likely to lead to the exit of a competitor.’

In that scenario, he warned, Eurotunnel would be one of only two ferry operators in addition to owning the competing rail link. It already has more than half the market and its share will rise further if competitors exit, Mr Smith added.

The CMA said it would not prevent Eurotunnel from selling to an independent purchaser and added that it was conscious of the potential impact on MFL jobs. ‘However, there will also be job losses if MyFerryLink remains on the route and another operator leaves,’ Mr Smith pointed out.

The CMA judgement was based on a ruling that GET and the SCOP

P&O DELAY: the agreement reached between Nautilus and P&O Ferries in respect of payments relating to recall, travel and the outstanding collective grievance for refit arrangements on the Spirit Class vessels will be paid in August rather than, as originally promised, July.

National secretary Jonathan Havard said a number of inaccuracies were found in the data, which have now been corrected. The Irish Sea LOC meeting scheduled for 17 July has had to be postponed at the last minute because no members of HR were available. A revised date is currently being arranged.

MAERSK MEETING: national secretary Steve Doran was due to meet with Maersk Offshore management as the Telegraph went to press, to discuss the pay offer for members employed on Bermuda and Guernsey contracts and working onboard container vessels. An offer of a 5% increase over three years has been rejected by members and the Union is seeking an improved offer.

MAERSK SOA: members serving with Maersk Offshore on the South African officers’ CBA are being consulted on a three-year pay and conditions offer. The package includes a 1.6% increase backdated to 1 January 2014, 0.4% from 1 January 2015 to compensate for extending the anniversary date by three months, a 1.7% increase on basic and incremental salary from 1 April 2015 and 1.8% increase from 1 April 2016.

Gold standard for P&O liaison officer to the work done by P&O Ferries liaison officer Ken F Konasik — who has been presented with a gold badge in Nautilus International members have paid tribute

honour of his 40 years of union membership.

Pictured, left to right, are Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard, liaison officer committee (LOC) chair Paul Dilks, Chris Lewis, Ken Konasik, national ferry organiser Micky Smyth, Phil Lees and Gary Underwood.

‘Ken is currently the vice-chair of the LOC and has been a stalwart of Nautilus and its predecessors for 40 years,’ Mr Havard said.

‘He has worked as an engineer for a number of shipping companies over the years, and has been with workers’ cooperative formed by former SeaFrance employees had acquired an ‘enterprise’ under UK merger control rules, enabling them to establish ferry operations more quickly, more cheaply and with less risk than if alternative assets had been separately acquired in the market.

The CMA rejected an alternative proposal from the SCOP

P&O Ferries on the shortsea route since the break-up of the P&O Stena Line joint venture.

‘Having been heavily involved in the drawing up of members’ terms and conditions in the past, Ken was an obvious choice to head up the Union’s negotiating team, together with Micky Smyth, in the recent shortsea harmonisation project,’ Mr Havard added.

‘He was seconded shoreside for this project and has now returned to his old friend, the European Seaway, where he tends to her every need in the salubrious setting of Tilbury,’ Mr Havard said. ‘I am grateful for his input and participation to our Union and hope he will continue to contribute for many years to come.’

to operate the service independently from Eurotunnel, ruling that this ‘would be subject to too much uncertainty, risk and delay to represent an effective solution’.

It also rejected a proposal from DFDS to reduce the original implementation period before Eurotunnel would be required to stop running ferries in and out of Dover from six to three months.

GET said the freight market share statistics showed that DFDS and P&O ‘are in no way threatened by MyFerryLink’ and argued that ending the MFL operations would create a de facto duopoly in the maritime sector. The French union CGT described the ruling as undemocratic and biased and promised to oppose any move to close the MFL service.

Newhaven service is given an extra year that the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry service has F secured another year of public service support while Seafaring unions have welcomed the news

talks continue on the long-term structure of the operations.

The Seine-Maritime district council announced last month that it would extend the €20m funding for the service until the end of 2015 to enable an

agreement on the future of the link to be secured.

It said the support was conditional upon research to demonstrate the value of the service and transparency from DFDS Seaways – which presently operates the two ferries on the route – on the use of public funds.

Dieppe mayor Sébastien Jumel said the service has increased passenger numbers and offered

further potential for growth. Talks will now focus on issues including the frequency of the service, and the number and type of ships deployed on the route.

Nautilus industrial organiser Lisa Carr welcomed the decision and said the Union will now revert to LCT Support Services to request a further review of members’ pay and conditions, in line with the agreement reached earlier this year.

Portsmouth protest over low-cost ferry crews protests at Portsmouth ferry F port, left, to highlight concerns over Unions have staged further

social dumping and the exploitation of low-cost foreign crews by shipping companies.

The demonstrations organised by the RMT union have targeted Condor Ferries — with complaints that the company is employing Ukrainian seafarers on rates as low as £2.35 an hour on its services to the Channel Islands and France.

Nautilus national ferry organiser

04-05_at work.indd 5

shortreports

Micky Smyth said the evidence shows that the crew are being paid well below prevailing rates and much less than the UK National Minimum Wage of £6.31 an hour.

The RMT described Condor’s crewing policies as ‘completely unacceptable’ and damaging to the UK maritime skills base.

Both Nautilus and the RMT are urging the government to end its ‘light touch’ approach to enforcement of employment regulations in the maritime sector.

CALMAC VISITS: Nautilus is staging a series of ship visits to members employed by Caledonian MacBrayne crewing to discuss the implications of the re-tendering of the services later this year. National secretary Steve Doran and national ferries organiser Micky Smyth hope to meet as many members as possible over the three-day trip.

WESTMINSTER RISE: a two-year pay and conditions offer has been accepted by members serving with Boskalis Westminster. The deal included a 2.2% increase to be paid from 1 June 2014 and a further increase based on the May 2015 CPI index figure, plus 0.4% to be paid from 1 June 2015.

BOARD WAITING: a joint Nautilus International and Unite pay claim has been submitted to the Department for Transport by the Northern Lighthouse Board. Members will be informed of the outcome once a response has been received.

TRINITY MEETING: industrial organiser Paul Schroder was due to meet with Trinity House as the Telegraph went to press to discuss members’ joint pay and conditions review.

CROWN CLAIM: a pay and conditions claim for an RPI increase in pay has been submitted on behalf of members employed by Crown Crewing Ltd.

The Tube, 86 North Street Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 8RA

DELIVERY WORLDWIDE

Q Braids Q Work Wear Q Tropical Wear Q Cadet Uniforms Q Officers Uniforms

16/07/2014 18:46

06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports

New training centre for fast rescue craft

SKILLS WEEK: a national oil and gas skills week will take place in November to try and attract young people into the industry and fill the growing skills gap.

The industry, which already employs over 440,000 people, is expected to need several thousand more recruits in the next three years and nearly 10,000 more in the longer term. The campaign aims to address ‘misconceptions’ about the industry and to highlight ‘the fantastic career opportunities’ it offers.

TAX CONSULT: the UK government has announced a formal consultation into the future of the UK offshore oil and gas tax regime. The decision has been welcomed by the operators’ group Oil & Gas UK. Chief executive Malcolm Webb said the review must lead to early action. ‘It cannot simply be a paper exercise,’ he warned. ‘The tax regime must be simplified and the headline rates reduced to send a strong signal that the UKCS is open for business.’

FARSTAD MEETING: industrial organiser Gary Leech has met with Farstad Singapore following members’ rejection of a 2.75% increase in pay. The company advised that they do not believe an increased offer would be forthcoming but agreed to take onboard what had been said before giving an official response.

Once a response is received, members will be informed.

GULF DISCUSSION: industrial organiser Gary Leech has met with Gulf offshore to discuss members’ rejection of a 3.3% pay offer. The company has agreed to take members’ views onboard and consider a revised offer. Members will be informed once a formal reply to the meeting is received. Meanwhile, the 1% experience increase was due to be paid in July.

TRANSFER GUIDE: the International Marine Contractors Association has revised its guidance on the transfer of personnel to and from offshore vessels and their structures to include the practices being used in the offshore renewables sector. The document can be downloaded, free of charge, from the website: www. imca-int.org FUGRO DELIVERY: Fugro has taken delivery of the first in a new class of three offshore coastal survey vessels being built by the Dutch yard Damen. The 1,309gt Bahamas-flagged Fugro Proteus is capable of undertaking a wide range of survey, monitoring and inspection operations.

ISVO DONATION: the International Support Vessel Owners Association has donated £5,000 to the Seamen’s Church Institute to support its work on behalf of offshore workers in the Gulf of Mexico.

BOSTON DEAL: members employed by Seacor Marine and serving on BPOS vessels have accepted an offer of a 2% pay rise and additional increases for masters and chief engineers.

into a 10-year partnership with F Survival Craft Inspectorate (SCI) to Maersk Training has entered

New FRC courses are being run at Stonehaven Picture: Maersk Training

launch a new programme of specialist fast rescue craft (FRC) training.

The Maritime Training Academy —owned by SCI — last month took delivery of two new FRCs, marking the start of the partnership’s drive to become a world-leader in the training of FRC boatmen and coxswains.

‘Companies in the oil and gas sector can be assured the academy offers first-rate training facilities and that the challenging waters of the North Sea around the Stonehaven coastline provide the sternest test of any facility in the UK for fast rescue training,’ said Maersk Training UK managing director Stuart Cameron.

MPs in call for safety inquiry Parliamentary report warns of ‘creeping complacency’

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MPs have called for a full and independent public inquiry into offshore helicopter safety following complaints by concerned workers about a culture of ‘macho bullying’.

The call came from the chair of the House of Commons transport committee last month after she unveiled a report produced in response to a series of four North Sea helicopter accidents within five years.

Louise Ellman said she was concerned that ‘serious questions remain unanswered about offshore helicopter safety in the competitive commercial environment of the North Sea’.

Ms Ellman said the transport committee had been given evidence that offshore workers’ confidence in the industry’s safety record was ‘understandably low’ and there are worries that ‘a creeping complacency’ may be affect-

ing safety standards.

‘We heard troubling evidence about a macho bullying culture in the oil and gas industry, including that offshore workers who were concerned about helicopter safety were told that they should leave the industry,’ she added.

The report calls for oil and gas companies to do more to ‘facilitate a culture of approachability and openness at all levels’.

The committee held a series of hearings after an accident in August last year, when four people died after a Super Puma AS332 L2 crashed into the sea on its approach to Sumburgh airport. This followed an incident in October 2012 when 19 people were rescued after a Super Puma EC225 ditched off Shetland. In May 2012, 16 people were rescued when another Super Puma ditched off Aberdeenshire and in April 2009, 16 people on a Super

Puma AS332 L2 were killed when it crashed while returning from a BP platform.

The committee said they found no conclusive evidence that Super Pumas were less safe than other helicopters. But Ms Ellman said the role and effectiveness of the Civil Aviation Authority should be properly examined.

‘Only a full and independent public inquiry would have the power and authority to investigate properly,’ she added, The MPs said it was ‘appalling’ that survivors of the Sumburgh crash had not used the emergency breathing system on the helicopter because a pre-flight safety video failed to explain it properly.

Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the pilots’ union Balpa, said the report added further weight to an urgent need for safety improvements and backed the call for a public inquiry.

Reportable injury trend is reversed after Oil & Gas UK’s annual F health and safety report revealed a

Nautilus has expressed concern

slight increase in the frequency of reportable injuries and dangerous occurrences, reversing the trend of improvement in previous years.

The figures also show that the industry missed its three-year reportable hydrocarbon release reduction target by just 1%. There was a continued five-year decrease in the number of major and significant releases, but 2013 saw an overall increase in the total number of releases — resulting in a three-year reduction of 49%.

‘Despite the ongoing and encouraging decrease in major and significant releases over the last year, the industry is not yet where it needs to be,’ said Robert Paterson, Oil & Gas UK’s health and safety director.

‘Industry, working closely with the regulators and other bodies, is refocusing attention on preventative strategies and programmes to maintain and enhance momentum in this crucial area.’

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘North Sea infrastructure is beyond its initial life expectancy; therefore, increased attention is required for maintenance and for the education and training of a new workforce.’

Bibby raises rates by as much as 31%

HAVILA MEETING: a meeting has been arranged for 19 August to discuss the pay and conditions claim on behalf of members employed by Havila Marine.

Bibby Ship Management on the F BP offshore agreement have accepted Nautilus members working for

Captain Duncan Smith, Fatai Oyedepo and John Clark, at talks with A Deeside Crewing Services on behalf of members serving on vessels owned Nautilus industrial organiser Gary Leech is pictured above right with

or operated by Vroon Offshore.

Following discussions on the issue of proposed changes to day rates, management has told the Union that it will be seeking feedback from members on the plans. Mr Leech said members are being encouraged to respond with their opinions so that the Union can undertake a formal consultation if necessary.

06_offshore.indd 6

The academy will offer a wide range of courses, including FRC boatman, FRC coxswain, daughter craft coxswain, and other technical training.

SCI invested a six figure sum into building and equipping the new facility at Stonehaven, following a storm which destroyed the previous centre. The site now includes classrooms, training rooms and a workshop on the harbour front.

Maersk Training has also launched new OPITO compressed air emergency breathing system (CA-EBS) training for the oil and gas industry ahead of new safety rules which take effect on 1 September. The courses are being run at its centres in Aberdeen, Newcastle or at a customer facility.

the company’s 2014 pay offer. The complex deal resulted in an average rise of 10% for officers and ratings — and as much as 31% for some members.

In making the offer, Bibby stated that it believed the pay and reward system was in need of a major overhaul. It said the previous system did not adequately reflect labour market pay rates in some ranks, while the service-based pay increments and the ‘overly complex’ bonus system failed to properly focus on ‘incentivising and rewarding achievement of core operational competency requirements’.

Bibby conducted a labour market review and benchmarking exercise which found that the pay scales needed adjustments in certain ranks to remain competitive and to ensure recruitment and retention.

Nautilus members had initially requested an above-inflation pay rise and Bibby agreed to offer a base increase of 3% — 0.5% over RPI at the time. The company then offered a range of additional improvements to pay scales, bonuses, and other terms and conditions, worth as much as 31% for some members.

Nautilus industrial organiser Derek Byrne said it was refreshing to see a company take such action to attract the best crews, and he urged other operators to take note.

16/07/2014 18:11

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

EU curbs hours on waterways Union ‘relieved’ at plan to control working time within inland navigation

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Nautilus has welcomed European Commission proposals to introduce specific rules on working hours for the crews of passenger or cargo vessels in the inland waterways sector.

The planned measures would bring the sector into line with the general EU working time directive and would cover an estimated 31,000 nautical crew and passenger services staff working on inland navigation vessels.

Under the proposed rules, total working time could not exceed 48 hours per week — although this could be averaged over up to 12 months — and total night working time could not exceed 42 hours per week.

Workers would have the right to at least 10 hours’ rest every day — with at least six hours uninterrupted — and to at least 84 hours of rest every week. They would

also be entitled to at least four weeks’ paid annual leave, and paid annual health checks.

The proposals have been tabled as the result of an agreement between the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the European Barge Union (EBU) and European Skippers’ Organisation (ESO), representing the employers’ side.

Nautilus senior national secretary Nick Bramley commented: ‘We’re relieved that after two and a half years of evaluation the European Commission has given the green light to the next step in the realisation of the 2012 social partners’ agreement on working time in inland waterways transport.

‘We trust that the next steps can be overcome more rapidly now that the “distractions” of the European elections and the new constitution of the Commission are nearly over,’ he added. ‘We and

our colleagues in the ETF’s inland waterways section are confident that the agreement will bring real improvements through its clear and binding character.

‘For example,’ he pointed out, ‘in future nautical staff will not be allowed to work more than 31 days in succession, a form of annual working time will be established, clear limits to night work will be set, and free annual health checks will be available for all. We have also managed to establish specific limits for the growing river cruise industry.

‘In view of continued concern about fatigue and psychological stress factors at work, we feel these to be positive steps in making the industry safer and healthier as well as more attractive to new entrants,’ Mr Bramley added. ‘We will now encourage employers to go the way of early voluntary implementation of the

agreement.’

Myriam Chaffart, ETF political secretary for the inland waterways sector, also welcomed the developments — but stressed that there is still more work to be done to bring the measures into effect. ‘This agreement will provide the opportunity to achieve harmonisation with potentially simpler rules on working time in the sector,’ she stressed. ‘And it will also improve the overall health and safety of the workers.’

European employment commissioner László Andor said the proposals were an excellent example of positive social dialogue between unions and employers. ‘Good working conditions and adequate rest periods adapted to working on inland waterways are essential for the health and safety of crews and shipboard personnel, and thereby for safety of transport,’ he added.

RFA cadet of the year Third Officer (E) David Kay is A pictured receiving the annual best Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA)

RFA cadet award from Mrs Jane Jones.

The Richard Jones Award has been made every year since 2000 in memory of chief officer Jones, who died in 1999. He had been closely involved with cadet training and was instrumental in shaping the career structure of RFA cadets.

David, who is aged 25, joined the RFA as an officer cadet in October 2010 and attended Warsash Maritime Academy, passing his MCA Orals in July 2013 after what was described as an ‘exceptional’ cadetship and seatime onboard Gold Rover, Fort Austin, and Argus.

David was selected for the Richard Jones Award after reaching consistently high standards throughout his cadetship, both at college and at sea. He was said to have repeatedly displayed the drive and determination to succeed through hard work and natural ability.

Shipmates said he had shown leadership and team player qualities onboard and had become an integral part of the engineering team wherever he served.

He was particularly praised for taking on the level of responsibility usually expected of a third officer during his final cadet placement onboard RFA Argus, on which he has served as third officer since October 2013.

Paperwork plans ‘are off-course’ paperwork for seafarers by F harmonising reporting requirements Plans to cut the volume of

for ships visiting European ports are ‘behind schedule and off course’, owners warned last month.

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) said the proposals to establish a ‘single window’ electronic reporting system

by June 2015 are being ‘seriously jeopardised’ by the failure to ensure that common and compatible systems are put in place across the EU. ECSA secretary general Patrick

Verhoeven warned that the aim of reducing red tape and enabling seafarers to spend less time on ‘duplicative and redundant bureaucracy’ would not succeed without an agreement being reached on a harmonised ‘eManifest’.

Owners are presently facing the risk of having to cope with ‘a mosaic of heterogeneous electronic reporting systems,’ he complained. ‘Europe does not need a medley of national single windows. It needs a European single window or, at the very least, uniformity and harmonisation.

‘This situation is puzzling and incongruous,’ he added, ‘as the entire purpose of this initiative was to provide the industry with real simplification, which would reduce costs, rather than investing in new systems with no discernable or tangible return.’

ECSA said it was disappointed about the failure to agree on the eManifest, which it described as ‘an essential tool to create an internal market for shipping by allowing us to compete on an equal footing with other modes of transport’.

European transport commissioner Siim Kallas urged member states to step up work to ensure the reporting formalities directive can take effect next June. ‘I am pleased to see that we are progressing in establishing a key component for reducing administrative burden for vessels,’ he added.

The Commission has called for urgent agreement on EU guidelines and technical specifications for the implementation of harmonised national single windows for handling ship reporting formalities.

IFSMA alarm over trial of ferry crew 14 crew from the South Korean ferry Sewol F have been raised by the International Federation of

Fresh concerns over the trial of the master and

Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA).

Captain Lee Jun-seok, the first and second officers, and the chief engineer are facing homicide charges in connection with the disaster, in which more than 300 people died. Eleven other crew members face charges of causing death by negligence.

IFSMA president Captain Hans Sande questioned whether the seafarers would be able to get a fair trial

when the country’s president had already referred to them as ‘murderers’.

‘If this continued criminalisation of the seafarer — and, in specific, the shipmaster — is allowed to grow, the maritime industry will become a unique industry,’ he warned.

Capt Sande said fair and impartial investigations are required before accusations are made and cases are brought to court. ‘An in-depth and transparent investigation into all of the facts is needed and the “error chain” must be examined from its initial point,

We are able to offer competitive, specially negotiated fares for all types of air travel, be it UK Domestic, European or Worldwide.

up to and including the accident and its aftermath,’ he added.

‘It is important that the families, friends and communities affected by this tragedy can find closure and move their lives forward,’ said Capt Sande. ‘This can only be achieved when all of the relevant facts are laid bare and everyone implicated is brought before the court, and not just the master and crew — who would appear to be the scapegoats shouldering full accountability for everything that went wrong on the final voyage of this ship.’

Adam is SMA’s best deckhand harboumaster John Forman A is pictured presenting Scottish Peterhead Port Authority

Maritime Academy student Adam Smith with the Best Trainee Deckhand 2014 Award last month.

Adam — who obtained a job with Vroon Offshore Services a week after finishing the Efficient Deckhand course — was nominated

for the award by course tutors, who praised his attitude and attainment during the 12-week training programme.

Adam received a trophy and a cheque for £300. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed all 12 weeks, particularly the practical work as I’m a hands-on person and find that I learn quicker by getting stuck in,’ he said.

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07_news.indd 7

16/07/2014 17:01

08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

LARGE YACHT NEWS

Charity partners in training initiative Free courses offer aims to attract Sea Cadets into the superyacht sector

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The Isle of Wight-based charity and training centre UKSA has linked up with the Sea Cadets in a partnership which aims to boost recruitment into the superyacht sector.

Under the joint initiative, members of the Sea Cadets — the UK’s largest nautical youth charity — will be able to benefit from 100% funded BTec courses in watersports, week-long taster courses in watersports and superyacht industries, plus three–month watersports instructor courses in dinghy sailing, windsurfing and kayaking.

Launching the partnership last month, both charities said that it would offer ‘life-changing’ training to as many as 14,000 young people — giving them the opportunity to access careers in the superyacht sector and wider maritime cluster.

Captain Jonathan Holloway of the Sea Cadets commented: ‘Sea Cadets charity is passionate about supporting young people and offering opportunities that will help them challenge themselves and thrive, and get into work or further education.

‘This important partnership

Tyne visit sparks many memories for captain the UK Port of Tyne attracted F lots of interest in the area last

The first visit of a superyacht to

UKSA CEO Richard Thornton (centre left) and Sea Cadets CEO Martin Coles (centre right) with Sea Cadets director of lifelong learning Mark Windsor (far left) and UKSA director of operations Ben Willows (far right) launch their partnership with youngsters at the Welsh Harp Boat Station in Wembley, north London

invites cadets to explore a career in the luxury superyacht industry and invites them to turn their aspirations and hard work into reality.’

UKSA’s chief executive Richard Thornton added: ‘Working together like this is a fantastic opportunity for both organisations and will be of huge benefit to

all the young people we can reach.

‘We hear so much these days about a lack of opportunities for young people, but the maritime industry is often overlooked,’ he added.

‘There are thousands of Sea Cadets in the UK who have joined through an interest in the water, so they are the ideal young peo-

ple to consider working in a sector they will have an affinity for.

UKSA can offer direction towards not only the traditional maritime routes but also the watersports industry and the exciting, challenging and lucrative superyacht industry, which may be areas Sea Cadets have not considered before.’

month — and brought back many memories for the vessel’s captain, Dale Smith, pictured above.

Capt Smith, originally from Elswick, Newcastle, was brought up in Sunderland and studied as a marine engineer at South Shields college before embarking on his career in the yacht sector in 1991.

‘Sailing Sovereign into the Port of Tyne was wonderful,’ he said. ‘I have a great affection for the river and it’s very special to be spending

Service eases the admin headache

by Michael Howorth

E-learning for interior crew

by Michael Howorth

H

An innovative e-learning course for superyacht crew has been launched by the Antibes office of The Crew Network (TCN).

Called Introduction to Interior Service, the online study course was developed in partnership with the

group Superyacht Operating H Systems (SOS) was founded in 2012 The online documentation

UK-based maritime training and assessment specialists Marlins.

The average study time is seven hours and concludes with a final assessment, enabling individuals to check their knowledge and receive a certificate of completion. The course can be purchased for £165 from the Marlins online shop.

The new construction halls at the Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth

Lairdside Maritime Centre

UK yard expands to meet demand C

ECDIS COURSES Other Courses Available include:

■ Ship Handling for both Junior and Senior Officers ■ ISPS Designated Security Duties ■ ISPS Prevention of Piracy and Armed Robbery

For further information : t: +44 (0)151 647 0494 f: +44 (0)151 647 0498 w: www.lairdside-maritime.com e: lairdside@ljmu.ac.uk

08_yachts.indd 8

The Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth has completed the first phase of a major project to transform and extend its facilities to handle even larger superyacht refit and newbuild work.

Over a 16-month period, the old singular construction hall has been replaced with two 90m halls alongside a further 45m doublewidth hall, complementing the existing 150m dry dock.

The work has created additional flexible undercover space for Pendennis, increasing capacity for both newbuild and refit contracts for 30-100m superyachts Joint managing director Mike Carr said the expansion had been undertaken in response to dramatic growth in the size of large yachts since the company started. ‘When we founded the company in 1988 a 35m vessel was perceived as large in the yachting industry,’ he

explained. ‘Over the years, as yacht sizes continued to grow and refit demand increased, the yard has needed to adapt.’

In order to cater for larger projects, Pendennis has recently taken delivery of a 640 tonne travel hoist, which is ideally positioned to move yachts smoothly from the slipway into each of the three halls. The project also includes a four-storey workshop, office and hospitality complex.

The next phase of the project, due to be completed in 2015, will create a non-tidal adjustable depth wet-basin directly in front of the recently completed construction halls. With the longest arm of the basin planned to be 100m, it will enable several 40-50m visiting yachts, or larger 80m+ projects, to be based directly alongside before and after their refit or build period at Pendennis.

a little time here to revisit my roots and see how much the river has changed.’

Adrian Waddell, director of operations at NE1 Newcastle City Marina, said he hoped Sovereign would be the first of many superyachts to visit the facilities on the Tyne.

‘When we built the NE1 two years ago we hoped it would attract international visitors and yachts and vessels of all sizes because of the quality of the offer and the fact that boats sail directly into the heart of Newcastle,’ he added.

by superyacht captain David Clarke, who has served for over 20 years in the sector.

He developed the concept to assist captains and crew in contending with the increasing demands of regulatory compliance. He has built a free to use online library of over 280 high quality, user-friendly operating policies and procedures which is being utilised by over 1,200 working superyacht crew on vessels up to 160m.

Now, by teaming up with the Silicon Valley company ComplianceBridge, he has launched TotalCompliance — a low-cost, comprehensive onboard administration system that enables captains and department heads to effortlessly maintain information consistency, document control, human resource compliance and record retention for class and flag audits.

It is a single integrated onboard

solution that provides full lifecycle document management, automated notifications and reminders, online knowledge access with testing, questionnaires and irrefutable acceptance confirmation, as well as real-time compliance visibility.

For yachts that require policies, procedures and employment documents, the free to use SOS document library is fully customisable for an individual vessel or an entire fleet.

The system automatically tracks and records that documents are distributed, read and accepted by the appropriate crew members.

Built-in reports provide management with clear, real-time metrics of all onboard compliance documents by department, crew member or period.

The software is compatible with all Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems. It is easily downloaded and integrated within a yacht’s server and backs up to a secure shore side location. All onboard documents and data can by synchronised with the yacht’s head office or management company.

‘China could be the top market’ China is the market with the highest potential for the F superyacht industry, according to Vincenzo Poerio, CEO of the Italian firm Benetti.

In a recent interview he predicted that the country could become the world’s biggest market for superyachts — although, he cautioned, a lot of work is required to develop a strong seagoing culture. ‘It is still early for megayachts, but this major pastime of affluent Europeans and Americans will become more and more popular,’ he added.

16/07/2014 18:07

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

Warnings over surge in SE Asian attacks in SE Asian waters need to F take precautions to guard against Merchant ships operating

a growing threat from piracy in the region, security experts warned last month.

UK-based Dryad Maritime said there had been 12 reported cases of vessels being boarded while underway in the area since the start of the year and a further 19 robberies or attempted robberies over the same period.

Dryad pointed out that six tankers have been hijacked in the area since April, with evidence that at least one gang is operating to the east of

Singapore, hijacking small product tankers and stealing fuel cargoes.

‘These criminals have knowledge in the workings of ships’ equipment and procedures for carrying out STS transfers,’ said chief operating officer Ian Millen. ‘Without more proactive efforts by local maritime forces to counter this crime, we predict further incidents of this type in the region.’

The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) described the trends in SE Asia as ‘worrying’ and urged all masters, ship security officers and company security officers to exercise caution when their vessels transit or operate in the area.

Crew of counter-piracy ship are freed by India F

The crew of a counter-piracy ship arrested in India last October on suspicion of weapons trafficking have had the charges against them dropped.

The High Court in Chennai ruled last month that the 35 men from the Sierra Leone-registered Seaman Guard Ohio — including six British guards — should not face any charges under the Indian Arms Act. The court determined that the Seaman Guard Ohio had entered Indian territorial sea out of necessity and was covered by the principle of ‘innocent passage’.

The ship’s Ukrainian master will still face charges of illegal bunkering, however.

The development comes after Nautilus joined calls for the UK government to do more to put pressure on the Indian government to release the men.

The vessel’s US-based owner, Advanfort, had argued that the ship had been arrested outside Indian territorial waters and that all the firearms onboard were legally purchased and properly documented.

The Mission to Seafarers — which had been supporting the crew since their arrest — welcomed the court’s decision. ‘Following the judgement, we hope that the crew will soon be reunited with their families,’ said director of welfare and justice Ken Peters.

Armed guards caution F

Maritime security company GoAGT has warned shipping companies that the use of private contracted armed guards on merchant vessels operating off the coast of Nigeria is illegal and could have major repercussions for the owner and the charterer if they are found onboard.

The warning follows the latest security advice for Nigeria issued by the owners’ association BIMCO, which pointed to a number of ‘blue on blue’ incidents in the last six months.

GoAGT chief executive Nick Davis

said: ‘Merchant vessels approaching Nigeria from within the Gulf of Guinea must understand that the Nigerian navy are the only authorised body to offer protection via escort vessels only, and not with armed guards on client vessels.’

He said the use of armed guards in the region falls into ‘a legal grey area’ and owners and managers should seek official advice before ‘parting with money for a service that could have severe operational interruption to normal trading’.

‘While the ongoing threat to tankers in the Malacca Straits, surrounding waters and anchorages is set to continue, the problem could be set to spread,’ it warned. ‘The message from SAMI is that other vessel types could soon become targets too, and so it is imperative that steps are taken to ensure that necessary security measures are in place.’

SAMI said the majority of the recent incidents had taken place within territorial waters, but it noted concern that criminal elements are ‘willing and able’ to attack passing shipping on a more random ‘smash and grab’ basis.

A Neptune maritime security guard fixes razor wire to the side of a ship to deter pirates Picture: Neptune

Call for action in Gulf of Guinea UK owners say ships and seafarers need more protection off west Africa

P

A new report by the UK Chamber of Shipping claims that nearly £6.3bn of British trade is being put at risk every year by being moved through the high-risk region of the Gulf of Guinea.

The report warns that maritime crime in the area has gone almost unpunished for 30 years and says the time has come for the UK government to do more to build maritime governance in the region.

‘The UK economy is heavily exposed to lawlessness off the coast of Nigeria,’ the report states.

‘The energy security of the UK relies on fuel imports and Nigeria is the primary source of energy from the Gulf of Guinea. All of this oil is exported by sea, yet there is an unacceptable prevalence of maritime crime.’

‘Most people are aware of pirate activity off Somalia, but lawlessness in the Gulf of Guinea is a major threat to our seafarers,’ said Chamber of Shipping chief executive Guy Platten. ‘Nigeria and other states in the region have known for 30 years that piracy was a problem, but too little has been done and enough is enough.’

The report’s main findings include: z in the past decade, 45 seafarers have been killed and 459 seafarers have been held hostage z there is at least one attack per week on a ship operating in the region and up to two-thirds of attacks may go unreported z in 2013, 60% of attacks took place in Nigerian territorial waters and there is a trend for increasing violence within attacks z around 12% of the UK’s crude

oil is imported from Nigeria, and by 2050 the region will hold 25% of the world’s oil production z around 5,000 vessels, of all nationalities, call at Nigerian ports every year The report highlights the impact these factors have on seafarers, as well as the UK economy.

‘Maritime crime has a very significant human impact,’ it says. ‘Experienced at first hand by those at sea, the risk is held corporately by the owners and operators of maritime activities. A corporate decision has to be made to commit seafarers to the region.

‘The increasing level of violence used during attacks affects the outcome of risk analysis,’ it points out. ‘The safety of seafarers is clearly the single largest factor in making this decision, and there is a level of threat, compounded

by the lowering of corporate tolerance, at which commercial benefits are outweighed.

‘There is precedence of multinationals pulling out of operations in specific areas due to unacceptable levels of risk to life.’

Mr Platten added that criminal activity is severely hampering the region’s potential for prosperity.

‘Put simply, these countries will remain poor until their maritime security issues are tackled,’ he argued.

‘It is clear that if our seafarers, and the cargo they help move, are to be protected, more needs to be done at a global level,’ Mr Platten said.

‘This means using UK-based expertise to help train local law enforcement judicial services and making sure criminals are brought to justice.’

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To find out more, please contact: Alan Cartwright, Commercial Manager T. +44 (0)23 8201 4168 E. alan.cartwright@solent.ac.uk

www.warsashacademy.co.uk

09_news.indd 9

16/07/2014 17:01

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

NEWS

New rules ‘are not necessary’

Divers fined for stealing from UK shipwrecks A

In what the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has described as ‘a landmark case’, two divers have been successfully prosecuted for raiding material from shipwrecks around the UK coast.

A court in Southampton heard that David Knight and Edward Huzzey had used explosives, underwater cutting gear and professional lifting equipment to take more than £250,000 worth of valuables from nine submerged vessels, some dating back more than 200 years.

The two men were ordered to pay a total of £63,500 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to 19 offences under section 236 and section 237 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

Prosecutors said the pair had recovered material such as eight halftonne bronze cannons, worth £12,000 each, three submarine propellers, lead and tin ingots, copper, zinc and valuable fittings from vessels including German U-boats and a ship carrying East India Company cargo which sank in 1807.

But the men failed to inform the MCA Receiver of Wreck about any of their finds within the legal timeframe of 28 days. It was not until May 2011

that they declared their finds after panicking when watching a news broadcast about other divers being arrested for taking valuable items.

Sentencing the pair, district judge Anthony Calloway said: ‘The scale of the operation has to be considered to have been on an industrial scale. The resources employed were valuable and substantial, using good quality lifting equipment and explosives.’

Following the hearing, MCA Receiver of Wreck Alison Kentuck commented: ‘It is not a case of finders keepers. By reporting wreck material you are giving the rightful owner the opportunity to have their property returned and you may be adding important information to the historic record. Legitimate finders are likely to be entitled to a salvage award, but those who don’t declare items are breaking the law and could find themselves facing hefty fines.’

Mark Harrison, English Heritage’s national policing and crime adviser, added: ‘The sentence today sets an important precedent in the fight against uncontrolled salvage by a small criminal minority who have no appreciation for our national maritime heritage.’

EU urged to clarify laws on scrubbers port authorities have called A for urgent clarification of the rules European shipowners and

covering the use of exhaust scrubbers.

Following talks last month, the European Sustainable Shipping Forum (ESSF) warned that the lack of certainty over the regulations governing the deployment of the equipment threatens to jeopardise its uptake by the industry — even though scrubbers are one of the few sulphur emission abatement technologies presently available to operators.

ESSF claimed that there is presently a lack of uniformity within EU member states’ legislation on the discharge of water used by scrubbers. Some countries allow water discharges close to their shores, some don’t and others apply strict conditions.

The forum called for clarification on the classification of scrubber water discharges in the EU Water Framework Directive — pointing out that the

lack of accurate information on the composition of discharges has created ‘very high uncertainty’ over whether the operation of some scrubbers will be allowed in close proximity to the shore.

‘Not only does the current uncertainty jeopardise investments already made by operators, it also hampers the commissioning of future installations while time is dangerously running out,’ said European Community Shipowners’ Association secretary-general Patrick Verhoeven.

‘We urge the Commission and the member state to clarify these points, lest some operators start retrofitting their ships too late to be compliant.’

Isabelle Ryckbost, secretarygeneral of the European Sea Ports Organisation urged policy-makers to develop a more coherent approach to the use of scrubber technology. ‘It is time to replace the question marks with clear answers,’ she added.

