Nautilus Telegraph June 2016

Remote control New centre brings ‘smart’ ships even closer to reality 21

Good connections Inmarsat predicts big leap forward in crew comms 19

NL nieuws Vier pagina’s met nieuws uit Nederland 34-37

Volume 49 | Number 06 | June 2016 | £3.50 €3.70

German cruiseship company lays claim to a dual-fuel ‘first’ to the UK port of Southampton F last month is the Italian-flagged Pictured making a maiden call

AIDAprima, which has staked a claim as the world’s first dual-fuel cruiseship.

The largest vessel in the Carnival group’s Aida Cruises fleet, the 125,572gt AIDAprima was built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and will be followed by a sistership, AIDAperla. Tailored to the German market, the ships can carry up to 3,300 passengers and more than 900 crew.

AIDAprima incorporates a wide range of ‘green’ features, including a specially-designed hull form and the Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System — an under-hull air bubbling system that reduces frictional resistance in the water.

Officer famine set to rise to 147,500 Owners warned against complacency as study predicts rising gap between supply and demand

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Nautilus is urging the shipping industry to act on the findings of a new study which warns that the global shortage of deck and engineer officers is set to grow over the next decade.

Research into worldwide supply and demand for seafarers published by the shipowner organisations the International Chamber of Shipping and BIMCO last month estimates the current shortfall in officer numbers at 16,500 — and warns that it could rise to 92,000 by 2020.

The study — which is the latest in a series published at five-yearly intervals since 1990 — forecasts that the shortage of officers could soar to over 147,000, based on current trends, and it calls for ‘concerted efforts and measures to address key manpower issues’.

The report notes that training has increased over the past five years and owners have also managed to improve retention rates, meaning that the number of

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officers has risen by around 24% in this period, following a 34% increase between 2000 and 2005.

Researchers found that differences in working patterns mean that the industry’s demand for officers is now outstripping demand for ratings. The number of ratings has risen by just 1% since 2010, and the study suggests there is a global surplus of around 119,000 at present.

While the 2.1% gap between officer supply and demand is described as ‘manageable’ at present, researchers found evidence of particular problems in recruiting chief engineers and second engineers, as well as officers qualified to serve on chemical tankers and gas carriers.

They said evidence that the labour market is in a healthy state came from a survey of seafarers, which found that almost 25% believed they could find a new job at sea within one month and almost 45% within one to three months. More than 50% said

they were happy or very happy with life at sea, and more than 70% said they expected to work at sea for between five to 20 years.

Presenting the results at the International Maritime Organisation, BIMCO chief marine technical officer Aron Sørensen said they are based on detailed feedback from 45 different flag states, shipping companies, crewing agencies and maritime colleges and he was confident they represent ‘the best possible estimates available’.

The study shows that China has overtaken the Philippines as the number one seafarer supply nation, and that there has been further decline in the proportion coming from OECD countries.

It assesses a wide range of factors which influence seafarer supply and demand — including fleet growth, manning levels, and wastage rates — to present a range of scenarios for the next decade.

Stewart Inglis, senior advisor with the ICS, described the current officer shortage

as ‘modest’ — but warned that demand looks set to rise by 12% over the next five years and by a further 8% between 2020 and 2025. ‘This could turn a manageable shortage into a more serious shortage,’ he stressed.

‘The industry should not expect an abundant supply of qualified officers in the future without considerable efforts to promote careers at sea, to enhance training worldwide and to retain qualified personnel,’ Mr Inglis added.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘This is a very welcome report which underlines the huge challenges faced by the industry in maintaining an adequate quantity — and quality — of officers for the world merchant fleet.

It is imperative that owners take note and invest in the high calibre personnel that they need for safe and efficient ship operations.’ g Full report — see pages 22-23.

The ship has three MaK 12M43C diesel engines and a single 12M46DF dual-fuel derivative that enables LNG operation while the vessel is in port.

The vessel also features a threestep onboard system for exhaust after-treatment which treats NOx with a catalyser, SOx with scrubbers and reduces particulate matter, soot and fuel residues in a filter system — cutting emissions of such substances by between 85% to 99%.

The propulsion system will include two new ABB Azipod XO azimuthing podded propulsors, each rated at 14MW, increasing hydrodynamic efficiency.

With a home port of Hamburg, AIDAprima will operate seven-day cruises throughout western Europe.

Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

Inside F A credit to you

All you need to know about the proposed Nautilus Credit Union — page 24 F Piracy warning

Experts warn of growth in crew kidnap for ransom cases in the Gulf of Guinea — pages 26-27

F Swiss surprise

75th anniversary of the Swiss merchant fleet is celebrated in the port of Basel — page 29

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02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Deal set to boost welfare centre Unions step up EU’s Plans for Gibson House site will provide new homes for retired seafarers fair transport lobby P F Nautilus attended a Fair Transport Europe campaign briefing at the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) headquarters in London last month.

Members still have time to back the campaign petition calling for fair transport and better jobs for all workers in the European transport sector — including shipping and inland waterways.

The ambitious Fair Transport Europe campaign — run by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) — needs one million signatures by September 2016 in order to persuade the European Commission to consider measures to tighten EU laws.

The ETF wants Euro-MPs to act against unfair business practices such as employing migrant workers in deplorable working conditions for

cheap wages, or using bogus selfemployed workers— commonly referred to as ‘social dumping’.

These practices are not just a problem for national workers whose working conditions and tax schemes are undermined, but also represent unfair competition for law-abiding companies, the campaign argues.

The ETF is asking for a revamped directive to regulate pay and conditions onboard ships operating regular services between member states and to ‘prevent the downwards spiral in salaries and discriminatory practices on grounds of nationality’. It also calls for loopholes to be closed to ensure that state aid for shipping is more closely tied to the employment and training in the industry and to combat fatigue in the sector.

Research will assess MLC’s effectiveness launch of a major research A project to assess the effectiveness Nautilus has welcomed the

of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) since it came into effect in August 2013.

The in-depth study has been commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and will assess both the implementation and the enforcement of the convention, which is often referred to as ‘the bill of rights’ for seafarers and the ‘fourth pillar’ of global shipping regulation.

The work will be carried out by Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI), an independent research centre, and is expected to take around two years to complete. It aims to provide results that are ‘truly global, rigorous and authoritative’ and which will provide the basis for an annual assessment of the ongoing effectiveness of the MLC. Former Nautilus general secretary Brian Orrell, who chairs SRI’s advisory board and who led the seafarers’ side in the negotiations that led to the MLC, said all sides of the industry had hoped the MLC would deliver minimum international standards for seafarers while ensuring a level playing field for shipowners. ‘Now is the time to assess how effective efforts have been to implement and enforce the convention,’ he added.

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ITF seafarers’ section chair Dave Heindel commented: ‘Although the ITF is delighted that the convention is now in force, there is a clear need for a critical evaluation of its implementation and enforcement.

Both port state control and ITF inspectors have reported numerous breaches of the MLC. That’s why we’ve decided to commission SRI to do a thorough study to assess its effectiveness, and identify any areas where it may need strengthening.

‘The MLC is a fine, pioneering achievement of which all of those who supported it can be proud,’ he added.

‘But there is no room for complacency.

We’ve said all along that its enforcement and effectiveness must be monitored and checked. We’re glad to be supporting that aim.’

Charles Boyle, director of Nautilus legal services, added: ‘This is a very welcome project. It’s now a few years since the MLC came into force so it will be very interesting to see, after such an authoritative study, the extent to which it is implemented and enforced.

We look forward to the conclusions and annual assessments thereafter.’

The ITF said it had discussed the possibility of doing a joint project with the owners’ organisation, the International Chamber of Shipping, but it had been decided that the ITF would commission the study.

Nautilus is poised to secure a major new addition to its welfare facilities for retired seafarers under plans to redevelop the Gibson House site adjoining the Mariners’ Park Estate on the banks of the river Mersey.

Following extensive discussions with planning officials and developers, a scheme has been proposed to retain the 110-year-old building while also increasing the specialist accommodation provided by the Union to former seafarers and their dependants.

The Nautilus Welfare Fund charity had been ‘reluctantly’ planning to demolish the Andrew Gibson Memorial Home, which was originally built for the widows of seafarers but had been unused for over a decade because of the severe problems in upgrading it to modern-day standards.

However, under an agreement between the Fund, Wirral Council and the developer Prospect Capital, the council and the charity will sell land to the company to create a larger and more viable site for development. As well as seeing Gibson House refurbished into apartments, retaining the existing structure, the

Project for women’s strategy F

Nautilus members have been invited to assist a joint project launched by the World Maritime University (WMU) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in developing a global strategy for women seafarers.

The initiative has been taken as part of work to implement the 2013 Busan Declaration — adopted by an IMO regional conference in South Korea in a bid to encourage ‘equitable seafaring career opportunities for both women and men’ — noting that women account for less than 2% of the maritime labour force.

The project is seeking to produce ‘an aligned roadmap’ for maritime administrations, shipping companies, crewing agencies and seafarers to boost the number of women seafarers around the world — in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

The unified approach aims to raise awareness of the role of women in the shipping industry and to encourage stakeholders to participate in gender-sensitive policy development to support their access to maritime education and professions. g Nautilus members are invited to support the project by submitting case studies of good practice, positive policies and photographs showing women seafarers at work to Dr Momoko Kitada, at the World Maritime University — email mk@ wmu.se — by no later than 16 June.

plan will include the construction of between 26 and 28 new state-of-the-art apartments for Nautilus Welfare Fund beneficiaries in a new development overlooking the River Mersey.

The new accommodation will be available for rent, at the same charges as other properties at Mariners’ Park, and will be mainly twobedroomed apartments with a balcony, wheelchair accessibility and an open-plan kitchen.

The residents will have full access to all the services and facilities at Mariners’ Park.

Detailed plans are now being drawn up and a planning application for the scheme is due to be submitted in the summer. It is hoped that a decision could be given by late September or early October. If the go-ahead is given, work will be carried out on a phased basis with the refurbishment of Gibson House to be carried out first and the new NWF accommodation to be completed by late 2018.

‘Much work still needs to be done to bring these plans to fruition, but we are very excited about the potential for such a “win-win” scheme,’ said Nautilus welfare services manager Mick Howarth.

‘Not only will the scheme save a much-

loved local landmark, but it will also provide us with the brand new accommodation we need,’ he added. ‘Demand for accommodation at Mariners’ Park continues to outstrip supply, and these additional apartments will help to reduce a waiting list which currently stands at almost 100.’

Assistant general secretary Mike Jess added: ‘There is a long history at Mariners’ Park of expanding and modernising our provision to meet the changing needs of retired merchant mariners and this latest development will ensure we can meet the demand for accommodation for many years to come.’

Prospect Capital managing director Craig Blackwell commented: ‘As someone born and brought up in the area, I really wanted to see this building saved. It’s such an important piece of shared history and is really cherished by people in the area because of its architecture and what it signifies in terms of the area’s maritime heritage. There was a fantastic amount of goodwill from Nautilus and Wirral Council and together we have come up with a solution that saves the building and works for all parties.’

Top marks for e-learning @Sea courses have won the F ‘Investment in People’ category at

The Marine Society’s innovative

the 2016 Seatrade Awards — a global recognition scheme backed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Featured several times in the Telegraph, the @Sea apps are maritime-themed e-learning courses designed specifically for seafarers, to help improve their basic understanding of maths and English using nautical language and examples.

The courses — Maths@Sea Maths@Sea+, and Writing@ Sea — have already been praised by maritime employers for their usefulness in helping new recruits fill gaps in their knowledge, and they are also used to help Nautilus Slater Fund scholars ease back into academic study before embarking on officer training as mature students.

Seatrade’s Investment in People award recognises a ‘significant contribution to the recruitment, training, retention and advancement of the industry’s most valuable asset,

its people’. The Marine Society was chosen as this year’s winner by a panel chaired by International Maritime Organisation secretary-general Kitack Lim. ‘We are delighted to win this prestigious award,’ said Mark Windsor, director of lifelong learning at the Marine Society. ‘To be acknowledged by a panel of industry experts validates all the hard work we have done so far for seafarers.’ g For more information on the courses, visit the website: www. marine-society.org.

Nautilus hails safety-minded students this year’s Plymouth University F student maritime safety conference.

Pictured above are students at

Held on 21 April at the university’s Maritime Station, the event saw 23 students making presentations on a variety of issues affecting the industry.

Subjects covered included the

privatisation of the UK search and rescue service, the effect of bridge emergency alarms on watchkeeping officer decision-making, and the reliance on electronic navigation onboard small vessels.

Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard attended the meeting and he praised the students

for their work. ‘The standard of the presentations and research that has been undertaken by the students is very impressive. I’d like to congratulate them all on making the conference a very enjoyable one to attend,’ he added. ‘If this is the standard of education, the future of the industry is in safe hands.’

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June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Unions cement global legal links gathered together in London A last month to continue work on Unions from seven countries

the creation of the Joint Assistance and Support Network (JASoN) and discuss activities in the International Maritime Organisation — particularly those relating to the development of autonomous vessels.

Pictured right are Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson and director of legal services Charles Boyle leading the discussion on the cooperation arrangements for the provision of practical assistance including legal support to members of unions in the Nautilus Federation (a group of 13 maritime unions from the US, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia).

The network aims to ensure that all members are afforded the protection of the IMO/ILO Fair Treatment Guidelines and the IMO Marine Casualty Investigation Code in maritime incidents. So that all members are able to access the support in times of need, the unions are considering joining the Nautilus 24/7 service, which is currently only available to members of Nautilus International.

The meeting discussed the developments relating to autonomous vessels and the need to be fully engaged with this issue to ensure the views of maritime professionals are heard. Although it is unlikely that unmanned vessels will be allowed to trade internationally for some considerable time, there are advanced proposals affecting inland waterways which could see

unmanned barges being deployed on the rivers of Europe.

‘We need to monitor these developments very closely and make sure that the voice of maritime professionals is being heard. The social and environmental impact of autonomous or unmanned ships needs to be heard in the debate and that’s what we must now seek to ensure,’ said Mr Dickinson.

Commenting on the outcome of the discussions on JASoN, Mr Boyle said: ‘We hope that before too long the cooperation arrangements can be launched, with the aim of ensuring that a broader and deeper level of practical support can be provided to members. It is also anticipated that the member unions can benefit from the pooling of resources and the sharing of costs.’

Minister urged to act on jobs MP raises Nautilus concerns over UK certificates of equivalent competency

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Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson met Orkney & Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael last month to discuss the North Sea jobs crisis and UK support for maritime training.

Mr Dickinson told the Liberal Democrat MP that the maritime industry was standing on a precipice as a consequence of the advancing average age of UK seafarers combined with the lack of protection for UK seafarers working in the North Sea. Mr Carmichael acknowledged the problem and said that his constituency probably had more seafarers per constituent than any other in the UK. He said he had already spoken to a number of local Nautilus members about their concerns.

Mr Carmichael put an Early Day Motion to parliament calling on the government to review the recruitment practices of UK shipping companies and to assess the impact that redundancies in the North Sea are having on the UK maritime industry.

Mr Dickinson raised the issue of Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) funding and the lack of any current commitment from companies on the tonnage tax scheme to provide a first trip to newly-qualified seafarers, and he urged Mr Carmichael to support calls to increase SMarT funding to cover 100% of costs.

Mr Dickinson and Mr Carmichael agreed that more MPs need to be made aware of the situation, and pledged to look at ways to work together in the future to raise questions and possibly host

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Mark Dickinson meets Alistair Carmichael at the House of Commons last month Picture: Debbie Cavaldoro

a parliamentary group dedicated to UK maritime skills.

Mr Carmichael also agreed to support the Union’s call for a review of certificates of equivalent competency, which is due to be launched in the next parliamentary session as part of the Jobs, Skills and the Future campaign.

Following the meeting, Mr

Dickinson said that he was very pleased with the outcome.

‘Mr Carmichael was genuinely interested in the issues that we raised and has clearly listened to our members in his constituency who contacted him to raise their concerns,’ he said.

‘Nautilus has been concerned for some time that the government is not giving the maritime

industry the attention it deserves, especially in light of the job losses in the North Sea. To have an MP who is committed to supporting his constituents who work in this sector is refreshing, and I hope that we can work together in the future.’

Mr Carmichael followed up the meeting by tabling a Parliamentary question asking the government what it was doing to halt job losses among British seafarers.

‘In particular, will the minister with responsibility for shipping have a look at how some of our regulation operates here?’ he asked.

‘My constituents tell me that the operation of the certificates of equivalent competency, for example, are putting them at a disadvantage compared with seafarers from other parts of the world.’

In reply, shipping minister Robert Goodwill acknowledged that the UK has ‘the best-qualified seamen in the world’ and credited this in part to the tonnage tax scheme and the SMarT support ‘It is of concern if less-qualified people are taking jobs,’ he admitted.

‘I know that there are particular problems in the North Sea with regard to jobs being cut.’

Mr Carmichael welcomed an offer from the minister to meet to discuss his concerns in more detail.

‘The minister is right to praise our seafarers for their professionalism, but that is worth nothing if they are squeezed out of jobs by people who do not need the same level of qualification,’ he added.

shortreports CONTAINER ALLIANCE: six container shipping operators have joined forces to create a new vesselsharing alliance on the main east-west trades. Dubbed ‘The Alliance’, the agreement brings together the German operator Hapag-Lloyd with NYK, MOL and K-Line of Japan, South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping and Taiwan’s Yang Ming Marine Transport. The partnership — which represents around 18% of global boxship capacity — is scheduled to begin operation in April 2017, subject to regulatory approval.

CONFERENCE OFFER: Nautilus members are being offered discount rates to attend the two-day Investinblue event showcasing the maritime sector to UK and overseas investors. Taking place at the Liverpool exhibition centre on 15 and 16 June, the event will include an exhibition, official drinks reception and two networking lunches, as well as a series of speakers including UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Guy Platten and Peel Ports CEO Mark Whitworth. For more details, contact +44 (0)20 3588 5175 or email info@nmdg. co.uk COMPETENCE CALL: shipping companies should encourage seafarers to use their initiative rather than monitoring them through a ‘tick-box’ culture, the head of the International Ship Managers’ Association said last month. Speaking at the two-day Crew Connect Europe conference, InterManager secretary-general Captain Kuba Szymanski said the industry must stop overloading masters and officers with menial tasks and should ‘get the technology to work for the seafarers, not against them’.

GOAL STANDARD: the International Maritime Organisation has given the green light to the ‘goal-based’ standards applied by 12 leading classification societies in setting construction rules for oil tankers and bulk carriers.

IMO secretary-general Kaitack Lim said the decision was significant, as it will give the UN agency direct oversight of classification society rules for the first time.

SHORTSEA CALL: European shipowners have called for EU member states to do more to encourage the use of shortsea shipping. The European Community Shipowners’ Associations said it wanted to see the administrative burden reduced through a ‘single market’ for shipping within the EU, which would also reduce stress and workload for seafarers.

SKIPPER JAILED: a UK fishing vessel skipper has been jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to not operating his boat in a safe manner. The prosecution was brought by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency after a series of deficiencies were found onboard the vessel, St Amant, between November 2007 and April 2012.

EMISSION DEAL: the International Maritime Organisation’s marine environment protection committee has agreed proposals for a mandatory system for collecting CO2 emissions data from shipping. The scheme will require ships of 5,000gt and above to record and report their fuel consumption.

MASTER SUMMONSED: the Ukrainian master of the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Thisseas has been summonsed to appear before a French court to answer charges that his vessel polluted waters off Brittany after experts determined that there were no problems with the ship’s oily water separator.

SCILLY RESCUE: nearly 50 people were rescued from the passenger ferry The Surprise after it began taking on water off the Isles of Scilly last month. The search and rescue helicopters were scrambled, and all 48 passengers were recovered safely onto the St Mary’s lifeboat.

PORT BAN: a Moldova-flagged general cargoship has been banned from European ports for three months after failing its third port state control inspection in two years. The 32-year-old River Pride (built 1984) was detained in the Bulgarian port of Varna with a total of 23 defects.

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04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports HAL GRIEVANCE: Nautilus has submitted a collective grievance on behalf of members employed

by Marine Manpower Services (Guernsey) and HAL Beheer on Holland America Line Ships. The grievance relates to the removal of the trunk allowance without adequate communication and consultation, as well as a substantial price rise for drinks. The company is looking to arrange a meeting with the Union.

FMS MEETING: a meeting has been arranged for members employed by Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) and serving as deck and technical officers on Cunard and P&O Cruises vessels, following on from a working group meeting held in April. The meeting will take place on 10 June and will help the Union prepare for the start of its pay talks with the company.

More talks on RFA pay offer Union visits ships to gather fresh feedback from officers

CEMEX VACANCIES: three liaison officer positions remain vacant for members employed by Cemex UK Marine. The Union is seeking nominations for lay reps onboard Sand Falcon, Sand Fulmar and Welsh Piper. A fourth position onboard Sand Heron has been filled by incoming rep Adam Lambert.

HEYN REJECTION: a 0.5% pay offer has been overwhelmingly rejected by members employed by Heyn Engineering Solutions onboard RV Corystes. Industrial organiser Lisa Carr has now written to the company to request a further meeting and is expecting to meet members before this takes place.

WOMEN’S FORUM: the next Nautilus Women’s Forum has been scheduled for Saturday 25 June in London at ITF House. The forum, which will take place on the morning of Day of the Seafarer, will give women members the chance to discuss issues affecting them.

PLA LIAISON: a vacancy for a Nautilus liaison officer for VTS officer members employed by the Port of London Authority has been filled. Colin Lock has taken up the role, which commenced on 1 April 2016 and will run until 31 March 2019.

WESTMINSTER CLAIM: following feedback from members employed by Boskalis Westminster, Nautilus has submitted a pay claim seeking a substantial pay rise above RPI. The Union has requested early talks with management.

FISHER OFFER: a revised 1.5% pay offer has been made by James Fisher after Nautilus rejected an initial package tabled by management. Members are now being consulted and the results will be known early in June.

SEATRUCK ROLES: Nautilus is seeking nominations for liaison officer roles from members employed by Seaway Manning Services (Guernsey) onboard 10 Seatruck Ferries.

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04-05_at work.indd 4

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Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard and liaison officer Russell Downs are pictured visiting members onboard RFA Fort Rosalie in Portland on 12 May

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Nautilus International has begun a series of ship visits to gather feedback from Royal Fleet Auxiliary members on developments in this year’s pay and conditions negotiations.

The Union is conducting the consultations after receiving a detailed response from RFA Commodore Duncan Lamb following a meeting to discuss the overwhelming vote by members to reject a government-imposed 1% pay offer.

In his letter to Nautilus, Cmdre Lamb said the RFA was ‘committed to improving the management of our seafarers’ and he promised to ‘sit down with the

Nautilus rep face-to-face every month to personally tackle some of the concerns’.

Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard said the talks had been held in an attempt to resolve the impasse on pay and to avoid a dispute situation.

Issues discussed did not just surround rates of pay, he added, but also addressed other major concerns to members, such as grade development and the continued reduction of benefits.

He said the RFA had confirmed that it will pay for all training costs, including revalidation of certificates, and will look to provide career development through appropriate courses and the

placement of junior officers outside the RFA. Management had also assured the Union that all options are being explored to safeguard future manpower levels and there had been some movement on fringe benefits, Mr Havard added.

In the light of the assurances, Nautilus had decided to seek further feedback from members, he pointed out.

‘We are exploring every avenue in order to bring improvements to members’ terms and conditions of service without the need for members to engage in any form of industrial action, which is an action of last resort,’ Mr Havard stressed.

Cruiseship pensions agreed discussions on the P&O A Princess Cruises pension scheme Nautilus has concluded

after management agreed to adopt counter-proposals tabled by members.

Feedback from more than 170 members employed by Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) had shown only three objections to the proposals, which affect members serving on Cunard and P&O Cruises vessels.

The counter-proposals agreed by the company included a request that if members can demonstrate they had received their lifetime allowance during the three-year period, they will be allowed to switch from pension contributions to the salary supplement during the same period rather than needing to wait until the end of it.

It was also agreed that if members choose to receive the salary supplement, rather than the pension contributions, they will be able make periodic one-off contributions to the scheme through the payroll.

The changes will take effect on 1 June, and Nautilus industrial organiser Paul Schroder commented: ‘While we are disappointed at the closure of the defined benefit scheme, this is one of the fairest and most robust defined contribution schemes that we are aware of .’

MNOPF site is refreshed Pension Fund has announced F the launch of its refreshed website — The Merchant Navy Officers’

TUC warns over new union law controversial Trade Union Bill — F described as posing ‘a serious threat The UK government’s

to good industrial relations’ by the general secretary of the TUC — passed into law during May. The Bill became law last month after a series of amendments were accepted by the government — including an agreement to hold an independent review of electronic ballots for strike action. Nautilus has been campaigning for unions to be allowed to make greater use of electronic ballots — and took a motion on the issue to the 2013 TUC conference.

The new law will mean that industrial action can only go ahead if there has been a ballot turn-out of at least 50%. In certain public services — including the health, education, transport, border security and fire sectors — an additional threshold of 40% of support to take industrial action from all eligible members must be met for any action to be legal.

The TUC expressed extreme disappointment at the outcome.

‘While we are pleased to have secured significant changes to the Trade Union Bill, it still remains a very bad and divisive bill,’ said general secretary Frances O’Grady.

Nautilus industrial organiser Lisa Carr is pictured with LCT Support Services liaison officers James Harrison and Pat Johns and members in Newhaven before talks on this year’s pay and conditions claim. Following the meeting, management tabled a 1% pay offer and a 1% increase in the tug allowance. Consultation results will be known early in June.

www.mnopf.co.uk.

The new site is member-focused and provides members of both the defined benefit section of the MNOPF and the defined contribution section — the Ensign Retirement Plan (for the MNOPF) — with information about their benefits, options at retirement, upcoming events and all the latest MNOPF news.

The MNOPF says it hopes that users will find the new site easy to navigate and full of useful information and links to relevant external content.

Marching for diversity in this year’s LGBT Pride parade F in London have been invited to Members wishing to take part

industrial organiser Paul F Schroder with Captain Terry Byrne Pictured above are Nautilus

(second left) and members during a visit to Cefas Endeavour last month.

The visit meeting came as Nautilus consulted members employed by P&O Maritime

Services onboard the vessel on this year’s pay and conditions offer— an improved 2% increase, which will be backdated to 1 April 2016.

The company said it was unable to make DP payments, but was investigating improved internet services.

contact Nautilus.

The Union’s participation in the event, on 25 June, will help build on the motion on equality and diversity tabled by members of the Young Maritime Professionals Forum at the 2015 General Meeting.

Senior assistant organiser Danny McGowan is urging members to show their support. He said: ‘This will be the first time the Union has taken part in the LGBT Pride Parade and it’s a great opportunity for our members to demonstrate their support for equality.’ g If you would like to attend, email: dmcgowan@nautilusint.org

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June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 05

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports

organisers Lisa Carr and Paul Schroder F and senior assistant organiser Danny McGowan Pictured above are Nautilus industrial

meeting members employed by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) onboard

the research vessels James Cook, left, and Discovery, right.

The visits came as members were being consulted on proposals for new NERC marine pay for seafarers serving on National Oceanography

Centre and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) ships.

As well as providing a minimum 1% pay increase, effective from July 2015, the package includes a new simplified and single pay structure for NOC and BAS.

Union wins key tribunal ruling Judgment on jurisdiction is ‘a victory for common sense’, says Nautilus

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Nautilus has welcomed a highly significant employment appeal tribunal judgment upholding a member’s right to claim unfair dismissal even though he served on ships that operated predominantly outside UK waters.

The member was a passengership master, living in the UK and serving on a US-owned ship that spent summer seasons in European waters and winters in the Caribbean. He had been recruited by a UK-based company and employed by a firm based in the Channel Islands.

Management had appealed against an employment tribunal decision that it had the jurisdiction to hear the member’s claim of unfair dismissal — arguing that the master was not covered

by UK employment law because his ‘base’ was the port at which his voyages began.

Lawyers for the company argued that the tribunal had been wrong to determine that the member’s tours of duty started

and ended at Heathrow airport, when he flew to and from his vessel.

But in a ruling delivered last month, Mrs Justice Elisabeth Laing backed the arguments put forward by Nautilus lawyers on behalf of the member. The judge noted that the master’s disciplinary procedure had been conducted in Dover and his appeal against dismissal had been heard at Gatwick.

The member’s contract of employment and the collective agreement incorporated into it both had clauses providing that English law applied to it, and the disciplinary procedures were also covered by a British collective agreement.

Justice Laing noted a previous case, involving an airline pilot, in which a court ruled that the fact that he spent his hours of duty flying around the world did not exclude him from UK jurisdiction — this was because his tours of duty began and ended in the UK. And she also pointed to

another case which had highlighted the argument that employees should have UK employment rights if there is an ‘overwhelmingly closer connection with Britain and with British employment law than with any other system of law’.

The judge said the tribunal had been right to decide that the place where the ship is registered is not a key factor in deciding the right to employment law protection and that ‘the relevant question is where the employee is based, not the employer’.

Nautilus head of legal services Charles Boyle said he was delighted by the judge’s decision. ‘Members will be all-too aware of the long history of cases in which seafarers have been denied the protections extended to workers ashore, but the Union has been actively campaigning against such discrimination and it is good to see another judgment upholding the arguments we have made. This is a victory not just for our member and the

Union, but also a victory for common sense,’ he added. ‘The judgment is extremely thorough and takes account of all the recent developments in legislation and case law which have influenced the issue of jurisdiction for seafarers’ claims.

‘In particular, the judgment confirms that the factors which go towards determining the “base test” for seafarers include whether a seafarer is being paid from the point they arrive at the UK airport from which they leave to join their vessel,’ Mr Boyle said.

‘The company tried to argue that what matters is the place where they join their vessel to start work — which, for cruiseships, will usually be outside the UK. The judge decided that what matters was where the tour of duty began — for example, being paid at the airport — rather than the point where work as a seafarer began on the vessel,’ he explained.

‘This line of reasoning will help establish jurisdiction for many of our members.’

Dover discussions over P&O’s VDR protocol organiser Micky Smyth and F professional and technical assistant Nautilus national ferry

David Appleton are pictured with P&O Ferries LOC chair Paul Dilks at the company’s head office in Dover last month.

The meeting was held to discuss recent events on the shortsea services and to consider the Nautilus/ company voyage data record (VDR) protocol. It was followed by a further visit to Channel House by the Union’s senior national secretary Allan Graveson.

04-05_at work.indd 5

National ferry organiser Micky Smyth said Nautilus is determined to see that safety is paramount in the industry and believes that other companies should adopt the VDR protocol as a model to ensure that the highest standards are maintained.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson and national ferry organiser Micky Smyth will visiting a number of P&O ferries in Dover on 2 and 3 June to speak to members about any issues that they have, as part of a programme in support of the Union’s ‘fair ferries’ campaign.

ORKNEY STUDY: Nautilus officials have met with other unions and representatives of Orkney Ferries to discuss the findings of a comparability study. During the meeting the unions proposed that annual leave for members should be harmonised at 28 days a year — instead of the current 21 days. Issues surrounding officers’ pay differentials would be resolved once other topics have been addressed. Nautilus said that it would be in favour, subject to members’ views, of a twoor three-year pay deal. A further meeting will now take place on 6 June at the company’s offices.

SERCO SCHEDULE: Nautilus national ferry organiser Micky Smyth and liaison officer Sean Smith attended a meeting with company representatives onboard Hjatland last month. The meeting was held to discuss the company’s responses to specific concerns about the proposed schedule of employment. Members were advised of the company’s position on the sickness scheme, banked days, training days, first class travel and scholarship scheme. A number of ship visits were also taking place as the Telegraph went to print.

STENA REJECTION: members serving with Stena Line (North Sea) have voted to reject a proposed new starting salary scale for junior officers. National ferry organiser Micky Smyth has informed the company about the result. Future ship visits are planned by both the employer and the Union to discuss the single procedural agreement and proposed new starting salary scales for new entrant junior officers.

NLB TALKS: Nautilus met Northern Lighthouse Board and UK Treasury officials last month to discuss the 2015 pay review. Following the meeting, Nautilus industrial officer Derek Byrne was advised that further information is being requested by the Treasury and there is no indication when a decision will be made.

MAERSK TANKERS: a pay offer for members employed by Maersk Offshore (Guernsey) and serving on tanker vessels has been received by Nautilus. Members have been consulted on the offer, which includes a 1% increase backdated to 1 January 2016, and also proposes a single tier scale for all tanker officers.

SVITZER MEETING: Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard is planning to meet with Unite and Svitzer Marine to discuss the Union’s proposal of dual recognition for members working at the company’s Belfast port. An update will be issued once the meeting has taken place.

MSC VIEWS: Nautilus has received aspirations from members employed by Marine Scotland Compliance as part of the 2016 pay and conditions review, which is due on 1 August. These will now form part of the Union’s pay submission when it makes a formal claim to management.

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18/05/2016 18:01

06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports TECHNIP REJECTION: members employed

by Technip (Singapore) have voted to reject revised redundancy terms following consultations. During a meeting in April the company proposed the new terms in order to ensure that future redundancy payments are equitable and in line with current legislation. National secretary Steve Doran is due to meet with Technip management soon to hold further discussions.

DEEP FREEZE: Nautilus has reluctantly accepted a pay freeze on behalf of members serving with Deep Ocean (Guernsey). Industrial organiser Derek Byrne said the Union had decided not to pursue the claim in the context of the offshore market and the company’s current position, together with feedback from members suggesting there is no strong desire to consider taking any form of action.

SUBSEA CHANGES: following consultations with members employed by Subsea 7, Nautilus has reluctantly accepted a package of contract changes. The changes will see a 10% reduction on base salary and pension contributions paid on the new rates. The subsistence and members’ travel policy will also be reviewed along with the company sick pay arrangements.

TOTAL WELCOME: Oil & Gas UK has welcomed the launch by Total last month of a £3.5bn gas project in the Shetland Islands. The Shetland Gas Plant, which cost £3.5bn, will provide the UK market with 8% of its daily gas requirements and was described by energy minister Amber Rudd as ‘ a vote of confidence in the offshore oil and gas industry’.

MAERSK MEETS: Nautilus is set to have a Partnership at Work (PAW) meeting to consider the 2016 pay, terms and conditions review for members employed

by Maersk Offshore (Guernsey) and serving on supply vessels. National secretary Steve Doran said feedback from members will help to shape the meeting’s agenda.

FARSTAD LIAISON: members employed

by Farstad Crewing services (Singapore) have been reminded that a Nautilus liaison officer position is still available. The Union is looking for a member to fill the navigating officer vacancy and is asking for nominations to be made.

VROON TALKS: members serving on vessels owned or operated by Vroon Offshore have been asked to give Nautilus feedback on any issues they would like to be discussed at a meeting with Deeside Guernsey at the company’s offices in Aberdeen on Friday 27 May. CHOPPER CURBS: civil aviation authorities in the UK and Norway have introduced restrictions on the operation of Airbus EC225LP and AS332L2 Super Puma helicopters following a crash in Norway in which 13 people died.

DEATH PROBED: an investigation has been launched after a Filipino crewman from the pipelay vessel Deep Energy died following a quayside accident in the Scottish port of Invergordon.

Bid to reduce redundancy risk at Seacor

Work starts on Clyde training centre million-pound marine and F offshore training centre in Scotland Work to build a new multi-

F

Nautilus has been taking part in talks that aim to reduce the threat of compulsory redundancies among members serving with Seacor Marine (Guernsey) in the BPOS fleet.

The company announced a 30-day consultation on job losses affecting up to 20 members serving on the standby vessel Putford Artemis, which has gone into lay-up.

But, following talks with the Union, management agreed to consider seeking voluntary redundancies in the first instance.

As a result of this, 11 members are now being relocated to other vessels — leaving nine still facing the prospect of compulsory redundancy.

