Nautilus Telegraph June 2014

Firm foundations Maritime Educational Foundation helps to boost UK training 24

Certificate alarm Report raises fresh concerns over the issue of UK CECs 44

NL nieuws Twee pagina’s met nieuws uit Nederland 34-35

Volume 47 | Number 06 | June 2014 | £3.50 €3.70

New drive for fair treatment Protests lodged after ‘rush to judgement’ sees capsized ferry crew accused of ‘murderous acts’

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Nautilus International has launched a new drive to get countries to enforce the global guidelines for the fair treatment of seafarers involved in maritime accidents following the shocking treatment of the master and crew of a South Korean ferry which capsized last month.

Only 172 of the 476 passengers and crew onboard the 6,825gt Sewol managed to escape when the ro-pax sank after listing to one side and rolling over. Many of the dead were among the 325 children onboard the ship who were travelling on a school trip.

Nautilus has written to the International Maritime Organisation and the South Korean embassy in London to raise concerns about the ‘worrying’ way in which the ship’s master and crew were criminalised within days of the disaster.

South Korea’s president, Park Geun-hye, was reported as describing the actions of the ferry’s master and some crew as ‘tantamount to murder’. Quotes attributed to the president include the statement that ‘…the conduct of the captain and some crew members is unfathomable from the viewpoint of common sense. It was like an act of murder that cannot and should not be tolerated…’.

She went on to say that the master and crew had committed ‘unforgivable, murderous acts’ by delaying the ship’s evacuation.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said it was of immense importance that such comments were not allowed to pass unchallenged.

‘Not only is there the basic principle of the right to due process, but also the concern that criminalisation can be counterproductive to accident investigation procedures, by fuelling a concern that seafarers may be

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UK launches strategy for ship security launch last month of the UK’s first F ever National Strategy for Maritime Nautilus took part in the official

Security.

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson joined government ministers and shipowners for the formal publication of the cross-departmental document which aims to provide a ‘joined-up’ approach to seafarer safety and the security of merchant ships.

Shipping minister Stephen Hammond and armed forces minister Mark Francois attended the launch event, held at the UK Chamber of Shipping headquarters in London and they promised that the strategy would help safeguard international trade routes and tackle the root causes of maritime piracy.

Protecting the maritime sector is vital, they stressed, as it accounts for over 2% of the entire economy and supports one in every 50 jobs, with more than 90% of the nation’s trade carried by ship.

Chamber of Shipping CEO Guy Platten welcomed the strategy: ‘Increasing awareness and finding solutions for the complex problems of maritime security are crucial. The NSMS will allow industry to share its specialist knowledge across government to develop better joint responses to threats and we look forward to continuing this work together.’

Inside F Reporting lines Rescue boats are pictured seeking to take survivors to safety before the capsized ro-pax Sewol sank off South Korea Picture: Press Association

incriminated all too readily,’ he told the IMO leader.

Mr Dickinson said the case highlighted the importance of the casualty investigation process and the need for all flag states to complete and publish their investigations in an open, transparent and timely manner.

‘Many accident investigations provide us all with copious evidence that incidents are rarely the result of deliberate or malicious actions, but rather the outcome of complex chains of multiple factors in which many parties share responsibility,’ he stressed. ‘The repeated rush to judgement in cases such as Sewol should be of immense concern to the IMO and its desire to see shipping regulated and controlled in a rational and progressive manner.’

In his letter to the IMO leader Koji Sekimizu, Mr Dickinson asks for the UN agency to make a

renewed drive for much greater global adherence to the fair treatment guidelines and to remind flag states of the need to ensure that seafarers are given the fundamental protections in law that the measures were designed to secure.

The legal body Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI) has also condemned the ‘rush to judgement and early condemnation of the master and crew’ following the loss of the Sewol.

‘What we seek is a fair and just process in accordance with the guidelines in every case,’ said SRI’s executive director Deirdre Fitzpatrick. ‘It is not just high profile incidents that affect seafarers. Seafarers face many risks crossing maritime boundaries on a daily basis, and knowing that they will be accorded fair and proper treatment will make the profession more attractive for new recruits.’

SRI last month presented the IMO with the results of a survey into the extent to which countries have embraced the principles of the fair treatment guidelines. The research — commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the International Federation of Ship Masters’ Associations — was based on feedback from 33 countries, representing almost one-quarter of the IMO membership.

Seventeen (44%) of the member states said they had passed all or some of the principles into their national legislation, 13 (33%) said their existing laws adequately protect the rights of seafarers, 12 asked for information from the IMO on model legislation for passing the guidelines into domestic law, and four (10%) asked for information about the meaning of the guidelines.

Ms Fitzpatrick welcomed the

decision by the IMO legal committee to support further work to promote the application of the guidelines and to call for more countries to take part in the survey so that responses can be analysed before next year’s meeting. z The tragic case of the Sewol demonstrates the urgent need for further action to improve ferry safety, International Maritime Organisation secretarygeneral Koji Sekimizu said last month. ‘I have the opinion that the time has now come for the IMO to step forward to take action to improve the safety of passengerships carrying hundreds of the general public, regardless of the nature of their voyage, whether domestic or international,’ he told delegates at the legal committee, who had observed a minute’s silence in tribute to the victims. g MCA warned on policy shift — see page 2.

Union calls for flag states to deliver on accident investigations — pages 22-23 F Time for action

Nautilus delivers a Westminister warning on the risks of seafarer fatigue — page 19 F Cold comfort

A frosty reception for IMO plans for the safety of ships in Polar regions — page 25

14/05/2014 18:46

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

NAUTILUS AT WORK

‘Positive’ moves on fair transport Nautilus makes progress in campaign over conditions on fair trade ships

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Matthew’s tour to France for charity Parker is pictured celebrating F the completion of a solo Nautilus member Matthew

unsupported cycle ride from London to Paris in aid of the medical charity Mercy Ships.

Matthew, who serves as a chief officer with Red Funnel Ferries, took four days to travel the 227-mile route from Tower Bridge in London to the Eiffel Tower, taking in sections of the classic Avenue Verte cycle way.

Having twice volunteered as a navigator for Mercy Ships — which provides free healthcare in developing nations onboard its 100-bed hospital vessel Africa Mercy — Matthew said he was keen to raise money for the charity whilst enjoying his favourite sport.

‘The idea came from a Mercy Ships email inviting people to take part in a sporting event to raise money for them,’ he told the Telegraph.

‘I decided to cut out the middle man and manage the ride myself rather than go as part of an organised group, so that more money would go to the charity.’

Although Matthew cycles regularly, this was his first longdistance ride and he had trained since January for it. ‘I had to take a break from training for a month as I had to undergo knee surgery at the end of February, but was fully recovered in time for the event,’ he added.

Despite the gruelling uphill legs of the South Downs and the Vexin Natural Park, I was spurred on by the thought of all the people who had sponsored me. My first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower was awe-inspiring, as well as being a tremendous relief!

‘I was quite sore for a day afterwards, so had to keep stretching,’ Matthew said. ‘But I would definitely do something similar in the future. I thought it was a great way to raise money for a very worthy cause. f To date, Matthew has raised more than £1,275 by support from friends, colleagues and parishioners at St Mary Magdalene Church, Milton. Anyone wishing to boost the total can donate through: www.justgiving.com/eurocycle2014

Nautilus has had ‘positive and constructive’ talks with the Londonbased firm Tate & Lyle Sugars over the Union’s Fair Transport campaign to encourage Fairtrade companies to use quality shipping.

General secretary Mark Dickinson met senior management at Tate & Lyle Sugars’ refinery on the river Thames last month after raising concerns with the company over the conditions for seafarers onboard a bulk carrier which had been detained after delivering a cargo to its Silvertown berth.

‘Fairtrade is an excellent initiative, and we want to see its principles being applied throughout the supply chain for products,’ Mr Dickinson pointed out. ‘We don’t believe it is right that consumers are buying goods with the Fairtrade logo which have been carried on unsafe ships where seafarers have suffered from squalid conditions and owed wages.’

Tate & Lyle Sugars charters as many as 45 ships a year to carry sugar from the Caribbean, Africa, the Far East and Fiji to its refinery in London.

Company managers told the Union that they take the welfare of seafarers very seriously and use a strict set of criteria to select ships for their cargoes. Tate & Lyle Sugars will not use vessels that are more than 20 years old and will only charter 100A1 class tonnage — criteria which exclude between 30% to 40% of ships.

In addition, the company says

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson visits Tate & Lyle last month

it also interrogates Equasis and other databases to check the port state control history of ships, as well as researching sanctions lists and requiring evidence to prove that vessels meet defined health and safety standards and have ITF agreements in accordance with standard charter party clauses.

‘Given the work that Tate & Lyle Sugars does to try to use decent tonnage, this shows that current best practice still leaves potential for problems. Managers asked what more they could do to ensure that the vessels they charter are indeed compliant with the standards that they claim,’ Mr Dickinson said.

‘We have pointed to the vet-

Union warning on MCA policy plans minister Stephen Hammond A to reassess proposals for a change in

Nautilus has urged UK shipping

Chevron contract for Irish nautical college of Ireland (NMCI) has secured a A major new contract to train more than The National Maritime College

450 junior officers for the Chevron Shipping Company.

The deal between the Chevron and GAC Training and Service Solutions (GTSS) — a joint venture between the college and GAC, a global shipping, logistics and marine services provider — is the single largest maritime training contract in the history of the Irish state.

It will result in NMCI delivering a range of training courses to about 450 Chevron Shipping officers from around the world at its state-of-the-art facilities at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, over the next four years.

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NMCI head Conor Mowlds said the college was delighted to have secured the long-term training contract with Chevron. ‘This agreement is testament to the high regard in which the NMCI and GTSS services are held by one of the world’s foremost shipping companies and oil majors,’ he added.

‘It also helps broaden our engagement with Chevron, which, up to now, has been focused on the provision of cadets. Our attention is now firmly focused on delivering a tailor-made training course that meets Chevron’s bespoke needs and a first-class training experience for every one of the 450 officers that will be coming to Cork during the next four years.’

ting systems used in the tanker sector as an example of the additional processes that can be used to make a practical assessment of standards and to go above and beyond current requirements,’ he added.

‘Tate & Lyle’s willingness to engage with us and the company’s clear desire to find ways to guarantee that it is using decent shipping is very welcome and we hope that these positive and constructive discussions will help management to meet their aims,’ Mr Dickinson said.

Gerald Mason, Tate & Lyle’s vice president of corporate affairs, commented: ‘We are always keen to look at what more

we can do to build on the best practice we already feel we apply in chartering.

‘Our meeting with Nautilus was an excellent opportunity to learn more. The Nautilus Fair Transport report makes an important and compelling argument for the extension of the principles underpinning Fairtrade to the supply chain — and especially to seafarers.

‘Whatever the outcome of the Nautilus campaign, the meeting gave us some solid and practical ideas on how we could do more.’ z Nautilus is to be part of a delegation of European maritime unions and owners that will meet Fairtrade International leaders this month for talks on the inclusion of shipping in the Fairtrade accreditation process.

Members of the European Transport Workers’ Federation and the European Community Shipowners’ Association will take part in the talks on ways to ensure that products bearing the Fairtrade logo are shipped on vessels that comply with internationallyagreed standards on decent working and living conditions.

‘It is encouraging to have a united approach from the industry social partners and we believe the time is ripe for such discussions, with the Maritime Labour Convention now in place and transport in the Fairtrade supply chain included within the context of the European Commission’s renewed strategy for corporate social responsibility,’ Mr Dickinson added.

took part in a 10,000-strong F May Day rally in London last month

Nautilus International officials

which paid tribute to the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union’s late general secretary Bob Crow, who died in March.

The International Workers’ Day rally was London’s largest for many years and wound up in Trafalgar Square, above,where speakers included Mr Crow’s daughter Natasha Hoarau. She told the audience: ‘It hasn’t been an

easy time for our family but we’ve been comforted by the passion we see here. He was inspirational, courageous and pushed us all to find ourselves and to stand on our own two feet.’

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady described Mr Crow and former Labour minister Tony Benn, who died in the same week, as ‘heroes of the labour movement’ and said unions need to be campaigning against gross inequality in Britain.

Picture: Lee Moon

strategy at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in the light of the controversy over the causes of the Sewol ferry disaster.

Investigations into the loss have focussed on the survey and certification arrangements surrounding the modifications to the vessel in 2012 which increased its passenger and cargo carrying capacity.

The controversy has already resulted in the resignation of the chairman of the Korean Register of Shipping, which classed the vessel.

Particular attention is being paid to the stability of the ship, its loading condition, declared weights and ballasting. Some former crew members complained that the vessel was notoriously hard to handle and one master said the company had ignored warnings about overloading in the weeks before the accident.

In a letter to the UK minister, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the Sewol tragedy had raised profound questions over the way in which shipping safety is regulated and managed.

Mr Dickinson said an internal MCA paper — entitled Delivery Plan to Transform MCA Survey & Inspection — had outlined proposals for a programme of change that would make the UK Ship Register ‘commercially more attractive to the owners of internationally trading vessels’. The document suggested a ‘more politically liberal approach’ could be adopted to prevent the UK-flagged fleet from losing tonnage.

The Sewol disaster ‘should serve as a powerful reminder to the UK of the pressing need to maintain the highest possible regulatory oversight and to ensure that a drift towards being more commercially focussed does not come at the price of relaxing vigilance over operational standards,’ Mr Dickinson warned the minister.

14/05/2014 18:46

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Union joins top-level roundtable

shipping industry figures to meet UK A government ministers, above, for the sixth

Nautilus and the RMT union joined senior

ministerial roundtable event, pictured above, held under the ‘strategic partnership’ programme to develop maritime policy.

General secretary Mark Dickinson was among industry representatives including the heads of Maritime UK, the UK Chamber of Shipping, the Baltic Exchange and the Merchant Navy Training Board who met shipping minister Stephen Hammond and business minister Michael Fallon,

along with Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief executive Sir Alan Massey, to discuss skills and employment issues.

Significant progress was made in a number of key areas, including the industry campaign to include ratings within the tonnage tax core training commitment.

Mr Dickinson said the meeting ‘had proved to be a very useful and constuctive exchange of views on the DfT shipping strategic partnership’.

He welcomed the ‘positive’ responses by ministers on issues including ratings’ training,

support for seafarer apprenticeships, and the recognition of the need to do more for officer training to meet the shortages and demands of the UK shipping industry and wider maritime cluster.

Mr Dickinson also highlighted ‘the need for enforcement of UK law where and when this applies to shipping — particularly with regard to the National Minimum Wage, work permits and the Equality Act so as to support to the maximum extent possible the employment of British seafarers’.

Minister moves on training aid Union welcomes SMarT scheme expansion to help newly-qualified officers

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Nautilus has welcomed the UK government’s announcement of changes to the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme which aim to help officer trainees gain their first jobs after their cadetships.

Announcing the move, shipping minister Stephen Hammond said he recognised the need to do more to address the forecast gap between supply and demand for British officers — which is estimated to rise to around 3,500 by 2021 on current trends.

‘Without the next generation of seafarers, it is unlikely that the UK will be able to retain its worldwide reputation for having the most skilled, highly trained and committed workforce,’ he admitted.

‘I want young people to know that a maritime career is an excellent decision. They need to know it’s an industry which is interesting, challenging and there are good opportunities to progress,’ the minister said. ‘If you work hard, you’ll go far — and in shipping that could be very far indeed.

That’s a message I want to be heard far and wide.’

Mr Hammond said the need to recruit and train more UK seafarers is one of three priorities for UK shipping agreed with owners and unions last year. Further talks have looked at ways of improving the training support mechanisms and infrastructure, he added.

‘We agreed that we would make SMarT funding available for junior officers completing training towards their second certificate of competency,’ the minister said. ‘I believe that funding this training

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shortreports ‘COMBAT BULLYING’: Nautilus International has urged the shipping industry to do more to combat the problem of bullying and harassment. Speaking at the HR Forum run by Spinnaker last month, general secretary Mark Dickinson highlighted the new guidelines and training materials produced by a European Union project earlier this year. ‘We need everyone to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves,’ he told the conference. ‘We need to mainstream a culture of risk prevention onboard all vessels and incorporate the guidelines into training.’

ZERO HOURS: new figures from the Office of National Statistics show a rise in the use of ‘zero-hours’ contracts in the UK, prompting concerns among trade unions. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady pointed out that ‘insecure work with no guarantee of regular paid hours is no longer confined to the fringes of the job market’. Zero-hours contracts are now the norm in tourism, catering and food, she noted, and are holding back many young people from developing their careers and paying off debts like student loans.

CREDITABLE OUTLOOK: the credit ratings service Moody’s has revised its outlook for the global shipping industry from ‘negative’ to ‘stable’. The negative outlook had been in place since June 2011, so this is a significant change which reflects improved earnings at large companies such as AP Moller-Maersk, Stena and CMA CGM. Moody’s expects the global shipping industry’s aggregate earnings to show growth of -5% to 10% this year — within the range for a stable outlook.

PURE BALLAST: Dutch dredging group Van Oord has introduced a ballast water management system that uses pre-treated water supplied from shore. The system is said to be particularly suitable for smaller ships that do not ballast and de-ballast frequently and is used in combination with a secondary treatment system that uses commercially available chlorine, which may be required in some cases to ensure the ballast water achieves IMO standards.

GATEWAY SERVICE: DP World London Gateway has signed a deal with the Dutch operator X-Press Feeders for a weekly service linking London Gateway directly with Dublin and Rotterdam. Tabare Dominguez, port commercial manager, said: ‘It’s an important step forward to continue increasing the geographical coverage of London Gateway, in this particular case to connect DP World London Gateway directly with the Irish market.’

with Captain Vincent D’Mello and third officer A Sergi Segura Trull at the launch of Teekay Glasgow’s new

Teekay Gas president David Glendinning is pictured

simulator training centre last month.

The £300,000 state-of-the-art centre aims to train hundreds of seafarers from around the world every year for courses including ship handling, navigation, bridge teamwork, ship-to-ship interactions, cargo operations, will be more attractive to those seeking to improve their qualifications and make them even more valuable to the marine industries.’

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said he was glad to hear the announcement. ‘The minister knows how valuable shipping is to the nation and the economic recovery,’ he pointed out. ‘However, more needs to be done to ensure that the UK’s maritime skills base is replenished beyond 2020, when it is estimated that a third of all British officers will be due to retire.

‘We need action on training

heavy traffic situations, and harsh weather conditions.

David Glendinning, president of Teekay Gas Services, described the centre as a long-term investment in a world-class facility and added: ‘We are just now entering the golden age of gas — the global energy of the future.

At Teekay we are excited about our future growth opportunities, and ensuring we have an ongoing supply of highly trained seafarers is critical to that success.’

costs towards the 100% covered by many of the competing flag states, and we need action to support officers to secure their masters, chief mates, chief engineers and second engineers certificates of competency,’ he stressed.

‘We also need employers to offer quality training for cadets of today, and study leave and employment guarantees to allow those qualifying as EOOW/OOW so that they can quickly gain the necessary experience and seatime,’ Mr Dickinson pointed out.

‘The industry also needs to look at the costs of revalidating for STCW

2010. Only then will we have any chance of staving off the loss of skills that is now only 6-10 years down the line.’

Opposition shipping spokesman Gordon Marsden has also called for more action. On a visit to Fleetwood Nautical Campus last month, he highlighted the need for ‘renewed and urgent government support for training — pointing out that ‘demand and capacity is expanding rapidly in shipping and maritime work worldwide, with a huge increase in world trade, oil production and containerisation’.