New rules on noise to reduce noise levels onboard A merchant ships came into effect on New SOLAS Convention rules

1 July and the training firm Videotel has launched a course to help seafarers protect their hearing.

The revised IMO Code on noise levels onboard ships sets maximum limits for machinery spaces, control rooms, workshops, accommodation and other spaces and introduces new rules for newbuild ships.

The Videotel package, titled Noise and Vibration — The Forgotten Hazards — coincides with the new

10-11_news.indd 10

rules and explains the effects of the physical damage that exposure to excessive noise and vibration can cause, as well as the precautions that seafarers can take to protect themselves.

Videotel CEO Nigel Cleave said many seafarers are unaware of the threats posed by noise and vibration.

‘Often the consequences are felt only gradually, passing unnoticed until the individual realises they are having difficulty hearing, or are suffering impairment of fine motor skills,’ he pointed out.

not need any new rules and F regulations, the Liberian Registry has International shipping does

Shields rowers in Tyne triumph have triumphed for the second year running in an A eight nautical mile race down the River Tyne.

A team of rowers from South Shields Marine School

They clinched the fifth annual South Shields Marine School Challenge Cup — organised by South Tyneside College — by beating off seven other crews to row from Newcastle Quayside to South Shields in just 83 minutes.

Two minutes behind was the college’s general engineering team, who fought off a determined challenge by Fleetwood Nautical Campus for second

place. The American Bureau of Shipping was fourth, followed by Bernhard Schulte Shipping, South Tyneside College Ladies Team, City of Glasgow College Nautical and the North East P&I Club.

The event was the brainchild of retired marine lecturer Tommy Procter, who is now inviting other colleges and organisations to enter next year. f More than £230 has been raised so far and further donations can be made via: www.justgiving.com/ sponsorrow

argued. Instead, it suggests, everyone should work for better enforcement of existing measures to protect human life, safety and the environment.

Scott Bergeron, CEO of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry, said he backed the IMO’s World Maritime Day theme of effective implementation, but he complained of ‘other regulators who are not enforcing the rules effectively and this is really troublesome because the result of ineffective implementation is yet more regulation’.

Creating new regulations as a political or public reaction to accidents is very short-sighted, he argued, and it would make more sense to include everything under the umbrella of the International Safety Management Code.

‘If all the measures needed to protect safety and the environment are in that one code, and if that code is effectively implemented and enforced, there will be no need for new regulations as a knee-jerk reaction to individual or collective incidents,’ Mr Bergeron suggested.

Class plans to boost boxship strength IACS working on new rules in response to containership cracking cases

P

Leading classification societies have revealed details of a programme to develop new rules to improve the strength of containerships in response to cases such as last year’s catastrophic cracking of the MOL Comfort and the 2007 MSC Napoli incident.

And the 12 members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) are also seeking to address growing concerns about the safety of increasingly complex onboard systems.

Announcing the plans last month, new IACS chairman Philippe Donche-Gay said

the organisation aims to have extended unified requirements for hull and girder strength of post-panamax vessels in place by the end of the year.

IACS says it is focusing on issues such as wave bending moments and shear forces, along with specific load cases for direct analysis. But it has ruled out the possibility of introducing common structural rules for containerships, along the lines of those developed for tankers and bulk carriers.

Mr Donche-Gay said that until the final report on the investigation into the MOL Comfort dis-

aster is published — probably in September — it was too early to determine whether additional measures are required to address the structural strength of containerships. But, he added, ‘I do not think there will have to be a complete re-write of the rules.’

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘This is an admission that once again the extrapolation of the rules of construction has failed to provide a safe working platform for seafarers. It is a damning indictment on the regulatory system. Whatever action IACS takes, the greatest risk factor remains —

human failure caused by fatigue and working 91-98 hours in any seven-day period.’

The IACS chairman said he wants to see more work to ensure the integrity of increasingly complex and safety critical systems with embedded software onboard merchant ships and the organisation is establishing an expert group to examine the issues.

Testing and approval of systems needs special attention, Mr Donche-Gay said. ‘The most important thing is to understand all the systems which would have a serious effect on safety if they were to malfunction,’ he added.

Apostleship praises movie’s portrayal of seafaring issues Apostleship of the Sea has A praised a new movie set on a The seafarers’ charity

merchant ship for its portrayal of some of the issues facing seafarers.

Secret Sharer, directed by Oscar-winner Peter Fudakowski, is a romantic thriller based on a Joseph Conrad novel in which the crew of a cargoship in the South China Sea mutiny, leaving the captain alone.

The film was made onboard a rusting cargo ship on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, pictured

left, and had a maritime adviser on the set.

John Green, director of development for Apostleship of the Sea, said: ‘New films in maritime settings are few and far between these days. Whilst this film has its own artistic licence regarding crew conditions and behaviour, many themes are pertinent — the challenges of stowaways, the isolation the master can feel, and the tension between the owner and master and master and crew.’

16/07/2014 17:02

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

UK flag ship targeted in timber row

Owners dispute box loss statistics

Greenpeace prevented the A UK-flagged general cargoship

Environmental activists from

Safmarine Sahara from entering the French Atlantic port of La Rochelle last month.

Greenpeace claims the ship was loaded with timber sourced from companies with links to illegal logging operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The protesters, in three Zodiac inflatables, blocked the port entrance and painted ‘Bois illégal’ (illegal wood) on the ship’s hull.

Eventually, the port authority asked Safmarine Sahara to anchor outside the harbour. The 3,000 cu m of timber cargo is said to include bossé (guarea), sipo and sapele, loaded in Matadi, DRC. The action exposes France’s role in fuelling the destruction of the DRC rainforest by buying timber illegally logged in the region, said Greenpeace.

It is urging the owners of the shipment to reject timber from illegal loggers until they can prove that the timber comes from legal sources.

Greenpeace is also calling on the French government to tackle illegal logging and improve forest governance and law enforcement.

The French Ministry of Agriculture estimates that between 5% and 15% of wood imported into Europe is illegal, while Greenpeace suggests the figure is 15%–30%.

report disputing claims that as A many as 10,000 containers are lost Shipowners have released a

Greenpeace protestors approach the UK-flagged Safmarine Sahara outside the French port of La Rochelle Picture: Pierre Baelen/Greenpeace

Industry calls for BWM changes IMO urged to act to increases chances of ballast water convention adoption

P Crime warning A

Cyber-criminals may be targeting carriers, terminals and freight transport to access data on high-value cargo and susceptible loads, insurers have warned.

Mike Yarwood, from the TT Club, told the TOC Europe Container Supply Chain conference last month that invasive cyber-technology is posing a growing risk to legitimate trade.

There are now numerous examples of cases in which cybercriminals have targeted ports and transport operators, he added, and operators need to be very vigilant.

A coalition of shipping industry organisations — including groups representing unions and owners — is urging the International Maritime Organisation to urgently amend the proposed Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention to improve its chances of coming into effect.

The long-awaited measure to tackle the problems posed by the spread of invasive species in ballast water was adopted by the IMO a decade ago but has still not attracted enough ratifications from member states to come into effect.

Many owners are concerned about the type approval process for BWM equipment — fearing

Courageous crew to get award for fighting ferry fire F

The crew of a DFDS ferry who successfully fought a major fire and explosions onboard their ship last year are to be presented with the 2014 International Maritime Organisation Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. The IMO Council has approved a decision by a panel of judges to give the award to Captain Andreas Kristensen and the crew of the Danish-flagged Britannia Seaways in recognition of their ‘courage and determination in fighting explosions and fire onboard the vessel, at great risk and danger to themselves’.

The blaze began on an open deck while the 24,196gt ship was some 70nm from the coast of Norway last November, with 20 crew and 12 passengers and cargo including around 70 tonnes of diesel, aviation

10-11_news.indd 11

fuel and gasoline in jerrycans and tank containers.

Fanned by gale force winds, the flames reached as high as 30m. An explosion below deck caused the engine control system to break down, but the crew succeeded in transferring operations to manual mode and kept the engines, auxiliary engines and fire pumps running, while controlling the huge amounts of water coming into the cargo holds from the firefighting.

The fire was eventually extinguished some 13 hours after it broke out and the IMO said the crew’s ‘heroic teamwork’ had helped to save the lives of all onboard and to avert a major marine pollution incident.

The award will be presented at the IMO’s maritime safety committee meeting in London in November.

that those who install treatment systems at an early stage could lose out if the standards are subsequently set at higher levels.

And unions and owners are also worried about the sampling and analysis procedures for port state control checks on ballast water discharges.

The paper tabled by organisations including the ITF, the International Chamber of Shipping, BIMCO, InterManager, and the International Union of Maritime Insurers argues that these ‘significant challenges’ need to be addressed to ensure the effective implementation of the convention.

It is calling on the IMO’s marine environment protection

committee to respond to the ‘genuine uncertainty’ over the performance standards by introducing a ‘grandfather clause’ into the convention that will protect operators who fit first generation technology.

The October meeting will be urged to agree that first generation type-approved systems should be considered acceptable for the life of the ship. The paper also recommends a new port state control category of ‘gross non-compliance’ which would give some flexibility to the operational performance of early systems.

The IMO is also being asked to agree a ‘trial period’ once the convention enters into force, during

With so many courses on offer, there’s something for every aspiration

which owners will be able to gain experience with their systems without fear of punishment; and penalties should be imposed only in cases of deliberate noncompliance.

Such an agreement would ‘provide the necessary confidence building to assure the most effective implementation of the convention by the vast majority of stakeholders’, the paper argues.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘We have sought to ensure BWM systems do not present a hazard to members and that additional work is minimal. Nautilus is seeking a code for ballast water testing so there is no unwarranted criminalisation.’

overboard every year.

A survey conducted by the World Shipping Council (WSC) suggests that the annual total of lost boxes actually averages well under 2,000 over the past six years. The figures are based on feedback from operators accounting for 86% of current containership capacity.

For the combined six-year period from 2008 to 2013, WSC estimates that there were 546 containers lost on average each year, not counting catastrophic events, and 1,679 containers lost at sea each year including catastrophic events, such as the MOL Comfort and Rena disasters.

In the past three years, average annual losses have run at 733 containers — and at 2,683 containers when catastrophic losses are included.

The WSC said it had been a challenge to produce an accurate assessment of container losses, but it criticised ‘unsupported and grossly inaccurate’ statements that the total could be as high as 10,000. It is concerned that over-estimated loss figures could result in inappropriate regulation being developed by the IMO. ‘Every container loss is one the industry would like to avoid. The updated report not only provides more accurate and up-to-date data on the issue, but also identifies those initiatives the industry is supporting to increase container safety and reduce such losses,’ said WSC president Chris Koch.

‘While nobody can eliminate the challenges of bad weather or the risk of vessel casualties at sea, care and cooperation amongst all those who pack, handle, weigh, stow and secure containers is needed to improve safety,’ he stressed.

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16/07/2014 17:02

12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

HEALTH & SAFETY

Concerns raised on car deck dangers

Channel countries complete MIRG project hosted a cross-border exercise F to test at-sea fire-fighting capabilities

The DFDS ferry Princess Seaways

of specialist teams from the UK, the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

The large-scale exercise — which was held some 10 miles off the Dutch port of IJmuiden and was based on a scenario involving a car deck fire — was staged to mark the culmination of a 30-month European Union project to establish international Maritime Incident Response Groups (MIRGs) trained to respond to a variety of different emergencies offshore.

Under the project, fire-fighters from the four countries have worked together to create an agreed best practice approach to tackling incidents at sea, including a single training and operational programme.

The exercise will be fully evaluated over the next few weeks, but the project leaders described initial

problems in tackling car deck A fires on ferries have been raised in a Fresh concerns over the

report about an incident onboard a Danish ro-ro last year.

Crew members on the 13,144gt ro-ro Urd were praised for their response to the blaze during a voyage between Germany and Latvia last July, with a full vehicle deck of one trailer, 88 lorries, 12 cars and two other units.

The fire was spotted at an early stage by two engineer officers and had started in a malfunctioning fluorescent light fixture, spreading to the tarpaulin of a lorry.

Although the crew managed to extinguish the blaze, the Danish Marine Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) said the operation had proved difficult because the vehicles were stowed closely together — making it physically challenging to get to the site of the fire and to gain a good overview of the situation.

The DMAIB report also notes that the fixed fire-fighting equipment installed on the car deck had been ‘of limited effect’ in containing and extinguishing the moderately-sized fire, even though the sprinkler system had been activated for 10 minutes.

Pointing to the lack of readily available information for seafarers about the contents of lorry cargoes, the report states: ‘The hazards imposed on the crew during firefighting efforts on a full car deck are evident, as the crew will have only a slight chance of creating an overview of the situation and of foreseeing the development of this. They will have little knowledge of the potential danger associated with the cargo carried on the car deck during a fire and their escape options may be limited.’

In response to the incident, Stena Line has taken a number of safety measures including extending the car deck sprinkler system piping so that the nozzles are well below the fluorescent light fixtures in places where they are close together and upgrading CCTV surveillance of the car decks.

Picture: Mark Neelemans

Old vehicles ‘a risk on ferries’ Wear and tear on rope caused a fatal accident in Denmark Picture: DMAIB

Ro-ro blaze report stresses the need for safety checks

P

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on a fire onboard a UKflagged DFDS ro-ro vessel has highlighted the potential hazards posed by the carriage of used vehicles on ferries.

The 25,609gt Corona Seaways suffered light structural damage and the loss of some minor electrical supplies as a result of the blaze on the main car deck some 59nm off the Swedish coast last December.

Three vehicles and six trailers were severely fire-damaged, and other vehicles suffered minor radiant heat damage.

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by an electrical defect in the starting system of an old truck being carried onboard, and the report notes that many of the used vehicles routinely

shipped on DFDS’s Baltic Sea route had been laid up for long periods.

‘The carriage of used vehicles and equipment that do not have appropriate road worthiness certification and whose history and condition are unknown brings increased risks when compared with the carriage of wellmaintained vehicles that are in regular use,’ the report points out.

The company’s fire risk control measures, introduced after a blaze onboard another of its ships, applied only to used vehicles carried on designated car transporters, the MAIB said, and there was no documented evidence that these control measures were carried out.

‘Contrary to the spirit of the MCA’s Code of Practice and the master’s Unsafe Cargo notice,

there was no evidence that the vessel’s crew carried out vehicle safety checks,’ the report points out.

Although the fire-fighting effort was ‘well considered, effective and safely managed’, the MAIB said there had been a five minute delay in discharging the CO2 system because the whereabouts of a fitter were unknown.

‘This allowed the fire to develop and demonstrates that importance of the crew reporting to their muster station promptly,’ the report adds. ‘In other circumstances, the delay could have been critical.’

Recommendations include a call for the vessel’s managers to investigate why the CO2 system apparently failed to discharge the allotted quantity of the gas, as designed.

Investigation finds fire drills were ineffective on FoC ship broke out in a crew member’s F cabin onboard a flag of convenience

Investigations into a blaze which

timber carrier have concluded that the monthly fire drills on the ship were ineffective.

The fire began broke out while the 19,822gt Taokas Wisdom was loading a cargo of logs in the New Zealand port of Nelson in July 2013. The cabin where the blaze began was extensively damaged and adjoining spaces suffered heat and smoke damage, but nobody was injured Although the crew of the Panama-registered ship managed to extinguish the fire within half an hour, investigators said they had

12-13_h+s.indd 12

feedback as positive. The results of the project and the final exercise will be presented at a conference in Vlissingen in September.

Steve Demetriou, director of major projects and resilience at Kent Fire & Rescue Service, said it had been good to conduct the exercise on the ferry: ‘Fire remains one of the top three causes of loss for marine vessels in the world fleet, so it is really important that a ship’s crew and operational firefighters are able to work together to mitigate its effects, especially whilst vessels are out at sea.’

DFDS marine standards VP Thomas Mørk added: ‘We were delighted to be able to support the MIRGs by hosting this important event on one of our cruise ferries, as we believe it is crucial that all parties are able to train and test their response plans in a realistic environment.’

uncovered evidence that not all the seafarers were aware of their tasks and responsibilities.

Fire-fighting procedures were not followed, the NZ Transport Accident Investigation Commission concluded.

There was no effective command and control of the response, with the master unsure of which officer was responsible for which fire party and seeking to manage the event from near the scene of the fire rather than assuming control from the bridge.

‘The second officer had been onboard Taokas Wisdom for nine months, which meant he had attended at least nine firefighting drills,’ the report notes. ‘However, he

was still unaware that his team was responsible for controlling ventilation in the event of a fire.’

The chief officer had attempted to tackle the blaze with a portable extinguisher, but he was not wearing a breathing apparatus and was quickly overcome by smoke and heat — which forced him to retreat, leaving the cabin door open and resulting in the alleyway being engulfed in smoke and the fire starting to spread to other spaces.

The commission recommended that the ship’s operator should take steps to improve the effectiveness of emergency response training onboard all vessels under its management.

Bosun died when worn line parted while mooring a seafarer was killed when a A mooring line snapped has highlighted A report on an accident in which

the problems for crew in determining the condition of the ropes on their ships.

The bosun of the 6,454gt containership Atair J died after he was struck on the chest by the spring line which parted as the vessel was berthing in the Danish port of Aarhus in breezy conditions October last year.

Denmark’s maritime accident investigation branch found that all the mooring ropes onboard the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged ship had been brought onboard in 2011, and tests had shown that the line which broke had suffered medium to severe abrasions of the outer and inner strands as a result of wear and tear.

The report points out that repeated use of one spring line during manoeuvres to bring the vessel alongside will reduce its elongation

and elasticity properties — leaving it liable to break without warning.

There was also no formalised system onboard Atair J for evaluating the condition of the vessel’s ropes, it adds.

‘The crew members did not realise that the mooring rope was in a questionable condition,’ the report states. ‘It can be difficult to judge the condition of the mooring rope without in-depth knowledge about the specific type of rope, its age and prior history.’

Investigators said the bosun had been standing behind a pillar in an enclosed part of the forecastle in a position which he judged to be safe. But the report notes that other incidents have shown ‘it is inherently difficult to judge certain areas on mooring decks as safe and others as unsafe — as a rope that breaks can have an unpredictable path, dependent on where it breaks, its load and angle’.

New SOLAS rules for rescues requiring all ships to carry plans A and procedures to recover people New SOLAS Convention rules

from the water came into effect on 1 July.

Developed by the International Maritime Organisation in its work to improve the safety of large passengerships, the new regulations aim to ensure that all ships have the capability to be used as a rescue asset — especially in areas where SAR resources are limited.

As well as requiring ship-specific plans and procedures for the recovery of persons from the water, the rules call for ships to identify equipment to be used for recovery purposes and measures to minimise the risk to shipboard personnel involved in recovery operations. f The International Chamber of Shipping has developed guidance to help vessels comply with the regulations, available on the website: www.ics-shipping.org

16/07/2014 17:02

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH & SAFETY

Australia tells visiting ships to carry proper charts onboard Authority (AMSA) has warned F seafarers visiting the country’s ports Australia’s Maritime Safety

to ensure that they have appropriate charts on their ships.

The warning comes after the Australian administrative appeals tribunal last month ruled against a ship manager’s challenge to the detention of a Liberian-flagged tanker which was using unofficial charts on a voyage which included a transit through Great Barrier Reef waters.

The managers sought to have the detention of the 47,187dwt SCF Yenisei downgraded at the tribunal, alleging

the deficiency identified by an AMSA port marine surveyor was not serious enough to warrant detention.

An inspection in the Australian port of Mackay last year revealed that the ship had sailed from Kawasaki via Hydrographers’ Passage without the appropriate navigational charts.

The tanker planned to continue to Brisbane but was detained after the AMSA surveyor identified that crew members were using scanned and printed charts to transit Palm Passage in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park waters.

AMSA ship safety division general manager Allan Schwartz said the

tribunal’s decision confirmed that reliance on unofficial charts demonstrated inadequate voyage planning under the ship’s safety management system, and warned visiting vessels to take note.

‘Having the correct charts to navigate through the Great Barrier Reef, which is notoriously hazardous and of high environmental significance, is critical to ensure the safety of the Reef, the ship and its crew,’ he added.

This was the second case within two years in which an appeal against an AMSA detention on inappropriate navigational charts has been upheld.

Checking charts during an Australian port state control inspection Picture: AMSA

Workboat sank as it towed cruiseship Report raises worries about the adequacy of resources to assist vessels visiting remote areas

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Investigators looking into an incident in which a workboat sank while helping the passengership Ocean Princess to depart from a port within the Arctic Circle have raised concerns about the resources to support cruise vessels in remote areas.

The 15m workboat North Tug capsized and sank when it was assisting the 30,277gt Ocean Princess during its departure from the quay in the Norwegian port of Kirkenes in June 2013. The two crew onboard managed to jump from the vessel and swim to shore.

A report from the Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) notes that the North Tug was not a certified tugboat and its crew did not have experience of handling vessels as large as Ocean Princess. It points to a lack of risk assessments and inadequate planning and communications as key factors in the accident.

The cruiseship’s master had asked for tug assistance when leaving the deepwater quay

The North Tug pulling Ocean Princess shortly before it sank Picture: AIBN

because of a rising NE wind that was blowing straight towards the berth. But the tug that was normally stationed in the port was in drydock and North Tug was given the job less than an hour before Ocean Princess was due to depart.

Nine minutes after starting to move off the berth, the initial plan to take Ocean Princess sideways out from the quay, with the workboat pulling its bow, was changed because of the difficulties in manoeuvring. But this change was not communicated to

the North Tug’s skipper — which resulted in the workboat being pulled backwards by the cruiseship as it went astern, with the towline over its stern.

North Tug’s crew were unable to sever the towline, because it was locked in place on both vessels and the flooding of the workboat’s aft deck made it impossible to reach the line. North Tug capsized as a consequence of water on deck and the transverse forces from the towline.

The AIBN said the case raised

questions on whether individual ports have sufficient infrastructure to receive large cruiseships and whether port authorities make sufficient use of their powers to stipulate requirements for visiting vessels.

Although Ocean Princess’s visit to Kirkenes had been planned well in advance, no certified tugboats were available that day, the report notes. The increased risks of using an uncertified vessel had not been identified and the workboat’s crew had considered the original plan to pull the vessel’s bow from the quay to be a ‘routine assignment’.

The AIBN said the lack of quality assurance of the availability of tugboats, and the absence of an overview of their capacities and limitations, amounted to a weakness in Princess Cruises’ port call planning. It said the ship’s crew should have paused to assess the implications arising from the use of an uncertified workboat.

The report also suggests that the ship’s pilot should have assumed a more active role

in the risk assessment of the manoeuvring operations and the workboat’s skipper should have warned the ship at an earlier point that the operation was going wrong. ‘The skipper only asked Ocean Princess to stop after North Tug’s starboard engine had stopped,’ the report points out.

‘By then, it was too late to prevent the boat from capsizing.’

Recommendations made by the report include a call for Princess Cruises to ensure that its crews have sufficient and up to date information for planning operations involving the use of tugboats and that there are adequate procedures for carrying out risk assessments of such work.

The report notes that work is presently under way to put in place regulations to ensure that workboats of less than 15m that carrying out towing operations meet specific requirements relating to intact stability and towing line attachment and release arrangements.

Bank effect blamed for collision the 13,720gt UK-flagged F containership OOCL Finland collided Two people died when

with the Russian general cargoship Tyumen-2 in the Kiel Canal in foggy conditions in April 2011.

Now an investigation into the incident has concluded that control of the containership was lost after it moved too close to the side of the canal and the ‘bank effect’ pushed it towards the centre of the channel.

The joint probe by the German and UK accident investigation bodies BSU and MAIB calls for a review of the speed limits in the canal and recommends that OOCL addresses issues including navigational watchkeeping principles, conduct in restricted visibility and navigating with pilot advice.

It also urges action to improve the performance standards for data storage on voyage data recorders As a consequence of the collision, the wheelhouse of the Russian vessel was completely torn off and it sank in the canal. The ship’s pilot and canal helmsman both died and two crew members were seriously injured.

Investigators said OOCL Finland had moved too close to the bank as it approached a bend and the hydrodynamic effects pushed the ship into the path of the approaching Russian vessel.

The report points out that the bridge team failed to monitor the vessel’s speed or to challenge the pilot when the speed limits were exceeded.

Seaman killed in rope accident and communications resulted in A an accident in which an able seafarer Shortcomings in supervision

died when he was caught in the bight of a mooring rope while his vessel was shifting berth in a UK port last year.

A UK Marine Accident Investigation report on the incident onboard the Barbados-flagged general cargoship Sea Melody reveals that the crew had not been briefed before the mooring operation began in Groveport, on the river Trent, and that there had also been a breakdown in communication between the crew and the shore linesmen.

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The Russian crewman died when his foot became trapped in the bight of the headline and he was pulled over the ship’s bow as it was moving 90m to an adjacent berth to load a cargo.

The MAIB said the berth move should have been straightforward, but it had been affected by a near gale force offshore wind and a strong tidal flow. The efficiency of the bow thruster was also reduced because the 2,450gt vessel was in a light condition.

Investigators said the seafarer was unsupervised at the time of the accident and the crew had not been briefed before the mooring operation

began. The initial briefing between the chief officer and the linesmen had been ineffective and the lack of a dedicated supervisor at the forward mooring station meant no one was able to stop the seaman standing in the bight or to intervene quickly to prevent him being dragged overboard.

The report also notes that there had been a breakdown in communication between the shore linesmen and the crew, at both the planning stage and during the operation. The linesmen’s radios were set to Channel 17 and they had made a failed attempt to contact the

master to inform him of the preferred sequence for transferring the mooring ropes between bollards. They called across the wharf to tell the crew that the master should monitor Channel 17, but this message was relayed to him as Channel 73.

Associated British Ports has since made pilotage compulsory for vessels moving between berths on tidal rivers within its area of jurisdiction.

And the Sea Melody’s UK-based manager, Torbulk, has urged its crews to follow safety management system procedures during mooring operations.

16/07/2014 18:08

14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports TUNNEL PROTEST: the ferry operator Scandlines has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission over its financial support for the proposed Baltic tunnel between Germany and Denmark.

Brussels has already paid €194m in subsidies for the project and is expected to give a similar amount by the time the link opens in 2021. Scandlines says the scheme is in direct competition with its ferry services between the ports of Puttgarden and Rødby.

SPANISH PLEA: Spanish shipowners have urged their government to relax crew nationality rules to allow non-EU seafarers to serve on the country’s mainland flag ships. They claim existing regulations are one of the main reasons why the Spanish merchant fleet has fallen to an all-time low of just 126 ships of 2.33m gt. But seafaring unions are opposed to any move to change the crew nationality rules — pointing to the high unemployment rates in Spain.

NEW CANAL: Nicaragua has announced detailed plans for a new £23bn canal that aims to break Panama’s monopoly on crossings between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. The Hong Kong-based HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Company says work on the waterway — which would be between 320m and 520m wide and 27.6m deep — could begin by December, with operations starting in 2020.

PANAMA PLAN: arbitration to determine responsibility for the $1.6bn cost over-runs on work to expand the Panama Canal began last month. The administrator of the Panama Canal Authority has announced that the new locks will be operational from January 2016 and more than two-thirds of the waterway’s pilots have undergone special simulator training to prepare for the new operations.

GREEN AID: the European Investment Bank has approved a €124m loan for the Norwegian operator Fjord Line to support the construction of two new ‘green’ ferries to run between Norway and Denmark. The bank said it strongly supported the introduction of the LNG-fuelled vessels as part of a programme to boost sustainable shortsea shipping services within Europe.

FINNLINES FEAR: the ferry company Finnlines has opened talks with seafaring unions over a threat to jobs on the Rostock-Helsinki vessel Finnhansa. The company claims the 1994-built vessel may have to be withdrawn from service as a result of the European sulphur directive due to come into force on 1 January 2015.

SAUDI MERGER: Bahri, the national shipping company of Saudi Arabia, is to merge with the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) subsidiary Vela — an agreement which will create the world’s fourth-largest owner of VLCCs, with a fleet of 32 vessels.

MORE WOMEN: ENSM, the French officers’ national academy, reports that 14% of the total number of cadets accepted after the recent entrance examinations are women — up from 8% in 2013.

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Strikers secure SNCM reprieve Unions call off action as agreement pushes back threat of administration

by Jeff Apter

P

A strike organised by six unions representing seafarers with the French ferry firm SNCM was called off after 16 days last month following an agreement from the main shareholders not to put the company into administration before the end of the year.

But the unions remain concerned about the future of the Mediterranean operator and have called for talks with prime minister Manuel Valls — warning that they have lost confidence in the survival plans developed by the government and the owners.

The strike — in which seafarers occupied ferries and blockaded the port of Marseilles — was called in protest at the lack of progress on the rescue plan agreed over a year ago, and amid fears that SNCM could be put under court protection in the face of mounting losses and a European Commission demand to repay €440m of subsidies.

Unions want an agreement on limiting job losses to be respected, as well as promises for four new state-of-the-art ferries to be ordered.

The seafarers returned to work after three days of negotiations involving a mediator appointed by the government after the

SNCM seafarers on strike in the port of Marseilles last month Picture: Thibaud Teillard

prime minister threatened to take ‘any necessary measures’ to end the dispute. The talks resulted in a compromise agreement from Transdev — which has a 66% majority stake in SNCM — that it would not seek court protection before the end of this year.

Transdev favours this solution, as it is anxious to abandon its SNCM shareholding – for as little as €1. The company’s position is now backed by the government, which retained a 25% stake in SNCM when it was privatised.

But the CGT union is highly

critical of the government — and especially transport minister Frédéric Cuvillier after he suggested that court protection was the best way to ensure the restructuring of the company without bankruptcy.

The unions are concerned about the potential for SNCM to lose its recently-renewed contract to operate the lifeline ferry services between the French mainland and Corsica. They fear the services could then go to Corsica Ferries, whose ships operate under Italy’s second register, and

France urged to speed up action to harmonise cabotage conditions

probably to another low-cost operator.

Now a fresh round of talks on the future of SNCM and its workforce is set to begin in September.

A new project must be defined by 31 October and agreed by the workforce by 30 November. The CGT has warned that it is prepared to take further strike action if a long-term survival plan is not agreed.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Norway’s Siem group and Mexico’s Baja Ferries are preparing to table takeover offers.

Master given a cut in jail term which ran aground and sank F off the island of Santorini in 2007 has The master of a cruiseship

A

Unions representing French officers, ratings, shore-based staff and port workers staged a 24-hour strike last month to reinforce demands for measures to protect the national flag fleet and seafarers’ jobs and conditions.

CGT officers’ union general secretary Jean-Philippe Chateil said the government was ‘playing games

with maritime employment’ — with cost-cutting and deregulation continuing to jeopardise jobs and downgrade working conditions.

The CGT ratings union is concerned about the protest at the government’s slow progress in applying new rules to harmonise the rights of workers in the country’s cabotage trades, and is calling for immediate application of

the legislation which stipulates that seafarers on passenger and service vessels sailing between French ports should have the same conditions as those on ships flying the full French flag.

The union is also pressing for the measure to also apply to cargo ships and to shipping in French overseas territories.

German owners seek deal to cut cost of using EU crews

by Justin Stares

A

German shipowners are seeking to re-open a deal with the country’s government to help cut the costs of employing European seafarers on German-flagged vessels.

Under the terms of the agreement, the government and owners divide the extra cost of employing EU seafarers on a 50-50 basis — but owners claim this has now become ‘unbearable’ as a consequence of the

increasingly cut-throat climate.

At around 400 and dropping, the German-flagged fleet is at a multi-year low. The German-controlled fleet, by comparison, stands at 3,405 ships — down around 70 on the end of last year but still one of the largest in the world, and the second largest in Europe after the Greek-controlled fleet.

‘European seafarers are very expensive,’ said Max Johns, of the shipowners’ association Verband

Deutscher Reeder (VDR). ‘When you add up the cost of employing four or five Europeans onboard, it is unbearable.’

One of the country’s biggest owners, Reederei NSB, is threatening to flag 42 ships out of the German register — knocking 10% off the domestic fleet in one go — and VDR says this should be sufficient to nudge authorities into taking action. f Justin Stares is editor of maritimewatch.eu

been given a reduced five-year jail term by a Greek appeal court.

Captain Yiannis Marionos was one of three people found guilty last year of negligence in connection with the loss of the 22,000gt Sea Diamond, in which two passengers died.

He was originally sentenced to 12 years and two months, and will now have the option of buying out the sentence at the rate of €5 a day.

Owner faces 15 years in prison up to 15 years in prison after a F court case arising from the loss of the A Greek shipowner is facing

bulk carrier Albion Two off the coast of France in 1997.

Panagiotis Lemos, 84, was found guilty of ‘disruption of safety in sea transportation’ after the Piraeus court was told of poor maintenance and repairs and corrosion onboard the vessel, which sank in bad weather with the loss of all 25 crew.

16/07/2014 17:33

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

DFDS confirms interest in sale of Turkish operator in the possible acquisition of the A Turkish ferry operator UN Ro-Ro, which

INQUIRY CALL: Norwegian police have recommended re-opening the inquiry into the 1990 Scandinavian Star ferry disaster in which 159 lives were lost. A victims’ support group, backed by a panel of experts, have challenged the results of the original inquiry into the fire onboard the ferry, pointing to evidence that it may have broken out in several places and had been started deliberately. The Norwegian master and two Danish officials served prison terms for inadequate safety arrangements on the ship.

DFDS has confirmed its interest

is being sold by the US private equity fund KKR. Two other companies are reported to be in the bidding for UN Ro-Ro, which was established by a cooperative of Turkish truckers in 1994 and bought by KKR for €910m in 2007.

UN Ro-Ro operates 12 Turkishflagged vessels on routes between Turkey and Trieste in NE Italy, Toulon in southern France and Damietta in Egypt.

Picture: Eric Houri

New Zealand in coastal review Union says regulator must recognise the need for national sea skills base

S

The union for shipmasters and officers in New Zealand has given a cautious welcome to the launch of an official review of the safety of coastal navigation in the wake of increasing vessel visits to the country’s ports.

The investigation by Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) has also been prompted by incidents such as the Rena containership disaster and aims to identify risks, as well as assessing current and potential safety measures.

MNZ director Keith Manch said the review — which began last month — will put the focus on an intelligence-led, risk-focused approach to maritime safety. ‘In order to appropriately manage risks in the coastal environment we need an accurate and up-todate picture of what those risks are,’ he explained.

‘We are seeing an increased number of ship visits to New Zealand, an international trend toward larger ships, and technology changes in the field of navigational aids — all these factors mean a review of coastal navigation risks is timely.’

The first phase of the review — expected to take around 12 months — will involve assessing the nature of risks around coastal navigation and how they are being managed.

Mr Manch said the review will take an ‘open-minded approach’ and will consider what can be learned from incidents such as the Rena. It will also involve consultation with government agencies, local government and private sector interests and consider such issues including human factors, technology and the types of activity being carried out in the

coastal environment.

Helen McAra, general secretary of the New Zealand Merchant Service Guild, said the union would welcome a meaningful chance to participate in a review of NZ shipping and its safety.

‘However, we see a risk that the review will not tackle the real problems,’ she warned. ‘Maritime NZ has in recent years been too close to industry, and so its review of coastal shipping needs to have full backing of the government, along with undertakings that any findings will be implemented.

‘We remain optimistic, but note the government’s promises of progress in the fishing industry are still awaiting full implementation after repeated assurances. It has also dragged its feet over ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, so that NZ is now lagging behind Australia and

many other Pacific islands including Fiji, Tuvalu, Palau, Marshall Islands and Kiribati — all of whom have ratified the Convention now.

‘We need a regulator that ensures compliance with national and international rules and regulations, and hopefully one that will soon be fully acting under the MLC,’ Ms McAra added.

‘Maritime NZ recognises that there are increasing numbers and size of foreign ships calling and operating in New Zealand waters year-round, but NZ also needs its regulator to acknowledge that it’s also in the interests of safety to have New Zealanders (NZ citizens and permanent residents), who are familiar with the country’s sea and port conditions, on the bridge,’ she said. ‘The industry also needs to be supported to train more New Zealand officers and take on more cadets.’

The 36,900dwt Maersk

tanker to quit the register. The vessel has been re-flagged to the Danish second register, marking the end of the Maersk Tankers France product tankers operations — with almost 100 job losses as a consequence.