Industrial organiser Lisa Carr said it was a positive step in less than ideal circumstances. ‘I’m pleased that we were able to work with Seacor Marine to safeguard as many jobs as possible,’ she said. ‘Despite this, nine people are still being made redundant. We will continue to try to ensure the best possible outcome available.’

Fresh threat of Sealion job losses Seahorse Maritime and serving F on Sealion vessels are facing the More seafarers employed by

prospect of compulsory redundancy following the lay-up of an additional two vessels last month.

Toisa Pegasus and Toisa Pisces joined Toisa Serenade in cold lay-up, putting more members at risk as the company looks at fresh cost-cutting measures.

Letters have been issued

by Seahorse Maritime to those members at risk and the company has stated its concern that this redundancy process will be affecting many long-serving senior personnel.

Nautilus industrial organiser Lisa Carr has been in regular contact with the company in a bid to reduce the impact of redundancies and is asking those affected to contact the Union to discuss their concerns.

‘This is an ongoing issue that we’re seeing affect more and more of the offshore market, and it is our members who are suffering as a result,’ she explained.

‘I’m asking members who have suggestions for different ways to meet these financial challenges to come forward with their ideas, and for anyone who has been put at risk, or who has concerns, to contact me to discuss them.’

Dig it: Clyde Group MD Joyce Downie and director Colin McMurray with councillor Patrick McGlinchey at the site of the new training centre

started earlier this month.

The £3.5m centre — based in Clydebank, Greater Glasgow — is being built for Clyde Training Solutions and will provide mandatory and safety training courses accredited by the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO).

The centre will house multiple classrooms, a training pool, a helicopter underwater escape training module and a full fire training ground complete with training stack and helideck.

Once complete, the facility will be the first of its kind in central and southern Scotland. It will be able to host up to 120 students at a time and as many as 5,000 a year.

Clyde Group MD Joyce Downie said: ‘This is an ideal place to base ourselves and, once complete, we will be able to offer a comprehensive syllabus under one roof.’

Work is expected to be completed during autumn 2016.

Unions warn MPs on crisis Nautilus to join Westminster lobby on offshore cutbacks

P

Nautilus is working with other offshore unions to lobby Parliament over the employment crisis in the North Sea. Representatives of the Offshore Coordinating Group are meeting MPs in Westminster next month to highlight the issues affecting members the North Sea. Nautilus national secretary Steve Doran will attend the event on 7 June to speak with MPs from across all parties.

Nautilus has also taken part in a trio of meetings in Aberdeen — including talks with the Oil & Gas Authority, an International Transport Workers’ Federation affiliates planning meeting for the North Sea oil and gas supply chain and hubs project, and the Energy Jobs Taskforce.

Union representatives warned MPs of a growing culture of fear among workers in the North Sea

as a consequence of the cuts to jobs and conditions.

Unite regional officer Tommy Campbell told the House of Commons energy and climate change committee that the industry is witnessing a ‘race to the bottom’ — with increasing levels of fatigue and an increased chance of industrial conflict.

Mr Campbell said unions had reluctantly agreed to changes in working patterns, but some cuts had been ‘a step too far’ and meant rotas can now result in people working on the rigs 12 hours a day for 21 days in a row.

‘There is evidence coming back to us that people are very tired and fatigued. Nobody wants anyone responding and working when they are tired,’ he told the MPs. ‘I think you would understand there would be a safety issue there.’

Mr Campbell said workers had

accepted efficiency measures, but they needed to be more involved in the processes to secure the sector’s future. ‘The workforce is the most important part of the oil and gas industry. We don’t produce anything without that workforce,’ he added.

Jake Molloy, regional organiser for the RMT union, told the meeting that the offshore workforce is ‘disengaged and demoralised’ and living in a culture of fear.

Deirdre Michie, chief executive of Oil & Gas UK, said operators had estimated last year that 65,000 jobs had been lost in the sector and an updated report on the situation will be published soon.

But she assured MPs that there was a ‘robust risk assessment’ applied to any changes and she was confident that there was a safe approach to managing rotas offshore.

Cablelay ship is booked up as the most advanced power A cable installation vessel in the world

Maersk Connector — described

Godmother Haydee Noemi Castillo Diaz de Boyde is pictured with crew members after naming Maersk Connector in Newcastle last month

06_offshore.indd 6

— was named in the UK port of Newcastle last month.

Built in Romania by the Damen Shipyards group, the Danish-flagged vessel is owned and operated by Maersk Supply Service, and is on a long-term charter to the subsea services company DeepOcean.

The 9,300dwt DP2 vessel is a customised version of Damen’s DOC 8500 platform, is equipped with a

seven-point mooring system, and is certified to ground-out fully-loaded in suitable ground conditions for beach operations. The ship has a dual-basket 7,000-tonne capacity carousel, with the ability to load and lay two cables simultaneously.

Maersk Connector has already secured three UK and North Sea contracts, including work to install the export cables of the Walney Extension windfarm, followed by the Nemo Link interconnector project and the Bligh Bank Phase II offshore windfarm.

18/05/2016 17:19

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

PLA simulator upgrade (PLA) has invested £250,000 A upgrading its ship’s bridge The Port of London Authority

simulator as part of a recruitment and training programme to handle growth in trade on the Thames.

‘This upgrade integrates the latest hydrographic modelling, allowing trainees to learn the characteristics of the Thames from the North Sea right through to central London,’ said PLA marine operations director Peter Steen.

He said the addition of a totally

interactive full tug bridge simulator, which can simulate Voith, ASD, conventional and rotor/tractor tugs, has taken the training experience ‘to another level’.

Stuart Strutton, Kotug harbour towage UK general manager, added: ‘The integration of real hydrographic data and weather modelling into the tug simulator offers our team very real scenarios to train on.’

The PLA has announced plans to recruit 12 new pilots this year in

response to increased traffic on the Thames and the simulators will play an integral role in their training.

They are also used for coaching pilotage exemption certificate holders and specialist training for senior officers from shipping companies, tug masters and pilots from other port authorities.

The bridge simulator has also been used by other companies, to check proposed new berth plans and to see how new ships will handle on the river.

Master’s jail Ferry officer gets sentence is a year in prison condemned Italian ro-pax second officer sentenced over fatal collision off the UK coast

P

An Italian ferry officer has been jailed by a UK court after admitting ‘failures and omissions’ that resulted in a fatal collision off the NE coast in August 2010.

Pasquale Miccio, second officer onboard the 26,904gt Scottish Viking, was sentenced to 12 months in prison — reduced to eight — after pleading guilty to a breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act. The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Mr Miccio had failed to heed warnings or change course sufficiently to avoid the collision with the fishing vessel Homeland off St Abbs Head, near Eyemouth. Deckhand Daniel McNeil drowned but his brother Joseph, who was skipper of the vessel, was rescued.

Following the hearing, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency warned that the case highlighted

the need for ships to maintain a proper lookout. Captain Bill Bennett, surveyor in charge, said it also reinforced the need for seafarers to use all available means to determine if a risk of collision exists and to take early positive action to avoid that collision.

Prosecuting, Andrew Brown QC said Mr Miccio was the navigating officer on the Italianflagged Rosyth-Zeebrugge ferry on the evening of 5 August 2010 when the lookout, Domenico Furio, reported seeing fishing vessels ahead and to starboard.

Visibility at the time was described as ‘excellent’ and the sea was calm.

Mr Brown said the lookout had warned the officer three times about the proximity of the boats, but he had made only two small course alterations, sounded the ship’s whistle and did not slow down.

Expert witnesses told the court that Mr Miccio had failed to take early and substantive action to avoid the collision.

Defence lawyer Dorothy Bain QC said Mr Miccio had been a seafarer for more than 30 years and had never been involved in an accident before the collision.

Urging the judge not to impose a prison sentence, she told the court: ‘He has expressed profound and genuine remorse for what has happened. He is struggling to come to terms with what has happened.

‘It is difficult to convey the level of remorse and sadness that he feels as a consequence of his actions. He realises that he has caused the loss of the life of a 16-year-old boy who had his entire life in front of him.’

Mr Bain said that while it was recognised that the collision occurred because of omissions

on Mr Miccio’s part, ‘it should also be recognised that the crew of the Homeland failed to operate a proper lookout and the wheelhouse was not properly manned.

There were omissions on the part of the crew of the Homeland’.

Passing sentence, judge Lord Bannatyne told Mr Miccio: ‘It appears to me that your grave failings and omissions were the primary cause of this collision. I have also concluded that the imposition of a custodial sentence is the only option available to me.’

The judge said the maximum sentence for the offence was two years, but he had taken into account the mitigation that there were other contributory factors to the incident and that Mr Miccio had no previous accidents.

Mr Miccio had originally faced a charge of culpable homicide, but his plea to a lesser charge was accepted by the Crown.

Last chance for MN Medal nominations be honoured for an act of bravery or for F sterling service to the UK shipping industry? Now’s Do you know someone who deserves to

your chance to ensure they get recognition — as there’s still time to make nominations for the new Merchant Navy Medal (MNM).

The new awards — the first of which will be presented later this year — will replace the existing MNM, which has been given by the

Merchant Navy Medal Committee, on behalf the industry, for the past decade in recognition of meritorious service and acts of courage afloat.

The committee — which is administered by the UK Merchant Navy Welfare Board — has offered to help the Department for Transport (DfT) review submissions for the new award to ensure they meet the criteria outlined in the nomination guidance notes.

Nominations for the 2016 awards will be reviewed in late June, and these should be submitted in sufficient time to be properly assessed.

Nomination forms are available on the Merchant Navy Medal website— merchantnavymedal.org — and can also be sent direct to the DfT, which is responsible for recommending awards to the minister.

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shipowners have raised renewed F concerns over the Spanish Supreme European maritime unions and

Court’s ‘wholly unjustified’ decision to impose a two-year prison sentence on the master of the tanker Prestige, which broke up off Spain in 2002.

In a strongly-worded statement condemning the judgment, the European Transport Workers’ Federation and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations said the decision to convict Captain Apostolos Mangouras of gross negligence for his decisions during the voyage and his actions as events unfolded would damage efforts to encourage young people to become seafarers.

The shipping industry partners said the ruling added to ‘an agonising period of 14 long and stressful years of judicial harassment’ experienced

by Capt Mangouras since his vessel sank off the coast of Spain, causing a massive oil spill.

‘It is beyond dispute that seafarers are too often used as easy scapegoats upon whom to shift all the responsibility for possible environmental damages, and unfairly sued — sometimes in flagrant breach of their fundamental rights,’ ETF and ECSA added.

They pointed out that the master had been found innocent by a lower court because he had ‘bravely fulfilled his professional duty in attempting to save his ship’ and had been forced to remain at sea under pressure from the Spanish authorities.

‘The social partners cannot accept that seafarers should have to pay such a heavy price whilst the maritime authority, who had been exempted from any liability, ordered the vessel

away from any port of refuge, with well-known catastrophic effects upon the natural environment,’ the statement added.

ETF and ECSA said they were concerned that the ruling ‘sends entirely the wrong signal’ at a time when significant efforts are being made to promote maritime careers in Europe.

They said the Spanish court decision ‘criminalises seafarers with no evidence’ and demonstrated the strong case for action to implement the IMO/ILO guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident and the new EU operational guidelines on places of refuge.

Meanwhile, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) — which represents shipowner associations around the world — said it feared the court’s ruling could jeopardise the global system of limiting liability for pollution damage.

In a paper given to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPCF), the ICS said the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn another court’s decision to acquit the master without hearing any new evidence ‘raises fundamental questions as to whether it was a fair trial’.

The ICS described the decision as ‘highly unusual’ and warned that it could be used to strip the owner’s rights to limit liability — opening the door to Spain making compensation claims that could ‘seriously undermine’ the existing international regime, which is ‘based on cooperation and trust between the shipping industry, the oil industry and governments’.

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07_news.indd 7

18/05/2016 15:58

08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

LARGE YACHT NEWS

Nautilus meets crews at Palma superyacht show Union organisers meet members and sector partners during record-breaking event in Majorca

P

This year’s Palma Superyacht Show was the biggest yet — and Nautilus was there in Majorca to meet members and to discuss its extensive range of specialist support services with crew attending the event, This year’s show — the fourth to be held — attracted some 65 sailing and motor yachts, including the 49.5m sailing yacht Eleonora, the 49.13m Feadship MQ2, fresh from an extensive refit in Palma, the 48.4m sailing yacht Nativa, and the 45m record-breaking sailing yacht Mari Cha III. Organisers had been aiming to attract around 40,000 visitors to the superyacht event and the parallel boat show, and had sought to attract a wider range of visitors and exhibitors this year.

The 220 exhibitors included leading brokers, builders, chartering companies, equipment supplies and crewing agents.

Nautilus senior assistant organisers Danny McGowan and Lee Moon represented Nautilus at the event. They had arranged a

Nautilus senior assistant organiser Danny McGowan meets crew members at the Palma show Picture: Lee Moon

number of meetings in advance of the show, including with some Nautilus members who they knew would be present.

‘We also met with some of the Union’s yacht sector part-

ners, including Nicky Andre, the managing director of Hemisphere Crew Solutions, and our friends from the YachtNeeds app.

YachtNeeds will be updating their two apps (YachtNeeds and Yacht-

Chat) with some exciting new features soon, including availability for Android devices,’ Mr McGowan added.

‘We boarded a number of yachts during the show, updating

current members on the strides that Nautilus is making in the sector and explaining the benefits of Union membership to those who have yet to join us.

‘All the officers and crew that we spoke to were particularly interested in the Union’s Service Record Book for members working in the large yacht sector,’ he said. ‘With captains, owners, crewing agents and even flags regularly changing throughout the industry, many see it as one of the only things that remain constant and an essential part of their employment.’

The Nautilus organisers also met a number of other industry contacts, including the Mediterranean editor for the Superyacht Group and Crew Report, Bryony McCabe, and local training schools in the city. f If you work on a large yacht, and would like to receive a Service Record Book — which is supplied for free to all members — get in touch with Nautilus today by emailing: membership@ nautilusint.org.

Dubai buys Adriatic marina

by Michael Howorth

superyacht marina in Porto F Montenegro has been acquired by the The expanding Adriatic

Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) — the principal investment arm of the government of Dubai.

Created from a disused naval dockyard, the marina has firmly established itself within the space of 10 years as a prime destination for superyachts, notably among owners keen to winter their vessels outside the scope of European VAT. Located within the Bay of Kotor, a World Heritage site on the Adriatic Sea, the waterfront development was awarded the Superyacht Marina of the Year in 2015. In addition to 450 berths already built and fully occupied, and with the necessary approvals in hand to build another 400 berths, the resort has the potential to double in size and become the leading luxury yacht port on the Mediterranean.

Union helps crew of Ocean Victory on behalf of members from F the 140m superyacht Ocean Victory

Nautilus is continuing its work

following a fatal accident onboard off the coast of Thailand in March. Head of legal services Charles Boyle said a number of members have since had their contracts terminated, and the Union is helping them to recover any outstanding payments.

Pendennis wins restoration prize

won the ‘best rebuild’ award for its work A to restore the classic 1937 Camper & Nicholsons The UK builder Pendennis Shipyard has

yacht Malahne.

Originally built for the head of the UK’s Woolworth chain of shops, Malahne arrived at the Falmouth yard on a barge in September 2012, in a very sad state — not at all reflective of the glamour of its heyday, entertaining such stars as Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.

The 30-month refit programme, which was completed in June last year, was described as ‘the most ambitious motor yacht restoration yet undertaken’ and aimed to restore the vessel’s original elegance while also bringing it up to modern standards and compliance with the MCA Large Yacht Code (LY3).

The Pendennis team used many traditional techniques during the project — including riveting and steelwork reflective of the original build era,

hand-paining rather than airbrushing, and linking modern communications into old-fashioned duo-wiring.

MD Mike Carr commented: ‘Malahne is the most extensive superyacht restoration programme ever undertaken. We are extremely proud of the result and to be rewarded with a World Superyacht Award is a reflection of the dedication and passion of everyone involved in this project.’

HOTLINE FOR YACHT CREW Perini Navi’s sail special Nautilus has established a dedicated phoneline in Antibes to offer advice and assistance:

+33 (0)9 62 61 61 40 Nautilus International, in strategic partnership with D&B Services, 3 Bd. D’Aguillon, 06600 Antibes, France.

08_yachts.indd 8

has launched the largest sailing F yacht to have been built in Italy to

The Perini Navi yard in La Spezia

date, above. With a length of 70m, the 850gt Sybaris has joined an exclusive group as one of the largest sailing yachts in the world.

The ketch-rigged yacht boasts a total sail plan of 5,842 sq m, with a 62m mizzen mast and a 72m main mast. Constructed for the US-based

owner Bill Duker, who also owns the 52m motor yacht Rassalas, the LY2-compliant vessel is capable of carrying 12 guests and 11 crew.

Besides its impressive sails, Sybaris is powered by two MTU 16V2000M72 1,930hp diesel engines, giving a top speed of 17.5 knots, a cruising speed of 12.5 knots and a maximum range of 5,000nm at 12.5 knots.

18/05/2016 15:01

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

Skills shortage threat to UK’s maritime cluster Union backs report’s call for innovative measures to boost seafarer training and recruitment

P

Nautilus has welcomed new research which urges the UK government to do more to boost the supply of seafarers to fill key shore-based jobs in the multi-million-pound maritime services sector.

The study — produced by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) — stresses that concentrations of skillsets and expertise are essential for the future of the UK’s world lead in such maritime businesses as insurance, shipbroking, legal services and education.

It says these services directly support more than 10,000 jobs and are worth around £4.4bn a year to the UK economy — but are under threat as a consequence of increasing competition from other countries, such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

The report warns that the decline in the UK-owned fleet is one of the key problems facing the wider maritime cluster. ‘Other European countries have maintained sizeable owned fleets, including Greece, Germany and Norway, while the share of the global fleet owned by UK companies stands below 2%,’ it notes.

It points to ‘intensive and proactive strategies’ adopted by competing maritime centres and argues that government support in the UK has not matched that seen in other hubs — notably Singapore.

Although the depth and scale of expertise in the UK maritime sector remains unrivalled, the report says the government needs to do more to encourage young people to consider a career in this area, while companies should invest more in their people and training ‘in recognition

that quality is their key differentiator’.

The study also recommends that ‘focus should be placed on ensuring that there is an adequate pipeline of British officers and crew who have traditionally come ashore to full maritime business service roles providing maritime expertise’.

It says the UK must work to maintain and protect key ‘pillars’ of the maritime cluster, such as the Baltic Exchange and the International Maritime Organisation, as well as ensuring that London remains attractive for the international shipping community.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the report provided further evidence of the case for new initiatives to safeguard the supply of UK seafarers.

‘These important services rely upon a supply of seafaring expertise and if the UK is

to maintain a maritime cluster that can compete with other countries, we need to act urgently to make sure that we not only match the support that they provide but also find innovative new ways to regenerate the employment and training of British seafarers,’ he added.

Lord Mayor of the City of London Jeffrey Mountevans — who led the government’s Maritime Growth Study last year — commented: ‘We need the continued support of the government in backing this sector and serious commitment by the industry to play a leadership role.

This includes investing in the skills of our workers and promoting the sector and wider maritime industry effectively.

‘We must be bold if we are to maintain our number one status — now and in the future.’

NAFC awards for top trainees star students in engineering, F navigation, deck cadetship and

Pictured right are some of the

aquaculture at the annual NAFC Marine Centre UHI prize-giving ceremony. Award winners this year included: z Euan Smith — Northern Lighthouse Board Prize Engineering Euan joined the cadet programme in September 2013, serving with North Star Shipping through SSTG. He was said to have carried out all duties asked for him onboard ship in an exemplary manner, sometimes assisting with more complex tasks when his skills and previous qualifications became known. z Stuart Donald — North Star Shipping Engineering Cadet Stuart was already a competent engineer when he embarked on the engineer cadet programme at NAFC Marine Centre in September 2012, serving with Vroon Offshore Services through Clyde Marine Training. Now working as a marine engineer with SIC Ferries, he was said to have a natural skill in engineering and was always

willing to help others in the class. z Kris Mitchell — Clyde Marine Engineering Cadet Kris was described as ‘an exemplary student throughout’, having no difficulty with any of the theory or practical elements of the course at NAFC and also receiving consistently high praise from his supervisors

when at sea. He is now working as third engineer officer with Gulf Mark Offshore. z Steve Pottinger — Forbes Watt Prize for Navigation, sponsored by Hunter & Morrison Trust Presenting Steve with his prize, head of short maritime courses Mark Fullerton said he was a hard worker

who had passed all his exams first time and had progressed to become a master of a multi-cat. z Craig Marshall — Northern Lighthouse Board Prize Deck Craig decided to have a change of career at the age of 22 and joined the February deck cadet intake of 2013, serving with Zodiac Maritime through

Clyde Marine Training. Described as an excellent student who progressed really well, he successfully passed his written and oral MCA exams in March this year. z Robert Isbister — Bells Nautical Trust Deck Cadet Robert joined the deck cadet class in September 2012, serving with Gulfmark Offshore through Clyde Marine Training. Described as one of the most responsible and mature students in his class, he is due to join the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in June as a third officer. z Thomas Stewart — Clyde Marine Deck Cadet Having trained with Solstad Offshore through Clyde Marine Training, Thomas was reported to be a ‘very able student’ and he is now working as a mate with SIC Ferries. z Ross Christopher James Sinclair — Nautical Institute Prize Ross joined the September intake of deck cadets in 2014 and was described as a particularly able student who passed all assessments first time and had no difficulty with any subject.

Box weight rules are imminent that new regulations on F verifying the gross mass of packed

Nautilus is reminding members

containers will enter into force in July.

SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2 was amended following concerns raised by the shipping industry regarding the mis-declaration of the gross mass of packed containers, and guidance on the changes was given last year in the UK M-notice MGN 534.

The amendment expands on how the gross mass of cargo must be verified. Shippers are given two possible options for deciding which method to use for obtaining the gross mass (the mass of the cargo plus the mass of the container itself).

MGN 534 gives detailed advice on how UK shippers, ports/ terminals and carriers can meet their responsibilities under the new SOLAS amendment.

Nautilus strongly recommends that members in the container shipping sector familiarise themselves with MGN 534 before the SOLAS amendment enters into force on 1 July 2016.

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘This is an important step, in which Nautilus has played an important role. However, Nautilus remains committed to the objective of all containers being weighed immediately prior to loading.’

Grant aid for Glasgow welcomed a grant of £20,000 F from the Theodore Salvesen

The City of Glasgow College has

Memorial Trust, a charity set up in 1942 to ‘promote the welfare, dignity and efficiency of members and intending members of the British Merchant Navy’.

Maritime students at the college who are experiencing financial problems will be able to apply for some of the grant to help with fees, travelling expenses, books, IT and other costs relevant to their course work.

A sum of £500 will also be set aside from the grant and used for the Theodore Salvesen Prize, which will be awarded annually to a maritime student for excellence in a particular aspect of his or her studies.

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09_news.indd 9

18/05/2016 17:19

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

NEWS

Charity offers free crew welfare app Society has released a free A ‘Wellness at Sea’ app — aiming to

The maritime charity Sailors’

put seafarers’ physical and mental wellbeing into their own hands.

Launched last month for iPhones and Android-based mobile devices, the app builds on the Society’s respected Wellness at Sea coaching programme, which seeks to combat issues such as fatigue, poor mental health and stress.

The app works by offering interactive challenges relating to the five elements of Wellness at Sea — social, emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual — and users receive daily feedback enabling them to monitor their progress.

It also holds port directories and contact details for services offered by maritime welfare organisations including Apostleship of the Sea, Mission to Seafarers, North American Maritime Ministry Association and Sailors’ Society, and enables users to track their journey and know their ETA using MarineTraffic AIS data.

Sailors’ Society deputy chief executive Sandra Welch

MN Welfare Board supports social media scheme for family welfare group

P commented: ‘Our Wellness at Sea coaching programme has been well received by the industry and we were keen to take it to the next level by putting the tools to enhance and monitor wellbeing in the hands of seafarers themselves.

The Wellness at Sea app is a fun and interactive way for seafarers to improve wellness whilst providing practical information including local maritime welfare services and ship tracking data.’

New bunker course is trialled at Tyneside Industry Association (IBIA) has F joined with South Shields Marine The International Bunker

School to develop a course unit on bunkering essentials for Merchant Navy cadets and engineer officers taking their Class one and Class two certificates.

IBIA chief executive Peter Hall said the course had been developed because of a recognition that the subject of bunkering and bunkers was absent from the STCW syllabus in the UK and in many other flag states.

‘This is a real step forward, and IBIA is delighted to work with the South Shields Marine School to increase the knowledge and support the

professional development of young seafarers in this way,’ he added.

The course explains the fundamentals of the bunker industry, the key regulations affecting shipping today, the challenges and industry developments, all of which will be increasingly important issues for the cadets and engineers once they commence their careers afloat.

IBIA hope to roll out the course to other colleges in the UK and then to other maritime colleges around the world. It is also developing a broader training programme for shipping companies designed to increase onboard competency in handling bunkering and fuel switching.

Capt Sir Miles Wingate F

Former Trinity House deputy master Captain Sir Miles Wingate died last month, aged 92.

He served as chairman of the board of Trinity House from 1976 to 1988 and was a former treasurer of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA).

Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, he joined the Royal Mail Lines as an apprentice in June 1939 and served with the company until he was elected to the board of Trinity House in 1968.

Capt Wingate served at sea throughout the second world war – taking part in the Allied landings in

Online boost for Watch Ashore A ‘not for profit’ social enterprise that has supported the wives, widows, partners and families of UK merchant seafarers for more than 80 years has been given a 21st century boost from a special training course developed with support from the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB).

Established in 1933, The Watch Ashore organises a wide range of social activities and assistance to the partners and families of Merchant Navy personnel across the UK as well as playing an active role in seafarers’ welfare by ‘signposting’ those in need of assistance to the maritime charities.

The Watch Ashore is constantly seeking innovative ways to attract and encourage the next generation to join its ranks and has taken the lead in using social media to interact with its UK-wide membership. To that end, the Watch Ashore executive approached the MNWB for help in setting up a project that would help to raise the organisation’s profile by appealing to a younger demographic and forging closer relations with maritime charities that it has often supported and has raised funds for in the past.

MNWB chief executive Captain David Parsons said the Watch Ashore’s contribution to maritime welfare was deeply appreciated and, when asked to help secure funding for the project, the Board had been keen to access the Merchant Navy Fund — a collaborative fund-raising programme managed jointly by itself and Seafarers UK. In an 18-month project, an MNWB team of Peter Tomlin,

Merchant Navy Welfare Board staff and the Watch Ashore volunteers at the MN Fund training course

Sally Oliver, Louise Furber and Alastair Whitfield worked with the Watch Ashore to provide short courses aimed at improving members’ knowledge of social media and general understanding of the maritime welfare sector, as well as helping the organisation redesign its website.

The bespoke training courses were open to a limited number of members who had agreed to participate in a social media plan designed to raise the profile and improve links with the maritime community, and were delivered

by MNWB staff and Ann Brine, a social media tutor at Southampton Solent University (SSU).

Watch Ashore chair Christine Rankin stated: ‘We found the training challenging, but this new awareness now provides us with a better appreciation of the problems and mindsets experi-

www.irishseafarerstax.ie

project and have gained many new friends.’

MNWB deputy chief executive and head of projects Peter Tomlin, commented: ‘This project has been all about MNWB helping the Watch Ashore help itself.

It has provided a small group of keen volunteers with the tools and skillsets they need to achieve their goals. It has succeeded due to the proactive participation of their volunteers, the Board’s staff and tutor, Ann Brine.’ g The Watch Ashore has branches in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humber, London, Plymouth and Southampton. It is particularly keen to welcome new members and start new branches. Those who are unable to attend meetings are encouraged to become an ‘online’ member —contact the organisation via www.watchashore.org.uk

UK reviews older ships

North Africa, Sicily and Salerno, and in the Far East theatre of operations until the end of the war.

After obtaining his Master’s certificate in 1949, he was promoted to chief officer in 1950 and took command of his first ship in 1957. Capt Wingate’s first command was in 1957 and he was elected as a Trinity House Younger Brother in 1963, as an Elder Brother in 1968.

During his time at IALA, between 1976 and 1988, Capt Wingate was instrumental in the worldwide acceptance of the IALA Maritime Buoyage System, the first buoys of which were established in 1977.

Agency has launched a review A into standards applied to older UK The Maritime & Coastguard

Flyer undergoing trials last month. Built by Griffon A Hoverwork in Southampton, it is the first of two 12000TD Pictured above is the newbuild hovercraft Solent

10-11_news.indd 10

enced by present-day seafaring families. Electronic communications, modern trading patterns, and social media create more immediate expectations, far distant from those that existed at the formation of Watch Ashore.

‘We sincerely thank the Merchant Navy Fund, Seafarers UK and the MNWB for their support. We now have the skills to better support our members as they address welfare issues in a dynamic seafaring world.’

Ina Bruce, chair of the Glasgow branch, acted as the lead member on social media, and added: ‘This project has revitalised the Watch Ashore and has brought a new energy and confidence for our future. It has given me personally the knowledge and confidence to reach out to all seafaring families and communities. I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this

craft, which are capable of carrying 88 passengers.

Sea trials were followed by a series of operational training programmes for pilots, engineers and crew. ‘It is critical that we spend time learning how to operate our new craft and, although I know everyone wants to get onboard as soon as possible, we had always planned in

a three-month period for our staff to be familiarised with the new technologies and efficiencies this new craft will bring our company and our customers,’ said Hovertravel MD Neil Chapman.

Solent Flyer and Island Flyer are on schedule to come into service between Southsea and Ryde in the summer, boosting capacity on what is the world’s only passenger hovercraft service.

Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

passengerships, to focus on how they line up against modern ones in key safety areas.

The Agency says it will stage a series of three working groups this year to examine options for regulation and guidance that can be taken forward by the industry and the MCA to improve standards.

Jo Dormon, head of passengership standards for the MCA, said, ‘It’s important to work closely with those operators to look at how this will work in practice. We understand that these older vessels have some unique needs and we also appreciate the challenges of operating what we might regard as heritage ships. It’s also about looking at raising those standards while understanding the economic realities of that sector.’

18/05/2016 13:02

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

New guide aims to cut container fire threat

UK protest over guardship case of six British security personnel F who have been detained in India since

A campaign to secure the release

A

Nautilus has welcomed the launch of new guidelines intended to improve the safety of calcium hypochlorite cargoes following a series of damaging shipboard fires.

The new advice on the carriage of calcium hypochlorite in containers has been drawn up by the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) and the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG).

Key recommendations are the use of plastic drums with adequate air circulation, a package limit of 45kg net weight, and a 14-tonne limit on the maximum payload per container.

Dry or reefer containers may be used, provided a proper risk assessment is undertaken.

The P&I clubs said the guidance had been produced in a bid to discourage mis-declaration of calcium hypochlorite cargoes and to give shipping companies confidence in the carriage of the substance under controlled circumstances.

The IG said the apparent upsurge in container fires involving calcium hypochlorite had led some lines to impose very strict carriage precautions or even outright bans, and that in many cases investigations had found that the calcium hypochlorite had been misdeclared by shippers. ‘Given the large quantities of calcium hypochlorite that are shipped each year, there is an obvious desire to both discourage misdeclaration by shippers and to encourage shipping lines’ confidence in the carriage of properly declared calcium hypochlorite under an acceptable method,’ the IG and CINS said.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘It is pleasing to see the package size is limited to 45kg; while laboratory tests demonstrated this cargo was safe, there was growing evidence to show it was the size of package that mattered. 100kg was known to be particularly hazardous.’

Defender is pictured above A rendezvousing with the Cunard

The Royal Navy destroyer HMS

passengership Queen Mary II in the northern Gulf of Oman last month .

On the day before, the Type-42 destroyer conducted a ‘high value unit’ escort of RMS Queen Elizabeth,

to simulate the protection that RN ships can provide in high-risk areas The escorts were undertaken as part of the 30-nation International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2016, which included collaboration and training between warships and 11 merchant and commercial vessels.

UN urges piracy action Security Council voices ‘deep concern’ over Gulf of Guinea as IMB reveals kidnapping dangers

P

The UN Security Council has called for a concerted drive to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Guinea following new figures showing a marked increase in attacks on shipping in the area.

The Security Council said it was ‘deeply concerned about the threat piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea pose to international navigation, the security and economic development of States in the region, to the safety and welfare of seafarers and other persons, as

well as the safety of commercial maritime routes’.

It called for a comprehensive regional framework to eradicate the problem, stressing the importance of addressing underlying causes and strengthening justice systems and judicial cooperation in the volatile region.

The statement came as new figures from the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre highlighted the growing threat off the coast of West Africa, where 44 seafarers have been captured so far this

Alert over liferaft medicine danger F

Seafarers and shipowners have been warned to carry out special checks after inspections in the UK revealed cases in which liferafts have been supplied with potentially dangerous unauthorised medicines and medical equipment.

Tests on the painkillers found in one of the kits revealed that it contained a controlled substance and other ingredients deemed to present a risk to human health.

The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) called for urgent checks to be carried out to ensure that the contents of medical kits supplied to ships, fishing vessels and pleasure craft comply with UK legislation.

The warning followed an MHRA inspection which found the unauthorised medicines in kits that originated from China and included

10-11_news.indd 11

HMS Defender’s commanding officers Cdr Steve Higham said: ‘This was an excellent opportunity to reassure high-profile merchant shipping in the Gulf of Oman and beyond, while at the same time promoting Royal Naval engagement.’

October 2013 – when the counterpiracy ship Seaman Guard Ohio was arrested – has intensified ahead of an appeal hearing due to be held this month.

Family members staged an emergency rally in Carlisle, to coincide with a meeting convened with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office minister Hugo Swire. Campaigners are calling for urgent action by the UK government to bring pressure on the Indian authorities.

The six guards were among the crew of 35 onboard Seaman Guard Ohio who were charged with possession of firearms and arrested on 18 October 2013. In January this year they were found guilty of the charges and sent to prison for five years.

Family member Joanne Tomlinson said: ‘After two and a half years, we

want to keep up the momentum of our campaign to see these innocent men freed and allowed to return home from India. We want my brother John and his colleagues to know that despite being 5,000 miles away, we stand beside them every step of the way in this prolonged fight for justice.’

The Revd Canon Ken Peters, director of justice and public affairs at The Mission to Seafarers, said the problems had been compounded by the failure of the security company Advanfort to pay the men’s wages throughout the time of detention.

‘This human tragedy drags on and the toll on the men and their families is devastating,’ he added.

The families have relaunched a petition to prime minister David Cameron, which has now been signed by more than 350,000 people and have also launched a national social media campaign — #FreeSGO6 — to raise funds to support the crewmen.

medical devices not carrying a CE mark.

Gerald Heddell, MHRA director of inspection, enforcement and standards, said: ‘It is important that the medical kits contained in these liferafts only contain medicines and medical devices authorised for use in the UK. Whilst they are only likely to be taken in the rare event of a liferaft being deployed in an emergency, it is important they are of the right quality and standards.

‘If the kit does not contain authorised medicines or medical devices they should be returned to the supplier for disposal at an approved pharmaceutical waste disposal site,’ he added.

‘Anyone who has used medicines or medical devices originating from a medical kit on an inflatable liferaft and who is concerned should contact their healthcare professional for advice.’

year. Worldwide, IMB recorded 37 piracy and armed robbery incidents in the first quarter of 2016, down from 54 in the same period last year.

Three vessels were hijacked and 29 boarded, with 26 crew kidnapped for ransom and a further 28 held hostage.

The IMB waned that the Gulf of Guinea dominates world piracy in terms of numbers and severity.

As well as accounting for all 28 hostages, the region saw 16 crew kidnapped from chemical and product tankers in four separate

incidents and 10 attacks were reported off Nigeria alone, all involving guns.

‘Reports in the last quarter indicate unacceptable violence against ships and crews in the Gulf of Guinea, particularly around Nigeria. The current increase in kidnappings is a cause for great concern,’ said IMB director Pottengal Mukundan.