QUALITY INCREASE: the quality of ships operating in the Asia-Pacific region appears to be improving, according to new figures from the regional port state control authority. The Tokyo MOU said it inspected more ships than ever before last year, but the number of deficiencies found declined from 19,250 in 2012 to 18,790 last year. The detention rate dropped from almost 4.6% to 4.5%.

PIRACY CASE: Danish officers’ union SL is suing shipowner Shipcraft, claiming unpaid wages of over £100,000 on behalf of members who were held hostage in Somalia after the vessel Leopard was hijacked.

The union says they were on double pay while sailing through waters off the Horn of Africa but not while held hostage — a period lasting 883 days.

PILOT ALARM: the International Marine Pilots Association (IMPA) has urged the International Maritime Organisation to maintain the rule prohibiting pilot ladder climbs of more than 9m. In a paper submitted to the IMO’s search and rescue committee, IMPA warns that more than 13.5% of ships fail to comply with SOLAS boarding arrangements.

SEAMAN SUES: a Polish seafarer is suing Royal Caribbean Cruises and several other companies for US$271m damages, claiming that he suffered from exposure to toxic chemicals while working on the ship’s condenser and exhaust systems.

14/05/2014 19:11

04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports ABSOLUTE PARTNERSHIP: following consultations with members serving with Absolute Shipping, Nautilus has agreed to the company’s request for a pay freeze this year. Industrial organiser Lisa Carr said the Union has made it clear that this has been accepted as a one-off and that issues including workloads, dock labour duties, standby pay and cook rates are addressed. The Union is now in discussions with management on the establishment of a partnership at work committee.

MDHC REJECTION: VTS members serving with Mersey Docks & Harbour Company have rejected management’s offer of a 2% pay rise plus a further 1% depending on budget targets being reached. The Union has told management that members want a ‘no strings’ 3% increase and further talks have been requested.

RMS RISE: management have confirmed that Nautilus International members serving on RMS St Helena have been awarded a 2.5% pay rise with effect from 1 April under the terms of a three-year deal.

CORYSTES DATE: Nautilus is set to meet Serco Marine management onboard RV Corystes on 18 June to discuss this year’s pay and conditions claim, which seeks an RPI-plus increase and equal time on/time off.

HULL REJECTION: members serving as marine pilots with ABP Hull have rejected a 2.25% pay offer by an overwhelming majority. Further talks are taking place between liaison officers and management.

FAIRMONT DEAL: following feedback from members serving with Fairmont Shipping Vancouver on MOL vessels, Nautilus International has agreed a 3% pay offer, effective from April 2014.

WESTMINSTER TALKS: Nautlus officials and liaison officers were set to meet Boskalis Westminster management late last month to begin talks on this year’s pay and conditions claim.

HAVARD ELECTED: Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard has been re-elected with an increased majority to serve a further year on the executive of the SE Region TUC. NORTHERN MEETING: Nautilus is set to meet Northern Lighthouse Board management on 19 June to discuss this year’s pay and conditions claim.

PNTL PRESSED: Nautilus is continuing to seek a date for a meeting with PNTL management to discuss this year’s pay and conditions claim.

MEDWAY CALL: Nautilus is pressing Medway VTS management for a date to discuss this year’s pay and conditions claim.

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Nautilus is due to meet the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Commodore on 2 June to begin talks on this year’s pay and conditions claim.

The Union will also be taking part in a quarterly meeting on the following day, and last month was involved in further discussions on future development, including tailored schemes of complement and reward and recognition.

National secretary Jonathan Havard said the Union is pressing management for assurances on the issue of pay on promotion. ‘We have had protracted negotiations on this and the feedback from members is that this needs to be clarified. If members are prepared to fight, we are prepared to back them.’

Nautilus industrial organiser Paul Schroder visits Carnival UK ships in Lisbon last month, left, and meets fleet trainers in Southampton, above.

They recently became a new bargaining unit within the company.

Carnival members consider revised offer ship visits to meet members on Cunard and A P&O Cruises’ vessels.

Nautilus International has begun a series of

The programme got under way last month as deck and technical members were being consulted on a revised pay and conditions offer, following the earlier rejection of a proposed 2.5% increase and a new system of travel allowances.

During a subsequent meeting with industrial

organiser Paul Schroder and Partnership at Work representatives, Fleet Marine management tabled a revised offer taking away the travel element from the offer.

‘The travel allowances were the big stumbling block and the company has agreed to take it away and table it again next year, once the finer details can be resolved and communicated,’ Mr Schroder explained.

A similar increase has been proposed for hotel officers and they are also being consulted by the Union. Results of the consultations are expected early this month.

Partnership at Work meetings have been arranged for 19 May, 19 June, 21 August and 22 October and a programme of visits to all the ships in the fleet in various European ports has been arranged over the same timescale.

EU doubles limit on ‘lifeline’ contracts Union urges Scottish government to use extended terms for CalMac tender

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Nautilus has welcomed new European Commission guidelines which will double the limit on the length of public service contracts for ‘lifeline’ ferry services from six to 12 years.

The Union is urging the Scottish government to use the extended timescales when it puts the Clyde and Western Isles services presently run by Caledonian MacBrayne out to tender at the end of the current three-year interim contract.

Announcing the new guidelines last month, the Commission said that the existing six-year limit on public service shipping contracts had prevented some shipowners from bidding for public service contracts on the grounds that this timescale did not allow them enough time to recoup their investments.

It also argued that the short duration of contracts could deter shipowners from making more substantial investments and hamper innovation and improvements in the quality of service.

The new guidelines allow the limit on the duration of public service shipping contracts to be increased to up to 12 years, Brussels said, but only if the parties could demonstrate that

the longer period was necessary to recoup investment in vessels or infrastructure under normal operating conditions.

The changes were introduced following a review of the regulations covering maritime cabotage services throughout the European Union, which were introduced in January 1993.

Brussels said the new guidance would give governments more legal certainty when awarding public service contracts and imposing public service obligations.

Shipowners will also benefit from more legal clarity, allowing them to better organise their business in Europe, it added.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said he welcomed the Commission’s decision to introduce flexibility for the contract periods. ‘This is something we have campaigned for over many years, and as well as aiming to safeguard investment in services we hope it should also protect jobs and conditions and reduce the damaging uncertainty caused by the frequency of tendering.

‘We hope that the Scottish government will take full advantage of this change,’ he added.

Announcing the decision, transport commissioner Siim Kallas commented: ‘The

internal market for maritime transport services is important to the performance of the European economy and for the quality of life and prosperity of maritime regions. Member states’ authorities need clear rules on how to ensure adequate links to islands and peripheral regions that are particularly dependent on maritime transport.

‘We have listened very carefully to where clarification was needed,’ he added. ‘These updated interpretative guidelines provide this clarity and will enhance legal certainty for all maritime cabotage actors in the EU.” The guidelines also cover issues such as manning rules for ships providing maritime cabotage services, the scope of freedom to provide such services, and awards procedures for such services.

The Commmission noted that almost all cabotage services in the EU have been liberalised since January 1999. The Greek market, which was among the last to be partly protected, was opened up to competition in November 2002 and Croatia is the only member state which can still can apply the temporary derogation from certain provisions of the regulation, until the end of this year.

Scottish pledge on tonnage tax confirmed that it will retain F a tonnage tax with a training link if

The Scottish government has

September’s referendum leads to independence from the UK. Transport minister Keith Brown MSP made the commitment last month in response to a query initiated

by Nautilus member Norman Martin.

Concerns over the way in which Scotland will regulate ships and support seafarer training and employment were raised by Nautilus at the Scottish TUC in April.

Mr Brown said that he had been meeting industry leaders to help develop Scotland’s maritime policy, and was keen to reassure all transport sectors that there would be ‘continuity of business and the services to support them on day one of independence’.

He explained that the maritime regulation and safety infrastructure would initially be maintained through arrangements with existing UK bodies such as the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and the Northern Lighthouse Board — with Scotland paying its fair

share of the relevant costs. In time, he added, he would expect distinct Scottish arrangements to be made, after consultation with the industry and the public.

Transitional and long-term arrangements would be made for seafarer training, to ensure this was coordinated and recognised across Scotland and the remainder of the UK. ‘We have also given a commitment to the continuation of a Tonnage Tax regime,’ Mr Brown stressed, ‘including the obligations on training

and development this places on shipowners’.

Mr Brown said he was now aware of the importance of the issues of seafarer taxation and immigration and further meetings are planned between the Scottish government, the UK Chamber of Shipping and maritime unions to address the concerns which have been raised. g For more on the maritime policy proposed for an independent Scotland, go to www.scotland.gov.uk and search for A Future for Transport.

14/05/2014 19:26

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 05

NAUTILUS AT WORK

‘Two-tier’ pay talks at Stena Union in further talks with company over controversial cost-cutting plans

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Nautilus was set to hold further talks with Stena Line management late last month on the company’s controversial cost-cutting plans.

Senior national secretary Garry Elliott said the talks would provide the first opportunity to seek a way forward whilst maintaining the Union’s core objectives of retaining jobs for UK officers and protecting existing pay and conditions.

The latest talks follow a meeting in April at which the Union presented management with the results of feedback from members — including anger at the pay freeze and concerns over retention, crew management and technical management.

Stena officials stressed their need to be able to compete with lower-cost operators through greater efficiencies and argued that ‘creative pay solutions’ would have to be considered.

As a consequence of that meeting, both sides agreed to explore the potential for ‘two-tier’ working arrangements — with lower starting salaries for new entrants.

Nautilus senior national secretary Garry Elliott, left, and national ferries organiser Micky Smyth are pictured meeting Anglesey MP Albert Owen last month for talks on Stena Line and the unfair competition it faces

Mr Elliott commented: ‘We are conscious of the requirement to keep dialogue open with the company in as positive a manner as possible to avoid the possibility of an internal or external competitor taking advantage of the situation by undermining Stena Line.’

But, he added, the Union believed that any transfer of crew management to another party would be disastrous for members.

Nautilus has also suggested to the company that it could consider additional incentives for officers, such as profit-share arrangements.

Nautilus national ferries organiser Micky Smyth and Mr Elliott met Anglesey MP Albert Owen last month to discuss the Stena Line situation and the wider threat posed by unfair competition on UK ferry routes.

Mr Smyth described the 90-minute meeting with the Labour MP — who is a former seafarer — as very positive and said there was a strong focus during the discussions on the way in which decent employers are being undercut by operators who employ personnel on rates below the national minimum wage.

‘Mr Owen was pleased to hear we are working closely with the RMT and he was very supportive of our case that the government should enforce the national minimum wage and argue for effective measures in Europe to protect inter-EU ferry services and jobs for local seafarers,’ Mr Smyth added.

Nautilus is also discussing proposed new MLC-compliant seafarers’ employment agreements for Stena staff. It is hoped that these can be circulated to members soon after the meeting.

Harwich closure is blamed on cost of emissions rules of compliance with new F environmental rules for its decision to DFDS has blamed the cost

Nautilus industrial organiser Lisa Carr is pictured with liaison officers and management at Wightlink Ferries last month. Union officials visited ships and took part in discussions on issues including holiday leave

Nautilus International industrial organiser Paul Schroder is pictured with members and Unite officials following a meeting at Trinity House last month. The talks considered the idea of putting in a joint pay claim for officers and ratings serving with Trinity House. ‘We decided that we want the company to deal with us as a collective, as opposed to trying to divide us, as they did with the overtime buy-out,’ said Mr Schroder. ‘Management have no issue with this and we are now consulting members.’

04-05_at work.indd 5

close its historic passenger ferry route between Harwich and Esbjerg.

The company says the service — which began operating in 1875 and is the last passenger ferry service linking the UK and Scandinavia—will close at the end of September.

The 22,382gt ro-pax Sirena Seaways, which has operated the route since 2003, will be redeployed elsewhere or chartered out, and no job losses are expected among its 110 crew members.

DFDS said the service had been ‘struggling’ for some years as a result of Increasingly high costs, declining passenger numbers and freight being switched to other transport modes.

The company said it had sought to keep the route running by strategies such as cutting crew sizes, slow steaming and combing passenger and freight services but had been unable to save enough to cope with the additional costs of the new sulphur restrictions.

DFDS CEO Niels Smedegaard said the requirement to use low-sulphur fuel would cost around £2m a year.

He said the company will now focus its

efforts on the freight service between Immingham and Esbjerg.

‘This route will also be hit by the substantial extra costs as a result of the new sulphur rules,’ he warned.

We therefore need to keep a tight focus on costs to prevent the transfer of freight to road transport that will otherwise become a consequence of the new sulphur rules. We will step up negotiations with employees, partners and other stakeholders to find solutions to reduce costs and increase flexibility.’ z Nautilus has welcomed a European Union maritime policy statement pledging financial support for the adaptation of ships to meet new environmental and safety requirements.

The so-called Athens declaration, agreed last month as part of a review of policy for the period up to 2018, also stresses the need for ‘further concrete actions’ to enhance maritime know-how in Europe. It highlights the need for fair treatment of seafarers and argues that state aid ‘is essential for promoting the competitiveness of shipping and employment in the EU maritime cluster and in particular for preventing flagging out and relocation of EU shipping to third countries’.

shortreports MEDICAL HELP: Nautilus International stepped in after a woman member serving onboard a passengership was refused permission to go ashore to see a doctor after she discovered lumps in her breast.

Industrial organiser Lisa Carr intervened and as a result management agreed that the member could visit a hospital in the next port of call in Turkey. ‘The company sorted things out quickly once we got involved and fortunately the member got the all-clear,’ said Ms Carr.

‘However, it was an appalling position that she had been placed in and it should not have happened.’

CONDOR CONCERN: members of the French union CGT have expressed anger at the failure of Condor Ferries to organise a meeting to discuss social security arrangements for seafarers on the fast ferry Condor Rapide. Talks were promised following a 12-day strike in February, but the Union complains that no moves have been made to arrange negotiations since then.

SEATRUCK CONSULT: members serving with Seatruck Ferries are being consulted on company plans to reduce the number of ETOs serving on its ships.

Industrial organiser Gary Leech is conducting a number of ship visits to gauge members’ reaction and once this has been completed he intends to meet management along with liaison officers.

LCT TALKS: Nautilus has had further talks with management at LCT (Newhaven) over this year’s pay and conditions claim for members. A 1.6% offer was rejected by the Union and a counter-proposal for 2% now and a further 1% in September — once the future of the Transmanche service is known — is being considered.

ORKNEY REVIEW: a meeting to kick off a pay comparability project for Orkney Ferries staff, agreed as part of the settlement of the 2013-14 review, is set to take place this month. Facilitated by the conciliation service ACAS, the first meeting aims to agree the terms of reference for the project.

PRINCESS MEETS: Nautilus was set to meet Princess Cruises management late last month to discuss issues including MLC-related revisions to the current agreement and proposals to expand the CBA to include environmental, ventilation and security officers.

EUROPEAN REJECTION: Nautilus is calling for more talks with P&O Maritime Services after members serving onboard European Supported voted to reject the company’s offer of a pay freeze.

DFDS OFFER: members serving with DFDS are being consulted on the company’s offer of a 2% pay rise and the provision of a pension scheme.

INTRADA INCREASE: Members serving with Intrada have voted to accept the company’s 3% pay offer.

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14/05/2014 19:26

06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports TECHNIP AGREEMENT: following intensive negotiations with Technip (Singapore) management, Nautilus International has agreed a two-year pay and conditions settlement for members. The deal will give an increase of 4.4% this year, backdated to 1 January, and RPI plus 1% next year (within a range of 2% to 4.2%). The company has also agreed to progress updated training required under STCW 2010 amendments, to align the rates for third engineers with second officers, to review crew travel issues, and to discuss the re-establishment of the Partnership at Work forum.

North Star manager takes the prize another award for its safety A performance — with safety manager

North Star Shipping has secured

Paul Craig, left, collecting the honours for his outstanding leadership at the annual safety awards jointly organised by Oil & Gas UK and Step Change in Safety.

The award is given to ‘an inspirational leader’ and Mr Craig was praised for the way in which he has spearheaded work to improve safety and reduce the risks of incidents occurring in the Craig Group’s fleet of 36 offshore support and emergency response and rescue vessels.

North Star manages the fleet, which operates in the North Sea, and Mr Craig oversees the health and safety of the 1,000 crew onboard the vessels. Safety initiatives he has instigated which led to him winning the award include a safety checklist app, sharing lessons learnt with the

HAVILA CLAIM:Nautilus has submitted a claim for an above-inflation pay rise for members employed

by Havila Marine (Guernsey). The Union is also seeking an increase in the employers’ pension contribution, harmonisation of sick pay terms, and the introduction of DPO and pilotage exemption certificate payments.

Industrial organiser Derek Byrne is seeking a meeting to discuss the submission with management.

YOUNGER WORKFORCE: the latest demographics survey from industry body Oil & Gas UK has eased concerns over the ageing profile of the North Sea workforce. The study shows that the largest increase in the offshore workforce was in the 18-29 age group, helping to cut the average age from 41.1 in 2012 to 40.8 in 2013. Almost 83% of the workers are of British nationality, down from 86.6% in 2006.

SEALION SETTLEMENT: members serving with Seahorse Maritime on Sealion vessels have voted 42 to 38 to accept the company’s ‘full and final’ pay offer. The 2% deal had been rejected originally, but a fresh consultation was held when the company said it would not improve the package — although it did clarify arrangements for the introduction of a seniority pay system for all ratings.

BOURBON BOOM: the French offshore operator Bourbon says it is on course to expand its fleet by between 8% to 10% this year. The company presently operates 498 vessels, and it says first quarter fleet utilisation excluding crew boats rose 2% to 90.6% — boosted by activity in West Africa.

DEESIDE RATES: members serving with Deeside Crewing Services on Vroon vessels are being consulted on proposals to move to day rates instead of monthly salaries. Industrial organiser Gary Leech is meeting liaison officers to discuss the issues before holding talks with management.

MAERSK BOOST: Maersk Supply Services (MSS) has announced plans to renew and expand its fleet, which presently comprises of 61 vessels. The company says it is looking to invest in subsea support vessels and high-end anchor handlers, as well as specialist platform supply vessels.

OCEAN CALL: Nautilus is seeking a meeting with Ocean Supply Management (Guernsey) to discuss the Union’s claim for an above-inflation pay increase for members this year.

industry, engaging with clients and suppliers, and developing a new safety slogan for the fleet — ‘Sense it, suspect it, see it, stop it’ — which has been adopted on all company literature, crew mugs and stationery.

He was also praised for his work to improve communications between onshore staff and crew and for his ‘boots on deck’ initiative to encourage shore-side personnel to spend more time on the vessels they manage to promote better understanding of the issues faced by crew.

Mr Craig, who has an engineering background, worked at Craig Group Ship Repair for over 20 years as shipyard and dry-dock manager and worked with another company for several years before becoming safety manager with North Star Shipping three years ago. He described the award as ‘a huge and humbling honour’.

Platform near-miss sparks safety alert Poor handover blamed for case in which ERRV came within 3m of collision

P

Offshore support vessel masters are being urged to review their standing orders following an incident in which an emergency response and rescue vessel came within three metres of a collision with a North Sea installation.

The incident occurred shortly after the master relieved the chief officer while the vessel was heading towards the platform to provide close standby cover.

The vessel had been running at dead slow ahead, but the master increased the speed to 5 knots to arrive at the 500m zone at the agreed time. However, as the ship approached the position and the master turned the azimuth controls to the astern position and

applied revs to slow down, the vessel increased speed ahead.

After he unsuccessfully tried several options to regain control of the vessel, the master warned the platform and his crew that a close quarters situation was developing. He then disengaged the starboard azimuth allowing the port azimuth’s thruster to push the vessel to starboard to avoid a collision. This manoeuvre turned enough to miss the platform’s SW corner leg by just 3m.