Three other Maersk product tankers — Ellen, Elliot and Edward — have also reflagged to Denmark’s second register, while the Claire has been sold and now flies the Singapore flag. Maersk now retains only the 323,500dwt VLCC Sandra under the French flag, chartered to Total.

A

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SHARING DEAL: Maersk has announced a vessel sharing agreement with the Geneva-based operator Mediterranean Shipping Company. The 2M agreement will cover around 185 ships with a total capacity of some 2.1m TEU operating on 21 regular routes between Europe, Asia and the US west and east coasts. The arrangement aims to cut costs through economies of scale and is expected to come into force early next year.

NORWEGIAN ALARM: accident statistics in Norway showed an increase in ship losses, damage and seafarer injuries in 2013: dismal reading, says the seafarers’ union. The only consolation is that there were fewer deaths. Most incidents involved fishing and offshore vessels — and the number of foreign-owned ships running into trouble during the year was 39, up from 20 in 2012.

COMARIT SALE: a court in France has approved the auction of the Bni Nasr, the last of the three Comanav Comarit ferries abandoned in the port of Sète at the beginning of 2012 following the collapse of the Moroccan ferry firm. French authorities repatriated the 200 seafarers serving on the ships after five months stranded in the port.

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Danish unions warn over job creation Danish international ship register (DIS) and tonnage tax are good news for owners, the number of Danes employed in the fleet is falling steadily.

‘We should remember that DIS was brought in to preserve Danish jobs on ships,’ he added. The union is calling for a better education and training plan to be formulated for seafarers.

The Danish parliament has passed a law that liberalises pilotage in its waters. The Danish pilots’ union grouping says it fears badly trained pilots will emerge, without local knowledge of special Danish

UNFAIR DISMISSAL: a Calais court has ruled that 89 French seafarers were unjustly dismissed when the cross-Channel operator SeaFrance went into liquidation in January 2012. It granted each employee compensation ranging from €15,000 to €56,000. It is the third time that former crew members’ complaints have been upheld, and a further 200 cases are still to be heard. The compensation has to be paid by the French rail firm SNCF.

SK Tax Service Ltd

Picture: Eric Houri

Denmark’s merchant fleet has risen to a record high, according to new data from the country’s shipowners. But unions have voiced concern that the growth has not been matched with more jobs for Danish seafarers.

The statistics show that the Danish-flagged fleet has passed 15m dwt for the first time, with gross tonnage also at a record of 13.2m dwt, and a total of 637 ships.

Henrik Hjerl Carstensen, the new chairman of Danish officers’ union SL, warned that while the

BRITTANY WORRY: French seafaring and shipbuilding unions are concerned that Brittany Ferries has failed to confirm its order with the STX shipyard at Saint Nazaire for a €270m state-of-the-art LNG powered ferry due to enter into service in December 2016. If the necessary finance is not raised soon the order will have to be put back a year or cancelled. Several Brittany Ferries sailings were delayed last month as a result of protests by the CGT union, which is seeking improved pay for engineroom assistants.

LNG LEAK: safety improvements have been promised following an incident in which 130kg of LNG leaked during a bunkering operation on a Fjord Line ferry in Norway last month. Investigators said the incident was the result of a stability test being carried out at the same time as refuelling.

Maersk winds up French fleet Etienne has become the last A French-flagged Maersk product

shortreports

conditions, and with more regard to customers and profits than safety.

Bjarne Cæsar Jensen, chairman of the Danish Pilots section of the SL officers’ union, commented: ‘All international experience shows that piloting isn’t suitable for liberalisation and that for many reasons it’s a really bad idea to expose piloting to market forces.

‘We will see rules being side-stepped, rest time not being adequately maintained — and the consequences may be more accidents.’

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16/07/2014 18:08

16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

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Use number. a pen name or wider world300 of shipping.

Keep letter tolonger a maximum membership just membership number you don’t want to be identifi in anyour accompanying — Telegraph, Nautilus 300your words if you can — thoughif longer contributions will ed — say soSend letter to thenote Editor, but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number. Send yourShrubberies, letter to the George Lane, be considered.

International, 1&2 The Editor, International, 1&2number The Shrubberies, George Lane,Woodford, South Woodford, Use aTelegraph, pen nameNautilus or just your membership if you South London E18 1BD, or use head office fax London E18to 1BD, use head ceso faxin+44 (0)20 8530 1015, or— email+44 telegraph@nautilusint.org don’t want beor identifi ed —offi say an accompanying note (0)20 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusint.org

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Proudly British and entitled to this flag an ‘interesting practice’ on cruiseships wearing a non-defaced P Red Ensign and a Blue Ensign, thus ‘appearing to be something other

To Name & No Withheld (letters, July), you say that you witnessed

than they actually are’.

The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 defines what British ships and United Kingdom ships are in Part 1, Section 1: (1) A ship is a British ship if— (a) the ship is registered in the United Kingdom under Part II; or (b) the ship is, as a Government ship, registered in the United Kingdom in pursuance of an Order in Council under section 308; or (c) the ship is registered under the law of a relevant British possession; or (d) the ship is a small ship other than a fishing vessel and— (i) is not registered under Part II, but (ii) is wholly owned by qualified owners, and (iii) is not registered under the law of a country outside the United Kingdom.

The flag to be worn by British ships, as defined above, is set out in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 Part 1, Section 2: (1) The flag which every British ship is entitled to fly is the red ensign (without any defacement or modification) and, subject to subsections (2) and (3) below, no other colours.

(2) Subsection (1) above does not apply to Government ships.

(3) The following are also proper national colours, that is to say— (a) any colours allowed to be worn in pursuance of a warrant from Her Majesty or from the Secretary of State; (b) in the case of British ships registered in a relevant British possession, any colours consisting of the red ensign defaced or modified whose adoption for ships registered in that possession is authorised or confirmed by Her Majesty by Order in Council.

(4) Any Order under subsection (3)(b) above shall be laid before Parliament after being made.

Have your say online Last month we asked: Do you think it is right to assume that the captain should be the last person to leave a sinking ship?

SCHEDULE Categories of registry and assignment of relevant British possessions (1) Designation of category

(2) Category

No 37%

This month’s poll asks: Are politicians right to reject shipowners’ requests to delay the introduction of the new sulphur emission regulations? Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

(3) Restrictions

(4) Relevant British Possessions

Shoddy paintwork disrespects register of despondency and a touch C of resignation that I spotted the It was with a distinct feeling

1: Unlimited tonnage, type and length

Registry to which no restriction such as is mentioned in section 18(2)(a) of the Merchant shipping Act 1995 applies

Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Gibraltar Isle of Man

Therefore, a ship registered in Bermuda is registered in a Relevant British Possession and is classified as a British ship. As a British ship, the flag it is entitled to fly is the red ensign (without any defacement or modification).

I believe you are being exceptionally cynical with reference to a renowned company potentially luring RNR masters to legitimately fly their Blue Ensign. Do you know where this master has plied his trade or how long he has worked for this company? Is it not possible that he has worked his entire career for this employer, who has supported him in the Royal Navy Reserves by allowing him time off to serve his country?

The cruiseships are not appearing to be something other than they actually are. They are indeed showing that they are proudly British ships and are flying the flag to prove it.

DEREK GRAY mem no 180975 Your anonymous correspondent (Telegraph July) would have been advised to do a little research before bursting into print.

Any vessel registered in the UK, a Crown Dependency or UK Overseas Territory, is a ‘British ship’ and is entitled to fly the Red Ensign flag (see www.redensigngroup.org/about-us).

Presumably if the RNR requirements are met, the same would apply to the Blue Ensign.

DAVID GERRARD mem no 104338

Where’s my Telegraph?

Yes 63%

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Bermuda is classified as a ‘relevant British possession’ in line with Merchant Shipping Act 1995 Section 1 paragraph 1 (c) as per Article 6 of SI 2003 No 1248 The Merchant Shipping (Categorisation of Registries of Relevant British Possessions) Order 2003 (shown below).

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To let us know your new address, go to www. nautilusint.org and log in as a member, or contact our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454 or membership@ nautilusint.org.

shockingly poor manner in which the port of registry was painted on a vessel working alongside my rig.

When I joined the MN in 1989, never did I believe that the British flag would be so devalued, to be

ALICK MACLELLAN mem no 177572

Ece Nur K had no right to take liberties with the FitzGerald cross Regarding the letter from Talbot Clark (July Telegraph) on the subject of the flag flown by the Ece Nur K. As far as this flag goes, it would appear to be both incorrect and discourteous; it is not the correct courtesy ensign for foreign vessels visiting the UK; the Red Ensign is used for this purpose.

The FitzGerald cross is shown symmetrical and not as it should be, as counter-changed. The design of the Union Flag is well defined and the

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worthy of only a stencil and a tin of spray paint.

Where once the British flag was something to be proud of, and to be part of, these days it is apparently worth nothing.

counter-changed (albeit, a heraldic expediency) cross is there for good reason. It is not within the remit of flag producers to adjust state flags to suit what they perceive should be the case.

One has to ask, was this flag produced through ignorance of the specific design of the Union Flag, or purely to pander to the vexillologically dysfunctional?

T.M. TRELAWNY GOWER mem no 186001

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17/07/2014 08:18

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS

You won’t catch me on a crewless vessel…

telegraph

THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

STAFF editor: Andrew Linington deputy editor: Debbie Cavaldoro production editor: June Cattini-Walker senior reporter: Sarah Robinson web editor: Deborah McPherson ADVERTISING Redactive Media Group 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP.

I’ve been hearing reports about the possibility of the introduction of ‘crewless ships’, and I feel that such vessels are a disaster waiting to happen.

I, for one, will refuse to sail on them.

TALBOT CLARK mem no 120851

Display adverts: Jude Rosset tel: +44 (0)20 7880 6217 Jude.rosset@redactive.co.uk Recruitment adverts: John Seaman tel: +44 (0)20 7880 8541 tel: +44 (0)20 7880 6200 email: info@redactive.co.uk website: www.redactive.co.uk Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advice before entering into any commitments such as investments (including pension plans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation and Nautilus International cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financial services or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problems with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.

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Don’t dilute these crucial safety laws P

Threat to ro-ro safety regulations: I read with dismay your article referring to the relaxation of the above, on the back page of the July edition.

I note from the article and the consultation documents on the MCA website that ‘experts’ consider some of the regulations introduced following the Herald tragedy to be superseded by later

legislation.

I was given to wondering where these latest round of ‘experts’ were during the Herald inquiry and following period of consultation which took place internationally and from where those very regulations were distilled.

The only real burden in any of the stated regulations must

surely be the weighing of goods vehicles, and if the recent ‘experts’ had fully explored the reports of the investigations carried out they would easily see that even back then, the majority of goods vehicles were often heavily overloaded. Some lorry trailers with a ‘0’ way bill declaration actually weighed more than the legal limit for UK

roads.

Hull door lights and cameras will never compensate for overloaded vehicles and neither will light ship checks and inclining experiments.

Emergency equipment lockers hardly represent a material burden, either in terms of red tape or financially.

Perhaps some concentration

on the basic, intrinsic safety weakness would be a better use of the valuable time of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and its agents.

Therefore, I fully support Nautilus in its bid to have these changes revoked.

A.C. REYNOLDS I Eng I Mar Eng MIMarEST mem no 11859

MPHRF appeal: help the Albedo hostages to rebuild their lives readers welcomed the P release of the 11 remaining I am sure Telegraph

It’s OK tosay ‘ticket’, and here’s the proof qualification as a ‘ticket’ I had C always considered slang — but Referring to my Chief’s

viewing the attached (see left of

16-18_lets.indd 17

image above) its origin is clear and the rest, as they say, is history.

KEN ATKINSON mem no 101208

hostages of the mv Albedo as much as we did. Working with the UNODC Hostage Support Programme, and the various high commissions and embassies in Nairobi, the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) assisted in the repatriation of the crew members and facilitated some very emotional and joyful reunions with their families.

Our South Asia regional director, Chirag Bahri, flew to Nairobi, met the crew and provided support in getting the crew new clothes, shoes, travel luggage, decent food and a trip to the hairdressers. Counselling and phone calls to their families were also arranged. He and UNODC were also able to arrange to take the crew on a picnic to the National Park one afternoon. The Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Fund (MPHRF), which is operated by MPHRP, covered some of these costs, which

amounted to approximately US$500 per seafarer. Now, the funds are becoming depleted and so I ask whether your company, organisation or association can make a donation to the Fund and allow us to continue to help these seafarers and their families.

Both the crew and their families have endured nearly four years of suffering since the vessel was hijacked on 26 November 2010 with 23 crew members on board. Their plight became more critical when the vessel sank on 7 July 2013, causing the pirates to move the hostages ashore for the remainder of their captivity. Although no longer held by pirates, the crew members’ saga is far from over.

Following the protracted period of captivity, these seafarers and their families are likely to require ongoing medical care and treatment.

During the captivity the MPHRF has supported the families, and would like to continue supporting them, but we can only do that if we get your

support and the funds to do so.

The amounts of funds needed are in comparison very small: $7,000 can support a seafarer and his family for one year, $3,000 of which can help a family pay the rent and utility bills, $2,000 can pay the school fees for a child to keep up their education and $2,000 can provide medical and counselling care.

Can you help the 11 surviving seafarers from the Albedo?

MPHRF also desires to continue its help to the families of the four Sri Lankan crew who have been missing since the vessel sank and the one Indian seafarer who died in captivity. The ship owner had no insurance so they will not receive anything to help them rebuild their lives. g To make a donation please email fund@mphrp.org and we will send you the payment details. All donations will be acknowledged and I am very grateful for your support.

Dr PETER SWIFT Chair of Directors MPHRP

GENERAL SECRETARY Mark Dickinson MSc (Econ) HEAD OFFICE 1&2 The Shrubberies George Lane, South Woodford London E18 1BD tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 www.nautilusint.org NETHERLANDS OFFICE Schorpioenstraat 266 3067 KW Rotterdam Postbus 8575, 3009 AN Rotterdam tel: +31 (0)10 4771188 fax: +31 (0)10 4773846 NORTHERN OFFICE Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 SWITZERLAND OFFICE Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 4005 Basel, Switzerland tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25 DEPARTMENT EMAILS general: enquiries@nautilusint.org membership: membership@nautilusint.org legal: legal@nautilusint.org telegraph: telegraph@nautilusint.org industrial: industrial@nautilusint.org youth: ymp@nautilusint.org welfare: welfare@nautilusint.org professional and technical: protech@nautilusint.org Nautilus International also administers the Nautilus Welfare Fund and the J W Slater Fund, which are registered charities.

16/07/2014 17:03

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

YOUR LETTERS

Norland bell sails back to Hull veterans were reunited P last month as the ship’s bell and Merchant Navy Falklands

battle honours from a ferry which took part in the 1982 task force arrived in the port of Hull to go on display in the city.

The bell from the North Sea ferry Norland, which carried the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment down to the Falklands, sailed back to Hull 40 years after it first arrived on the vessel’s delivery voyage in June 1974.

It arrived from Zeebrugge onboard the P&O’s Pride of York before being transferred to the Pride of Hull for a handover ceremony involving the senior surviving officer of the ship’s company that took Norland south — Captain Bob Lough, who as chief officer was second in command to the late Captain Don Ellerby.

The bell is being added to the Falklands memorial in the north transept of Holy Trinity Church in Hull, and P&O Ferries asked Capt Lough to formally present the bell to the Reverend Neil Barnes on its behalf.

The 12,988gt Norland was the largest British-registered ro-pax ferry when, in April 1982, she was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence and sailed to the Falklands with a volunteer crew of 100 seafarers, carrying troops and their equipment.

The Norland’s bell is presented to verger Gordon Barley and Rev Canon Dr Neal Barnes of Holy Trinity Church, Hull. by Captain Bob Lough (left), who volunteered to sail as chief officer when the ship went to the Falklands

Initial plans were to transfer the Paras to the two landing ships, HMS Fearless and HMS

Intrepid, for amphibious landings. But during the voyage south the planners realised that

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16-18_lets.indd 18

more landing ship capacity was required. The role of Norland was changed and she was designated as another landing ship to accompany Fearless and Intrepid.

By chance, Norland had been built with two large shell side-doors on the lower freight deck and these proved to be ideal for disembarking the troops into their smaller craft on the night of the landing.

On 20 May 1982 Norland was the first landing ship to enter San Carlos Water and the troops of 2 Para landed successfully. Due to the threat of attack from the Argentine Air Force the landing ships were all anchored in San Carlos Water where they could be protected by the air defence systems of the Royal Navy.

All the ships came under

sustained air attacks over the next four days and two of the escorts, HMS Ardent and HMS Antelope, were sunk. Norland had two near-misses from 500lb bombs but was otherwise unscathed.

Meanwhile, QE2 was steaming to the Falklands with reinforcements from the Scots Guards, Welsh Guards and 7th Gurkha Rifles — but due to the threat from the Argentine Air Force she was diverted to South Georgia to rendezvous with Norland and Canberra, who were tasked with transferring her troops back to San Carlos.

Norland sailed to South Georgia with the survivors of HMS Antelope and returned with the 7th Gurkha Rifles.

Following the repatriation of

prisoners of war to Puerto Madryn, and the establishment of a squadron of RAF Phantoms at Port Stanley, the Falklands Task Force was ordered home.

However, as Norland and her crew had been so effective the MoD retained her in the South Atlantic to operate the Sea Bridge between Port Stanley and Ascension Island. She did not arrive home until the beginning of February the following year.

After much work to restore the vessel for normal operations, Norland returned to serve the Hull to Rotterdam route and later ran the Hull to Zeebrugge service.

The ferry was sold in 2002 for service in the Mediterranean, prior to being scrapped in 2010.

Norland’s bell was saved and added to the P&O Heritage Collection. The company agreed to present it to Hull Trinity Church following a request from Keith Thompson, a Norland veteran who has worked for months to create a Falklands memorial at the church. ‘This was a dream come true and well worth the many hours of campaigning,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘I also received a letter from HRH Price of Wales saying he was delighted to hear the news of the Norland’s bell coming back to Hull.’

Following the handover, a celebration and remembrance service was held at the Holy Trinity Church. Brian Rees, head of public relations for P&O Ferries, said: ‘It was a highly charged occasion attended by former members of the ship’s company who volunteered to take the ship south, and former members of 2 Para who were their passengers. The bond between them was palpable even after the passage of so many years.

‘Holy Trinity surely ranks as one of the finest parish churches in the country and has a very special affinity with the seafaring community. It is difficult to imagine a more appropriate place to display this cherished piece of Hull’s maritime heritage.’

Schettino did not act to avoid a greater tragedy William Gossard of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been reported as saying that Captain Francesco Schettino had actually avoided a ‘Titanic-like tragedy’.

As a retired ship captain with 32 years as master in worldwide trade, 10 years as master on ro-ro ferries and the last five years as master of the world’s largest ro-ro ferry capable of carrying 2,000 passengers, I would like to ask William Gossard how he arrived at this conclusion.

At 20:45 the Costa Concordia made contact with the underwater ledge, flooding the machinery spaces and picking up the boulder that was lodged in the hole. The ship then drifted for one hour and 10 minutes at the mercy of the elements before she fetched up starboard side to on the

rocks at 21:55.

During this time the ship had no engines and no thrusters. Having lost the power of manoeuvring his ship, how then was Schettino instrumental in avoiding a greater tragedy?

If Schettino had used his anchors, there would have been no loss of life.

The ship was slowly sinking bodily with a list of around 5°. He could have stopped the drift and gained more time in which to evacuate everyone; using every lifeboat onboard. Were his anchors simply for ornament?

Irrespective of the opinion of William Gossard, in my book, Schettino is guilty of both manslaughter and causing a shipwreck.

CHARLES BATCHELOR Master (Retired) mem no 178415

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16/07/2014 17:03

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Well done to the Welfare Fund!

It’s been an exciting spring and summer for the Nautilus Welfare Fund. The Union’s registered charity continues to develop its new supported-housing development — the Trinity House Hub — and there’s lots more going on at Mariners’ Park and around the UK

From strength to strength

Mike Jess of Nautilus International (left) with Captains Ian McNaught and John Mallett of Trinity House (centre and right)

M

The Trinity House Hub was built in collaboration with the Trinity House lighthouse authority, which made a substantial donation to the capital cost of the development as part of its 500th anniver-

sary commemorations.

To celebrate this new partnership between Trinity House and Nautilus Mariners’ Park, the authority has made a gift of a special framed print for display at the Hub, depicting five centuries

M

May saw the opening at the Hub of the Can Cook Café, a self-service restaurant offering delicious fresh food in a friendly environment. The café is run by the Liverpool-based Can Cook social enterprise, which was set up to teach people of all ages to cook. Can Cook’s work has included several programmes to improve the quality of food in retirement communities — ensuring the residents can access healthier, fresher food that they can really enjoy.

The Can Cook Café in Mari-

Since the Princess Royal opened the Trinity House Hub in April, Mariners’ Park residents have been moving into their fully-accessible new apartments in the building, and the social facilities downstairs have been encouraging people to eat together, exercise together and generally have a good time...

of service to seafarers by Trinity House.

The print was presented in June by Captain Ian McNaught, deputy master of the Corporation of Trinity House, to Mike Jess, secretary of the Nautilus

Welfare Fund Committee. Also at the presentation was Nautilus member Captain John Mallett, master of the Trinity House vessel Galatea. The artwork is now displayed in the foyer area of the Hub.

ners’ Park is staffed by a chef and a customer assistant, and all food is prepared from scratch.

The residents are regularly consulted about what they’d like to see on the menu, with particular favourites being fish and chips on Friday and the Sunday roasts.

The café also offers an attractive environment where the residents can socialise against the backdrop of the River Mersey. It is such an appealing venue that Mariners’ Park care manager Amy Watts (née Johnson) held her wedding reception there in June.

In the future, the café is likely to play host to local apprentice chefs working towards Can Cook’s Ofsted-accredited Food and Enterprise qualification, and plans are being made to offer cookery classes to Mariners’ Park residents. Another development is Can Cook’s new mealson-wheels service to bring fresh food to older people in their own homes, which has been successfully piloted at Mariners’ Park in recent weeks and will be launched throughout Merseyside later this year.

Countrywidecaseworkers windows and doors and solving damp A year has now gone by since problems. the Nautilus Welfare Fund’s C A big part of the caseworker role is Caseworker Service expanded from the Merseyside area to two other urban regions — and great strides have been made in supporting seafarers around the UK. The aim of the service is for local ‘caseworkers’ to visit needy seafarers and their dependants in their own homes, identifying their requirements and helping them claim any grants or benefits they are entitled to.

The service also provides debt advice, and links individuals to a range of housing, health and other services if needed.

In Merseyside, the Caseworker Service has been running since 2010, and because of the success of this, two new branches were established in 2013. One is based in Hull, covering the Hull/Grimsby area, and one in Southampton, covering Southampton, Portsmouth and Gosport.

Thanks to the expansion, over 320 seafarers or their dependants have been assisted. Some £290,000 in benefits and grants has been secured, making a real difference to people’s lives. The grants have covered the purchase of essential amenities such as new central heating boilers, cookers, fridges, washing machines, furniture and winter clothing, as well as funding repairs to

ensuring that individuals are claiming the benefits they are entitled to. The wife of one seafarer was assisted to claim Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit and Council Tax support, and is now £12,000 per annum better off.

‘This free and confidential service is proving to be a lifeline for needy mariners in the UK,’ said Nautilus welfare services manager Mick Howarth.

‘If you need assistance, or know a seafarer or their dependant who may benefit from the caseworker service, do get in touch.’

Caseworker contacts z Merseyside: Cathy Wilson +44(0)0151 346 8840 z Hull/Grimsby: John Norris +44(0)7841 779234 z Southampton/Portsmouth: Sandra Silverwood +44(0)7841 779237 f If you live anywhere else in the UK please telephone +44(0)151 346 8840 to find out what assistance the service may be able to provide. f Email for all caseworker enquiries: welfare@nautilusint.org. f More information about the Caseworker Service is available on the Nautilus Welfare Fund website www.nautiluswelfarefund.org

Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson with WW2 veteran Captain Ronald Pengelly at the Mariners’ Park war memorial last year

VJ Day

M

Pictured above is Mariners’ Park resident Captain Gerald Rolph using the new gym and health suite at the Trinity House Hub. Over 50 residents have now been inducted into the use of the gym equipment by the Park’s physiotherapist.

19_welfare.indd Sec1:19

commemoration service this C month for VJ Day at the Mariners’ There will be a

Park war memorial, and all are welcome to attend. The service and wreath-laying will be conducted in the presence of Second World War

Merchant Navy veterans, including Park resident Captain Ronald Pengelly, who served in the Pacific theatre of conflict. f To join the service, please come to Mariners’ Park in Wallasey on 15 August a few minutes before the start time of 11am. Refreshments will be provided afterwards. For further information, call +44 (0)151 346 8840.

Guests enjoying the convivial surroundings of the Can Cook Cafe at Amy Watts’s wedding reception

16/07/2014 18:11

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

SEAFARERS WEEK

Thank you seafarers The Union joined schools, charities and maritime organisations last month, to celebrate a week dedicated to seafarers. Special attention was given to how much seafarers deliver every day and the praise they deserve…

w

A new survey has demonstrated the importance of initiatives to increase public awareness of the work done by seafarers and the role played by merchant shipping in society today.

Research carried out for the charity Seafarers UK revealed that only 43% of the public know that the majority of food imported into the country comes by sea.

The survey of 1,000 people across the UK — commissioned as part of Seafarers Awareness Week (21-29 June) — found that just 2% were aware that half the food eaten in the UK is imported and, of this, 95% comes by ship.

More than a quarter (27%) assume the bulk of our food comes by air and one in five (20%)

think it comes by road.

Seafarers UK director general Barry Bryant commented: ‘The maritime industry is one of the oldest in the world and today remains the number one means of bringing vital food into the UK, as well as most other household items from phones to fridges, iPads to irons. Yet shockingly our research found that a third of us think seafarers are less important today than 100 years ago.

‘It’s a concern people don’t understand how much seafarers do for us. Not just importing food and other goods, but also exporting UK-made produce, keeping shipping lanes open and protecting the UK’s interests at home and abroad,’ he added.

During the week, a series of

Taking five minutes to catch on the maritime news of the day — the volunteers on the Seafarers UK and Port of Inverness stand for Seafarers Awareness week are captured on camera reading their copy of the Nautilus International Telegraph

events were held around the country to spread the word about the need for merchant ships and maritime skills — including a ‘seafarer selfie’ competition organised by the charity.

One event, held at the Eastgate

shopping centre in Inverness, took the message direct to shoppers. Representatives from a wide range of maritime organisations arranged a display to demonstrate the way in which goods and produce reach the supermarket

shelves.

The event was organised with the support of local MP Danny Alexander following an approach

by Caroline McCarthy, from the Watch Ashore and Seafarers UK Highland Committee.

Members of the North & East of Scotland Merchant Navy Welfare Board port welfare committee — including Seafarers UK Scottish representative Captain Nick Davies — handed out material to members of the public, including bananas that had been donated by the local Morrisons supermarket to show the type of foodstuffs that come by sea.

‘The Nautilus sheets of sticky labels, featuring items brought to the UK by ship, were received with interest as an easy and effective way of spreading the message,’ Mrs McCarthy told the Telegraph. ‘School students who came in their lunch break came away bearing careers leaflets and a lady with two potential seafarer sons — one already at college in Shetland — was pleased to find useful information on the stand.’

As part of the initiative, a free draw was held with a tour of Inverness harbour and a short trip on a pilot boat on offer as the prize, thanks to harbourmaster Captain Ken Maclean.

‘Perhaps because the harbour is out of view of the city, its importance and very existence are little known by many Invernessians and this was an opportunity to raise its profile,’ Mrs McCarthy added.

Youth write ‘it came byship’ Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association F (WISTA) to celebrate its 40th anniversary and to form part of a A new writing competition has been launched by the

campaign to encourage young people to think more about what ‘Came by ship’ to the UK. Open to all schools, cadets and youth groups in either under 12s or 12 to 18 age groups, writing 250 or 500 words respectively, the competition’s theme is Came by Ship and entrants are encouraged to think about where food comes from, what happens in a port, and what seafarers’ jobs involve. Fact sheets are available to start children thinking about how shipping affects their everyday lives.

Pupils’ film about the sea becomes a YouTube hit...

Annaleise Donovan-Lowe, Sam Lodge, James Brace, Daanyaal Khan, Ella Vennik and Rob Chandler with teacher Carol Parfitt from The Mountbatten School in Romsey, Hampshire Picture: ABP Southampton

20_seaf aware.indd Sec2:20

seafarers made at the UK port D of Southampton by secondary school A film about the sea and

pupils attracted more than 1,400 views on YouTube within a fortnight of its launch.

What’s the Sea done for us? is an 11-minute video made by six pupils at the Mountbatten School in Hampshire, who were encouraged by their geography teacher, Carol Parfitt, to discover why the UK, as an island nation, is so dependent on shipping and seafarers. It shows seafarers in their day-to-day workings at the port, and features cruiseships, containerships, bulk carriers and car transporters.

The film includes interviews with port manager Clive Thomas, deputy harbour master Ray Blair, Solent Stevedores commercial manager Ray Facey, head of port operations and safety Hanif Brora, and Adam Sharp from Royal Caribbean Cruises. The pupils also met cadets from Warsash Maritime Academy, who explained what appealed to them about training for a career working at sea.

The film was commissioned

by Seafarers UK to mark Seafarers Awareness Week — and was funded by the Nautilus-backed charity the Maritime Educational Foundation.

‘We need to encourage our children and young people to think about shipping and logistics and think about their future,’ said Maria Dixon, president of WISTA UK. ‘There is more to life than Facebook, iPhones or Playstations. Each time we receive an entry for this competition it will mean that we have awoken the spirit of one more young person and made them think about shipping for a moment — that moment could be a life-changer for them.’

g Entries, along with name, age and contact details, should be submitted to essay@camebyship.com before 20 December 2014. The winner in each category will receive a Kindle, donated by the UK Chamber of Shipping.

…Whilst Union members whip up support for the cause on social media took to social media to show A their support for International Day of

Nautilus International members

the Seafarer at the end of June.

Members posted how many days they had spent at sea, added their names to a virtual wall to thank seafarers for bringing them their favourite stuff, and a lucky few who re-tweeted a Nautilus twitter post, earned themselves a set of fridge magnets.

The International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Day of the Seafarer takes place every year to encourage people to think about what they owe to the world’s seafarers and take the opportunity to say thank you to them for moving 90% of the world’s trade.

This year the Union also called on shipping companies to thank seafarers by ensuring they had decent living and working conditions onboard by supporting the Fair Transport

campaign.

The campaign is designed to be similar to the FairTrade Mark which promotes equality for developing world countries involved in global food production. This mark does not extend to the transportation of these goods and therefore, even ships carrying FairTrade produce can be substandard. f The Union is working to establish a Fair Transport Mark which would improve the visibility of the shipping industry, recognise quality ship operators and deliver decent working conditions for seafarers. To find out more about Fair Transport visit www.nautilusint.org/Campaigns. f The IMO campaign reached 25m people worldwide and thousands posted on a the virtual wall. Visit the wall at http://dayoftheseafarer2014. imo.org/ to see what people around the world are thankful to seafarers for bringing them.

16/07/2014 18:10

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY Nautilus member Trevor Northage has applied his seafaring skills to the field of archaeology—with stunning results. It’s something more of us should try in our free time, he tells SARAH ROBINSON…

The secrets of the lakes

I

Trevor Northage doesn’t mind the pouring rain at Lough Corrib when making amazing discoveries

I

Captain Trevor Northage was a keen angler, but he never seemed to have much luck with his catch. So about 10 years ago, he decided to apply a bit of logic. Fish like to hide among nooks and crannies on the lake bed, he reasoned, so if he could find out where the rocky structures and contours were, he could try his hand there.

As a shipmaster, Trevor knew something about charts and underwater surveying, so he assembled the necessary equipment and got to work on the lakes near his home in western Ireland. Soon the fish were flowing in… Except they weren’t. ‘It didn’t work at all,’ laughs Trevor. ‘I’m a terrible fisherman!’ But as an underwater surveyor, he did pretty well, and in 2009 he started up a website — www.anglingcharts. com — to share his charts with other anglers.

Over time, Trevor started to wonder if some of the objects he was seeing were man-made, and he correctly identified one as a sunken Victorian yacht. In general, he didn’t have his hopes up, though: ‘I’ve always had an interest in archaeology, but I wasn’t really expecting anything from these lakes.’ Then one day in 2012, something happened on Lough Corrib to change his mind. He spotted a shape on his sidescan that looked very much like a wooden boat buried in the silt, and probably not a modern one, given its length and shape.

Trevor is a qualified diver, but in Ireland a licence is needed from the government’s National Monuments Service Underwater Archaeology Unit (UAU) to dive a wreck more than 100 years old. So he sent a copy of his scan to the UAU, and they were so interested that they sent their own divers to investigate the 40ftlong wreck pointed out by Trevor, with impressive results. Radiocarbon dating of samples they took from the sunken vessel showed it to be around 4,500 years old — one of the oldest boats ever discovered.

Hardly anything is known about the people who lived in Ireland at this time, notes Trevor, but the Annaghkeen logboat (as it is now known) is evidence

Above: the 4,500-year-old Annaghkeen logboat , perfectly preserved in the silt; Top: Viking axes from Lough Corrib, ready for display in the National Museum of Ireland Pictures: Underwater Archaeology Unit

of their sophistication. ‘She was a giant of her age,’ he says, ‘built using technology that was at the forefront of knowledge of the period, by craftsmen with very specific skills; and was sailed by people with an intimate acquaintance with water and construction.’

The boatbuilders knew exactly which part of the tree to use, he adds, so the vessel would be neither too flexible nor too brittle, nor would it crack or rot, and the wood was sanded smooth, just as it would be today. We can even use the boat to learn something about the landscape of the time. ‘They used a 40ft log from a single oak,’ he explains, ‘which is a height of uninterrupted straight timber we just don’t see in those trees today, as they tend to spread sideways. It means that the tree had grown in an oak jungle, reaching higher and higher to compete with other trees for the light.’

The Annaghkeen logboat discovery led Trevor to wonder whether he had captured other ancient craft

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There is no way of knowing whether the vessel was crewed by Viking settlers or the indigenous Irish people, but whoever was onboard had access to Viking technology. The UAU divers were thrilled to discover a selection of weapons in the boat, well preserved by the silt of the lakebed. These included three battleaxes, an iron work-axe, and two iron spearheads. The battleaxes are rare examples of their type, and are believed to be similar to those used in the 1014 Battle of Clontarf, in which the Irish rose up against Viking rule. And as this year sees the 1,000th anniversary of the famous battle, the National Museum of Ireland was quick to requisition the battleaxes as part of its commemorative exhibition.

in his earlier scans without realising the significance of these shapes. He went back through his survey records of Lough Corrib and other lakes and found a number of images of interest to the UAU. Further dives were organised by the underwater archaeologists, and several interesting discoveries were made, the most exciting being a vessel now known as the Carrowmoreknock boat.

Dated to the 11th century AD, this boat is from the Viking era, and is being talked about as the bestpreserved vessel of its type ever to have been found in the British Isles. Unlike the Annaghkeen logboat, the vessel would not have been paddled, but rowed, as evidenced by the remains of four pairs of tholepin holes, which would have housed the craft’s oars.

Noting that the Carrowmoreknock boat has five seats, but only four sets of oarholes, archaeologists have hypothesised that it could have been the personal transport of a local chieftain.

We might think that Trevor has been unusually lucky in making such fine discoveries through his lake-charting hobby. But he says that there is a good chance of finding similar artefacts in any lake in the British Isles. ‘Humans have always been drawn to lakes for the things we need to survive, such as food, water and transportation,’ he points out. ‘There must be huge numbers of wrecks in our lakes, and nobody knows what’s down there.

Certainly, I’m the only person doing this in Ireland at the moment.’

If other Telegraph readers are interested in having a go at lake charting, Trevor is happy to advise. ‘The equipment I use is readily available,’ he says. ‘For example, I have a sidescan unit that you can get from high-end fishing shops, and I take videos with an underwater video camera known as a dropcamera — although I’ve just splashed out on a small ROV. I record the bathymetry [depth measurements] and run it through sidescan sonar analysis software called Reefmaster. This already works pretty well for my needs, but I’m now working with the author of the software to make it even better for underwater archaeology.’