Urging seafarers to take special precautions in the area, the IMB said armed groups had attacked ships and their crews up to 110nm out to sea in the quarter.

While no attacks were reported off Somalia, the IMB said the situation ‘remains fragile and the threat of Somali piracy has not been eliminated’.

The IMB reported 10 incidents in India, with seven of these in Kandla seaport, but it reported a decrease in attacks off Indonesia.

While there had been no small product tankers hijacked in South-East Asia so far this year, 10 crew had been kidnapped from a tug hijacked off the Philippines. g See feature — pages 26-27.

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18/05/2016 17:19

12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

HEALTH & SAFETY

Call for action over dental care at sea Freefall training first F

Maersk Training has installed what is claimed to be the most advanced lifeboat simulator ever built and the first freefall lifeboat simulator training system in Denmark.

The simulator, pictured above, has been set up at the company’s new training facility in Esbjerg, Denmark, in partnership with Virtual Marine Technology (VMT), and will help prepare students for emergency evacuation situations.

Maersk Training has secured Danish Maritime Authority approval for its enhanced lifeboat coxswain training simulation-based freefall

training course, which combines the conventional STCW 2-1 Lifeboat and Man Overboard Boat (MOB).

Trainees can be repeatedly exposed to emergency evacuation situations, high seas and extreme weather scenarios not possible in conventional lifeboat coxswain training.

‘The freefall lifeboat simulator allows us to offer more rigorous training for lifeboat coxswains, when compared to training using conventional lifeboat equipment,’ said Frank Christoffersen, managing director of Maersk Training in Esbjerg.

Chinese-built ships ‘have more claims’ concern over the number of A claims involving ships built in Chinese

Marine insurers have expressed

yards.

The Nordic Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor) said analysis of almost 4,500 ships showed that the overall claims frequency for Chineseconstructed vessels is 89% higher than for those built in South Korea and Japan.

More than one-quarter of vessels from Chinese yards produced an insurance claim last year, compared with 14% of South Korean-constructed vessels and only 10% of Japanese-built ships.

Cefor found a particularly significant rate of machinery damage claims on ships originating from China — 13.7%, compared with 5.3% from South Korean yards and 3.6% from Japanese-built vessels.

Cefor said insurers have been concerned for some time about the rapid growth in newbuildings from China — many from new yards — and had questioned whether their quality represented a higher risk.

It noted that claims frequency is linked to many factors apart from country of build — including operational practices, maintenance standards and safety cultures — but warned that ‘observed differences are considerable and unlikely to be purely incidental’.

‘China has made major strides in modernising its shipbuilding industry in the past few years. The statistics of the past might, therefore, not be indicative of vessels built in the future,’ the report added. ‘However, irrespective of the cause, it will be interesting to follow the performance of these vessels as they grow older.’

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12-13_h+s.indd 12

Dutch accident investigators have raised renewed warnings about the dangers of hatch crane operations following an accident last year in which a Filipino seaman on the 5,425gt general cargoship Beauforce died when he became trapped between the hatch crane and a stack of hatch covers while the crew were preparing the holds for a new cargo.

Investigators said it appeared that the crewman had decided to go on deck after completing cleaning work in one of the holds. The most likely scenario was that he had tripped on a 60cm-high sill of a watertight door after climbing the ladder from the hold and became trapped between the rear upright of the moving hatch crane and the stack of hatch covers beside the hold access.

Research warns of ‘dire need’ to improve the state of many seafarers’ teeth

P

Concern over the state of seafarers’ dental health has been raised in new research which found that barely 60% of those surveyed had a complete set of natural teeth.

The study, carried out by the Italian telemedical maritime assistance service (CIRM), warns of a ‘dire need to improve the motivation and knowledge of seafarers regarding oral hygiene practices’.

The research, which is published in the latest edition of the International Maritime Health journal, says seafarers have a high rate of dental problems because of their ‘odd working hours and unique lifestyle’ —including ‘excessive amounts of snacks’

and high levels of smoking and alcohol use.

It also urges shipping companies to do more to promote dental hygiene at sea and to ensure that seafarers get regular dental check-ups as part of their routine health examinations.

Researchers said seafarers have special needs in terms of dental health because of their isolation at sea and the lack of regular access to dentistry services. Poor oral hygiene can lead to a range of problems that can force ships to be diverted or seafarers to be evacuated ashore for treatment, the report notes.

The study — based on detailed feedback from more than 2,000 seafarers serving on 65 ships —

found that just over 56% regularly smoked and almost 11.5% consumed alcohol on a regular basis. Well over half the seafarers admitted to frequently eating sweets or pastries.

Almost one-third of those surveyed said they had suffered from some form of dental disease, such as gingivitis, and just over one-quarter reported bleeding gums during brushing.

While 74% of the seafarers said they regularly brushed their teeth, only 40% did so twice a day, as recommended by dentists.

The study notes other research which found that dental problems were among the top four health issues facing seafarers, as well as another study which

found that only 19 countries provide comprehensive oral health services for seafarers.

Noting the ‘challenging’ nature of seafaring life, the report stresses the need for seafarers to be given better information about oral hygiene procedures and for companies to ensure that dental check-ups are given as part of pre-sea fitness tests.

‘Shipping companies should also develop comprehensive dental programmes for seafarers, which have been shown to make a profound effect on overall dental health of any community,’ it adds.

The research team also suggested that telemedicine services could provide a way of improving dental care at sea.

Flooded ro-ro written-off concerns over passengership F safety following a report on the loss of Nautilus has raised renewed

a ro-ro ferry in the Bahamas in October 2014.

The 35,855gt Bahamas Celebration — a former North Sea ferry which operated a liner service between Grand Bahama and Florida — was declared a constructive total loss after suffering significant raking damage while leaving port.

The ship was found to have struck an undetermined point of the shore, losing propulsion and electrical power as a result of rapid flooding when two watertight compartments containing engines and auxiliary engines were breached.

Three tugs managed to return the vessel to its berth and passengers were disembarked ashore, with no injuries reported. However, investigators discovered that the muster of crew and passengers had not been completed.

Feedback from passengers found that most had been unaware of their muster point and complained that

Bahamas Celebration was taken back to its berth by three tugs

crew were generally poorly trained and gave either no information or conflicting information.

A report published by the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) said the bridge team had failed to properly monitor the track of the vessel after leaving the berth and the ship had turned in the turning basin well in advance of the position shown on the

passage plan. Although the master had taken a ‘prudent’ decision to use a harbour tug in the squally conditions and with the ship’s stern thruster out of action, the services of a local pilot to coordinate the tug assist was not considered necessary.

Investigators said Bahamas Celebration had sailed with some of the watertight doors

in the engineroom open, in direct contravention of flag state requirements. Crew had repeatedly accepted and cancelled a VDR fault alarm in the month and a half before the accident, with no action taken to restore the equipment to working order.

The BMA said the faults were indicative of ‘imperfect implementation’ of the company’s safety management system and it recommended that it introduces audits of SMS and improve bridge team management training.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson expressed concern about the case. ‘This incident illustrates yet again the vulnerability of passengerships to side raking damage. Recommendation 1 by Lord Mersey following the Titanic investigation — greater degree of subdivision — should be implemented.

‘The importance of a cohesive and well-trained crew when such incidents occur cannot be overstated,’ he added.

Failings caused fire to spread caused an engineroom blaze to spread out A of control onboard a bulk carrier for 12 hours, an

Multiple failings in fire safety and maintenance

investigation has concluded.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) discovered that fire doors on the Panama-flagged Marigold had been held open with wire and rope, fire dampers and ventilators could not be closed, and the Halon fire-suppression system had failed to work properly.

The 207,250dwt vessel suffered extensive damage, with the fire — which began as a result of a failed fuel oil pipe fitting — spreading and causing substantial smoke damage to the accommodation areas.

Two Burmese crewmen and the South Korean

chief engineer had to be treated in hospital for burns.

Investigators said there was evidence that the shipboard procedures for crew induction, familiarisation, fire drills and safety training had not been effectively implemented. As a result, senior officers were not sufficiently familiar with the operation of the Halon system and crew took unnecessary risks by using the lift to evacuate the engineroom.

The ATSB also found the fire door leading to engineroom from the upper deck inside the engineroom had been tied open and the fire door leading to the ECR from the steering gear room has been wired open. Fire-fighting efforts were extended because the fire door from the accommodation

remained open throughout the blaze, the report notes.

Investigators said it had been impossible to fully close a number of mushroom ventilators and dampers and that this was ‘indicative of inadequate maintenance of this critical equipment over an extended period’.

The multiple failures of the Halon system and the condition of some of its components also suggested that regular and effective maintenance had not been carried out, the report adds.

Marigold was loading iron ore in Port Hedland in July 2014 when the incident occurred and the ATSB called for action to address the ‘limited professional fire-fighting capability’ in Port Hedland and other regional ports.

18/05/2016 13:03

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH & SAFETY

Crew praised for rescue registered dry cargoship have A been praised for rescuing more than The crew of a Gibraltar-

200 refugees from a sinking boat off the coast of Italy.

The 2,415gt Constance had responded to an emergency request from the Greek maritime authorities to rescue persons from a vessel in distress. Captain Oleg Skobel and his crew managed to get the 235 refugees onto their ship and take them to safety in the port of Augusta, Sicily.

Gibraltar’s maritime services minister Albert Isola has written to Capt Skobel to congratulate him on his crew’s bravery in the rescue, as well as the calm and responsible way in which the situation was handled.

Richard Montado, the Gibraltar maritime administrator, commented: ‘The master and crew of the Constance have demonstrated tremendous courage in saving the lives of more than 200 people, in the face of a complex and potentially dangerous operation. I must also highlight the role of the managers of the vessel, Briese Schiffahrts, in providing support to the crew and assisting with the logistics. A major tragedy has been averted on this occasion.’

Concern at cruiseship pool rules Investigation Branch (MAIB) has A highlighted the need for improved The UK Marine Accident

Rescued refugees are brought onboard the cargoship Constance

safety procedures for swimming pools on passengerships.

In a report on the drowning of a 78-year-old passenger in a pool onboard the UK-flagged P&O Australia vessel Pacific Dawn in November 2015, the MAIB expresses concern that the man went unnoticed for 10 minutes and the lack of a lifeguard delayed the emergency response. It warns that the accident ‘demonstrates that the monitoring of passengers in a pool ideally needs to be provided on a constant basis’.

It expresses concern about other incidents involving unsupervised pools and the ‘uncertainty’ over whether many emergencies have been identified and recorded.

‘As the number of people choosing a cruiseship holiday is increasing, it is important that this uncertainty is taken into account when conducting risk assessments so that an appropriate level of swimming pool supervision is maintained in all circumstances,’ the report notes.

Unions call for safety inquiry Nautilus and RMT seek Parliamentary probe after ‘shocking’ loss report

P

Nautilus and the RMT have made a joint call for an urgent Parliamentary inquiry to be held into the way in which safety standards are enforced on ships operating in the UK. The two unions have urged the House of Commons transport select committee to ‘shine a light on the safety of the regulatory framework applied to shipping in the UK sector’ following an investigation into the loss of the Cyprus-flagged cement carrier Cemfjord off the coast of Scotland in January 2015.

Nautilus and the RMT said the ‘shocking’ Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on the ship’s sinking, with the loss of all eight crew members, had highlighted serious safety issues.

The unions said the Cemfjord was ‘the latest in a series of incidents that blight the safety record of the shipping industry, and the coastal cargo sector in particular’. These incidents include the structural failure and foundering of the Cook Islandsflagged cargoship Swanland in the Irish Sea in November 2011, with the loss of all six seafarers onboard.

The investigation found that

12-13_h+s.indd 13

The Cemfjord’s upturned hull was spotted by a passing ferry Picture: MAIB

Cemfjord capsized in ‘extraordinarily violent sea conditions’ in the Pentland Firth, which were predictable and could have been avoided by effective passage planning.

The MAIB concluded that the master’s decision to take Cemfjord into the Pentland Firth at that time was ‘probably influenced by actual or perceived commercial pressures’.

Nautilus and the RMT expressed particular concern

over the MAIB’s findings that Cemfjord had been at sea with significant safety deficiencies in its rescue boat launching arrangements and cargo hold bilge pumping system.

The MAIB report revealed that the 31-year-old vessel had spent 54% of the 13 months leading up to the accident with exemptions from safety regulations — 40% of this related to lifeboat defects — ‘and little consideration appears to have been given to preventing

the vessel from trading until reported deficiencies were resolved’.

Investigators questioned the effectiveness of the flag state inspections of the vessel, noting that ‘the repeated lack of observations, deficiencies and non-conformities in the nonexclusive surveyor’s reports should have caused concern and triggered an intervention’.

In a letter to the chair of the transport committee, Louise Ellman, the unions also express concern over the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s failure to act on a 2014 MAIB recommendation to monitor vessels in the Pentland Firth.

Cemfjord’s progress through the voluntary reporting scheme was not monitored by Shetland Coastguard — meaning that the alarm was not raised until the ship’s upturned hull was spotted by the crew of the passenger ferry Hrossey 25 hours after it capsized.

The unions said they are concerned about the continued reform of the MCA and the extension of the maritime industry’s influence over government policy, as well as continued pressures on the Agency’s survey and inspection resources.

Award for VOS crewman seafarer Ryan Paris, who was F honoured last month at the British Pictured above is Vroon

Safety Council’s International Safety Awards.

Ryan, 19, works on the VOS Discovery. He was selected from hundreds of nominees to be shortlisted for Young Health and Safety Champion 2016, and received his Highly Commended certificate at a 6 May ceremony in London’s Grosvenor Hotel.

The award celebrates Ryan’s hard work and total dedication to safety, noted Vroon. It specifically highlights an incident when, as a trainee rating onboard ship, he stepped in to prevent a more senior crew member from entering a dangerous enclosed space. Despite his relative lack of experience, Ryan demonstrated his understanding and dedication to safety by standing firm and placing his colleague’s safety above all else.

Poor training blamed for Fawley accident in communications and F procedures have been identified as key Poor training and shortfalls

factors in an incident last year in which a mooring launch girted and capsized while assisting a chemical tanker to manoeuvre from its berth in the UK port of Southampton.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)said the incident highlighted a lack of formal guidance for the operators of small vessels engaged in towing operations, including specific actions required to prevent girting.

It called for improved risk assessments and training to be implemented by the tug company and urged Associated British Ports Southampton to review its assessment of towage operations to ensure that mooring launches are fit for purpose and to review its requirements for

the training and competence of its coxswains.

The 13m mooring launch Asterix was declared a constructive total loss after the incident when it was assisting the Luxembourg-flagged chemical tanker Donizetti at Fawley terminal in March 2015.

Investigators said the tanker’s master, the pilot and the tug’s coxswain did not share a common and detailed understanding of the plan for the manoeuvre. The coxswain was not warned that the tanker was about to move forward and was therefore unable to manoeuvre Asterix effectively as Donizetti increased speed. A lack of joint training and interaction between pilots and mooring launch coxswains in Southampton may have had a negative effect on operational liaison, the MAIB concluded.

Club backs old skills F

’Safe navigation of a ship to its destination cannot yet be achieved purely with technological resources,’ a P&I Club has warned.

Reports of GPS jamming and signal interference highlight the danger of relying on a single form of positionfixing and the importance of ships using the full range of navigational equipment available to them, the UK Club said.

Officers should practice traditional methods of navigation, including celestial navigation and keeping a proper lookout, as failure to do so is often identified in casualty investigations, the Club argued.

Safe navigation ‘still requires the presence of experienced and properly trained people with traditional seafaring skills’, it stressed.

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18/05/2016 13:03

14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports MAERSK CUTS: French unions have expressed concern after Maersk France announced plans to cut a further 33 staff from its 200-strong workforce.

Management said it would ‘minimise the consequences’ for those losing jobs with redundancy arrangements ‘beyond the strict legal framework’ — but the FOMMCGT officers’ union described the announcement as a further blow for French maritime jobs.

SAFMARINE PROBE: investigations were launched last month into the causes of a collision between the containerships Safmarine Meru and the German-owned Northern Jasper off the coast of China.

The 4,650TEU Safmarine vessel had to be towed to the port of Ningbo after the 22 crew were evacuated when a fire broke out following the collision.

STCW MOVE: Costa Rica has announced plans to comply with the STCW convention in a drive to improve safety and boost employment. Transport minister Carlos Villalta said the move would give the country better control over its shipping industry, enhance training and skills, and create jobs with internationally recognised certificates for young people.

FRENCH ROW: the French maritime officers’ union FOMM-CGT has backed protests against controversial changes to the national labour code. FOMM-CGT general secretary Jean-Philippe Chateil said the action was important to halt social dumping and continuing job losses in the shipping industry, and to maintain high standard ferry services.

SPLIETHOFF DEAL: the Amsterdam-based dry cargo operator Spliethoff has taken control of the 126-year-old Finnish ro-ro operator Bore. All activities of the Bore business will transfer to Spliethoff, including all of Bore’s employees and its fleet of nine ro-ro vessels, which operate in the Mediterranean, North and Baltic Seas, and the Caribbean.

NO SALE: French authorities have failed to find a buyer for a merchant ship that was abandoned by its owners following a fatal collision with a fishing vessel in August 2007. A court in the port of Brest was unsuccessful in its attempt to sell the Kiribati-flagged Ocean Jasper for scrap at an asking price of €50,000.

BUILDER CUTS: the South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) is slashing its workforce by 10% as part of a cost-cutting plan being imposed following a 63.2% fall in shipbuilding orders and a 75% year-on-year drop in its offshore and engineering business.

PIRATES JAILED: seven Somali citizens have been convicted of murdering a French yacht skipper and kidnapping his wife in the Gulf of Aden in 2011. The accused were sentenced to six to 15 years in prison, lower than the 16 to 22 years requested by the prosecutor.

DIEPPE DECLINE: the French port of Dieppe has reported an 11.6% year-on-year decline in traffic in the first quarter of 2016.

Safety row over Panama Canal Waterway authority hits back as ITF-commissioned study raises concerns

P

Concerns over safety in the expanded Panama Canal have been raised in a research report commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

The ITF said the independent study was carried out by Brazil’s Fundação Homem de Mar (FHM) after worries raised by local unions over the refusal of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to discuss training and technical and construction issues which led to delays in the operation of the new locks.

FHM researchers said simulation exercises based on a neo-panamax vessel and two tugs showed that the safety of manoeuvrability was compromised as a result of such factors as: z the locks’ dimensions being too small for safe operation (with both gates closed)

tugs inside the locks z the bollard pull and power of the tugs being insufficient for certain conditions It recommended that a complete risk analysis on the manoeuvrability of vessels transiting the locks and said special training should be carried out.

‘I wish I could report that the study gave the new locks the all-clear. Sadly, I can’t,’ said ITF general secretary Steve Cotton.

‘Instead we face a situation where those working on the canal, and those passing through it, are potentially at risk. That will have to change.’

The ACP dismissed the study’s findings as ‘inadmissible’ and argued in a statement that the claims made in the document were not based on mathematical models and did not include data from physical navigation tests.

The authority claimed that the authors of the study ‘have not sailed the Panama Canal, and are not suitable for it’ — an allegation rejected by FHM, which said its expert staff included captains, merchant marine officers and naval architects.

The FHM simulation model was based on ACP’s original plan to use one forward tug and one aft tug, manoeuvring a neo-panamax size vessel.

The ACP said it had spent almost 10 years evaluating the design and operation of the locks, concluding that it would be right to use up to four tugs to support transiting ships.

Mr Cotton said the ITF stood by the FHM report and reiterated its call for ACP to engage positively ‘to ensure that the canal is safe for those working on it and those passing through it’ — pointing out that it had been seeking talks

on the issues since December 2013.

‘The issues identified in this study will not be a surprise to workers on the canal,’ he added.

‘Unfortunately, their expertise and experience have up to now been snubbed. Thankfully they’re still on offer.

‘Those who’ll be working these locks have to be brought into the process while there’s still time to fix the defects.

‘We share our affiliated unions’ concerns and we can assure that the ITF and its canal affiliates want the new canal to be safe and to work,’ Mr Cotton stressed.

‘The Panama Canal is crucial for the international maritime industry. We offer our full support to make this important maritime route safe for all those who transit it or work on it, and for a positive engagement between unions and the ACP.’

New hybrid ferry to operate Baltic service ferry Berlin, which is set to come A into service for the German-Danish Pictured right is the new hybrid

ferry operator Scandlines this month.

The 24,000gt vessel is the first of two €140m passenger ferries being built for the company and will operate on the route between the German port of Rostock and Gedser in Denmark.

Berlin, which can carry up to 1,300 passengers and 460 cars or 96 lorries, features low emission and fuel-saving diesel-electric hybrid propulsion that utilises an energy storage system which can provide up to 6,000kW of the 15,800kW of power needed. The ship is also equipped with four AEC Marine closed-loop scrubbers.

New Zealand reprieve for older certificates A

Authorities in New Zealand have moved to allow seafarers to continue using certificates with such names as Master Small Home Trade Ship, Master River Ship, and Second and Third Class Steam Engineer under a new certification framework.

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said it was proposing to allow seafarers with some older tickets to continue using them under its new SeaCert scheme, which started to be phased in during 2014. The older tickets are no longer issued and are a legacy of several previous maritime regulatory regimes.

It was originally intended that they would move to new SeaCert certificates — which would involve a cost and

14-15_int.indd 14

z there being no refuge areas for

mean the certificates would have to be renewed every five years.

‘We’re suggesting that some older certificates could be “ring-fenced” — meaning that the seafarers holding them could carry on doing what they are doing without the need to replace the certificate,’ said MNZ director Keith Manch. ‘For a lot of seafarers, there is quite rightly a lot of pride in having these tickets.’

Mr Manch said MNZ is asking all seafarers holding such tickets to register with the authority. Around 1,400 have already registered, including a number well into their sixth decade in the industry, who are still active and wish to continue using their

qualifications while they are in good health.

Consultation is also underway on a range of other adjustments to the SeaCert system, and a series of public meetings explaining the changes is being held around the country.

‘We are trying to make it as straightforward as possible for seafarers to continue working with the introduction of SeaCert — and for as little cost to them as possible,’ Mr Manch said. ‘Different parts of the industry have expressed a variety of views about possible changes, and we now want to get out and hear from seafarers and industry groups around the country.’

Unions warn on US slump warned politicians that the A continued decline of the national US seafaring unions have

merchant fleet and the number of US seafarers is posing a growing threat to defence strategies.

In a presentation to a Senate sub-committee, Masters Mates & Pilots’ union chief of staff Klaus Luhta said shortages of US-flag ships and seafarers are undermining the ability to provide the commercial sealift capacity required by the department of defence.

Recent figures show that the number of US-flagged deepsea ships have declined from 106 in 2011 to 78 at the end of February this year, and that there are now fewer than 11,250 qualified US seafarers available to crew commercial or governmentowned sealift ships.

18/05/2016 16:27

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

Hurtigruten orders ‘expedition’ ships A

The Norwegian operator Hurtigruten has placed the biggest order in its 120-year history — for up to four new ‘expedition’ cruise vessels To be built by the Kleven Verft yard in Ulsteinvik, Norway, the ships have been specially designed by Rolls-Royce for operations in Antarctic and Arctic waters, and will be equipped with advanced environmentally-friendly technology to reduce emissions. The order covers two ships with delivery starting in 2018, along with options for two more.

‘This is a milestone for us and an expression of our confidence in the growth of the global market for adventure tourism,’ said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

Anger over bid to beat Brazil strike ITF accuses state-owned oil firm of threatening masters and crews in dispute

P

The International Transport Workers’ Federation has strongly condemned attempts to undermine a strike by Brazilian seafarers serving with the state-owned oil company Petrobras.

ITF officials complained that company representatives had warned crew members on tankers and offshore vessels operated by its Transpetro subsidiary that military personnel could be used against strikers, and that ship masters had been ordered to deny union leaders access to vessels.

The ITF wrote to Guy Ryder, the director-general of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), calling for urgent intervention with the government of Brazil, warning that the company’s moves

to ‘intimidate and threaten’ striking seafarers were in breach of national and international rules upholding the principle of freedom of association.

The strike had been called after members of seafaring unions affiliated to the CONTTMAF federation overwhelming voted to escalate industrial action following the breakdown of collective bargaining agreement negotiations that began last year.

Unions say they are seeking to resist discriminatory practices that potentially undermine the national flag identity of the company’s offshore and cabotage fleet, and to strengthen health and safety mechanisms in order to set up a level playing field with other companies hired by it and its subsidiary companies.

CONTTMAF president Severino Almeida, who also heads the SINDMAR maritime officers’ union, said the unions had worked hard to promote the development of the Transpetro fleet and were determined to ensure that Brazilian crews would ‘continue to be the backbone of the industry’.

He explained: ‘Employment stability is already included in collective agreements signed between Petrobras and other unions. The system of working one period onboard and the same period of shore leave (the “one-byone” system) is already current practice in all other private shipping companies operating in the Brazilian offshore industry hired

by Petrobras and its subsidiary companies.

‘This system is there to pre-

vent accidents caused by fatigue,’ he pointed out. ‘The fact that all other private companies operating in the Brazilian offshore and cabotage sectors, apart from Petrobras subsidiaries, offer it not only creates unfair competition but increases risk.’

CONTTMAF decided to suspend the action after three days to allow a vote to take place on a possible agreement which had been worked out during conciliatory hearings in the country’s supreme labour court.

ITF general secretary Steve Cotton commented: ‘We congratulate all the seafarers who, despite the intimidation, stood up to be counted and we are happy that an apparently acceptable agreement is being reached which gives them what they deserve.’

Norwegian support scheme is approved approved a Norwegian state aid A scheme that helps to subsidise the cost European authorities have

OSVs help Singapore drive to raise awareness of shipping — the Gibraltar-flagged VOS A Prince and the Singapore-registered Two offshore support vessels

Pacific Legacy — hosted an estimated 4,000 visitors last month in an initiative designed to raise public awareness of the shipping industry in Singapore.

The two vessels were moored at the Vivocity Waterfront Promenade

14-15_int.indd 15

for two days as part of the OSV@ Vivo programme spearheaded by the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) to showcase the offshore marine sector and to highlight career opportunities in the industry.

This initiative was supported by more than 20 companies and held in conjunction with Singapore Maritime Week.

of owners employing the country’s seafarers.

The European Free Trade Association Surveillance (EFTA Surv) Authority said it had decided the measures — which refund income tax and social security contributions paid on behalf of crew employed on Norwegian-registered vessels — were justified.

The tax refund scheme was introduced by the Norwegian government as a temporary measure in 1993 and made permanent in 1994.

It applies to certain categories of ships on the Norwegian mainland register and the Norwegian international ship register (NIS).

EFTA Surv last conducted a review of the scheme in 2006, and the latest

decision extends this approval for an additional 10 years. It said the support was justified because the maritime transport industry in Norway — and in other European Economic Area member states — faces aggressive competition from vessels registered in third countries ‘which do not take much care to observe social and safety rules in force at international level’.

The Swedish seafarers’ union Seko says there is no question of the TAP scheme governing the temporary hiring of foreign crews being scrapped when the country’s long-awaited tonnage tax scheme comes into effect in July. Seko leader Kenny Reinhold said the measure, agreed between unions and owners in 1998, had helped to safeguard conditions on Swedish-flagged ships and would still be needed after tonnage tax is introduced.

shortreports ITALIAN CRACKDOWN: the Italian Senate has given the green light to controversial plans to restrict tax breaks only to ships operating with Italian or European Union crews. The three maritime unions and the ferry operators’ organisation Federlinea welcomed the move, which aims to ensure that tonnage tax and international register subsidies only go to owners using Italian or EU crews, but the shipowners’ association Confitarma claimed that its members will be forced to flag out, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

MEGA MOVE: French containership operator CMA CGM has ended its attempt to run a trans-Pacific service between Asia and US west coast ports using its 18,000TEU vessel Benjamin Franklin. The 178,288gt vessel became the biggest boxship to visit a US port when it docked in Los Angeles in December, but the company says it will now be redeployed on the FAL 1 service between Asia and northern Europe, even though trials runs to the ports of Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle had been declared a success.

TANKER MYSTERY: Liberian authorities launched an investigation last month after a small product tanker washed up on its shores with no crew onboard. The 1,400dwt Tamaya 1 was found on a beach with extensive damage to much of its accommodation and the bridge. The Panama Maritime Authority said it had cancelled the ship’s registration in October last year, when it was sold to Nigerian owners.

WRECK REMOVAL: the Dutch shipping company Flinterstar has signed a contract with a consortium of three Belgian salvage companies to remove the wreck of its general cargoship Flinterstar, which sank off the coast of Zeebrugge in October 2015 following a collision with the LNG tanker Al Oraiq. It is anticipated the wreck removal operation will be completed this summer — weather permitting.

CORSICA LINK: a new ferry company, MCMCorsica Linea, has begun operations following the liquidation of the Marseilles-based operator SNCM. The company employs 870 full-time seafaring and landbased staff on the ‘lifeline’ services between Marseilles and Corsica and aims to carry as many as 500,000 passengers this year, up from 350,000 before the collapse of SNCM. VENICE PLAN: authorities in Venice are considering plans to create a new port to protect the historic city from damage by visiting cruiseships. The ministry of the environment is considering proposals to build a 940m facility outside the Lido entrance to the lagoon, which would be capable of handling up to five ships and 24,000 passengers a day.

CUBAN FIRST: the Bermuda-flagged Adonia has become the first cruiseship in nearly 40 years to make a voyage between the US and Cuba. Operated by the Carnival subsidiary Fathom, the 30,277gt vessel is to cruises twice a month between Miami and Havana.

More than a dozen other operators have also announced plans to run US-Cuba cruises.

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18/05/2016 17:39

16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

YOUR LETTERS

What’s on onyour yourmind? mind?

Tell your colleagues shipping.

Keep yourTelegraph letter to ahave your name, address colleaguesin inNautilus NautilusInternational International— —and andthe thewider world of but you must let the maximum words if you canyour — though contributions will beand considered.

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

The sorry state of seafarers’ rights F

The world has witnessed a major transformation in trade, commerce and industry since the end of the Second World War. Outsourcing of labour is now a prime consideration. Labour incentive industries are set-up in third world countries to exploit cheap labour resources, and cheap labour is hired where possible.

The shipping industry has become more international in nature. Gone are the days when ships used to be owned and manned by the nationals of the flag state. The shipowners prefer to register their ships in a third country where there is lower taxation and lesser controls and restrictions.

Liberia, Marshall Islands and the Bahamas are now identified as ‘open registers’. There is no restriction on the nationality of seafarers, and owners can hire seafarers from a country where wages are low. Since the vessel hardly calls at its home port and because seafarers will have to be flown in to join the ship, the owners prefer to take the bulk of them from a single country. That is why they need the services of crewing agents in the country of residence of the seafarers, to select the required crew and make their travel arrangements to join the ship. Such representatives/agents are also required to complete any local formalities.

However, we must not forget the fact that neither STCW nor SOLAS-ISM recognises these entities. The term ‘company’ is used to define the entity responsible for the safe and secure operation of the ship, including

the protection of the marine environment. Resources including manning remain the responsibility of the (ISM) company. The crewing agent works under the umbrella of the company.

The International Labour Organisation, which protects the rights and privileges of seafarers, felt the need for some degree of control by the country of the seafarers’ origin. That is why they introduced the entity ‘Recruitment and Placement Services’ — commonly known as RPS. They are to be licensed by a country’s administration and remain responsible to that administration for the seafarers they send to their clients.

It is now expected that ISM companies will only use the services of licensed RPS. The company will still remain responsible to the flag state, whereas the RPS will remain answerable to the administration of the country of a seafarer’s nationality.

In cases where seafarers are not paid regular wages the crew should complain to the flag state, which can pressurise the ISM Company because the DOC (document of compliance) of the company is issued by the flag state. The seafarers can also complain to their own national administration, which can exercise leverage over RPS licensed by them.

The ultimate option will still remain with the seafarers to arrest the ship for the lien they have to recover wages and repatriation expenses.

FR CHOWDHURY

Have your say online Last month we asked: Do you think ‘drone ships’ will be a reality by 2020?

No 67%

Yes 33%

This month’s poll asks: Do you think it would be feasible to introduce a global ban on ‘facilitation gifts’ to port officials? Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

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Solent Uni plotters will destroy WMA P

Thank you for the revealing article ‘Working out Winning Ways for Warsash (page 21, March Telegraph) covering the decision of Southampton Solent University (SSU) to re-locate Warsash Maritime Academy (WMA) to the city centre. I’d also like to thank you for publishing the excellent letter from Malcolm Graves in May’s Telegraph (page 18) ‘Move is not for WMA’s benefit’. Furthermore, Mr Graves should be congratulated for trying to extricate some long overdue answers from the individuals who effectively signed WMA’s death warrant.

Referring to the original article, whilst the new vice chancellor attempts to paint an optimistic picture of the future, most of his rhetoric sounds rather flimsy, if not hollow.

He talks of the possibility of creating a superyacht cadetship and uses phrases such as ‘the best student experience, to offer value for money and to maximise industry engagement’.

It all sounds too political to be convincing.

That the university will ‘review the delivery of UK cadetships’ sounds a little ominous but somehow entirely predictable. Frankly, I feel sorry for the man, having been put into this difficult position somewhat insidiously. There was nothing, as far as I know, amiss about his appointment, yet the politics behind the whole affair leaves a bitter taste behind.

The fact is that master plans were hatched as long as seven or eight years ago and it was abundantly clear to the staff and students what was happening, through having to read between the lines of various soundbites from the vice chancellor’s office at the time.

Yet the understandable reaction from the staff was to question the future of WMA and thereby their own future. The impending move to the city centre will not result in an expansion of WMA’s activities; the opposite, in fact.

To be blunt, the staff were lied to, misled and misrepresented.

Now the truth is out, the initial concerns of the staff have proven to be well-founded. Those at the top had pervasively planned this from the outset and put a series of mechanisms in place to cover their own tracks. Many of the faceless individuals responsible have since moved on, or at least changed positions within the institution. These were the individuals from the

Officer trainees at Warsash Maritime Academy

long-established anti-Warsash contingent, which had been edging toward their political ends for decades.

The sickening part about this episode is that there was no real foundation for the implosion of WMA, other than for the fickle, political, self-gratification of the perpetrators. At least they can now put ‘management of change’ on their CV, which is more important to them than the careers of the experienced and dedicated staff at WMA. By 2010 WMA was flourishing.

Financial support from central government was in the pipeline in order to sustain cadet training, and the international profile

of the Academy was never higher. Specialist short courses were becoming increasingly commercially successful in the UK and abroad. Specialist staff were in place to continue the success story, and WMA’s first of their own academic postgraduate programmes were gaining both high income and high reputation. At that stage, the future looked rich. Staff were told that WMA was the ‘jewel in the crown’ that helped what was the Southampton Institute of Higher Education gain university status and become Southampton Solent University.

But it was all part of a sinister master plan, which

used WMA for its own cynical and political ends. Once it had helped gain university status, its use had expired and it was dealt with accordingly. WMA was expendable thereafter.

The arguments that tough commercial and financial decisions had to be taken, which have ultimately led to the demise of WMA, are entirely false.

Strange then, that in exactly the same position in terms of the provision of industry training and education, the counterpart institution in Glasgow is expanding on the basis of significant funding and, indeed, belief from its parent body.

The future of WMA would have looked after itself, had the structure and staff remained in place, but the university hierarchy had to have their way, perhaps out of jealousy of WMA’s success. Assassins were put in place to trigger the implosive destruction and the plans have been implemented and succeeded better than the plotters could have dared to imagine.

What’s even more sickening is that those responsible will never be openly identified, let alone held to account for their political tinkering. Their spineless machinations have led to a selfdeteriorating sequence of events which will result in an untimely and unnecessary demise of what was once a world leader.