Investigations revealed that the master was unaware that the autopilot had been engaged while he had been manoeuvring the vessel into the 500m zone.

Because of an ‘insufficient’ watch handover, he had not known that

autopilot had been engaged by the chief officer earlier.

A safety flash issued by the Marine Safety Forum (MSF) notes that neither the chief officer nor the master had carried out the pre-500m checklist in line with the company’s safety management system.

Company guidelines for close standby stated that automatic pilot should not be used, the bulletin points out, and the vessel’s speed was too high for entry into a restricted area.

The safety flash states that a general failure to follow procedures had ‘allowed complacency to creep into the bridge team’ and it noted that the company had taken a series of measures in

response to the incident, including a requirement for all bridge officers to ensure that they have full control of the vessel before the navigational handover is complete, and to ensure that the safety checklist is completed for every entry into the 500m zone. z MSF has also urged PSV masters to ensure proper supervision of cargo operations. The warning comes after a case in which a fully-loaded vessel was found to have been at risk of sinking after a leak. Investigations revealed that the vessel’s waterline was 2ft above the approved load line and MSF said there had been poor supervision by deck crew during the cargo operation, with no cargo plan having been developed.

Report predicts ‘steady low’ for UKCS UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) will F remain at ‘a steady low’ for at least the Drilling and deal activity on the

next year, suggests a new report from business advisory firm Deloitte.

The report, which covers the first three months of 2014, found a total of 12 exploration and appraisal wells

were drilled on the UKCS. Although that represents an increase of five wells compared with the fourth quarter of 2013, it is a decrease of one well on the same period last year.

There were also fewer deals completed compared with the same period last year, with 10 reported this

quarter compared with 19 a year ago.

Graham Sadler, the managing director of Deloitte’s Petroleum Services Group, commented: ‘It is very likely that what we’re seeing is a result of the continuing higher operating costs and the ongoing challenges of a mature region. These could be having

a knock-on effect on deal flow, since sellers might be seeking a higher price than buyers may be willing to pay.

‘Operators are definitely showing more caution, indicating, again, that incentives from government may be the only way to make the economics more viable.’

Shipping has ordered two new F platform supply vessels, pictured left.

Aberdeen-based Fletcher

The UT 755LC design vessels are being built by the Norwegian yard Simek, with the first due for delivery in November 2014 and the second set to come into service in April 2015 — taking the company’s fleet to a total of six ships.

Rolls-Royce has been chosen to design and deliver integrated ship equipment — including main engines, generators, thrusters, and DP systems — for the two vessels.

06_offshore.indd 6

14/05/2014 18:47

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

UK to build £200m new polar research vessel given the go-ahead for the A construction of a new polar research The UK government has

vessel for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) fleet.

To be built at a cost of around £200m, the state-of-the-art vessel will replace the two ships in the current BAS fleet, RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Ernest Shackleton, which are coming to the end of their working lives.

Scheduled to enter into service in 2019, the ‘next generation’ vessel will have a diesel-electric power plant and is likely to operate with around 28 marine crew.

The new flagship will be larger than the existing vessels and will have greater endurance and ice-strengthened capabilities — meaning that scientists will be able to start research cruises earlier in the field season.

BAS said the new ship’s ability to carry out longer voyages, coupled

with the facility to deploy helicopters, will give it significantly greater geographic coverage.

The increased range will ‘open up new locations for science, new opportunities for business, and will clearly demonstrate and reinforce the continuing British presence in Antarctica and the South Atlantic’, BAS added.

The ship will feature flexible laboratory configurations, with the capability for containerised laboratories, and will carry sophisticated environmental monitoring systems that will provide data from the deep ocean, the surface ocean and the atmosphere.

The vessel will also be able to carry remotely-operated deepsea vehicles.

Design work so far has been done

by Houlder, and yards around the world will be invited to tender for the construction of the ship against predefined assessment criteria.

BAS director Professor Jane Francis

ITF wins owed wages for crew of ‘filthy’ ship and unsafe’ Panama-flagged F general cargoship, above, that was Seafarers serving on a ‘filthy

detained in the UK port of Fowey returned home last month after the International Transport Workers’ Federation managed to secure the payment of more than US$35,000 in outstanding wages.

The 12 seafarers — of five different nationalities — were serving on the 1,971gt Turkish-owned Munzur when it was detained by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency with 14 health and safety deficiencies.

The ITF lifted a threat to arrest the ship on behalf of the crew when the Turkish owners agreed to pay all owed wages and help the seafarers home.

ITF inspector Darren Procter said the owners had also demonstrated good faith by putting food onboard, along with two much-needed washing machines, while the money was being transferred.

The ITF discovered that all but

one of the seafarers were being paid below the ILO minimum, with one earning just US$400 per month. Mr Procter said that as well as paying the owed money, the owners were also expected to sign an ITF agreement which should ensure decent pay and conditions for seafarers onboard the ship in future. z Port state control inspectors in the UK port of Cardiff found a total of 36 deficiencies onboard a visiting vessel in April. The 5,424gt Cook Islandsregistered general cargoship Rawan was detained for nine days, with problems including insufficient rest hours for the crew, lack of training in fire drills, lack of familiarity with life-saving appliances, and charts, logbooks and oil record books not properly filled or kept as required.

The other five ships held in April included the Antigua & Barbudaflagged general cargoship Bomar Moon and the Panama-flagged Nagato Reefer, on which false records of work and rest hours were found.

commented: ‘The last 15-20 years has seen remarkable developments in science and technology.

‘Incorporating these new technologies in a new icestrengthened research ship will offer a step-change in Britain’s capability to deliver bigger and better science,’ she added.

‘We very much look forward to helping to develop the specification to enable optimal use of the latest technologies in marine robotic and remotely operated instruments.’

Professor Mike Meredith, leader of the BAS Polar Oceans science programme, said studies of the polar seas are crucial for understanding environmental challenges, and added: ‘This new ship will build on this legacy of internationally outstanding research, and will lead to ground-breaking and exciting discoveries that will ultimately generate new knowledge that benefits our society and economy.’

EU reprieve for Filipino tickets Union complains of ‘political fix’ as Brussels backs down on derecognition

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Europe has given the Philippines a lastminute reprieve from threats to derecognise its seafarer certificates over quality concerns.

Brussels has decided to allow the Philippines more time in which to show that it has resolved problems identified by European Maritime Safety Agency audits of its training and certification systems.

The move has been welcomed by the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), which feared that a ban could have affected more than 15,000 officer jobs on its members’ vessels, but Nautilus has expressed concern at the developments.

‘As the prospects of an outright ban recede, this has all the makings of a political fix,’ said general secretary Mark Dickinson. ‘The prospect of the EU actually banning Filipino officers from EUregistered ships would have had

huge consequences for Europe’s shipowners and EU flag states.

They have become dependent on the Philippines labour market; strategically this must be viewed as a weakness and must be addressed by the Commission.

‘I urge ECSA and national shipowner associations to think carefully about their longer term response and invest as many, if not more, resources into securing our future maritime skills in Europe as they have in the Far East,’ he added.

Announcing the decision, the European Commission’s transport directorate, DG MOVE, said the Philippine authorities had made ‘appreciated efforts’ to address deficiencies identified by EMSA and to bring their maritime education, training and certification system into line with STCW convention requirements.

However, DG MOVE added, concerns remain and the Philip-

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pine authorities will be required to demonstrate that the audit plans in place are actually being carried out, and that they have adequate resources in place to monitor all the training institutions in the country.

The Commission has asked the Philippine authorities to provide by the end of July 2014 the necessary evidence to demonstrate that all outstanding deficiencies have been resolved. Failure to resolve any remaining issue may result in the loss of EU recognition, it warned.

A further EMSA inspection will take place in October to check on progress and EU member states have been asked to offer technical assistance to the Philippines to help it comply with the required standards.

A ban had been threatened since 2010, when the Philippines failed an EMSA audit to check whether it had addressed STCW

deficiencies discovered in 2006.

The chances of derecognition rose after failure in follow-up audits last year, but the Philippines launched a sweeping reform of its system and sought a further 12 months to prove that this is working.

‘The Philippine maritime administration has gone through a genuine paradigm shift,’ said ECSA secretary general Patrick Verhoeven. ‘We are confident that the authorities will do everything possible to ensure full implementation of the positive measures enacted.’

And the tanker owners’ organisation Intertanko commented: ‘This outcome is welcomed, providing the balance between an outright ban and a clean bill of health. The additional monitoring and technical assistance will provide the added assurance owners need when sourcing seafarers from the Philippines.’

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14/05/2014 18:47

08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

LARGE YACHT NEWS Harbour last month is the F Cayman Islands registered superyacht Pictured visiting Portsmouth

Mogambo. At 1,698gt and 73.5m loa, the charter yacht Mogambo is longer than some of the Isle of Wight ferries that she passed when departing for Guernsey.

Built in 2012 by the German yard Nobiskrug, Mogambo is named after a 1953 film and can accommodate 12 guests and up to 19 crew.

Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

Concerns raised on regulation of risks Investigation into fatal accident questions effectiveness of safety controls

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A call for the way in which safety onboard superyachts is regulated to be reviewed has been made following an investigation into a fatal accident in Australia last year.

A crew member on the 42m Calliope died when he was pulled over the side of the Cayman Islands-registered vessel while walking a fender between the hull and a bridge structure in an attempt to prevent damage as it veered off course.

The accident occurred as the 453gt Calliope went off course when lining up to pass through the Glebe Island bridge in Sydney Harbour during a day cruise in February last year.

An Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) report found that no passage plan had been prepared for the voyage and, as a result, associated risks had not been appropriately assessed or communicated to the crew.

Investigators said the master — who had 25 years of yachting

A crew member on Calliope died in Sydney Harbour last year Picture: ATSB

experience and held a UK issued master’s certificate for yachts of less than 3,000gt — had been unable to check any navigational aids from his conning position in front of the bridge.

The report notes that he had considered the bridge transit to be a manoeuvre and was in the conning position he usually used in such circumstances, where he used a remote control pendant to operate the bow thruster and propeller direction.

But, the ATSB said, this meant

Lairdside Maritime Centre

he was not in a position to properly monitor the yacht’s progress and he was reliant on visual cues only. The master had also miscalculated the tidal conditions as he had failed to make allowances for the impact of daylight savings time — meaning that the tide was still ebbing when he thought it was starting to flood.

Investigators noted that while Calliope was in voluntary compliance with elements of the Large Commercial Yacht Code, it did not have to comply with these

requirements because it was deemed to be a pleasure yacht.

Similarly, Calliope did not have to carry a pilot while operating in Sydney Harbour because it was considered to be a recreational craft.

The report states that ‘the application of the code based on mode of operation is at odds with a modern risk-based approach to safety regulation’ — pointing out that in either private or commercial mode the risks would have been the same, with eight passengers, nine crew and 17,680 litres of diesel onboard.

The ATSB says flag states and port administrations should consider such risks when determining regulatory compliance requirements, and in response to the accident the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry is raising with the UK authorities the effectiveness of the LY Code in meeting the fundamental requirements of a documented safety management system.

Union takes a stand at Palma part in the Dovaston Crew A Show held during the 31st Palma

Nautilus International took

International Boat Show last month.

Pepijn van Delft, from the Union’s recruitment and organising section, met members and potential members during the event, which took place at the Mood Beach Club.

‘The show was attended by a lot of young people from all over Europe — some already working on yachts and others looking for a chance to start a career onboard,’ he said. ‘There was a lot of interest in our stand and in the support that we offer. One group came especially to visit us because one girl has a father who is a member and he had told her: “If you are going to sail, you need Nautilus.”’

This year’s five-day Palma show attracted a record number of exhibitors — with 55 yachts ranging between 25m and 48m exhibited

A Graceful delivery during sea trials in the North F Sea. The vessel has been delivered

Pictured right is the Graceful,

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08_large yacht news.indd 8

Pay settlement in owed wages for a member F serving on a superyacht.

Nautilus has secured €8,000

The Union intervened after the member complained that he was owed the money after serving on the yacht for three months.

Industrial organiser Paul Schroder said the company agreed to pay the total amount as a final settlement after Nautilus threatened to take legal action.

by Michael Howorth

to her owners after the Blohm+Voss shipyard completed a challenging 23-month completion programme.

This stunning 82m yacht joins an impressive lineage of iconic vessels from the renowned yard and currently ranks as the 67th largest yacht ever to be launched. With the owner demanding that shipyard and all contractors observe a very strict confidentiality agreement, there is limited information about this ground-breaking vessel.

Employing a hull built by at Stahlbau Nord in Bremerhaven, Graceful was fitted out by Blohm+Voss working alongside the owner’s representatives under the lead of Captain Alexander Mozhayskiy. Her interior is from H2 Design Studio in London.

After the take-over of the Blohm + Voss shipbuilding activities by British-based Star Capital Partners

at the Palma Superyacht Show, up from 42 in 2013. Land-based exhibitors were up 20% on last year and the number of berths up 75%.

There were around 32,000 visitors — including Queen Sofia of Spain.

Boat show director Chema Sans said: ‘In the last 20 years the Balearics have become one of the most important nautical centres in the Mediterranean, so the show has been growing with that. Now we want to be the biggest brokerage superyacht show in Europe. We are planning to dredge an area to increase draft and next year we will have room for many more bigger boats.’

Arne Ploch, president of joint organisers the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association, added: ‘The show has gone even better than last year. In fact, some of the companies exhibiting have highlighted that it is the best boat show they have attended in the last 10 years.’

at the end of January 2012, this is the first yacht to be delivered by the newly restructured shipyard. It follows the strategy announced at the time of the takeover to concentrate in the premium segment on orders for yachts with lengths of over 80m.

A close-cooperation model was developed at the start of the project, optimising the decision-making process, minimising delays and facilitating a unique scheduling system. This led to a very fast build time overall for a yacht of this size, quality and level of complexity.

One of the many reasons why

the owner decided to have the yacht completed in Hamburg was her unique and complex equipment and design characteristics — one of which is a 15 x 3m indoor pool, which can be converted to a dance floor by raising the pool floor.

In addition to a separate owner’s area on two decks, with a beach door terrace for direct access to the sea, the yacht has two VIP and three guest suites for a further 10 guests. Graceful features an exceptional helicopter landing area, has a maximum speed of 18.2 knots and a range of 6,000nm.

14/05/2014 18:48

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

Global piracy falls to seven-year low ships around the world have F fallen to a seven-year low, according Pirate attacks on merchant

The Boskalis Westminster dredger Causeway arrives in the port of Felixstowe last month to begin work on a project to extend the combined lengths of berths 8 and 9 by 190m, to give greater flexibility for handling ultra-large containerships

IMO is warned on ship power threat Propulsion guidelines ‘could leave vessels dangerously under-powered’

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Interim guidelines for determining ships’ propulsion power requirements could leave vessels dangerously under-powered in adverse conditions, the International Maritime Organisation has been warned.

In a paper submitted for this month’s IMO maritime safety committee meeting, Greece calls for the UN agency to reconsider the interim guidelines for determining the minimum propulsion power for ships to maintain manoeuvrability in bad weather.

The guidelines — which have

been developed as proposed amendments to the MARPOL Convention — will not ensure the safety of ships in adverse weather, Greece warns, as they will permit engines with maximum continuous rating (MCR) up to 30% lower than those on typical current bulk carriers.

The paper also argues that the definition of ‘adverse conditions’ used in the guidelines equates to Beaufort 7 for some ships and does not reflect the actual conditions that vessels are likely to encounter.

Greece says the minimum

power guidelines also ignore the effects of ship ageing and hull and propeller fouling on calm water resistance. And it warns that even before the energy efficiency design index rules were brought in ‘some ships were built with much smaller engines than appropriate’.

It argues that the power requirements should be in line with the IMO’s severe wind stability criteria, which requires testing in winds of 26m/s plus gusts (Beaufort 10 or more) and significant wave heights of 8m. A ship that cannot manoeuvre in such

sea conditions ‘is prone to grounding or to be driven against a nearby rocky shore,’ the paper warns. ‘This is more likely to happen under extreme weather conditions which have shown up more frequently in recent years.’

The Greek submission calls for further research into what constitutes a ‘safe manoeuvring speed’ — arguing that ‘speed, and not the horsepower, is the proper adverse weather metric that should be established’. It proposes the minimum power line assessment for bulkers and tankers should be raised by between 15% to 25%.

to new figures from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

A total of 49 incidents were recorded around the world in the first quarter of 2014 — the lowest figure since 2007, when there were 41 reported attacks over the same period.

During the first three months of the year two ships were hijacked, 37 boarded, five fired upon and five attempted attacks were reported. A total of 46 crew members were taken hostage and two were kidnapped from their ship.

The report noted a further fall in piracy off Somalia, with just five incidents in the first quarter — three attempted attacks and two vessels fired upon — and no successful hijackings. There were only 15 incidents in the whole of

2013, compared with 237 in 2011.

However, IMB director Pottengal Mukundan warned that the threat of Somali piracy is still clearly evident and naval forces are still needed in the region.‘There can be no room for complacency, as it will take only one successful Somali hijacking for the business model to return,’ he added.

‘Masters are therefore advised to maintain vigilance and adhere to the industry’s latest Best Management Practices recommendations.’

The report highlighted the growing problems off West Africa, where 12 incidents were reported in the first quarter including two hijackings, 39 crew taken hostage and two other kidnappings.

The most incidents — 18 — occurred in Indonesia, with most involving boarding of ships at anchor and what the IMB described as ‘lowlevel thefts’. g Piracy costs halved — page 27.

Three killed in shoot-out on tanker off Nigeria two pirates were killed during a F shoot-out onboard a products tanker An Indian seafarer died and

off the coast of Nigeria last month.

The gun battle began when the Marshall Islands-flagged SP Brussels was boarded by pirates while sailing from Port Harcourt to Lagos with a crew of 17 and two armed guards.

Two crew members were unable to join their colleagues who had retreated to the citadel. One of them was found dead during a subsequent search of the 7,654dwt vessel and the other was found hiding with minor injuries.

Nick Davies, head of the maritime security firm GoAGT, said the incident could have been avoided. ‘It is hugely important that shipping companies recognise the risks they are facing when in the Gulf of Guinea. Poorly trained, locally employed and under manned armed security teams are no match for the threat they are facing.

‘While it is reported that the Brussels had a citadel for the crew to shelter in, this can only be an effective and valid part of the vessel’s defence if the security team and the crew have trained hard in anti-piracy and citadel drills,’ Mr Davies added.

Nautilus Plus adds value for members F

Nautilus members can get even more value from their subscriptions thanks to Nautilus Plus — a portfolio of money-saving services designed to support Nautilus members both personally and professionally.

The deals and discounts package, provided by benefit management specialists Parliament Hill, covers a wide range of everyday services, including car hire, airport parking and lounges, and financial planning and insurance. This month’s special deals include: z Package holidays Enjoy guaranteed savings of 5% in addition to any discounts or offers from the major travel companies

you can return your card at any time during the free period and won’t be charged.

If you keep your card after the free period, you will become a full member and be entitled to the specially reduced Nautilus rate of £29.95 (RRP £69.95) for annual membership*. g Visit Nautilus Plus via www.nautilusint.org or call 0800 043 1978 quoting NTU13 *Terms and conditions apply to all benefits. See website for details. Offers and prices subject to change without notice. Gourmet Society: A valid debit/credit card is required to register for your free trial. Nautilus Plus is managed on behalf of Nautilus

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including Thomas Cook, Thomson, First Choice, Virgin Holidays, Cosmos, Airtours, Crystal, Neilson and Kuoni to name just a few (Crystal, Virgin Holidays and Kuoni are only available to book by telephone)*.