As well as sharing his charts on his angling website, he now has a popular Facebook page focusing particularly on his archaeological discoveries from Lough Corrib. Facebook members can go to www. facebook.com/loughcorrib.charts to receive updates on the latest discoveries and contact Trevor. ‘It’s a fantastic hobby,’ he enthuses. ‘Much better than fishing — I’d recommend it to anyone.’

When he’s back from his work as a marine superintendent in South America, he finds himself spending nearly every day of his leave down on the lakes, and he’s looking forward to further work on Lough Corrib with the UAU. ‘It’s getting to be an obsession,’ he admits, ‘but why wouldn’t you want to do it? You have the privilege of being the first to see things unseen by modern man and uncovering aspects of our history that we know very little about.’

g The exhibition ‘Clontarf 1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Dublin’, which includes the Lough Corrib battleaxes, will run at the National Museum of Ireland until the end of the year. For more information, visit www.museum.ie.

First contact with the Annaghkeen logboat, as seen on Trevor’s sidescan unit

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16/07/2014 17:04

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

HEALTH & SAFETY

IMRRA chairman Captain Andrey Voloshin

Transparency for the sake of safety

A new risk rating database is aiming to restore confidence in the oil and gas industry by making assessment data consistent and openly available

J

A not-for-profit organisation which seeks to rebuild trust in shipping — both within the industry and among the public — celebrated its first birthday last month by outlining plans to expand its mission.

The International Maritime Risk Rating Agency (IMRRA) marked its first year of operations by hosting a seminar with major oil and shipping companies in London.

IMRRA was established in response to a proposal, backed by several major oil companies, to provide a uniform and effective risk rating system which would help to improve confidence in the industry.

‘Every year there are new ship casualties and accidents,’ said IMRRA chairman Captain Andrey Voloshin. ‘Everyone understands that this is a challenging industry, but we must ensure that risk assessments and vetting are taking place to inform ship safety and protect the lives of those onboard.’

He said it is vital for the oil industry to build up trust.

‘Importing nations do not trust flag states, insurance companies do not trust classification societies, vetters do not trust port state inspections, and charterers only trust the reports that they have commissioned themselves.

‘On top of all this the public

only hears of the industry following a crisis and therefore they also lack trust and confidence in the industry.’

Capt Voloshin believes this lack of trust is in part the consequence of the lack of consistent standards for vetting, which had led to varying interpretations of vetting procedures. In order to try and build up these standards, five oil companies and terminals (Lukoil, Gazprom, Primorsk oil terminal, NCSP, and TNG) agreed a set of risk assessment criteria based on their own risk assessment systems, whilst at the same time keeping the details of their procedures confidential for competition and monopoly compliance.

‘These five oil majors separately have been using these criteria for risk assessment for almost ten years and they have not had major incidents or accidents during these years,’ said Capt Voloshin. ‘Therefore, we can say that the criteria used for risk calculations are reliable and time-proven.

‘In order for confidence to improve, this system had to be available to all interested parties. The database was born to unify all these risk assessment criteria and come up with an equation that could be applied to produce a final figure.’

The risk rating figure is based on three parts:

z static risk factors — factors

that do not frequently fluctuate and remain constant over time.

These factors are long-term risks and include industry trends, company information and ship build statistics z dynamic risk factors — factors that arise in the mid-term.

These include information from port state control, safety inspections, and other reports available from the industry z verified risk factors — these include analysis of collected verified risk assessment information, tanker management selfassessment (TMSA) audits and indicate the trends of improvement or degradation in all aspects of the vessel’s operation and management.

All these factors are deemed equally important, but they are individually defined to enable users to determine those factors that are more significant to their organisation for risk analysis, and to identify the key factors that have contributed to the overall scoring, IMRRA states.

These factors are entered into an equation which gives a final percentage figure for a particular ship’s level of risk. ‘The system is devised so that if any of the five oil majors involved were to carry out a risk assessment on the same vessel it would result in the same figure,’ Capt Voloshin explained. ‘This is despite the

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The database is constantly updating as new ship assessments are undertaken and the results are published

fact that their internal policies and procedures are completely confidential and they operate in completely different ways.’

J

The database currently has nearly 6,500 ships listed, which produces an average risk rating of 40%. The ratings list is displayed in real time and shows the rating of the vessel at its last risk assessment.

Agencies, charterers or owning companies can ask for a vessel to be re-assessed by one of the five assessing organisations at any time to ensure the most accurate rating. Because of this constant updating, certificates of assessment are not produced. ‘Many companies asked us to produce certificates to confirm the ship’s assessment level, but we felt this would not work as it would not show the current level of risk for that ship — simply the level at the time that assessment took place,’ Capt Voloshin said.

‘Companies also need to bear in mind that we have not had a major accident in the year that the list has been operational,’ he pointed out. ‘If there was to be an accident, the risk would change for a number of ships. Those operating in the area, those in the same company, vessels of the same type — all these will have an increased risk factor.

‘When an accident occurs, all companies in the industry want to learn what has happened and try to avoid a repetition,’ he added. ‘This database and the universal assessments will help companies to assess their own risk in light of the event and this should in turn help us to reassure the wider community that lessons are learnt.’

After a successful first year

where the use of the database by companies has demonstrated its effectiveness, IMRRA has plans to develop it further. The most basic of these is to encourage as many companies as possible to list their ships on the database.

‘The more vessels which are assessed, the more accurate the average figure will be and the better it will be for companies to compare one vessel with another,’ Capt Voloshin said.

Another key area is to open the database to the public so that general confidence in the industry’s commitment to safety can be demonstrated — something which was ‘always in the pipeline for the database’ but which needed agreement from the participants and time for the system to be built up.

IMRRA hopes to extend the database to include risk assessment information from ship building and ship repair companies to further inform the final ratings for the ships that come from those yards.

IMRRA also hopes to improve the risk rating system by separating out inland waterways ves-

sels. ‘Barges carrying oil or chemicals through inland waters are very different to those vessels operating deepsea,’ explains Capt Voloshin. ‘They are much smaller, but they have to navigate much more difficult waters, with lots of locks and winding routes. This means that their assessments come back generally high and they push the average of the whole industry up.

‘If we can list them separately it will be easier to compare barge with barge, but also the average for deepsea vessels will be much lower than it is currently,’ he added. ‘The static information for barges is generally higher as the risk caused by these factors is constant.

‘We want to develop a new average for inland operations so that companies in that sector can get a better view of the vessels involved and other companies can see an average of just their sector. All these activities will help us to further improve the risk database in the future.’

g The database can be viewed at www.marinerating.com/index.php

The assessments use three risk factors to produce a final rating percentage

16/07/2014 17:37

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

MARITIME HISTORY

Plaque claiming that the San Flaviano was sunk by Indonesian rebels

The Springfjord in happier times

Time to tell the truth K

27 June 2014 marked the 60th anniversary of a deliberate attack by a US aircraft on an unarmed British ship in a friendly port in peacetime.

It was a Sunday. The 2,000-ton Springfjord was in Puerto San José on the Pacific coast of Guatemala where she had been loading a cargo that included coffee and bales of cotton. A Lockheed P-38 Lightning heavy fighter aircraft, with all identification marks painted out, appeared over the port and bombed the ship with napalm.

Springfjord was set ablaze and badly damaged, and it was only by good fortune that none of her crew was killed. On 29 June she was still afloat, but it seems that she later sank at her moorings.

The aircraft and its pilot, Ferdinand Schoup, belonged to the CIA. Guatemala had a left-wing President, former army Colonel Jacobo Árbenz, whose policies included land reform. But he was opposed by the US United Fruit Company, which controlled 42% of Guatemala’s farmland. In 1954 the CIA organised a coup that overthrew Árbenz. Only hours after Schoup destroyed Springfjord, Árbenz resigned and Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas took over the country.

Events leading to the coup began in 1951, when Guatemalans elected Árbenz as their president and the US responded with an arms embargo that stopped supplies of and equipment. As Guatemala’s military and police forces slowly ran out of ammunition and spare parts for their US-made weapons, the Guatemalan government eventually and reluctantly turned to the Soviet bloc for supplies instead.

In 1953 Dwight Eisenhower had been elected US president. As director of the CIA, he appointed Allen Dulles — who incidentally had shares in United Fruit.

Eisenhower wanted Árbenz overthrown, so Dulles ordered a CIA operation to equip and support a rebel Guatemalan colonel, Carlos Castillo Armas. Castillo had very few followers and supporters, so the CIA not only sent him arms but also created an insurgent air force with The San Flaviano, sinking

23_guatemala.indd 23

As the son of the former MMSA president Captain Bill Jaeger, HUGH JAEGER (pictured) has had a keen interest in ships and seafarers from a young age. And as a result of his research, he’s now fighting to see justice done in two cases where British merchant vessels were sunk by ‘friendly fire’ during the 1950s… unmarked combat aircraft that were made out to be owned and flown by Guatemalan rebels.

In 1954 a Swedish cargo ship, the 4,800-ton MS Alfhem, evaded the US Navy blockade and on 15 May she landed 2,000 tons of Czechoslovak arms and ammunition at the port of Puerto Barrios on Guatemala’s Atlantic coast. The CIA responded by airlifting arms and ammunition to Colonel Castillo.

CIA chiefs ordered the attack on Springfjord after convincing themselves that she too was landing arms and ammunition. Ironically, she was in fact under charter to the US shipping company Grace Line and her cargo had been destined for the USA. The idea that Colonel Castillo’s tiny rebel force could have obtained a Second World War combat aircraft and attacked the Springfjord was barely plausible.

Three British Labour MPs asked questions in the House of Commons. Philip Noel-Baker called for an investigation, Geoffrey Bing alleged that the US was arming the rebels and George Wigg asked if US aircraft flown by US pilots were responsible for air attacks in Guatemala.

A Foreign Office minister, Conservative MP Selwyn Lloyd, denied all the allegations.

Four months later another Labour MP, Leslie Plummer, alleged that the British Embassy in Guatemala City had told

Springfjord’s master, Thomas Bradford, not to talk to the press. A junior Foreign Office minister, Robin Turton, denied it.

Springfjord was insured in Norway and her cargo was underwritten in the USA. The US underwriters reached a $1.25m settlement with her owners, Springwell Shipping Co, who then sought compensation from the Guatemalan government. But the CIA told Castillo to offer only $900,000, negotiations dragged on, and in November the Labour MP Marcus Lipton criticised the Conservative UK government for not helping.

By June 1955 the US underwriters had increased their claim to $1.7m, and the CIA authorised Castillo to increase his offer.

But the claim was not settled. In July 1957 Castillo was assassinated, and his successor General Ydígoras refused to pay.

Marcus Lipton continued to raise the unresolved claim. In 1960 he asked a question in the House of Commons and in 1967 he submitted a written question.

However, in 1963 Guatemala had suspended diplomatic relations with the UK which effectively halted negotiations.

They seem never to have resumed.

K

Meanwhile the CIA had sunk a much larger British merchant ship. The 12,000-ton San Flaviano was an oil tanker belonging to Eagle Oil and Shipping, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. On Monday 28 April 1958 she was unloading crude oil at a Shell terminal in Balikpapan in Borneo when a Douglas B-26 Invader light bomber aircraft, painted black and with no identification marks, attacked the port with 500lb bombs. The aircraft and its pilot belonged to the CIA. San Flaviano was hit on her starboard side, destroying her starboard lifeboats and setting her ablaze. Her crew managed to launch her port lifeboats and abandon ship with only minor casualties and no loss of life. Another bomb hit a Shell tanker, the 8,000-ton Daronia, but bounced off into the sea without detonating. Slightly further out to sea an Indonesian navy corvette, KRI Hang Tuah, was sunk with 18 crew killed and 28 wounded.

The attack was part of a CIA attempt to overthrow Indonesia’s president

Sukarno, who had led the nation to independence from the Netherlands in 1945– 47. In 1957 a group of politicians and army officers in Sulawesi in eastern Indonesia had formed the Permesta rebel movement against Sukarno. The CIA created an insurgent air force, the AUREV, to support Permesta. US pilots flew small numbers of Douglas Invader bomber aircraft and P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft to a rebelheld airbase in northern Sulawesi. From there Beale and another CIA pilot, Allen Pope, flew sorties attacking Indonesian civilian and military targets.

The CIA also ordered Beale and Pope to attack foreign merchant ships in Indonesian ports, with the idea of driving trade away from Indonesia and harming its economy. On the same day that Beale sank Hang Tuah and San Flaviano, Pope sank three cargo ships (Italian, Greek and Panamanian) off Donggalla in central Sulawesi. The attacks succeeded in persuading Shell to suspend operations in Indonesia.

The day before, an unmarked aircraft had opened fire on a Royal Navy submarine, HMS Aurochs, which was patrolling in the Molucca Sea off Sulawesi. The attack was from high altitude and Aurochs was undamaged.

Three weeks later, on 18 May, Pope tried to attack a convoy of Indonesian government ships but was shot down and captured. The CIA hurriedly pulled out of Sulawesi. An Indonesian government soon regained most rebel territory with a combination of military counter-attacks and offers of amnesty.

A week after San Flaviano’s sinking, Selwyn Lloyd met US secretary of state John Foster Dulles (brother of CIA director Allen Dulles) in Copenhagen. Lloyd urged Dulles to continue military aid to Permesta, and the next day Dulles telegraphed Washington: ‘Lloyd said he thought recent news from Indonesia encouraging and we should not repeat not give up hope of keeping on the pressure through the rebellions forces now repeat now principally in the Celebes’ (i.e.

Sulawesi).

In the House of Commons a month later, Labour MP Manny Shinwell asked about the attacks on Aurochs, Daronia

and San Flaviano. Foreign Office minister David Ormsby-Gore replied with the official line that the aircraft were owned and flown by Indonesian rebels.

In fact several months before the attack the UK’s Conservative prime minister, Harold Macmillan, and foreign secretary Selwyn Lloyd had been briefed about CIA military aid to Permesta and had given their support. The UK’s Commissioner for SE Asia, Sir Robert Scott, had recommended that the UK, USA and Australia ‘should look into the possibility of encouraging rebellion on Amboina and the Moluccas’.

The USA portrayed Pope as having flown for Permesta independently as a mercenary. In 1960 Indonesia tried Pope and found him guilty, but in 1962 President Kennedy met Sukarno, who then released Pope and sent him home. He now lives in retirement in Florida. Beale was less lucky: dying on a CIA covert operation in Laos in 1962 when his overloaded light aircraft failed to take off and crashed, killing all onboard.

US policy in both Indonesia and Guatemala caused severe long-term harm. In 1966 General Suharto deposed Sukarno and made himself military dictator. With US, UK and Australian support his brutal régime held power for the next 31 years. In 1960 Guatemala descended into civil war that lasted for 36 years. It was not until the 1990s that the two countries regained peace and democracy.

Conservative government support for illegal US intervention in both countries put UK merchant seafarers at risk. In the case of Springfjord, successive UK governments avoided their responsibilities to her owners until, in the 1960s, pursuit of the claim petered out. Springwell Shipping Co seems to have been dissolved in 1999.

Guatemala and the UK restored diplomatic relations long ago, and in any case it was the US, not Guatemala, that attacked Springfjord. Six decades after Ferdinand Schoup napalmed the ship, is it too much to ask the USA to admit responsibility for the two attacks, apologise to surviving members of the crews of Springfjord and San Flaviano, and compensate Springwell’s former owners or successors?

accounts for Springfjord. However, A some of her younger officers should still

Hugh Jaeger has found no survivors’

be alive and may be Telegraph readers. Mr Jaeger would be pleased to hear from any witnesses Also, there are reports that Springfjord’s master, Thomas Bradford, photographed the damage to his ship, and in 1954 the UK government claimed that had it returned his photographs to him. Can any readers help Mr Jaeger to find copies of Captain Bradford’s photographs?

Contact Hugh Jaeger with witness accounts or photos at: hugh_jaeger@ hotmail.com

16/07/2014 17:04

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

WW1CENTENARY

P

The title ‘Merchant Navy’ was bestowed on the British mercantile marine by King George V after World War 1 in recognition of the contribution made by the service and its seafarers throughout the conflict. At its conclusion, more than 3,000 British-flagged merchant and fishing vessels had been sunk and nearly 15,000 merchant seamen had perished.

In wartime, Britain depended on civilian merchant ships to import food and raw materials, as well as to transport soldiers overseas and keep them supplied. In 1914, Britain’s merchant fleet was the largest in the world and many ‘British’ seamen came from far-flung parts of the British Empire, such as India, Hong Kong, and West African countries.

In what was soon commonly referred to as the war to end all wars, WW1 saw a ruthless antagonist introduce diabolical horrors to the battlefield, technology to the air which rained terror into the heartland of civilian life, and at sea a deadly new foe — U-boats. Their tenacity, tactics, successes and ‘atrocities’ made their commanders national heroes in Germany, but branded them with lasting infamy elsewhere.

A contemporary chronicler records the condition of the mercantile marine at the start of the war: ‘The avalanche of war found us, if unprepared, not unready. The Merchants’ Service was in the most efficient of all its long story... There were no idle keels swinging the tides in harbour for want of profitable employment; no seamen lounging on the dockside streets awaiting a “sight” to sign-on for a voyage. Bulk of cargoes exceeded the tonnage of the ships, and the riverside shipyards resounded to the busy clamour of new construction.

Advanced systems of propulsion had emerged from tentative stages, were fully tried and proved, and owners were adding to their fleets the latest and largest vessels. We were well built and well found.’

Coming swiftly after war was declared, the challenge was met at sea: ‘Before a shot of ours was fired, the first blow in the conflict was swung by passage of the ships — a reference to transports laden with a new and precious cargo — troops destined for France.’

Britain’s supremacy at sea was initially considered as unassailable: ‘With the most powerful war fleet in the world boarding on the coasts of the enemy, we had little to fear.

The transports and war-service vessels could be adequately safeguarded: the peaceful traders could trust in international law of the civilized seas, on which no destruction may be effected without cause, prefaced by examination. Of raiders and detached war units there might be some apprehension, but the White Ensign was abroad and watchful — it was impossible that the shafts of the enemy could reach us on the sea. For a

This August marks 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War. The first British merchant ships were attacked even before hostilities were declared, and by the end of the conflict more than 7.7m tons of shipping had been lost to the U-boats, with more than 14,600 merchant seafarers killed. TREVOR BOULT delves into contemporary accounts of the conflict to describe its impact on the merchant marine… time we set out on our voyages and returned without interference.’ The scourge of the U-boat and the stern reality of ‘unrestricted submarine warfare’ was still beyond the horizon.

The power of Britain’s navy abroad — her Grand Fleet — meant that mercantile ships of the enemy, distant from their homeland, had to seek the protection of a neutral port and not put to sea again under their own colours. The strained universal brotherhood of the sea led to bizarre encounters between opposing merchant crews: ‘Entering New York a few days after war had been declared, we berthed alongside a crack German liner. Her voyage had been abandoned: she lay at the pier awaiting events. At the first, we stared at one another curiously. Her silent winches and closed hatchways, deserted decks and passages, were markedly in contrast to the stir and animation with which we set about unloading and preparing for the return voyage… We were respectfully hostile: submarine atrocities had not yet begun. The same newsboy served special editions to both ships.’

The same British merchantman crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic. The increasingly derelict-looking German liner remained at her berth: ‘Our doings were plain to her officers and crew: we were so near that they could read the tallies on the mailbags we handled.

Loading operations, that included the embarkation of war materials, went on by night and day: we were busied as never before… On occasion, the port regulations required the liner to haul astern to allow working space for a crane to swing a huge piece of ordnance to our decks.’

Britain’s naval supremacy kept the oceans open in the early stages of the war, but Allied merchant shipping was under threat from German commerce raiders. A tangible protection was needed for these ships on the oversea trade routes. Older cruisers were sent out on distant patrols. To the merchantmen, they became the first associates of the substantial fleet subsequently detailed for their defence and assistance.

A direct consequence of war eventually resulted in a boost to the working morale and

The transatlantic liner Carmania was taken over by the Royal Navy at the start of WW1 to serve as an armed merchant cruiser. The Hamburg-South America Line’s passenger liner Cap Trafalgar was converted to a German armed merchant cruiser and this painting by Charles Dixon shows the battle between the two in September 1914 off Trinidade Island, some 740 miles east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cap Trafalgar was sunk and Carmania was badly damaged, receiving 79 hits, but only nine crew were killed Picture: National Maritime Museum

status of merchant seamen. Initially, there was the bitter hardship of proceeding on voyages under war conditions, with what has been described as the same small crew that was found inadequate in peace time, with reminders that ‘the extent of the work to be undertaken…would frequently show a vessel being hurried out of dock on the top of a tide, putting to sea in heavy weather with the hatchways open over hasty stowage, and all the litter of a week’s harbour dis-routine standing to be cleared by a raw and semimutinous crew’.

A contemporary observer reflected: ‘Perhaps we were rather spoilt by the pride that was in us when our seafaring was ruled by the appreciative Brethren of Trinity House, and it may be as a repressive measure of discipline the Board of Trade extends no particular favour to our sea-trade, and has

indeed gone further in being at pains to belittle our sea-deeds, and disparage a recognition of our status.’

Britain’s entry to the war at sea in 1914 brought indifference from officialdom: ‘There was no mobilization or registration of merchant seamen to aid a scheme of manning and to control the chaos that was very soon evident. Despite their intimate knowledge of the gap in our ranks made by the calling-up of the Naval Reserve — accentuated by the enlistment of merchant seamen in the Navy — the Board of Trade could see no menace to the sea-transport service in the military recruitment of our men. It was apparently no concern of theirs that we sailed on our difficult voyages short-handed, or with weak crews of inefficient landsmen, while so many of our skilled seamen and numbers of our

Museum launches four-year exploration of the war at sea special exhibition — Forgotten Fighters: The First I World War at Sea — exploring the naval and maritime The UK’s National Maritime Museum is staging a

dimensions of the conflict.

While the public rightly remembers the horrors of the Western Front, the war at sea was also fought with terrible human loss, and Forgotten Fighters highlights the importance of the contribution made by seafarers in the Royal and Merchant Navies.

The show features a wide range of objects including weaponry, photographs, medals and ship models. It takes visitors from the heroism of merchant mariners to the shattering realities of naval battle, and from the Falkland

24-25_spread.indd 24

Islands and the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and the North Sea. The free exhibition includes many personal accounts from those who served at sea during the war, and underlines the way in which they helped to ensure that Britain was supplied with the food, raw materials and equipment on which the nation depended.

To coincide with Forgotten Fighters, the National Maritime Museum will be hosting a dedicated events programme, including conferences and remembrance events. f Forgotten Fighters opens on 2 August 2014 and runs until November 2018. For more information visit www. rmg.co.uk

A German medal commemorating the sinking of Cunard’s Lusitania in 1915 showing the ship sinking by the stern, with an aeroplane and armoured cars on the forecastle, and an inscription reading ‘KEINE BANNWARE’ (No contraband)

sea-officers were marking time of the infantry.’ It took a year for to be addressed.

Added to the outgoing of retai seamen, recruitment of a new Re Auxiliaries and Special Service ve almost instantly begun. There we applicants, the choice naturally f best men remaining. The loss of t men removed a certain check on Large vessels were most seriously the service of troop transport suf delayed. The Army and Naval Aut startled by a situation not contem recalled: ‘Masters and officers, if challenged, were deemed to be r for such a state of insubordinati their crews. While such an assum to a degree, unjust, it is true that wholly blameless. For the sake o commercial life, we had accepte difficulties of our manning with The situation was met, not by that would affect all merchant sh seamen alike, but by a Defence of regulation that operated only wh chartered directly by governmen manning shortage found a certai compensation in the industrial si ashore. As the magnitude of the w was realised, nervous employers reduced their staffs: ‘All workme the building trades being perha affected. As needs must, we wer recruit able-bodied men: we had seamen, and that quickly…In tim became moderately efficient. A tradesmen, they had a self-resp be encouraged…Of these, perha a second voyage, but not more th remained at sea permanently.’

Some of the recruits had a hid At ports abroad, notably the Unit they deserted. Despite the strict r immigration, in this case the auth appeared to turn a blind eye. A ch suggests the reason why: ‘Techni men were seamen. Our Uncle Sa stirring towards true sea-power acquisition of large mercantile native American could see no pr commercial career in the foreca from abroad might labour be ob operation of their ships… Deser not confined to the landsmen of situation arose quickly, in whic profitable for our men to desert re-sign on another ship at an en As though to facilitate their bre agreement, it was not long befo States Seamen’s Act came into fo became operative on every vess an American port. It established seamen, the “right to quit”.’

The loss was almost wholly fro

The Mercantile Marine War Medal1914-1918 awarded to Commander Henry James Bray RNR. Born in Shrewsbury in 1882, he qualified as a Merchant Navy captain in 1910. From 1910-14 he was master of the four-masted barque Holt Hill and during WW1 he served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. In 1916, while commanding the armed trawler Searanger, he helped to sink the German submarine U-74 which was on a mine laying expedition in the Firth of Forth and was awarded the DSC for this action.

16/07/2014 18:09

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

WW1 CENTENARY

time in the ranks ar for the situation f retained Reserve ew Reserve to man ice vessels was ere were many ally falling on the ss of the steadiest ck on indiscipline. ously affected, and rt suffered and was al Authorities were ontemplated. It was ers, if not actually o be responsible dination among assumption was, e that we were not ake of a quiet cepted the g without protest.’ ot by a firm action ant ships and nce of the Realm ly when ships were nment. The certain measure of rial situation f the world conflict oyers of labour rkmen suffered, perhaps most e were open to we had to make In time they nt. As good -respect that could perhaps 50% made ore than 10% ntly.’ a hidden agenda.

United States, trict regulation of e authorities . A chronicler echnically, the cle Sam was power — the ntile fleets. The no prosperous orecastle: only be obtained for Desertions were men of our crews. A which it became esert abroad and an enhanced pay. r breach of before the United nto force. This Act y vessel entering ished, for all ’ lly from the ranks

of stokers. Adjustments were made to the short-handed return voyages: ‘Stewards were set to deck duties and the look-out, the released sailormen went below to the stokehold — on occasion, passengers were recruited on board to bear a hand.’

A new and better spirit was to materialise with the appearance of German savagery at sea: ‘In his action, the enemy has made many miscalculations; not the least was when he roused a spirit of readiness to service in our merchantmen; he blew more than the acrid fumes into us with the shattering explosion of his torpedoes.’ This determination may also have been roused by the tales of heroism in the trenches.

Unsung heroism was acknowledged in the service of foreign seamen: ‘How shall we assess the lascar’s quiet employment in a conflict that, perhaps, only dimly he understood? Of its operation he could have no ignorance — Shell and torpedo took toll of his numbers, but there was little hesitancy when he was invited to sign for further voyages. It was ever a point of prophecy with his detractors in the days of peace that he would be found wanting under stress…In a manner that is not the less impressive because few have spoken of it, he has given them the lie.’

Positive changes appeared elsewhere: ‘If the hard times of our strain and labouring are not wholly over, at least we have fallen in with a more favouring wind from the land.

Conditions in the Merchants’ Service are vastly improved since Germany challenged our right to pass freely on our lawful occasions. Relations between the owner and the seaman are less strained. Remuneration for sea-service is now more adequate. The sullen atmosphere of harsh treatment on the one hand, and grudging service on the other, has been cleared away by the hurricane threat to our common interests.’

Despite being ‘a maritime nation’, to the average person in the street, the British merchant seafarer of the era was a world apart; little understood or appreciated: ‘We are poor citizens, nomads, who have little part with settled grooves and communal life ashore.

The naval seaman is a known figure on the streets. His trim uniform, the cut of his hair, the swing of a muscular figure, his high spirits, are all in part with a stereotyped conception. He is the sailor; Mercantile Jack has lost his tradition in attire and individuality…’

But the war brought a new prominence to merchant shipping: ‘The astonishing fact of our civilian combatance has drawn a recognition that no years of peace could have uncovered. Not least of the revelations that the world conflict has imposed is the vital importance of the ships. Our naval fleets were ever talked of, read of, gloried in,

as the spring of our national power, but not many saw the core of our sea-strength in the stained hulls of the merchants’ ships.’ This stark reality was to be driven home when the sea lanes and ocean tracts bearing the stuff of survival became the deadly province of the U-boat.

Historically, the mercantile marine had been recognised as vital in the conduct of the conflicts in Crimea and India, and during the Boer War. In the all-important cargoes that it ferried, there was no call for other service than the usual sea-work. Now, within the ranks of the ‘sea-civilians,’ there were those who were uncomfortable with such a label: ‘Other nations were stirring and striving to a naval strength and power, drawing aid and personnel from their mercantile service.

Sea-strength and paramountcy might not wholly come to be measured in terms of thickness of the armour-plating — in calibre of the great guns. Auxiliary services would be required. The Navy could no more work without us than the Army without a Service Corp.’ The Royal Naval Reserve — originally founded in 1862 — provided the link.

On return to regular ships after a period of naval training in the Reserve, fault was found by both parties: ‘They came back changed in many particulars. They had acquired a social polish, were perhaps less ‘sailor-like’ in their habits. As a rule they were discontented with the way of things in their old ships. We were frequently reminded of how well and differently things were done in the service. Perhaps, in return, we took the wrong line. We made no effort to sift their experiences, to find out how we might improve our ways.’

Yet the influence of naval training was evidently never very pronounced among the seamen and firemen who were attached to the RNR. On short-term training they were rarely allotted to important work. The governing attitude was rather that they should be used as auxiliaries — ‘mercantile handymen’ — in a ship: ‘If there was a stowage of stores, cleaning up of bilges, chipping and scaling of iron rust — well, here was mercantile Jack, who was used to that kind of work; who better for the job?’

With the outbreak of war the RNR was instantly mobilised, resulting in an immediate drain in the mercantile ranks. Example drew others who were keen on fighting service.

There were commissions to a new entry of officers.

For a short time, the mercantile marine sailed on its voyages, on a steady round which differed little from its normal peacetime trade.

It was not to be long before everything changed… f Principal source of information and quotes taken from: Merchantmen-at-Arms, by David Bone. Chatto & Windus 1919

A 1:96 scale model of a D-type merchant vessel (1917).

To ensure rapid replacement of the losses caused by German submarines in WW1, a large number of merchant ships were built on a few standard designs. This model represents the ‘D’-type designed by S. P. Austin & Sons of Sunderland.

It shows the defensive armament of a single 4.7 inch gun and the paravanes for protection against mines.

24-25_spread.indd 25

Dazzling marine artwork pays tribute to WW1 camouflage re-painted in bright red, yellow, green, and black H stripes by a leading contemporary artist in a homage to

The historic pilot cutter Edmund Gardner has been

the ‘dazzle’ camouflage invented during the First World War to protect shipping.

In a project undertaken as part of the Liverpool Biennial project, the vessel — which served from 1953 until 1981 and is now on show at Canning Graving Dock, opposite the Museum of Liverpool — has been transformed by painters from the Cammell Laird yard working to a design by the Venezuelan artist Carlos CruzDiez.

Co-commissioned by Tate Liverpool and 14-18 NOW WW1 Centenary Art Commission, the ‘dazzle ship’ work commemorates the centenary of the outbreak of the first

world war and will be on show until the end of 2015.

It is accompanied by a display at the Merseyside Maritime Museum exploring the history of dazzle ships and the role of artists in the First World War and is matched by a similar project to repaint the hull of HMS President on the river Thames.

Dazzle painting was a system for camouflaging ships that was introduced in early 1917, at a time when German submarines were threatening to cut off Britain’s trade and supplies. Artist Norman Wilkinson, credited with inventing the technique, explained that it was designed not to hide the ship but to mislead the enemy. Each ship’s pattern was unique and the stripes and curves broke up the shape of the vessel, making by making it difficult to estimate a target’s range, speed and direction.

“

The naval seaman is a known figure on the streets. His trim uniform, the cut of his hair, the swing of a muscular figure, his high spirits…

”

MN sacrifices remembered sure the Merchant Navy was C not forgotten when Liverpool marked Nautilus International made

Left to right: Distinguished Service Cross, British War Medal 1914-18, Mercantile Marine War Medal, 1914-18, Victory Medal1914-18, 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, War Medal1939-45 awarded to Captain Theobald John Claud Purcell-Buret who was master of the Royal Mail Steam Packet vessel Parana on a voyage from Newport to Montevideo when the ship was attacked without warning on 10 September 1917. Capt Purcell-Buret served at sea for 48 years and commanded the Andes as a troopship in WW2.

Armed Forces Day on Saturday 28 June with a service at the cathedral and a parade through the city.

The date coincided with the start of the First World War, and a particular focus of the service was to commemorate the centenary of the event. The cathedral was full to capacity with a mix of adults, children, WW2 veterans, sea cadets and scouts from as far away as Fleetwood.

‘The great buzz of people hushed to stand as the service started with entrance of flags from each of the armed forces including the Merchant Navy flag held proudly aloft by Captain Mike Feltham, a resident at

Mariners’ Park,’ said Nautilus welfare services manager Mick Howarth.

‘Sermons delivered by clergy from different dioceses and Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips all included a remembrance and thanks to those who served in the merchant marine,’ he added.

‘Nautilus Welfare Fund had been asked to provide a display illustrating the role of the Merchant Navy in WW1,’ Mr Howarth explained.

‘Dougie Laverie, a resident at Mariners’ Park, and the men’s activity coordinator, Roger Cliffe– Thompson, did the research for the display highlighting the “untold story” of the MN — in particular the role of the Mersey Ferries Iris and Daffodil and their role in the blockade of Zeebrugge.’

16/07/2014 18:09

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

MARITIME WELFARE

When you need help fast O

The Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) has launched a new emergency fund which will provide fast and modest cash grants to seafarers in difficulties.

The Maritime Emergency Fund, whose launch coincides with the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), aims to take the immediate pressure off seafarers in stressful situations.

At the launch onboard HQS Wellington in London, Sister Marian Davey, chaplain at Felixstowe and Haven port, told the audience of two occasions when she had been called upon to provide financial support at short notice.

‘About 18 months ago I was called to visit a ship which had been detained,’ she said. ‘The port fees had not been paid and the crew had not been paid for three months.

‘Some of the crew were from Cape Verde and they were anxious as they were due to pay school fees back home — and if they did not it would mean their children being denied an education,’ she told the meeting. ‘It also emerged that the food supply was short — there was very little bread and hardly any vegetables. I went with the cook to the local shop and filled up with vegetables, bread and anything else he needed.

‘I spoke to the head office of AoS and they provided the money to cover the costs of food. It was much appreciated and it was fantastic to see everyone tucking into heaps of bread and butter that night. It’s a very simple thing but makes a big difference.

‘Wages and back pay were eventually paid, but there was a real need for cash to buy supplies,’ she added.

Sister Marian also spoke of having to deal with crew who were wearing overalls that had not been

A leading maritime charity has set up a special fund to provide rapid support to seafarers in crisis. Debbie Cavaldoro went to the launch event to find out why the initiative is being taken…

Seafarers’ missions are often first on the scene in times of trouble Pictures: Apostleship of the Sea

replaced in a long time and were falling apart.

She was able to get the funding to go and buy new

Are you serving or retired

MERCHANT NAVY FISHING FLEET ROYAL NAVY ROYAL MARINE or a dependant or do you know someone who is and needs help?

overalls for the crew, to allow them to work in decent clothing, suitable for the tasks they were undertaking.

AoS national director Martin Foley acknowledged that whilst the responsibility for resolving these types of issues rests with the ship’s owner, agent or manager, often port chaplains are called upon to provide an immediate response to a crisis or emergency.

‘These situations can be very stressful and difficult for seafarers and their families,’ he explained. ‘Even just a short delay in salary payments can mean a school or hospital bill back home goes unpaid. Resolving these problems can take months, so quick cash grants can really help. Our port chaplains are uniquely placed to judge when a swift modest grant can alleviate a crew member’s immediate situation without compromising efforts to resolve the underlying problem.’

Mr Foley recalled the case of the Independence, which was detained in Shoreham Port in 2013. The majority of crew had left without payment, but the captain and one crew member remained onboard to ensure the wages were eventually received.

‘These men had gone five months without pay and were surviving by borrowing on credit cards,’ he said. ‘As well as providing practical and pastoral support, AoS was able to make a one-off grant of $1,000 to relieve some of the acute difficulties back home.