Mr Graves is not the only one puzzled and angered by this development. mem no 171070

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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

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18/05/2016 15:59

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

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Sign the Seaman Guard Ohio petition Only experienced masters petition — ‘British Foreign F Secretary: Free the 6 British ex-soldiers I have recently signed a

from Indian jail’ — concerning the continuing detention of the security guards from the Seaman Guard Ohio and wonder if it is possible for you to

promulgate the link in the Nautilus Telegraph for others to see and do likewise if they wish.

As a recently-serving master having used the services of security personnel onboard, it is amazing that this situation has been allowed to

continue for so long.

To access the online petition, go to the website www.change.org and search for ‘Indian jail’.

Captain BRIAN PRITCHARD mem no 150429

No wonder Britain is short of seafarers P

On page 7 of my May issue of the Nautilus Telegraph there was an article stating that 85% of the UK public are unaware of the existence or the function of the Merchant Navy.

This brings to mind an incident that occurred with me a couple of years ago. Eight years into retirement from 30 years of service as an engineer officer, I somewhat reluctantly agreed to wear my uniform, still bearing Union Castle braid, at my daughter’s wedding. This, in fact, became significant as only a couple of days previously, we had been informed that my late father-in-law had been approved for the award of the Arctic Star, in recognition of his services as a junior deck officer in the WW2 Russian Convoys.

During the course of the

wedding reception, I was approached by an extremely well spoken gentleman, who addressed me as ‘Sir’, shook my hand and enquired as to which branch of the Navy had I served.

When I explained that I had sailed as an engineer with the Merchant Navy, he raised his eyebrows with surprise and asked exactly what the Merchant Navy was, what function did it perform? He assumed that all British-registered vessels operated under the white ensign.

Fortunately, my wife was able to pour oil on troubled waters and the encounter was soon set aside.

However, in a recent engineering journal that I receive a letter appeared bemoaning the lack of engineer training in fundamental bench skills and stating that ‘even the training, so vital in the

Merchant Navy, no longer exists because the Merchant Navy itself no longer exists’. I wrote to the correspondent, asking him to correct the letter in subsequent issues. This was ignored. I then wrote to the publication editor to request a correction, and this too was ignored.

I now look at Mr Watts’s letter, on page 6 of the Telegraph, headlined ‘Where are the British seafarers on UK ships?’ If only 15% of our nation is aware of the function and purpose of our Merchant Navy, who is going to inspire the youngsters of today that there is an inspiring career out there on the high seas? Is it surprising that we seem to suffer a continuous shortage of potential seafarers?

DAVID PARNELL BSc (hons) MIBMS mem no 137996

Surveying Marine Damage 3rd Edition

IT

HERB

Y

W

A handbook for marine surveyors and loss adjusters and a guide for underwriters, shipowners and lawyers particularly for insurance claims.

16-17_lets_SR edit.indd 17

Witherby Publishing Group 4 Dunlop Square, Livingston, Edinburgh, EH54 8SB, Scotland, UK

Tel No: +44(0)1506 463 227 Fax No: +44(0)1506 468 999 Email: info@emailws.com Web: www.witherbyseamanship.com

should be superintendents a seminar on HQS Wellington F on mentoring. The second half of the seminar covered employment opportunities outside the seagoing areas of the marine industry.

I raised the same question as ex-chief engineer J. Watt (letters, May Telegraph) — where are the British seafarers?

In the last six years as a SIRE tanker inspector in Europe, I inspected 180 tankers. A significant number were flying the red ensign but had no British personnel onboard. Even in BP the majority of their tankers are operated

by Indian officers. I would say we are reaching crisis level.

On the subject of ‘A smooth transition to superintendent’, no one should be a superintendent without a very minimum of two years as master.

I was fortunate to be office-bound for a period and was secretary for the

accident and damage committee. I saw masters and chief engineers castigated for following superintendents’ instructions (demands) and vowed never to be in that situation.

ISM has taken authority from the master and given it to the superintendents, leaving the master with all the responsibility. You cannot divide the two!

As master I always insisted that I had the final say, not a superintendent. I was never proved wrong in my 25 years in command.

I read the article in which a young man with eight years’ sea experience is about to become a ‘superintendent’.

Good luck to the masters who have to work with him. There is no substitute for experience — I had 40 years at sea and went on to terminal operations.

Captain KEITH J. BEVERLEY Beverley Marine Services mem no 308932

EU rule not a problem for Dutch mortgages

Nautilus is right to take a view on Brexit

articles by Steven Kennedy F in the April Telegraph (headlined

edition of the Telegraph that, F after discussion and consideration of

‘More than a little local difficulty’ and ‘My dollar payslip has cost me my mortgage’).

In the past I have had problems in acquiring a mortgage, but this was mainly because of my service time with the company. After receiving a new contract with full-time employment, I managed to get the mortgage from the bank.

Although I do not need a new mortgage now, I wondered what the situation in the Netherlands is, and so I phoned our bank (ING), explained about the new EU legislation and asked if this was the same as in the UK. To my surprise, they were aware of the new Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD), but according to them the new EU rule still makes it possible to obtain a mortgage while being paid in a foreign currency.

They think the way the MCD rules have been implemented in the UK legislation causes this problem, and not the EU rules by themselves.

Captain JOHAN KOOIJ mem no 1161048

the potential impact on British shipping of a ‘Brexit’, Nautilus Council reached a unanimous consensus that the best interests of the profession and the industry would be secured by the UK remaining in the European Union.

There may be those who think that the Union should remain neutral on this issue. However, given that politicians of all colours, business, trade organisations and the populace in general are all expressing their views, it would be illogical in my view for any organisation — including a trade union — that has responsibility for acting in a manner that it believes serves the best interests of its members not to adopt a view, as long as this is formed through pragmatic, reasonable and responsible evaluation with no place for emotion.

All those eligible to vote will be able to make up their own minds on this important national matter. Nautilus International remains a non-politically affiliated union — adopting the position that it has does nothing to change this.

TONY NEUMANN mem no 102687

I am a mentor and attended

I would like to respond to the

I was pleased to read in the May

tel: +44 (0)20 7880 6200 email: paul.wade@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.

Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

ISSN 0040 2575 Published by Nautilus International Printed by Wyndeham Peterborough.

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.

18/05/2016 13:05

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

YOUR LETTERS & NEWS

The important legacy of a 1966 seafarer strike P

The RMT union has published a new booklet — Turning the Tide — to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1966 seamen’s strike.

The specially-commissioned pamphlet traces the origins of the 47-day dispute — the first national stoppage by the National Union of Seamen since 1911 — which saw more than 400 ships idled and almost 12,000 seafarers on strike within a few days.

‘The 1966 strike was in many ways an explosion of pent-up grievances that seafarers had with shipowners, with the strict laws they had to work under — and to some extent with their own union,’ it notes. ‘Simmering

discontent had been mounting over many years, especially with the Merchant Shipping Act, which effectively outlawed union representation at sea and made union activists the targets of criminal prosecution and blacklisting by shipowners.’

The strike was called in support of demands to cut the working week from 56 to 40 hours and to secure a pay rate of £60 a month for an able seaman.

As the stoppage intensified, the Labour government declared a State of Emergency, giving it powers to clear ports and cargoes and to use troops to do dock work.

At its peak, the strike saw 891 vessels immobilised and

26,000 NUS members taking action. There were warnings of food shortages and postal problems, as well as estimations that the country’s gold and currency reserves had been depleted by one-fifth as a result of the stoppage and the run on sterling.

The dispute ended when the owners agreed to make a modest pay increase and to phase in the 40-hour week by July 1967, giving nine extra days of leave a year in exchange for manning concessions.

The booklet also covers the aftermath of the dispute — including the subsequent Pearson Court of Inquiry which recommended major

Factory repair rule is de-skilling our youth but not surprise — at the apparent A lack of seamanship skills in shipboard I would like to express dismay —

practice today.

I am of the opinion that those of us in the older generation are in a time warp in what we still imagine a well-found cargo ship looks like: one of five hatches, 10 five-ton derricks and one heavylift derrick of a 25 tons capacity. This and all the accompanying running gear, winches, topping lifts, blocks, runners, shackles, guys and three canvas hatch covers are all wedged up in their proper order and are largely present in nostalgia — like the sound of a steam whistle.

There are no longer one officer and two or three able seamen on watch four-on/eight-off (coastwise and short voyages four-on/four-off). All that has

gone like the ‘dirty British coaster with a salt-caked some stack’.

These were the seamen who willingly passed on their long-acquired skills in rope and canvas to the aspiring seamen. The watch below was a place for learning knots, splicing and intricate work. Macramie twine was ever present in the making of belts and a myriad of other handicrafts. This is where early canvas sewing was learned and begun in the making of your first seabag and fine other artwork.

Today, many of the ropes in use are cable-laid and delivered shipboard all ready-spliced. Few are taught how to re-splice a broken or damaged eye. Take a walk along a quayside where fishing boats or yachts are moored, and you will see that a damaged eye on the rope has

The Slater Scholarship offers a bursary of up to £17,500 for Merchant Navy ratings, electrotechnical officers and yacht crew to study for the STCW officer of the watch qualification (either deck or engineer).

Administered by the

18_your news_SR edit.indd 18

for 14 years, in one of the major A UK ports, I considered a transfer to Having served as a port pilot

amendments to the 1894 Merchant Shipping Act and its notorious disciplinary provisions.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said the booklet had been published to provide an important educational and historical resource. ‘Looking at the causes, course and consequences of the strike in

1966, there are perhaps two key lessons: that unions must never become distanced from their members and, secondly, that legitimate trade union activity must never be criminalised.

Otherwise grievances accumulate, only to cause even worse longer-term problems.’ g Copies can be obtained by emailing: bdenny@rmt.org.uk

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Become a fan!

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the deepsea pilot service. After all, both have many skills in common that complement each other and they should be readily transferable. Fellow pilots may be interested to know that this is not the case.

Agencies may be keen to employ you and even the licensing authority may be sympathetic, but the deepsea committee of fellow pilots who advise Trinity House do not believe that we as port pilots have the necessary skills.

Only someone who has been master for three years will do.

You would have thought that someone who has a proven track record as a pilot from Class 4 to Class 1 (approximately 2,000 vessels) would be preferable to someone who may have served on only one class of vessel — but no. Could it be that we are not thought capable of talking to the master as an equal, or would 10 days in each other’s company be too onerous to take?

From someone who used to do four, five or six-month voyages, I don’t think so. I would be interested to know, from my deepsea colleagues, those who are still speaking to me, what qualities a deepsea pilot has that a port pilot lacks. I am hoping that when the rule was made, that it was an oversight that port pilots were not considered as an alternative to a master.

After all, I am sure that deepsea pilots would make excellent port pilots — so why not vice versa? mem no 156514

been replaced by a bowline.

I have been told, rightly or wrongly, that shipboard wire splicing is now no longer acceptable and all have to be spliced factory-made and tested. I made a suggestion for a rail to be covered in cross-pointing, only to be told it might not get the safety OK. As a past port safety officer, I would question the veracity of that.

So do not blame the young aspiring seaman, as it is possible that their one-time teachers have been discarded ashore in the pursuit of profit — or perhaps with the new onerous watchkeeping duties, they are just too exhausted and their shipmates may have a limited knowledge of the English language. mem no 714076

BUILD YOUR CAREER WITH A SLATER SCHOLARSHIP

Apply now! marine-society.org/slater slater@ms-sc.org

Why can’t port pilots transfer to deepsea service?

Clockwise from above left: Summer job launch work, by Josh Davies; Containership at sea,

by Matthew Butterworth; Mast climbing at Halcyon Yachts, by Siwan Bryn Roberts

Visit Llyn Maritime Museum! a maritime exhibition opening in H north Wales this month, which charts a Pictured above are photos from

year in the life of young seafarers from the Llŷn Peninsula.

Backed by a grant from Nautilus International, Making Waves (Hwylio ‘Mlaen in Welsh) will run from 3 June – 30 June at the Llŷn Maritime Museum.

‘Too often, museums are focused on the past, not the present or the future,’ said exhibition coordinator Jamie Davies. ‘We decided to recruit young people from the local area to

show the diverse career opportunities available at sea today, as well as bringing a younger audience to our museum.’

In addition to taking pictures, the participants — aged between 17 and 33 — have recorded videos and stories for the multimedia exhibition.

Contributors include students at Fleetwood Nautical Campus, a fisherman, a marine biology student, a second officer, a boat builder, a yacht deliverer and RNLI lifeboat volunteers.

The hope is that the exhibition

will change the local community’s perception of its young people and inspire others to follow similar career paths and volunteering opportunities.

To support these aims, Nautilus made a contribution towards the cost of staging the exhibition.

‘We were pleased to learn of this strong local initiative to promote maritime careers and highlight the vital work of our members,’ said general secretary Mark Dickinson. ‘Nautilus wishes the exhibition — and its talented contributors — every success.’

18/05/2016 16:27

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

CREW COMMUNICATIONS

The Inmarsat network operations centre, where the staff monitor and troubleshoot the entire data communications network Pictures: Inmarsat

A

The global maritime satellite organisation Inmarsat last month launched its next generation of satcom services — Fleet Xpress — promising that this will mark the start of a massive maritime communications revolution.

Introduced on the back of US$1.6bn investment in a new constellation of Ka-band satellites, Fleet Xpress will close the gap between connectivity at sea and ashore, and could pave the way to a wide range of new applications designed to increase ship efficiency, crew welfare, and vessel safety and security.

Inmarsat can trace its routes back to the launch of the world’s first telecommunications satellite — Telstar — in 1962. At that time, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) recognised the potential for satellite communications to assist in distress situations at sea, and initiated a study of the operational requirements for a satellite communications system devoted to maritime purposes.

In 1975, the IMO held three sessions devoted to maritime satellite communications, and in 1976, the Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organisation (or Inmarsat) was born.

By 1982 Inmarsat had begun operations from London, and it remains the only organisation approved to provide satellite communication systems for use in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

Inmarsat launched Fleet Broadband 15 years ago, which allowed the first networking on ships to take place. Fleet Xpress, a hybrid Ka- and L-band maritime satellite service, went live last month following extensive tests. The service can deliver ‘guaranteed high-speed data and seamless back-up’ which Inmarsat says will not only make ‘smart ships’ a reality but also enable seafarers to enjoy connectivity onboard equivalent to that experienced on land.

At the launch of the service in London, Inmarsat maritime president Ronald Spithout said mobile technology was developing so rapidly that there is expected to be an eightfold increase in maritime mobile data traffic in the next five years.

Data companies are already talking in terms of Exabytes (1,018 bytes) for storage capacity, he added, and alongside this, continued population growth will lead to world trade growing from the current 9bn tonnes per year to an anticipated 19bn to 24bn tonnes by 2030.

19_inmarsat_SR edit.indd Sec1:19

Can internet access at sea ever match the service ashore? We’re already nearly there, according to satcom provider Inmarsat...

Inmarsat maritime president Ronald Spithout

Mr Spithout explained why Inmarsat had chosen to launch the fifth generation of its satellites on Ka-band as rather than the traditional L-band.

‘Historically our satellites have gone on the L band frequency,’ he said. ‘This was chosen by the IMO back in the 1970s as the platform for the GMDSS as there are no atmospheric conditions that would make the performance of L-band differ. This was essential as the first satellites were all about safety at sea.

‘Under GMDSS regulations we have to be able to restore the signal within one hour of any downtime. When seafarers are in trouble and hit that button they need to know someone is listening, and they have performed excellently for our Fleet Broadband service,’ he added.

‘Inmarsat spend £1.5bn every year ensuring our satellites are maintained and sending up replacements. However, when we started thinking about the next constellations of satellites there had

already developed a demand for higher speeds and it simply isn’t possible to get a high throughput over and L-band, so we have chosen Ka-band, but we have retained the L-band as a backup to ensure continuous service.’

Mr Spithout highlighted the massive potential for onboard business applications on ships that embrace new technology at sea.

‘We all have gadgets in our pockets all the time nowadays,’ he explained.

‘We have a situation where we are completely addicted to connectivity and everyone notices the second they move into an area without a connection. The need is there and the expectation there whenever and wherever we are, and this applies to people at sea as much as it applies to people living in rural areas.

‘We have already seen a vast increase in the number of vessels — and size of vessels — on our waters, and the Triple E came out of the yard with 3,000 sensors onboard. These sensors collect data on everything there is to measure, making the fleet greener, more efficient, more agile and capable of dealing with all kind of circumstances at sea.

‘If you take that technology one step further, the only thing that’s missing is applications. This is the real value of information,’ he explained.

‘We increasingly hear about “big data” in shipping, but the value to the business is not in data itself. It’s about being able to make sense of that data. Data alone is of no value, but the moment you are able to translate data into valuable information, that’s the moment when we transform shipping and that’s what business applications can do, and will do for shipping.’

Chief technology officer Michele Franci added that Inmarsat had worked hard to find ways to bring its connectivity options all the way to the final user.

Inmarsat chief technology officer Michele Franci

‘We have developed a gateway to our systems so that app developers can design applications for use in all areas of the maritime industry,’ he explained.

‘We hope to be able to offer opportunities for business application development throughout our range of speeds and profiles available. This means ships’ systems could run everything from very simple apps on personal devices using very low data rates (known as the internet of things) all the way to up to very high data speeds for complex ship processes.

‘We provide the building blocks so that those who develop and build business applications solutions can easily get their app onboard to use data in the best way.’

‘We are doing all of this because the expectations and needs of end users —

Nautilus: future developments must be led by seafarers

K

Nautilus International has welcomed the commitment from Inmarsat to enable the maritime industry to continuously improve communications and data access onboard. The Union also believes the industry is standing on the edge of a global communications revolution, and in March launched the Crew Communications strategic campaign to ensure that the views of seafarers inform and direct this change.

Later this month the Union will launch its largest ever crew

communications survey, asking seafarers their views on accessing the internet onboard, how their onboard connectivity differs from their service at home and what they want from the new opportunities arising from improved connectivity onboard.

The Union is also hoping to work with Inmarsat and its partners to run a competition among members to recommend new applications which they feel could be used onboard. Visit www.nautilusint.org for the latest on the Crew Communications campaign.

demands from both companies and individuals — are getting more complex and more diversified,’ Mr Franci concluded.

‘Our new satellites allow everything from machine applications, data analytics applications, remote sensing applications and decision-making support; through to video transmissions, TV ondemand and reliable communications of all kinds.’

As well as the potential for ‘smart’ ship operations that ‘big data’ brings to ships and shipping companies, Inmarsat believes that Fleet Xpress brings huge potential for improving crew welfare at sea and could be a ‘game changer for seafarers’. New developments mean that crew will be able to communicate with family and friends in a way that reflects modern life.

‘If ship owners use our high-speed satellite connections to purchase a multi-media subscription for vessels, such as Inmarsat’s Fleet Media, seafarers could bring their own devices and access not only the internet and email, but also on-demand multi-language TV series, blockbuster films, as-live sports and news,’ Mr Spithout pointed out. ‘This can be accessed on PCs, laptops, smartphones and other smart devices which crew bring onboard ship.’

A

Fleet Xpress also resolves some of the concerns from shipping companies about the separation of ship operations connectivity and crew communication needs, with the guaranteed performance offered through the range of satellite capabilities. Ships’ systems use ‘downtime’ — periods when there is not a high demand for ship operations — to bring down and refresh other non-essential content.

Further advantages from onboard video streaming capabilities come in the form of medical diagnosis and support. In the event of sickness or injury, onboard medics can use live video telemedicine applications to consult doctors on shore and get crew the treatment they need without delay.

‘We are really not very far from a time when seafarers can go onto a ship and access content immediately,’ Mr Spithout concluded. ‘Soon we could see ships refreshing content every 15 minutes, so the only difference between being at sea and walking into McDonald’s to hook up to their free wi-fi would be that the content is 15 minutes old rather than completely live.’

18/05/2016 13:06

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

MARITIME SAFETY

Be smart using e-charts How can seafarers and shipping companies reduce the risk of ECDIS-related accidents and detentions? A UK-based training company has been holding a series of seminars around the world to offer advice on making the best use of the system…

L

Port state control authorities are paying increasing attention to electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS) — but shipowners and seafarers can take some simple steps to avoid the risk of detention, an industry meeting heard last month.

Representatives from 20 shipping companies attended the London seminar staged by the UK-based training firm ECDIS Ltd to highlight the lessons to be learned from recent electronic chart-related accidents and detentions.

Managing director Mark Broster said there have been around a dozen groundings linked to ECDIS, while the first port state control detentions arising from ECDIS deficiencies occurred in 2013 — with a ‘dramatic’ increase since then.

However, he added, it’s not hard to reduce the risks — and analysis of accidents and detentions, together with feedback from training sessions, has provided practical measures that can be taken by companies and mariners.

‘The principles of navigation remain unchanged and the navigator still needs to gather information to research and appraise the route, and to monitor and execute it as normal,’ Mr Broster pointed out.

‘However,’ he warned, ‘ECDIS breeds laziness and the route appraisal has been reduced from an hour or more to 30 seconds or less, with many officers downloading their routes or importing them on USB sticks.’

All ECDIS systems have the ability to show chart notes — but with 38 different manufacturers the ways of accessing this vary, and there is often a question of whether seafarers know how to do it, Mr Broster said.

Safety contours can be a fantastic tool, he added, but they can often be wrongly applied.

Alarms will only go off when something dangerous is identified — and navigators need to know the depths of their system menus so that they can set the filters, preferences and parameters for what the equipment is checking.

Mr Broster said the

We provide a lifeline to keep them afloat

Life at sea is often a struggle for elderly merchant seafarers, fishermen and their dependants - particularly the families of those lost at sea, the disabled and widowed.

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society is here to help them rebuild their lives.

Every year we give over £1M in grants to help those in difficulty and distress.

Please help us to rebuild shattered lives with a legacy or donation. If anyone you know needs our support, be sure to put them in touch with us.

Dept NUK, 1 North Pallant, Chichester PO19 1TL /i \Êä£Ó{ÎÊÇn ÎÓ ÊUÊ >Ý\Êä£Ó{ÎÊxÎänxÎ

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Supporting the seafaring community for over 175 years

20_ecdis_SR edit.indd Sec2:20

Mark Broster and Robyn Harrigan, from ECDIS Ltd, at the reducing risks seminar in London last month

investigation into the grounding of the chemical tanker Ovit in the Dover Strait in September 2013 showed how failure to abide by basic principles of navigation when using ECDIS can cause accidents. The grounding had been ‘planned’ nine days before the incident, when the third officer set the track directly over the Varne Bank, with the safety contour set to the manufacturer’s default of 30m and the dropdown menu to display and highlight dangers being turned off.

The plan was not checked by the master before departure or by the officer of the watch at the start of his watch, and the ship’s position was monitored solely against the intended track shown on the ECDIS, with an inappropriate chart scale being used.

Navigational marks on the Varne Bank were not acted upon and the OOW’s situational awareness was so poor that it took him 19 minutes to realise that his vessel had run aground.

Mr Broster also highlighted other cases, including the groundings of the bulk carrier CSL Thames in 2011, the dry cargo vessel Beaumont in 2012, and the ferry Commodore Clipper in 2014, to show how basic failures to plan, appraise or monitor the route had been key factors.

‘Port state control authorities are onto ECDIS now and you are going to see more and more of it over the coming year,’ he told the seminar.

Examples include the Norwegian-flagged offshore support vessel Olympic Canyon, detained in the UK port of Peterhead with deficiencies such as an unapproved ECDIS and monitoring of the voyage plan not as required, and the Antigua & Barbuda-registered general cargoship Bomar Moon, detained

in the port of Tilbury because of problems such as electronic charts not updated, incomplete voyage or passage plan, incomplete monitoring of voyage or passage plan, and missing navigation records.

L

There are many reasons why port state control officers may determine that there are ECDIS-related deficiencies, Mr Broster explained.

One common problem facing officers is the use of ‘best scale’ charts for berthing and in harbour areas, while another challenge is being able to show that chart corrections have been carried out recently.

A further problem may arise from sensors linked to the ECDIS — which can be a frequent cause

of alarms if they have been set up by external engineers and have not been calibrated properly. ‘Seafarers need to understand what is being fed into the system,’ Mr Broster stressed.

Robyn Harrigan, ECDIS Ltd training manager, said feedback from officers showed that as many as 70% do not fully understand how their system charts are being updated. While some new systems have an extra overlay on the ENC to highlight that something has changed, others have to be interrogated through the chart info button.

With manufacturers updating their software every six to 12 months, on average, there is also a question of who is checking this and what the implications

The ‘check route’ page on the ECDIS onboard the tanker Ovit highlighted potential hazards ‒ including the risk of grounding on Varne Bank ‒ but officers told investigators that they had interpreted the ’no alarms’ notation to mean there were no dangers along the route Picture: MAIB

are for the user interface. And new symbols being introduced on electronic charts will also mean more information to interpret, as well as further demands on training.

Ms Harrigan said layering on ENCs is often the biggest issue for seafarers and many officers also complain of the difficulties in dealing with categories such as ‘customise’ when they are doing type-specific training.

Others have problems with scaling and the loss of certain items when they zoom out, she added.

Further complications arise from differences in company policy towards the use of display preferences, Ms Harrigan added.

There may also be variations in the management of the bridge ECDIS configuration and log-ins and passwords.

Mr Broster said the responsibility of UK owners and operators to ensure that masters and deck officers have shipspecific ECDIS training has been set out in M-Notice MIN503, issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

Although some shipping companies had interpreted the requirement to ensure that such training is ‘delivered in accordance with the ISM Code and the STCW Convention’ as meaning that ‘trickle-down’ training or a video is adequate, Mr Broster said the M-Notice will mean that they will have to put greater effort into their safety management systems.

In the face of these concerns, Mr Broster said ECDIS Ltd has launched two projects to research the effectiveness of electronic chart training and to examine the ‘cyber-security’ risks associated with the equipment.

18/05/2016 16:26

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

MARITIME TECHNOLOGY

I

The shipping industry is in the midst of a revolution as important as the transition from sail to steam — with a ‘mega-trend’ to use technology in a way that is already starting to revolutionise the way in which vessels are operated and seafarers work.

That’s the view of experts with the power and automation company ABB, which has taken a fresh step towards turning the talk about ‘drone’ ships into reality by opening a new centre that remotely monitors a wide range of vessels and their critical systems.

Based in the Port of Helsinki in Finland, the new ABB Integrated Operations Centre (IOC) collects key data via satellite link from sensors and software onboard a mix of passengerships, container vessels and specialist tonnage operating in ice-bound areas.

The new centre is the second in a series being set up around the world by ABB to capitalise on the dramatic leaps in the levels of connectivity between ship and shore by harvesting important operational data from ships.

The IOCs combine data from the ABB monitoring software, which is sent to the cloud automatically, with manually collected data from condition-monitoring surveys and feasibility studies. The combined data is used to provide analysis of performance and energy efficiency, as well as remote diagnostics, trouble-shooting and support with planned maintenance.

‘The shipping industry is often said to be very conservative, but I don’t think that is the case any more,’ says Richard Windischhofer, who heads the ABB integrated operations programme.

‘It is really good to see the level of interest in new technology, and it has now reached a critical mass.’

He believes that the huge investments being made in maritime satellite communications have paved the way to the introduction of the ‘internet of things’ — networking physical objects embedded with electronics, software, and sensors to collect and exchange data — within the shipping industry. Reliable and predictable levels of communications capacity make the process much more secure — even with a daily flow of information to the IOCs amounting to between 10 and 20 megabytes — and a fraction of the bandwidth used for crew communications.

‘It is simply more efficient and safe to support the engineer onboard than reacting to a problem,’ Dr Windischhofer explains.

‘Shipowners are being much more proactive nowadays and are monitoring the performance of a whole fleet from shore.’

I

Last month’s launch of the Helsinki IOC follows the establishment last year of a similar facility in Billingstad, Norway, which provides services to more than 100 ships operating in the oil and gas sector, and another centre in the Netherlands, which is responsible for voyage and operational monitoring of around 400 ships.

Further centres are due to open later this year in Singapore, Italy and the United States, providing a global network.

The IOCs collect equipment and performance data from ships, enabling analysis of such things as fuel consumption and engine performance, as well as offering dynamic guidance on the safest and most fuel-efficient

21_abb_SR edit.indd 21

Embracing the new nautical networks Seafarers shouldn’t fear the growth of remote monitoring of their ships, but should instead see it as a way to make their work more efficient and productive. So say experts who have just opened a new shore-based centre to oversee the operations of more than 100 vessels around the world…

Costa and Aida fleets.

While the core function of the Carnival centre is crisis support, the data it has collected has been used to identify operational efficiencies that are said to have made the two fleets the most fuel-efficient in the group.

ABB says it recognises the importance of involving seafarers in the new systems, and former engineer officer Palemia Field, programme manager for ABB’s passenger and cargo integrated operations, has been helping to train crew to get the most out of the technology. Using simulators to replicate situations such as generator problems or system failures and to resolve them with support from ashore not only improves situational awareness but also raises their ability to deal with emergencies, he explains.

‘There can be a certain element of pride in their ship and their ways of working, but if we can help the crew to do the maintenance or the repairs themselves they will understand that we are there to help them and not replace them,’ Mr Field adds.

I

Richard Windischhofer, head of the ABB integrated operations programme

route, and condition monitoring of onboard technology such as Azipod units. They monitor the key parameters which will have direct impact on critical equipment and could lead either to downtime or to a significant loss in efficiency — and, it is claimed, sometimes spot problems before the crew can.

“

We are there to help crews, not replace them

”

Palemia Field, ABB ‘This is just the first step,’ Dr Windischhofer promises. ‘There is huge potential for the future here. We are already monitoring more than 600 vessels and this can give a complete overview of fleet operations.’

The improved condition monitoring capability can help to cut costs and save time by providing

detailed documentation of maintenance work ahead of major surveys and dry-docking, he says.

Remote diagnostics also enable shore-based experts to spot problems at an early stage and — by giving guidance to enable crew to fix them onboard — may often avert the need to send service engineers out to ships.

While there is a rising tide of predictions about the imminence of autonomous ships, ABB says its IOCs are more about providing support to seafarers than replacing them or eroding the authority of the master and chief engineer.

‘We are providing advice and information to make the best decisions possible,’ Dr Windischhofer stresses. ‘It is a dialogue between the people onboard and the experts ashore, and the decision rests with the customer. It is like a peer relationship and provides tools that enable you to say things with confidence.’

Rather than cutting out crew, technology can be used to improve their efficiency by helping them to focus on the most productive tasks, he suggests.

Further gains can be made by improving the interface between seafarers and systems, or overhauling the design of engine control rooms, he adds.

However, Dr Windischhofer admits, the wealth of information generated by collecting data from critical systems, power plants and external factors creates a powerful tool for interpreting factors such as excessive wear and tear, or to compare fuel consumption between different ships in the same fleet.

As an example, such analysis has been used to identify energy inefficiencies on a ro-pax ferry caused by poor trim and incorrect power plant operations.

ABB is also integrating its IOCs with a growing number of companies, such as the Carnival operations centre in Hamburg which is responsible for 26 ships in the

Dr Windischhofer contends that embracing the technology and the support it can provide may help to improve the nature of work at sea and enable owners to recruit and retain the highly skilled seafarers they need to operate with such systems. Adopting such processes may help shipping to aspire to aviation standards of safety, he adds.

The exponential increases in shipboard technology and shore-based support systems are already transforming the work of seafarers and raise such questions as whether the chief engineer of the near future needs to be a mechanical engineer or a technical officer with IT expertise, he notes.

Some people might not be on the ship any more, but may be working shore-side with responsibility for 15 to 20 ships, Dr Windischhofer suggests. ‘Overall, I think there will still be a need for the industry to make more investment in competence.’

He forecasts that many more revolutionary changes are on the way, with the depth of data being delivered offering huge scope for further analysis to find better ways of working. On some ships, there are up to 11,000 data points and — at present — less than 10% of these are being actively used.

‘The future is here,’ he says, ‘and we are just at the beginning.’

The new ABB Integrated Operations Centre in Helsinki

18/05/2016 15:03

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

MARITIME WORKFORCE

F

Shipowners have stepped up their recruitment and training efforts in response to repeated warnings of a growing global shortage of officers — but they may still not have done enough to prevent a potential ninefold increase in the gap between supply and demand over the next decade.

That’s the stark conclusion of the 2015 Manpower Report, published last month by the owners’ organisations BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping. The long-awaited study — the latest in a series produced at five-yearly intervals since 1990 — estimates the current worldwide shortage of officers to be 16,500 and predicts that it could rise to 92,000 by 2020 and to 147,500 by 2025.

Researchers found that the number of seafarers has increased by 24% over the past five years, meaning that there is now a total of 774,000 officers and 875,000 ratings — compared with 466,000 officers and 721,000 ratings in 2005.

However, despite the additional training and improved retention rates, the global demand for officers is outstripping supply by just over 2%. In contrast, the worldwide surplus of 119,000 ratings equates to almost 16% of total supply.

The findings are based on data supplied by flag states, 52 shipping companies in 45 countries, 75 maritime colleges, and a range of seafarer unions. They also draw from feedback given by around 1,600 seafarers from 62 different countries.

Researchers found that 20% of shipping companies experience ‘major’ or ‘substantial’ recruitment difficulties, while 58% report few or no problems. ‘This suggests that the majority view was, generally across most ranks and roles, and irrespective of nationalities, any recruitment difficulties were manageable,’ the report states.

Companies said some training was poor and seafarers were being promoted too fast

“

”

Feedback from shipping companies showed that the most significant recruitment problems involved management level officers — and senior engineer officer positions in particular.

The report says recruitment of operational level deck officers has become easier since 2010, although there are variations between different countries. Companies complained that it was difficult to find sufficient management level deck officers in such countries as the Netherlands, the UK, the Philippines, India and Ukraine.

They also reported difficulties in recruiting operational level deck officers in the Netherlands, the Philippines and Ukraine, as well as management level engineer officers in Greece, India, Japan and the Netherlands.

The most acute recruitment problems were reported by companies operating LPG carriers — half of which complained of substantial or major difficulties in

Is the shipping industry recruiting and training enough seafarers? A major new study by organisations BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping has sought to find ou

1

Estimated global supply of seafarers (2005-2015)

2

Major 6% Substantial 14% total ratings officers

Moderate 22% Some 33%

Reported levels of recruitment difficulty

2005

2010

5

2010 OECD Eastern Europe Africa & Latin America Far East Indian sub-continent

29% 20% 8% 29% 13%

19% 15% 15% 37% 14%

2005 OECD Eastern Europe Africa & Latin America Far East Indian sub-continent

2015 OECD Eastern Europe Africa & Latin America Far East Indian sub-continent

23% 17% 8% 39% 13%

14% 14% 9% 55% 8%

24% 16% 15% 31% 13%

4

None 25%

2015

Regional share of global seafarer supply 28% 20% 8% 28% 15%

China has taken over from the Philippines as the world’s largest supplier of seafarers

Estimated supply-demand balance for officers

SHORTAGE

2015

2.1% 11.7% 18.3%

supply: 774,000 demand: 790,500 shortage: 16,500

0 supply: 789,500 2020

demand: 881,500 shortage: 92,000

20255 supply: 805,000

demand: 952,500 shortage: 147,500

finding suitable officers. Owners of LNG carriers and chemical tankers also complained of higher than average recruitment difficulties.

Asked what they are doing to combat such problems, almost two-thirds of companies said they are increasing recruitment in shortage roles, and 62% have used ‘reward structures’ to increase retention. Just over half have changed the nationality of their crews to make it easier to find seafarers, and 20% have made no changes at all.

Top 10 reasons for seafarers to remain with their current employer

The researchers said they had found little evidence that companies are routinely asking seafarers to extend tour lengths or cut short their leave in response to supply problems.

Operators told them that China, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and India are the five most important seafarer supply nations.

The report underlines the steady decline in the proportion of the world’s seafarers originating from

Singapore has launched a major new

(€770,000) scheme to subsidise training costs.

The Tripartite Engineering Training Award (TETA) programme covers 90% of the costs of the three-year course to gain a Class 5 certificate of competency, and also provides placements with shipping companies to gain the required seatime.