What’s more, Travellers Advantage are fully ATOL and ABTA bonded to give you peace of mind.

Visit Nautilus Plus or call one of the Travellers Advantage team on 0800 783 2183 z Gourmet Society Enjoy a 2 month FREE trial of the Gourmet Society dining card and get 2-for-1 dining or 25% off your bill including drinks. Choose from over 6700 leading restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

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Pictured above is the 139,000gt Princess Cruises newbuilding Regal Princess undergoing sea trials off the coast of Italy last month. Built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, the Bermuda-flagged ship left Venice on 20 May to begin a seven-day maiden voyage in the Mediterranean

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09_news.indd 9

14/05/2014 18:48

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

NEWS

Owners may shift on seafarer rights Hopes of compromise on EU proposals to end employment law exclusions

by Justin Stares

P

Europe’s shipowners say they are looking to compromise with unions on the fraught issue of seafarer employment protection.

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations and the European Transport Workers’ Federation are to meet in Brussels to discuss ‘common ground’ before the European Union institutions begin new talks on existing exemptions from employment law.

ECSA secretary general Patrick Verhoeven says there is agreement in principle for the two sides to meet before the European Parliament re-starts its examination of the European Commission’s proposals this autumn.

The Parliament employment

committee failed to come to any opinion in March following heavy lobbying.

Responding to union demands, Euro MPs amended the shipowner-friendly report of the assembly’s lead negotiator, Italian MEP Licia Ronzulli, before rejecting the report in its entirety — a somewhat bizarre result that suited neither side.

‘We will be seeking some common ground with the unions,’ said Mr Verhoeven. ‘There are five directives and they do not all contain issues of the same magnitude. We could find common ground on some; it’s not all black and white. It might be possible.’

One of the most contentious issues is European law on the transfer of undertakings. The acquirers of companies are normally obliged to take on staff as

well, though the maritime industries are exempt because shipowners have successfully argued ships change hands too frequently for normal rules to apply.

Ms Ronzulli had backed this principle, arguing EU employment law should apply to ‘fixed’ rather than ‘mobile’ assets.

While agreement on all issues might not be possible, an effort would be made to ‘understand’ the ETF position, Mr Verhoeven said.

The employment committee vote put back examination of the Commission’s proposal by months, in that work will have to start again after European Parliament elections. Given committees have to be formed and a key negotiator or ‘rapporteur’ nominated, this probably means September at the earliest.

Ms Ronzulli, an Italian Christian Democrat, claimed seafarers are not excluded from EU employment law; they are merely subject to ‘different legislation’.

Seafarers are also exempt from legislation on collective redundancies, which would normally require a 30-day ‘cooling off period’.

Ms Ronzulli, backed by shipowners, said these exemptions were justified on the grounds that the maritime industry enjoyed ‘specific features’.

Removing exemptions could lead to flagging out, she claimed, though the Commission maintains it is time for them to go. In some cases, the exemptions have not been used by national governments. z Justin Stares is editor of maritimewatch.eu

Staff go stripey for seafarers headquarters in Southampton F are pictured left when they came to Staff at Carnival UK’s

work dressed for the occasion last month in response to a ‘get stripey’ appeal for seafarers in need.

The Seafarers UK appeal encourages employees to wear stripey clothes to work for a day and to donate just £1 each in support of seafarers and their families who are facing tough times, with all monies raised going to

support seafarers in need and their families.

‘Get stripey is an incredibly simple and fun idea and we really hope that staff at all levels and in any role will want to get involved,’ said Nigel Shattock, director of fundraising and communications.

Last year Seafarers UK supported 84 charities and organisations with £2.5m in funding, which in turn helped more than 150,000 people.

The Holland America Line cruiseship Eurodam is pictured above visiting the UK port of Portland last month. This year a record number of more than 20 ships and 24,000 passengers are expected to visit Weymouth and Portland, which has embarked on work to build a berth to accommodate ships of up to 340m loa. Picture: Paul Dallaway

Owners warned on costs of meeting green regulations been warned about the A growing cost of compliance with new Shipping companies have

environmental regulations such as curbs on exhaust emissions and the imminent Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention.

The accountancy firm Moore Stephens said last month that owners and operators will face an increased challenge over the next few years to budget for the new equipment required to fall into line with the rules.

Moore Stephens shipping partner Michael Simms warned that fitting ballast water management systems could cost between US$500,000 and $5m per vessel, depending on the equipment and the size and design of the ship. Annual operational costs of compliance with the BWM convention could range between $10,000 and $50,000, he added.

The true price of meeting the SOx and NOx emission control rules is hard to predict, Mr Simms warned. ‘Think

of a number. Any number will do, so long as it is very big. Then double it,’ he added.

‘The answer is likely to be as accurate as any supposedly informed estimates currently circulating in the shipping sector about the likely size of the industry’s bill for achieving compliance with incipient environmentally-inspired regulations governing the operation of ships.

‘Individual owners and operators may plot their own path through the regulations,’ Mr Simms advised. ‘For some, configuring new ships for easy installation of BWM systems when the convention enters force may be a viable option. Scrubbers, meanwhile, may be the most cost-effective solution for some when addressing the SOx/NOx dilemma.

‘One thing is certain, however,’ he added. ‘Shipping is going to have to find a great deal of money over the next few years simply to stay within the rules.’

‘Milestone’ for charity

WE PROVIDE A LIFELINE TO KEEP THEM AFLOAT

the Shipwrecked Mariners’ A Society to mark a major milestone in The Princess Royal has helped

“Twenty years in the merchant navy, thirty years a fisherman, but when my health failed it was a struggle to make ends meet.

Thanks to a regular grant from the Shipwrecked Mariners my wife and I have been able to keep our heads above water.”

its history by unveiling a memorial in the fishing village of Clovelly in Devon, where a disaster in 1838 prompted the launch of the charity in the following year.

A total of nine fishing vessels sank and 21 fishermen died in the October storm and the tragedy resulted in a meeting on 21 February 1839 ‘for the purpose of forming a fund for the relief of shipwrecked mariners and fishermen, or in the case of loss of life, for the widows and orphans...’ and from this the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society was born.

Life is often a struggle for elderly seafarers 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. And if anyone you know needs our support, be sure and put them in touch with us.

As well as speaking to the descendants of the men who died in the 1838 disaster and present-day local fishermen, the princess met some of the charity’s supporters and volunteers, and the Cornish singers Stamp and Go performed a speciallycomposed song to mark the occasion.

Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society chief executive Commodore Malcolm Williams said the anniversary was an important landmark. ‘The work of the charity has made a difference to people’s lives for 175 years and as long as we are an island we expect to be providing support to those in need from the seafaring community,’ he added.

Praise for Isle of Man MLC report Isle of Man Ship Registry’s F publication of a first annual Maritime Nautilus has welcomed the

Dept NT, 1 North Pallant, Chichester PO19 1TL Tel: 01243 789329 Fax: 01243 530853 e-mail: general@shipwreckedmariners.org.uk

www.shipwreckedmariners.org.uk

Shipwrecked Mariners’Society Supporting the seafaring community for 175 years

Reg Charity No 212034

Connect with us:

10_news.indd 10

Labour Convention (MLC) report.

The Isle of Man implemented the MLC on 20 August 2013, and the 16-page document covers the application of the convention and the related inspections throughout the entire year.

The report shows that a total of 217 MLC inspections were carried out on Manx-flagged ships during the year, of

which 157 — or just over 72% — were found with MLC deficiencies.

Almost one-third of the 430 MLC deficiencies requiring rectification action related to seafarer employment agreements (SEAs).

The second most common problem was health and safety and accident prevention (19.8%), followed by food and catering (10.5%), and recruitment and placement services (8.1%).

Deficiencies related to hours of

work and rest accounted for 5.3% of the total.

The report describes the number of deficiencies as ‘unacceptably high’ — but accepts that the MLC is new to shipping companies and seafarers and the number of problems arising from the convention is likely to reduce significantly over the next few years.

The most common problems associated with SEAs were invalid signatories, appropriate documents not provided onboard or to the

seafarer, agreements missing requiring information, and SEAs not in English.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson welcomed the report. ‘This is the first of its kind that I have come across and it is very proactive of the IoM to publish it now,’ he added. ‘It is very useful for seafarers so that they can see how the MLC applies to them on IoM ships, and it also provides very useful feedback for seafarers’ unions, shipowners and regulators.’

14/05/2014 18:49

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

Rotterdam protests as first Arctic oil cargo is delivered activists were arrested by Dutch A police last month when they staged More than 40 Greenpeace

a protest in the port of Rotterdam in an attempt to prevent a Russian oil tanker from delivering the first oil from a controversial drilling platform in the Arctic.

Supported by the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior, around 80 protestors used paragliders and a fleet of small boats and inflatables to obstruct the 69,830dwt tanker Mikhail Ulyanov as it arrived in the port with a cargo of oil from Gazprom’s Prirazlomanaya platform in the Arctic Pechora Sea.

One group of activists painted ‘No Arctic Oil’ in large letters on the hull of the tanker, while other activists in inflatables tried to prevent the ship from mooring by putting themselves between the quay wall and the tanker.

Armed police boarded the Greenpeace vessel and had it towed it away. They arrested 44 of the protestors and took them to police stations ashore, but most were later released without charge.

Greenpeace is calling for an end to offshore Arctic oil drilling, both in Russia and elsewhere in the world.

The environmental group has heavily

Italy warned on Costa Concordia dismantling urged the Italian government A not to cut corners with the project to Environmental groups have

remove and dismantle the wreck of the cruiseship Costa Concordia.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform — a global coalition of 19 environmental, human rights and labour rights organisations — has written to the country’s environment minister to demand the safe and clean dismantling of the vessel.

The call follows reports that the cruiseship — which ran aground off the Italian coast in January 2012 — is set to be taken to Turkey to be broken up. Several Italian sites had bid for the breaking operation alongside British, French, Turkish and Norwegian yards, but Norway was ruled out as a

destination because of fears the vessel could break up during the voyage.

Italian MPs heard that the ‘Turkish solution’ — costing an estimated €29m — would be cheaper than taking the wreck to Italian facilities in Civitavecchia, Piombino or Genoa.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform urged Italy to ensure that the owners and insurers — who will foot the bill for the work — select the most suitable facility, based on a full risk assessment.

‘The Italian government must ask for the best possible techniques to reduce environmental risk during the towage and dismantling process,’ said Patrizia Heidegger, executive director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform.

Shipwreck convention aims for rapid removal that will make shipowners F responsible for removing hazardous

A new international convention

wrecks will come into force in April next year.

The Nairobi Convention aims to fill a gap in the global rules by creating a framework of requirements that seek to ensure the prompt and effective removal of wrecks beyond countries’ territorial seas.

It contains provisions enabling member states to ‘opt in’ and apply certain provisions within their territorial seas, and provides the right for states to take direct action against insurers.

It also covers points including the reporting and locating of wrecks,

warnings to mariners and coastal states, criteria for determining the hazard posed by risks, and liability of the owner for the costs of locating, marking and removing ships and wrecks.

The IMO noted that while the number of casualties had decreased in recent years, the number of abandoned wrecks has increased. As well as posing a risk to other vessels, wrecks are becoming increasingly costly to remove. ‘Among several provisions, the convention will place financial responsibility for the removal of certain hazardous wrecks on shipowners, making insurance, or some other form of financial security, compulsory,’ it added.

Liberia’s man in London served with companies F including Stena Line and Carnival A former deck officer who

UK has been appointed as general manager of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) London office.

Robert Twell, right, joins LISCR from CMA Ships UK/CMA CGM Group, where he was the safety and security manager and DPA/CSO based in London. Prior to that he was head of the department of marine studies and fire fighting at the National Sea Training Centre.

11_news.indd 11

criticised companies like Shell, BP and Statoil for their Arctic ambitions and their joint ventures with Russian energy firms.

Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo commented: ‘It’s increasingly clear that our reliance on oil and gas is a major threat not just to the environment, but to global security.

Arctic oil represents a dangerous new form of dependence on Russia’s state owned energy giants at the very moment when we should be breaking free of their influence.’

Picture: Ruben Neugebauer/ Greenpeace

UK operator fined for fuel oil spillage Magistrates criticise ‘unacceptable’ delay in reporting by Evergreen ship

P

The operator of a UK-registered containership has been ordered to pay more than £17,000 after admitting breaching oil pollution legislation last year.

Around 700 litres of heavy fuel oil was spilled from the 7,024TEU Ever Sigma — operated by Evergreen Marine — when the chief engineer attempted to carry out an internal transfer using two pumps during a voyage from Greece to the Netherlands in January 2013.

Southampton magistrates heard that there had been a breakdown in the ship’s safety management system and procedures were not followed during the incident.

The HFO had not been pre-heated prior to the transfer — and the vessel’s master was not informed of the operation. By pumping cold HFO with two pumps, the ship’s staff had over-pressurised the tank, which then forced

it out through an air pipe. A precautionary alarm had sounded when the tank reached 336 tonnes (69% full). But the use of two pumps continued for another hour until the transfer was stopped when the fuel level reached 417 tonnes (85% full).

Shortly afterwards, the ship’s bosun was doing rounds when he noticed HFO spilling onto the deck through an air pipe. The alarm was raised and onboard clean-up operations onboard began, which took about nine hours.

The court heard that some fuel oil was spilt overboard, about 83 miles off Kalamata in Greece. Around 27 hours later, Ever Sigma reported the incident to the Italian authorities. The ship was advised by the Italian coastguard to report the incident to Greece. This was done, and on arrival in Rotterdam the vessel was inspected by Dutch officials, who passed information to the UK as flag state.

SEAFARER

BOOK OF THE

YEAR

Evergreen was fined £10,000, plus costs of £7,191 and a victim surcharge of £120.

Magistrates described the delay in reporting the incident as ‘unacceptable’ but commended the company’s cooperation with the authorities.

Jonathan Simpson, head of environmental policy at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, commented: ‘When carrying out routine internal transfers of fuel it is essential that ships follow procedures set in their safety management system — they have been put in place for a reason.

‘Also,’ he stressed, ‘if a spill does occur, it should be reported promptly to the local authorities.’

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson added: ‘Once again, the fine on an operator is derisory and it fails to act as an incentive for safe ship operation.’

VOTE FOR YOUR BOOK OF THE YEAR! Tell us your favourite books and authors of 2013 for a chance to win one of 5 Kobo e-readers!

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14/05/2014 18:53

12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

HEALTH & SAFETY

Refuge for stricken tanker after four months almost 100 days at sea in F danger of breaking up after a serious A chemical tanker which spent

fire was finally given a port of refuge last month.

The Hong Kong-flagged Maritime Maisie, pictured right, was allowed to enter the port of Ulsan in South Korea following negotiations between the port state authorities, owners, insurers and safety experts.

There had been fears that the 44,404dwt vessel would have broken up if it was forced to spend any more time at sea because of the hull damage suffered when it caught

Fatigue ‘a factor’ in collision factor in a collision between a F Dutch-flagged general cargoship and Fatigue could have been a

Common language is essential, P&I club warns seafarers from a special safety poster A published by a leading P&I club The image above is taken

last month to warn seafarers of the need to ensure that an appropriate working language is used on their ships.

The North Club’s ‘talk the talk’ advice is part of a ‘soft skills’ campaign to encourage improved operational safety cultures among seafarers, and the poster graphically contrasts the possible multilingual chaos following discovery of a fire with the calm organised response that takes place with effective communications.

Head of loss prevention Tony Baker commented: ‘In order for a team to function effectively, efficiently and safely, the ability to communicate clearly is crucial.

This is especially important during safety-critical operations such as responding to emergencies onboard.

‘Any crew members who are unable to communicate clearly

during an incident may risk the safety of the ship and their fellow seafarers,’ he pointed out. ‘While it is natural to revert to your first language when stressed, it is vital you use the ship’s working language during key shipboard operations.’

North recommends that all crew members are given frequent opportunities to converse in the ship’s working language. This includes carrying out all professional communications in the working language, such as training, drills, safety meetings, bridge communications and engine room communications.

‘During training and drills, officers should ask questions and encourage others to ask questions,’ Mr Baker added. ‘Familiarity with duties and equipment will also help to ensure that crew members remain calm during an emergency and are more likely to use the language they have been trained in.’ g MAIB report — see page 44.

a Maltese-registered cargoship in the Baltic Sea last year, an investigation has revealed.

Investigators discovered that the chief mate on the Maltese vessel, the 2,497gt Katre, had failed to get the required 77 hours of rest in the seven days before the accident.

During this period, the ship had called at two ports to load and discharge a cargo of wheat — but investigators found that the hours of work and rest records had not been kept accurately.

The Maltese accident investigation board report notes that the master and mate had been working a six-on/six-off watch pattern and the additional tasks on top of bridge watches were ‘overwhelming and rather physically impossible to perform while maintaining the required hours of work and rest’.

The report also notes that the OOW onboard the Dutch ship, Statengracht, had reported on the bridge for his watch only three minutes before it was due to start, with the ship sailing at full speed through a busy shipping area close to the entrance of a traffic separation scheme. The handover with the third mate lasted only four minutes, it adds.

Both ships failed to make a clear assessment of the risk of collision in a ‘dynamic environment’, the report points out.

fire following a collision with a car carrier off Busan in December last year.

South Korea and Japan had both

Cruiseship hits glacier debris Crew were trying to give passengers ‘something special’

P

A cruiseship ran aground in a fjord in Chile after trying to give the passengers ‘something special’ by sailing close to a glacier.

The 22,496gt Deutschland had 230 crew and 213 passengers onboard when it grounded on debris from the Italia Glacier in the northern arm of the Beagle Channel in January 2012.

Crew members managed to free the ship quickly and no significant damage was found.

However, the German accident investigation bureau BSU notes: ‘The possible consequences of a shipwreck at winter temperatures and far away from any civilisation for the 443 people onboard is something one would rather not envisage.’

Investigators said the master had asked the pilot if the ship could sail closer than planned to the glacier to give the passengers the best possible view. The pilot

Nautilus national secretary

Corria and Sian Cartwright, head of learning services at the Wales TUC, during a Workers’ Memorial Day event organised by Wales TUC. Workers’ Memorial Day is held on 28 April each year to commemorate the many thousands of people who have died as a result

12-13_h+s.indd 12

of their work, and the Cardiff event included a keynote speech by first minister Carwyn Jones.

The TUC marked the day by publishing a report criticising the UK government’s health and safety record and warning that its ‘persistent ideological attacks on key health and safety legislation threaten even more accidents, injuries and deaths at work’.

had agreed, as long as the speed was cut to dead slow — 5 or 6 knots.

BSU said the Chilean authorities had pointed out that the middle of the channel had a depth of about 150m and had been used by ships up to 151,400gt without any problems.

The Chilean investigators said the chart contained sufficient information for safe transits of the channel.

But the decision to take Deutschland closer to the glacier had taken the vessel into an area without charted depths, the report noted.

Although the pilot had decided not to come within three cables of the glacier, investigations revealed that the ship had actually come within two cables of it at the time of the grounding.

BSU attributed this to the absence of effective monitoring of the track control and it said a 3-knot

wind may also have contributed to the incident.

The report points out that the coastlines on the SHOA 12700 nautical chart which was being used by the pilot had changed so dramatically since the initial survey that they are no longer fit for use in navigation — with the effects of global warming on glaciers producing ‘a completely unknown channel’.

BSU recommends that the Chilean hydrographic service revise the chart as soon as possible and include a warning statement in English that the chart is based on a local datum.

Investigators said it was unlikely the grounding would have occurred had the crew followed STCW requirements for proper voyage planning, route review and plotting, and planning an amended route if deviating from the originally planned passage.