‘No other fund could have provided that emergency support to that seafarer in those circumstances,’ Mr Foley said. ‘There are other funds, but some preclude support to dependants

and some do not allow direct cash payments. The Maritime Emergency Fund aims not to duplicate other sources of help, and uniquely, it will respond in less than 24 hours.’

Each request will be verified by a port chaplain who will then contact AoS to authorise the grant.

Payment can then made directly either to the chaplain, the seafarer or the seafarer’s family, which AoS hopes will ensure payments are made quickly and without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Father Bruno Ciceri, from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in Rome, made a special visit on his day off to attend the launch. He congratulated AoS on the initiative and said that the emergency fund was a practical example of how of the church and AoS respond to the ‘immediate needs of those in difficulty and crisis’.

The charity acknowledged that many of the emergency requests they expected the new fund to cover were for purchases which enabled seafarers to undertake their everyday work — something which the MLC, or the ‘seafarers’ bill of rights’, was supposed to ensure was no longer needed.

However, Mr Foley is inclined to give the MLC the benefit of the doubt, for now. ‘The MLC has had an impact but it is too early to judge how effective it will be,’ he said. ‘The critical area for MLC will be enforcement. The Convention sets out what seafarers’ rights should be, but what happens when those rights are infringed? How can they be enforced? We have yet to see whether the MLC has teeth, but I hope that as more seafarers become aware of it, it will show its teeth and uphold their rights.’

O

AoS hopes that the new scheme will be funded by the corporate maritime sector — especially those companies who created the need in the first place. ‘It is an ongoing source of frustration to the charity that we continue to provide clothing and equipment that should have been provided by the employer,’ Mr Foley added. ‘But the reality is that whilst we can lobby the company and pursue those issues, there is a seafarer with an emergency or crews who are ill-equipped for the UK weather that need our support.

‘This support will not come at the expense of trying to deal with those underlying issues, and we will continue to work with the ITF, Nautilus International and the industry to resolve those longer term issues.

‘We are not talking about a large sum of money, and the fact that AoS is having to cover these costs and purchase these basic items should be a source of great shame for the industry,’ he said. ‘We need to make some progress and ensure that the MLC does what it was intended to do.’

Nautilus International senior national secretary Allan Graveson echoed this concern. ‘It is good that this new fund is here to help seafarers with urgent needs but sad that in these modern times charities are still having to provide basic equipment for seafarers to do their jobs,’ he said. ‘I hope it acts as an incentive for the industry to address these issues.

My fear is that those companies who need to hear this message are the exact ones who will not.’

f To donate to the fund contact director of development John Green on +44 (0)20 7012 8607 or email johngreen@apostleshipofthesea.org.uk.

Seafarer Support is a free confidential telephone and award winning online referral service helping you find support for serving and former UK seafarers and their families in times of need

www.seafarersupport.org Freephone 0800 121 4765 AoS national director Martin Foley at the launch event

26_aos.indd Sec2:26

16/07/2014 17:32

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

MARITIME CULTURE

Nothing beats a good read Entertaining online reading habits survey provides pointers for seafarers’ book services…

w

The results are in from the Nautilus/Marine Society Book of the Year survey, and there are some fascinating insights into seafarers’ reading habits.

The survey was run online over the first half of this year, and a broad range of seafarers took part, fairly evenly spread around the industry sectors.

The majority were working on large cargo vessels including container ships, bulk carriers and oil tankers, but there were also a good number of survey participants from yachts, ferries, offshore vessels and the inland waterways.

The first aim of the research was to find out how important reading is to seafarers, looking at where and when they read onboard and what kinds of books they read.

It was hoped that this would yield useful information for the Marine Society’s book service — indicating, for example, which genres and titles should be stocked in the charity’s famous shipboard libraries, and whether seafarers preferred print books or e-readers.

And for a bit of fun, the survey participants were asked to vote for their ‘book of the year’ (their favourite recently-published work), as well as selecting their favourite living author and their favourite author of all time.

Some of the most interesting findings from the survey follow.

Seafarers are reasonably happy with their rest time onboard ship — but there’s always room for more. Some 30% of survey respondents said that they ‘always’ had sufficient rest time for leisure activities, and around 45% said that this was ‘sometimes’ the case. Only around 10% said that they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ had enough rest time onboard ship. However, in a later question, the survey asked what would encourage them to read more onboard ship, and ‘More leisure time’ was the most popular answer.

Onboard ship, seafarers like reading books and watching films more than other leisure activities (graph below). We need to remember here that this survey was self-selecting, so this finding may be a little skewed (in other words, it’s likely that seafarers choosing to take part in a ‘Book of the year’ survey would be people who read for pleasure).

Nevertheless, this was a strong showing for both books and films, with ‘surfing the internet’ in third place. It’s interesting that ‘socialising with others’ was one of the less popular options, as this backs up other research indicating a decline in shipboard camaraderie.

E-readers are just as popular with seafarers as print books. This information will be very useful to the Marine Society book service, helping to inform the way that reading matter is supplied.

Seafarers are most likely to be reading books they’ve brought from home. Over 50% of respondents said their ship had a library, which in some cases is maintained by the company and in others is funded by employees or maritime charities. But the responses on where seafarers get their books indicate that the shipboard library is not the primary source of reading material. Of course, libraries can’t be everything to everyone, but the Marine Society will be noting this finding when considering how to make its shipboard libraries relevant, useful and appealing, especially as another question revealed that many seafarers would actually like more access to books.

Seafarers like to read science fiction, historic novels and thrillers (graph below). There are a few who are quite partial to romance and ‘chick lit’, though, so we shouldn’t make assumptions about the macho shipboard culture.

When it comes to non-fiction, seafarers like to read each other’s memoirs. Actually, the responses

were fairly evenly spread in this category, and the most popular subject for seafarers’ non-fiction books was science.

Seafarers don’t read while they’re eating their dinner (graph below). Clearly they listened to their mothers and remember their manners.

w

And now it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… Who has won the three ‘favourite’ categories?

Seafarer book of the year Deepsea and Foreign Ocean Going, by Rose George

Seafarers’ favourite living author Terry Pratchett

Seafarers’ favourite author of all time Joint winners: Terry Pratchett and JRR Tolkien Congratulations to all these authors from Nautilus and the Marine Society — your books have brightened up many a slow day at sea.

g If reading this article about reading has whetted your appetite for some more reading, turn to page 33 for reviews of the latest maritime titles, all available at an amazing 25% discount from the Marine Society Shop: www.marinesocietyshop.org.

Socialising beats other leisure activities when seafarers are on leave. Even if quite a few diehard bookworms have been attracted to this survey, it seems that there’s no substitute for going out with your friends when you’re at home. Books and newspapers come out near the top of the list, though, and ‘getting exercise’ is more popular than it is onboard ship, probably reflecting the increased options available on land.

Which activities do you enjoy during any leisure time you do have onboard?

Reading newspapers or magazines

32.05%

Reading books

78.21%

Writing emails or letters

38.46%

Video calling

10.26%

Phone calling

33.33%

Surfing the internet

42.31%

Using social media

26.92%

Getting exercise

35.90%

Watching films

53.85%

Socialising with others onboard

30.77%

Playing video games

14.10%

Playing board games

5.13%

Playing card games Online shopping Training / studying 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Where do you read when onboard?

2.56% 34.62%

What types of fiction do you read?

81.16%

4.48%

Graphic novels 10.45% Historic novels 49.25%

In eating areas

0%

In communal areas

Horror

2.99%

Mystery

32.84%

Romance

10.45%

2.9% Science fiction/ 50.75% fantasy

wherever I can!

0%

27_reader.indd 27

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0%

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16/07/2014 18:06

28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

SEAFARER TRAINING

Seafarers are among the first to train through the process of ‘serious gaming’. RAAL HARRIS, director of e-learning and digital media with Videotel, explains how the virtual reality approach can pay dividends…

L

Videotel, in conjunction with the UK’s Mines Rescue Service, has produced its first serious game, ‘Enclosed’, and so it is an appropriate time to explore some of the important issues around learning based games.

Play and games are sometimes conflated — yet in this context there is a clear divide: they are not the same thing.

All of us have experience of learning through play. In fact, until we get to school and experience formal learning, most of what we learn is through play.

It is one of the ways in which we develop our social identity and cognitive skills and make sense of our environment.

Play may be unstructured, exuberant and for its own sake.

The freedom we are afforded to explore pathways and learn directly from our experiences is play.

On the other hand, games tend to be formal; they have structure and produce outcomes. Games create sets of choices and each of these choices has meaning. The actions that the player takes leads to different results. Making the right choices at the right time leads the player to the most favourable outcome: to ‘win’.

So games afford the opportunity and freedom to find our way through these choices in a playful manner, and conclude with a meaningful result.

‘A game is a problem-solving activity, approached with a playful attitude’ (Snell, 2008:37) Much has been made of the new generation of ‘digital natives’ — defined as those who have grown up with games and their technologies. It is often said that this has in some way shortened their attention spans and thus destroyed their capacity to concentrate. There are fears that

28_gaming_SR edit.indd Sec2:28

their neurological requirements for learning are different.

Marc Prensky (2005:2) sums it up succinctly: ‘Many of the same students who don’t concentrate in school will sit for hours, for example, totally focused on movies or video games. So, it is not our students’ attention capabilities that have changed, but rather their tolerance and needs. Today’s young people must continuously choose among a plethora of very expensively produced demands on their attention — music, movies, commercials, TV, Internet, etc.

“

Gamification describes a process… blurring the boundaries between reality and the game

”

They have learned to focus only on what interests them and on things that treat them as individuals rather than as part of a group or class (as we so often do in school). In an increasingly populated and crowded world, choice, differentiation, personalisation, and individualisation have become, for today’s young people, not only a reality, but a necessity.’

Video games are not just the preserve of the new generation.

Games are ubiquitous in modern life and many of the statistics are surprising: the average age of gamers is between 30–35 while 26% are over 50; 40% of gamers are female. The proliferation of

smartphones has opened up the market further with 44% of people playing games on their mobiles. The games industry is now a multi-billion dollar industry and is here to stay.

So, the question is, can we as educators use the energy and enthusiasm that people have for video games into valuable learning experiences for serious purposes? For many years now the military, medical, financial and broader commercial sectors have made use of ‘serious games’.

It is now a burgeoning industry in its own right and has recently been championed by the maritime industry with us here at Videotel.

Serious games, like their more traditional counterparts, take many forms and exploit different game genres and dynamics but most will have some of the following game features: z avatars — representing the player in the game z challenges/quests — the objective the player must reach z points/scores — to measure performance z achievements — the winning of badges or unlocking of new levels z a reward system — what the player ‘earns’ from successful completion

Above and below: images from Enclosed, a new ‘serious game’ produced by Videotel and the Mines Rescue Service

need to be played out in real time, and commonly require an instructor to evaluate the performance of the trainee.

Serious games, by contrast, use traditional game design techniques and technology to explore serious concepts and are generally more self-guided. They may use elements of simulation, like Videotel’s own Enclosed Spaces game. Here, the trainee is placed into a virtual world and they play through the eyes of their avatar. In this way it is possible to create an immersive experience.

But the focus is to involve the player in the scenario and mimic the choices and decision-making that they would in real world tasks, without being bound by the need to make everything work

more game styles available. This means that the game design process must be closely focused on the learning objectives and the outcomes that must be achieved.

Terminology is important.

One term being used increasingly (but frequently misused) is ‘gamification’.

Gamification describes a process where gaming elements are introduced into real-world situations, blurring the boundaries between reality and the game.

An example will make this clear: imagine you and your online ‘friends’ both go to a (real) restaurant, or some other place, sometimes together and sometimes separately. For each visit you receive points — just a game.

L

A key differentiator of the serious game, however, is that the objective is to get an additional outcome which is in a non-game context. In other words, to learn something and to improve the player’s ability and/or knowledge that can be demonstrated independently of the game.

In the maritime industry we are very familiar with this concept through the use of simulation. So how are serious games different from simulation?

Simulations could be described as immersive games which offer a hands–on educational experience. They place people in a risk free environment which affords their engagement in an authentic experience such as navigation of the vessel or running of the engine room. The focus of the simulation, however, is to give as much of a real world experience as possible.

Consequently equipment and environments must behave like their real world counterparts.

These need vast computer power, complex mathematical models and, of course, money. They also

benefit from this concept, but that we will have to save for a paper of its own.

There is evidence that learners retain more by what they do than by more passive methods (Van Dam, cited in Allen, 2007).

Motivation and enjoyment levels are generally higher too as we might expect, but is the learning improved? The truth is that empirical evidence is still scanty.

Where rigorous comparative studies have been conducted a clear improvement can be observed in those candidates studying with games over those without (Blunt, undated).

One thing is certain however, that making something a game and making it fun will not automatically improve learning.

The learning and games design must work together to ensure that the objectives of the game and learning objectives are aligned.

Not all learning will benefit from gamification, but game technologies provide learning designers powerful new toolsets and afford new possibilities in engaging learners.

L exactly as it does in the real world.

This enables many of the benefits of simulation — testing the trainee’s performance under stress, requiring them to apply their theoretical knowledge to real world tasks, but with much less investment compared to full scale simulation.

Other game genres may take an entirely different form. More strategic resource management games require the player to have more of an overview of the action.

Here, the camera may take a more ‘isometric’ view. Examples can be found in games such as SimCity and Farmville. There are countless

The points are then added to a ‘leader board’ — just like a game.

Someone will be top and therefore effectively the most authoritative figure. The person who is top overall at the end of the playing period is declared, say, the ‘manager’ of the restaurant (or whatever else has been chosen).

This is perceived as a reward.

Again, just like a game.

So gamification comprises many elements of a game: it is designed to motivate you to a real world purpose. The difference is that there is no game. The action has all happened in the real world.

There are many ways we can

These considerations clearly demonstrate that a blended approach is required, and it is up to us as training providers and consumers to think holistically about how to build an effective training programme using all the available tools.

Returning to our Enclosed Space game as an example, we already have seven video programmes and a training course that explore the themes and underpinning knowledge of working in Enclosed Spaces in detail.

We therefore set out from the beginning to use the game as something that would build on the training we had and offer something that those media could not. In this sense it does not compete with our existing offering, but augment it and take it further into knowledge application.

16/07/2014 18:07

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29

UNIONS AT WORK JEFF APTER meets a young seafarers’ champion who has been making waves in her role as an ITF/CGT ship inspector in the west of France…

ITF inspector Laure Tallonneau was actively involved in the 12-day dispute with Condor Ferries at the beginning of the year Pictures: Eric Houri

Fighting for their rights K

Laure Tallonneau was never a seafarer and doesn’t come from a seafaring family — but in the space of just three years she has hit the maritime headlines as a result of her work for crew members.

At the age of just 28, she is in the forefront of campaigns on behalf of abandoned and exploited seafarers — fighting to win owed wages, justice and repatriation from rogue shipowners.

Laure is one of five International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) ship inspectors in France. Based in the busy port of Brest, she has a remit to check visiting vessels in ports between Saint Malo and Lorient — and her work for the ITF and the French maritime union CGT has been increasingly appreciated far beyond Brittany.

We meet in Paris, where she has travelled for more than four hours to attend a meeting at the French transport ministry, and she explains how she got involved in working for seafarers.

While studying at the university in the port city of Nantes — obtaining a master’s degree in labour law — Laure researched the history, operations and aims of the ITF, and also wrote a paper on women at sea.

‘Basic human rights for seafarers and the specific aspect of working and living conditions on flag of convenience shipping and the maritime industry drew me closer to the trade union movement and the ITF,’ she says.

In 2011 another ITF inspector advised her to apply for an inspector’s position that was due to become vacant in the traditional seafaring region of Brittany and, after interviews with the ITF and the CGT seafarers’ union and a six-week course at ITF headquarters in London in December of that year, she was appointed as the only woman in such a post in France.

Several practical training courses with experienced colleagues onboard ships in Spain, Saint Nazaire and Marseilles followed, and for the last three years Laure Tallonneau has been based at the ITF’s office in Brest.

She says that the ITF job has matched her expectations. ‘Even though sometimes the situation is complex and tense, that’s just how I imagined it would be dealing with rogue operators, and abandoned crews,’ Laure states.

Since starting in the job, she says the problems she has to deal with do not

29_itf inspector.indd 29

appear to be getting better — but neither are they getting worse. ‘The major problems concern pay and overtime and dealing with operators who fail to pay salaries,’ Laure explains. The statistics bear her out: she has won more than $459,000 in back pay for seafarers over the past three years.

Laure says the introduction of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 presents more opportunities to solve such problems — but she points out that much depends on the way in which it is implemented and enforced. This is particularly so when it comes to the payment of wages, she adds, and the effectiveness of the documentation that the MLC requires, which may either not be onboard ships or may simply be ignored by some companies.

‘FoC operators say everything onboard is running smoothly for crews, but this is not true,’ she argues. ‘Although now there are official salary slips, the payments situation is no better than before.’

Seafarers who experience the most exploitation and the worst conditions come mainly from Asian countries such as the Philippines and China and from poor African countries such as Madagascar, Laure notes.

Typical onboard problems she has to deal with include bad food, deplorable sanitary conditions, non-payment of salaries and even cases where the operator has retained seafarers’ passports.

Conditions on factory fishing ships in particular can be very poor, Laure reports.

She says that her ITF mission also includes fighting for decent health and safety standards onboard ships. And when abandoned seafarers need help in France, Laure says local populations, seafarers’ clubs and charitable associations — especially in the smaller ports — are usually quick to assist them.

Winning repatriation, often opposed by operators, is important, Laure adds, but defending seafarers’ human rights and freedom of association — as they are often afraid to complain directly about their conditions — is an ongoing struggle.

Despite being the only female ITF inspector in France, Laure says she has rarely experienced discrimination during her work. Any prejudice against her is more likely to be because she is a representative of the ITF, she says, and it is mostly from port agents who do not like allowing women onboard or unions ‘interfering’ to solve problems — or both.

Jean-Paul Hellequin, from the West France branch of CGT, says the union is very pleased with Laure’s work in an ‘extremely essential role’. She was actively

back pay — and the insurers $29,000. It was not the first time that the crew had experienced the late payment of wages by Ocean Tankers and several seafarers decided not to continue their employment on the vessel.

Laure has also been involved in the case of the Panama-flagged cargoship Antigone Z, where Russian and Lithuanian crew members went on strike in the port of Douarnenez in April 2012, following the non-payment of wages. After one month, the stoppage ended when the Dutch charterer of the vessel, Marine Seafood, paid a total of $245,000 owed salaries and also paid $10,000 to repatriate the crew.

The ship has been towed to Brest where, still under detention, it is expected to be sold in the next few months to pay outstanding port charges.

K Laure also dealt with the high-profile case of the Swedish-owned research vessel RSV Endeavour, where seven seafarers staged a 55-day strike over pay and conditions

involved in the 12-day dispute with Condor Ferries in February, where seafarers occupied the Bahamas-flagged Condor Rapide in Saint Malo in protest at the working conditions of crew members.

Laure was involved in negotiations with Condor chief executive James Fulford, with CGT calling for the fast craft to be switched to the French international register (RIF) and the crew to be given the same rights to health and social security cover as workers ashore.

The sit-in ended when the company agreed to consider changing the flag of the vessel and giving the crew French contracts. But the union is concerned at the lack of progress since then and accuses management of failing to meet to discuss the seafarers’ social security arrangements.

Laure has met the operator at RIF’s headquarters in Marseilles to examine the possibility of re-flagging the vessel from the Bahamas. Putting Condor Rapide under the French second register would give French seafarers employed on the vessel access to the social rights they demand. But no follow-up talks have been arranged.

CGT says Condor has failed to apply MLC 2006, ratified by both the Bahamas and France, and is still not taking into account the seafarers’ demands. ‘Condor

plainly appears happy in its fiscal paradise, with no intention of joining the RIF. There is still no movement from Condor management but we will continue to work with RMT on this problem for ratings,’ it adds.

K

Laure Tallonneau has dealt with several other high-profile cases including that of the Swedishowned research vessel RSV Endeavour — on which seven South American seafarers staged a 55-day strike over pay and conditions. The crew, supported by the CGT and the ITF, were repatriated following a judge’s order to lift the seizure of the vessel and prevent Sverker Hällstrom, the Swedish owner, from forcibly evicting them from the ship. Hällstrom agreed to pay the repatriation costs and one month’s salary in lieu of dismissal notices.

Five seafarers who did not strike were subsequently joined by six Panamanian replacements, and the Endeavour was able to leave Brest.

In another case, Laure went to the aid of nine Ukrainian and five Filipino crew members, and the Russian master on the Cyprus-registered tanker Lisa, when they went on strike for a week at Bordeaux Bassens. The stoppage ended when the Cypriot operator, Ocean Tankers, paid $47,000 — representing several weeks of

Meanwhile, the unions at the telecoms firm Orange Marine recently downed tools for two hours in protest at the employment arrangements proposed for the cableship Pierre de Fermat, which is due to enter the fleet this autumn. The unions are challenging management’s plan to replace French ratings with seafarers from Madagascar, causing major problems with manning agents. Orange Marine employs 132 French officers, and the unions argue that French ratings due to be replaced should be re-trained as junior officers.

Despite some of the problems Laure faces in her ITF job, she reckons the French government has a better record than many others in Europe in dealing with substandard shipping and protecting seafarers — but what it says it will do for seafarers is not enough, she argues.

Progress is possible only because the unions constantly exert pressure on the government, Laure suggests. For example, the many policy promises it has made include a law to apply French conditions for seafarers serving on foreign-flagged ships engaged in cabotage trades between the country’s ports. The law has just come into force — but it does not appear to apply to the Atlantic seaboard, where the unions have criticised Total’s ‘irresponsibility’ for flagging out two tankers that carry oil from the Loire Estuary Donges refinery — France’s biggest — to other Atlantic seaboard ports. The ships now employ mostly east European and Filipino seafarers, causing French job losses.

Our time is up and Laure Tallonneau hurries, apologetically, to her meeting at the transport ministry. Then it’s another four-and-a-half hour trip back to Brest to resume her non-stop work for seafarers…

16/07/2014 17:05

30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

INLAND NAVIGATION

Far from the sea, but long afloat Some people are surprised to hear that Switzerland has a merchant fleet and relies strongly on water for much of its trade. DEBBIE CAVALDORO visits the country’s maritime museum to see how that heritage is displayed…

M

The Maritime Museum of Switzerland is literally at the heart of Switzerland’s transport hub. It is located in a disused warehouse in the port in Basel, and as well as the normal museum exhibitions, it has windows which look out over the tri-modal hub so visitors can watch goods coming off the barges and being loaded straight onto trains and lorries. Nearby, visitors can view the spectacular Rhine and the Three Points sculpture which marks the spot where France, Germany and Switzerland meet.

The main exhibition — Our way to the sea — offers a good mix of nostalgia and modernday work on the waterways, and Nautilus members pop up everywhere, not least among the museum’s many volunteers!

With Switzerland being a landlocked country, Rhine workers fight a constant battle against other forms of transportation for their vessels to retain a significant share of the market. As far back as 1904, when Basel engineer Rudolf Gelpke transported 300 tonnes of coal by barge to Basel, there have been demonstrations of the Rhine’s economic value, possibilities, and competitiveness.

‘That first barge took nearly a week to unload,’ explains Nautilus senior national secretary — and one-off museum tour guide — Nick Bramley. ‘It then reloaded

When the first Rhine traders arrived at their destination, they would sell the wood from their boats as well as their cargo, as they could only sail down the river, not back up

with asphalt and set off again.

Unfortunately the return journey was not such a success; it hit a bridge and sank with the loss of all the cargo.’

Our way to the sea follows the history of Basel as a transportation hub from the Middle Ages, where mules assisted with the load, to the first paddle steamers, through the revolutionary move from pulling barges to pushing them, and comes up to date with the modern container barges.

Today, container traffic makes up the vast majority of barges on the Rhine, moving 20,000 containers each year. It is expected that the volume of containers passing through Basel will double in the next decade, and the museum — along with the hundreds of Rhine workers — hopes that the waterways will remain a prime focus of the transportation policy in Switzerland and beyond for many years to come.

One-third of Switzerland’s

Giving you a voice on your future Worried about your retirement? Join us!

The Nautilus Pensions Association is a pressure group and support organisation that: z provides a new focal point for seafarer pensioners — increasing their influence within, and knowledge of, the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund and other schemes within the industry z serves as a channel for professional advice on all kinds of pensions, as well as offering specific information on legal and government developments on pensions, and supporting the Union in lobbying the government as required z provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for advice on other organisations providing support and assistance to pensioners z offers a range of specialised services and benefits tailored to meet the needs of retired members z operates as a democratic organisation, being a Nautilus Council body — with the secretary and secretariat provided by the Union 1 & 2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD t +44 (0)20 8989 6677 f +44 (0)20 8530 1015 npa@nautilusint.org www.nautilusint.org

30_museum_SR edit.indd Sec2:30

fuel comes through the city, navigating round the ‘knee’ of Basel and under the low arch of the Middle Bridge — one of the Rhine’s most difficult sections.

One of the most interesting displays in the exhibition shows the changing face of barge crews.

It portrays the crew complement as it would have been in 1952, and then denotes the jobs which were no longer around when the museum opened in 1978.

‘When the barges were pulled they could be over a mile long, so you needed a lot of people,’ Nick explains. ‘Of course it’s changed even more dramatically since this was made.

‘Wireless officers have gone, the carpenters have gone, there are no apprentices and all the machine assistants have gone.’

Another exhibit covers the entire wall of the museum, depicting the Rhine from Basel to Rotterdam as it historically looked. ‘The river used to meander all the way, with lots of twists and turns and little islands and rapids,’ Nick continues. ‘In the last century a lot of work was done to dig canals and channels to straighten it out — this improved the transportation, and also stopped the flooding that used to regularly occur.’

M

Nautilus members feature extensively in the main exhibition. There are log books, uniforms and memoirs of working the Rhine.

One of the more infamous pieces is a photograph depicting a crash in 1983. ‘The Rhine moves very quickly and the bridges are quite narrow,’ Nick recalls. ‘The captain didn’t quite get the turn right and hit the bridge, losing the entire load. Luckily, no one was hurt though.

‘Because of the speed of the Rhine, rescues are quite complex,’ he points out. ‘The tugs had to work hard to stop the barge being swept back down river so that salvage work could take place, and all traffic was stopped for a long time.’

As with all modern museums, there are a couple of interactive exhibits, which are fun if not altogether state-of-the-art. You can follow a barge as it enters a lock which fills up, lifting the barge. The doors then open and the barge gets under way again before travelling round and back to the lock. In a second display you can fill up a barge with the various materials loaded at the Port of Switzerland for recycling.

The most recent addition is a full bridge simulator where groups young or old can have a go at captaining their own barge

Nick Bramley patiently explains the difference between a donkey and the mules that use to work the Rhine Pictures: Debbie Cavaldoro

Nautilus members feature all through the museum ‒ sometimes in ways they may prefer not to be remembered

down the Rhine — watch out for the swimmers!

The upper level of the museum hosts a scale model of the entire Port of Switzerland — although, as with all things, time has moved on since the model was made and the next ten years will see the area become almost unrecognisable.

‘There are large areas on the model which are being given away for redevelopment,’ Nick continues. ‘There will be offices and luxury apartments everywhere on the waterfront, but there will still be a large working port right behind them which will be extended.

‘These ports are really noisy and very dusty, so the fear is that eventually the whole port will be sacrificed to make way for these apartments.’

The upper floor also houses a new video wall where visitors can learn more about the materials

transported by the inland waterways and the work that is undertaken in and around the port.

One of the best features of the museum is that it is based right in the port. Looking out of the upstairs windows you can just glimpse the Rhine at the far left and see any barges which are currently tied up. Then directly in front is a holding area for small cargo (the larger cargo is in a warehouse behind the museum) and to the right is the railway track where trains wait for the goods. Those who time their visit well can see a massive crane overhead lifting goods directly from the barges to the trains.

The maritime museum in Basel is not the world’s most modern museum, but it gives a great vision of life on the water and is a must for any mariners and their families who find themselves in Basel with a few hours to spare.

The Basel Rhine port at work

16/07/2014 18:09

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

UNIONS AT WORK The long arm of the ITF has come to the aid of a crew stranded in the Caribbean.

RUUD TOUWEN, ITF coordinator for Germany and the Netherlands, tells how the case was settled with a bit of help from Dutch law…

The crew of the Amba Bhavanee Picture: ITF

Abandoned in Aruba J

The long ordeal of the Indian crew of a tanker stranded in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba has come to an end with the full payment of their owed wages, shorthand and compensation totalling some US$400,000.

The seafarers — who had been stuck on the ship for many months, and for several years in some cases — have also received additional compensation of US$2,000 each as a result of the employer’s failure to arrange the court-ordered crew change on time.

The men had been serving onboard the aframax tanker Amba Bhavanee, which had been anchored off the coast of Aruba since mid-2012. The 107,081dwt vessel is owned by one of India’s oldest and biggest shipping companies — Varun — which has, for some years, been struggling financially and has faced problems in paying its staff and creditors.

The company claims it has paid around $10m towards crew salaries across its fleet in the last six months ‘as per our agreed schedule with stakeholders and regulators’.

But in September 2013 Varun Shipping stopped paying the wages of the crew of the Amba Bhavanee. The owners and operator became less and less responsive to the requests of the crew.

The captain had to send an endless stream of emails requesting the necessary bunkers, oil and spare parts, while appeals for longoverdue repatriation and payment of wages were not granted.

The captain stated: ‘It feels like we have been left on a deserted metal island, held captive against our will.’

The crew sent out cries for help to other companies, individuals and maritime unions. In February 2014 the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in the Netherlands was informed about

do so would result in a financial penalty each day which would be used for the benefit of the crew.

But the Indian company still did not come forward. Penalties were forfeited, while the crew stayed onboard. The lawyers of the crew petitioned for the judicial sale of the motor tanker. This petition was granted and the auction was set to take place on 5 May 2014 — only two months after the attorneys had arrived on the scene.

Auction of the tanker meant

that the claims of the crew would be paid. The tanker, built in 2003, is estimated to be worth approximately US$22m. The crew claims are priority claims that rank higher than the mortgagee’s claims. Not only would the claims be paid from the proceeds of the auction, the crew would definitely be relieved by a crew of the new owner.

But it did not come to an auction of the tanker. At the last moment, Varun Shipping

managed to obtain funds to settle.

The crew received full payment of back wages, compensation, shorthand and statutory interest — as well as extra compensation as a consequence of the delayed crew-change penalties. The seafarers were finally repatriated.

The question is what will happen to the new crew. Hopefully, Varun Shipping will be able to pay their wages and honour their contract period of employment. If not, the Dutch Caribbean islands are,

legally speaking, a good place to be. Their jurisdictions allow measures to secure the rapid recovery of back wages and repatriation.

The attorney for the crew, Romke Wybenga, explains: ‘The judiciary in Aruba, Curaçao and Saint Martin is well-trained and highly efficient — as this case clearly shows. For seafarers in need of help in the Caribbean area, a phone call to ITF in the Netherlands is certainly something to take into consideration.’

The Amba Bhavanee in happier times

There have been several cases in which crew serving in the Varun fleet have been left unpaid and abandoned in recent years. Sixteen seafarers have been stuck on the LPG carrier Maharishi Devatreya off the UAE for a year, for example, with no opportunity to go ashore in Dubai because they have no visas.

The aframax tanker Amba Bhargavi was arrested in Singapore in February following the non-payment of crew wages and there were reports in March that three officers were taken off another arrested Varun LPG carrier, Maharshi Vamadeva, after their health deteriorated when they went on hunger strike in protest over owed wages.

31_nlant_SR edit.indd 31

their situation and forwarded the case to its law firm Wybenga Advocaten in Rotterdam. The Dutch lawyers stepped in to assist the crew.

The legal system in the Netherlands is virtually the same as the legal systems of the three Caribbean islands that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands — Aruba, Curaçao and Saint Martin — and Wybenga attorneys quickly undertook legal actions in the Court of Aruba.

The judge ruled in summary proceedings that Varun Shipping had to pay all back-wages and compensation to the crew. In addition, the judge ordered Varun Shipping to arrange the required crew change within 10 days. Failing to

16/07/2014 17:39

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

OFFWATCH ships of the past

by Trevor Boult

50 YEARS AGO

been referred to historically as the F Nile of New England. It derives from an

Considerable advances have been made in the means of handling bulk cargoes during the last few years. It is perhaps through advances made in the computercontrolled handling of bulk liquids and in the bridge-controlled engine that the general trend of future progress may be discerned. It is not easy to forecast the specific changes which this line of thought may produce, but they will inevitably have a considerable impact upon shipmasters. The MMSA’s important watchdog role must undoubtedly assume greater importance at a time when radical changes in equipment and manning — and legislation affecting both — will occur. Masters of more complex vessels will need wider knowledge and in vessels which will almost certainly have a smaller crew, the master’s specific detailed responsibilities will be greater MN Journal, August 1964

In America, the Connecticut River has

Indian designation, meaning ‘long tidal river’. With its rich natural resources and fertile flood plain, the river valley became the centre of the region’s agriculture. Its motive force powered the revolution in industry, providing the principal transport artery and route to the sea. And it was on the Connecticut that the steamboat was invented.

American children in the 19th century were taught that the acknowledged inventor of the steamboat was Robert Fulton — but the first successful operation of a steamboat was by John Fitch, a native of Windsor, Connecticut. Some years later, Samuel Morey successfully ran a steamboat on the river’s upper reaches. Thus, the steamboat was invented by Connecticut people, but Fulton gets the credit for convincing the public of the practicability of steamboat navigation.

The first commercial steamboat service on the Connecticut began in 1813. In 1822 the Connecticut Steamboat Company was incorporated. Two years later the company ordered the building of the Oliver Ellsworth [pictured] by Isaac Webb of New York. This vessel was the first seen on the river with separate cabins for ladies and gentlemen, staterooms, and other niceties of travel, and plied between Hartford and New York.

During these years, operations on New York waters were held by the FultonLivingston monopoly, which prevented the Connecticut River steamboats from direct access to New York. In 1825 the United States Supreme Court dissolved the monopoly, opening up New York to all.

A rival operator shared the route with the Connecticut company, staggering their vessels’ schedules. The 150-mile trip to New York cost $5 and took 15 hours. The Ellsworth and her counterpart stopped at a number of landings. As well as taking valley residents on excursions ‘upon the salt water’, the boats provided them with special trips to parades and exhibitions in different towns.

On one such excursion the Ellsworth’s boiler ruptured, causing fatalities. On re-entering service, her improvements were lauded in the press: ‘...She has been furnished with a new copper boiler, and

25 YEARS AGO

No setback could halt these steam pioneers every exertion seems to have been made to secure safety to the passengers. The boiler contains 28,000 lbs of sheet and bolt copper, and each sheet is braced to prevent bursting or collapsing... It is pronounced by those who have seen it, a superior specimen of strength, workmanship and design. The plan is upon the low pressure principle...

In addition to every ordinary precaution, a glass tube is inserted so as to show to the engineer and passengers, the precise height of water in the boiler.’

The passenger and freight service on the Hartford to New York run proved so lucrative that competition soon came in to challenge them, sparking a vigorous price war, abetted by a war of words. The oldtimers were backed by newspaper editorials praising ‘the safe and responsible line of boats’ as against ‘transient and insecure accommodations’ of the newcomers.

However, steamboat navigation did continue to develop amidst increasing competition, despite disasters by explosion, foul weather, or fire. In 1840, the 500-ton Lexington — the fastest steamboat of the

day — and hitherto a model of reliability, caught fire and sank with the loss of 150 lives.

The sinking of Lexington was portrayed

by Currier & Ives, a successful New York based printmaking firm, in a vividly realistic print showing the flaming vessel and its frenzied passengers desperately seeking to survive. Published only three days after the tragedy, this print has been acknowledged as the first great Currier & Ives best seller and marked the beginning of the use of prints as a means of mass journalistic reporting.

Records for the Oliver Ellsworth exist up to 1853. This vessel can take her place in the long list of steamers which furnished the best means of transportation on the Connecticut River in the days when railways were still in their infancy.

Eventually railways caused the decline in the use of steamboats, but their actual demise came about because of road transport. Their fate was finally sealed in the Great Depression. The last trip on the river is recorded as having sailed in October 1931.

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book Rough Passage to London: a Sea Captain’s Tale by Robin Lloyd (reviewed on facing page).