The scheme is a joint initiative being run by the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union (SMOU) in collaboration with the island state’s Workforce Development Agency (WDA), the

22-23_spread_ics_SR edit.indd 22

National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and the Employment and Employability Institute.

It also has the backing of the Maritime & Port Authority (MPA), the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) and a number of shipping companies.

The pilot scheme has nine Singaporeans signed up, and SMOU hopes to increase this to 20 next year. The cadets undertake nine months of pre-sea training, before 15 months of seatime, followed by a further seven months of study at the Singapore Maritime Academy before sitting the exams.

The cadets — who are usually mature

students with some minimum engineering experience or qualifications — pay 10% of the training course fees and receive an allowance worth almost €900 a month.

The SMOU is funding 10% of the scheme and it says the TETA programme is the latest in a series of initiatives which aim to attract Singaporeans to switch to a seafaring career through continuous education and training (CET).

‘Over the years, we have noticed the manpower issues, in particular the dwindling number of Singaporean seafaring officers and marine engineers willing to embark on this career,’ said SMOU general secretary Mary Liew.

6 7 8 9 1

developed nations. In 2005, 28% of of ratings came from OECD countries, c of officers and just 14% of ratings last period, the Far East has increased its officer supply from 28% to 39% and t ratings from 31% to 55%.

Researchers found a significantly h of European and US nationals at the o level (more than 40%) — compared w

Singapore scheme recruits land-based engineers to retrain as ship’s officers initiative intended to combat an ‘acute’ P shortage of engineer officers — with a S$1.2m

3

‘Therefore, we initiated various programmes with the help of our tripartite partners that adopt the CET route, to give Singaporeans a second opportunity to choose seafaring as a career.

‘It has not been an easy path because our selection process is stringent, but seeing lives being changed for the better has been highly encouraging for all of us involved,’ she added.

Singapore’s manpower minister Lim Swee Say told the TETA launch event: ‘Seafarers form a key segment of our maritime workforce. With an increasing use of technology, we must equip our seafarers with a higher level of knowledge and skills, and attract more to join this sector.’

18/05/2016 18:07

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

MARITIME WORKFORCE

y by owners’ out…

1

timely wage payments

2

promotion and career opportunities

3

‘happy ships’

4

good training

5

good shore staff

6

good food

7

good internet access

8

family benefits

9

regular shore leave

10 seniority pay of officers and 24% of ies, compared with 25% s last year. Over the same d its share of the world and the proportion of ntly higher proportion the officer management red with only 12% of

Filipinos and just over 25% of Chinese seafarers at this level.

The study uses a range of different factors to project future seafarer demand trends, and it notes that the global demand for officers has now overtaken the demand for ratings — largely as a result of changes to operational manning levels and onboard requirements.

Data supplied by companies employing just over 81,000 officers and 10,700 officer trainees showed a marked improvement in training levels — with the ratio of officers to cadets narrowing from 20 to one in 2005 to 7.6 to one last year.

Companies reported a 32% increase in deck officer trainees between 2010 and 2015 and a 34% increase in engineer officer trainees over the same period.

And while the study also highlights positive figures filed by maritime colleges from 32 countries, with 40% reporting an increase in officer cadet numbers over the past five years, it warns that they may not be able to supply the required quantity and quality of seafarers in the years ahead — pointing to such concerns as: z the proportion of cadets who fail to complete their training courses z the number of newly-qualified officers who can only find seagoing work as a rating z difficulties for trainees in securing pre-qualification seatime z problems faced by some colleges in providing adequate facilities, instruction and experience to trainees z a lack of quality and competence among some newlyqualified seafarers

F

One in five colleges said that 75% or more of their officer trainees may be expected to find work only as a rating after gaining their OOW certificate, and the report concludes that there is evidence indicating ‘the annual intake of officer trainees may exceed the realistic prospect of their employment as officers upon qualification’.

More than half of the colleges reported major or substantial difficulties in finding berths for officer trainees to complete their seatime requirements and only 12% said they had no problems at all.

Further concerns were raised by some companies who complained of the inadequate quality of maritime training and education, of seafarers being promoted too fast in a bid to compensate for officer shortages, and the challenges posed by the evolving requirements of technological developments and changing ship operations.

The report notes that some of these concerns are not new. But it also warns: ‘The industry must continue to place the utmost importance on seafarer recruitment and training and the quality of seafarers employed onboard ships. This is essential to the safety and efficiency of international shipping, and it will also have implications for the standard of shore-based management and support of the world merchant fleet in the future.’

Researchers examined the levels of seafarer turnover across different ranks and concluded that wastage rates have improved from previous reports, with turnover levels reflecting ‘the mobility of seafarers in the current maritime labour market’ and ‘not too far removed from a

healthy labour market situation’.

Nearly 70% of seafarers reckoned that they would be able to find a new job at sea within the space of three months, and 25% considered that they could get a new seagoing position in less than one month.

The majority of seafarers said they were happy or very happy in their job — only 9% described themselves as unhappy and just 4% as very unhappy.

Nearly half the seafarers indicated that they expect to continue working at sea for another five to 10 years.

The research team said the feedback suggested that the average length of a seagoing career is between five and 20 years.

F

Seafarers were asked to list the factors which encourage them to stay with their current employer — with timely wage payments, promotion opportunities and ‘happy ships’ coming out as the most important elements.

However, the researchers said the survey results indicated that conditions for many seafarers have stayed broadly the same over the past two years. Almost two-thirds said their tour lengths had not changed in this period, while 16% reported a decrease. Some 38% of seafarers said their basic pay had risen over the past two years, and 13% said it had fallen.

Just over half said onboard conditions such as food and accommodation had improved, against 25% who considered they had deteriorated, and just over 30% had experienced improved internet access.

In forecasting the future supply-demand trends, the researchers estimated that the annual wastage rate for officers will run at 2.4%, that the ratio between officer trainees and qualified officers will continue at one to every 7.6, and that 85% of cadets will complete their training and gain an operational level STCW certificate.

Based on anticipated growth of the world merchant fleet and the different ship types, the study forecasts that demand for officers will rise by 12% over the next five years and by a further 8% between 2020 and 2025.

The report warns that this raises the prospect of the future supply-demand balance for officers increasing from a ‘manageable 2.1% shortage of officers in 2015, to a more serious 11.7% shortage in 2020 and an 18.3% shortage by 2025’.

Variables such as a slowdown in global seaborne trade, reductions in manning levels and increased wastage are used to offer a range of alternative scenarios for future supply and demand.

However, the report concludes, the most likely scenario is one which the world fleet will grow and demand for seafarers will rise — continuing the trend of an overall shortage of officers, despite additional training.

‘The current maritime manpower situation and future outlook indicate that the industry and relevant stakeholders should not expect there to be an abundant supply of qualified and competent seafarers in the future without concerted efforts and measures to address key manpower issues,’ the study warns. ‘It is crucial to promote careers at sea, enhance maritime training education and training worldwide, address the retention of seafarers, and to continue monitoring the global supply and demand for seafarers on a regular basis.’

Nautilus: research shows impact of past training cuts publication of the BIMCO/ K ICS Manpower Report and says

Nautilus has welcomed the

governments and shipowners need to respond to the findings.

‘The study has confirmed what everyone has suspected: even though there has been an increase in training, it is still not enough to make good the damage caused by previous neglect and to cope with the growth of the merchant fleet as global seaborne trade continues to rise,’ said general secretary Mark Dickinson.

‘Even though shipping is a highly cyclical industry, there is a fundamental need to have long-term policies in place for recruitment, retention and training,’ he added.

‘Training budgets can often be the first casualty when times are tough, but cutting back can create problems down the line when demand picks up.

‘In this context, it is particularly interesting to see that the research has addressed quality as well as quantity,’ Mr Dickinson said.

Quality boost for Ukraine training Employers’ Council (IMEC) and K the International Transport Workers’ The International Maritime

Federation (ITF) have agreed to invest US$3m in Ukrainian marine training.

The donation is being made from the Seafarers’ Employment Promotion Fund (SEPF), which is jointly administered by the two organisations and sourced from collective bargaining agreements that they have negotiated.

The $3m donation will help to support the work of the Kherson State Maritime Academy (KSMA) and the National University ‘Odessa Maritime Academy’ (NU-OMA) — and has gone towards a full mission Transas DP offshore simulator, GMDSS simulator suite, desktop engineroom simulator suite and a full mission engine room simulator at the KSMA, followed by

22-23_spread_ics_SR edit.indd 23

‘It is good to see the report calling for the industry not to skimp on standards and warning that cutting corners on training will have serious implications for safety and efficiency and for the quality of shore-based management in the future.

‘There is also a wealth of material in the report to illustrate the simple steps that shipowners can take to retain their seafarers — not rocket science, but there are still many employers who need to be reminded of the things that their crews value,’ he added.

‘It is disappointing to see a further decline in the proportion of the world seafaring labour force that originates from traditional maritime nations. OECD governments need to think very carefully about the potential impact this will have on their maritime clusters and shippingrelated infrastructures,’ he warned.

‘The strategic approach being taken

by Singapore to develop its maritime expertise with the aim of building its cluster offers a positive example that other countries need to consider.’

the inauguration of a full mission Kongsberg engineroom simulator at the NU-OMA. Phase two of the investment will consist of developments to the boat station and fire ground of the Kherson Maritime Specialised Training Centre and an engineroom simulator upgrade in the Odessa Maritime Training Centre.

IMEC CEO Francesco Gargiulo commented: ‘Training budgets have been significantly reduced in the current economic downturn that the shipping industry is experiencing.

However, across IMEC’s 224 member companies, Ukraine is the third most utilised country in terms of officers’ employment. It was therefore important to invest in the country, to ensure the sustainability of future quality officers.’

18/05/2016 18:07

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

NAUTILUS AT WORK

K

The journey to create a unique credit union for the benefit of Nautilus members started some 30 months ago, and we are pleased to be able to report good progress.

We have been granted the use of the name ‘Nautilus Credit Union’ by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and are now entering the next major phase — submitting the business plan, rule book, administrative procedures manual and trading forecast to the FCA and the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). We also need to determine the level of interest of Nautilus members in this venture.

Feedback to previous Telegraph articles about the proposed credit union has been positive, but several people have asked for more information, which we hope to provide in this article.

Nautilus members’ questions answered 1. Will the proposed credit union be part of Nautilus International?

No. The credit union will be totally independent from the union; it is a separate legal entity and must conduct its affairs accordingly.

2. Where will the credit union get its money?

From share purchases by its members, deposits from its members and interest earned from loans made to its ownermembers only.

3. Who will regulate the credit union?

The credit union is authorised to trade by the PRA and regulated in trade by the FCA, both of which are ultimately responsible for their roles to the Bank of England.

4. Who will run the credit union?

The credit union will have its own independent board of directors, which will be elected from owner-members of the credit union after the appointment of the initial board of directors (a regulatory requirement because there must be a board in place at the first Annual General Meeting).

The cooperative for your money With the launch of the much-anticipated Nautilus Credit Union edging ever closer, Nautilus director of finance OLU TUNDE explains more about the planned ethical savings and loans scheme...

The board of directors can appoint a professional chief executive officer who can appoint other staff. All those people holding key offices with the credit union must be ‘approved persons’ with the UK regulators before assuming formal office.

5. Who will own the credit union?

The credit union is owned by all of its owner-members on a one owner-member/one vote basis, not based on the amount of money deposited by any one person; this is what makes credit unions distinct from limited liability companies. No other parties can have any ownership control.

6. Will the credit union have an office on the high street?

This is a decision to be made by the board of directors, but it is likely that the operation of the credit union will be undertaken electronically, because of the nature of maritime life and the desire to provide many of the services 24 hours a day.

However by UK law, the credit union must have a UK head office. This office will be a part of but separate to (a legal requirement) the London office of the Nautilus International trade union.

Nautilus International will commit itself to support the credit union with this infrastructure initially, but when the credit union is trading successfully, in fairness and

Picture: Thinkstock

legally it cannot be a drain on the resources of the trade union and will have to meet its own costs.

7. Is my deposit safe?

The credit union, along with all other deposit-takers in the UK, must be part of the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Don’t be left behind STCW refresher courses: • • • • •

Full Course - (Route 1) £600 Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting Refresher - £220 Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher (Route 1) £165 (Route 2) £270 Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats Refresher (Route 1) £105 (Route 2) £185 Personal Survival Techniques Refresher - £110

Early booking is advisable Courses available most weeks. Please call or email for available dates.

www.stc.ac.uk Call us on: 0191 427 3772 or Email: marine.safetytraining@stc.ac.uk

24_credit union_SR edit.indd Sec2:24

/SouthShieldsMarineSchool @ssmarineschool

Deposits will only be accepted in other currencies if the depositor protection in force in those countries is at least equal to that currently in force in the UK. As of 1 January 2016, the amount covered under the protection scheme is £75,000 per person, per deposit taker.

The compensation kicks in if the credit union fails in trade.

8. What is the interest rate paid on deposits?

Just like any new company starting in trade, the credit union cannot pay any interest or dividends at outset. Why? Because it hasn’t earned any money!

The credit union earns most of its money from the interest received on the loans issued to its owner-members. At the end of each trading period, a statutory audit is undertaken and any trading surplus made is allocated first to the credit union’s reserves (a cushion fund to mitigate against any possible trading reversals in future) and this is a regulatory requirement.

After this, a dividend payment can be recommended by the board of directors to the Annual General Meeting of all the owner-members.

After a period of time, if the reserves of the credit union are high enough under UK regulation, it is possible for a credit union to allow deposits of shares into a special account paying interest regularly to investors.

9. What is the interest rate on a loan?

The loan policies for any type of loan will be determined by the board of directors advised by the chief executive officer.

The rate of interest to be charged on a particular type of loan will depend upon certain factors such as: z savings record of the owner-member z outstanding other liabilities of the owner-member z purpose of the loan, e.g. career progression z how long the loan is wanted for z whether any assistance is given by employer/family etc.

Under current UK regulation for credit unions, the maximum rate of interest that can be charged on a loan is 3% per month on the declining balance that is equal to 42.6% APR. This higher rate of interest is usually charged on very small loans taken over very short periods.

Larger loans taken over a longer period can, and frequently will, attract a much lower rate of interest each month. Credit unions in the UK are unique in having a legal ceiling on loan interest charged, so they are not subject to movements in the money markets.

All the prevailing rates of interest for different types of loans will be published regularly; interest rates are fixed for the duration of the loan.

In addition, almost all loans taken for a UK credit union are protected by block loan protection life assurance that is taken out on owner-members and paid for by the credit union as an allowable expense of its operation. The cost of this is not met directly by the ownermember. It is only in very unusual circumstances that completion of a medical questionnaire will be required.

This means that any outstanding debt dies with the named borrower and is not inherited by others.

10. How long will I be able to borrow for?

A small start-up credit union cannot lend for a period longer than five years unsecured and for ten years secured.

A larger credit union (which must have a total capital to assets ratio of at least 5%) can lend for an unsecured period of ten years and secured 25 years.

A credit union must obtain mortgage consent from the UK regulators before being allowed to secure first or subsequent charges on property. For owner-members with property in other countries, these mortgage conditions can vary.

Olu Tunde, Nautilus director of finance

It is usual that a charge (a lien) is taken on all the shares held in the credit union as a condition of the loan, up to the outstanding balance due to the credit union.

11. Will I need to save with the credit union before borrowing?

Yes, you will. A credit union is acting illegally under UK law if it makes loans to any person not an owner-member of the credit union.

To become an owner-member you might have to pay an entrance fee — paid with your owner-member application and/ or a monthly service fee deducted from share deposits — to meet the costs incurred by the credit union in setting up the account. The level of these entry and service fees will be determined by the board of directors.

An owner-member has to deposit at least £1 to qualify to apply for a loan under UK law but a credit union is not able to make loans if it is not in possession of enough money to loan out. It can only obtain this money continuously from owner-members; therefore, as a practical necessity all ownermembers are asked to deposit lump sums or make regular savings to provide the increasing demand for loan capital.

Once a comfortable level of money deposited has been reached and the pattern of loan demand has been tested by experience, the loan qualification for ownermembers can be changed from time to time.

12. What if I want to repay the loan early?

Then you can. Unlike many other sources of loans, there are no early redemption fees payable. All you need to pay is the outstanding balance at that time. Partial repayments are also permissible under the same terms.

It is also worth noting that, depending upon the tax regime applicable to the country in which you are taxed, career development loans could be offset against earnings for the purpose of taxation.

13. Is Nautilus International in any danger of financial loss?

No. Nautilus is not in any danger of financial loss as the proposed credit union will be a separate legal entity, not run by Nautilus International.

g Are you able to sit on the board of the Nautilus Credit Union or serve in any other capacity? If yes, please contact Olu Tunde at ncu@nautilusint.org. g More detailed answers to Nautilus members’ questions about the credit union are available at www.nautilusint.org.

18/05/2016 15:04

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

CORRUPTION

Shady dealings in the docks J

The first sight of land after a long voyage used to be a cause of celebration for a crew. But today it is more likely to spark stress and anxiety as seafarers prepare to deal with dodgy port officials in many parts of the world.

Researchers who carried out a fouryear project to examine the relationship between ships and shore-side staff discovered that seafarers face an alarming level of regular pressure to give ‘facilitation gifts’ to port personnel — with threats of detention, delays, blacklisting and even imprisonment for failure to pay up.

The study — published by SIRC, the Seafarers’ International Research Centre at Cardiff University — draws from interviews and questionnaires completed by almost 3,000 serving seafarers and observations made on a total of eight different voyages.

It points out that relationships between seafarers and shore-based personnel such as pilots, port state control officers, shipping company staff, agents, dockers, bunker suppliers and customs and immigration officials are ‘vital to the smooth and safe operations of contemporary cargo vessels’.

However, it warns, such interactions are often ‘far from straightforward’ because of problems such as challenging communications, time pressures, noise levels, stress and bureaucracy.

The report sets out detailed recommendations to combat the endemic problems of crime and corruption in many of the world’s ports, including a global ban on facilitation payments and a code of conduct for port officials.

Researchers found that just over 90% of seafarers have served on ships which have made facilitation gifts such as cigarettes, canned drinks and alcohol. ‘Disturbingly’, almost 60% of seafarers think the practice is on the increase, the report says, and wide variations across the world were noted — with only 13% experiencing ‘gift-giving’ in EU ports, against 59% in the Suez Canal, 55% in east Asia and 49% in west Africa.

‘Facilitation gifts were not limited to cigarettes and drinks, but could also extend to ship provisions such as meat, ice cream and dried goods, and bond items such as razors and soap,’ the report adds.

Almost three-quarters of seafarers reported direct experience of provisions being taken from their ships by port personnel — resulting in some ‘disturbing’ cases in which crews had been left short of food and other supplies.

‘The threat of what might happen to a vessel if the personnel onboard did not

Seafarers are routinely facing threats of coercion and blackmail in many ports around the world, a major research project reveals.

ANDREW LlNINGTON reports on the findings, and the proposals for tackling the problem...

time-consuming’ investigations following such incidents.

The report says ‘petty-pilfering’ of items such as paint, tools, ropes and hoses is relatively common in many parts of the world — with 53% of seafarers experiencing such thefts from their vessels and 21% having their own possessions stolen.

Many seafarers described such experiences as frightening, and concerns were also raised about the theft of safety-related equipment, including items from life-saving appliances such as brass fittings in lifeboats.

Just over one-fifth of seafarers said they had experienced dealings with drunk port officials at some stage in their career, and there were also common reports of pressure to act unprofessionally by speeding up operations, to leave port ahead of schedule or to drop the pilot early.

The report says one in five seafarers had experienced communications problems between ships and shore and while the language gap is often ‘managed’ by crew and port staff, it highlights cases in which seafarers felt safety had been compromised by communication difficulties.

J Picture: Reuters/Stringer and Thinkstock

give in to requests for “gifts” was everpresent,’ the report states. In some cases, this included threats of deliberate damage to the ship.

More than two-thirds of seafarers had been on ships where demands for cash had been made by port officials — and researchers said they had uncovered evidence where they were exploit-

ing minor errors by crew members in an attempt to extort payments from them or their companies.

The researchers said they had also discovered ‘serious’ levels of fraud related to bunker deliveries — with 87% of engineers reporting that they had been on ships where less fuel had been supplied than declared by the supplier

and 85% having experienced deliveries of poor quality fuel.

Many chief engineers ‘are placed under considerable pressure by bunker suppliers to accept their fraudulent figures in the context of the high cost of vessel delays,’ the report adds. And many seafarers are reluctant to report the problem because of the ‘overzealous and

How our industry can stop the rot The SIRC report concludes with a series of preliminary recommendations which aim to ‘provide a starting point’ for discussions about improving ship-shore relationships.

These include:

z a code of practice relating to a

permanent ban on facilitation gifts

z international agreements on a code of conduct for port officials, with a body to handle seafarers’ complaints of extortion

z companies to adopt a ‘no-blame’ policy

onboard when port officials seek to exploit minor deficiencies to extort money or gifts from seafarers z the creation of a ‘gold standard’ list of agents, bunker suppliers and bunker surveyors z a central point to report misconduct by agents and bunker suppliers — with removal from the ‘gold standard’ list if complaints are upheld

z companies to reconsider the use of

temporary contracts for senior officers, to reduce their vulnerability to ‘inappropriate’ pressures from port staff z better training for shore staff and protocols for email and phone contact with ships z companies to minimise demands for documentation from ships and to reduce the degree to which decision-making is taken away from seafarers

Researchers also examined the relationships between crews and their companies, discovering evidence of a ‘considerable gulf in understanding and a damaging lack of trust’ between seagoing and shore-based staff.

Many seafarers complained that shore staff did not appreciate operational realities — with the consequence that a majority felt unable to report the full truth of a situation onboard to the company.

There were common complaints that shore staff frequently fail to take account of time zones when contacting ships and often demand attention when seafarers are engaged in important shipboard tasks.

More than one-third of seafarers said they had experience of being shouted at by a member of their company’s shore staff at some stage — with a significant number of such incidents involving superintendents.

Pressure from management ashore to meet targets is often passed on to ships, making even masters and senior officers feel vulnerable, the report adds.

Fears about their future employment make it difficult for some seafarers to resist continuous pressures from ashore — ‘particularly in less clear-cut situations where judgements about risk are problematic’.

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18/05/2016 16:00

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

PIRACY

Crews as commodities J

Far from the jolly depictions contrived by Hollywood, pirates have operated across some of the world’s waters in a ruthless manner for many years, putting seafarers at risk of serious injury and — in worst-case scenarios — torture and death from their actions.

In recent times, attacks have been concentrated in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and Indian Ocean. But whilst media reports have widely focused on the activities of Somali pirates, the USbased research body Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) is warning that piracy has seen a shift in its focus, and not in a positive manner.

Its recent report, looking back at activity in 2015, notes how cargo theft and hijack have been put on the back-burner while a new emphasis has been put on a different kind of prize — the kidnap and ransom of seafarers.

OBP also describes how the Gulf of Guinea — which includes the waters around the Nigerian coastline — has become the most dangerous region for seafarers. A rise in violence across the year and an increase in kidnap-forransom in the latter part of 2015 spell a troubling trend for seafarers in the region.

The OBP report reveals that 1,225 seafarers were subjected to piracy attacks during 2015, of which 44 were kidnapped for a variety of durations. More than 20 people were killed during those attacks or in subsequent captivity — a result, OBP claims, which is due to the mindset of the

Falling oil prices may be driving an increase in seafarer kidnap cases, a new report has warned. STEVEN KENNEDY heard from the authors, and met a former ship’s officer who is now helping the victims of piracy…

Matt Walje presenting Oceans Beyond Piracy’s 2015 report Picture:OBP

pirates operating in the area.

‘The trend that we’ve seen in the Gulf of Guinea region over 2015 is a shift away from hijacking and cargo theft to kidnapping for ransom,’ explained Matt Walje, OBP project manager for trends analysis.

‘Gulf of Guinea piracy tends to be extremely violent; more so than across the other regions,’ he

added. ‘During 2015, 44 seafarers were kidnapped and 23 individuals were killed by pirates. Most of the individuals were killed within Nigerian territorial waters, and most were on passenger vessels operating at sea or fishing vessels.’

‘They [the hostages] were generally held for three to four weeks, and reports that have come out recently for those hostages

released say that they have been treated very badly. They have seen significant levels of abuse and mock executions. The human cost here suggests there is an extreme callousness on the part of Nigerian pirates — particularly when dealing with seafarers,’ he said.

Sadly it appears to be a trend that shows no signs of slowing

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26-27_piracy_SR edit.indd 26

down. Piracy has, in recent years, centred on hijacking vessels for the value of goods and cargo.

However, with the international economic slump, the value of goods such as oil appears to have made that method of piracy a cost-inefficient model. In turn, pirates have turned their attention to the value placed on human life.

‘The shift away from hijack and cargo theft has happened for a couple of reasons,’ said Mr Walje.

‘One of those reasons is a change in the patrolling habits of local maritime security institutions.

Increased patrols in territorial waters — and surrounding oil production structures — have made it more difficult for pirates to hijack for cargo. These attacks require time. They have to take the vessel to a safe area and syphon the fuel off, which can take several days.

‘Kidnapping for ransom, however, involves, at most, a few hours if they are able to board a vessel, identify a few crew members to kidnap and then take them off to shore for negotiations.

‘The other issue is that the oil price has dropped, which changes the risk-to-reward ratio. The risk is higher, you’re more likely to get convicted and the fuel is worth less so it’s no longer economically viable,’ he added.

J

Despite this, 2015 report showed some positive results — including a slight decrease over the year in the number of piracy incidents reported in the Gulf of Guinea; 54 incidents in 2015 compared with 67 in 2014. Less encouragingly, though, none of these incidents ended in a prosecution in the region.

Part of the problem that those trying to tackle piracy issues face is the lack of support received from the legal services of the coastal states. In many cases, bureaucracy and corruption within the internal mechanisms governing those coastal regions mean that getting a conviction to stick is a near impossibility.

Just arresting the pirates is a problem, as very few suspects are ever detained for piracy-related crimes.

With the absence of prosecutions, OBP says seafarers have little incentive to report the crimes — especially as many of them continue to work in the region following a piracy incident and may have to face their attackers again. This contributes to chronic under-reporting, further exacerbating endemic maritime insecurity.

Speaking at the launch of the report, BIMCO chief security officer Giles Noakes said that more needs to be done when it comes to the legal finish of piracy cases. ‘The price of oil is very low and hijack is not a very good business model — therefore, kidnapping from, in particular, west Africa is on the rise,’ he explained.

‘Having 23 people killed last year is a lot of people killed from piracy,’ he added. ‘Nowhere near that number of people died from piracy in the last five years in the western Indian Ocean. It is a

coastal state problem.

‘One of the most important things is the legal finish; the arrest and prosecution of pirates. If you do not arrest and prosecute pirates they will see this as an opportunity to always continue and you’ll never be able to deter, and eventually defeat, piracy altogether.’

J

Intertanko marine director Dr Phil Belcher backed this view. For crimes of piracy committed at sea within a country’s territorial waters, the law should be as enforceable as if the same crime happened ashore — something which he says coastal states are having a hard time coming to terms with.

‘One of the issues that exist in the Gulf of Guinea is the lack of legal infrastructure and understanding how to apply the law properly to prosecute these individuals,’ he explained. ‘An incident that occurred within territorial waters theoretically should be the same as if it occurred on land.

‘A robbery onboard ship shouldn’t be prosecuted any differently to a robbery of a warehouse. Unfortunately there is not a lot of understanding of how exactly to carry that over into maritime law,’ he concluded.

The fear is that the ransom model of piracy is now spreading rapidly to other regions where progress has been made subduing the threat — such as the Somali coastline and the Gulf of Aden.

In total, 108 seafarers were held hostage by pirates at some point over the course of 2015 in

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is the most violent but Somalia hasn’t gone away

“

”

this region, with several recent hijackings potentially signalling a return of the ransom-model threat.

Somali piracy has previously been described as unique among piracy ‘business models’ worldwide because of the level of community support that it has enjoyed in the past and the ability of the pirates to hold crews and their vessels for months — or even years — in safe havens just off the coast during ransom negotiations.

The hijack-for-ransom model developed significantly in the early 2000s and became the primary model by 2005, when the number of such incidents jumped from two to 14 in a single year. By 2010, pirates were able to attack vessels over 1,000nm from the Somali coast.

Fortunately, anti-piracy work in the area and the presence of

18/05/2016 16:02

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

PIRACY

It cannot be right that a pirate who tortured us has been set free because of his age

“

”

Perpetrators of the MT Orkim Harmony hijacking, captured by the Vietnamese coastguard Picture: ReCAAP

naval vessels has reduced the piracy risk over recent years, culminating in the reduction of the High Risk Area (HRA) in December 2015. However, there is evidence to suggest that, far from piracy being eradicated in the region around Somalia, it has instead lain dormant, and 41 hostages still remain in pirate hands — 26 of whom have been held for over 1,500 days following the hijacking of the Naham 3 in October 2012.

Chirag Bahri, regional director of MPHRP

It’s not a good news story for the region, although work to try to rescue the hostages is ongoing.

Their plight is all-too familiar to one former hostage of Somali pirates who is now working on combating the issue.

Chirag Bahri, who is the current regional director for south Asia of the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP), spent around eight months being held hostage and tortured when his vessel was boarded by Somali pirates back in May 2010.

Speaking at a recent MPHRP briefing, he explained the psychological and physical effects of being held for ransom by pirates and how the lack of sufficient legal justice has allowed one of those who caused him, and his crew mates, so much pain to now be living free in Germany.

‘There were 22 of us as crew and I was a second engineer. There were six pirates,’ said Mr Bahri.

‘They didn’t allow us to go down

to the engineroom alone. They allowed us under restrictions.

Somebody would take you down and you were made to tell the Somali pirate where we were going in the engineroom. We then couldn’t come out of the engineroom without calling them up and saying we wanted to go up or go outside to do some adjustments.

‘It’s so difficult, as you can’t do anything. They always had a fear in them that we were the ones who were trying to do something to call the navy or do some mysterious act to overpower them because everyone else was sitting in front of them on the bridge. We were the ones going up and down so they felt we had a chance to do something.

‘They started to do a lot of torture on us. There was only one Somali amongst them who was responsible for all the torture. His nickname was Budigaa — meaning a person with short legs — and he was only 12 years old! This guy was always believing in torture.

He used to beat us up because he thought we were hiding food somewhere or calling the company to say please don’t pay the money as we’re really happy living our lives here.

‘We had a lot of torture. My genitals were tied up and we were tied up on the open hot deck for many hours. People were kept in the meat room at minus 18 degrees for 40 minutes naked and then ice was also put inside their undergarments.

‘Budigaa was a great mind to come up with this. He made life hell. My left hand could not be used. You can squeeze it and I cannot feel it because of so much torture. My neck also became very sore and I could not move it easily.

But I had to work. I had to maintain my engines.’

In similar fashion to the outcomes reported by OBP, Budigaa has been able to avoid justice. In his case it was a loophole in a European country’s court system that led to his release after he arrived looking for asylum.

‘Budigaa was arrested by Ger-

man police earlier last year. Sadly, because of his age at the time of the hijacking, in Germany a child cannot be booked under crime meaning he has been allowed to roam free,’ Mr Bahri explained.

‘Budigaa is very smart, cunning, a big liar and is very dangerous to society. Due to this loophole he is free now and living a lavish life in Germany at the cost of taxpayers’ money. That cannot be right.’

After returning from captivity in January 2011, Mr Bahri became actively involved in welfare work for seafarers and their families, working hard to raise awareness of piracy and its effect on those left at home when seafarers are kidnapped.

J

If the trend for increasing hostage-taking continues, as OBP’s reports suggest, and seafarers prove to be the ultimate prize of these pirates, then Mr Bahri’s work could prove invaluable for those left at home during a period of captivity and then in the rehabilitation of those returning to their families after their ordeals.

‘We have assisted the families, met with them at their homes and arranged counselling sessions. We are in touch with those families on a day-to-day basis,’ he explained.

‘I have examples where families have not been able to pay the bills because their husbands have been in captivity and they do not know how to do it. It means their electricity bills, their phone bills and other bills are not getting paid, their connections are getting cut off and their bank accounts are being seized. We are stepping in and making every effort to help them so they can retain their normal living standards.

‘When the seafarers return back from captivity, we try to help them restructure their lives because what we feel is that the seafarers need good support from the shipping world as well as from their families. We try to be there for them.’

The human cost GULF OF GUINEA

1,225

44

23

subjected to attacks

kidnapped

in piracy attacks

SEAFARERS

SEAFARERS

PEOPLE KILLED

(for any duration in 2015)

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN

306

108

41

subjected to attacks

held hostage

remain in captivity

SEAFARERS

SEAFARERS

SEAFARERS

(for any duration throughout 2015)

SOUTHEAST ASIA

3,674 SEAFARERS

OF INCIDENTS

38%

23

experienced piracy or robbery incidents

involved weapons

during incidents

SEAFARERS INJURED

Supporting seafarers in need and their families To find out about our work or to make a donation visit www.seafarers.uk phone 020 7932 0000 or email seafarers@seafarers-uk.org

Seafarers UK (King George’s Fund for Sailors) is a Registered Charity, no. 226446 in England and Wales, incorporated under Royal Charter. Registered in Scotland, no. SC038191

Siraj and Jaber, Iranian dhows hijacked by Somali pirates in March 2015 Picture:EUNAVFOR

26-27_piracy_SR edit.indd 27

18/05/2016 17:58

28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

MARITIME HISTORY

The survivor who made me Like many of us, BRUCE RUTHVEN GIBSON wishes he had talked more to his late father about his war service in the British Merchant Navy.

But Bruce was recently able to fill in some gaps, thanks to an amazing find in the official records…

a

My father, Bruce Carter Gibson, was a merchant seaman engineer during the Second World War. Most of his trips were to South America, to bring back much needed food to Britain. These voyages were mostly unescorted — perhaps the merchant vessels were considered adequately armed with one deck gun and a radio.

This year, with the help of an archivist, we discovered a confidential survivor’s report of an attack on my father’s ship, MV Dunster Grange, off the Isles of Scilly in May 1940, on an unescorted return trip from Montevideo to Liverpool, carrying 5,000 tons of meat.

Written by Captain RL Smiles, master of the Dunster Grange, the report details the U-boat firing a torpedo and then surfacing to fire eight shells, some of which were direct hits to the bridge and to the engineroom, putting three cylinders out of commission. The

Bruce Carter Gibson with a Dunster Grange funnel torn apart by the 1940 U-boat attack

captain writes that as soon as the ship slowed, he realised their position was hopeless and issued instructions to lower the life-

The reportt off the Th th U-boat U b t attack tt k ,by b Captain C t i RL RLS Smiles il off the th Dunster D t Grange G

Second World War MN engineer Bruce Carter Gibson

boats to the rail and get the nine passengers and 75 crew prepared.

In the meantime, with the ship more or less dead in the water, the engineers were busy replacing the pipes, and the r gun crew readying the one gun g onboard.

The report reveals o that the gun crew had received t no n night-time training, nor had they used heavy shells before, t so s the first shell jammed in the breach and had to be rammed b out o before a new shell could be loaded and fired towards the l flash seen from the U-boat gun.

Remarkably, it was accurate R enough to see off the enemy sube marine. m The engineers were able to replace a 4ftx10ft pipe within r 20 2 minutes, allowing the ship to regain power, although I do not r know if my father was involved k in i that directly or with the other issues going on in the engine i room at that time — but all the r crew must have been working c flat out. The crew were incred-

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28_gibson_SR edit.indd 28

ibly lucky to survive, as the commander of U-boat 37 was a highly decorated ace, recipient of the Knight’s Cross, who had sunk every ship he had come into contact with, both Merchant Navy and Royal Navy vessels.