Polar Code problems voiced by members A

Jonathan Havard is pictured C with Cardiff TUC secretary Ramon

refused to allow the ship a port of refuge because of concerns about the hazardous nature of the cargo.

Maritime Maisie was fully loaded

with 29,337 tonnes of paraxylene and acrylonitrile when the accident happened.

But Lloyd’s Register’s Ship Emergency Response Service (SERS) warned that there could have been a bigger environmental disaster if the tanker had sunk at sea as a result of further hull damage caused by adverse weather conditions.

LR SERS team leader Wijendra Peiris described the case as ‘quite an unusual situation’ and he welcomed Korea’s decision to finally allow Maritime Maisie to enter the port of Ulsan.

Nautilus members have expressed concern over aspects of the proposed Polar Code being developed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to govern the safety of ships operating in the Arctic and Antarctic.

The Code is being drawn up to set standards for design, construction, equipment, operation, training, search and rescue and environmental protection matters linked to the increasing amount of vessels operating in polar regions.

But members attending last month’s meeting of the Union’s Professional and Technical Forum voiced concerns about the current state of the Code. They considered a paper examining the risks facing ships in polar waters and the way in which

the final draft of the Code — which was published earlier this year — seeks to deal with them.

‘There is considerable alarm about the fact that vessels will be operating in these inhospitable waters which are clearly not designed and constructed to do so,’ said senior national secretary Allan Graveson.

He said there is particular concern over passenger vessels, with fears that existing requirements for life-saving appliances are inadequate.

The draft Polar Code allows Category C vessels to operate in the Polar regions with no ice strengthening at all, on the basis that they will be operating in ‘open water’ or ‘less severe’ ice conditions.

The Code also specifies that new ships of category A and B must be able to

withstand flooding caused by ice impact, but there is no such provision for category C ships.

Other concerns discussed by members at the meeting include the potential for passengers abandoning ship to be forced to spend a long time in lifeboats or liferafts before rescue. They also heard that there is no provision in the draft Code for a helicopter landing deck to enable emergency assistance to be given to ships a long way from search and rescue facilities.

The draft Code also allows ships to operate in supposedly ‘ice-free’ waters with no additional training for the master, chief officer and OOWs — and in waters with up to 10% ice coverage only basic training is required. g See feature — page 25.

14/05/2014 18:50

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH & SAFETY

Crew criticised for grounding Departure should have been delayed to fix steering problem, says report

New DP training rule could halve seatime dynamic positioning (DP) F operators — which can significantly A new standard for training

Tugs tow the Bermuda-flagged Norfolk Express to safety following the grounding in German waters last year Picture: Havariekommando

P

The crew of a containership which ran aground after leaving the German port of Bremerhaven last year have been criticised for failing to continue the voyage or to slow down after the vessel suffered earlier steering problems.

The 36,606gt Norfolk Express had to undergo extensive dry dock repairs when the rudder jammed as the vessel sailed down the river Weser, bound for the French port of Le Havre, last April.

Germany’s Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) said the rudder of the Bermuda-flagged Norfolk Express had remained hard to port just a few minutes after leaving the berth.

Immediate use of the tiller had

enabled the crew to regain control of the ship and the steering then returned to normal, the BSU report notes, but the chief engineer and electrical officer failed to find out what had caused the fault.

Just under half an hour later, as the ship accelerated to more than 18 knots, the steering failed again and the rudder jammed at 7° to port, with use of the tiller having no effect. Although the crew stopped the engine and dropped the anchor, they were unable to prevent the vessel hitting a breakwater.

The BSU report, jointly produced with the Bermuda flag state authorities, says the crew failed to follow safety management procedures to delay the voyage

until the fault was detected and rectified.

Subsequent investigations by specialists took four days to discover that the problem had been caused by the failure of a rectifier in the starboard control unit.

Insufficient action had been taken by the crew to mitigate the potential consequences of another failure, the report adds.

‘The most obvious approach would have been to switch the steering control from the circuit used hitherto to the other,’ it states. ‘During the investigation, it was found that the ship’s command was not aware of this option at the time of the accident.’

Crew members had taken only a few minutes to check the steering gear and plan the further

course of the voyage, the report points out. Tugs could have been put on standby to give more time for risk analysis, it adds, and there had apparently been no discussion between the master, chief engineer and the vessel operator before the decision was made to proceed.

‘It is concluded that a ship should not be permitted to depart when an unknown fault that impairs the manoeuvrability and thus the safety of the ship is evident,’ the report states. It recommends that the operator, AngloEastern, should urge its ships’ commands to follow the International Safety Management Code and avoid taking risks, and also regularly train them in the use of emergency systems.

Report raises further questions over containership fire-fighting fighting arrangements on large A containerships have been raised Fresh concerns over the fire-

by a report on a blaze onboard the 15,550TEU Eugen Maersk last year.

The fire began in two containers in the aftermost loading bay — Bay 90 — on the main cargo deck while the 170,794gt ship was sailing from Malaysia to Rotterdam and it took five days to extinguish.

A Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Bureau report on the incident praises the ‘calm and decisive management of the critical situation’ by the crew and the willingness of the Djibouti harbour authorities to give the ship a place of refuge that enabled specialist firefighting teams to come onboard to

12-13_h+s.indd 13

The fire on Eugen Maersk took five days to extinguish

extinguish the blaze.

But it also warns that the firefighting equipment onboard ‘proved to be of little or no use’ — with crew experiencing limitations in the range of the water from the fire nozzles.

‘It was noted that, should a fire occur in higher container positions,

the crew would have no real chance of effectively fighting it with the present equipment,’ the report adds.

In fact, the Danish-flagged ship was carrying more fire-fighting equipment than required by the regulations because of lessons learned from a fire onboard the 92,198gt Charlotte Maersk in 2010.

Investigators said that the Eugen Maersk’s crew members had to spend ‘a significant amount of time’ collecting fire-fighting equipment which had been laid out on deck and closing fire hydrants which had been left open as precautionary measures while the vessel was sailing through a high-risk piracy area.

This was the ship’s first voyage in which the containers in Bay 90

cut seatime requirements — has been developed by the classification society DNV GL. It is urging the industry to adopt the standard as ‘a universal mechanism’ for DP certification — arguing that increased use of simulators can help deliver more effective and efficient training, as well as enabling seatime to be reduced by up to 50%.

DNV GL said its new recommended practice (RP) for DP training was drawn up after consultations with major players in the offshore industry and covers competence development and assessment, sea time/onboard competence building, certification, and re-certification.

‘Dynamic positioning can be considered a high-risk activity involving a team of people working together on high technology equipment,’ said simulator certification manager Aksel Nordholm. ‘Realistic simulation, including time on full mission simulators, plays an important role in how they learn to deal with

situations that rarely occur at sea.

As long as all operational aspects are included in the training, such as communication and cooperation with others, simulators enhance competence and reduce training time.’

Given the differing duration and frequency of DP operations, the classification society said its RP does not define a universal seatime requirement expressed in days.

Instead, learning goals are used to define the training experiences required.

DNV GL said the RP provides guidance to flag states and other parties wanting to establish an independently validated certification scheme, and will help flag states meet anticipated STCW DP operator requirements currently covered in Part B (guidance) but expected to be moved to Part A (mandatory) in the near future.

Mark Pointon, from the International Dynamic Positioning Operators Association, commented: ‘We hope that it will be adopted as the universal mechanism that ensures a consistent standard of DP certification globally for DP operators.’

‘Cyber-risks’ warning do more to combat the risks of F ‘cyber-attack’ and software problems, The shipping industry needs to

insurers were warned last month.

Speaking to the Lloyd’s Market Association Marine Forum, Bernard Twomey and Jonathan Earthy of Lloyd’s Register said the marine sector faces a real risk of malicious attacks on systems and organisations via information technology.

They highlighted a number of cases — including a collision between two offshore support vessels in

Aberdeen harbour caused by a fault in a new DP system’s software — as examples of risks arising from such factors as system complexity, software upgrades, ineffective installation or maintenance, and inappropriate training.

The consequences of such problems include loss of control, reduced reliability or availability, damage to ship systems, incorrect reporting of regulatory information and damage to ships, cargoes and the environment, they added.

had been stacked eight tiers high.

Investigators suggested that the fire could have been caused by friction heat after two container stacks collapsed when their lashings broke in heavy weather.

Loading data showed the stack weights were within acceptable limits, although several stacks in Bay 90 were in the region of 97% to 99% of the maximum allowable load, the report states.

But, it points out, ‘as containers are not weighed upon loading, it is uncertain whether some stack loads exceeded the maximum acceptable load and this could have contributed to the collapse of the container stacks’.

14/05/2014 18:50

14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports WAKE-UP CALL: rescue boats and helicopters from Sweden and Finland were launched when a Cyprusflagged cargoship came within 15 minutes of running aground after its master fell asleep last month. The 2,984gt Lunamar was heading from Poland to Vaasa when vessel traffic services noticed it was heading for the shore. Investigators said the Polish captain was found to have been over the alcohol limit and would be deported.

RECOVERY HOPES: positive signs of recovery for the shipping industry have been reported by the French shipbroker Barry Rogliano. It says there has been an ‘unexpected boom’ in vessel orders — especially for cargo ships, oil tankers and containerships — in total representing a 21% year-on-year increase in tonnage.

MYANMAR MOVE: the Singapore-based ship management firm Thome Group has opened a crewing office in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. Thome is among a growing list of companies investing in Myanmar as a source of seafaring labour and it says the country offers a ‘vast wealth of seafarer potential’.

GAS DEATHS: two Chinese seafarers died after reportedly inhaling poisonous gas while inspecting a cargo of non-coking coal onboard a bulk carrier off the coast of India. Two other seafarers had to be treated in hospital following the incident onboard the 63,920dwt Panama-flagged Tuo Fu 3.

RESCUE WORRIES: the French national maritime rescue service SNSM says it is seriously concerned that big cuts in grants to local, district and regional councils could reduce its ability to provide support to vessels in distress around the country’s coastline.

PORT PROTEST: shore staff and seafarers working for the French port of Nantes-Saint Nazaire have taken strike action in protest at €3m cuts in the port’s dredging budget over the next three years. They fear the cuts could mean the loss of 16 seafarers’ jobs.

NYK ORDERS: the Japanese shipping company NYK has ordered eight new 14,000TEU containerships — its first new orders since 2007. Due for delivery from February 2016, the ships will be deployed on Asia-Europe routes with the G6 alliance.

CADET CALL: the French shipmasters’ association, Afcan, has warned operators that they have a duty to honour their commitment to provide training berths for an agreed number of first-year National French Academy cadets onboard their ships.

MFL GROWTH: the French cross-Channel operator MyFerryLink has reported a 9.9% increase in the market share of its Calais-Dover service in the first quarter of this year. Its turnover increased by 64% to reach €18.3m.

GUARDS BACKED: French unions and owners have welcomed the adoption of a government bill authorising armed guards onboard French-flagged ships sailing in high-risk piracy zones.

Excellence in Training STCW10 Refresher Training Now Available HOTA is introducing STCW Certificate’s of Updated Proficiency following the “Manila amendments to the STCW Convention and Code.”

• Personal Survival Techniques Refresher • • Basic Fire Fighting & Fire Prevention Refresher • • Advanced Fire Fighting Refresher • • Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats (Other than Fast Rescue Boats) Refresher • • Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats Refresher • The new courses are in addition to HOTA’s current Maritime portfolio which includes:

• STCW Basic Safety Training • Ship Security Officer • Ship Safety Officer • PSCRB • • Efficient Deck Hand • Crowd Management • • Crisis Management & Human Behaviour • Please visit the HOTA website www.hota.org for course dates or call 01482 820567 HOTA is a limited company with Charity Status, open 51 weeks a year with a rolling timetable of courses held at its Malmo Road and Albert Dock sites in Hull

14-15_int.indd 14

ITF helps stranded crew to get home who were abandoned on a F Panamanian-flagged vehicle carrier Fifteen Filipino seafarers

off Malta have been repatriated after a court ordered the payment of more than €200,000 in owed wages.

Local International Transport Workers’ Federation inspector Paul Falzon stepped in after the Taiwanese owners of the 72,408gt B Ladybug stopped paying the salaries of the 22 crew and left them without food and water.

The ITF filed a civil suit on their behalf, requesting the payment of salaries backdated to May 2013 and costs to cover their return home.

Judge Jacqueline Padovani Grima noted that no evidence had been provided to counter the claim filed

Study calls for Hong Kong to act on flag been urged to set up a new A organisation to ensure that the city

Hong Kong’s government has

can continue to be one of the world’s leading maritime centres and its flag can continue to attract shipping.

A report produced for the Hong Kong government by BMT Asia Pacific sets out a ‘development road map’ strategy designed to keep the Special Administrative Region (SAR) as a major shipping centre in the face of increasing regional competition.

It concludes that Hong Kong should establish a new statutory body to lead work on maritime policy, research and development, manpower and training, marketing and communications.

It suggests the new body could be funded by revenue from the Hong Kong Shipping Register, which presently has 2,339 ships of 87.6m gt on its books.

The study notes that Hong Kong still retains a ‘very strong’ position in ship owning, operating and management, but is lagging behind London and Singapore in ship finance, brokering, chartering and maritime arbitration, and falling behind Singapore and Shanghai in maritime education and port operation.

And it warns that if Hong Kong does nothing to protect its maritime cluster, further decline is inevitable.

BMT says the SAR should not copy other centres like Singapore but promote itself as a distinct maritime service centre with unique benefits for owners and operators.

The study stresses the importance of maritime skills and recommends that the new statutory body should have the powers to implement initiatives to support training for the industry and promote maritime recruitment.

BMT Asia Pacific MD Richard Colwill commented: ‘Hong Kong has a rich maritime heritage and is home to a vibrant community of ship owners, ship managers and service providers engaged in a diverse range of activities spanning the industry.

The maritime sector plays a vital role in the local economy and recognising its strategic value, governments across the region have taken an interest in developing similar clusters, requiring Hong Kong to maximise its competitive advantage.’

for the crew and she ordered the Ladybug Corporation to pay a total of €205,694 in lieu of salaries and repatriation expenses.

The International Labour Organisation made a film about the case, which was shown to the 300 representatives of seafarers, shipowners and governments, meeting at the ILO’s headquarters to discuss amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention to protect abandoned seafarers.

The ITF had earlier recovered more than €290,000 unpaid wages and repatriation fees for the crew of sistership A Ladybug and it is also providing support for seafarers on the D Ladybug, which had also been abandoned in Maltese waters.

ITF inspector Paul Falzon with crew from A Ladybug Picture: ITF

Nordic nations in policy shifts Sweden and Norway move to protect merchant fleets

by Andrew Draper

P

Sweden and Norway are both on the verge of introducing new maritime policy packages to boost their shipping industries and stave off pressure from owners flagging out.

The Swedish government is facing a sector in steep decline, with many major operators switching registers to save costs.

Under pressure from the seafaring unions, it began work on a maritime strategy in 2013 and a working party is currently travelling around the country gathering evidence and proposals for action.

The government has also applied to the European Commission for permission to extend subsidies to shipping to include tonnage other than freight and passenger vessels — such as research ships, tugs, and offshore support vessels.

The SEKO union said it welcomed the initiative, adding there was a great need for a longterm and broad-based maritime strategy.

The Norwegians, meanwhile,

are looking to maintain their position as a leading maritime nation with a new strategy to address national and international framework conditions, research and development, education, ship registration, the northern area of Norway and green shipping.

Owners say they want to see continuing competitive conditions. The Norwegian maritime sector employs around 105,000 people and has the fifth biggest merchant fleet in the world by value, with almost 1,800 vessels of 100gt and above. z The Swedish government has backed away from plans which the Swedish maritime union SBF had warned would have killed the market for the country’s seafarers.

The government had planned to require foreign employers to be registered for tax in Sweden before employing Swedes, which would have made them liable for social security contributions in Sweden, but the measure met with howls of protest from all sides of the shipping industry.

Extensive analysis of social security costs and lengthy discussions with the union led to the government presenting a solu-

tion based on an agreement from 1983, which allows Swedish seafarers to serve on foreign-flagged tonnage.

The government is continuing to seek a solution that covers all seafarers, as not all are included in the existing agreement. z Swedish unions SBF and SEKO have settled with the ferry firm TT-Line, which was looking to make 70 redundancies as a result of replacing Swedish seafarers with Polish crews.

The number of job losses is now greatly reduced, according to the unions, who have rescinded their legal action against TT-Line.

They were arguing that the layoffs were illegal under Swedish law as company ownership was not being transferred and the Polish crew were being hired on worse pay and conditions, with no collective agreement.

Jonas Forslind, of SEKO’s maritime section, commented: ‘This concerns a ferry sailing between two EU countries. It’s unreasonable that working conditions and wages should be lowered just so that it can start sailing between Sweden and Poland instead of to Germany.’

Royal Boskalis Westminster has F unveiled plans for a new ultra-large The Dutch shipping company

V-class heavy marine transport vessel (HTV), pictured right.

Company officials told the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston last month that they had started work on the design of the new HTV — which would be even larger than the 116,173dwt Dockwise Vanguard, which is presently the world’s largest heavylift vessel.

Chief executive Peter Berdowski said the decision to start the study reflected the ‘exciting opportunities’ in the expected growth in FPSO and FLNG markets and in the transport of outsized heavy marine structures.

14/05/2014 18:51

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

Funding crisis for French services Future of two key operators hangs in the balance as negotiations drag on

by Jeff Apter

S

Celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry service were put on hold by the French authorities last month amid further fears about the future of the route.

Nicolas Rouly, president of the Seine-Maritime District Council which subsidises the service, said the festivities for the anniversary of its launch in May 1964 were being delayed ‘until the end of the summer’ while talks about its future take place.

The Transmanche ferry route is currently run by DFDS Seaways, but its contract expires next year and so far no bids to operate the service after that have been successful.

A top-level meeting between British and French politicians was due to take place on 31 May. French authorities have complained about the €19m a year cost of the public service subsidy for the route and have warned that it may have to be cut or even withdrawn.

Seven Sisters ‒ one of the two Transmanche ferries Picture: Eric Houri

Sébastien Jumel, re-elected in March for a six-year term as mayor of Dieppe, said the service imposes a heavy cost on the town and more clarity is needed on the terms under which public money is provided for the route.

New models of financing the operation could be explored with public and private interests, he suggested.

But Mr Jumel remains confident for the future. ‘There are positive elements, with the number of passengers on the line continuing to rise, despite the

severe crisis that is hitting other ferry lines,’ he said. ‘The DieppeNewhaven line has a future.’

DFDS decided against submitting a bid for the service when the current contact expires, on the grounds that it was uncertain whether it could meet the requirements of the tender.

But MD Jean-Claude Charlo said the company is keen to continue to run the service and, if asked, it would agree to extend operations for another year.

DFDS could also be interested in a fresh operating tender, he

suggested, depending on the conditions.

DFDS has a vision for the future of the route, Mr Charlo added. ‘We will offer a range of solutions to the council to reduce public money to a minimum,’ he promised. z Fears for the future of the French Mediterranean ferry company SNCM rose last month as appeals were made to the French president, François Hollande, and his new prime minister Manual Valls to appoint a high-level official to prevent the firm from collapse.

Concerns about the company have been fuelled by a European Commission demand for the repayment of €440m in ‘illegal’ state aid that it received when it was privatised in the 1990s.

SNCM’s main shareholders have said they will not put any more money into the company and proposed that SNCM should go under court protection to shield itself from the European Commission order, which would bankrupt the company and put its 2,600 jobs at risk.

US court orders a $500,000 reward for whistleblowers containership have been given a US$500,000 A reward for ‘whistleblowing’ to the US authorities.