To enter, simply complete the form right and send it, along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus International, Telegraph Crossword Competition, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane,

South Woodford, London E18 1BD, or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015.

You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to: telegraph@nautilusint.org.

10 YEARS AGO Seafaring unions and shipowners are to make a united global appeal to prevent the strict new maritime security regime from eroding the basic human rights of seafarers. This year’s World Maritime Day — 30 September — has been chosen as the centrepiece of an international industry-wide campaign to highlight the new security rules and the need to protect seafarers’ rights to shore leave. There is mounting concern that the International Ship & Port facilities Security Code — which came into force last month — is creating problems for crew members, and particularly in the United States. Unions and owners have agreed to lobby governments and United Nations agencies over the importance of shore leave and to protest against the way in which innocent seafarers have been treated as potential terrorists by the authorities in some countries The Telegraph, August 2004

THEQUIZ 1 2

3

4

Roughly how many ship calls were made to EU ports last year?

Roughly how much of the containership orderbook is accounted for by vessels of 10,000TEU and over?

5

What is Maersk’s share of the trade in containerised goods between Asia and China’s main trading partners?

Roughly how many VLCCs (200,000dwt and above) are there in service in the world fleet at present?

6

Which container shipping company has the greatest total TEU capacity when in service and on order tonnage is added together?

Catheads in ships of bygone times were not feline lavatories — what were they?

J Quiz answers are on page 42.

Name: Address:

Telephone:

Membership No.:

Closing date is Friday 15 August 2014.

QUICK CLUES Across 1. & 4. French construction (6,6) 9. Marine feature (4) 10. Covering (10) 11. Shut (6) 12. Outnumbered (8) 13. Persuasive female (9) 15. Stitching (4) 16. Transmission (4) 17. Clowning (9) 21. Tidal phenomena (8) 22. Serviette (6) 24. Clothing? (10) 25. Garden tool (4) 26. See 16 down (6) 27. Father of a different stripe (6)

Down 1. German wine (7) 2. Start of Tour de France, 2014 (5) 3. Apart (7) 5. Give way (6) 6. Obstacle (9) 7. Misprint (7)

32_offwatch_SR edit.indd 32

NUMAST has been consulted on new plans to revive European merchant shipping. The Union has been asked for its views on the second phase of the European Community’s maritime policy package, which has been drawn up by the European Commission in an attempt to improve the competitiveness of EC flag shipping. Among the policy proposals are the creation of a European Community flag and the introduction of tax and social security incentives to boost the employment of European seafarers. NUMAST general secretary John Newman said the proposed European flag would run in parallel with member states’ own ship registers — but, given the proliferation of new registries in Europe and the rest of the world, the Union would take some convincing that a European flag would be the key to the future The Telegraph, August 1989

8. End of Tour de France (6,7) 14. Suitor (9) 16. & 26. across French engineer and architect (7,6) 18. Gambler (7) 19. Insect (7) 20. Official (6) 23. Sauce (5)

CRYPTIC CLUES 1.

4.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

15.

Across Sound of shooting is a news item (6) Born as vessel that is, quite a monster (6) Notice a skin blemish (4) Profoundly radical (4-6) Rock up in reverse with rodents (6) Make aircraft from broken pipe and leaf tip in a Buddhism kind of way (8) How could the cigars have made this burn? (9) Oscar’s nickname takes some

beating (4) 16. Fairly nimble agent taking in Russian capital (4) 17. Material for Welsh poet splitting advance with English (9) 21. Difficulty seeing a Venetian after cutting short catty expression (8) 22. Elite force positioned behind grass for a measured walk (6) 24. Hero danced around figure (10) 25. Complain about the roast (4) 26. Keep going to the finish with Yorkshire flower (6) 27. City tribe mixing with German underground (6)

Down 1. Delight at distilling pure tar (7) 2. Dish of diced tripe (5) 3. Compensation put together concerning the woman’s outfit (7) 4. Fascinated with abstract pen

art (6) 6. & 23. Whether on the rocks or with ice, it’s meant not to be drunk (5-4,5) 7. As things level out towards the end of the day (7) 8. Antipodeans spread fresh enthusiasm for Queen’s title over the south (3,10) 14. Material for a king or queen, for example, sitting on committee (9) 16. Is pressure at the bar for a bit of lemon? (7) 18. ‘I dote on his very ---’ (The Merchant of Venice) (7) 19. Are sent all over, but for the minimum distance (7) 20. Article in large vessel is direct (6)

J Crossword answers are on page 42.

16/07/2014 17:38

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 33

books

OFFWATCH

Nautical fiction with a good helping of facts Rough Passage to London: a Sea Captain’s Tale

By Robin Lloyd Sheridan House (Rowman & Littlefield) $24.95 / £15.95 ISBN: 978 15740 93209 Robin Lloyd looks like it’s going to be a bit K splice-the-mainbrace — one of those many tales

At first glance, this novel from US journalist

of salty sea dogs from the age of sail. However, the book turns out to be a classy production, with believable characters, an interesting plot and careful background research.

The story is based on the life of a real person from the early 19th century: Captain Elisha Ely Morgan of the Black X sail-packet line. Morgan is an ancestor of the author, who originally started to research the shipmaster’s life with the aim of writing a biography. But while some parts of Morgan’s history were quite well documented through letters and company records, large chunks of his life were beyond the historian’s reach, and Lloyd felt that a fictional treatment would be the best way to fill in the gaps.

So we first meet young Ely Morgan with his elder brother Abraham near their home in New

Everything you ever needed to know about marine pilots and pilotage IMPA on Pilotage Witherby Publishing, £75 ISBN: 978 18560 96355

K

Accident investigation reports frequently underline the importance of the relationship between pilots and the crews of the ships they assist. But when there is often just a matter of minutes in which to establish that relationship, it can be a huge challenge.

The result of contributions from more than 30 pilots and industry experts around the world, this new book should certainly help in bridging the gap by raising awareness and understanding of the work undertaken by pilots and the diverse demands they face — from boarding a ship to handling the vast variety of different vessels visiting their ports.

Compiled by the International Maritime Pilots’ Association, it describes the long history of pilotage — dating back some 4,000 years — and explains the national and international regulatory regimes governing pilotage services, as well as the issues of liability, immunity

33_books_SR edit.indd 33

England, hiding fearfully in a tree while dastardly British sailors plan a skirmish that will see much of their local town burnt to the ground. The tension between Britain and USA will remain a theme throughout the novel, but thankfully this is for the most part explored as a complex relationship involving trade and friendship as well as conflict.

Every thriller needs bad guys, of course, and Morgan meets plenty of these as he runs away to sea and works his way up through the ranks on the packet ships crossing the Atlantic. Many of the villains are connected to the hero’s quest to find out what happened to Abraham, who had earlier been lost at sea in mysterious circumstances, and it has to be said that some are painted with a rather broad brush (clap of thunder and evil laugh to the ready).

The portrayal of Morgan’s own experiences and thoughts is more successful, with sensitive imaginings of what it’s like to be the new boy onboard ship, how it feels to be a young officer managing older crewmates, and how a newlyappointed captain would have had to refine his manners in order to play host to the first-class passengers.

The author also does a good job of weaving factual information into the story. There is

and criminalisation.

The book covers the different types of pilotage — including deepsea, canals, rivers and winter services — and looks at challenges such as blackouts, squat and interaction. For those considering a career shift, there is a lot of useful information on training and certification requirements.

The 256 pages are well illustrated with good colour photos and diagrams, and there is a wealth of handy references for anyone wanting to find out more about certain issues. Despite the multiple authors, the book hangs together well and it provides a clear and coherent insight into the vital work carried out by pilots and it deserves a wide readership.

The Ships of Scapa Flow

By Campbell McCutcheon Amberley, £14.99 ISBN: 978 14456 33862 fwww.amberley-books.com

Pictures from the Great War Amberley regular Campbell has turned his K bring wrecks hand McCutcheon to a photo history linked to the First World War centenary, and the back to life result is a decent collection of images

evidence that the real Ely Morgan wass an intelligent and charismatic man, and as a sea captain he made many prominent friends during his visits to o London, including Charles Dickens.

Even Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are known to have visited his ship — an episode which is not forgotten in the novel.

And where imagination is needed to flesh out the details, Lloyd is skilled at making an educated guess based on his research. This results in a plausible portrayal of the captain’s spirited young wife Eliza, who thinks she loves life at sea but is shaken by the extreme danger she eventually encounters.

As regards this first-time novelist’s wordcraft, the general style is clear and well paced, and doesn’t get bogged down with flowery descriptions. The dialogue between characters is pretty convincing when it takes place at sea or in the USA, but Lloyd has a less sure touch with the idioms of the London underworld and British aristocracy. Having said that, who’s to

with interesting accompanying text.

Scapa Flow, a harbour in the Orkney Islands, is probably most famous for the 1919 incident where German crews scuttled their ships after their surrender. The Ships of Scapa Flow offers photos of all these vessels, with captions stating when and where they were taken and pointing out interesting features of the composition. There is also some discussion of the later history of the sunken vessels, which have since largely been salvaged, as their ‘pre-nuclear’ steel is now much in demand for sensitive medical equipment such as MRI scanners.

McCutcheon does not forget the British ships HMS Royal Oak and HMS Vanguard, now designated war graves in Scapa Flow; and he covers various other matters of interest, such as the episode where the harbour was populated with dummy vessels to confuse the enemy. Small wonder, as the author remarks, that the place is so popular with today’s recreational divers — and for those of us after a less energetic tour, this book will do nicely.

know at this distance how people really spoke 200 years ago? And if the real Eliza wasn’t quite like that, who cares? With its ‘whodunnit’ storyline, sweet moments of romance and entertaining descriptions of life at sea, this book is good enough to sail us past any minor flaws and let us enjoy the ride.

Adlard Coles Nautical, £6.99 ISBN: 978 147219 909121

K

Enjoyable sea conundrums to while away your rest period The Adlard Coles Nautical Puzzle Book

The wonderful windjammer woman To Sea in a Sailing Ship Edited by Sue Vader Bruce Irwin Productions, £18 ISBN: 978 09875 88500

K

With marvellous understatement, this book begins with the line ‘Mary Lang was an unusual woman for her times…’ In February 1935, at the tender age of just 20, Mary Lang set sail from Port Victoria in South Australia for a 106-day voyage, via Cape Horn, to Falmouth in England as a working passenger onboard the four-masted barque L’Avenir.

Having persuaded her parents to allow her to fulfil a longheld ambition to go to sea on windjammers, Mary used every opportunity to make the most of her time onboard — working alongside the apprentices and seemingly taking

on every task she could. could This fascinating book — compiled

by Mary’s niece, Sue Vader — features photographs and excerpts from Mary’s diaries which vividly recount her time at sea, which

included her 73-day return voyage home on the Finnish barque Parma.

Mary’s diary entries are highly evocative and laced with insight and humour. They provide a rich and varied picture of life and

work w onboard, and they also offer interesting comparisons with today (not least the average age of the crew — just 20, with only four aged over 25 — and their multinational make-up).

The photographs are frequently superb — some almost professional in their quality — and add a rich dimension to the text, such as those showing crew preparing sails, taking sights, entering lifeboats, posing with the t models they made of their ship and in other off-duty moments.

There’s a poignant epilogue, written

by Mary’s daughter — and if w the t name Lang sounds familiar, it is because Mary was a relation of John Lang, Nautilus trustee and former chief inspector of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. f To buy the book, email John Lang at js.lang@virgin.net

Image the scene: you’ve just finished your shift, it’s not dinner time, it’s not bed time and you’ve already completed this month’s Telegraph crossword.

What is a seafarer to do? Never fear: The Adlard Coles Nautical Puzzle Book is here!

It is, as the cover proudly proclaims, ‘small enough to stow away on the trimmest of decks, packed with over 150 nauticallythemed brain-teasers and the ideal shipmate for all salty dogs’.

There is indeed, a vast array of puzzles on offer. From crosswords, word searches and word wheels, to the more seafaring-focused logic puzzles and quiz questions. Work out the missing cipher to find the word, guess which knot is ‘knot a knot’, and pick which words accurately describe everyday seafaring terms.

When you’re all done you can check how many you answered correctly at the back of the book — so you won’t have to wait for your next shift to ask someone else to lend a hand!

It really is a nice little book which could keep anyone amused for hours, although the £6.99 price tag might seem a little high compared to similar books with a non-nautical theme.

But then again, who wouldn’t pay a little extra to guess whether Monkey Fist is really a knot or knot a knot?

BOOK

SAVINGS Telegraph readers can buy the books reviewed on these pages at a whopping 25% discount on publisher’s price through the Marine Society’s online shop. g To qualify for this offer, readers need to make their purchase at www. marinesocietyshop.org. Click on the ‘Books of the month’ button with the Nautilus logo to see the books featured in the Telegraph, and use the promotional code Nautilus when buying your book.

16/07/2014 18:10

34 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

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NAUTILUS AT WORK

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Belfast date for the diary

Don’t miss this chance to take part in Union’s UK branch meeting

F

The 2014 Nautilus International UK branch conference is now just a couple of months away, and the deadline for submitting motions to the meeting is fast approaching.

This year’s conference, which is being held at the Holiday Inn, Belfast on 30 September, is concentrating on the threats to members’ jobs, pay, and working conditions in the ferry sector — which have never been greater than they are today.

In response to concerns voiced by members during the Union’s 2013 UK branch conference, Nautilus has launched a major campaign to fight for decent employment in the EU ferry trades and to combat unfair competition.

This campaign will form the centrepiece of discussions at this year’s meeting, which will also feature presentations by key industry figures — including UK Camber of Shipping chief executive Guy Platten, DFDS vice-president HR & crewing Gemma Griffin, Discover Ferries director Bill Gibbons, and Serco Northlink Ferries MD Stuart Garrett.

Registration for the conference and seminar will be open from 0930 on 30 September. The formal part of the day, which will begin at 1030, is reserved for full members only, and will include discussions on the UK branch activities report and any motions submitted by members. After lunch there will be an industry seminar on the ferry sector which will be open to invitees from across the maritime industry. The day will conclude around 1600.

A limited amount of financial assistance is available for those UK–based full members wishing to attend and who otherwise would not be able to make the journey. This will be allocated across the various categories of membership to ensure appropriate representation for each category of membership of the Union. The UK national committee is particularly keen to ensure a good turn-out from members residing in Northern Ireland and Eire (which is why the meeting is being held in Belfast) and is encouraging young and female members to attend. Arrangements will be made with

the hotel for a discounted room rate for members who are not eligible or successful in securing financial assistance from the Union.

F

Motions for debate and decision at the conference need to have the support of four full members and reach the Nautilus head office by 1700 on 29 August 2013. A pro forma is available below and will also appear on the website www.nautilusint.org. Forms are also available to apply for a place and to apply for financial assistance — these must also be submitted before 29 August.

The conference is open to a maximum of 100 full members in benefit (all subscriptions must be up to date) so UK members need to apply for a place now. Those who have requested, and are approved for, financial assistance will be notified as soon as possible after 29 August.

g Contact Adele McDonald on +44 (0)20 8989 6677 or email amcdonald@nautilusint. org

2014

Motion proposal form To General Secretary, Nautilus International Head Office, 1 & 2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD (to arrive no later than 1700 Friday 29 August 2014).

We, as full members, wish to submit the following motion for discussion at the 2014 UK Branch Conference of Nautilus International: This UK Branch Conference

(Continue on separate sheet if necessary) 1. Name Mem. No. Company Address

WERE YOU AWARE that following the successul outcome of a judicial review in respect of two Seatax clients, (brought before the Courts by Nautilus in collaboration with Seatax Ltd as expert advisors on the Seafarers Earnings Deduction), it was deemed that the two Seatax clients did have a legitimate expectation in applying the only published Revenue Practice with regard to the application of a day of absence in relation to a vessel sailing between UK ports. HMRC did not want to accept this practice (although referred to in their very own publications) but have now accepted that expectations of a claim based on such practice would be valid until the published practice is withdrawn.

Following on from this, HMRC have now confirmed that this Practice is withdrawn as of the 14 February 2014. Seatax was the only Advisory Service that challenged HMRC on this point.

WHY TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR TAX AFFAIRS? Let Seatax use their knowledge and 35 years experience to ensure you do not fall foul of the rules Please visit our website for full details of the case.

OUR FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Annual Return ...................................................................................................... £215.00 inclusive of VAT at 20% NAUTILUS members in the UK sailing under a foreign flag agreement on gross remuneration can obtain a 10% reduction on the above enrolment fee by quoting their NAUTILUS membership number and a 5% reduction on re-enrolment.

or ite, e now r W on re ph r mo : fo tails de Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES. Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: info@seatax.ltd.uk www.seatax.ltd.uk

34_branch conf.indd Sec2:34

Postcode Signature Date 2. Name Mem. No. Company Address

Postcode Signature Date 3. Name Mem. No. Company Address

Postcode Signature Date 4. Name Mem. No. Company Address

Postcode Signature Date

16/07/2014 17:39

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 35

NL NEWS

Nautilus International zoekt: Ervaren Bestuurder/Aankomend Hoofdbestuurder

Nautilus en VOS komen tot overeenstemming over eenjarige CAO onderhandelingsresultaat C bereikt tussen Nautilus en Vroon Na twee gesprekken is een

Offshore Services B.V. Het gaat hierbij om een eenjarige CAO, lopend van 1 mei 2014 tot en met 30 april 2015.

Bij de rederij wordt druk geïnvesteerd in bemanning en schepen. Zo wordt de vloot uitgebreid door nieuwbouw en er zal nieuw personeel worden aangetrokken. Het gaat momenteel heel redelijk bij VOS, al is de toekomst nog wat onzeker.

En dat is dan ook de reden dat nu niet álle voorstellen van de leden gehonoreerd konden worden. Wel is afgesproken dat de gages en overige emolumenten per 1 mei 2014 met 2% worden verhoogd.

Loongebouw

Verder wordt gedurende de

CAO-looptijd onderzocht op welke wijze het loongebouw vereenvoudigd kan worden.

Hierbij is het uitgangspunt een vereenvoudiging op basis van duidelijkheid, efficiëntie en kostenneutraliteit.

Daarnaast heeft de werkgever aangegeven te blijven werken aan de verruiming van internetmogelijkheden voor de bemanningsleden.

Toekomstperspectief

Hoewel het een vrij sober onderhandelingsresultaat is, biedt deze gezien de huidige ontwikkelingen bij VOS perspectief voor de toekomst.

Het Nautilus bestuur heeft het principeakkoord met een positief advies aan de leden voorgelegd. Aan hen is nu het laatste woord.

Hij of zij levert een actieve bijdrage aan het ontwikkelen, uitdragen en realiseren van de collectieve belangenbehartiging in de maritieme sector

F

Nautilus International maakt zich sterk voor veiligheid en leefbaarheid aan boord van schepen. De afnemende werkgelegenheid door concurrentie uit lage lonenlanden is een grote zorg. Daarom is een sterke internationale vakbond belangrijk, die opkomt voor de werknemers in de binnenvaart, koopvaardij, offshore, waterbouw en aanverwante walbedrijven.

de volgende deelgebieden: arbeidsrecht, sociaal verzekeringsrecht, arbeidsvoorwaarden en pensioenen.

U heeft een maritieme achtergrond en/of affiniteit met de maritieme sector.

In deze functie geeft u sturing en draagt u actief bij aan het formuleren van een strategische visie en het ontwikkelen, voorbereiden en uitvoeren van beleid van de collectieve belangenbehartiging. Het betreft een internationale werkomgeving in een dynamisch en breed werkveld. De bestuurder richt zich op collectieve belangenbehartiging voor leden en het vertegenwoordigen van Nautilus International in nationale en internationale overlegorganen.

De arbeidsovereenkomst is voor de duur van een jaar met de intentie deze bij goed functioneren voor onbepaalde tijd voort te zetten.

Wij bieden een leuke baan in een interessante organisatie. Een gevarieerd takenpakket in een werkomgeving waar teamwork én eigen initiatief belangrijk zijn.

g Aanvullende informatie: www.nautilusnl.org/ informatie of neem contact op met Martijn Jansen, P&O adviseur telefoon 010 2862986.

U beschikt over academisch werk- en denkniveau , een brede algemene ontwikkeling en sociaal- economisch inzicht. Aangevuld met kennis van één of meer van

g Stuur je sollicitatie met CV vóór vrijdag 15 augustus 2014 naar Nautilus International, t.a.v. Martijn Jansen P&O adviseur, Postbus 8575, 3009 AN Rotterdam.

Mailen mag ook : personeelszaken@nautilusint.org.

Wij hebben Facebook.

Gastcolleges Nautilus wederom groot succes A

De afgelopen tijd hebben medewerkers van Nautilus weer gastcolleges verzorgd voor leerlingen aan zeevaartscholen.

Het ene scholenbezoek vond plaats aan het STC in Rotterdam, de ander was een gastles aan leerlingen van het Berechja College in Urk. Nautilus advocaat Mieke den Hollander vertelde op het STC over de ins en outs van het Maritiem Arbeidsverdrag aan de vierdejaars studenten die hier de HBO opleiding Maritiem officier volgen.

De leerlingen waren net terug van hun stage en zitten nu in de afrondende fase van hun studie. Dit is dan ook een goed moment om meer te weten te komen over het Maritiem Arbeidsverdrag: zij kunnen de opgedane informatie straks immers direct in hun nieuwe werkkring toepassen.

Zeevaartarbeidsregelgeving

Tijdens de les kwamen de hoofdlijnen van het Maritiem Arbeidsverdrag aan bod, waarbij de nadruk is gelegd op het onderscheid tussen de bindende en niet bindende bepalingen (de Normen/

35-37_nl.indd 35

Standards, de Leidraden/Guidelines) en de onderwerpen uit de in het verdrag opgenomen 5 titels.

De implementatie van het Maritiem Arbeidsverdrag heeft onder meer geleid tot modernisering en aanpassing van de zeevaartarbeidsregelgeving. In dit kader is de nieuwe Afdeling 12 van boek 7 van het Burgerlijk Wetboek ‘Bijzondere bepalingen terzake van de zee-arbeidsovereenkomst’ behandeld. Omdat voor zeevarende werknemers daarnaast ook het ‘gewone’ arbeidsrecht van toepassing is, werd er ook aandacht besteed aan de wijzigingen in het gewone arbeidsrecht, die volgend jaar ingaan.

Juridische kost

Aan de studenten was te merken dat het voor hen behoorlijk droge juridische kost was. Mieke zorgde echter voor voldoende afwisseling door een casus te bespreken waardoor leerlingen een goed beeld kregen van hetgeen Nautilus bij juridische problemen voor leden kan betekenen.

Van visserij naar scheepvaart

Pepijn van Delft is inmiddels een ervaren

gastdocent en hij bezocht de laatste in de lijn van scholenbezoeken: het Berechja College in Urk. Bijzonder was dat het een heel nieuw schoolgebouw is, waarvan de officiële opening zelfs nog plaats moest vinden. Urk staat bekend als een zeer hechte vissersgemeenschap. De laatste jaren loopt de visserij echter behoorlijk terug en steeds meer jongeren zoeken een baan in de scheepvaart. De komst van een zeevaartschool is hier een logisch gevolg van, net als het feit dat veel rederijen zich nu op Urk vestigen. Omdat de inwoners van Urk van oudsher gewend waren zaken onderling te regelen, hebben zij nooit veel te maken gehad met een vakbond. Daar is met de huidige ontwikkelingen toch enige verandering in gekomen. Voor Pepijn lag er dan ook een mooie taak weggelegd om de MBO leerlingen Zeevaart uit te leggen wat de voordelen zijn van vakbondslidmaatschap en hetgeen Nautilus precies voor haar leden kan betekenen.

Vakbondsbelang

Zo ging Pepijn dieper in op de loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden en de risico’s van het vak. De gastdocent heeft zelf aan den lijve

Volg ons ook!

Bezoek www. nautilusint.org ondervonden hoe handig het is om lid te zijn van de vakbond. Nadat hij een arbeidsongeval kreeg in de Waalhaven, moest hij voor juridische bijstand een enorm hoog bedrag betalen aan zijn advocaat, omdat hij op dat moment geen vakbondslid was. Aan de hand van levendige voorbeelden gaf Pepijn een helder inzicht in de advocaatkosten bij bepaalde arbeidsongevallen. Een ding werd de leerlingen snel duidelijk: het is beter om lid te worden van Nautilus, dan ben je immers verzekerd van de juiste juridische steun, zónder de torenhoge tarieven die een externe advocaat met zich meebrengt...

Vervolgcollege

Al met al waren het twee boeiende bezoeken die door de leerlingen enthousiast ontvangen zijn. Pepijn zal in oktober opnieuw een gastcollege geven op het Berechja College. De jongeren zijn dan net terug van stage en zitten dan vaak met vragen waar zij in de praktijk tegenaan zijn gelopen. Nautilus hoopt dan eventuele onduidelijkheden weg te nemen.

WILT U EEN ADVERTENTIE PLAATSEN IN DE TELEGRAPH NEEMT U DAN CONTACT OP MET: Jude Rosset at Redactive Media Sales

T: +44 (0)20 7880 6217 F: +44 (0)20 7880 7691

E: jude.rosset@ redactive.co.uk

16/07/2014 17:40

36 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

NL NEWS

Jaarvergadering 2014: een terugblik A

OCB

marktwerking tegenhield. Het fonds bestaat echter nog wel en is goed gevuld. Bij de totstandkoming van de regeling is al vastgelegd dat één van de bestemmingen van het geld de opleiding van mensen die werkzaam zijn in de binnenvaartsector betreft.

De tijd lijkt rijp om die bestemming in te gaan vullen.

Mocht u als lezer het najaar niet af willen wachten; wensen en ideeën zijn ook nu natuurlijk al welkom. Wanneer u bijvoorbeeld denkt dat onze sector behoefte heeft aan meer talenkennis of een betere aansluiting op opleidingen voor de zeevaart; het OCB hoort dat graag! Daarnaast helpt u het OCB ook door aan te geven waar u in het huidige opleidingsaanbod mogelijke knelpunten ziet.

Het OCB is te bereiken via info@onderwijs-binnenvaart.nl of telefonisch op nummer 010 — 414 22 66. Zij horen graag van u!

Want waar de sector ook precies naar toegaat, het blijven de mensen die het maken. Betrokken en goed opgeleide mensen. En u weet, binnenvaart zit van binnen…

Binnenvaart (OCB) zal het C komend najaar gebruiken om Het Onderwijscentrum

met de leden van werknemers- en werkgeversverenigingen in gesprek te gaan over de toekomst van het werken in de binnenvaart. Daaruit resulteert een toekomstvisie die ingevuld wordt met activiteiten ter bevordering van de instroom en doorstroom in onze mooie bedrijfstak.

Zonder geld echter ook geen activiteiten, dus moet het OCB met die toekomstvisie de boer op.

Natuurlijk bij de ledenorganisaties, maar bovenal bij fondsen die staan voor het belang van de toekomst van de binnenvaart.

Eén van de grootste fondsen betreft het zogenaamde ‘sloopfonds’. Dit fonds is gevoed door de ‘boete’ die ondernemers moesten betalen wanneer zij in het verleden nieuwe tonnage aan de vloot wilden toevoegen. De regeling bestaat niet meer omdat hij een vrije

Op dinsdag 17 juni jl. vond de jaarvergadering van Nautilus International plaats. De opkomst was hoog en veel leden woonden na afloop tevens het openbare gedeelte in de vorm van een symposium bij. In tegenstelling tot voorgaande jaren werd dit jaar de bijeenkomst gehouden in het Hilton te Rotterdam. We blikken terug op een geslaagde middag...

Na een warm welkom door de voorzitter werd ruim aandacht besteed aan het gevoerde beleid in 2013, dat door de leden kon worden beoordeeld aan de hand van het jaarverslag. Paginagewijs werd het verslag doorgenomen; de leden hadden veel vragen over de nu nog actuele onderwerpen, waaronder piraterij en de recente petitie aanbieding aan de Tweede Kamerleden. Na beantwoording van alle vragen werd het jaarverslag 2013 — en daarmee het gevoerde beleid — door de algemene vergadering goedgekeurd.

Financieel beleid

Vervolgens schetste de penningmeester, de heer Hylke Hylkema, ter informatie vooraf een helder beeld van de organisatiestructuur van de vakbond. Hierna

gaf de heer Hylkema een uitgebreide toelichting op het financiële jaarverslag 2013 via een overzichtelijke PowerPointpresentatie. Ook het financieel verslag 2013 werd door de leden goedgekeurd waarmee decharge aan het bestuur verleend werd.

na te denken over een kandidatuur voor de Raad van Advies, daar er nog enkele vacatures openstaan. Geïnteresseerden kunnen contact opnemen met de voorzitter Marcel van den Broek.

Verkiezingen

Protocol Nautilus NL ‒ Nautilus UK

De heer Hylkema werd herkozen als hoofdbestuurder, waarbij de heer Hylkema aangaf volgend jaar mogelijk vervroegd af te zullen treden wegens pensionering. De Raad van Adviesleden, mevrouw Cordes, de heren Ballieux, Kuiken, Vons en Van Vuuren, die zich herkiesbaar hadden gesteld zijn eveneens herkozen. De voorzitter deed een oproep aan alle aanwezigen om

Het 2007 protocol tussen Nautilus NL en Nautilus UK dat voorwaarden voor het samengaan van de twee vakbonden regelt kent een mogelijkheid van een tijdsbeperkte uitstapmogelijkheid mocht de nieuwe bond niet de beste belangen dienen.

De voorzitter leidde het onderwerp in middels het geven van een presentatie met de ontstaansgeschiedenis van het

protocol en de samenwerkingservaringen van de afgelopen jaren. De vraag die de leden voorgelegd kregen was: kan worden geconcludeerd dat er geen aanleiding is om gebruik te maken van de uitstap mogelijkheid? In overgrote meerderheid stemde de ledenvergadering hiermee in Wat verder ter tafel kwam

Tijdens de rondvraag werd tussen zaal en bestuur over een aantal actuele kwesties met elkaar van gedachten gewisseld Na de rondvraag sloot de voorzitter het besloten gedeelte van de jaarvergadering 2014 af en werd tevens de aftrap gegeven voor het openbare gedeelte dat helemaal in het teken stond van.

Symposium: ‘SOCIAL DUMPING’: valt het tij nog te keren?

Volg ons op Twitter

Geef uw mening Vorige maand vroegen wij: Denkt u dat het goed is te veronderstellen dat de kapitein als laatste persoon een zinkend schip moet verlaten?

Ja 80% Nee 20%

De poll van deze maand is: Hebben politici het bij het rechte eind als zij verzoeken van reders voor een vertraagde introductie van de nieuwe zwaveluitstoot wetgeving afwijzen? Geef ons uw mening online, op www.nautilusnl.org

35-37_nl.indd 36

A

Tijdens het openbare gedeelte van de jaarvergadering 2014 konden geïnteresseerden het symposium ‘SOCIAL DUMPING: valt het tij nog te keren?’ bijwonen.

Niet alleen leden waren hierbij aanwezig. Ook veel extern geïnteresseerden schoven bij het congres aan waardoor de discussies bijzonder levendig werden.

Drie gerenommeerde spreeksters zorgden voor de inhoudelijke opluistering, waarbij alles vakkundig in goede banen werd geleid door de dagvoorzitter Thierry Baudet.

Kirsten Boele, advocate werkzaam bij Wybenga Advocaten, gespecialiseerd onder meer op het terrein van het vervoersrecht en het maritiem (arbeids)recht, mocht de aftrap geven. Zij toonde het publiek met een overzichtelijke presentatie de complexiteit van de wetgeving met betrekking tot de Wet Arbeid Vreemdelingen (WAV) en de Wet minimumloon (WML). Met praktijk voorbeelden werd het publiek gevraagd welke wet nu van toepassing is. Uit de verschillende reacties bleek de complexiteit al snel. Door de onduidelijkheid in wetgeving is handhaving ook moeilijk, waarbij de instanties die moeten handhaven ook nog eens niet voldoende capaciteit hebben.

Hoewel er hoge boetes bij overtredingen — in het kader van de WAV oplopend tot €12.000,per vreemdeling en in het kader van de WML oplopend tot €10.000,- per werknemer — gegeven kunnen worden blijkt in

de praktijk dat deze boetes achterwege blijven. Kirsten Boele sloot haar betoog af met een oproep om de wetgeving aan te passen, zodat deze meer duidelijkheid geeft en past bij de realiteit en dat de handhavende instantie voldoende capaciteit krijgen voor daadwerkelijke handhaving.

Mijke Houwerzijl, hoogleraar arbeidsrecht aan de Tilburg University en Bijzonder hoogleraar Europees en vergelijkend arbeidsrecht aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Zij is gespecialiseerd in grensoverschrijdend arbeidsrecht, in het bijzonder in detacheringsconstructies. Mijke Houwerzijl was de tweede spreekster en zij richtte zich met name op de Europese context, ook zij gaf met voorbeelden aan hoe door ondernemingen gewerkt wordt. Zo gaf zij het voorbeeld van de Cyprusroute die gebruikt wordt in de zee- en binnenvaart. Waarbij bemanningsleden op basis van een Cypruscontract te werk worden gesteld aan boord van Nederlandse vlag schepen. Met deze manier van werken wordt de arbeidsmarkt van een bepaald land verstoord, dit in tegenstelling

tot wanneer bijvoorbeeld een bedrijf haar vestiging in Nederland sluit en daarbij alle werknemers ontslaat en vervolgens in een ander land een vestiging opent en daar lokaal weer nieuwe mensen aanneemt tegen de loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden zoals die daar gelden. Deze laatste werkwijze wordt veel meer geaccepteerd.

Catelene Passchier, vicevoorzitter FNV, verantwoordelijk voor onder andere arbeidswetgeving, internationaal- en sociaaleconomisch beleid. Als EVV bestuurster was zij betrokken bij de dienstenrichtlijn en uitzendrichtlijn. Als derde spreekster gaf zij aan dat in veel sectoren sprake is van Social Dumping, waarbij zij Social Dumping definieerde als werknemers uit lage(re) lonen landen in het werkland niet worden betaald volgens de aldaar geldende loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden. Niet alleen werknemers worden geconfronteerd met de gevolgen van Social Dumping, maar ook werkgevers. Zij krijgen te maken met oneerlijke concurrentie, die uiteindelijk weer ten koste gaat van de werknemers. Catelene

Passchier roept net als de voorgaande sprekers de politiek op, duidelijkheid te verschaffen zodat er gehandhaafd kan worden.

Zodra handhaving goed kan plaatsvinden, kan gewerkt worden aan vrij verkeer voor werknemers waarbij de norm het werklandbeginsel is. Ook dienen de arbeidsmigranten dan actief en intensief geïnformeerd te worden over regels en rechten. Daarnaast moet grensoverschrijdend worden samengewerkt tussen overheden en vakbonden. Ook dienen er allianties gezocht te worden met bonafide werkgevers, maar bovenal dient er gehandhaafd te worden!

Informeel napraten Niet alleen tijdens, maar ook na de presentaties, kwamen de reacties van de zaal flink los. Helaas gebood de tijd om enkele interessante thema’s eventjes te parkeren tot de borrel.

Voorzitter Marcel van den Broek sloot de bijeenkomst af onder dankzegging aan ieder voor zijn bijdrage. Na afloop was er nog ruim de gelegenheid om, onder het genot van een hapje en een drankje, informeel na te praten.

16/07/2014 19:33

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 37

NL NEWS

Nautilus, VWH en Spliethoff komen driejarige CAO overeen A

Sneller dan gedacht is er een onderhandelingsresultaat tot stand gekomen tussen Nautilus International en vertegenwoordigers van de Vereniging van Werkgevers in de Handelsvaart (VWH) en Spliethoff Beheer BV. Eind mei werd overeenstemming bereikt over een driejarige CAO die inmiddels met een positief stemadvies aan de leden in dienst van beide werkgevers is voorgelegd.

Beide CAO’s hebben een gelijke looptijd van 1 april 2014 tot 1 april 2017.

Tijdens deze looptijd worden de gages met in totaal 5,75% verhoogd, namelijk: 1,5% per 1 januari 2015, 2% per 1 januari 2016 en 2,25% per 1 januari 2017.