At the time of the attack on the Dunster Grange, my father had only recently met my mother, and they went on to live full lives, having three children, including me. I submitted the

report to the medal office and received four medals to which my father had been entitled but had never claimed, including the Atlantic and Pacific Stars.

My father said little about the war and his experience of it, and I also failed to ask much about his trips in my youth, but I do recall him saying that on one occasion he got angry with an armed officer onboard who locked down the hatches on deck if an attack

seemed imminent, in order to seal in the engineers to ensure the engine room worked and responded to instructions. It was one thing, my father said, to be below decks in the engine room, but another to know that there was no escape should that hatch not open if the ship was going down. My father was on various ships throughout the war and was present when the Graf Spee was scuttled on the River Plate.

Finding the evidence to claim a medal F For those interested in establishing entitlement to a UK service medal for themselves or a deceased relative, the medal office at the Registry of Shipping and Seamen MCA Cardiff requires a discharge book which includes the sea service record.

I was unable to provide this, which meant it was necessary to obtain the record from The National Archives office (ARK) in Kew, which can often be done through a web

search. If this doesn’t work, which was the case with my father’s name, then you can either travel to Kew (in SW London) to search the archives in person, or ARK can provide a list of professional researchers who can be paid to undertake a search for you — which is what I decided to opt for.

I chose Alan Bowgen at www.archive-researcher.co.uk, who I found to be most helpful, informative and thorough. The cost was £90 and included investigation

of the seamen’s pouches, which resulted in the fascinating report of the U-boat attack.

To assist my researcher’s enquiry, I was only able to provide the name of one of the ships my father served on during the 1939-45 war, but if you have a service record or ship’s movement cards then that would assist your researcher. All in all it took about two weeks to receive the report, which then enabled me to claim the medals.

18/05/2016 13:07

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29

MARITIME HISTORY

No coastline? No problem!

St Cergue, the only ‘modern’ vessel in the Swiss fleet of its day

The existence of land-locked Switzerland’s merchant navy comes as a surprise to many people. But it is a fleet with a proud history and much to offer in the present day, writes former seafarer HANS-PETER SCHWAB of Foundation Swiss-Ships...

K

On 19 April this year, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Swiss merchant fleet in the port of Basel on the Rhine river.

While the idea of creating a Swiss ship register had been floated in the 19th century, it was not until the League of Nations conference in 1921 that states without a maritime coastline were given the right to have their own flag.

The Swiss-flagged shipping fleet was established during the darkest hours of the Second World War, when, on 9 April 1941, the parliament adopted a maritime law that had been drafted in the space of just a few months

by Professor Rudolf Haab of Basel.

Just 10 days later, the neutral Swiss flag was hoisted for the first time on the Swiss Shipping Company (SRAG) vessel Calanda.

However, even before the war had begun, the Swiss war transport office, Kriegs Transport Amt (KTA), had been busy working on plans to maintain all the vital land and sea freight connections for the country in case of conflict.

In September 1939, KTA had concluded a contract with Rethymnis & Kulukundis of London, for the chartering of 15 vessels during the period of war, arranged through the brokers Honegger & Ascott.

During the war, KTA carried out all the commercial planning and deployed all Swiss-flag and foreign-flag chartered vessels.

The shipping companies — especially SRAG — looked after technical and personnel matters. For

Captain Fritz Gerber was the first Swiss shipmaster.

He sailed in command of German ships and the Swiss vessels St Cergue and Eiger

this reason, SRAG had its own office in Lisbon — at the time the most important transhipment port for Switzerland.

A total of 14 ships were registered under our flag until the end of the war. The federal government had purchased four vessels, managed by KTA. Some freighters were owned by the Swiss Shipping Company, which had been founded in 1919, when the Rhine shipping connection to the new port of Basel was formed. The Foundation of the Red Cross had three vessels, operated by SRAG. The largest ship, Lugano, belonged to Nautilus SA in Glarus/Lugano, who gave her to SRAG for management. The only modern ship, St Cergue, was owned by SuisseAtlantique, of Lausanne. Gottlieb Duttweiler, the founder of Migros, operated with partners from the firm Maritime Suisse,

which owned two very old steamers. Except for the Saentis — the only motor ship — all these vessels were coal burning steamers.

Three Swiss-flagged vessels were lost through war action and a few crew members lost their lives. However, the most tragic loss was the time-chartered Greek freighter Mount Lycabettus, which disappeared without trace in March 1942. She had sailed from Baltimore with her 30 crew members and a cargo of grain for Switzerland, but only after the war was it revealed that the German U-373 had sunk her with two torpedoes.

After the war, the Swiss fleet was renewed and developed with the help of the federal government. In these years some privileged companies even received loans at very favourable interest rates. New shipping companies emerged — and some stayed in business only for a short time while others remained for decades, for example Reederei Zürich (Migros), Suisse-Outremer Geneva/Zurich and Keller Shipping, Basel.

K

During the war, SRAG had trained deck hands for the river barges on the Rhine and also sent them on seagoing vessels. Some of the wellknown captains came from this background. Swiss radio officers were widely employed on in the fleet in the war period, and soon other Swiss citizens were hired for service as engineers and as cooks and stewards. However, the majority of the crews were Portuguese, Belarusian and others with a neutral passport.

The Swiss-flagged bulk carrier Arosa, at anchor in Santa Cruz de Tenerife Picture: Foundation Swiss-Ships / Alfred Jäggi

29_swiss_SR edit.indd 29

The first Swiss-flagged cargoship, Calanda, sailing for the Red Cross

needs is to ensure that the people of Switzerland can live in complete self-sufficiency for six months. If Switzerland depended on foreign cargo this principle would not be fulfilled.’

The government also still grants owners guarantees to obtain bank loans at a favourable interest rate. These are the only form of ‘state aid’ for shipping — but in the wake of Swiss corporate tax reform, the provision of a tonnage tax is under consideration in the federal parliament in Bern, which could give owners some reprieve.

The 34,275dwt bulker Charmey, owned by SuisseAtlantique Picture: Foundation Swiss-Ships / Alfred Jäggi

After the war, many young Swiss were attracted onboard, and by the 1950s and 1960s as many as 700 men were working at sea. In this period, they often chose seafaring for the adventure rather than from economic necessity. But a few selected seafaring as their profession, and worked themselves up the ranks to captains and chief engineers.

Some sailed until their retirement, while others went to work for shipping companies ashore.

In the 1980s, a major change took place in our shipping industry. The former shipping companies of the founding days were unable to adapt to the new requirements and closed down.

Only Suisse-Atlantique managed to survive — and celebrates its own 75th anniversary in 2016. But at the same time new companies emerged, and many are still in business today.

The changes also resulted in a decline in the number of Swiss seafarers. Owners increasingly hired cheaper crews from eastern Europe and Asia and Swiss nationals chose jobs ashore with regular working hours, and the opportunity to see the world by low-cost flights rather than working at sea.

Although the decline was stemmed for a short time when the federal government started paying wage contributions in

1990, this support was withdrawn in 1994. The seafaring profession lost its prestige and the percentage of Swiss seafarers diminished rapidly. Today 49 merchant ships sail under the Swiss flag, but no Swiss seafarers are onboard them.

With almost 1.5m dwt on the books, the Swiss fleet now stands at a record size and is the largest of any land-locked country. Most of the crews come from Croatia, Ukraine and the Philippines.

The federal government still retains the right to requisition Swiss merchant ships to serve the needs of the national supply chain in the event of a crisis. As Eric André, chairman of the Swiss Shipowners’ Association, explains: ‘The principle behind the requirement to supply the country with the resources it

K

What of the future for Swiss mariners? A few young people may still sail somewhere, scattered on ships of different nations. But despite strong maritime training, it will be difficult for them to find a suitable job. The vast majority of our seafarers are now old men, enjoying their retirement.

Many of them are members of the Swiss Seamen’s Club (SeemannsClub der Schweiz), spinning yarns about long-gone times.

However, these old sailors in the SCS deserve to be acknowledged — they were the driving force for celebrating the anniversary in Basel in an appropriate manner. Swiss seamen played an important role in a short epoch in our history — an epoch unfortunately already vanished into the past. g Find out more at: www.swiss-ships.ch

Nautilus in Switzerland

F

Nautilus International continues to play an active role in supporting the Swiss shipping industry and the seafarers who serve under the Swiss flag. All 49 Swiss-registered vessels are covered by collective bargaining agreements, with ITF minimum standards. Conditions for seafarers on Swiss ships used to be negotiated by the former union

VHTL, and subsequently by Unia, with the responsibility passing to the Nautilus Swiss branch in 2011.

National secretary Holger Schatz says: ‘We were pleased to celebrate this milestone for Swiss merchant shipping and we are optimistic that we will continue the good social partnership that we have established with Swiss shipping companies over many years.’

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30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

MARITIME HISTORY

Medics for the military I

In the First World War, not many ships intentionally plied the seas brightly illuminated during the night. Hospital ships were an exception. They defied the normal practices of blackout, as highlighted in the poem The Hospital Ship, by Winifred Cook: ‘Proudly gleams her light, athwart the haunted sea’. In daylight these whiteliveried ships could be identified by the emblazoned sign of the International Red Cross and a Red Cross flag, the hull painted with either an encircling horizontal green or red band.

A terrible price was paid by the heroic men and women of the mercantile marine and medical services who served on the Commonwealth hospital ships which, despite the protections of the Hague Convention, became ‘fair game’ in a theatre of war largely overlooked by people whose modern perception of the Great War is one of trench warfare.

It seemed perverse that any belligerent should torpedo a vessel fulfilling a humanitarian role, yet history records numerous deliberate instances.

Hospital ships had been used in battle for millennia, but really came to the fore in the First World War. Some were even treated as military targets, writes Trevor Boult...

The war at sea was to reach new levels of barbarity, where Germany would attempt, and almost manage, to drive the Red Cross from the high seas. The press used hospital ship losses as a powerful antiNazi propaganda weapon.

For centuries hospital ships had accompanied fleets in battle, potentially as far back as the ancient Greek and Roman fleets. The first recorded British ship, Goodwill, joined the Mediterranean fleet in 1620.

In 1864 a dozen European countries became signatories to the Geneva Convention, in what was the first treaty of international humanitarian law. At a later meeting, considerations of maritime warfare

were added to the articles of the treaty, with particular emphasis on hospital ships. Nothing within the convention entitled a belligerent to sink an opponent’s hospital ship.

Hospital ships were also protected under the Hague Convention 1907, which stipulated that these vessels should: give medical assistance to wounded personnel of all nationalities; not be used for any military purpose; and not interfere or hamper enemy combatant vessels. Belligerents could also search any hospital ship to investigate violations of the restrictions. In the First World War, investigations from neutral countries like Spain were allowed, to confirm compliance with Article 4 of the convention. Proven contravention would render the ship an enemy combatant, liable then to be sunk.

Even with such inspections by neutrals, Germany alleged violations, accusing the Allies of using hospital ships to transport able-bodied soldiers to the battleground. The German High Command came to order its U-boats to target hospital ships as part of their unrestricted submarine warfare.

Above: Liberty, owned by Lord Tredegar, was a magnificent 300-foot steam yacht of the Royal Yacht Squadron. It was offered as a hospital ship at the outset of war, and fitted out at Tredegar’s own expense

chelles issued four stamps depicting different types of transport used by the Red Cross in its early days. One stamp features the hospital ship Liberty.

Liberty was present at both Zeebrugge and Gallipoli. The high importance of hospital ships was not sufficiently recognised in the early stages of the Gallipoli campaign, but when the need became generally known, there was a magnificent response in New Zealand to the appeal for funds to equip the New Zealand hospital ship Maheno — and later more was forthcoming to fit out the larger Marema. A vast amount of equipment and material in the nature of Red Cross stores was also freely given. Two motor launches were donated which proved of great service, especially at Gallipoli.

The designated primary function of a hospital ship was as a medical treatment facility or hospital.

Most were operated by the military forces or navies, as they were intended to be used in or near war zones. These ships were predominantly staffed by members of QARNNS — Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service. The Reserves of the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service also worked alongside their naval comrades.

I

November 1915 Illustration by A. Forestier showing nurses of the British hospital-ship Anglia putting lifebelts on wounded soldiers. The Anglia was sunk a few miles off Dover with the loss of 127 lives Picture: Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library

30-31_TB_SR edit.indd 30

At the outbreak of the war the British Admiralty ordered the conversion of several ocean-going liners into hospital ships, strictly for the use of naval personnel. The conversion of the P&O liner China drew high praise: ‘The saloons are clean and comfortable wards [and] below decks have been transformed into wards, fitted with 220 swinging cots, so contrived as to give to every movement to the ship.’ There was also an X-ray facility and two fully-equipped operating theatres. The observer concluded: ‘If this is typical of the hospital ships which the Admiralty possesses the country may feel confident their wounded will be very well looked after.’

The demand for such ships became insatiable. At the end of 1914 more than 20 hospital ships were in operation. Nearly half of Union-Castle Line’s vessels went into Government service, providing the backbone of the British fleet of hospital ships. While major shipping companies made a significant contribution to the war effort, several successful entrepreneurs made their own personal contribution, by each placing their luxury yacht at the disposal of the Admiralty. Their commitment is generally overshadowed by that of the shipping companies.

At this time the largest private yacht in Britain was Liberty. Owned by Lord Tredegar, this magnificent 300-foot steam yacht of the Royal Yacht Squadron was offered as a hospital ship at the outset of the war, and was promptly accepted. The owner fitted out Liberty for her new role entirely at his own expense. Thereafter, for many months under Lord Tredegar’s personal command and with a crew provided by him, she served in the North Sea as a naval hospital ship. Under different leadership, Liberty went on to serve in the Mediterranean before her owner resumed command. He stayed in that role until the Armistice was signed.

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in September 1988 the Sey-

Dame Ethel Hope Becher, matron in chief of the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service between 1910 and 1919 Picture: Mary Evans Picture Library

During the great initial recruitment drive for the army, volunteers officially had to fall within a particular age bracket. The mercantile marine had no such confines: anyone from teenagers to pension-age seafarers could serve. If killed at sea in the merciless conflict, their status as non-combatants meant little. So much worse the situation for those incapacitated patients on a rapidly sinking ship. Thousands more service personnel would return by sea to Britain for recuperation, treatment or medical discharge. They may have thought their

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June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

MARITIME HISTORY Keeping up with the latest movies, TV, news and sport has never been so important for crews at sea. Through our global satellite network, exclusive content is sent directly to participating vessels for ‘off-line’ viewing on PCs, laptops and tablets – a true game changer in crew morale, retention and welfare.

Picture believed to show the US president, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, arriving at Dover on the SS Brighton. The Brighton was used as a troopship as well as a hospital ship during the war, hence the camouflage paint Picture: Robert Hunt Library/Mary Evans Picture Library

war was over, yet many would perish and face a watery grave as a result of a mine or torpedo.

The French port of Le Havre became the main embarkation point for the wounded from the killing fields of France and Belgium. Barges operated on France’s internal waterway system carrying wounded deemed too seriously injured to risk movement on land. Back home, the hospital ships provided continuity with the War Office ambulance trains. The rise and fall in demand for hospital ships reflected the military strategies — or perhaps more accurately urately the ‘butcher’s bill’ — arising from each fresh assault or campaign.

However, augmentation ntation of the existing fleet would often prove logistically incompatible with h the priorities for warship production on and replacement merchant ships. hips.

Commemorative e painting on glass ss of the hospital ship p Britannic, sunk

by Germans without warning on 29 November 1916 6 Picture: David Cohen n Fine Art/Mary Evanss Picture Library

I

Each attack k on a hospital ship produced a wave of indignation. The loss of non-combatants, especially female nursing staff, was considered abhorrent. Despite te Admiralty denials, some U-boat commanders ders evidently did respect the immunity of these vessels, but Germany realised that each lost hospital ship would be replaced from the rapidly diminishing merchant fleet, thereby furthering their objective of isolating Britain. As the distinctively marked and illuminated ships could no longer rely on guaranteed immunity, such vessels reverted to a less conspicuous profile.

In October 1914 the German hospital ship Ophelia was seized by a British squadron in the North Sea, for allegedly ‘rendering an un-neutral service’, by appearing to act as a scout for military purposes. The subsequent British Prize Court upheld the allegation. Ophelia had forfeited the protection of the Hague Convention, but Germany was forceful in its defence to justify the ship’s actions and enhanced communications and signalling capacity.

The first recorded act of aggression directed at a British hospital ship arose in early 1915 when a U-boat launched a torpedo at the Asturias.

Although the torpedo missed, the media portrayed it as an act of barbarity. Weeks later, the German

30-31_TB_SR edit.indd 31

Embassy in Washington apologised for mistaking the ship as a transport.

Anglia had been a passenger ship for the London & North Western Railway Company, operating between Holyhead and Dublin. At the start of the war she was commissioned by the Admiralty as an armed boarding steamer. Some months later she was transformed into a hospital ship. Towards the end of 1915 King George V had an accident during a visit to the Western Front, and Anglia had the honour of bringing him home. The monarch was disaster befell the ship. fortunate: within weeks a disaste Departing from Boulogne on a mercy mission with some 400 wounded men onboard, many of whom were cot cases, she sh struck a mine Folkestone. Rescue vessels not far from Folkestone attendance. The crew were soon in attend worked selflessly, essl supported by who worked with the nurses wh great devotion to transfer devot wounded to safety. the wo The nurses refused to go to the boats.

Instead, they suggested ‘Fighting men first’: ‘Fight two nurses nurse perished.

Britannic has been described as ‘the most beautiful hospital ship that tha ever sailed the seas.’ Built and launched after the lau tragic loss of her sistership Titanic, si as one of the fastest and safest ocean a liners of her era, Britannic Britanni never crossed the Atlantic carrying the rich ri and the poor to the New World. She was converted into a hospital ship and made six voyages to the Mediterranean, evacuating thousands of wounded soldiers from the battlefields of the Eastern Front.

Considered to be more ‘unsinkable’ than Titanic due to modifications in her design, she was lost in 55 minutes after an explosion caused by ‘either a German mine or torpedo.’ Britannic is recorded as being the largest British ship lost in the conflict.

The wreck, which is a war grave, was found in 1975

by Jacques Cousteau near the Greek island of Kea in the Aegean. More than a thousand people were aboard; thirty lost their lives.

The hospital ship Brighton served throughout the war. She achieved further distinction by carrying the American president, Woodrow Wilson, from France to Dover in 1918, and in 1919 the Prime Minister Lloyd George, after he had signed the Treaty of Versailles, which officially brought the war to an end. SS Brighton returned to civilian service on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry route.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author acknowledges the material assistance of: Rev. Mike Pennington; Stephen McGreal; J S Elliott NZMC

FLEET MEDIA

WORLD-CLASS CONTENT FOR YOUR CREW SAFER, SMARTER SHIPPING Inmarsat offers your ship a highly evolved maritime communications ecosystem which makes every trip or voyage more efficient, safer and more productive. In short, just a lot smarter. Visit inmarsat.com/fleet-media

18/05/2016 13:08

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

OFFWATCH ships of the past

by Trevor Boult

50 YEARS AGO

Van Oord was established in the midF 19th century. Today it operates worldwide

Norway’s merchant fleet is the world’s fourth largest, but it had been forced to take a very realistic look at the operation of its shipping industry and to find new ways of ensuring that it can survive in what is a highly competitive international business. Seafaring unions, shipowners and government representatives have been discussing ways to rationalise onboard working organisation, making maximum use of technological devices and laboursaving equipment. The working group also examined the reduction of manning scales, together with changes in the composition and traditional division of crews. A series of dummy runs using the ‘ideal’ manning scales was judged satisfactory, indicating that on average a crew of 20 was needed for both operation and operational maintenance of a bulk carrier MN Journal, June 1966

The Dutch family-owned business of

in the fields of marine engineering, offshore energy projects, dredging, land-reclamation and beach nourishment.

The exploitation of undersea minerals and gas necessarily produces a vast maritime infrastructure, ranging from rig installations to fixed pipelines for delivery to processing plants ashore. Such structures are vulnerable to damage by many natural and manmade causes. The effects of storm waves and scouring currents can weaken seabed foundations, and the use of anchors and fishing gear may threaten the integrity of oil and gas pipelines, as well as power and communication cables.

Providing protection against such fundamentals generated a need for specialist craft. Van Oord has been at the forefront of their continuing development and provision, able to offer planned and rapid intervention systems. Originally built in 1972 by the Norwegian yard Ulstein Werft and initially named Grete Nielsen, Rocky Giant was converted in 1978 into a side-stone dumping vessel — with a wider body and a dynamic positioning system being fitted.

The ship was further converted into a flexible fallpipe vessel in 1991 — a design innovation which greatly enhanced efficient and economic operations.

Rock ballasting initially used a vessel with doors in the bottom of the hull which, when opened, dropped ballast to the seabed. This was an inaccurate and wasteful method, especially in deeper water. It was also not cost-effective, particularly for dedicated pipeline or cable work.

It was determined that a particular size of stone was needed for specific projects to ensure the most effective coverage. Accurate placement of the ballast was also vital. The response was a flexible fallpipe system that could extend to a depth of 600m. The fallpipe consisted of a 1m diameter tube constructed in a chain-mail fashion which enabled it to be lowered and raised easily, and which allowed the ballast to fall to the seabed in a controlled manner.

Two cranes replenished a large hopper from which a complex conveyor belt system above the upper deck carried the ballast from the hold to the feed point into the tube. The displacement of the ballast was

25 YEARS AGO

Trollness and Rocky Giant: subsea pipeline protectors also critical in the stability of the vessel. To complete the system, and both to control the placement and ensure coverage, a remote operated vehicle (ROV) was incorporated at the lower end of the pipe. It was of tubular design with the ballast passing through its centre, and the operation enabled by powerful illumination and television cameras.

Subsea sonar systems relayed location data to the plotting system on the bridge which informed the vessel’s auto-tracking equipment. The ROV pilots could use the vehicle’s thrusters to provide limited amount of movement of the tube during ballasting. It could also be used for pre-site surveys and to survey upon completion.

The Van Oord fleet of flexible fallpipe vessels are involved in operations worldwide. In 1991, for instance, a project involved the 83-mile pipeline running between the North Ramkin A platform and the onshore treatment plant in Western Australia. A survey had found that sections of the pipeline had become exposed as a result of extreme weather. The first phase of the operation was completed by the flexible fall pipe vessel Trollness, which dumped

some 175,000 tons of small rock material to provide a filter layer over the pipeline. The project was completed later by Rocky Giant, which dumped armour rock above the filter layer. Its success led to five further projects — by which time a total quantity of 400,000 tons of rock had been placed on the seabed.

In 1992, Rocky Giant was deployed off New Zealand’s Tanaraki coast for six months, on a nine-mile stretch of pipeline between two platforms in the notoriously rough Tasman Sea. The ballast was small in size and required a special semi-closed fallpipe to ensure the material was contained.

The dumping was carried out in water of 110m and deposited some 200,000 tons of material.

In the Sea of Okhotsk north of the Russian island of Sakhalin, Rocky Giant delivered 20,000 tons to provide external structural resistance to a drilling rig against currents and storm waves. Such a protection system may utilise different grades of rock, based on model testing. ‘Sacrificial’ amounts of gravel were placed against the most severe effects of seabed scour.

Rocky Giant was scrapped in Turkey in 2006.

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book Lighthouses of the World by Marie-Haude Arzur (reviewed on the 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 The extra work faced by seafarers as a result of the introduction of the International Safety Management Code has been highlighted by new research. An expert working group study carried out for the International Maritime Organisation found that while an average of 2.5 dedicated shorebased positions had been created by companies to ensure effective ISM compliance, the majority had allocated no extra shipboard personnel to cope with the Code requirements. The study was established to examine the benefits gained from the full introduction of ISM in July 2002. It concluded that tangible benefits can be seen where companies have embraced a positive safety culture and the burden on seafarers could be reduced by increasing their involvement in the production of ISM manuals, ensuring that they meet the practical realities of routine shipboard operations The Telegraph, June 2006

THEQUIZ 1

What is the total TEU capacity of the world containership fleet?

2

What is the approximate total passenger capacity of the world cruiseship fleet?

3

Roughly, what is the Carnival group’s share of worldwide cruiseship passenger numbers?

4

Seatrade is the world’s largest operator of conventional reeferships, with a 67-vessel fleet. In which country is it based?

5

What is the busiest container port in the Mediterranean?

6

Which port is the busiest in Scandinavia?

J Quiz answers are on page 42.

Name: Address:

Telephone:

Membership No.:

Closing date is Friday 17 June 2016.

QUICK CLUES 1.

4.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

15.

16.

17.

21.

22.

24.

25.

26.

27.

Across Comfort (6) Plenty (6) Against (4) Northumberland town (10) Spinner (6) Bird (8) Everlasting (9) Distant (4) Particle (4) Wakeful (9) Scare (8) Floor covering (6) Headland (10) Meat (4) Chinese dumpling (6) Drugged (6)

1.

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Down Cellular link (7) Scottish landowner (5) Entertainment (7) Recoil (6) Sorry (9) Two-wheeler (7) Writer (5,5,3)

14.

16.

18.

19.

20.

23.

Tiller (9) Flight staff (7) Put in code (7) Attendant (7) Inebriated (6) Bird (5)

CRYPTIC CLUES 1.

4.

9.

10.

32_offwatch_SR edit.indd 32

Structural failure is to blame for the deaths of some 250 seafarers in 34 bulk carrier casualties over the past 16 months, a new report has concluded.

The study, published by Lloyd’s Register, found that many of the losses were caused by the failure of the side structure through a combination of corrosion, damage sustained during operation, and design. It warned that corrosion and shear stresses are being increased by high-capacity loading and the carriage of heavy ore cargoes. With high tensile steel and the reduction of scantlings common in many modern ships, the report warned that small cracks can spread rapidly and that in the event of the failure of one part of the structure a ‘domino effect’ upon other parts was possible The Telegraph, June 1991

11.

12.

Across Writing letters on headstone requires little science and a measuring square on either side (6) Half of the field to which the shot is played are prepared for a scrap (6) TV drama featuring old Bob, senior citizen (4) Dig reveals former anthropoid but returned it with ring embedded (10) Upset batter and it’ll slide down (6) Not to blame if accommodation takes small change around capital of Oregon (8)

13. Professional to use keyboard, the first of its kind (9) 15. Point of debate in osteopathy (4) 16. Cease returning the crockery (4) 17. Fortune telling, it yields dates and attempt on Iceland (9) 21. Language, French without middle letter removed from Asian cobra (8) 22. ‘Thou shalt find / That I’ll --the shape that thou dost think’ (King Lear) (6) 24. Crete place, resort for vessel (10) 25. Uncommon request for steak (4) 26. Unfashionable shape (6) 27. Equine quarters are firmly fixed (6)

Down Advanced notice of storyline without which speeder could leave the road ... (7) 2. ... as fast as white water (5) 3. Excuse before the actual 1.

content of the book (7) 4. Outraged at continuous gas leak (6) 6. About whales and dolphins, right out of period in Mesozoic era (9) 7. Thrash, as Tyson and Robinson initially taking on lightweight (7) 8. Coach trip Eric arranged for singers with service in mind (5,8) 14. He wrote Emile after end of August regarding wedding stuff (9) 16. Walkers who are not sickened by the main routes (3,4) 18. Term Don coined for 2 change of notes (7) 19. Sorrow regarding late Oxford detective ... (7) 20. ... result of impact of case on his heart (6) 23. Brush away undergrowth (5) J Crossword answers are on page 42.

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MARITIME BOOKS

Seafaring sisters who would not be denied From Cabin ‘Boys’ to Captains

By Jo Stanley History Press, £20 ISBN: 978 07524 88783 this remarkable book contains a rich K variety of stories of personal determination and Subtitled ‘250 years of women at sea’,

achievement — many of which could have made a book in themselves.

The history — ‘herstory’ — of women at sea spans a period that moves from a time when women had to pretend to be boys to work on a ship to the modern era of female masters, chief engineers and senior shoreside management.

A triumph of exhaustive research, the book leaves few stones unturned in its examination not only of the history, but also the deeper trends that have influenced attitudes to women at sea.

As Jo Stanley notes, it’s a story that is hard to pull together because so many women went unnoticed or unrecorded, and also because some of the more recent ‘pioneers’ of female seafaring have been reluctant to be viewed as ‘special cases’.

Insightful take on a modern maritime nightmare Blood Ransom: Stories from the front line in the war against Somali piracy

By John Boyle Bloomsbury, £9.99 ISBN: 978 14729 27682 fwww.bloomsbury.com unions like NUMAST and FWZ K were despairing of ever being able to

Around 10 years ago, seafarers’

get European governments to take piracy seriously. The wider public seemed oblivious to the terrible risks run by merchant vessel crews in the Gulf of Aden, and the word ‘pirate’ still conjured up a picture of a swashbuckling storybook figure like Long John Silver or Captain Hook.

In recent years, however, the problem has become too big to ignore. Governments and shipowners have had to take action to try to protect their crews — or perhaps more accurately, their cargoes — and there is a new public understanding of a modern pirate as a Somali clutching an AK-47.

TV documentaries have played an important part in this change of affairs, including Pirates in Paradise — the Seychelles, by John Boyle of Shark Bay Films, which was shown on the National Geographic channel.

33_books_SR edit.indd 33

The book ranges far and wide in its scope — showing parallels between the women pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Read and the 20th and 21st century examples of defiance of expectations about a woman’s role, including Greenpeace campaigner Susi Newborn.

Rather than going for a straightforward historical narrative, the book is structured more around themes — such as engineers, radio officers, medics and passenger services — and, for the uninitiated, explains a bit about the shipping industry and seafaring.

Jo Stanley reminds us that the history of women seafarers actually goes back far beyond the 250 years addressed in her book — with the Persian queen Artemisia serving in command of a series of ships in crucial battles against the Greeks in the 5th century BC. She also notes how the US, the USSR and Nordic countries were early adopters of programmes to allow women to gain significant seafaring qualifications.

She explains the remarkable subterfuge that many women carried out to enable them to work at sea — with examples such as Sarah ‘John’ Davies,

Boyle has now returned to the subject in more detail, revisiting the places and people he met for the film to gather the material for an insightful and accessible book.

Blood Ransom uses an impressive series of interviews to underpin and illustrate the author’s analysis of the Somali piracy problem. He visits captured pirates in prison, speaks to naval commanders and senior government figures, and gets the stories of merchant seafarers caught up in this miserable multinational conflict.

The book starts with a useful exploration of the origins of Somali piracy, explaining how the failed state has been unable to feed or educate its citizens, or protect its waters from illegal industrial fishing.

As we progress through the chapters, we learn how the initial small-scale attacks on foreign fishing vessels escalated into an international crisis, as terrorist groups and organised crime syndicates became involved in the supply of weapons to the pirates and encouraged their hostage-taking and demands for ransom.

Using the first-hand accounts of his many witnesses, Boyle charts the rise of anti-piracy measures, from the installation of razor wire around the deck to shipboard security guards and military escorts. These efforts have helped to diminish the problem, but

whose gender was revealed only after her ship was wrecked and, rescued with other survivors, she was found to be pregnant. Others managed to work as seafarers as a result of family connections — working with husbands or, as in the case of Betsy Miller in the 1830s, taking command after the death of her shipmaster brother.

The book is frequently punctuated with firstperson accounts and case histories — some, like chief engineer Victoria Drummond, being relatively well known and others rescued from obscurity. There are some shocking testimonies of abuse and sexism, including one woman who suffered a breakdown as a result of the hostility she faced at sea in the 1970s or another who wrote to 150 shipping companies and received only one positive response.

Ironically, however, seawomen working in the Merchant Navy in the early 20th century were paid the same as their male counterparts — possibly, Jo Stanley suggests, because when the unions negotiated wages there were not enough women for a separate case to be made.

there can be no ultimate solution until Somalia becomes a functioning nation (or is split into two or three nations along cultural and ethnic lines rather than struggling with the arbitrary borders imposed by the former colonial powers).

While poverty, lawlessness and desperation persist, concludes the author, there will always be hungry young men willing to risk their lives in small boats — and piracy will remain a constant and dangerous threat to seafarers in the western Indian Ocean.

Pertinent points for port pilots to peruse Pilots’ Pocket Guide and Checklist

By The UK Chamber of Shipping Witherby, £10 ISBN: 978 18560 97116 fwww.witherbyseamanship.com Harbour Tugs — Reducing K the Risks in Port Towage, this handy Subtitled Working Safely with

little guide has been produced to help pilots and PEC holders with the cchallenges posed by harbour towage

Whilst celebrating the achievements of so many women, the book cautions the reader against complacency.

Jo Stanley tells of a visit to Warsash in 2013, accompanying a former cadet who was shocked to find there were no more women training there than when she attended at the end of the 1970s — and she includes a list of proposals for helping more women to go to sea, noting that some of these might prove controversial.

It all adds up to a fascinating and thoughtprovoking book, with some first class illustrations and excellent production standards.

There’s useful stuff about the pros and cons of different tug types, the dangers of heavily weighted heaving or messenger lines, hydrodynamic interaction, towing points and girting, as well as the need to assess such risks as weather, visibility, sea states, traffic density and crew competency. Clearly written and well-illustrated, this is a guide that could well make a major contribution to the safety of ships and seafarers.

operations.

Written by members of the British Tugowners Association, in conjunction with the UK Maritime Pilots’ Association, the 30-page pocket-sized publication draws on industry best practice to set out the core principles and procedures for safe operations.

Largely presented in bullet point and checklist format, it covers subjects such as the pilot/tug master exchange of information, pre-arrival work, manoeuvres and departures – underlining the need for good communications, timely actions, good training and regular meetings between pilots and tug masters.

Sea crossing at the heart of the Irish experience Dun Laoghaire Holyhead 1826-2015

By Justin Merrigan Ferry Publications, £19.50 ISBN: 978 19066 08828 fwww.ferrypubs.co.uk Irish port of Dun Laoghaire K and the western ferry base of the

For almost two centuries the

Holyhead in Wales were linked by a ferry service.

But when Stena Line withdrew the link in February 2015 it was the first time in around 190 years that

Elegance of the essential Lighthouses of the World

By Marie-Haude Arzur Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, £18.99 ISBN: 978 14729 30408 fwww.adlardcoles.com perennial fascination for many people, and this K book shines a light on some of the world’s most striking As the back cover states, lighthouses hold a

and nature-defying structures.

Detailing the various heights, years of build, histories and visitor accessibility of these magnificent buildings, author Marie-Haude Arzur has created a beautifully illustrated and well researched collection of these maritime safety nets.

Captured within the 240 pages, Ms Arzur illuminates over 150 of these structures from 56 countries, ranging from Alexandria in Egypt to Cape Otway in Australia.

The book is split into continental regions and, from the stunning colour photography, the reader can get a view of how different, and how challenging, each lighthouse location is.

The book opens with the apt remark ‘At sea, the principal danger is land’ — and just seeing the conditions that many of these lighthouses have been constructed in proves the point better than any words can describe. Readers who are familiar with the Westerheversand lighthouse situated in the North Sea off Germany will understand exactly what is being referred to.

Lighthouses of the World is a graphic coffee-table masterpiece that celebrates these structures, and their role in maritime safety. Capturing its subjects’ domination over so many of the world’s shorelines, this book is an eye-catching example of the majesty and danger that go hand-in-hand with seafaring.

the harbour in Ireland was without a ferry service and a link to the Welsh mainland.

In 144 pages — and across 13 chapters — Dun Laoghaire Holyhead 1826-2015 covers Dun Laoghaire’s history, starting with its 18th-century conception, through the graft of two world wars and into the post-ferry reinvention of the area.

Author Justin Merrigan combines in-depth diagrams and archive photography to guide the reader through the port’s potted history.

Detailing some of the ferries that have graced it over the years, the book outlines how the harbour has changed and developed throughout the centuries.

The book explains how the Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead service became an integral part of Irish life, where millions said goodbye to Ireland as they passed through the gates of the Carlisle Pie, the mailboat terminal.