Four seafarers from a German-owned

The Bremen-based owner of their vessel was fined US$1m last month after a court heard that the 53,807gt Bellavia had entered the port of Long Beach with a cracked hull that could have caused an oil leak.

Herm. Dauelsberg was also ordered to pay a further $250,000 to an environmental fund after pleading guilty to failing to maintain accurate records involving the overboard disposal of fuel from the Marshall Islands-flagged containership and failing to report a hazardous condition to the US Coast Guard.

Hapag-Lloyd merger deal the world’s fourth largest A container shipping company has been An agreement which will create

reached with a binding contract for the merger of German firm Hapag-Lloyd and Chile’s Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV).

The deal will result in a combined fleet of 200 vessels with a total capacity of around 1m TEU and annual volumes of around 7.5m TEU. ‘By joining forces, we are creating a stronger, larger and more global company with significant economies of scale and a considerably improved competitive position,’ said CSAV CEO Oscar Hasbún.

14-15_int.indd 15

This case was initiated after the four crew members provided ‘significant information’ to the Coast Guard, including pictures and videos of discharges from a fuel tank into the ocean.

District judge George Wu ordered that the seafarers should receive a total of $500,000 under a federal law which allows up to half of a fine to be paid to whistleblowers providing information on ‘certain environmental crimes aboard vessels’.

The court heard that Bellavia had sustained hull cracks when it was damaged during transits through the Panama Canal in 2011.

Prosecutors said that on an unknown number

of occasions over the past three years, the cracks opened to such an extent that seawater could enter one of the ship’s fuel tanks and as a result of the damage bunker fuel could have been released from the tank into the sea.

The company admitted that, after sustaining the crack, crew members used one of the ship’s pumps to discharge nearly 120,000 gallons of oilcontaminated seawater from the fuel tank directly into the ocean, bypassing the oily water separator.

The ship’s crew had failed to properly record the discharge in the ship’s records and did not disclose it to the Coast Guard, the court heard.

Forerunner is pictured arriving F for berthing trials in Portsmouth last The 24,688gt ro-ro Stena

month before starting a new service for the Dutch operator Transfennica.

Together with sistership Stena Forecaster, the Swedish-flagged ferry has been deployed on a twiceweekly run linking Portsmouth with Zeebrugge and Bilbao. Each ship can carry up to 100 trailers, 150 doublestacked containers and 12 drivers.

‘We believe the market is ready for an unaccompanied solution connecting Spain, the UK and Belgium,’ said Transfennica director Eric de Wit. ‘We are confident that we are introducing a service that the market needs.’

Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

shortreports PILOTAGE ALARM: Norway’s government is planning to liberalise the national pilotage service, claiming the move will cut costs while retaining a safe service. The proposals also include a differentiation in pilotage services so certain vessels can opt to sail without a pilot, for example in ‘low-risk’ situations or where the master has special expertise. The changes, planned to take effect in 2015, could lead to the loss of 24 pilot boats and more than 100 jobs.

DFDS VISION: the ferry operator DFDS Seaways says it sees France as a ‘new base for future growth’ and is considering the launch of new Mediterranean freight services. Managing director Jean-Claude Charlo said the company already operates the UK-flagged ro-ro Beachy Head between Marseilles and Tunis and is assessing routes involving North Africa and Turkey and examining others between France and Spain/Portugal and northern Europe.

DENMARK SLATED: the International Labour Organisation has condemned a Danish law banning the country’s unions from representing foreign seafarers serving on vessels on the Danish international ship register. A report from the UN agency calls on the Danish government ‘to make every effort’ to ensure full respect of the principles of free collective bargaining on Danishflagged ships, regardless of the country of residence of union members.

BOX LOSSES: 16 of the world’s top 19 containership operators chalked up operations losses totalling more than $2bn last year, according to the consultancy firm Alphaliner. But thanks to the profits of Maersk Line (5.8% up at $1.524bn) and CMA CGM (4.8% increase to $756m), the 19 operators’ total profits reached $247m.

Wan Hai, Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL and K line were the only other operators to show positive results.

SNCM SALE: the French ferry firm SNCM has told its former flagship, the 44,307gt Napoléon Bonaparte, to the Italian operator SNAV. The ship suffered extensive damage after breaking its moorings in the port of Marseilles during a storm in October 2012 and will undergo further extensive repair work before entering service with SNAV from operating the ferry to Corsica.

POLLUTION CASE: the Danish master of the 4,473dwt chemical tanker Maria Theresa has appeared in a French court to face charges of illegal tank cleaning off the French coast in September 2013. The ship’s operators, Nordic Tankers, are also facing charges arising from the incident and prosecutors have called for a fine of €150,000 to be imposed.

KENYAN CALL: the Seafarer Union of Kenya (SUK) has urged the country’s government to set up a national merchant navy training board to give more Kenyans the chance to work in the international shipping industry.

FATAL COLLISION: eleven seafarers died following a collision between the Chinese cargoship Zhong Xing 2 and the 6,700TEU containership MOL Motivator off Hong Kong last month.

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14/05/2014 18:51

16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

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

Derbyshire story is not finished yet excellent account of P the penultimate chapter of Mike Gerber gave an

Tell your tale for the Day of the Seafarer recognised every year on 25 C June and reached almost 10 million The Day of the Seafarer is

people online in 2013. This year, the fourth in the campaign’s history, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) wants to take the message even wider, across the maritime sector and beyond.

This year’s theme, ‘Seafarers brought me…’ highlights the ofteninvisible role that seafarers play in our lives every day, whilst delivering more than 90% of the world’s goods.

Are you a seafarer who has transported unusual, perhaps even

life-saving products? Have you gone the extra mile to ensure that goods aboard your vessel are brought to the consumers who need them the most?

Perhaps you’re from a seafaring family with stories that span generations?

If you are a seafarer, or work with someone who spends life at sea, and have an amazing story that will bring this year’s theme to life, the IMO wants to hear from you.

Please contact us via dots@ blue-comms.com before 16 June 2014.

KARINE LANGLOIS IMO

We’re on Facebook.

Become a fan!

Visit www.nautilusint.org

Have your say online Last month we asked: Is the shipping industry ready for the Ballast Water Management Convention?

No 75%

Yes 25%

This month’s poll asks: Do you think it is safe for the counter-piracy naval force off Somalia to be scaled down? Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

16-18_lets.indd 16

the Derbyshire saga in May’s Telegraph.

Penultimate?

The final chapter will be in the writing — hopefully for a long time to come. It will record the extent of the implementation of strengthening measures that lessons extracted from the forensic investigation of the wreck would demand if integrity is to be served.

Simple statistics — then and now — will prove the preservation of life as a result of

the families holding the spotlight on the bulk carrier problem.

To those families who, by their own initiative and tenacious efforts, have fashioned an indestructible monument to their loved ones, I say simply ‘thank you’ because words can never capture what we seafarers owe you.

Capt D.C. RAMWELL mem no 311877 PS: just a couple of small but important corrections. I am not the secretary of the DFA. I am the secretary of the mv Derbyshire Trust Fund, charity no 1153105

(and, wearing that hat, I thank Nautilus Council members for the generous donation of £1,000 and invite Telegraph readers to contribute to the fund. Further information can be sent on request).

It was the often inspired, intrepid adventurer Shaun Kent who first fixed an EP of the Derbyshire. John Jubb, welding consultant, drew up the first professional presentation. Then the sheer driving force of Mark Dickinson generated the unstoppable momentum that finally carried the ITF-backed mission to success.

Robo-ships would break the law With reference to the article about automated ‘robo-ships’ in the May Telegraph, how can this be safe?

Under maritime law, if a ship is in distress passing ships have to come to their aid, which unmanned ships can’t, so how will they get round that one?

The International Maritime Organisation and flag states set safe

manning for ships, so why don’t they stop this happening before it starts — or is it greedy shipping companies dictating to the IMO or backhanders?

All of us sailors and dockers should get together now and stop the shipping companies getting their way.

Safety before profit! The Maritime & Coastguard Agency should not allow

these ships in English waters, but if they give in to pressure then shoreside unions need to ensure they are not unloaded. Nautilus (of which I am a member) should start putting pressure on the authorities to put a stop to this ridiculous idea.

DEAN HAMMOND mem no 184486

Follow us on Twitter Weight of paint can be surprisingly significant In the article ‘Concerns raised over boxship safety’ (May Telegraph), Council member Mike Lloyd’s comments regarding a 25% loss of steel over a period of 25 years reminded me of a little stability project I undertook during my stint as a mate in the 50s and 60s.

On one trip I noted the thickness of the paint on the superstructure was more than expected. This led me to think about the effect on the ship’s stability of the extra ‘paint weight’.

With this in mind, I had a 3ft x 3ft section of the superstructure chipped and all the chippings collected and weighed — it was a nice long good weather passage from Panama to New Zealand. I then made a guesstimate of the surface area of the ship’s superstructure to find the additional paint weight the superstructure had acquired since being built.

I don’t remember the estimated weight, but it was significant enough for me to take into consideration when making stability calculations from that time on.

ALEXANDER HARRISON mem no 044379

Our Korean colleagues deserve better than this ‘Tantamount to murder.’ Any mariner upon hearing that reported (translated) statement from South Korean president Park Geun-hye would rightly share my indignation at such a blatant example of lynch mob mentality.

It beggars belief that the president of a country would stoop to such a low

level in an attempt to score such cheap political points at the expense of a captain who has just lost his ship under tragic circumstances.

We do not yet know the cause of the sinking of the Sewol. The investigation requires objective evidence in order to reach a proper conclusion. A properly conducted investigation has a chance

of providing closure to the next of kin.

Lynch mob mentality will provide no closure at all.

Although the vessel was engaged in a domestic trade between two South Korean ports, the risks of the maritime adventure are the same as for an international voyage. The loss of the Sewol should raise questions and

provide remedies on an international basis. Captain Lee and his crew at the very least deserve the dignity of being able to defend their actions at the appropriate time. I hope they are afforded that dignity and support.

TONY MINNS mem no 140885 g Opinion: see John Dickie, page 21

Where’s my Telegraph?

If you have moved recently, your home copy may still be trying to catch up with you — particularly if you gave us a temporary address such as a hall of residence.

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

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14/05/2014 18:52

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS

telegraph THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

STAFF editor: Andrew Linington deputy editor: Debbie Cavaldoro production editor: June Cattini-Walker senior reporter: Sarah Robinson web editor: Deborah McPherson ADVERTISING Redactive Media Group 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP. Display adverts: Tom Poole tel: +44 (0)20 7880 6217 Recruitment adverts: John Seaman tel: +44 (0)20 7880 8541 tel: +44 (0)20 7880 6200 email: info@redactive.co.uk website: www.redactive.co.uk Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advice before entering into any commitments such as investments (including pension plans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation and Nautilus International cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financial services or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problems with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.

Remembering a time before paperwork... your excellent newspaper with C regard to the paperwork burden Further to the recent letters in

now placed on ship’s staff, I enclose a photograph of what the MN really is no longer like.

I hope that all shipowners reading this edition can be reminded that the days of old, where master mariners strolled around open wheelhouse decks undertaking navigation, with caps and

binoculars, are long gone.

Instead, you are likely find the skipper hard at work on the computer keyboard or shouting down the phone to the chief engineer as yesterday’s noon fuel figures apparently show some discrepancy which the charter party accountants have picked up!

NEIL NISBET Chief engineer officer mem no 179598

Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

ISSN 0040 2575 Published by Nautilus International Printed by Polestar Colchester 2 Wyncolls Road, Severalls Industrial Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 9HU.

Don’t these young seafarers appreciate the red ensign?

I was somewhat dismayed to see the picture on page 2 of the May Telegraph.

How could all those young professionals, serving seafarers, union officials, not to mention the editor and his staff, fail to realise that the flag they are displaying is patently NOT a Red Ensign? mem no 429899 Having just received May’s Nautilus Telegraph I find myself in despair yet again as I see another incorrect Red Ensign displayed, and this time at a union-run Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum.

May I suggest that the union review their

flag supplier or insist the purchaser of this particular specimen visit that well known high street chain of opticians?

JEFF ARGENT mem no 147433 Just received the latest Telegraph and turned to page 2 to find a howling error! What have they done to the Red Ensign in Southampton?

Surely someone must have noticed that there is something missing, or was Wales not invented when that ensign was produced?

Shame on them and heaven help the future generation if they can’t recognise our ensign.

flagged up a rather embarrassing oversight (or rather P under) on my behalf and it seems that a red mist may have Many of our valued readers and members have

descended.

In the May Telegraph a photograph taken at the last Young Maritime Professionals’ meeting was published with attendees holding a flag that was missing the counter-charged cross of St Patrick. For this mistake I am nailing my colours to the mast and claiming full and ultimate responsibility — it was my flag, my mistake and my insistence that we held it up during the photograph.

For those of you upset or dismayed, embarrassed or perplexed, I offer my fullest and most unreserved apology.

To respond to some of the valid points raised in letters received: The aspect of the ensign missing was the countercharged cross of St Patrick, an addition to the flag of the United Kingdom made after the 1801 Act of Union. This addition was to represent Ireland forming part of the United Kingdom and not Wales, as some members may have thought. Wales currently has no representation to the flag of the United Kingdom and by extension any of its ensigns.

16-18_lets.indd 17

Mind you, I don’t suppose too many of them will have the pleasure of sailing under it during their careers.

CHARLES WOODWARD The article on page 2 of the May edition concerning the Young Maritime Professionals Forum held in Southampton last month highlights a real problem for them.

But what on earth is the flag they are holding in the accompanying picture? Might be an idea to get that right in the first place? Unless, of course, they are considering some form of breakaway movement!!

Currently it is not on the agenda of the Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum to form a breakaway movement, and the display of this flag was not a precursor to any sort of movement for independence.

The Nautilus Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum is very happily supporting the work of Nautilus International in tirelessly serving the interests and needs of the world’s maritime professionals, and will continue to do so.

And lastly, as all of the attendees of the Young Maritime Professionals Forum are active seafarers (apart from our Nautilus International supporting staff), I would like to offer you my assurances that we all hold valid ENG1 certificates and all meet the requirements of visual acuity required by the Department for Transport.

To raise some points of my own: So far, no-one has pointed out that my inept attempt at flying the red ensign at a meeting of the Nautilus Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum meeting was rather belittling of the contribution made to Nautilus International by our Dutch, Swiss, Irish... (the list of nationalities we represent continues) members Without our close partnership with our non-British members the union would not be in such a strong position

IAN BURRELL mem no 137450 (Cunard Line ret’d) Today I received my copy of the Telegraph. I was somewhat surprised to see on page 2 of the May edition, in a report of the young persons’ forum, a picture of a Red Ensign pre-1801. I appreciate the subtle message you are trying to convey, namely, the outdated approach by owners to young persons. However, this may not be appreciated by all readers — especially those in Wales…

Name & no supplied

as it is at the moment to represent the needs of the seafaring professional. For my unintentional insult to our international brethren I am deeply sorry.

It is very encouraging for me, as the chair of the Nautilus Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum, to see that we have so many keen and interested members concerned at how a meeting of young people, working in our industry, failed to realise that the flag we displayed was not the correct Red Ensign. As some of you might agree, this lack of recognition could be put down to the fact that too large a number of our British young maritime professionals have no experience, no opportunity and no chance of working on or with vessels flying the flag of the UK ship registry.

All too often, the best and brightest of the future of shipping in this country are working of foreign-flagged vessels and flags of convenience, with many trainees having no sea time on UK vessels.

I can only hope that with your support, we can change the future of shipping in this country so that we no longer see our young maritime professionals working under flags none of us recognise and respect.

MARTYN GRAY Chair, Nautilus Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum

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: youth@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.

14/05/2014 18:52

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

YOUR LETTERS

New college and industry teams to boost Tyne race P

Taming the mighty river Tyne is no easy task. And when you’re fighting time and tide in a rowing boat made for four, while competing against others after the same unique prize, it’s a test of deep endurance.

Though friendship and goodwill reign supreme — we are giving our all, and indeed our oar, for good causes — we all want to win the South Shields Marine School Annual Row. This is the fifth successive race year and again it will start from an imaginary line across the Tyne from Newcastle to Gateshead, just yards from the iconic and world-famous Tyne and Swing bridges, the competitors’ 16ft-long Trinity 500s stretched across.

At this moment they will be experiencing excitement, optimism and dread, and it is the image of the far-off finishing line eight nautical miles downriver — and 75 minutes away for the best craft — at South Tyneside College’s Marine and Safety Training Centre in South Shields that will drive them on.

The idea that South Shields Marine School staff could row this race to raise money came to me five years ago when two college lecturers were seriously ill. Sadly, one of them passed away before the idea became reality.

In 2010, its first year, I persuaded 24 marine school cadets to take part, knowing many lecturers earmarked for it were aged

over 50 and perhaps might find it too challenging physically.

In 2011, South Shields Marine School’s 150th anniversary, I invited other nautical colleges to take part and Fleetwood Nautical Campus, part of Blackpool and Fylde College accepted, as did the North East P&I Club. Fleetwood won the one-off cup.

The following year we competed for the new Marine School Challenge Cup, and again Fleetwood won — but in 2013, with the race expanded to six teams, including

four from the college, a South Shields Marine School cadet team triumphed.

This year’s race starts at Newcastle Quayside at 11am on Saturday 21 June. It will be the biggest yet, with nine crews from seven organisations taking part. The college is represented through a ladies squad, as well as teams from South Shields Marine School, one of its major faculties, and its general engineering department.

Long-standing supporters Fleetwood Nautical Campus and North of England P&I Club are also competing, along with

newcomers Glasgow Marine College, Bernhard Schulte Shipping, American Bureau of Shipping, and a team made up from Lloyds, Det Norske Veritas and Bureau Veritas.

It is a tough race — so much so that there are two swap-over points for fresh crews to take over. The first is after 3.5nm and the second a further 3.1nm downriver.

From there just 1.4nm are left, the crew doing least work gaining most glory!

So far, £4,000 has been raised for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation — chosen by relatives of the two lecturers — and more than £3,000 has found its way to the Ocean Youth Trust (North) and over £1,000 for the South Shields Sea Cadets at TS Collingwood.

Full credit must also be given to my event co-organiser Perry, who has arranged event sponsors and other support each year.

Those involved in this year’s race remain as excited as ever by this tremendous spectacle, whose scope continues to grow. It remains a longstanding ambition that it will one day take its place among other major North East summer sporting events, such as the Great North Run.

TOMMY PROCTOR Retired marine lecturer South Tyneside College and former tugmaster

In memory of Johnny Ray, chief engineer Veteran employees of Townsend Thoresen, who knew him, will be saddened to hear of the passing of chief engineer officer Johnny Ray, who died peacefully on 19 April at the age of 81, surrounded by some of his extensive family, yielding at last to his long-time heart condition.

John served his time as a fitter and turner with Cory’s of Erith before going to sea with Ellermans and then Blue Star, obtaining a first class steam certificate of competency during this time. In 1958 he joined Legal & General Insurance Engineering department inspecting pressure vessels in SE London, Kent and Surrey.

He was made redundant in the late 70s and joined Townsend Thoresen, there obtaining a motorship endorsement, until being medically severed around 1988.

He was a great shipmate to many and a very special friend to me.

JOHN KIDD mem no 058561

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16-18_lets.indd 18

Holder, the chairman of the F maritime training company Videotel Tributes have been paid to Len

Marine International, who died last month following a short illness.

Following a cadetship with Glen Line, he served at sea for a decade in the British Merchant Navy before coming ashore to study and research at Liverpool Polytechnic, now Liverpool John Moores University. He was head of department there from 1977 to 1988 and then director of the school of engineering and technology management.

Capt Holder helped to found

Videotel in the 1970s, and he was also a founder member of the Nautical Institute and had served as Master of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners.