Hierbij is rekening gehouden met de verwachte ontwikkelingen van het prijsindexcijfer voor de komende jaren. Volgens de huidige stand bedraagt het consumenten prijsindexcijfer (CPI) afgeleid op jaarbasis 0,8%. Voor de komende jaren wordt ingeschat dat het cijfer mogelijk oploopt naar ongeveer 2%.

Indien de verwachtingen niet uitkomen, kan de afgesproken verhoging per 1-1-2017 worden heronderhandeld als het CPI cijfer en/ of het contractloon voor de marktsector over de periode 1-1-2015 tot 1-1-2017 ten opzichte van de totale gageaanpassing van 5,75% (een) te

grote afwijking(en) zal/zullen laten zien.

Werkgroep levensfasebewust personeelsbeleid

Nautilus gaat deelnemen in de bestaande werkgroep levensfasebewust personeelsbeleid. Afgesproken is dat de werkgroep een werkplan opstelt en tenminste één keer per jaar aan CAO-partijen rapporteert over de voortgang. Dit kan bijvoorbeeld gebeuren in de vorm van een workshop of seminar.

Werkingssfeer boven 9000 GT

Nautilus is met de VWH overeengekomen dat de werkingssfeer van de CAO zal worden uitgebreid tot boven 9000 GT. In de CAO zal hiervoor een gagetabel worden opgenomen die gelijk is aan de gagetabel die bij Wagenborg wordt gehanteerd voor schepen boven 9000 en boven de 18000 GT met de bijbehorende voorwaarden. Overigens kunnen bestaande afspraken tussen enkele VWH rederijen en Nautilus in stand blijven. Na goedkeuring van deze uitbreiding wordt de naam van de CAO gewijzigd in CAO voor de handelsvaart.

Kapiteins VWH

Vorig jaar zijn de kapiteins bij Spliethoff al in de CAO opgenomen.

De onderhandelingspartijen hebben nu afgesproken dat ook de kapiteins in dienst van de VWH rederijen in de CAO worden opgenomen. Een werkgroep komt hiervoor met een voorstel dat later dit jaar ook ter goedkeuring aan de leden van VWH en Nautilus zal worden voorgelegd.

Spliethoff

Voor de officieren die werkzaam zijn aan boord van schepen van Spliethoff, waar geen trainingsofficier(en) aan boord zijn, wordt de mentorpremie verhoogd van €35,- tot €45,- per maand. De mentorpremie voor officieren aan boord van trainingsschepen zou dan komen te vervallen.

Nautilus heeft de wens geuit de mogelijkheid open te houden dat de oude regeling blijft bestaan, indien de leden daaraan de voorkeur geven. In de CAO wordt opgenomen dat Spliethoff de monsterboekjes kosteloos verstrekt.

Ledenvergaderingen

Het Nautilus-bestuur heeft de resultaten met een positief advies aan de leden in dienst van de VWH en Spliethoff voorgelegd. In de geplande ledenvergaderingen begin juli konden zij hun reactie geven op het principeakkoord. Bij het ter perse gaan van dit nummer was de uitslag hiervan nog niet bekend.

Levensfasebewust personeelsbeleid gedeelde verantwoordelijkheid tussen werkgever en werknemer! steeds langer moeten gaan werken (67 nu, F 70 straks?) maar de vraag hoe we dit dan op een

We weten al geruime tijd dat wij met zijn allen

verantwoorde en gezonde manier gaan doen is daarbij onbeantwoord gebleven.

In 2009 hebben Nautilus International, de Vereniging van Werkgevers in de Handelsvaart (VWH) en het Sociaal Maritiem Werkgeversverbond (SMW) aan TNO de opdracht verstrekt om een onderzoek te doen naar levensfasebewustpersoneelsbeleid. Dit resulteerde in het TNO rapport ‘Iedereen vaart er wel bij’.

In dit rapport zijn op verschillende vlakken aanbevelingen gedaan op het gebied van levensfasebewustpersoneelsbeleid. Zo zijn er aanbevelingen op het gebied van bijvoorbeeld werk-privé balans, financiële regelingen, scholing en ontwikkeling, waardering, gezondheid en persoonlijk keuzebudget.

Begin 2014 is er een inventarisatie gemaakt van de voorzieningen die een aantal KVNR leden al heeft getroffen en aan hun personeel aanbieden. In de voorgaande CAO’s (2010-2014) werd het uitwisselen van kennis (en ervaringen) van deze z.g. best practices als streven opgenomen en in de laatste CAO (2014-2017) is nu vastgelegd dat er een werkgroep wordt opgericht waaraan ook Nautilus International zal deelnemen. Deze werkgroep zal een werkplan gaan opstellen en minstens één keer per jaar rapporteren aan de CAO-partijen.

In dit werkplan zullen de volgende hoofdgroepen worden onderscheiden; werk-privé balans, gezondheid en welzijn.

1. Werk-privé balans De mogelijkheid om werk en privé op elkaar af te stemmen kan op meerdere manieren worden bereikt.

z Vaar-verlofschema. Door het aanbod van diverse vaarverlofschema’s kan een werknemer kiezen voor het schema wat het best bij de thuissituatie past, zoals 3 maanden varen, 1,5 maand verlof of 2 maanden varen, 1 maand verlof. Rederijen bieden keuze uit verschillende schema’s, voor een langere periode, uiteraard in samenhang met de bijbehorende beloning en verlofopbouw.

35-37_nl.indd 37

z Kort verzuim. Regeling voor kort verzuim bij bijzondere

z Ondersteuning bij het stoppen met roken en

2. Gezondheid

3. Welzijn

Naast de gebruikelijke lichamelijke keuringen zijn er rederijen, die keuringen vanaf een bepaalde leeftijd niet twee jaarlijks maar jaarlijks laten uitvoeren of toegespitst op de functie (een voorbeeld is het toevoegen van een conditietest bij een keuring).

Behalve de voorzieningen die de rederij treft is het ook van belang de medewerkers bewust te maken van de eigen verantwoordelijkheid en de keuzes die zij zelf kunnen maken.

Daarnaast kan de gezondheid van de werknemers aan boord op verschillende manieren worden bevorderd:

Sterk gerelateerd aan gezondheid is welzijn van werknemers. Een werknemer, die zich goed voelt, zal gemotiveerd aan het werk zijn en zich beter kunnen concentreren. Binnen de RI&E komen veel gezondheiden welzijnsaspecten al aan bod. In samenspraak met diverse afdelingen, zoals QHSE en technische dienst wordt hieraan aandacht besteed om zo de bewustwording onder werknemers te vergroten.

gebeurtenissen zoals huwelijk, geboorte en overlijden zijn geregeld in CAO of personeelsreglement z Zorgverlof. Deze vorm van verlof is geregeld in de Wet Arbeid en Zorg. Hierbij wordt onderscheid gemaakt in calamiteitenverlof, kortdurend en langdurend zorgverlof met de bijbehorende maximale duur en loonbetalingen. z Onbetaald verlof. Als het verlof niet toereikend is, kunnen afspraken worden gemaakt over het opnemen van onbetaald verlof. z Voorbereiding op pensioen. Door het aanbieden van pensioneringsverlof, meestal met de duur van 5 dagen.

Dit verlof is bedoeld om de werknemer een cursus te laten volgen ter voorbereiding op het pensioen. z Tijdelijk werk aan de wal. Het is mogelijk dat een werknemer tijdelijk wordt gedetacheerd in een walbaan.

z Gezonde voeding. Hierbij kan worden gedacht aan

een training/opfrisser voor de (scheeps)kok of een rondreizende instructeur, die een op een de kok gerichte training geeft. Daarnaast kan de zeevarende zelf ook baat hebben bij voorlichting over gezonde voeding, zodat een bewuste keuze gemaakt kan worden. z Alcohol en drugsbeleid. Veel rederijen hebben inmiddels een alcohol- en drugsbeleid ontwikkeld in overleg met OR of PVT. In hoofdlijnen komen deze regelingen overeen: onder werktijd worden geen alcohol en/of drugs gebruikt, onder werktijd is men niet onder invloed van alcohol en/of drugs.

rookbeleid. De werknemer mag alleen roken op de daarvoor aangewezen plekken en/of tijden. Ter ondersteuning bieden werkgevers cursussen ‘stoppen met roken’ aan. z Sporten aan boord. Op de meeste schepen is er de mogelijkheid om aan boord te sporten, zodat gewerkt kan worden aan conditie en een gezond gewicht. z Fatigue. Door het aanpassen van de roosters, waarbij bijvoorbeeld iemand wordt ontzien voor wachtlopen tussen 00.00 en 06.00 uur wordt het risico op fatigue verkleind. Op schepen waar het mogelijk is wordt een extra wachtstuurman aan boord geplaatst. Uit wetenschappelijk onderzoek is gebleken, dat slaap in blokken van 1,5 uur plaatsvindt. Een rusttijd zou dan uit veelvoud hiervan moeten bestaan.

z Communicatie met het thuisfront. Voor het verzenden

van post van en naar het schip zijn al afspraken gemaakt.

Door de toename van het gebruik van internet/email en de mobiele telefoon is het communiceren met het thuisfront een stuk gemakkelijker en voordeliger geworden. Op de schepen is een computer aan boord en wordt er gelegenheid gegeven om via internet of email contact te onderhouden. z Communicatie met de walorganisatie. Een transparante communicatie tussen het kantoor en het schip zorgt voor een beter wederzijds begrip. Ook het bezoeken van het schip en andersom het bezoek aan het kantoor wordt gewaardeerd. Betrek medewerkers aan boord in de problemen rondom planning, laat hen meedenken in een oplossing.

z Magazines en films aan boord. Met de komst van

laptop en tablet zullen veel werknemers hun eigen ontspanning meenemen aan boord, maar kan het door de rederij beschikbaar stellen van boeken, tijdschriften en films een aanvulling zijn. z Stabiliteit. Een stabiele omgeving zorgt ook voor evenwichtige werknemers. Hiervoor is een afstemming tussen werk en privé belangrijk. Irritaties die ontstaan bij het thuisfront kunnen uitgroeien tot frustraties als hier niets mee wordt gedaan. z Leefbaarheid aan boord. Mede door een stabiele omgeving wordt de sfeer aan boord bepaald. Een goede sfeer zorgt ervoor dat de werknemer zich prettig voelt. Het ervaren van stress kan uiteindelijk leiden tot (langdurig) verzuim. z Veiligheid. De rederij zorgt voor veiligheidsmiddelen aan boord. De ter beschikking gestelde PBM’s worden gebruikt waarvoor zij bedoeld zijn en het gebruik is aan boord geaccepteerd. Hierop worden werknemers ook aangesproken en durven ook anderen hierop aan te spreken. z Waardering. De waardering voor de werknemer kan op verschillende manieren worden uitgesproken: door een geldelijke beloning, door promotie, door scholing of door extra taken, zoals begeleiden van stagiaires of nieuwe zeevarenden aan boord.

Rederijen houden eens per jaar een functioneringsgesprek met de zeevarende. Hierbij wordt met de werknemer ook gesproken over de toekomst: is er ruimte voor promotie of wil de werknemer een overstap maken naar de wal? Wat heeft een werknemer nodig om deze stap te zetten? Ervaring op een ander schip, een cursus of opleiding? Is er gelegenheid om tijdelijk aan de wal te werken?

Bij alle maatregelen geldt, dat de werkgever faciliteert, maar dat de werknemer zeker ook verantwoordelijk is voor de keuzes die hij of zij maakt. Om deze bewustwording te bevorderen is communicatie hierover noodzakelijk.

Nautilus International onderstreept het belang van een goed, realiseerbaar en onderbouwd levensfasebewustpersoneelsbeleid en zal zich dan ook hiervoor hard blijven maken!

16/07/2014 18:13

38 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

NEWS EXTRA

Food causes US medevac rescue of 19 crew members F suffering from acute food poisoning The Coast Guard went to the

to graduate from Warsash Maritime A Academy — part of Southampton Solent

Pictured above are the latest officers

University. The summer passing out ceremony took place at Southampton Guildhall on Saturday 28 June, marking the completion

of three years’ training for 126 deck and engineering cadets.

The event also welcomed representatives from many shipping organisations, friends and family of the officer trainees and Warsash Maritime Academy staff. The ceremony was

filmed and streamed live via the Academy’s website so that the cadets’ families could watch from around the world.

Special awards were presented to the trainees who had performed to the highest standard throughout their cadetship. Deck

Salvors refloat Costa Concordia refloated the Costa Concordia, F 30 months after it struck a reef and Salvors have successfully

capsized off the coast of Isola del Giglio in Italy, killing 32 people.

The cruiseship was righted last September and had been resting on an underwater platform for a year, with the refloat achieved by pumping air into 30 sponsons attached to the vessel, raising it two metres off the platform.

Costa Concordia will now be towed to Genoa, where she will be scrapped following a salvage operation which is expected to cost more than £1.2bn.

Towing was expected to begin at the end of July, with the 200nm trip expected to take five days.

‘The operation began well,’ said Italian environment minister Gian Luca Galletti, ‘but it will be completed only when we have finished the transport to Genoa.’

Greenpeace and the Italian environmental group Legambiente have voiced concerns that the hull of the damaged ship may not withstand the stress of the voyage.

The trial of the ship’s master Francesco Schettino is continuing in Tuscany, where he faces charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship before all passengers were evacuated.

Picture: Reuters

Cadet of the Year 2014 was awarded to Jonathan Billot, Chiltern Maritime Ltd for Trinity House; and Marine Engineer Cadet of the Year 2014 was awarded to Thomas Branley, Ship Safe Training Group for Lafarge Tarmac Marine Dredging Ltd.

Tall ships boost nautical charities England should keep their F eyes peeled early next month, as

Readers on the south cost of

50 mighty sailing vessels will be cruising up the English Channel in the Falmouth to Greenwich Tall Ships Regatta 2014 — the first such event since 1989. Having set off from Cornwall on 31 August, the tall ships will reach the River Thames by 5 September, taking in the Isle of Wight on the way.

The arrival of the vessels will kick off the Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Festival, which will see maritime-themed music, dance

ordered for the route between F the Dutch islands of Texel and Den A new hybrid ferry has been

Helder. Due to enter service in 2016, the Texelstroom, above, will be able to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or diesel as well as battery power and solar auxiliary power.

The vessel, operated by Royal NV Texels Eigen Stoomboot Onderneming (TESO), will carry up to 1,750 passengers and 350

38_photo spec.indd Sec2:38

onboard a South Korean bulk carrier last month.

Specialist aircrew and medical personnel were sent to the 35,400dwt JS Comet, anchored three miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral after 19 of the 21 seafarers fell ill and their symptoms worsened.

The men had to be medevaced from the vessel in ‘challenging conditions’ of 35-knot winds for treatment in a hospital ashore.

The Coast Guard banned the ship from entering a US port until the cause of the illness was known and a replacement crew arrived onboard.

and street theatre performed along the riverside between 5 and 9 September. There will also be an opportunity to visit the tall ships and even book Thames cruises on them.

Seafarers UK and the Sea Cadets have been chosen as the official charity partners for the event. Greenwich council leader Denise Hyland thanked the two organisations for their participation, stressing the importance of their support. She added: ‘Playing host to London’s first Regatta for 25 years will provide us with a fantastic opportunity to boost the local

economy even further as the Tall Ships sail past our historic maritime landmarks including the Old Royal Naval College and Cutty Sark. It will also provide opportunities for local young people to gain new skills as they experience life sailing on the high seas.’

Pictured above are: Cllr Mick Hayes, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich; Martin Coles, CEO of the Sea Cadets; Nigel Shattock, director of fundraising & communications, with Seafarers UK;and Sea Cadets Christian Giraldo and Samantha Town.

vehicles. Its design was supported by the European Union’s I.Transfer programme, aimed at getting more people to travel by sea in the name of sustainability.

The Texelstroom will feature two engine rooms — one to be fitted with two 2000 kW ABC diesel engines, and the other with two 2000 kW ABC dual-fuel engines — and each will be capable of independently powering the ferry

in winds of up to Bft 9. The engines, operating as much as possible on CNG, will drive two Rolls-Royce azimuth thrusters on each end of the vessel, enabling speeds of up to 15 knots maximum and 10 knots on ‘economic’ setting.

The vessel’s strengthened hull has granted it an Ice-Class notation from Lloyd’s Register, as well as LR’s notation for Passenger and Crew Accommodation Comfort (PCAC).

16/07/2014 18:16

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 39

APPOINTMENTS

NOTICE TO READERS

14 August 2014 is the closing date for September 2014.

You can still advertise online at any time.

Nautilus International advises members that some crewing agencies may not be advertising specific positions, but instead may be seeking to develop their databases of job hunters.

Where’s my Telegraph?

If you have moved recently, your home copy may still be trying to catch up with you — particularly if you gave us a temporary address such as a hall of residence.

To let us know your new address, go to www. nautilusint.org and log in as a member, or contact our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454 or membership@nautilusint.org.

FLEET TRAINER / INCIDENT INVESTIGATOR This role is to assist in ensuring that Company owned and managed vessels perform in a safe, efficient and economical manner.

To undertake training, incident investigations and other work as required, specifically to be the main focal point for all training and incident investigation activities within JFSS. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES • Undertake incident investigation and establish root causes.

• Review and conduct trending of incident investigations, identification of root causes and proposal of corrective and preventative action to the management team to avoid repetition of incidents.

• Provide coaching and training to the ships staff for the use of various equipment and tanker best practices. This includes but is not limited to engineering practices, cargo handling, gas testing equipment, cargo & navigational equipment and basic tanker practices and procedures.

• Internally audit onboard environmental, security & safety management compliance with ISM, ISO, MLC & ISPS codes.

• Work with all departments to identify and deliver training with the aim of continuously improving crew quality and improve fleet operation.

• Work with Ship Managers to review practices and procedures and propose improvements to the Safety Management System.

• Provision of training advice to Ship Manager to ensure smooth running of the vessels and equipment.

OTHER TASKS (WHEN APPLICABLE) • Provide cover for QSE Management.

• Put together and deliver training packages both onboard or ashore as required • Provide assistance to Ship Managers as directed by Fleet Director or QSE Management PERSONNEL • Liaise with Ship Managers & QSE Manager with respect setting up, presenting and managing training of ship and shore personnel.

• Liaise with all parties with respect to investigations.

• Liaise with ship staff with respect to onboard training.

GENERAL • Such other duties commensurate with the purpose of the post as may be determined from time to time by the QSE Manager.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE. • Department of Transport Certificate of Competency having sailed in a senior position, with 5 years or more at sea or 2 years in a supervisory capacity ashore.

Apply to: recruitment@james-fisher.co.uk

CV Professionals Maritime & oσshore specialists www.cvprofessionals.co.uk

Contact Paul Wade on 020 7880 6212 or email paul.wade@redactive.co.uk to find out how the Telegraph can work for you.

ANGLIAN MARINE RECRUITMENT LTD Marine Placement Agency

Ongoing vacancies for all officers and ratings deep sea, coastal, st.by, supply, ahts, etc.

To register send cv and copies of all certificates to: 6 Birch Court, Sprowston, Norwich NR7 8LJ Tel/Fax: 01603 478938 Email: malcolm@anglianmarine.co.uk www.anglianmarine.co.uk

39-45_rec.indd 39

16/07/2014 17:05

40 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

APPOINTMENTS

Catering Superintendent

39-45_rec.indd 40

16/07/2014 12:28

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 41

APPOINTMENTS

Discover a career with a difference Embark and expand your career in 2014 with Holland America Line and Seabourn Cruises &SXL GSQTERMIW EVI TEWWMSREXI EFSYX XVEZIP ,SPPERH %QIVMGE 0MRI SJJIVW XLEX FMK WLMT ]IX PY\YV] I\TIVMIRGI [MXL ZIWWIPW ZMWMXMRK WSQI SJ XLI QSWX HIWMVEFPI HIWXMREXMSRW EVSYRH XLI [SVPH 7IEFSYVR MW YRPMOI ER] SXLIV JSVQ SJ XVEZIP 8LIMV MRXMQEXI ERH IPIKERX WLMTW ZMWMX XLI LMHHIR KIQW [LIVI PEVKIV ZIWWIPW GERRSX JSPPS[ &SXL GSQTERMIW LEZI [SR RYQIVSYW MRXIVREXMSREP E[EVHW ]IEV EJXIV ]IEV We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

Benefits package includes:

(IGO 3J½GIVW SJ EPP PIZIPW

'SQTIXMXMZI VEXIW SJ TE]

)RKMRI 3J½GIVW SJ EPP PIZIPW IWTIGMEPP] MRXIVIWXIH MR LSPHIVW SJ 'PEWW 'S'

%RRYEP WEPEVMIW ERH 7XEJJ 3J½GIV &SRYWIW

*EGMPMX] 1EREKIVW LSXIP WIVZMGIW IRKMRIIV

7EMPMRK %WWMKRQIRX 6IXYVR &SRYWIW 7%6&

6IJVMKIVEXMSR )RKMRIIVW

6IXMVIQIRX 7EZMRKW 4PER 4IRWMSR

)PIGXVMGEP )PIGXVSRMG 3J½GIVW

7TSRWSVIH WXYH] PIEZI ERH 8VEMRMRK TVSKVEQQIW

,SWTMXEPMX] +YIWX 7IVZMGIW 4VSJIWWMSREPW

)\GIPPIRX SRFSEVH WTSYWI JEQMP] TSPMG]

SV VSXEXMSR JSV 7IRMSV 3J½GIVW

Candidates need to complete our online database via our website or email us at applicants@vikingrecruitment.com quoting reference VRL08/14

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Viking Recruitment Limited Viking House, Beechwood Business Park, Menzies Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 2FG T +44 (0) 300 303 8191 (option 2) F +44 (0) 130 482 7710

39-45_rec.indd 41

16/07/2014 12:28

42 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

APPOINTMENTS FLEETWOOD - A TOP UK NAUTICAL COLLEGE WITH A LONG ESTABLISHED REPUTATION FOR BEING A LEADING PROVIDER OF TRAINING TO THE MARITIME INDUSTRY.

COURSE CALENDAR SUMMER 2014 OFFSHORE

STCW

BOSIET (3 days) - Every Mon and Wed from W/C 4th Aug

MARITIME Ship Bridge Simulator Courses NAEST Management - W/C 24 Nov, 01 Dec

STCW Basic Safety Training (5 days) to include; Security Awareness, Personal Survival Training , Personal Safety & Social Responsibility, Elementary First Aid Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting - W/C 4 Aug, 8, 15, 22 & 29 Sept, 27 Oct, 10,17,24 Nov

MIST (2 days) - Every Mon and Thurs from W/C 4th Aug FOET (1 day) - Every Tues from W/C 4th Aug

NAEST Operational - W/C 1 Sept

Other courses include Advanced Fire Fighting (4 days) W/C 1 Sept, 20 Oct, 3 Nov, 1 & 8 Dec

EURO (3 days) - Every other week starting W/C 1st Sept EURO REFRESHER (1 day) - W/C 25th Aug, 22nd Sept, 20th Oct TEMPSC COXSWAIN (3.5 days) - Every other Mon from W/C 11th Aug

ECDIS - W/C 24 Nov

Medicare (5 days) - W/C – 1 Sept 20 Oct

TEMPSC COXSWAIN REFRESHER (1.5 days) - Every other Thurs from W/C 11th Aug

Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boat (5 days) - W/C 4 August, 8,15,22 & 29 Sept 27 Oct, 10, 17 & 24 Nov

GWO BASIC SAFETY (7 days) - W/C 15th Sept, 13th Oct, 10th Nov

STCW Updating Training - dates available in 2015, contact us

MST (Renewable UK) (2 days) - W/C 15th Sept, 13th Oct, 10th Nov

For more information E offshore@blackpool.ac.uk T 01253 779 123 W blackpool.ac.uk/offshore Facebook /FleetwoodNauticalCampusOffshoreOperations

RUK/GWO Working at Height (2 days) - Monthly from Sept see web NEBOSH Oil and Gas W/C 3rd Nov NEBOSH General W/C 6th Oct

HELM Management - W/C 24 Nov, 01 Dec, 08 Dec

EDH (Efficient Deck Hand) W/C 8, 15,22 & 29 Sept, 10, 17 &24 Nov Deck Ratings Apprenticeships -W/C 10 Nov For more information E maritime@blackpool.ac.uk T 01253 779 123 W blackpool.ac.uk/nautical

IOSH Managing Safely on request IOSH Working Safely on request For more information see ‘offshore’

JOB VACANCY Angolan Maritime Training Centre (Angola, South West Africa)

Curriculum Leader Deck & Lecturers Engineering and Deck ([[YHJ[P]L ZHSHY` HUK L_WH[YPH[L ILULĂ„[Z WHJRHNL

The Angolan Maritime Training Centre provides Maritime curriculum and English language training for over 250 seafarers, PUJS\KPUN +LJR HUK ,UNPULLYPUN 6MĂ„JLY HUK GP Ratings programmes, and STCW short courses.

The Centre is totally self-supporting and has high quality accommodation and a wide range of on-campus facilities including a swimming pool, sports and gym. For learning and teaching; a variety of modern classrooms, lecture theatres, laboratories, specialist workshops, a learning resource centre and student support facilities are available.

30 operational staff are employed by the centre, including specialist maritime academics. City of Glasgow College, Sonangol and Stena are recruiting for a Curriculum Leader, Deck and Lecturers Engineering and Deck.

The Curriculum Leader Deck and Lecturer positions are an exciting and challenging opportunity to be involved in developing the new Maritime Training Centre. Initially for a 3 year contract period staff will be responsible for delivering the academic programmes at the centre and developing innovative teaching, learning and assessment initiatives working to achieve the required standards of academic delivery.

You will possess a Class One Deck *LY[PĂ„JH[L VM *VTWL[LUJ` VY LX\P]HSLU[ VY H KLNYLL PU H YLSL]HU[ 4HYP[PTL KPZJPWSPUL VY LX\P]HSLU[ HUK IL HISL [V WYV]PKL L]PKLUJL of working with the recruitment and training functions of the shipping industry. You will be a strategic thinker, able to convert ideas into processes, creating and sustaining good relationships with industry, regulating bodies and other education and training providers. ( Ă…\LU[ ,UNSPZO ZWLHRLY RUV^SLKNL VM 7VY[\N\LZL ^V\SK IL HK]HU[HNLV\Z ^LSS organised and with the ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines with little supervision, you will be pro-active and able to deal with unexpected situations and to work well under pressure.

Successful applicants will be employed by Austen Maritime and will be subject to a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure Check. • For a detailed post description and to apply for the above vacancies, please view at www.cityofglasgowcollege. ac.uk/work-for-us • Alternatively please email your CV to recruitment@cityofglasgowcollege. ac.uk • Closing Date: 12 noon Friday 22nd August 2014

To view the new Angolan Campus Gallery please visit

www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk/angola

39-45_rec.indd 42

Scottish Charity number SC036198

Expand your horizons with Princess Cruises Marine & Technical Roles – Worldwide Princess Cruises has now grown to one of the largest luxury fleets in the cruising industry, offering excellent opportunities to develop and progress your career in a variety of roles.

Self-motivated professionals are currently sought for the following positions:

Senior Watchkeeping Deck and Engineer Officers

In addition, there are a number of vacancies for:

3rd Officers and 3rd Engineers holding unlimited OOW certification 3rd Electrotechnical Officer Tours of duty for these junior positions will be four months with two months leave between appointments enabling you to achieve the sea service required for promotion to higher ranks without delay.

2nd Electrotechnical Officer

Applicants for Deck and Engineer Officers roles must hold certification which is eligible for issue at equivalent competency by the UK MCA.

Electronics Officer

To apply, please forward your CV/resume quoting the reference NAU-Aug14 to:

Hotel Services Engineer Environmental Officer

MT@princesscruises.co.uk or post to Princess Cruises Recruitment, Carnival House, 100 Harbour Parade, Southampton SO15 1ST, UK.

Security Officer

www.princess.com

Each of the above positions are rewarded with an excellent benefits package offering three months tours of duty and two months leave between appointments.

A s

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I T V ' s

T h e

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S h i p

16/07/2014 12:28

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 43

APPOINTMENTS Join us in bringing knowledge, help and hope to the nations!

THE COMMISSIONERS OF NORTHERN LIGHTHOUSES Currently have vacancies for

OM Ships, a worldwide worl charity, is looking for qualified engin engineering officers, mechanics, fitters fitte and welders to volunteer to serve ser on their ship Logos Hope which is presently in the Far East.

2ND ENGINEER OFFICER For service onboard their Aids to Navigation Tenders on a fixed manning rota – 28 days duty followed by 28 days leave.

The Northern Lighthouse Board – www.nlb.org.uk is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man, responsible in law for the provision and control of a network of marine aids to navigation – lighthouses, buoys, beacons and a precision satellite-based navigation service.

Minimum qualification is a valid STCW95 Chief Engineer’s Motor Certificate of Competency, Class III/2 or Chief Engineer’s III/3 with endorsement up to 6000 kW. This is due to the requirement to deputise for the Chief Engineer on occasion. An electrical qualification would be an advantage, as would experience of diesel/electric powered vessels. The successful candidate will require a valid unrestricted MCA Medical Certificate (ENG 1).

Advertise here & reach over 110,000 readers.

For details visit www.omships.org or email: recruiting@omships.org ps.org

Contact Paul Wade on 020 7880 6212 or email paul.wade@ redactive.co.uk to find out how.

Flexibility and good interpersonal skills are essential, as is the ability to communicate at all levels.

The current pay band for a 2nd Engineer is £37,368 per year rising to £40,776 per year depending on skills and experience. Benefits package includes occupational sick pay scheme and career average occupational pension scheme.

CHIEF ENGINEER OFFICER For service onboard their Aids to Navigation Tenders on a fixed manning rota – 28 days duty followed by 28 days leave.

The Northern Lighthouse Board – www.nlb.org.uk is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man, responsible in law for the provision and control of a network of marine aids to navigation – lighthouses, buoys, beacons and a precision satellite-based navigation service.

Minimum qualification is a valid STCW95 Chief Engineer’s Motor Certificate of Competency, Class III/2 or Chief Engineers III/3 with endorsement up to 6000 kW. An electrical qualification would be an advantage, as would experience of diesel/electric powered vessels.

The successful candidate will require a valid unrestricted MCA Medical Certificate (ENG 1).

Good people management and interpersonal skills are essential, as is the ability to write accurate and detailed reports The current pay band for a Chief Engineer is £42,384 per year rising to £49,956 per year depending on skills and experience. Benefits package includes occupational sick pay scheme and career average occupational pension scheme.

For further details and an application form please e-mail jobs@nlb.org.uk or write to: - The HR Advisor, Northern Lighthouse Board, 84 George Street, EDINBURGH EH2 3DA. Closing date: 22nd August 2014.

The Northern Lighthouse Board is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified people regardless of sex, race or disability.

MERCHANT NAVY OFFICER TRAINING COURSES Navigation Specialist

Based in Glasgow city centre, the college has a long standing reputation as one of the UK’s leading providers of nautical courses.

– 2 year fixed term contract with the possibility of extension and/or permanency.

STCW, MCA & SPECIALISED MARINE SHORT COURSES

Based in Taunton, Somerset

ECDIS: 18/08/14, 22/09/14, 06/10/14, Safety Officer: 29/09/14, 15/12/14, 02/03/15 27/10/14, 10/11/14, 15/12/14, 02/02/15 Designated Security Duties: 01/09/14, 06/10/14, 10/11/14, 26/01/15 HELM Management: 18/08/14, 15/09/14, 29/09/14, 20/10/14, 10/11/14, 24/11/14, Proficiency in Security Awareness: 01/12/14, 15/12/14 02/09/14, 07/10/14, 11/11/14, 27/01/15 Specialised Oil Tanker: 13/10/14, 17/11/14, CPSCRB: 01/09/14, 20/10/14, 27/10/14, 12/01/15, 23/02/15 03/11/14, 10/11/14 Shipboard Security Officer: 27/10/14, EDH: 24/11/14, 08/12/14, 23/02/15 15/12/14, 16/02/15 Contact: Alison Bryce 0141 565 2700 - Marine.Short.Courses@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

Salary range £23,680 - £31,124 + benefits (dependent on skills and experience) The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is the organisation behind the highly successful Admiralty brand, providing comprehensive world coverage of navigational charts and publications, digital products and services to the mariner and international shipping.

We need Navigation Specialists to provide navigational and maritime guidance to Production Teams within UKHO. Using excellent judgement, combined with extensive sea-going experience, you will produce safe, accurate, clear, comprehensive, timely and up-to-date volumes of sailing directions to mariners for the maritime customer.

Your key role is to assess and verify new information, including Foreign Government Hydrographic Office charts and Sailing Directions, photographic views and reports of survey from HM Ships and contract companies; updating databases and products accordingly. In addition to this, you will be required to produce Notice to Mariners to update Sailing Directions, liaise with and advise internal colleagues and liaise externally with Harbour Masters and Port Companies as appropriate.

The MoD is an Equal Opportunities employer and seeks to reflect the diverse community it serves. Applications are welcome from anyone who meets the stated requirements.

39-45_rec.indd 43

To be successful, you must hold a Deck Officer Certificate of Competence or a seagoing Royal Navy/Merchant Navy equivalent qualification.

With practical navigational experience on an international scale, you will be a strong communicator with the ability to distinguish significant information from data presented and keep accurate records of the actions taken.

Excellent IT skills, including experience of MS Suite packages, are essential.

This is a UKHO non-reserved post for which applicants must be British citizens, citizens of the Irish Republic, a Commonwealth state, or EEA nationals. Successful applicants will require security clearance; you will therefore need to have resided in the UK for a minimum of 5 years.

Please visit www.ukho.gov.uk for an information sheet and an application form. Alternatively, you can contact the Recruitment Team at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Admiralty Way, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2DN. Tel: +44 (0)1823 723353.

Email: recruitment@ukho.gov.uk The closing date for applications is 22nd August 2014.

Other courses: BTMT, GMDSS, NAEST, BRM, PST, PSSR, LICOS, Advanced Ship Handling, Tanker Fam, Specialised Gas, Specialised Chemical, Freefall Lifeboat. For further Marine enquiries please contact Alison Bryce (as above).

DECK COURSES

START DATES

Class 1 Orals Preparation Course 18/08/14, 03/11/14 & 02/02/15 Chief Mate Full Reg II/1 11/08/14 & 05/01/15 Chief Mate Post HND 11/08/14 & 19/01/15 OOW Post HND 29/09/14, 19/01/15 & 30/03/15 Contact: Senior.Marine@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

ENGINEERING COURSES

START DATES

Chief and Second Engineer (III/2) Motor EK Prep Course: 22/09/14, 12/01/15, 05/05/15 Contact: Engineering@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk EOOW (III/1) & IAMI Prep Course: 18/08/14, 03/11/14, 09/02/15 Contact: Mervyn.Adams@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk For other Engineering enquiries please contact: Caroline Alderdice 0141 565 2665/2713 Caroline.Alderdice@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

City of Glasgow College SC036198

16/07/2014 12:28

44 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

APPOINTMENTS

MMSL 2nd Engineer

The chance to work for a small but experienced dynamic friendly company

Minimum Qualification: STCW III/3 + DCE (Oil) 2nd Engineer up to 3000kW Advanced Tanker Training (para’ 2) Also required: Designated Duties Security Certification Unrestricted ENG1 (or equivalent) Leave / Work: 4 weeks on / 4 weeks off Desired Experience: Relevant experience on coastal oil tankers preferably handling fuel oils / heated cargoes Area of Operation: UK (principally south coast) Salary: £25.6k to £42.6k depending on experience & qualification Start Date: Immediate Remarks:• Please note that Shipowner’s policy dictates that a pre-employment drug & alcohol test will be required.

• Appropriate training will be provided to suitably qualified applicants.

Please send your CV in the first instance to Mrs. Elaine Wilson.

Post: Crown Crewing (UK) Ltd. Crown Dry Dock, Tower Street, Hull, HU9 1TY, UK Email: crewing@whitaker-tankers.co.uk Fax: 00 44 (0)1482 226270

Electro Technical Officer MMSL through Eastern lights Ltd has a vacancy for a qualified experienced DP ETO on board OSV Relume.

The ETO reports directly to the Chief Engineer and is responsible for maintenance and repair of the DP system, navigation, IT, communication and electrical equipment.

Candidates must have comprehensive experience in DP, IT, Communication and Diesel Electric Propulsion Systems.