Moving on to happier times, tourism came to the fore and the first car ferries appeared in 1965 in the port. Thirty years later and the route was selected by Stena Line to receive the first of its revolutionary HSS vessels; a measure of the high standing of the service to the shipping company.

Despite the subsequent decline of the ferry link, Dun Laoghaire remains Ireland’s premier leisure port. Mr Merrigan does it justice, providing an interesting and engaging slant on the area’s history and what made it such a special place.

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34 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

NL NEWS

Nautilus International en FNV Waterbouw

A

In deze rubriek worden steeds vakbondszaken belicht, waarin Nautilus en FNV Waterbouw een actieve rol spelen ten behoeve van onze leden.

vraag of ons lid hiermee een WW-uitkering zou kunnen aanvragen. Voor het verlies van zijn baan wordt hij namelijk niet gecompenseerd. Dit zal ongetwijfeld vragen oproepen bij het UWV die gaat over het toekennen van een WW-uitkering bij werkloosheid.

Met ‘compensatie voor het verlies van de dienstbetrekking en het inkomen’ wordt bedoeld de ontslagvergoeding.

Tegenwoordig, sinds de invoering van de Wet Werk en Zekerheid (WWZ), per 1 juli 2015 geldt de transitievergoeding. Na versoepeling van het ontslagrecht is de transitievergoeding geïntroduceerd.

Dit keer gaat het over:

International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA) en NL Branch van Nautilus C International aangesloten Al sinds 2006 zijn de UK

bij IFSMA, een professionele internationale organisatie die kapiteins verenigt en vertegenwoordigt. En dat heeft een goede reden. IFSMA heeft een zogenaamde Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) status in de IMO waardoor de stem van de kapiteins direct doorklinkt in deze voor de zeevaart zeer belangrijke organisatie van de Verenigde Naties die tot doel heeft de zeevaart zo veilig en milieuvriendelijk mogelijk te maken. Een stem die direct aankomt bij nationale overheden en de redersgemeenschap wereldwijd.

Nautilus neemt zeer actief deel aan de werkzaamheden van IFSMA. We doen dat middels een pro actieve invulling van een plaats in het bestuur van IFSMA maar nog belangrijker, middels het afzenden van vertegenwoordigers naar de IFSMA delegatie in IMO. De Nautilus vertegenwoordigers ontbreken bij geen enkele zitting van de IMO (gemiddeld zo’n 20 weken per jaar) en hiermee levert Nautilus op mondiale schaal een aanzienlijke bijdrage in het verbreiden van de stem van de kapiteins. Het feit dat het hoofdkantoor van Nautilus en

het kantoor van de IMO beide in Londen staan zorgt er ook nog eens voor dat de bijdrage aan de werkzaamheden van IFSMA niet extra wordt belast met hoge uitgaven voor hotelkamers en vliegtickets.

Synergie effecten

Middels de aansluiting bij IFSMA staat Nautilus in veelvuldig contact met de bij IFSMA aangesloten organisaties, verspreid over circa 60 landen wereldwijd. Met name de jaarlijkse ledenvergadering is een ideale gelegenheid om ideeën uit te wisselen en steun te vergaren voor onderwerp waar de Nautilus achterban sterk belang aan hecht. Zodra daar binnen IFSMA een meerderheid voor te vinden is wordt dat beleid. En dat beleid wordt vervolgens wereldwijd uitgedragen en niet in de laatste plaats in IMO. Goede voorbeelden van onderwerpen die op deze wijze in een stroomversnelling zijn gekomen zijn de Nautilus zorgen over asbest, onveilige situaties aan boord van passagiersschepen, fatique en enclosed spaces/het verplicht aan boord hebben van zuurstofmeters. Natuurlijk zorgt dat niet in alle gevallen voor een snelle oplossing maar brengt het de oplossing in ieder geval wel wat meer binnen bereik.

Geef uw mening Vorige maand vroegen wij: Denkt u dat drone-schepen werkelijkheid zullen worden in 2020?

Vaststellingsovereenkomst?

Neem contact op met Nautilus!

In de vorige editie van de Telegraph schreven wij over de vaststellingsovereenkomst, een ‘schappelijke manier’ om een eind te maken aan het dienstverband met wederzijds goedvinden. Kortgezegd: werkgever en werknemer besluiten in goed overleg de arbeidsrelatie met elkaar te beëindigen.

De heer Janssen*, werkzaam aan boord van een passagierschip in de Binnenvaart in de functie van matroos, kreeg tegen het einde van het vaarseizoen in oktober 2015 plotsklaps een vaststellingsovereenkomst voorgelegd van zijn werkgever.

Vanzelfsprekend is de heer Janssen met deze overeenkomst naar zijn vakbond Nautilus gegaan.

Op zoek naar ander werk

Wat ons onmiddellijk opviel, was dat de overeenkomst slechts één A4tje bevatte. In de overeenkomst stond feitelijk niet zo veel. Ons lid werkte hier al sinds 2004. De heer Janssen moest doorwerken tot de

Niet getekend

einddatum, terwijl het in deze gevallen gebruikelijk is voor een lange duur (één of twee maanden) een werknemer vrij te stellen van werk met behoud van loon, zodat hij op zoek kan gaan naar ander werk. In de overeenkomst stond tot slot dat

beide partijen op de hoogte waren van de gevolgen van de beëindiging van de arbeidsovereenkomst.

Summiere overeenkomst

Met deze summiere overeenkomst is het nog maar de

Wegens het ontbreken van een transitievergoeding en het in het ongewisse blijven over wel of geen WW-uitkering, heeft de heer Janssen de overeenkomst niet getekend. Schriftelijk hebben wij dit vervolgens kenbaar gemaakt aan de werkgever, met de toevoeging dat voor het ontslag de werkgever zich maar moet wenden tot de kantonrechter. De heer Janssen is momenteel nog steeds aan het werk. z Krijgt u ook een vaststellingsovereenkomst voorgelegd?

Neemt u dan altijd allereerst contact op met Nautilus. * Fictieve naam; de werkelijke naam van betrokkene is bij de redactie bekend.

Volg ons op Twitter In this month’s Dutch pages:

Nee 67%

z Nautilus services: IFSMA z Transitioning renumeration

Ja 33%

z Smart Ships Symposium z Day of the Seafarer z Dredging and Wind Offshore z ODV Maritime: safety and jobs z CBA negotiations: JTE & HFS z Invitation to young Nautilus members

De poll van deze maand is: Denkt u dat het uitvoerbaar is om een wereldwijd verbod op ’relatiegeschenken’ aan havenautoriteiten te introduceren? Geef ons uw mening online, op www.nautilusint.org

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z Rowing race Terschelling z Memorial Day: 4 May

Herdenkingsplechtigheid 4 mei ‘De Boeg’ jaarlijkse herdenkingsplechtigheid bij het Nationaal C Koopvaardijmonument ‘De Boeg’ plaats.

Op een zonovergoten 4 mei vond in Rotterdam de

De zeelieden die tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog het leven verloren worden hier jaarlijks herdacht.

Burgemeester Aboutaleb van Rotterdam stond in zijn toespraak stil bij de belangrijke bijdrage die de zeelieden tijdens de strijd in de Tweede Wereldoorlog op zee hadden geleverd. De vaarplicht werd toen van kracht.

Vanaf dat moment werden de Nederlandse zeelieden onderdeel van de geallieerde strijdkrachten.

Zij werden voor een langere periode afgesneden van

huis en haard. Velen voor altijd.

Zo’n 3.600 bemanningsleden vonden de dood op zee tijdens de oorlog.

De bijdrage van de zeelieden is van bijzonder grote betekenis geweest. Zij werden ingezet voor het verschepen van militairen en materialen voor de oorlogsvoering.

Mede aan de inzet van de zeelieden hebben wij onze vrijheid te danken.

Daarom is het voor Nautilus vanzelfsprekend om jaarlijks deel te nemen aan de herdenking en uit respect een krans te leggen. Zo ook dit jaar.

18/05/2016 17:17

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 35

NL NEWS

Dag van de Zeevarende voor het eerst in Nederland gevierd A

Nautilus waarschuwt voor veiligheid bruggen Noord-Holland De veiligheid van gebruikers van de vaarwegen en C de bruggen in Noord-Holland is ernstig in het geding als de provincie de bediening van de bruggen en sluizen gunt aan een uitzendbureau zonder specifieke maritieme kennis. Dat stelt Nautilus International, de vakbond voor maritiem personeel.

De provincie werkt nu samen met ODV Maritiem. Dit bedrijf levert brug- en sluiswachters.

Nautilus executive officer Charley Ramdas: ‘Het gaat hier om goed opgeleide mensen die vaak een nautische achtergrond hebben als werkervaring.

Er is fors geïnvesteerd in de opleiding van de brug- en sluiswachters. Het is ook niet zomaar een klus die je doet.

Dat blijkt ook uit het feit dat er enkele doden zijn gevallen met brugincidenten. ODV is een partij die veiligheid hoog in het vaandel heeft staan.’

Nautische achtergrond

Maar de werkzaamheden van de huidige brug- en sluiswachters staan op de tocht doordat deze binnenkort worden aanbesteed.

Hiervoor zijn drie partijen in de race, waaronder een uitzendbureau. Nautilus stelt dat dit uitzendbureau ook werft onder mensen die totaal geen nautische achtergrond hebben. Deze mensen zouden snel worden ingewerkt.

Ramdas: ‘De provincie wil vooral op een economisch voordelige manier de diensten gaan uitbesteden.’

Nautilus International is samen

met twee andere vakbonden een cao aangegaan met ODV Maritiem.

Een deel van hen heeft een vast dienstverband, maar een groot aantal heeft nog een tijdelijk dienstverband. Op grond van cao-afspraken zullen de tijdelijke dienstverbanden de komende tijd omgezet moeten worden naar vaste banen.

Ramdas: ‘De omzetting van tijdelijke banen naar vaste banen komt nu onder druk te staan.’

Verschillende sprekers van Nautilus en ODV betoogden maandagavond 9 mei tijdens de vergadering van de commissie mobiliteit en financiën op het provinciehuis dat de provincie zich sterk moet maken voor meer vaste banen en voor meer veiligheid. Dit leverde veel vragen van tal van fractieleden op.

Veiligheid en werkgelegenheid bleken toch nog altijd hoog op de agenda te staan van de politieke partijen.

Ramdas: ‘Dat is goed nieuws.

Wij blijven de druk opvoeren de komende tijd, want het gaat ons hier bovenal om ‘veiligheid en vaste banen’.

Op 23 mei komt het voorstel inzake de aanbesteding ter behandeling in de Provinciale Staten vergadering.

Tijdens het ter perse gaan van dit nummer werd bekend dat op deze dag een deputatie van ODV medewerkers, samen met Nautilus International, een petitie aan het provinciebestuur zou gaan aanbieden onder het motto: ‘Veiligheid en Echte Banen’. In de juli editie van de Telegraph meer hierover.

Wat in Groot Brittannië en tal van andere landen al vele jaren een begrip is, wordt nu ook voor de eerste keer in Nederland georganiseerd: de internationale Dag van de Zeevarende. Op zaterdag 25 juni 2016. Van 10.00 tot 14.00 uur in het STC-gebouw aan de Lloydstraat 300 te Rotterdam.

Zoals meestal met dit soort initiatieven begint het vaak met een paar enthousiaste mensen, die er voor willen gaan. In dit geval betreft het voorzitter Gaby Niesthoven en PR medewerker Mascha Bongenaar van de Vereniging Maritiem Gezinskontakt (VMG).

De vereniging voor en door familieleden van zeevarenden. De levenspartners van beide dames zijn zeevarenden.

Je boterham op zee verdienen

Gaby Niesthoven, in het dagelijks leven maritiem counselor en relatiecoach: ‘Ik had het er al eens vaker met Mascha over gehad.

Dat het toch wel leuk en bijzonder zou zijn om zo’n dag ook eens in Nederland te organiseren. Want veel Nederlanders zijn niet of nauwelijks op de hoogte van het grote belang van de zeevaart voor hun bestaan. En ook niet van wat er allemaal komt kijken om je boterham op zee te verdienen.’ Mascha Bongenaar, haar voorzitter bijvallend: ‘Wat bijna niemand weet is dat 90% van onze goederen via schepen aangeleverd wordt. En inderdaad, ook over het bijzondere beroep en leven van zeevarenden valt nog heel wat te vertellen. Hoe is het om lang van huis te zijn?

Of zoals mijn man dat soms meemaakt, om door een gevaarlijk, door piraten geteisterd gebied, te varen? En hoe beleeft een werktuigkundige zijn vak aan boord? Of wat komt er allemaal kijken bij het wachtlopen in de nacht? ‘ Zelf een schip besturen

Gaby Niesthoven: ‘Na wat heen en weer gepraat zijn we er daarna eerst eens met onze goede relatie Toon van de Sande (Spiritension) over gaan babbelen. Toen vervolgens ook de Rotterdam Mainport University( RMU), de STC-Group, de KNVR en Nautilus bereid waren een helpende hand toe te steken, zijn we er actief van wal mee gestoken.’ Mascha Bongenaar: ‘Vooral toen bleek dat de STC-Group bereid was haar prachtige gebouw aan de Lloydstraat, aan de Maas, in Rotterdam gratis ter beschikking te stellen, kwam alles in een stroomversnelling terecht.

Gaby Niesthoven: ‘Ja, je moet natuurlijk eerst

Initiatiefnemers Gaby Niesthoven (links) en Mascha Bongenaar: ‘Er valt van alles te beleven op zaterdag 25 juni; voor jong en oud.’

een goede plek hebben, om zoiets te organiseren. Er staan ook een aantal prachtige high tech simulatoren in het gebouw, zodat de bezoeker zelf kan ervaren hoe het is om een schip te besturen. Inmiddels hebben ook al veel zeevaartstudenten, die in dit gebouw studeren, hun spontane medewerking toegezegd voor die dag. Het publiek kan leren kaartlezen, knopen leggen, etc. Ook wordt er een zeemanshuis ingericht en worden er films vertoond. Daarnaast zijn er een aantal reders, Nautilus, de kustwacht en andere organisaties met een stand aanwezig. Nogmaals, iedereen is van harte welkom. Er valt voor jong en oud van alles te beleven op deze eerste Dag van de Zeevarende die in Nederland wordt georganiseerd.’

De opening van de dag wordt verricht door Bart van Kessel, young maritime representative. Eén van de drie maritieme jongeren ambassadeurs: ‘In mijn rol als YMR heb ik de ultieme kans om mijn enthousiasme over de maritieme wereld over te brengen. In de laatste vijf jaar dat ik zeevaart studeer mis ik bij veel studenten, of mensen die overwegen de studie te kiezen, een stuk gedrevenheid en enthousiasme . Naar mijn mening is dit nergens voor nodig. Ondanks dat ik in totaal nog maar één jaar heb gevaren, ben ik ontzettend enthousiast over alles wat er gaande is in de maritieme sector,’ aldus Bart op de maritimebyholland.nl website.

DAG VAN DE ZEEVARENDE: 25 juni 2016 Zeevarende voor het eerst op de Nederlandse kaart F gezet. Dat is reden voor een feest! De zeevarenden worden Op zaterdag 25 juni 2016 wordt de Dag van de

in het zonnetje gezet en er komt aandacht voor het, vaak onzichtbare, beroep wat zij uitoefenen. Iedereen is van harte welkom!

Het thema van deze bijzondere dag zal zijn:

They are at sea for all of us Alle zeevarenden gaan een maand chillen… wat dan?

Geen stroom Geen katoen Geen benzine

→ Geen IPhone → Geen kleren → Geen bezoek aan familie

Het werk van zeevarenden is vaak onzichtbaar.

Hun schepen zijn ver weg.

Staan wij daar ooit bij stil?

25 juni wel! Van 10.00 tot 14.00 uur in het STC-gebouw aan de Lloydstraat 300 te Rotterdam.

Het overgrote deel van het Nederlandse publiek weet tot nu toe weinig van vervoer over water. Zij realiseren zich nauwelijks dat 90% van de goederen via schepen aangeleverd worden èn dat daar nog een hele wereld achter zit. Op 25 juni kan iedereen kennis maken met de wereld van de Zeevarende!

34-37_nl_18.5.indd 35

Young Maritime Representatives

Nautilus International, de KNVR, de Vereniging Maritiem Gezinskontakt, Rotterdam Mainport University, STC Group, Spliethoff Group, Anthony Veder, de Kustwacht, Zeekadetkorps Rotterdam, The Bridge en tal van andere bedrijven en organisaties zijn aanwezig. Jong en oud kan bovendien leren kaartlezen, knopen leggen en zelf, gesimuleerd, een schip besturen.

Wilt u een groter publiek bereiken? Presenteer uw product of service aan meer dan 15,000 maritieme professionele lezers uit Nederland, ter land en op zee!

Spreek met één van onze vertegenwoordigers om uit te vinden hoe wij u het beste kunnen helpen.

Neem contact op met Jude Rosset van Redactive Media Group T: +44 (0)20 7880 6217 E: jude.rosset@ redactive.co.uk.

18/05/2016 17:17

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Nautilus symposium Smart Ships ‘Nog nauwelijks onderzoek naar toekomstige positie zeevarende’

Cao onderhandelingen bij Heerema Fleet Personnel in volle gang Personnel (HFP) zijn de C onderhandelingen voor een Bij Heerema Fleet

nieuwe cao nog in volle gang.

Hoewel de partijen de gesprekken vroeg zijn gestart, namelijk in oktober 2015, is er nog geen resultaat te melden.

De Offshore markt is zo als bekend behoorlijk getroffen door de lage olieprijs. Dit zorgt ervoor dat de investeringen van de oliemaatschappijen achterwege blijven. Deze marktsituatie bepaalt voor een groot gedeelte het gesprek dat tussen de cao-partijen, waaronder Nautilus, wordt gevoerd. Waar werknemers een structurele loonsverhoging en andere verbeteringen wensen, zet de werkgever nu vooral in op kostenbesparing.

Wijziging loongebouw

Verder heeft de werkgever voorgesteld om het loongebouw zodanig te wijzigen, dat naarmate iemands carrière vordert de loonstijging binnen dezelfde schaal afneemt, terwijl aan het begin van de carrière de loonstijging groter zal zijn. Bij Heerema is de mate van de loonstijging onder andere afhankelijk van de jaarlijkse individuele beoordeling. Ook het beoordelingssysteem wordt onderworpen aan een vernieuwing.

Hoewel geen onderdeel van de caobesprekingen is het één wel gekoppeld aan het ander (beoordeling versus loongebouw). Dit alles maakt dat de gesprekken meer tijd vergen dan eerder was ingeschat. De verwachting is dat voor de zomer aan de leden een resultaat gepresenteerd kan worden.

Wordt vervolgd.

opgericht. De RMU biedt vier ijzersterke opleidingen aan: z maritiem officier z chemische technologie z maritieme techniek z logistics engineering

‘We liggen goed op stoom met ons studieproject ‘The (semi-) autonomous ship’. En helemaal nu we binnenkort de enquêteresultaten onder de zeevarende Nautilus International leden gaan presenteren op het Nautilus symposium Smart Ships. Vooral omdat uit onze desk research bleek dat er erg veel wordt gepubliceerd en onderzocht over dit onderwerp, maar dat de positie van de toekomstige zeevarende eigenlijk nauwelijks nog wordt benoemd en onderzocht.’ HBO- student Christiaan Drent praat enthousiast over zijn rol van jonge onderzoeker aan de Rotterdam Mainport University of applied sciences. Samen met collega student Coen van Iersel zal hij een presentatie verzorgen op het Nautilus symposium, dat op dinsdagmiddag 21 juni plaats zal vinden in het Rotterdam Marriot (voormalig Manhattan) Hotel.

Nautilus organiseert ieder jaar, als onderdeel van het openbare gedeelte van haar jaarvergadering een symposium over een actueel onderwerp. Deze keer is het thema Smart Ships , dat aanhaakt op de almaar toenemende discussie over onbemande of minimaal bemande schepen van de toekomst. Gaat het werkelijk zo’n vaart lopen? En zo ja, waar liggen dan de kansen voor de (aankomende) Nederlandse zeevarenden?

achtentwintig studenten Maritiem Officier van de Rotterdam Mainport University (RMU). De uitkomsten zijn begin volgend jaar te verwachten. Het is mooi dat we een soort ‘sneak preview’ kunnen geven op het Nautilus symposium. En natuurlijk ook dat we de enquêteresultaten dan kunnen weergeven die middag. Ik ben wel benieuwd hoe daar op wordt gereageerd in de zaal. Ik hoop op een levendige discussie over dit onderwerp. Volgens Rolls-Royce en andere bedrijven gaat de scheepvaartwereld vanaf 2020 ingrijpend veranderen qua automatisering en robotisering.

Zelf denk ik dat het ook weer andere, nieuwe functies zal creëren. Zo zie ik voor mezelf een toekomst in het Loodswezen. Het lijkt me machtig interessant, als ik straks van huis ga, om al vanuit de auto, via de boardcomputer, met mijn werk te beginnen.’

Andere functies

Nieuwe rol vakbond

Christiaan Drent: ‘Het totale onderzoek doen we met

‘Of er ook nog een nieuwe rol komt voor de vakbond in het

Frank Pot over robotisering en sociale dialoog

RMU studenten Christiaan Drent (links) en Coen van Iersel houden een presentatie op het Nautilus Symposium

nieuwe digitale en/of gerobotiseerde tijdperk? Dat denk ik zeker. Wellicht zou de vakbond meer een informerende en bemiddelende rol moeten gaan oppakken qua nieuwe banen en functies. Ik denk zeker dat de vakbond vooral goed mee moet blijven denken en meesturen richting die nieuwe, al dan niet semi-, geautomatiseerde scheepvaartwereld. Onder mijn medestudenten zie je toch ook dat ze zich enerzijds uitgedaagd voelen door dit nieuwe tijdperk, maar dat een aantal er ook best wel een beetje angstig voor is… wat zal de toekomst brengen?

Wellicht wordt dat op het Nautilus symposium al wat duidelijker.’

Als externe spreker op het symposium zal optreden Frank Pot, arbeids- en organisatiesocioloog. Was onder meer bijzonder hoogleraar Arbeid en Technologie aan de universiteit van Leiden en hoogleraar Sociale Innovatie aan de Radboud Universiteit in Nijmegen. Hij is onder meer voorzitter van de Adviesraad European Workplace Innovation Network van de Europese Commissie.

Frank Pot over robotisering in één van zijn artikelen: ‘De belangrijkste les uit honderd jaar robotisering van de arbeidsmarkt is dat de organisatie van goed werk wel gestuurd kan worden maar zeker niet vanzelf gaat. Sociale dialoog, participatief leiderschap en een stimulerende overheid redden het werk van de robots.’

Rotterdam Mainport University

Om in Rotterdam de beste HBO-opleidingen voor scheepvaart, scheepsbouw, havens en logistiek aan te bieden, hebben de STC-Group en Hogeschool Rotterdam de Rotterdam Mainport University

Uitnodiging Nederlandse Nautilus jongeren Nautilus een symposium over A Smart Ships — Facts or Fiction. In dit Op 21 juni a.s. organiseert

symposium wordt aandacht besteed aan de volgende generatie schepen (zie ook artikel hierboven). Hier zal ook de jeugdige zeevarende zeker mee te maken gaan krijgen.

(En ook in onze andere sectoren gaat de automatisering en robotisering steeds verder). Hij of zij zal zich hier dan ook op dienen te gaan voorbereiden. Onze Nederlandse Nautilus jongeren worden daarom graag uitgenodigd om erbij te zijn op dit symposium op dinsdag

21 juni om 15.00 uur in het Rotterdam Marriott Hotel (tegenover CS station Rotterdam).

Jongerentoast na afloop

Na afloop van het symposium zullen alle aanwezige jongeren uitgenodigd worden voor een toast op de toekomst

en is er de mogelijkheid om met elkaar van gedachten te wisselen over de schepen van de toekomst en wat een Nederlands Nautilus Jongeren forum hierin zou kunnen betekenen. g Het symposium is gratis, maar meld je wel van tevoren even aan, via: mschmidt@nautilusint.org.

Zonovergoten Harlingen-Terschelling Roeirace een uitnodiging voor de F Harlingen-Terschelling Roeirace

Ieder jaar ontvangt Nautilus

(HT) en wordt onder de collega’s gekeken wie interesse heeft om de bond te vertegenwoordigen. Het was dit jaar alweer de 42e editie van de sloepenrace. Op zaterdag, 21 juni 1975, werd de eerste oversteek van Harlingen naar Terschelling geroeid in het kader van het 100-jarig bestaan van de Hogere Zeevaartschool Willem Barentsz. Hiermee werd de grondslag gelegd voor de HT-Sloepenrace.

Carl Kraijenoord: ‘De 34 kilometer lange oversteek wordt gezien als één van de zwaarste roeitochten in Nederland. Afhankelijk van de weersomstandigheden en de getijdestroom zijn er regelmatig een

34-37_nl_18.5.indd 36

aantal uitvallers in de race. In de loop van de jaren is de race uitgegroeid tot een groots evenement. Het heeft een grote en landelijke bekendheid gekregen. Ook het aantal deelnemers stijgt elk jaar weer. Dit jaar doen er maar liefst 135 sloepen mee!’

Echte race

Vanaf 1985 is er voor het eerst sprake van een race; een echte wedstrijd.

Aan de sloepen worden dan strengere eisen gesteld en ze worden ingedeeld in een bepaalde handicap. Deze wordt o.a. vastgesteld door de

boot te slepen en de weerstand te meten. Voorheen werd er natuurlijk ook getracht zo snel mogelijk van Harlingen naar Terschelling te roeien, maar toen was het eerder een prestatiewedstrijd dan een echte race.

Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Deze editie was echt zonovergoten mooi. Zeker voor de toeschouwers een aangename omstandigheid. Daarbij was er weinig wind en prima zicht. Het was dan ook prachtig om de hele armada van roeiers en hun volgboten te kunnen zien varen. Aangezien de 1e sloep die over de finish gaat niet persé ook heeft gewonnen, kan iedereen het best zelf naar de website van de organisatie (www.htroeien.nl) klikken, om de uitslagen te bekijken.’

18/05/2016 18:01

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Cao onderhandelingsakkoord John T. Essberger

Heeft u uw emailadres al aan ons doorgegeven..? en sneller van dienst te zijn, F beschikken we graag over hun Om onze leden nog beter

email adres. Heeft u uw emailadres nog niet aan ons doorgegeven? g Mail ons uw emailadres dan s.v.p. naar infonl@ nautilusint.org

A

Volg ons op Twitter Wij hebben Facebook.

Volg ons ook!

Bezoek www.nautilusint.org

Bij John T. Essberger (JTE) is na een drietal onderhandelingsrondes overeenstemming bereikt over een onderhandelingsakkoord van een tweejarige cao; te weten van 1 januari 2016 tot en met 31 december 2017.

De prijscompensatie zal in een artikel in de cao worden opgenomen, waarmee deze vanaf 1 januari 2017 ieder jaar zal worden toegekend. In het jaar 2016 zal het loon niet verhoogd worden. Het tijdelijk dienst doen in een hogere rang zal beperkt worden in tijd. Indien het tijdelijk dienst doen in een hogere rang langer duurt dan zes maanden vaartijd (al dan niet onderbroken), zal de desbetreffende medewerker worden aangesteld in de desbetreffende rang.

Veel wikken en wegen

Baggeraars in de Offshore Wind: kansen ook voor Nautilus F

Op 14 april heeft een meerderheid van de leden uiteindelijk na veel wikken en wegen ingestemd met het onderhandelingsakkoord. De reden voor dit wikken en wegen is gelegen in het feit dat

twee weken voor de vergadering — waar het onderhandelingsakkoord ter stemming werd voorgelegd — de werkgever aankondigde dat hij voornemens was om het bedrijf in Nederland te sluiten en te verplaatsen naar Duitsland. De reden die de werkgever hierbij aangaf was dat het voor JTE efficiënter zou zijn om al zijn scheepvaartactiviteiten vanuit één kantoor aan te

sturen. Dit betekent voor de zeevarenden dat zij dan in dienst zullen treden van een in Duitsland gevestigde werkgever.

Adviesaanvraag Ondernemingsraad

Door de gekozen constructie blijven de Nederlandse loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden van toepassing en zullen de consequenties van dit voorgenomen

besluit voor de zeevarenden meevallen. Voordat de werkgever zijn voorgenomen besluit kan uitvoeren, dient eerst een proces te worden doorlopen. De werkgever dient namelijk zijn voorgenomen besluit in een adviesaanvraag aan de Ondernemingsraad (OR) voor te leggen.

De OR zal een advies uitbrengen nadat zij volledige inzage hebben gehad in de redenen die de werkgever aandraagt. De werkgever dient dus aan de OR zijn redenen te onderbouwen en alle vragen die bij de OR leven te beantwoorden. Vervolgens zal de OR met een advies komen. In principe dient de werkgever het advies in acht te nemen, echter hij is hiertoe niet verplicht en kan dus besluiten het advies naast zich neer te leggen. Mocht de werkgever dit doen, dan heeft de OR het recht om bij de Ondernemingskamer bezwaar aan te tekenen.

Op dit moment is het proces van advisering in volle gang.

Zodra hier uitsluitsel over valt te geven, zal dit weer worden gepubliceerd.

Jaarvergadering 2016: Alle leden zijn welkom

Naast baggeren richten met name de twee grote bedrijven in deze sector, Boskalis en Van Oord, hun pijlen nadrukkelijker op de sector Offshore Wind. Ook zien we dat steeds meer bij de middelgrote bedrijven gebeuren.

Zij verwachten dat de komende jaren de vraag naar windenergie, zowel in Noordwest Europa als daarbuiten, zal toenemen.

Met het Energieakkoord heeft de Nederlandse overheid zich gecommitteerd aan de doelstelling dat 14% van de energievoorziening in 2020 duurzaam opgewekt moet zijn.

In 2023 moeten windmolens op zee voor zo'n 5 miljoen huishoudens duurzame energie opwekken. Er liggen dus volop kansen voor deze bedrijven die hun activiteiten verschuiven en/ of uitbreiden van baggeren naar Offshore Wind.

Belangrijke groeisector voor Nautilus

Charley Ramdas, executive officer Nautilus, ziet in de Offshore Wind ook voor Nautilus een belangrijke groeisector. Hij stelt: ‘De werkgelegenheid zal er immers toenemen. Ook zal er in de bagger en Offshore Wind sectoren, meer dan voorheen, tussen de collega's intensiever samengewerkt worden.

Omdat het activiteiten betreft die door hetzelfde bedrijf worden uitgevoerd. Daarnaast verwachten wij dat er werknemers tussen de twee sectoren uitgewisseld zullen worden. Als Nautilus zijn wij begonnen met het in kaart brengen van de diverse Offshore Wind bedrijven. Dit betreft onder andere het aantal werknemers, opleidingsniveau en functies.

Hierdoor krijgen wij meer zicht op het groeipotentieel met betrekking tot leden en kaderleden.’

International uit voor de jaarvergadering van A de Nederlandse branch.

(tevens NL National Committee) treedt dit jaar af, te weten:

De jaarvergadering vindt plaats op dinsdag 21 juni 2016, van 13.00 uur tot 14.30 uur. Voorafgaand aan de vergadering bent u vanaf 12.00 uur welkom voor de lunch. Vervolgens gaat om 15.00 uur het symposium Smart Ships van start. Locatie voor zowel de jaarvergadering als het symposium is het Rotterdam Marriot (voorheen Manhattan) Hotel te Rotterdam. Alle leden zijn van harte welkom.

Uit kiesgroep kapiteins en stuurlieden:

Aeolus

Kansen pakken

Bij agendapunt 2

Vorig jaar nam Van Oord haar eerste transport- en installatieschip, de Aeolus, voor de aanleg van Offshore Wind parken in gebruik. Het zeer geavanceerde schip is 139 mtr. lang, 38 mtr. breed en heeft een diepgang van 5,7 mtr. Het beschikt over een snelheid van 12 knopen en is uitgerust met een kraan die meer dan 900 ton kan tillen.

Er is accommodatie voor 75 personen.

Boskalis wil zich zeker ook een stuk van de taart in de Offshore Wind gaan toe-eigenen.

Onlangs kondigde het concern aan de Offshore Wind activiteiten van Volker Wessels over te willen nemen. Het betreft een moderne vloot van ongeveer vijftig werkschepen.

‘Vervolgens zullen wij heel proactief alle kansen moeten pakken om met werknemers aan boord in contact te treden’, aldus Ramdas. ‘Wij hebben ook al een aantal kwesties te pakken, zoals werktijden in de Offshore Wind. En natuurlijk biedt de aangekondigde overname van de Offshore Wind activiteiten van Volker Wessels door Boskalis kansen voor Nautilus. Over beide kwesties is er vooralsnog een voorzichtig begin van contact gelegd met bemanningsleden. We zullen nu werken aan het intensiveren daarvan om vervolgens ons ledental te vergroten en een kaderinfrastructuur op te bouwen.

Dit past ook precies in het strategisch plan van Nautilus. Dus ook wat dit betreft liggen we hier goed op koers.’

Het verslag van het gevoerde beleid in 2015 zal het bestuur doen aan de hand van het jaarverslag.

Tijdens de jaarvergadering ontvangt u een harde

34-37_nl_18.5.indd 37

Het bestuur nodigt alle leden van Nautilus

Johan Kooij, Peter Lok en Henk Eijkenaar Uit de kiesgroep WTK’s: Wilco van Hoboken Uit de kiesgroep Scheepsgezellen: Marinus van Otterloo Uit de kiesgroep Wal: Geert Feikema Uit de kiesgroep Binnenvaart: Jan de Rover en Jan van der Zee

Agenda Jaarvergadering

De agenda is als volgt: 1.

Opening door voorzitter Marcel van den Broek 2.

Bestuursverslag van het gevoerde beleid in 2015 3.

Financieel jaarverslag 4.

Verkiezing bestuursleden 5.

Verkiezing leden Raad van Advies 6.

Wat verder ter tafel komt.

7.

Sluiting

kopie van het jaarverslag. Het verslag is ook op de Nautilus website terug te vinden.

Bij agendapunt 4

Marcel van den Broek en Charley Ramdas treden dit jaar af (statuten artikel 8 lid 7).

Beiden stellen zich herkiesbaar. Het NL National Committee/Raad van Advies heeft inmiddels een bindende voordracht gemaakt (statuten artikel 8 lid 3).

Jaarvergadering

Ongeveer de helft van de Raad van Advies

In de kiesgroepen Maritiem Officier en Pensioen- of uitkeringsgerechtigden zijn geen aftredende leden.

In de kiesgroep werktuigkundigen is er naast de bestaande vacature, met het terugtreden van Karel Slootstra een tweede vacature ontstaan.

Ook in de kiesgroep Maritiem Officier bestaat een vacature. Alle aftredende leden zijn gevraagd of zij beschikbaar zijn voor herverkiezing.

Inmiddels is bekend dat alle leden zich herkiesbaar stellen.

Er zijn geen voorstellen ontvangen van de leden.

18/05/2016 17:18

38 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

APPOINTMENTS

PLOT YOUR NEXT COURSE WITH US Excellent opportunities exist within our fleet of Oil, Chemical, LPG and LNG Tankers for various positions including:

MASTERS - CHIEF OFFICERS CHIEF ENGINEERS - SECOND ENGINEERS OOW DECK AND ENGINE We also have current opportunities onboard RoRo/RoPax Vessels.

To view all current vacancies and for further information, please visit our manning agent website: www.nmms.co.uk.

Or send full CV to: recruitment@nmms.co.uk

MASTERS / CHIEF OFFICERS / SECOND ENGINEERS / OOW DECK AND ENGINE / MASTERS / CHIEF OFFICERS / SECOND ENGINEERS / OOW DECK AND ENGINE

Clyde Marine Recruitment is a leading provider of marine recruitment and bespoke crew management VHUYLFHV :LWK RI¼FHV 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. *SV WIE KSMRK NSFW ETTP] EX www.clyderecruit.com TANKER

CONTAINER

Master required for LNG, this is a permanent position.