On top of his commitment to Videotel as chairman, consultant and advisor on many Steering Groups, Len also used his skills to write for a number of industry publications.

Videotel’s deputy chairman Stephen Bond commented: ‘Len was a major force in the development and growth of Videotel over the last 40 years and has contributed in a significant way

to the saving of life at sea through a more effective and better thoughtout attitude towards improving seafarer training worldwide. He was a mentor and guiding hand to all in this important sector of the industry and we will all miss him very dearly.’

We need to take action on fatigue now, before more lives are lost Re the recent article published in the Telegraph about a Danish tanker aground after the mate fell asleep whilst on six-on-six-off watch rota: the article stated that the incident was caused through a lack of normal sleep, adding that research findings show that 45% of incidents took place when participants were on a six/six rota. When is action going to be taken and not ignored by shore personnel?

This rota is now creeping in to the ERRV sector. In the 2000 era, these vessels carried three engineers who did four-on-eight-off watches.

Because a shortage of third engineers developed, or they were unable to attract young engineers to the sector, they were replaced by a motorman, so the manning scale was the same and accepted (by whom?). The majority of the motormen did not have a watchkeeping certificate, so no surprise, the remaining two engineers had to do the six on / six off rota.

When brought to Supt engineer’s notice, the stock answer was ‘we cannot get anybody’. When brought to the notice of the young girls in the personnel department, ‘we did

not know but nothing can be done anyway’ was one answer.

So the situation will not change and the engineers will continue to do a 28 day six hour rota. They will become increasingly tired, and will inevitably become forgetful, taking chances with safety they would never dream of when rested. I know, I have been there. Come on someone, take action before the next incident leaves some children orphans. mem 120239 g Nautilus seafarer fatigue campaign: see page 19.

14/05/2014 18:52

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

MARITIME POLICY More than 50 years ago British politicians passed laws giving pit ponies better working hours than seafarers have today, Nautilus told a meeting at the UK Houses of Parliament last month. And the head of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch explained why it’s high time for regulators to prevent ‘unguided missiles’ from straying across sealanes…

A

Nautilus brought the campaign over seafarer fatigue to the heart of government last month — taking part in a UK parliamentary presentation on the issue.

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson joined UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch chief inspector Steve Clinch and Warsash Maritime Academy’s head of research Professor Mike Barnett in addressing the AllParty Parliamentary Maritime and Ports Group at Westminster.

They told MPs and members of the House of Lords how many seafarers routinely work well over 90 hours a week, and described the scientific studies which have shown how the most common watchkeeping patterns can cause sleepiness and fatigue.

Mr Graveson told the meeting that the Houses of Parliament had been looking at ways of controlling working hours back in 1887 — not for seafarers, but for pit ponies.

‘There had been a public outcry over the conditions for the pit ponies used in the British mines and the lobbying resulted in a Royal Commission to examine their welfare,’ he said. ‘In 1928 there was a passionate debate in the House of Commons, with MPs expressing horror at reports that these animals were working up to 16 hours a day and 14 shifts in a week.

In a few years’ time, it will be possible to put implants into seafarers and get data on their physical and mental state

“

”

‘By 1956, legislation was passed which limited the working time of pit ponies to 48 hours per week, with each shift being limited to seven and a half hours and restrictions preventing ponies from working more than two shifts in 24 hours or more than three shifts in 48 hours,’ he added.

‘Contrast this with the current international regulations for seafarers — the MLC, which sets down a 91-hour week with 77

19_fatigue.indd Sec1:19

hours of rest, or the STCW Convention, which allows up to 98 hours a week and 70 hours of rest, and up to 14 hours a day of work,’ Mr Graveson pointed out.

‘It is amazing that we have got seafarers working such hours today, and what an indictment that pit ponies were better protected half a century ago than seafarers are today,’ he stressed. ‘Do not be surprised when ships go aground and there’s oil on the beach — it is only the professionalism of seafarers that prevents this from happening all the time.

‘The problem has got to be solved internationally, and the UK and Europe should be taking the lead,’ Mr Graveson told the politicians.

Mr Clinch said the MAIB had highlighted the dangers of fatigue over a decade ago, publishing a study showing that it had been a causal factor in around one-third of groundings around the UK coast over the previous decade.

Although it was then hard to provide objective measurements of fatigue, Mr Clinch said it was notable that the spread of accidents tied in closely to natural circadian rhythms — with 48% taking place between midnight and 0600hrs.

‘However well we train our people, however well we equip our ships, if people are fatigued they are dangerous,’ he pointed out.

Mr Clinch highlighted a number of examples where ships had effectively become ‘unguided missiles’ as a result of lone watchkeepers falling asleep on the bridge.

The MAIB had applied a computer model used by the aviation industry to assess safe working times for airline pilots, and this had shown how seafarers working on a six-on/six-off rota would hit ‘critical’ levels within 22 days.

Most other industries have tight controls on hours of work and rest, Mr Clinch pointed out.

But the shipping industry seems to be happy that seafarers can legally work in excess of 90 hours a week. ‘The crazy thing is that our accident investigators often find hours of work records falsified to show that the crew have only worked these hours,’ he added.

‘And of course this is often for many months without a single weekend or even a day off — our worst finding in an accident investigation was one seafarer who had not had any leave in over two years.’

At the heart of the problem, said Mr Clinch, is the way in which minimum safe manning certifi-

The Danio: yet another grounding incident in which seafarer fatigue played a pivotal part Picture: MAIB

Treated worse than animals

Left to right: Parliamentary maritime group chairman Lord Greenway; Allan Graveson from Nautilus; MAIB chief inspector Steve Clinch; and Professor Mike Barnett

cates can be abused to operate ‘lean-manned’ ships. Even if it was safe to work over 90 hours a week — and he considered it was not — it could not be achieved unless the vessel was crewed sufficiently for the operations it was expected to carry out, he argued.

For example, he pointed out, bridge watchkeeping officers not only have to safely navigate their ship but also have to conduct such tasks as cargo checks, main-

tenance and safety routines, administrative duties, security, supervising hazardous operations, unloading and loading, pilotage and berthing, and dealing with ever-increasing paperwork. In such circumstances, masters may be unable to fulfil their supervisory role to support OOWs — which can have ‘catastrophic consequences’.

Mr Clinch said last year’s grounding of the cargoship

Danio in an environmentally sensitive area off the NE coast of the UK had prompted the MAIB to repeat a recommendation it first made over a decade ago — for all ships operating in shortsea trades to be required to carry a minimum of two watchkeepers in addition to the master. But the last time the UK tried to take such a proposal to the International Maritime Organisation it had been stymied by opposition from other European Union member states, he noted.

Prof Barnett told the meeting about the results of the Project Horizon research in which the mental and physical effects of realistic working schedules were measured on volunteer seafarers working on marine simulators.

The study had shown that between 20% to 50% of participants fell asleep at one time during their watch.

The project has resulted in the development of a fatigue risk management package, he added, and this can be used by shipping companies and seafarers to make a safety assessment of work schedules.

Warsash Maritime Academy is also involved in a follow-up project sponsored by the TK Foundation which aims to go even further in identifying the impact of long working hours on seafarers and effective ways in

which to reduce the resulting health and safety risks.

The three-year US$1.5m study is investigating the way in which seafarers from different cultures perceive the risks of fatigue and interpret the regulations on hours of work and rest.

It is also examining the longer-term psycho-social effects of the problem, with shipboard measurements of seafarers working on containerships operating between Europe and the Far East over periods of up to six months.

This study is also conducting at-sea trials to evaluate the fatigue risk management software developed by Project Horizon. ‘We hope to be able to show that you can achieve a better way in which to manage risk,’ Prof Barnett added, ‘and we will also examine whether it has an effect on a range of ship’s key performance indicators.’

He said there had been talk recently about ‘cyborg crew’ — harnessing sensors, micro-electronics and information technology to the point at which humans and machines are integrated to the point of seamlessness. ‘In a few years’ time, it will be possible to put implants into seafarers and get data on their physical and mental state,’ Prof Barnett suggested. ‘However, until that day dawns, what are we going to do about fatigue before then?’

14/05/2014 18:53

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

MLC UPDATE

A work in progress… or long-term disability of seafarers due to an occupational injury, illness or hazard as set out in national law, the seafarer’s employment agreement or collective agreement’.

The amendments provide that: contractual compensation (where set out in the seafarer’s employment agreement) shall be paid in full without delay; there shall be no pressure to accept a lesser amount; where the nature of the long-term disability makes it difficult to assess what should be full compensation there shall be interim payment(s). The financial security shall provide for all claims covered by it which arise during the period for which the document is valid.

How will the recently agreed amendments to the seafarers’ bill of rights affect crew members?

CHARLES BOYLE, head of Nautilus legal services, explains the developments on the Maritime Labour Convention, the proposed amendments and the process of UK implementation

I

At the International Labour Office in April the Special Tripartite Committee (STC), established under Article XIII of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), voted unanimously in favour of accepting proposed amendments on financial security for abandonment and shipowners’ liabilities. Following that meeting (and bearing in mind that the MLC comes into force in the UK on 7 August this year) this is perhaps a good time to update members on developments on this important ILO instrument.

The MLC has, of course, been in force in the Netherlands and Switzerland since the Convention itself came into force on 20 August last year. At this stage 57 countries have ratified the MLC and, of those, it is in force nationally for 37 countries (it comes into force for a country one year after ratification).

Enforcement

The purpose of this article is to update members on the proposed amendments to the MLC on financial security and to comment on the UK’s implementation progress.

Amendments on financial security for abandonment and shipowners’ liabilities The STC meeting approved proposed amendments that should ensure the provision of financial security systems to assist seafarers in the event of their abandonment and for compensation for seafarers’ contractual claims for death and personal injury.

Those proposals need to be approved at a meeting of the ILO’s International Labour Conference (ILC) in June. If approved, the amendments should come into force two and a half years later and will require flag states to ensure that ships flying their flag are covered by a

The MLC was adopted in 2006, but we are still waiting for full implementation Picture: Jamie Smith/Mission to Seafarers

financial security system for contingencies such as abandonment, death or longterm disability.

The financial security system may be in the form of a social security scheme, insurance, a national fund or other similar arrangement.

Abandonment The financial security measures are intended to provide direct

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access, sufficient coverage and expedited financial assistance to an abandoned seafarer on a ship flying the flag of a country which has ratified the MLC. A seafarer shall be deemed to be abandoned where the shipowner: z fails to cover the costs of repatriation, or z has left the seafarer without the necessary maintenance and support, or z has otherwise unilaterally severed their ties with the seafarer including failure to pay contractual wages for a period of at least two months The concept of ‘necessary maintenance and support’ includes adequate food, accommodation, drinking water supplies, essential fuel for survival onboard and necessary medical care.

The financial security should be sufficient to cover outstanding wages and other entitlements under the seafarer’s employment agreement, all expenses reasonably incurred (including repatriation), essential needs including adequate food, clothing, accommodation, drinking water supplies, essential fuel for survival onboard, necessary medical care and other reasonable costs or charges arising from the abandonment until the seafarer’s arrival home.

Shipowners’ liabilities The financial security will have to ensure compensation for ‘contractual claims’ which are defined in the amendments as ‘any claim which relates to death

Ships will be required to carry onboard a certificate or other documentary evidence to show compliance. A copy must be posted onboard at a conspicuous place where it will be available to seafarers. It must contain specified information including (amongst other things) the name of ship and shipowner, the period of validity of the cover and the name and address of the provider. It must not cease before the end of the period of validity unless the provider has given at least 30 days notice to the flag state.

Financial security for abandonment and contractual claims will become the 15th and 16th areas of inspection (respectively) and the cover must be made available as soon as the amendments come into force.

Ships will have to ensure that they carry the required certificate or other documentary evidence from that point even although, in the early period following entry into force, they are likely to be carrying a Maritime Labour Certificate (MLCert) and Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC) which was issued before these matters became areas of inspection and therefore makes no reference to them.

Entry into force and transitional measures If the amendments are approved by the ILC in June, they will enter into force two and a half years after the date of such approval.

From that date each ratifying country will have to ensure that it has in force its own national provisions which ensure compliance with the amendments. Some flag states may choose to implement the measures earlier if they so wish.

Ships will be required to be covered by the financial security (and carry the appropriate certificate or other documentary evidence) no later than from the date their flag state implements the amendments. Any ship that does not comply by the date the amendments enter into force will be liable to be detained by port state control.

A working group of the STC developed a draft resolution on

transitional matters as they affect MLCerts and DMLCs, which will go to the ILC in June for approval.

The draft resolution makes it clear that the transitional matter set out therein only applies to MLCerts and DMLCs, and that ships are required to carry the financial security certificate or other documentary evidence form the date on which the amendments enter into force.

It provides that MLCerts and DMLCs that have been issued before the amendments came into force will not (so long as they have not expired) be invalidated (eg, due to the fact that they will not make reference to the financial security and the 15th and 16th areas of inspection).

However, MLCerts and DMLCs will have to be issued or renewed in the new updated format (confirming compliance with the new financial security measures and referencing them as the 15th and 16th areas of inspection in the DMLC Part II) no later than the date of the first renewal inspection following entry into force of the amendments to the MLC.

Update on UK implementation The UK is implementing the MLC by various statutory instruments, some of which will amend existing legislation (such as the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and other statutory instruments) and some of which will be free-standing.

The main legislation, with helpful MGNs, will be set out on the MCA’s website — www.dft. gov.uk/mca — under ‘Working at sea/Health and safety/Learn about the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006’ (a lot of this is already available, but not all).

The materials are set out under five main headings, which follow the MLC itself: z minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship z conditions of employment z accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering z health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection z compliance and enforcement There are also helpful links to the ILO’s guidelines on flag state control and port state control.

At this stage, there are only three pieces of legislation already in force, being: z The Merchant Shipping (MLC) (Medical Certification) Regulations 2010 z The Merchant Shipping (MLC) (Hours of Work) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 z The Merchant Shipping (MLC) (Survey and Certification) Regulations 2013.

The UK is under a duty to ensure that the remaining instruments come into force by 7 August at the latest. It may be that the legislation will come into force around July and members will of course be notified when the date is known for sure. At the point of entry into force, all UK ships must comply with the MLC.

14/05/2014 18:54

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

MARITIME POLICY

Only the truth can save lives L

I had hoped this article would be more light-hearted in the run-up to IFSMA’s 40th AGA in Sandefjord, Norway, in June, followed by the CAMM conference at Mystic, Connecticut, a week later. Instead, the tragedy of the Sewol takes centre stage.

Once again, there is a cruel twist of fate involving a passenger ferry, and this time the vast majority of those who lost their lives were children. The first ro-ro to be lost was the Princess Victoria in Scotland in 1953. She was pooped by a rogue wave and went down quickly with a large loss of life. The roll call since then continues and the body count rises year on year. And the factor that unifies all the disasters is that human error is placed as the central cause of each incident.

The Costa Concordia was the warning, the Sewol is the reminder, and the next one will be the big one where the loss of life will be difficult to comprehend. Make no mistake, it is coming and it is a matter of when rather than if it will occur. Will we see once again that the master and crew take centre stage and become hounded as criminals?

I fight against the criminalisation of the seafarer. That is to say I do not believe that every seafarer is innocent, but they should at least be given a fair hearing and then a trial under the rule of law. It is difficult to see how this can be achieved in the Sewol case.

My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones, and nothing that can be said or done can bring them back. But what needs to be done is to ensure that steps are taken to stop this happening again. If not, the roll call will continue and the Sewol will become another statistic.

What chance does the captain of the Sewol have of a fair trial when he has already been branded as a murderer in all but name by the president of South Korea and the media has passed sentence on him? All this before the investigation has taken place and all of the facts brought to light so that a fair and balanced judgement can be made as to what caused this tragedy to unfold.

Where and when did the error chain start, and how many warnings were missed as the ship proceeded to its final destination on the seabed? A slow drip of information is emerging, indicating once again a lack of control, and that policies and procedures had been eroded. It seems cargo overloading was a normal practice, not an occasional problem but routinely carried out, and the veracity of stability data is being questioned.

Of course, these are just reports in the press and the full facts need to be laid

With the annual meeting of the International Federation of Ship Masters’ Associations taking place this month, secretary general JOHN DICKIE reflects on the controversy surrounding the Sewol disaster in South Korea…

Captain Lee Joon-seok of the Sewol, centre, arriving at court in South Korea on 18 April. He has been widely accused of increasing the death toll from the disaster by delaying the evacuation order Picture: Press Association

bare for all to see. There were also reports of problems with the steering gear and even reports that the third officer was not experienced and only 26 years old. Is this just another attempt to lay the blame on the crew and divert questions away from the real facts behind this incident?

Who else will be drawn into the controversy? Flag? Class? Owner?

Previous owner? The head of the Korean Register has been added to the list of those who can be considered as causalities. He resigned his post for reasons that appear inconclusive. And will the investigation

take a different twist as the ship was on a domestic voyage?

L

At the IMO legal committee last month, the secretary general raised the profile of domestic passenger shipping by speaking of new initiatives to improve safety. This should be applauded and supported by everyone. After all, who knows where the investigation into this particular ‘domestic’ drama will go and who be dragged down by it. Two innocent victims have already been added to the death toll. The assistant

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principal of the school most of the victims attended survived the sinking, only to take his own life later. Did no–one take care of him, or was he tainted by the incident and shunned, or did survivor guilt kick in and overwhelm him? There has also been the death of one of the divers involved in the recovery of the ship and the remaining bodies inside.

And now the South Korean prime minister has resigned over this incident.

Who will be next? The question has to be raised of why he resigned. Is it for the reasons stated to the media or are there

other forces at work? It is terrible to be so cynical, but previous major maritime disasters have always had a number of people sacrificed to ensure that the status quo is maintained.

There are two outcomes of this disaster that we must see. First is that the families of the deceased obtain closure through a full and transparent investigation, and second is that steps are taken to stop this occurring again.

The second can only be achieved if there is a full review of the legislation on the stability and survivability of passenger ships and ro-ro ships at the highest level, and that revised legislation is put in place at the IMO to ensure improvements to this ship type. The problem lies in the power that the IMO can exert over domestic shipping issues.

It is trying to gain more oversight here, and this would be an important step.

It is sad to say that these changes will probably not happen, and ‘crew negligence’ or ‘lack of due diligence by the crew’ will be found to be the root cause. Therefore, with the disaster categorised as a human element issue, no action will be taken to review these ships.

Probably the only way change will occur will be by a public lack of confidence in the safety of these ships resulting in a drastic reduction in the number of people using them.

As the criminalisation of seafarers increases, many potential seafarers will find other avenues for employment.

Perceptions of being a criminal and placed in prison for doing your job are not a good way to recruit new personnel into an industry. I wish I had a solution that would keep everyone happy, but I do not think it exists, and all that can be done is to fight such injustices whenever and wherever they are found.

The master and the crew may be guilty, but that is to be found out after the investigation into the incident is completed and all of the facts are available. And even then, if a trial is set, it is for a jury to decide. We seem to have forgotten that old adage of ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

L

Reverting to my original subject, the 40th AGA of IFSMA is being held on 5 and 6 June, and a new executive council will be voted into place.

This will determine what is going to happen in the future and the direction that will be taken. What is important is that IFSMA moves forward in a united fashion, with all members having their say and being listened to. So I look forward to seeing everyone who manages to attend.

Viking’s new training facility in Dover, Kent is perfectly located for links to the UK and Europe. The Academy is business to business run and specialises in STCW & refresher training and professional development courses for everyone involved in the maritime industry.