MMSL offer the following Package: • Competitive salary plus Annual Performance Bonus paid in GBP • Leave Encashment • Travel and expenses paid door to door • Tours 4 weeks on 4 week’s off • Comprehensive Medical Insurance • Probationary period Two Tours.

Send your CV to: relume_master@relume-mmsl.com

RYAN OFFSHORE LTD RYAN SHIP MANAGEMENT LTD

SHIPPING SHIPPING

CONNECTIONS

MARITIME RECRUITMENT DP3/ DP2- DSV/ DP- AHTS/ DP- PSV/ DP3 PIPELAYER/ DP2 CLV DP VESSELS MASTERS, CHOFF-SDPOs, 2nd OFF –DPOs, CHENGs, 2NdENGs, 3rd ENG, ETOs, CRANE OPTRs, HLO 4-PT MOORING DSV / NON- DP AHTS/ PSV/ UTILITY/ CREW BOAT MASTERS, CHOFF, 2nd OFF, CHENG, 2nd ENG, DP ENG, ETO, SELF PROPELLED JACK UP ACCOM RIG - CHOFF JACK UP BARGE/ RIG - OIM / CHENG

SHORE BASED FOR OFFSHORE FLEET - SAUDI ARABIA

Sealion Shipping manages a ñeet of platform supply, anchorhandling tug supply, oσshore construction/ROV support/saturation diving and well testing vessels.

We are now recruiting for various positions across this modern, mainly DP2, Åeet.

If you have valid STCW CertiÀcation and recent seagoing experience, and would like to apply for a position on one of the above vessels, please register your application via our new website.

www.farnhammarineagency.co.uk

TECH SUPT, TECH MANAGER, PORT CAPTAIN, PORT ENG, QHSE, OFFSHORE COMPETENCE ASSESSOR/TRAINER (WORLD WIDE)

Advertise here & reach over 110,000 readers.

Contact Paul Wade on 020 7880 6212 or email paul.wade@ redactive.co.uk to find out how.

Leading Marine Recruitment Specialists We are seeking all ranks of seafarers, offshore and shore based personnel and in particular:

PORT MANAGER/ HARBOUR MASTER

TARBERT HARBOUR AUTHORITY, TARBERT, LOCH FYNE, SCOTLAND Tarbert Harbour Authority, a thriving Trust Port on the West Coast of Scotland is seeking to recruit a dynamic Port Manager/Harbour Master.

Your First Port of Call Address: First Floor Unit 7, Hythe Marine Park, Shore Road, Southampton, SO45 6HE UK Telephone: +44(0)23 8084 0374 Email: recruitment@seamariner.com

Deck and Engineering Of½cers - All vessels Engineering Of½cers and ETO’s - MOD Support vessels All Of½cers and Crew - ERRV All DPO’s/SDPO’s (Unlimited DP Cert.)

Various offshore personnel - Drill ships, Jack-ups and Rigs If you would like further information in registering with Seamariner or you would like to discuss your crewing requirements, please contact one of our experienced consultants

www.seamariner.com

ISO9001:2008 accredited and KvK and MLC compliant Reg Co number: 2745210

This exciting role presents an opportunity for someone who is seeking to enter the Ports industry and to move into a Senior Management role. The successful candidate will have day to day management responsibility for the Harbour and sit on the Board of Trustees.

To be considered for this opportunity you will be a self starter, personable, have experience of managing staff and a broad customer focused background, demonstrating a history of working in a safety focused environment.

Tarbert Harbour is a small but complex port where fishing, leisure and passenger ferry traffic interact.

In order to be considered for this rewarding and challenging position you will have knowledge of / or experience in the following disciplines: Statutory Duties, Managing Port Marine Safety, Policies, Plans and Procedures, Managing Resources and Marine Operations Please send applications in writing marked ‘Vacancy’ to: Harbour Office, Garval Road, Tarbert, Argyll PA29 6TR For informal enquiries regarding this position, please contact: Pauline Laycock, Office Manager: 01880 820344 Salary commensurate with experience Closing date for applications is 25th August 2014

Tel: 01880 820 344 Fax: 01880 820 719 Email: info@tarbertharbour.co.uk www.tarbertharbour.co.uk

39-45_rec.indd 44

Bourbon Offshore - MMI Pritchard-Gordon Tankers (Guernsey) Ltd Pritchard-Gordon Tankers Ltd, a family owned and managed company, operating British and Isle of Man registered oil tankers of between 5,000 and 12,000 dwt, are seeking experienced and suitably quali½ed, high calibre:

Senior Deck and Engineering Of½cers

BOURBON MMI has a fleet of 22 Azimuth, Diesel Electric, DP2 New Build Vessels with further new Deliveries planned between now and 2015.

We are looking to recruit all ranks of officers both Deck and Engineer.

We lay great importance on teamwork and continuity, with a number of senior of½cers having been with the company over 20 years. Our company ethos is to offer a superior service and level of professionalism to our Major and National Oil Company customers in challenging operational conditions.

Voyage lengths are of 10 to 13 weeks duration followed by an equal period of leave. Terms and conditions are competitive and commensurate with rank and experience.

We offer a competitive salary and short tours of duty.

Applications in the ½rst instance to Head of Personnel, Pritchard-Gordon Tankers Ltd, 6 Coronation Street, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE33 1AZ Tel 0191 427 0303 Email personnel@pgtankers.com Website www.pgtankers.com

In the first instance please send your CV and covering letter to Dist_MMI_referent@ bourbon-online.com

16/07/2014 12:28

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 45

APPOINTMENTS

The Harris Pye Group is a rapidly expanding global player with active involvement in many key marine and industrial sectors. Operating worldwide on a 24/7 basis, our emphasis is on cost effective repair, preventative maintenance and conversion work.

The groups’ philosophy is to provide a global service with a focus on supplying top quality products and fast and efďŹ cient service.

The Harris Pye group are actively seeking to recruit the following personnel:

Trainee Repair Managers / Marine Engineers Relevant qualiďŹ cation and experience in an engineering environment is essential and knowledge of the marine and offshore industries would be advantageous.

SpeciďŹ c requirements will include but not be limited to: O Excellent communication and presentation skills O Strong numerical skills to enable calculations to be produced O Ability to read, understand and interpret engineering drawings O Computer skills O Good analytical skills and attention to detail O Time management and organisational skills O Ability to work to deadlines in a pressured environment O Willingness to learn and undertake further training Trainee Repair Managers would ideally have completed a time served marine or engineering apprenticeship.

Alternatively candidates with a background in the offshore oil and gas industry holding recognised qualiďŹ cations will be considered.

Marine Engineers must be able to demonstrate they have a full understanding of ships auxiliary systems including boilers and steam plant, pumps and pipe work systems and the structure of ships.

Candidates must be self-motivated as well as being capable of working on their own initiative and to strict deadlines.

These positions could be based in any of our worldwide stations and you must be willing to undertake global travel on a regular basis.

Please send your CV’s to recruitment@harrispye.com

39-45_rec.indd 45

Clyde Marine Recruitment is a leading provider of marine recruitment and bespoke crew management VHUYLFHV :LWK RIÂźFHV ORFDWHG LQ 8. /DWYLD 3RODQG DQG Singapore it allows us to provide our clients with easy access to a multi-national pool of candidates from a single point of contact.

For sea-going jobs apply at www.clyderecruit.com PASSENGER &KLHI 2IŸFHU required for Passenger Roro working in XLI -VMWL 7IE 8VMTW EVI [IIOW 1YWX LSPH 'LMIJ 3J½GIV unlimited CoC (UK CEC). Previous passenger ship I\TIVMIRGI EW 'LMIJ 3J½GIV VIUYMVIH 2nd Engineer with an unlimited Chief CoC required for Passenger RoRo operating in the Irish Sea. Rotation is 2 weeks on/off. Position is perm and travel is not paid.

Salary is available on request.

OFFSHORE 0DVWHU 6'32 &KLHI 2IŸFHU 6'32 and QG 2IŸFHU SDPO all required for AHTS and PSV. All must have a minimum of 1000 DP hours and hold an unlimited DP GIVXM½GEXI 4IVQERIRX TSWMXMSRW HE]W 3JJWLSVI I\TIVMIRGI SR %,87 47: ERH (4 MW VIUYMVIH Masters and &KLHI 2IŸFHUV required for AHTS and PSV’s.

'ERHMHEXIW QYWX LEZI VIGIRX %,87 SV 47: I\TIVMIRGI EW 1EWXIV SV 'LMIJ 3J½GIV 1EWXIV YRPMQMXIH 'S' SV 'LMIJ 3J½GIV YRPMQMXIH 'S' 9/ ')' 9RPMQMXIH (4 is preferred. 4/4 weeks and permanent.

Masters required for Wind Farm Transfer Vessels.

[IIOW 1EWXIV KX 8VEZIP ERH %GGSQQSHEXMSR provided. Permanent positions.

Ongoing position looking for &KLHI 2IŸFHUV with I\TIVMIRGI SR 7XERHF] ZIWWIPW ERH LSPHMRK 34-83 ETTVSZIH 7XERHF] GIVXM½GEXMSR TSWWMFPI TIVQERIRX and temporary positions.

Chief Engineer with Supervisory )\TIVMIRGI JSV RI[ build PSV based in Norway. This will be working 1 month SR QSRXLW SJJ 7XEVX HEXI XFG 'ERHMHEXIW QYWX LEZI an Unlimited CoC.

Chief Engineers required for PSV, AHTS and Standby :IWWIPW JSV ZEVMSYW GPMIRXW 8VMT PIRKXLW ERH WEPEVMIW ZEV] Candidates must have an unlimited Chief UK CoC/CEC.

TANKER QG 2IÂźFHU '32 required to join Shuttle Tankers.

3MP 8EROIV SV 7LYXXPI 8EROIV I\TIVMIRGI VIUYMVIH 33; 'S' YRPMQMXIH (4 GIVXM½GEXI ERH 3MP (') required. Permanent position. 8-10/8-10 weeks.

DP Bonus available.

Chief Engineer & 2nd Engineers required for Oil Tanker žIIX 4IVQERIRX TSWMXMSR [IIOW SR SJJ 'SRXEGX 7XITLIR &IPPMRKIV SR JSV QSVI HIXEMPW Various Engineering roles EZEMPEFPI JSV GERHMHEXIW SR 8EROIVW 7EPEV] ERH VSXEXMSRW ZEV] HITIRHMRK SR GPMIRX 'SRXEGX %RKIPE ,I[MXX SR JSV more details.

OTHER Various Engineering vacancies EZEMPEFPI SR 1IVGLERX 2EZ] WYTTSVX ZIWWIPW XS XLI 6S]EP 2EZ] 8LIWI MRGPYHI 8EROIVW 6S6S´W ,IPMGSTXIV GEVVMIVW ERH ,IEZ] VITEMV ZIWWIPW Rotations are 4 months followed by 84 days leave. We will GSRWMHIV ETTPMGEXMSRW JVSQ RI[P] UYEPM½IH GEHIXW JSV WSQI of the positions available.

For all shore-based jobs, please visit:

www.redtheconsultancy.com

*SV 7IE KSMRK .SFW ZMWMX 'P]HI 1EVMRI 6IGVYMXQIRX

www.clyderecruit.com Glasgow +44 (0) 141 427 6886 Southampton +44 (0) 2380 223 546 Singapore +65 6299 4992

Gdynia +4858 665 3860 Riga +371 6733 1357

16/07/2014 12:29

46 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

SHIP TO SHORE

M-Notices M-Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency recently include: MGN 503 (F) — Procedure for carrying out a roll or heel test to assess stability for fishing vessel owners and skippers This note gives instructions to skippers and owners for carrying out a basic stability check for small fishing vessels. The procedure for doing this is explained in detail, and a form is provided to help record the results.

The stability test is based on the length of time a vessel takes to roll.

MGN 503 explains how to time a roll and calculate its speed in relation to the beam of the vessel in metres.

A very slow roll is likely to indicate a problem with stability, and a fast roll is likely to suggest that the vessel has a good reserve of stability.

This should give a guide on which to base the operation of the vessel. If it is found to be ‘tender’ (indicated by a slow roll) then skippers and owners will need to be more aware of the limits of the vessel. If there are any causes for concern, a qualified naval architect or an MCA surveyor must be contacted for advice on potential modifications to improve stability.

The instructions in MGN 503 are based on the Voluntary Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Equipment of Small Vessels 2005, developed by the International Maritime Organisation in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Labour Organisation.

MGN 507 (M+F) — Oil pollution: liability and compulsory insurance for bunker oil This note informs shipowners and masters of the requirement to maintain compulsory insurance against liability for bunker oil pollution damage. It also explains the limits of liability under the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001.

MGN 507 includes the following warnings about penalties for noncompliance under UK law: z if a ship enters or leaves (or attempts to enter or leave) a UK port or terminal and does not carry a state certificate in respect of insurance under the Bunkers Convention, the master or the owner shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (£5,000 at time of issue of MGN 507) z if a ship fails to carry, or the master of the ship fails to produce, a

state certificate the master shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level five on the standard scale (currently £5,000) z if a ship which does not carry a state certificate in respect of insurance under the Bunkers Convention attempts to leave a UK port, that ship may be detained z if a ship which has been detained (or in respect of which a notice of or order for detention has been served on the master) proceeds to leave a port or terminal before the detention has been lifted, the master of the ship will be liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to £50,000 MGN 508 (M) — Oil pollution: liability and compulsory insurance This note is directed to all shipowners, operators, managers and masters of merchant vessels carrying more than 2,000 tonnes of persistent oil in bulk.

It informs shipowners of revisions to the limits of liability under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention; and reminds shipowners and masters of the requirement to maintain compulsory insurance against liability for pollution damage.

MGN 508 includes the following warnings about penalties for noncompliance under UK law: z if a ship contravenes sections 163 and 164 of the UK Merchant Shipping Act 1995 [relevant text reproduced in MGN 508], the master or owner shall be liable on conviction on indictment to a fine, or on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £50,000 z if a ship fails to carry, or the master of a ship fails to produce, a state issued certificate showing that insurance or other financial security is in place, the master shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale [further information available from the MCA] z if a ship attempts to leave a port in the United Kingdom in breach of section 163 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, it may be detained MIN 481 (M) — Passenger ships: United Kingdom ratification of Athens Protocol, 2002 This note reports that the United Kingdom has ratified the Protocol of 2002 to the Athens Convention relating to the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea, 1974. The Athens Protocol entered into force internationally on 23 April 2014 and will be incorporated into UK law by means of The Merchant Shipping (Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea (Amendment) (Order) 2014.

The main provisions of the 2002 Athens Protocol have applied since

Member meetings and seminars Nautilus International organises regular meetings, forums and seminars for members to discuss pensions, technical matters, maritime policies and legal issues. Coming up in the next few months are:

31 December 2012 within the EU. This means that vessels licensed to carry more than 12 passengers must already have a certificate issued by an EU member state attesting that appropriate insurance is in place to meet the requirements of the Protocol.

MIN 481 takes the opportunity of UK ratification to highlight the requirement for UK-flagged passenger vessels to carry a state certificate attesting to their insurance provisions under the Athens Protocol.

The note explains how to apply for this certificate and sets out the supporting documentation that will be needed for the application.

Certificates will be issued for a period not exceeding 12 months.

A single state certificate issued by the MCA will be considered as meeting the requirements of both the EU Regulation and the 2002 Athens Protocol for port state control purposes.

MIN 485 (F) — Written examination dates 2014/15: deck officers (fishing vessels) This note gives the written examination dates for MCA/SQA Deck Officer (Fishing Vessel) class 1 and class 2 certificates of competency, for the UK academic year commencing 1 September 2014.

The dates have been arranged following consultation with various representative organisations of the fishing industry.

z M-Notices are available as

electronic documents or as a set of bound volumes. z A consolidated set of M-Notices is published by The Stationery Office. This contains all M-Notices current on 31 July 2009 (ISBN 9780115530555) and costs £210 — www.tsoshop.co.uk z Individual copies can be electronically subscribed to by emailing a request to mnotices@ ecgroup.co.uk or downloaded from the MCA website.

Note: the location of the MCA website has recently changed, as part of an initiative to draw together all government departments and services into one portal, www.gov.uk. To find the M-notices on this new site, go to www.gov.uk and type MCA into the search box. In the Maritime & Coastguard Agency section of the site, select Find marine (M) notices.

Some old addresses for pages on the MCA website will re-route to the new site, but not all, so it is worth trying out the new entry route via www.gov.uk.

g Professional & Technical Forum Monday 8 September 2014 at 1300hrs for 1330hrs at the Nautilus northern office Mariners’ Park, Wallasey.

The forum deals with a wide range of technical, safety, welfare and other professional topics of relevance to all members, including training and certification.

The meeting is open to all members (UK, NL & CH).

Contact Sue Willis: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 protech@nautilusint.org

Nautilus International welcomes contact from members at any time. Please send a message to one of our department email addresses (see page 17) or get in touch with us at one of our offices around the world.

For urgent matters, we can also arrange to visit your ship in a UK port.

Please give us your vessel’s ETA and as much information as possible about the issue that needs addressing.

SWITZERLAND Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 4005 Basel, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 Fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25 infoch@nautilusint.org

UK Head office Nautilus International 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane South Woodford, London E18 1BD Tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 Fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 enquiries@nautilusint.org

SINGAPORE Nautilus International 10a Braddell Hill #05-03 Singapore, 579720 Tel: +65 (0)625 61933 Mobile: +65 (0)973 10154 singapore@nautilusint.org

Northern office Nautilus International Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 Fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 enquiries@nautilusint.org Offshore sector contact point Members working for companies based in the east of Scotland or UK offshore oil and gas sector can call: +44 (0)1224 638882 THE NETHERLANDS Postal Address Nautilus International Postbus 8575 3009 An Rotterdam Physical Address Nautilus International Schorpioenstraat 266 3067 KW Rotterdam Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 infonl@nautilusint.org

FRANCE Yacht sector office in partnership with D&B Services 3 Bd. d’Aguillon 06600 Antibes, France Tel: +33 (0)962 616 140 nautilus@dandbservices.com www.dandbservices.com SPAIN Yacht sector office in partnership with dovaston C/Joan de Saridakis 2, Edificion Goya Local 1A, Marivent 07015 Palma de Mallorca, Spain Tel: +34 971 677 375 recruitment@nautilusint.org www.dovaston.com

College contacts Induction visits See www.nautilusint.org/newsand-events for dates of upcoming college visits by the Nautilus recruitment team (scroll down to ‘latest events’).

For further information, email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call Garry Elliott on +44 (0)151 639 8454.

Industrial support for cadets An industrial official is appointed to each of the main nautical colleges.

In addition the industrial department is responsible for representing

trainee officers in line with all members that we represent; please contact the union on +44 (0)20 8989 6677. Your enquiry will then be directed to the relevant industrial organiser for your employer/sponsoring company.

The union also facilitates a Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum to provide an opportunity for young members to engage in discussions on the specific challenges facing young workers in the maritime profession.

For further information members/ trainee officers should contact Paul Schroder at ymp@nautilusint.org.

g Young Maritime Professionals Forum Monday 29 September, 2014 1600 to 1800hrs at Holiday Inn, Belfast.

The forum provides guidance to Nautilus Council on the challenges facing young people in the shipping industry and on the issues that matter to them.

Open to all young members (UK & NL).

Contact Paul Schroder: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 ymp@nautilusint.org

Quiz and crossword answersACDB Quiz answers 1. There were more than 2.2m ship calls to EU ports last year.

2. Maersk has a 14.5% share of the trade in containerised goods between Asia and China’s main business partners.

3. The Mediterranean Shipping Company has the largest amount of TEU capacity in service and on order.

4. Vessels of 10,000TEU or more make up 48% of the containership orderbook.

5. There are presently 627 VLCCs in service in the world fleet, according to IHS. 6. Catheads were strong timbers projecting from either side of the bows fitted with sheaves for recovering a cat purchase — the tackle by which an anchor was lifted and secured.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 1. Millau; 4. Bridge; 9. Isle; 10. Upholstery; 11. Closed; 12. Minority; 13. Temptress; 15. Seam; 16. Gear; 17. Slapstick; 21. Tsunamis; 22. Napkin; 24. Habiliment; 25. Rake; 26. Eiffel; 27. Priest.

Down: 1. Moselle; 2. Leeds; 3. Asunder; 5. Relent; 6. Deterrent; 7. Erratum; 8. Champs Elysees; 14. Plaintiff; 16. Gustave; 18. Punster; 19. Cricket; 20. Umpire; 23. Puree.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph.

Congratulations to Nautilus member Tony Tibbott, who has won the prize draw for the July cryptic crossword.

Cryptic answers from July Across: 8. Footnote; 9. Animal; 10. Scan; 11. Overdrafts; 12. Friday; 14. Irritant; 15. Wrinkle; 17. Glisten; 20. Hornpipe; 22. Runoff; 23. Thirteenth; 24. Last; 25. Creole; 26. Nosedive.

Down: 1. Sorcerer; 2. Stun; 3. Colony; 4. Heretic; 5. Falderal; 6. Bipartisan; 7. Carton; 13. Dining room; 16. Loitered; 18. Effusive; 19. Pennant; 21. Others; 22. Rehash. 24. Lady.

To suggest an organisation which could appear here, email telegraph@nautilusint.org

Maritime & Coastguard Agency +44 (0)23 8032 9100 www.gov.uk/mca Implements the UK government’s maritime safety policy and works to prevent the loss of life on the coast and at sea.

International Transport Workers’ Federation +44 (0)20 7403 2733 www.itfglobal.org A federation of over 700 unions representing over 4.5 million transport workers from 150 countries.

Merchant Navy Welfare Board www.mnwb.org Umbrella body for the UK maritime charity sector, promoting cooperation between organisations that provide welfare services to merchant seafarers and their dependants within the UK.

Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport + 31 88 489 00 00 www.ilent.nl Dutch maritime authority (separate from Dutch coastguard).

Merchant Navy Training Board www.mntb.org.uk UK organisation promoting maritime education and training, and providing careers guidance.

Administers the Careers at Sea Ambassadors scheme, under which serving seafarers can volunteer to give careers talks in UK schools.

Seafarers UK (formerly the King George’s Fund for Sailors) +44 (0)20 7932 0000 www.seafarers-uk.org Supports and promotes UK charities helping seafarers from the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy and fishing fleets.

Often organises places for maritime fundraisers to enter marathons and other charity challenges.

46-47_info+join_SR edit.indd 46

Contact Lisa Carr: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 women@nautilusint.org

Contact Nautilus International

Useful organisations

Swiss Maritime Navigation Office +41 (0)61 270 91 20 www.smno.ch Swiss maritime authority.

g Women’s Forum Saturday 20 September 2014 1100hrs to 1400hrs at Nautilus head office in London (TBC) The forum provides guidance to Nautilus Council on the challenges facing women in the industry and encourages female participation in Union activity.

Open to all female members.

International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network +44 (0)300 012 4279 www.seafarerswelfare.org Global organisation providing a 24 hour, year-round multi-lingual helpline for all seafarers’ welfare and support needs, as well as an emergency welfare fund.

SAIL (Seafarers’ Information and Advice Line) 08457 413 318 +44 (0)20 8269 0921 www.sailine.org.uk UK-based citizens’ advice service helping seafarers and their families with issues such as debt, benefit

entitlements, housing, pensions and relationships.

Seamen’s Hospital Society +44 (0)20 8858 3696 www.seahospital.uk UK charity dedicated to the health and welfare of seafarers.

Includes the Dreadnought health service.

Seafarers’ Link +44 (0)20 7643 13856 www.csv-rsvp.org Telephone friendship project connecting retired UK seafarers at home through a fortnightly telephone conference service.

Seatax Ltd +44 (0)1302 364673 www.seatax.ltd.uk Company providing specialist tax advice for merchant seafarers.

Marine Society +44 (0)20 7654 7050 www.marine-society.org UK charity dedicated to the learning and professional development of seafarers.

Offers 120,000 books to ships through its library service, plus distance-learning programmes and scholarship schemes including the Nautilus-administered Slater Fund.

16/07/2014 17:40

August 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 47

JOIN NAUTILUS

The face of Nautilus Russell Downs, RFA liaison officer

g

Russell Downs (pictured with Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard) has worked for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) for over 23 years. He has been a Nautilus member since 1999, having previously been in the RMT union.

Looking back at his career, he recalls that he was working in the building industry when a friend returned from the Falklands war. ‘He told me that seafaring was a hard but interesting job and I thought it sounded like a good move for me. I applied at the time but had to wait a few years before I actually joined.

‘I had almost forgotten about it when

I got the call inviting me for an interview.

I then jumped at the chance to go to sea.

I had previously undertaken nautical studies at school so it had always been in the back of my mind.’

Russell began working in the motor department and progressed into engineering with the support of the RFA. He believes that career progression is one of biggest benefits the organisation offers its seafarers.

‘They are very supportive of career development,’ he says. ‘Once you are in it is very easy to move up. They want to keep you and they are keen for you to be the best that you can be. They pay

for it, and encourage those who want to get on.’

Russell’s career progression has now taken a slightly different route, as he was elected unopposed as the Union’s full time representative for RFA members at the beginning of the year.

‘I had already undertaken the Union’s lay rep course, and this seemed a natural next step,’ he says. ‘I always like to be “in the know”. I want to be the man with the answers!

‘We have a lot of “bar room lawyers” in the RFA — people who sit in the bar and tell you that you are entitled to this or that. I want to be the person

who actually knows what the answer is because they have learnt it on a course.

‘I want people to know that they can come to me and I will help them. If I don’t know the answer I will at least know where to go for the answer. And then I will ensure that I make that answer available to everyone, so everyone else in the RFA can be “in the know” as well.’

Russell believes that trade unions in general, and Nautilus in particular, are vital to protect workers’ rights and ensure that everybody can progress and be fairly rewarded for their work. ‘After all,’ he says, ‘if it wasn’t for trade unions we’d all still be working up chimneys!’

Wherev er you are , so are we

CALL NOW TO JOIN NAUTILUS ON: UK: +44 (0)151 639 8454 NL: +31 (0)10 477 11 88 CH: +41 (0)61 262 24 24

Join today so we can be there for you too!

Pay and conditions Nautilus International is the first truly trans-boundary trade union for maritime professionals, reflecting the global nature of the industry.

We negotiate with employers on issues including pay, working conditions, working hours and pensions to secure agreements which recognise members’ skills and experience, and the need for safety for the maritime sector.

Legal services Nautilus Legal offers members a range of legal services free of charge. There are specialist lawyers to support members in work related issues and a number of non-work related issues. The Union also has a network of lawyers in 54 countries to provide support where members need it most.

Workplace support Nautilus International officials provide expert advice on work-related problems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying or discrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions.

Certificate protection Members are entitled to free financial protection, worth up to £116,900, against the loss

46-47_info+join_SR edit.indd 47

of income if their certificate of competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a formal inquiry.

Extra savings Members can take advantage of many additional discounts and benefits organised at a local level. These include tax advice, insurance discounts and advice on pension matters. In the Netherlands, discounts are organised through FNV, and trade union contributions are mostly tax-friendly, entitling members to receive a significant part of their contributions back.

International representation Nautilus International represents members’ views on a wide range of national and international bodies including the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA). We work at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on key global regulations covering working

conditions, health and safety and training. The Union is affiliated to the TUC in the UK, FNV in the Netherlands and SGB/USS in Switzerland.

In touch As a Nautilus International member, help is never far away — wherever in the world you are. Officials regularly see members onboard their ships and visit cadets at college.

Further support and advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ and conferences. The Union has offices in London, Wallasey, Rotterdam and Basel. There are also representatives based in France, Spain and Singapore.

It’s never been more important to be a Nautilus member and it’s never been easier to apply for membership. You can now join over the phone, or online at www.nautilusint.org. If you can’t get online or to a telephone, post us this form to start the joining process. A member of the recruitment team will contact you as soon as possible. Please note that membership does not begin until subscriptions are paid.

FIRST NAMES SURNAME ADDRESS POSTCODE EMAIL ADDRESS MOBILE (INCLUDING DIALLING CODE) HOME TELEPHONE GENDER

Your union, your voice The Union represents the voice of more than 23,000 maritime professionals working in all sectors of the industry at sea and ashore — including inland navigation, large yachts, deepsea and offshore.

For members, by members Nautilus International is a dynamic and democratic trade union offering members many opportunities to become actively involved and have your say — at a local, national and international level.

DATE OF BIRTH

EMPLOYER SHIP

RANK

DISCHARGE BOOK NO (IF APPLICABLE) COLLEGE OF STUDY (CADET APPLICATIONS ONLY) COURSE (CADET APPLICATIONS ONLY)

Please post this form to: Membership services department Nautilus International Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH, United Kingdom

16/07/2014 18:12

48 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | August 2014

NEWS

Downturn adds to 35% growth in casework for Seafarer Help seafarers with problems chalked F up a 35% increase in casework last A global hotline service for

year — with unpaid wages topping the list of complaints.

Teams working for the International Seafarers Welfare Assistance Network (ISWAN) dealt with 1,257 cases involving more than 6,400 seafarers and their families during 2013.

As well as a marked increase in new cases, which followed a 30% increase in the previous year, the number of seafarers assisted rose by 47.5%. And ISWAN says the evidence from the first half of this year suggests the figures are set to increase further.

The most common problems seafarers faced were unpaid wages — accounting for an increased total

of 28.5% of all contacts — problems with repatriation (14.5%), contractual problems (6.5%), substandard conditions onboard (2.1%) and health issues (5%).

Other problems dealt with included abuse and bullying, financial issues, family difficulties and claims for personal compensation.

Of the 72 different nationalities assisted, the largest number were Filipinos, followed by Ukrainians, Indians and Russians ISWAN’s SeafarerHelp service can be contacted by email, telephone, text and live chat, with the vast majority of contacts coming via email. ISWAN says it hopes that greater access to free or cheap communications onboard will improve the welfare of seafarers and

European ports ban more ships The number of substandard

state control problems rose by 87% last year.

The annual report of the Paris MoU reveals that 28 ships were banned by port state control authorities last year — the highest total since 2005. Seventeen were refused access because of multiple detentions, two for jumping detention and nine for failing to call at a repair yard.

Last year was also the third in a row in which the average detention rate in the 27 Paris MoU member states increased — up from 3.65% of inspections in 2012 to 3.78% last year.

However, the report also identifies an increase — to 46 — in the number of flags on the port state control ‘white list’. A further 19 flags are on the ‘grey list’ and 14 on the ‘black list’, with the

in business,’ the annual review states.

‘It is worth noting that in 2013 the team was involved in 16 cases where a ship had been abandoned by its owners; double those of 2012.’

The report points out that the top three ship registries ISWAN was contacted about mirror the three largest flag states — Panama, Marshall Islands, and Malta. However, it warned of a ‘disproportionately high’ number of cases involving Antigua & Barbuda-flagged ships.

ISWAN also pointed out that most of the issues dealt with by SeafarerHelp are clear breaches of the Maritime Labour Convention and said it would be interesting to see how the relationship between flags and casework will change over the next few years.

The issues raised with SeafarerHelp last year Graphic: ISWAN

Union sets up 24/7 service

Noting deficiencies during an inspection in Italy Picture: Paris MoU

ships banned from European A ports as a result of repeated port

enable them to contact such services more easily.

Most of the contacts that SeafarerHelp receives are referred on to specialist organisations — such as the ITF, maritime unions and welfare agencies — for direct assistance.

ISWAN executive director Roger Harris said the ‘considerable increase’ in cases and seafarers assisted in the last three years was in part the result of increased promotion and awareness of the service and partly the consequence of continued economic problems affecting shipping.

‘The world recession continued through 2013 and the maritime industry continued to be hit, with seafarers often ending up as the victims when marginal companies found themselves unable to continue

Global helpline will give members instant access to advice and assistance

poorest performing registers being Tanzania, Honduras, Dominica and Togo.

The MoU said the introduction of a more targeted inspection regime in 2011 has resulted in a fall in the total number of inspections, as well as the total number of deficiencies and detentions. Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK contribute most to the overall inspection efforts in terms of percentage, it added.

‘Although it was anticipated that the number of banned ships would rise, an increase of 87% (from 15 in 2012) compared to last year was not anticipated,’ the report states.

The most common reasons for detentions were deficiencies related to certification and documentation, safety of navigation, fire safety, and pollution prevention. Deficiencies related to working and living conditions accounted for 14.8% of the total.

P

Nautilus International has launched a new free round-the-clock global helpline for members and their families in need of urgent advice.

Nautilus 24/7 is a multilingual freephone service which ensures that members can get advice and assistance on a wide range of problems at any time of the day or night, all-year round.

Launching the service last month, general secretary Mark Dickinson said: ‘Shipping is a 24/7 globalised industry and I am determined that when we say “Wherever you are, so are we” that we live up to that. So the Nautilus 24/7 helpline will provide a reassuring human contact point for members when offices are closed.’

Director of legal services Charles Boyle added: ‘Nautilus 24/7 is an extremely valuable extension to the many benefits and services to which our members already have access.

From now on, members will have the comfort of knowing that they can have instant contact with our trained helpline staff at any time.’

Members (and concerned relatives) can call the freephone numbers from any of the 45 countries listed on the Nautilus 24/7 page on the Union’s website, and get assistance from staff specially trained in the Union’s work and procedures.

For extra convenience and where freephone numbers are not yet available, there are other online ways of contacting

Nautilus 24/7 staff: z email: helpline@nautilus247. org z start a Live Chat window from the Nautilus 247 website z Skype messaging using the Skype name nautilus-247 [use lower case text] z send an SMS mobile text message to : +44 (0)7860 017 119 Nautilus 24/7 will provide a service outside normal working hours, and will help members with their queries or, if specialist and urgent professional advice is required, forward a detailed mes-

sage to the appropriate branch and department, who will then contact you. It does not replace the normal office hours service provided by the Union’s officials and staff in the UK, Netherlands or Switzerland, nor will it provide legal advice.

The Nautilus 24/7 helpline is being provided in partnership with the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), whose call staff have been trained on Nautilus processes and procedures.

Members or their families calling the UK, Netherlands or Swiss branch office numbers after normal business hours will hear a recorded message referring them to the freephone service for urgent enquiries. g To find the freephone number, use the list on the Nautilus 24/7 page on the website: www. nautilusint.org. The Nautilus 247 page link is visible and clickable from the logo on the homepage.

Training courses for the maritime and offshore industries

Merchant Navy Operations (Deck) Certificate of Competency Officer of the Watch (Unlimited) Jan, May & Sept intakes Chief Mate/Masters (Unlimited) Jan & Sep intakes Master Mariner (Unlimited) Orals Prep Mar & Oct intakes Shipboard Safety Officer Master Mariner (200Gt) Orals Prep (2 weeks) Shipboard Security Officer STCW Safety 5 day STCW Basic Safety Training Personal Survival Techniques Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities Elementary First Aid Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting Advanced Fire Fighting Efficient Deck Hand Man Over Board / Rib Capsize Drills IMDG awareness

48_news.indd 48

Navigation NAEST (O) & (M) ECDIS generic and type specific Medical and First Aid Bridge Team Management Medical First Aid Onboard Ship Pre ARPA and ARPA Medical Care Onboard Ship (and Refresher) SVNR HSE Offshore First Aid (and Refresher) Tanker HSE First Aid at Work (and Refresher) Tanker Familiarisation HSE Emergency First Aid at Work Specialist Tanker Training (Oil) Radio Dynamic Positioning GMDSS GOC/ROC/LRC/CAA DP Induction VHF Short Range Certificate DP Simulator DP Introduction

Offshore Oil & Gas OIM Management of Major Emergencies CRO Controlling Emergencies Command & Control for ERRVs Masters & Mates Oil Spill Crisis Management (OPRC) COMPEX EX01 to EX04 Offshore Wind 5 day Wind Energy Safety Training Working at Height & Rescue (RUK) Advanced Rescue Climbing Awareness Marine Transfer Confined Space Entry & Rescue

Facilities for Hire Environmental Pool (wave, wind, rain) Marine Transfer Ladder Full Mission Ship’s Bridge Simulator Dynamic Positioning Simulator Offshore Control Room Simulator

Lowestoft College, St Peters Street, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 2NB United Kingdom

Tel:

00 44 1502 525025

Email: maritime@lowestoft.ac.uk Web: www.lowestoft.ac.uk/maritime.asp

Accredited by

16/07/2014 17:41