Trips are 3 months on with 28 days leave per month served. Master unlimited CoC with Gas DCE required.

Must have recent LNG experience as Master. )\GIPPIRX WEPEV] ERH FIRI½XW TEGOEKI

Chief and 2nd Engineer required for Container ZIWWIP 3TIVEXMRK [SVPH[MHI QSRXL XVMTW Permanent position. Container experience preferred but not essential.

&KLHI 2I¼FHU VIUYMVIH JSV 3MP XEROIV XLMW MW E permanent position. Trips are 3 months on with HE]W PIEZI TIV QSRXL WIVZIH 'LMIJ 3J½GIV unlimited CoC with Oil DCE required. Must have VIGIRX PEVKI 3MP XEROIV I\TIVMIRGI EW 'LMIJ 3J½GIV )\GIPPIRX WEPEV] ERH FIRI½XW TEGOEKI Chief Engineers, 2nd Engineers, 3rd Engineers and ETOs VIUYMVIH JSV FSXL 3MP 8EROIVW ERH +EW 8EROIVW 3TIVEXMRK [SVPH[MHI :EVMSYW 'PMIRXW VIGVYMXMRK [MXL XVMT PIRKXLW ERH WEPEVMIW ZEVMIH

PASSENGER Motormen, ABs and Stewards LSPHMRK 'VS[H 1EREKIQIRX GIVXM½GEXI VIUYMVIH JSV XIQTSVEV] XVMTW SR TEWWIRKIV JIVVMIW MR 7GSXPERH 'SRXEGX SYV +PEWKS[ SJ½GI JSV QSVI MRJSVQEXMSR 2nd Engineer [MXL ER 9RPMQMXIH 'LMIJ )RKMRIIV 'S' VIUYMVIH JSV 4EWWIRKIV 6S6S 4IVQERIRX TSWMXMSRW EZEMPEFPI ZIWWIP STIVEXMRK SYX SJ (SZIV VSXEXMSR [IIO on/off and salary available on request.

Motormen, ABs, Stewards required for adhoc XIQTSVEV] [SVO SR 4EWWIRKIV 6S6S :IWWIPW STIVEXMRK out of Dover. Travel unpaid.

SPECIALIST (QJLQHHULQJ 2I¼FHU [MXL E 'LMIJ )RKMRIIV 'S' 7IGSRH )RKMRIIV 'S' ERH 7]WXIQ )RKMRIIV VIUYMVIH JSV ZEGERGMIW [MXLMR XLI 6*% *PIIX %HQH¼WV LQFOXGH • 'SQTIXMXMZI 7EPEV] • 4EMH :S]EKI 0IEZI • 6SXEXMSR -RGPYHMRK 8VEMRMRK • 'EVIIV %ZIVEKI 3GGYTEXMSREP 4IRWMSR 7GLIQI • *YPP] *YRHIH 7XYH] 0IEZI 4VSKVEQQI • ;SVPH 'PEWW 'SQTVILIRWMZI 8VEMRMRK 4VSKVEQQI 'ERHMHEXIW QYWX LEZI I\TIVMIRGI EW 'LMIJ )RKMRIIV 7IGSRH )RKMRIIV SV )83 ERH LEZI E 9/ 'S' ')' **Please note for this vacancy MOD requirements dictate when you join, you must have British Citizenship ERH LEZI FIIR PMZMRK MR XLI 9/ JSV EX PIEWX JSYV SJ XLI TEWX ½ZI ]IEVW

For all shore-based jobs, please visit:

www.redtheconsultancy.com

www.clyderecruit.com

Nautilus recruitment.indd 38

with a long established reputation for being a leading provider of training to the Maritime industry.

MARITIME COURSES Masters Orals 20 Jun 2016, 5 Sep 2016, 17 Oct 2016, 9 Jan 2017, 20 Feb 2017, 2 May 2017, 12 Jun 2017 | Chief Mate 5 Sep 2017, 16 Jan 2017, 8 May 2017 | HND to Chief Mate 5 Sep 2016, 9 Jan 2017, 17 Apr 2017 | FD to Chief Mate 30 May 2016, 10 Oct 2016, 9 Jan 2017, 20 Feb 2017, 2 May 2017, 5 Jun 2017, 29 Aug 2017 | Oil Tanker Safety 1 Aug 2016 | ECDIS Generic 18 Jul 2016, 12 Aug 2016, 9, 30 Jan 2017, 15 May 2017, 19 Jun 2017 | HELM (M) 18, 25 Jul 2016, 29 Aug 2016, 5 &12 Sep 2016, 21 & 28 Nov 2016, 5 & 12 Dec 2016, 6 Feb 2017, 27 Mar 2017, 3, 10, 17 Apr 2017 | NAEST (M) 6 Jun 2016, 25 Jul 2016, 29 Aug 2016, 28 Nov 2016, 5 &12 Dec 2016, 13 Feb 2017, 3,10 Apr 2017 | VTS Induction 4 July 2016 | VTS Operator Simulator 11 July 2016 | VTS Refresher 28 Jun 2016 | BTM 27 Jun, 4 & 11 Jul 2016

FOR MORE INFORMATION E maritime@blackpool.ac.uk T 01253 779 123 W blackpool.ac.uk/nautical

STCW UPDATING 2017 Personal Survival Techniques Updating £165 | Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting Updating £200 | Advanced Fire Fighting Updating £175 | Proficiency in Survival craft & Rescue Boat £200 The above four courses can be booked as a 4 day package £680* 1 Day MCA Approved FRB updating course with Capsize drill £245 2017 AVAILABLE COURSE WEEKS 16, 17, 23 Jan | 6, 7, 20, 27 Feb

FOR MORE INFORMATION E offshore@blackpool.ac.uk T 01253 779 123 W blackpool.ac.uk/offshore

/FleetwoodNauticalCampusOffshoreOperations

If you are interested in working at Fleetwood Nautical Campus, call 01253 50(4760) to register your interest or for information on current vacancies.

*SV 7IE KSMRK .SFW ZMWMX 'P]HI 1EVMRI 6IGVYMXQIRX Glasgow +44 (0) 141 427 6886 Singapore +65 6299 4992

FLEETWOOD NAUTICAL CAMPUS - CELEBRATING 125 YEARS IN 2017

Gdynia +4858 665 3860 Riga +371 6733 1357

WWW. BLACKPOOL. AC.UK

17/05/2016 08:39

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 39

APPOINTMENTS NOTICE TO READERS 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.

16 June 2016 is the closing date for July 2016.

You can still advertise online at any time.

CV Professionals Maritime & oσshore specialists www.cvprofessionals.co.uk

Each year the Apostleship of the Sea Visits over 10,000 ships Helps over 200,000 seafarers Deals with over 2,100 welfare issues

a million for your very warm heart “andThanks for the help you have given us. I am not going to forget the good deeds you have shown us and we will never forget you.

”

A message from a seafarer to an Apostleship of the Sea Chaplain

I wish to support AoS with a donation of: £ _______

Arklow Shipping

Please return it to: AoS, Freepost LON21409, London, EC1B 1NB (Please make cheques payable to AoS)

Title:_________ First Name:________________ Surname:__________________

WILL YOU HELP US? To donate or read more about the Apostleship of the Sea visit our website

www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

Address:_____________________________________________________________

We operate a dry cargo fleet of 46 modern, purpose built ships from 4,500dwt to 35,000dwt. Due to continued expansion we have a vacancy for the following position:-

______________________________________________________________________

Marine Engineer Superintendent

____________________________________________Postcode: ________________

Telephone: ________________________________________ Email: ____________________________________________

(Please only give us your email if you are happy to be contacted in this way)

833 069 18 o: 1 3203 ty N n: 3 hari tio d C gistra re e te y R gis Re mpan Co

NOT A MEMBER OF NAUTILUS INTERNATIONAL?

This position, residing and based in Arklow, Ireland, will require a person who is keen to advance and develop their skills further in the marine sector. The successful candidate will be responsible for the efficient operation, management and maintenance of vessels under their control. The candidate will be required to join the team to oversee the future new build construction programs in Europe.

Join now on our website

Minimum qualification is Chief Engineer (Unlimited) certificate of competency.

Applicants must be fully conversant in the English language.

Previous experience in this position is not essential but considered advantageous.

EU working entitlement is essential for this role.

Fill out the online application at: www.nautilusint.org

Please send detailed cv to:Arklow Shipping, North Quay, Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Email: shipsuperintendent@asl.ie

www.windstarcruises.com www.vikingrecruitment.com

EMBARK ON A CAREER WITH WONDERS BEYOND COMPARE With our three newest stars having now joined the fleet, Windstar is the No. 1 choice for career opportunities.

Now consisting of 6 prestigious yachts, our fleet will travel worldwide taking our passengers to some of the most unique and exotic ports there are to be found.

Benefits package includes: · Competitive wages paid in GBP and USD

Windstar Cruises are currently looking for suitable candidates for the following positions:

· Retirement Savings Plan / Pensions (subject to eligibility)

· One for One Rotation for Staff Officers · Contributory Medical / Dental Insurance

· Annual & Return Bonuses (dependent on rank)

· Captains and other Deck Officers

· Company Sponsored Study Leave Programme

· Engineering Officers of all ranks

· Officer Cadet Training

· Electricians, ETO’s & IT Officers

· Excellent Spouse Policy

· Hotel Officers · Guest & Destination Service Professionals

Viking House, Beechwood Business Park, Menzies Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 2FG T: +44 (0) 300 303 8191

Nautilus recruitment.indd 39

Prospective candidates need to complete our online candidate database via our website or email us at applicants@vikingrecruitment.com quoting reference VRL 06/16

ISO 9001

17/05/2016 08:40

40 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

APPOINTMENTS Leading Marine Recruitment Specialists We are seeking all ranks of seafarers, offshore and shore based personnel and in particular:

Maestro Shipmanagement Limited is part of the Maestro Group, with activity in the Bulk, Reefer, RoRo and Shipmanagement segments.

Due to continued opportunities we are currently recruiting Senior Engineers on board our Ro-Ro Àeet and are inviting applicants to join the on-board management team.

The following positions are available.

Chief Engineer 1st Assistant Engineer Electrician

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

Senior Deck and Engineering Of½cers - All vessels All Of½cers and Crew - ERRV Tug/Multicat Crew - All ranks Various shore based personnel All Crew for temporary assignments 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

The terms and conditions offered are competitive & commensurate with the vessel type, voyage lengths & trade.

Relevant medium speed engine experience is preferred.

Potential candidates to apply to recruitment@maestroshipman.com www.maestroshipping.com

Reach over 110,000 readers.

To advertise contact Paul Wade on +44 (0)20 7880 6212 or email paul.wade@redactive.co.uk to find out how.

Get knotted with a Nautilus Tie Nautilus International has produced a 100% silk TIE to enable members to show off their membership with pride and celebrate seafaring traditions.

Available for just £9.50 or €13.

Also on offer are enamel badges of the Nautilus logo for £1 or €1.50.

Please send in a cheque for items to our Central Services department at head office and let them know how many you need.

Call Central Services on +44 (0)20 8989 6677 or email centralservices@nautilusint.org

Increase your audience when advertising You can advertise your maritime and off shore opportunities in the Nautilus Telegraph, and also on our jobsite nautilusint.org/jobs This increases your visibility to over 17,000 active jobseekers as well as the 110,000 readers of the magazine.

Discuss all print and online opportunities with Paul Wade on +44 20 7880 6212 or paul.wade@redactive.co.uk

Want to keep your job in 2017? Then read on!

It’s time to get your papers out and start checking whether your UK certificate of competency will still be valid when STCW 2010 comes into force…

A

Nautilus is urging members to take note that the countdown has begun to new rules that will require additional training to be undertaken to keep UK certificates of competency valid for service after 31 December 2016.

The new requirements are being introduced as part of the ‘Manila amendments’ to the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW) convention, which were agreed at an international conference in 2010.

g Members are encouraged

to refer to the relevant M-Notices or alternatively contact the professional and technical department: protech@nautilusint.org

Nautilus recruitment.indd 40

7 MONTHS TO GO UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2017 HELM course or acceptable equivalent

DECK UPDATEE TO TO 010 STCW 2010

(e.g. sea service)

ECDIS certificate caat ate te ach achie achi achieved chie hie h after 1 January 2005 to avoid negative endorsement oid idd neg nega

HELM course or acceptable equivalent

ENGINE UPDATEE TO TO 010 STCW 2010

(e.g. sea service)

High Voltagee certifica certificate or qualifying sea certificat ertific ertifica tifi ifi void oid idd negative ne n neg service to avoid endorsement

NEW FICATE ICATE CAT CATE A AT CERTIFICATE alternati lterna t terna — otherwisee alternat alternative designation, ctrical trical rical icall En E such as Electrical Engineer

I addition: seatime In rrequirements for revalidation — 12 months in preceding five years or three months in preceding six months plus valid ENG1.

5

I addition: appropriate In ttanker endorsements — subject to revalidation.

6 To serve as an ETO certification is required...

ETO

4

R Refresher training — rrequired every five years for certificates held.

Dependent upon rank (support/ operation/management) and duty — for example, Fast Rescue Craft certificate.

17/05/2016 08:40

June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 41

APPOINTMENTS

Join the Viking crew

WITHERBY PUBLISHING GROUP IS HIRING Witherby Publishing Group is a specialist publisher of technical, operational, regulatory and passage planning material for the shipping industry. We currently have a vacancy for a Technical Advisor – Nautical, this role will be working to maintain and advance Witherby’s reputation within the maritime industry.

Bringing together the best industry talent, since 1988.

Prospective candidates should possess the following key attributes: Technical Advisor Nautical • Current or recent experience as a navigation officer • proficient in the use and management of ECDIS and electronic charting systems • demonstrate a passion for passage planning (both on paper and digital charts) • experienced in the use of all sources of information required in the planning of a passage • familiarity with the major sea routes of the world would be an advantage.

In the first instance you should send your CV together with a covering letter indicating your strengths, what you would bring to the role you are applying for and why this role would be particularly suitable to you.

We have excellent career opportunities with some of the most prestigious names in the cruise and superyacht market.

Witherby Publishing Group is a ‘great place to work’. We have won Scotland and UK Wide ‘Best Workplace’ awards. We are also a strong believer in wellbeing, offering our staff a ‘well being plan’ covering dental care, physiotherapy, optical and family travel insurance (and more).

Positions include:

Contact Information: Fiona Dalziel: fiona@emailws.com

Closing date: Friday 24th June 2016

• Captain

• Chief Engineers

• Chief Electrician

• Chief Officers

• 2nd Engineers

• ETO’s

• 2nd Officers

• Y1 -Y4 Engineers

• Hotel & Guest Services Professionals

For a full list of career opportunities, visit us at vikingrecruitment.com or give us a call.

Witherby Publishing Group 4 Dunlop Square, Livingston, Edinburgh, EH54 8SB, Scotland, UK +44(0)1506 463 227 - info@emailws.com - www.witherbys.com

www.vikingrecruitment.com +44 (0)300 303 8191 info@vikingrecruitment.com

SHOREBASED

SHOREBASED (CONT)

TANKER

Technical Superintendent - Oil Tankers Glasgow - £55-60K + Bens

Fleet Manager Europe - €DOE

Chief Engineer - DFDE LNG - £85K

Marine Superintendent - Oil Tankers Glasgow - £55K + Bens

Technical Superintendent (Yachts) UK/Europe - €DOE

&KLHI 2IƂFHU LNG - $100K

HSEQ Superintendent - Oil Tankers Glasgow - £50K + Bens

Technical Superintendent - Cruise Germany - €85K

4th Engineer - DFDE - $54K

Marine Superintendent - LNG North East - £65K + Bens

Marine Superintendent - Cruise Germany - €85K

Cargo Engineer - LNG - $80K

Marine Superintendent - LNG London - £65K + Bens

Safety Superintendent - Cruise Germany - €75K

Vessel Manager - LNG London - £70K + Bens

YACHTS

2nd Engineer - Cruise - $50K

Housekeeping Stewardess

Marine Superintendent - Tanker London - £65-70K

100m+ Motor Yacht - $3.5K/mth

2nd Engineer - Cruise - $56K

Technical Superintendent - Tanker Cyprus - €70K + Relocation Bens Technical Superintendent Hull - £50K + Car + Bens Technical Superintendent - Bulk Carriers London - £60K Technical Superintendent - Container Hamburg - €90K Marine Super - Chemical Tankers UAE - Ex-Pat Tax Free Pkg

Seagoing: +44 (0)23 8020 8820

seagoing - uk@faststream.com

2nd Engineer - DFDE LNG - £70K ETO - LNG - €60K

CRUISE Staff Chief Engineer - Cruise - €65K 1st Engineer - Cruise - £43K

Refrigeration Engineer - Cruise - €34K

Service Stewardess

2nd ETO - Cruise - £32K

70m+ Motor Yacht - €3K/mth

Deckhand - 110m+ Motor Yacht - €2.8K/mth Chef de Partie - Cruise - £15K (QYLURQPHQWDO 2IƂFHU Cruise - £37K 2nd Chef - 100m+ Motor Yacht - $4K/mth Deckhand - 50m+ Motor Yacht - €2.6K/mth

6HFXULW\ 2IƂFHU Cruise - $60K

Stewardess - 50m+ - Sailing Yacht - €2.5K/mth

WORKBOAT/ROPAX/CONTAINER

ETO - 100m+ Motor Yacht - $6.5K/mth

Chief Engineer - Dredger - £45K

Purser - 70m+ - Motor Yacht - €6.5K/mth

Master - Dredger - £50K

Chef - 50m+ Motor Yacht - €6.5K/mth

3rd Engineer - Ferry - £34K

Bosun - 60m Motor Yacht - $4.5K/mth

Chief Engineer - Dredger - £50K

Deckhand - 40m Sailing Yacht - €2.5K/mth

&KLHI 2IƂFHU Survey Vessel - £42K

Shorebased: +44 (0)23 8020 8840 shipping - uk@faststream.com

Master - LNG - €105K

Search for ‘Faststream Seafarers’ @faststreamsea www.faststream.com

Nautilus recruitment.indd 41

17/05/2016 08:40

42 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

SHIP TO SHORE

M-Notices M-Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency recently include: MSN 1734 (M+F) Amendment 10 — Approval of marine equipment (EC notified bodies) The Marine Equipment Directive (MED) is implemented in UK law by the Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations 1999 and Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1734 — which is now on its 10th amendment.

MSN 1734 Amendment 10 revokes and replaces Amendment 9. It contains a new annex updating the international standards used as a basis for type approval for marine equipment. It also provides for transitional arrangements for equipment manufactured before 30 April 2016. These transitional provisions apply until 30 April 2018.

Amendment 10 also updates the United Kingdom’s designated notified body contact list.

MSN 1735 (M+F) Amendment 10 — Type-approval of marine equipment (UK nominated bodies) This notice implements recent changes to the listing of equipment in Annex A.2 of the European Council Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment. The changes apply where no detailed internationally agreed testing standard exists.

Equipment listed in the amended Annex A.2 will continue to be type approved by the UK’s nominated bodies until international standards are agreed and the products are transferred to Annex A.1 of the Marine Equipment Directive and into MSN 1734 (M+F).

MSN 1735 Amendment 10 also updates the United Kingdom’s designated nominated body contact list.

MGN 550 (M+F) — Guidance for safe design, installation and operation of lithium-ion batteries This note aims to provide the marine industry with best practice guidance to facilitate the safe and environmentally-friendly use of lithium-ion batteries onboard ship — either as part of a hybrid power system or as the sole source of propulsion power.

The guidance has been developed via formal consultations with the UK marine industry; however, it is understood that this guidance will not cover every eventuality in design, installation or operation, and each case should be considered separately.

There are several areas within a design where the use of risk assessments or hazard identification techniques (such as failure modes effects analysis) should be performed, in order to understand the potential safety issues for personnel, the environment, the vessel and the vessel’s operations.

The contents of the guidance are as follows: z definitions z general overview z hazards of lithium-ion batteries z cell and battery handling z procedures z construction of a battery z battery management system z battery installation in a vessel z battery operations and procedures z disassembly and recycling z further information Readers are reminded that the guidance does not supersede any other guidance or statutory instruction and does not replace the need for sound engineering practice nor seamanlike precautions.

MGN 552 — Cargo: safe stowage of specialised vehicles This note draws attention to common problems in the safe stowage of specialised vehicles. It points out that some vessels are unsuitable for the cargoes they are carrying, some cargo is inadequately secured, and crew and shore side personnel may be inexperienced in the handling particular types of cargo.

MGN 552 also reminds operators of the appropriate UK regulations that address concerns about the possible shifting of cargo.

The key points in the guidance are as follows: z ships should ensure that cargo is stowed and secured in accordance with the approved CSM before the ship leaves a berth z during the voyage, lashings should be inspected at intervals appropriate to the length of voyage and weather conditions expected to ensure that vehicles remain safely secured z lashings should not be released for unloading before the ship is secured at the berth, without the master’s express permission z cargo should be so distributed that the ship has a metacentric height in excess of the required minimum and, whenever practicable, within an acceptable upper limit to minimise the forces acting on the cargo, keeping in mind that large metacentric height could cause the ship to roll violently in adverse sea conditions z a sudden change of course and/ or speed may create adverse forces acting on the ship and the cargo. This is especially relevant for vessels fitted with high lift rudders, where moderate to high rudder angles may result in high forces being generated z the crew should be familiar with the requirements contained within the approved CSM z ships’ officers and managers should carry out checks on lashings during audits and inspections to ensure that bad practices are not taking place, especially where operations are rapid and very repetitive z the condition of lashing systems should be monitored closely z there should be an effective

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: maintenance programme for all the portable and fixed securing devices.

Web lashings are to be marked and limited to a maximum working life MIN 522 (M) — Boatmaster’s Licence regulations: Maritime Studies Qualifications for Boatmaster’s Licence applicants and crew members on domestic passenger vessels This note provides detailed information on using Maritime Studies Qualification (MSQ) units and qualifications as a route to: z qualifying for a Boatmaster’s Licence issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency z meeting the requirements for Competent Crew training on domestic passenger vessels MSQ units are transferable across the UK maritime sector and are acceptable towards a number of seagoing and non-seagoing certificates required by the MCA. A suite of MSQ units relevant to inland and near-coastal vessel operations were introduced recently by the UK Maritime Skills Alliance, and are now available for delivery at UK nautical colleges and training centres.

Completion of the appropriate MSQ will demonstrate a candidate has met the standard for: z BML ancillary safety training z underpinning knowledge oral for Tier 1 Level 1 licences z underpinning knowledge for Tier 1 Level 2 licences z underpinning knowledge for specialist operations endorsements Competent Crew training course completion certificates and candidate unit summaries for MSQs will be issued to candidates by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on successful completion of a taught programme.

Further information about MCA requirements, training portfolios, application procedures and accreditation of prior learning is supplied in MIN 522.

The contents of the note will be incorporated into the next amendment to MSN 1853.

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 2015 (ISBN 978 01155 34034) and costs £210 — www.tsoshop.co.uk z Individual copies can be downloaded from the MCA website.

Go to www.gov.uk/mca and click on Find marine (M) notices. z Email alerts can be sent automatically whenever an M-Notice is published or updated. To set this up, follow the instructions in MIN 515 (M+F) — Guidance for subscriptions to safety bulletins and MCA document notifications on GOV.UK.

g Young Maritime Professionals Forum Saturday 25 June 2016 at 0900hrs for 1200hrs ITF House, 49-60 Borough Road London SE1 1DR 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 & CH).

Contact Danny McGowan: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 ymp@nautilusint.org

Contact Lisa Carr: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 women@nautilusint.org

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 638 882 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 event section for dates of upcoming college visits by the Nautilus recruitment team.

For further information, email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call Lee Moon 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 should contact Danny McGowan at ymp@nautilusint.org.

Quiz and crossword answersACDB Quiz answers 1. Total TEU capacity of the world containership fleet was 19.59m TEU in March this year, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

2. The world cruiseship fleet has a total passenger capacity of around 445,000 berths.

3. The Carnival group’s share of global cruiseship passenger numbers was just over 48% in 2015.

4. Seatrade is based in Antwerp, Belgium.

5. Valencia is the busiest container port in the Mediterranean, with a total throughput of 4.62m TEU last year.

6. The port of Gothenburg in Sweden in the busiest in Scandinavia, with total cargo throughput of 38.2m tonnes in 2015.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 1. Solace; 4. Scores; 9. Anti; 10. Bedlington; 11. Spider; 12. Aigrette; 13. Perpetual; 15. Afar; 16. Atom; 17. Sleepless; 21. Frighten; 22. Carpet; 24. Promontory; 25. Veal; 26. Wonton; 27. Stoned.

Down: 1. Synapse; 2. Laird; 3. Cabaret; 5. Cringe; 6. Regretful; 7. Scooter; 8. Edgar Allan Poe; 14. Ploughman; 16. Aircrew; 18. Encrypt; 19. Steward; 20. Stinko; 23. Raven.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph.

Congratulations to Nautilus member Ian Grainger, who has won the prize draw for the May cryptic crossword.

Cryptic answers from May Across: 7. Throttle; 9. Brolly; 10. Viper; 11. Igniting; 12. Palliative care; 15. Hobble; 16. Corpus; 18. Science fiction; 20. Preamble; 22. Night; 24. Wafers; 25. Gelatine.

Down: 1. Whiplash; 2. Pomp; 3. Gemini; 4. Oban; 5. Postman Pat; 6. Flange; 8. Tarpaulin; 13. Lubricated; 14. Emotional; 17. Spotting; 18. Spread; 19. Emerge; 21. Bush; 23. Gate.

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 King George’s Fund for Sailors) +44 (0)20 7932 0000 www.seafarers.uk 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.

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g Professional & Technical Forum Tuesday 27 September 2016 at 1300hrs for 1330hrs in Hull.

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 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 25 June 2016 at 0900hrs for 1200hrs ITF House, 49-60 Borough Road London SE1 1DR 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.

Seafarers’ Hospital Society +44 (0)20 8858 3696 www.seahospital.org.uk UK charity dedicated to the health and welfare of seafarers.

Includes the Dreadnought health service.

Seafarers’ Link +44 (0)1752 812674 www.communitynetworkprojects.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 Slater Fund.

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June 2016 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 43

JOIN NAUTILUS

The face of Nautilus Steven Kennedy, senior media officer

g

Many people within the maritime industry have sailed along the River Thames — but fewer, most likely, can say they have walked underneath it.

Steven Kennedy is, however, one of those people. Although new to the shipping industry, he has worked in journalism and PR across a variety of sectors including local government, finance and major construction — the latter of which he says was an eyeopening unique experience.

‘During my time with Crossrail I organised a visit for Great British Railway Journeys to film a part of one of their programmes on the Thames tunnel stretch,’ Steven recalls. ‘After a few weeks of planning, Michael Portillo

and his team came down and spent the day filming with us under the Thames. We branded it as a “first” train trip on the locos in the new Crossrail tunnel, conveniently forgetting all the workers who did the same journey everyday.

‘I spent a lot of time with Crossrail underground. When I joined I had to do confined spaces training, which was a new one for me when it came to inductions. I got to see some amazing things below London, including being on a number of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for station breakthroughs and working with a documentary crew to help the filming of the BBC2 three-part show, The 15 Billion Pound Railway,’ he adds.

Growing up in Kent, Steven moved to the English west midlands to study journalism in 2004. Following that he worked on the local press in Stoke-on-Trent before making the switch to PR, first with his former university then with Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

After a number of years with the council, family matters ushered a move back south, and contract work with Westminster City Council and Crossrail preceded just over a year in the press office of National Savings & Investments (NS&I).

‘I moved back to Kent with my now-wife in 2012 and went from contract to contract for a while before finally getting the role with NS&I. I can’t tell you the number of

complaints I got from friends and family that their Premium Bonds hadn’t won anything!’

Steven made the switch to Nautilus last November and since then has been on a steep learning curve, immersing himself in the world of shipping. ‘It’s a new industry for me, so I have to keep my head above water and learn. I’ve tried to throw myself in and get a taste of as many aspects of the job as I can as quickly as possible.

‘I hope I can bring my experiences from elsewhere to Nautilus and build upon the work being already done. The office is full of good people and I’ve settled in well. I just need to get my head around some of the terminology now!’

Wherev er you are , so are we

Join now

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 £118,500, against the loss

43_infosprd.indd 43

of income if their certificate of competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a formal inquiry.

training. The Union is affiliated to the TUC in the UK, FNV in the Netherlands and SGB/USS in Switzerland.

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.

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.

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

Join us today…

Call +44 (0)151 639 8454 Visit www.nautilusint.org Email membership@nautilusint.org g For the full range of member benefits visit www.nautilusint.org

OR g Speak with our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454

Your union, your voice The Union represents the voice of more than 22,000 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.

18/05/2016 15:05

44 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2016

NEWS

Harmonic visit the UK port of Southampton last A month is the 223,282gt Harmony of Pictured making its first call to

the Seas — which has claimed the title of the world’s largest passengership.

Built at the STX France yard in St Nazaire at a cost of more than US$1bn, the Bahamas-flagged vessel can carry up to 6,780 passengers and 2,100 crew. Harmony of the Seas will operate a series of Mediterranean cruises during the summer before switching to the Caribbean in November. Picture: Reuters

Report calls for port ‘gifts’ ban Research warns of health and safety risks linked to intimidation of crews

P

Seafarers face routine pressure to give ‘facilitation gifts’ to port officials throughout the world — with threats of blacklisting, delays or even imprisonment if they fail to pay up, new research has warned.

The resulting stress and pressure is posing a significant threat to the health and welfare of seafarers and to the safety of their ships, a report published by the Seafarers’ International Research Centre at Cardiff University concludes.

It calls for a global code of conduct to govern port-based officials, a worldwide ban on facilitation gifts and systems to enable fraud, bribery and extortion to be reported and investigated.

Researchers spent four years examining the relationships

between seafarers and shorebased personnel, including shipping company staff, agents, port state control officers, pilots, dock workers and bunker suppliers.

Good relationships between shipboard and shoreside staff are ‘vital to the smooth and safe operation of contemporary cargo vessels,’ the report notes. However, it warns, ‘they are far from straightforward given that they take place “remotely” or in environments where communications may be challenging as a consequence of language, time pressure, noise levels, stress and bureaucracy’.

The research findings are based on interviews and questionnaires completed by almost 3,000 seafarers, together with observations made by researchers during voyages on a wide range of different

vessels. They found that more than 90% of seafarers had been on ships that had paid facilitation gifts — and ‘disturbingly’ the majority believe the practice is on the increase.

Wide variations in different parts of the world were highlighted — with only 13% of seafarers saying that they had experienced gift-giving in EU countries, compared with 59% in the Suez Canal, 54% in China and 49% in west Africa.

‘Gifts’ were not limited to cigarettes and drink, but frequently extended to vessel provisions such as meat and dried goods, and bonded items such as razors and soap. In some cases, this had left seafarers short of supplies after their ships left port.

More than two-thirds of sea-

Carrier’s call to the Dutch port of Amsterdam A last month is Höegh Tracer, one of Pictured making a maiden call

the world’s largest pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs). The 76,420gt vessel has a deck area of 71,400 sq m and a carrying capacity of 8,500 car equivalent units, and operates under the Norwegian international ship register. Höegh Tracer will call at the port of Amsterdam several times a year as part of Höegh’s East Asia to Europe service, normally carrying Japanese-built cars and heavy machinery.

Merchant Navy Operations (Deck) Certificates of Competency Officer of the Watch (Unlimited) Jan, May & Sept intakes Chief Mate/Masters (Unlimited) May & Sep intakes Master Mariner (Unlimited) Orals Prep Mar & Oct intakes Master Mariner (200Gt) Orals Prep (2 weeks) STCW Safety, Navigation & Management STCW Basic Safety Training Personal Survival Techniques (FULL) Personal Survival Techniques (UPDATE) Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities Elementary First Aid Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting ECDIS Efficient Deck Hand HELM Operational & Management

44_news.indd 44

Man Over Board / Rib Capsize Drills NAEST (O) & (M) Security Awareness Designated Securities Duties Shipboard Safety Officer Shipboard Security Officer

farers said they had been on ships where demands for cash had been made by port officials — and the report explains how such pressures create high levels of stress and anxiety among many masters and officers, posing the threat of ill-health and a reluctance to be promoted.

Researchers said they had been struck by the serious scale of bunker fraud, with almost 90% of engineers reporting experience of being delivered with less fuel than claimed by the suppliers.

They also warned of evidence to show that seafarers are frequently put under pressure by port personnel to act unprofessionally or unsafely — such as speeding up operations in port or dropping off pilots early. g Full report — see page 25.

Charity goes to the aid of abandoned crew in UK port to the aid of the crew of a F containership, detained in a UK

A maritime charity has gone

port last month, who have been abandoned with several months of wages unpaid.

The Cook Islands-flagged Southern Star was taken into the port of Chatham after developing engine trouble, and was subsequently detained by the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency and arrested by the UK Admiralty Court.

MCA surveyors found that the trading certificates for the vessel had expired over a month before the inspection, the master’s certificate of competency had also expired, the continuous synopsis record was not up to date, and that the six deficiencies provided ‘objective evidence of serious failure or lack of implementation of the ISM code’.

Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) ship visitor Bob Bushnell found that the Russian crew had not been paid for three months, and he had to buy essential provisions such as bread and milk for them as the ship’s supplies were running low.

Some of the 13 crew have been repatriated, but eight remained onboard last month while the AoS

and other agencies tried to secure the payment of their owed wages.

The 4,450gt Southern Star is listed as being owned by a company based in Cyprus.

AoS Kent port chaplain Deacon Paul Glock said: ‘Despite their difficulties and anxieties the crew are very modest. They’ve said that there are many other seafarers who are more deserving of help — which I find truly humbling given their circumstances.’

Southern Star was one of three new foreign flag ship detentions in UK ports in April. In another case, the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Piri Reis was held at Tilbury Dock after an inspection revealed 12 deficiencies —including missing wages, the seafarers’ employment agreement not as required, lifeboats not properly maintained, and defective emergency fire pump and pipes.

Following an inspection in the port of Falmouth, the Liberian-registered bulk carrier Lita was detained with a total of 27 deficiencies — including defective life-saving and fire-fighting equipment, an invalid Maritime Labour Certificate, missing certificates for the master and officers and lack of familiarity with fire drills.

Doctors warn on rate of obesity and blood pressure problems accounted for more than oneF third of all cases in which seafarers

High blood pressure and obesity

failed their UK medical examinations or were declared temporarily unfit last year.

The two conditions were also among the most common causes of restricted certificates, along with diabetics on oral medication, the annual report on UK seafarer medical examinations reveals.

Commenting on the results, Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief medical advisor Dr Sally Bell said seafarers appear to be following worldwide trends — with a recent study showing that the number of obese people has risen from 105m in 1975 to 641m in 2014.

Analysis of the examination results shows that the most common cause of a restricted certificate being issued was defective colour vision — and was said to have been a significant problem for both deck and engine candidates. Colour vision accounted for 15 seafarers failing their medicals and 19 being declared temporarily unfit, with a further 55 being given

restricted (time-limited) certificates.

‘Seafarers do need to take responsibility for having vision testing prior to training,’ Dr Bell added. ‘We continue to emphasise to approved doctors the importance of careful testing of colour vision, which can have such as significant effect on a seafarer’s career. Guidance on decisions relating to colour vision and appropriate restrictions is to be revised in order to make these decisions clearer.’

A total of 52,946 examinations were carried out by MCA approved doctors last year, of which 45,067 resulted in Category 1 unrestricted certificates, 7,112 in Category 2 restricted or time limited certificates, 98 failures and 669 seafarers being declared temporarily unfit.

Osteo-arthritis and joint problems were another common cause of seafarers being failed or deemed temporarily unfit, but Dr Bell said analysis of the examination data suggests that there was no significant change last year in the longer-term pattern of illnesses and conditions being suffered by seafarers.

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18/05/2016 16:28