Courses currently running include:

• 5-part Basic Safety Training • Crisis Management & Human Behaviour

• Crowd Management

• Security Awareness • Designated Security Duties • ISPS Ship Security Officer • GMDSS Training

Viking are able to arrange flights, local accommodation & airport transfers for delegates

14/05/2014 18:54

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

SAFETY AT SEA

One industry, one standard Twenty years on from the discovery of the wreck of the Derbyshire, it’s time for a new approach to the investigation of shipping disasters, says Nautilus.

In this paper, being presented to the International Federation of Ship Masters’ Associations annual Introduction Society has become accustomed to aviation accidents being thoroughly investigated. Many countries also commit considerable resources to the investigation of accidents on their roads and railways. In merchant shipping, however, the picture is often very different.

Historically, difficulties associated with geographical location and what were regarded as insurmountable difficulties in locating wrecks in deep water have limited the scope of many marine accident investigations.

While there have been many technological impediments, it can be reasonably argued that the unwillingness of the industry and flag states to seek out the root causes of incidents — and to take appropriate action to prevent their recurrence — has been the prevailing constraint on the resources devoted to investigation.

This constraint has been exacerbated by a marine insurance sector which has been structured to spread risk rather than to reduce risk. Furthermore, the recognition of ‘proximate cause’ in English law and the undue weight given to it may also be considered a factor. However, certainty about the cause of loss would potentially reduce litigation and raise knowledge about underlying safety developments, while the prime purpose of an investigation would surely be to prevent similar incidents from taking place in future, to save lives and to protect the marine environment.

Disappointingly, international marine accident

The mission to discover the wreck of the Titanic, above, led to advances in deepwater investigation Picture: STR new/Reuters

22-23_spread.indd 22

general assembly this month, the Union argues that failings in the system are undermining safety and flag states must be required to have adequate resources to carry out full and transparent investigations into the losses of ships on the registers…

investigation is still remarkably inconsistent and the manifest shortcomings in the current system create profound problems — limiting data, restricting early detection of trends and undermining any attempts to develop effective formal safety assessment processes based on the cost-effectiveness of risk control options for changing regulations.

The lack of desire for change demonstrated by many flag states, classification societies, designers, builders and other vested interests inhibits the creation of more effective investigative processes. This paper examines these factors and addresses the measures that are required to deliver change that will ensure adequate investigation and analysis in the best interests of maritime safety.

History Historically, the complexity of often remote locations and the limitations of available technology have prevented many shipping casualties from being examined. It has taken many years to arrive at the situation in which the location and exploration of underwater wrecks can be routinely achieved.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the issue of Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) was debated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) against the background of rapidly increasing marine losses — and, notably, the significant casualty rate involved bulk carriers. Many of these were written off as ‘mysterious’ or unexplained losses —

The Costa Europa, which str of three crew members Pictu

The case for change

Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) help with investigations and can improve standards

such as the UK-flagged OBO Derbyshire in September 1980.

In the late 1990s, Nautilus International — then NUMAST — campaigned in the face of sometimes intense opposition from many parties for the introduction of VDRs to protect maritime professionals from inappropriate criticism and criminalisation following incidents, and to ensure that information could be gathered to help address underlying issues of design, construction, operations and manning.

An IMO Performance Standard was adopted on 27 November 1997 as Resolution A.861(20), which stated that ‘… it would be desirable that ships, in particular passenger ships, be fitted with voyage data recorders (VDRs) to assist in investigations into casualties…’ and invited governments to ‘encourage shipowners and operators of ships entitled to fly their flag to install VDRs on such ships, as soon as possible…’

Despite the obvious advantages, there was considerable opposition throughout the maritime community, and especially from flag states with questionable records.

However, phased introduction — with appropriate amendments to SOLAS — was ultimately accepted by the IMO’s maritime safety committee on 6 December 2000, with completion set for 1 July 2010.

VDR technology has been able to assist accident investigators in methodical appraisal and analysis of the causes of incidents, which can then be translated into improved regulation covering the design, construction, operation and manning of merchant vessels. Information obtained from VDRs has also reduced the cost and time required to complete investigations — and has cut the cost of incident-related litigation.

The aviation industry has more than half of century of experience with various forms of ‘black box’ flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The technology has unquestionably improved aviation safety — although its limitations are accepted by the sector. In certain cases, only recovery of the wreckage or survey of the wreck site will yield sufficient information to ensure effective and proportionate regulatory measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in future.

In the maritime sector, the work to locate and explore the wreck of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, at a depth of around 3,800 m in 1985, and the subsequent project to locate and investigate the wreck of the bulk carrier Derbyshire at a depth of around 4,200m in the South China Sea, demonstrate that no vessel loss should be beyond investigation, given the will and appropriate resources.

Thorough and independent inves casualties is essential — not only circumstances of individual accid whether common patterns exist, recommendations that seek to pr future.

Article 94 of the United Nation the Sea (UNCLOS) states that it is t state to institute an ‘inquiry’(inve the high seas. While the flag state carry out an investigation — depe the incident — into ‘every marine navigation on the high seas involv causing loss of life or serious inju State or serious damage to ships o marine environment’ where it is i so, this responsibility may shift to of accidents occurring in territori Currently, there is something IMO obligations for flag states to c Under IMO instruments, a flag sta institute an investigation into a m significance only where there is li a Code or Convention. Each admin an investigation of any casualty o subject to the provisions of the pr judges that such an investigation what changes in the present Regu Nautilus believes that all cases casualties should be investigated considerable concern within the m about the variation in the quality investigation around the world. T development of the IMO Code for

Bulk carrier Christopher san

14/05/2014 19:00

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

SAFETY AT SEA

“

Some profiteers are exploiting an ineffective accident investigation process and bankrupt regulatory system

”

h struck a quay in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in February 2010, leading to the deaths Picture: AP/Press Association Images

nge investigation of marine only to determine the cause and accidents but also to examine exist, and to produce to prevent similar incidents in ations’ Convention on the Law of t it is the responsibility of the flag ’(investigation) into accidents on state retains responsibility to depending on the location of arine casualty or incident of involving a ship flying its flag and s injury to nationals of another hips of another State or to the e it is in the public interest to do hift to the coastal state in the case ritorial or inland waters. hing of a ‘get-out clause’ in the es to conduct investigations. ag state is effectively required to to a marine incident of re is likely to be an amendment to administration should ‘conduct alty occurring to any of its ships the present Convention when it ation may assist in determining Regulations might be desirable’. cases of serious and very serious gated. However, there is n the maritime community uality of marine accident rld. This has resulted in the de for the investigation of marine

casualties and incidents and the subsequent creation of a working group to suggest solutions for the implementation of a mandatory code.

The European Union has sought to address the lack of uniformity in marine accident investigation by developing a directive providing for a mandatory framework for independent investigation of serious marine casualties involving the ‘substantial interests’ of member states.

However, global uniformity will be achieved not by regulatory solution — in Europe or elsewhere — but by a universally applied Convention through the IMO. A change is necessary, so that all accidents are properly investigated where there is loss of life and/or loss of a vessel.

Such an investigation should be independent of the regulatory authorities, as is already the case in some flag states. This is essential to avoid unwarranted criminalisation of the shipmaster, officers and other related parties by the flag or coastal state.

At present, when some accident investigations take place they can be of a questionable standard. And when the findings are posted on the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS), external third party access may be restricted by the flag state conducting the investigation and hosting the report. A recent example of this involved the investigation into the livestock carrier Danny F II, which capsized and sank off the coast of Lebanon in December 2009 with the loss of 44 lives — including the master, an IFSMA member. The rudimentary and grossly inadequate report on the investigation into the ship’s loss was posted on GISIS, but download was prohibited by the flag state. Panama defended the non-disclosure of the report by reference to national legislation.

There are other cases where accidents are not investigated properly or the results of investigations not disseminated widely. One example of this is the case of the Costa Europa, in

r sank losing all 27 crew members during a storm off the Azores in December 2001

22-23_spread.indd 23

which three crew members died when the ship struck a quay in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in February 2010. The Italian flag state authorities were reported to have refused to release the report of investigation into the incident on the grounds that the findings were ‘strictly confidential’. This non-disclosure prevented a potentially valuable opportunity from being taken to highlight the vulnerability of large passenger ships following damage to the hull.

Another example is the case of the bulk carrier Christopher, which sank in December 2001 during a storm off the Azores, with the loss of all 27 crew. In the final message to the authorities ashore before communications were lost, the ship reported that water was entering the holds, forward sections were flooded by heavy seas and that there was hatchcover damage. However, the circumstances of the ship’s loss generated significant concern — notably in respect of issues associated with corrosion, fatigue cracking and structural strength. But despite extensive discussions on the possibility of an expedition to the wreck, 150nm off the island of Graciosa — including the offer by the International Transport Workers’ Federation of financial support for a mission and an agreed contribution of €300,000 from the Cyprus Council of Ministers — an underwater survey of the ship never occurred.

It was interesting to note that the then head of the International Association of Classification Societies, Alan Gavin of Lloyd’s Register, stated at the time that cameras should be sent down to survey the wrecks of ships that have sunk in mysterious circumstances as standard practice of maritime investigations. Noting the scale of the costs that would be involved, he suggested that classification societies should table a proposal on the issue to the International Maritime Organisation to gain the necessary support of governments.

For many years it was technologically unfeasible to study wrecks in thousands of metres of water, leading to the public perception that the shipping industry was not unhappy that the causes of such tragedies went unexplained. Advances in subsea technology in recent years, driven by offshore and military applications, have made such missions feasible, and the evidence gained from the survey of the wreck of the Derbyshire was sufficient to persuade the UK to reopen the official inquiry into its loss and to subsequently deliver important recommendations for the safety of bulk carriers.

If such underwater wreck surveys were to become a standard part of maritime casualty investigations, they could produce significant evidence to fill gaps in understanding to help improve the safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment.

However, the question of funding full-scale investigations needs to be addressed. It could be undertaken by a flag state — but this would require that flag states only take vessels onto their registers if they have the capacity to properly investigate losses. As an alternative, investigations should be an essential part of the insurance process — either by way of a compulsory insurance requirement or through an international fund similar to the ITOPF. Nautilus considers it is essential to ensure that flag states — who have the ultimate responsibility for accident investigation — have the necessary resources, or can guarantee that the necessary resources are made available through insurance, to conduct appropriate accident

investigations. Furthermore, transparency should be mandatory for all flag states (or coastal states, where relevant) and investigation reports must be made publicly available. Independent accident investigation should also include representatives of other interested flag states, where appropriate. There have been cases where the obligations of the flag state to properly oversee the operation of ships on its register and the rights of other flag states or of coastal states to exercise oversight have led to tensions.

Nautilus is concerned that in the absence of decisive global action by the IMO, it will be increasingly necessary for regulatory bodies and individual flag states to take independent action to ensure proper investigation and publication of reports.

We therefore seek these changes in the context of the continued international shortcomings in the standards of marine accident investigation and reporting. Analyses of accident and casualty databases have shown extensive evidence of significant under-reporting — by as much as 50%, according to one study — and this is further compounded by the failure of some flag states to make the results of accident investigations public.

The consequence of such under-reporting and lack of transparency is many missed opportunities to improve maritime safety, reduce shipping losses and to save seafarers’ lives. The resulting gaps in knowledge and understanding inhibit awareness of developing trends or emerging causes.

It took many years before there was an adequate consensus about the existence of fundamental safety problems affecting bulk carriers. The recent case of the containership MOL Comfort, which broke apart and sank in the Indian Ocean in 2013, has raised considerable concerns over such issues as containership design, construction and operating practices. However, these should not be seen in isolation, and a better and more coherent system of investigation reporting and analysis would help to ensure that such concerns are viewed in a more holistic way.

The shortcomings of the existing international accident investigation and reporting system also raise questions about the process by which new regulations are produced.

The shift to the use of Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) principles to formulate new rules has been embraced by the IMO, but the reliability of this process is jeopardised by the patchy availability of underpinning information. FSA depends upon the structured and systematic evaluation of risks, and without an adequate depth of data to support decision-making, there is a risk that analysis and assessment may be severely compromised by erroneous or incomplete knowledge. These shortcomings can be particularly acute in the areas of seafarer health and safety.

Whilst the aspiration for shipping to move to a more proactive and holistic means of developing new regulations is sound, the current shortfalls in the scale and depth of accident investigation present a profound challenge to its basic philosophy and threaten to undermine the aims of improved safety and environmental protection.

Conclusion Lack of effective accident investigation is indicative of an industry and regulatory process that has little regard for safety. The process is not so much corrupt as bankrupt. There is insufficient financial incentive to conduct proper investigations and bring about change to the quality of design, construction and operation of ships. This is especially so when seafarers — usually the master and/or officers — can so easily be blamed for the immediate cause of the accident as a consequence of errors that humans are prone to make.

Meanwhile, those who profit from the industry’s disregard for safety continue to exploit an ineffective accident investigation process and bankrupt regulatory system. There is a need for change — now — and not when the level of loss becomes so unacceptable that public and political pressure can no longer be ignored.

Containership MOL Comfort broke apart and sank in the Indian Ocean in 2013, raising concerns over design, construction and operating practices in shipping

14/05/2014 19:00

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

MARITIME EDUCATION

Supporting seafarers Newly qualified in the UK? The MEF is running a free course to help you get a job. And that’s just the start of the good work of this Nautilus-backed charity

M

There’s lots of talk about the need to boost UK seafarer training — and the Maritime Educational Foundation (MEF) is working to turn that talk into action.

Launched in 2001, the MEF is a charitable organisation largely funded through contributions from shipping companies in the tonnage tax scheme who make payments if they are unable to meet the training requirements.

The Foundation is overseen by a board of trustees drawn from Nautilus International, the RMT union, several UK-based shipping companies and the UK Chamber of Shipping, and Nautilus assistant general secretary Mike Jess has just been appointed chairman of the board.

‘It’s an honour to be given the job,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘The MEF is becoming a powerful and dynamic force for the development of UK maritime skills, and I hope to be able to help the charity to provide even more innovative support to make sure that the nation gets the maritime professionals it needs now and into the future.’

The MEF not only provides a direct contribution to officer cadet training, but also aims to serve as a centre of excellence for seafarer training and to provide a wide range of support to the maritime

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The Maritime Educational Foundation sponsors 40 officer trainees a year, and helps ratings and senior officers develop their careers too

sector for education and training purposes.

The charity’s recently-launched website — www.meftraining.org — features information on each of the following three key strands to its seafarer training strategy, which covers: z providing gold standard new entrant seafarer training programmes, for ratings and officers z supporting further career development opportunities for ratings and officers z providing funding support to specific projects that will promote the education and training of seafarers Each year the MEF aims to sponsor 40 officer trainees, and it seeks to ensure that they receive an exemplary training programme. MEF officer trainees are managed by contracted training companies according to the organisation’s Good

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FUND www.merchantnavyfund.org

Please help us to help serving and retired UK Merchant Navy seafarers and their families who are struggling in these difficult times.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

A regular donation of £10 per month will help support seafarers from the Merchant Navy and their families when they need it most. We also welcome one-off donations. Thank You. Email: mnfund@seafarers-uk.org Phone: 020 7932 0000 The Merchant Navy Fund is a collaborative initiative by two national charities, the Merchant Navy Welfare Board and Seafarers UK. Both organisations recognise that many people would like their donations to be used specifically in support of British Merchant Navy seafarers and their families.

The Merchant Navy Fund is administered by Seafarers UK (King George’s Fund for Sailors), a Registered Charity in England & Wales, No. 226446, incorporated under Royal Charter. Registered in Scotland SC038191. Registered Office: 8 Hatherley Street, LONDON, SW1P 2QT.

24_mef_SR edit.indd Sec2:24

Practice Guidelines, where requirements such as extra seatime above the statutory minimum provide for more confident watchkeeping officers and help support the goal of being a centre of excellence for officer training.

To this end, a range of development activities are also being added to the MEF officer training programmes. In partnership with the Outward Bound Trust (OBT), the charity is developing leadership and management courses designed to enhance different stages of its trainees’ programmes — from induction and pre-sea to junior officer character development post-certification.

The induction course seeks to build a cohesive group of MEF trainees, given that they are managed by different training providers and located with different colleges. It also imbues MEF trainees with the values of the charity — covering respect, responsibility, resourcefulness, determination and pride.

‘The OBT also has an interesting background, based within the Merchant Navy, and there is a wealth of evidence demonstrating the long-term value of courses such as this,’ says MEF coordinator Kate Gillespie. ‘Research suggests that young people’s resilience and self-esteem improve during an Outward Bound course, as do their relationships with others and their resourcefulness and determination. Studies also indicate that those who have completed OBT courses become more capable and confident academic learners too.’

The MEF provides a range of training and development opportunities for ratings, including support through Nautilus International’s JW Slater Fund for rating-to-officer training. The Slater Fund, managed by the Marine Society, offers awards of up to £17,500 to Merchant Navy ratings, electrotechnical officers or yacht crew considering career progression, and has helped more than 1,000 seafarers over the last 10 years.

In addition to the Slater Fund, the MEF offers support to ratings to update their certification in line with the 2010 Manila amendments to the STCW Convention 1978, which introduced new requirements for all seafarers to update their safety certificates every five years. The MEF is currently working up the arrangements for individual ratings requiring financial assistance to revalidate their qualifications through a grant via the MEF website.

Financial support for ratings does not stop with the individual. MEF is also committed to providing opportunities and support for shipping companies to help them meet their workforce demands by bringing new, young people into the maritime industry as rating apprentices. The charity is offering bursaries of £4,000 per apprentice to shipping companies who take on UK rating apprentices.

M

Trainee ratings following a ‘National Apprentice’ pathway have been granted reduced sea time by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, for both the Watch Rating and Able Seafarer components of the training programme. These shorter timescales can help to make ratings’ training financially attractive for shipping companies seeking to invest in their skills base.

Successful apprentices are awarded a level 2 Maritime Studies Qualification (MSQ) along with their Watch Rating and Able Seafarer certification.

Deck apprentices also get the Efficient Deck

Hand (EDH) certificate. The MSQs form pathways within the Maritime Occupations Apprenticeship Framework and, as such, attract government funding to the colleges delivering the training, which — coupled with the possibility of an MEF bursary — makes this route to ratings’ training economically appealing. For example, employing an apprentice under the age of 18 would mean that there would be no college course costs, and the company would pay the minimum apprenticeship salary and any other incidental costs associated with the training and sea time requirements.

There has also been a lot of talk in recent times about the challenges faced by newly-qualified officers in gaining their first job as OOW, and the MEF is offering a free course to help them enhance their employability.

The MEF-funded Junior Officer Management course includes challenging outdoor tasks that require workload management, planning, coordination, and the allocation and prioritisation of human and physical resources. It is hoped that the leadership and management skills that can be gained will help young OOWs get a head start on securing their first junior officer position.

The course — which runs from 29 June to 4 July — is fully funded and is open to any eligible officer trainee who has recently qualified. Details of the course and an application form are available on the website www.meftraining.org — and it is first come, first served, so don’t miss out!

Outward bound and into work… Pictures: MEF

The MEF’s dedication to advancing education and training in maritime skills extends beyond the trainees that it sponsors. The organisation is also starting to support various officer development opportunities, including aiding unemployed officers to update their skills or revalidate specific certification requirements to increase their employability potential.

Application forms for this grant funding can be found on the website.

The final strand of the MEF strategy is to identify and support relevant projects that will enhance maritime education, training and skills. Maritime charitable bodies, maritime education and training establishments, and commercial or other maritime organisations that are seeking joint funding in addition to their own monies to ‘kick-start’ a project, or activities that will enhance maritime education, training and skills are invited to apply to the MEF for such funding via the website.

‘At the MEF we are dedicated and proud to support the advancement of education and training in maritime skills, both for officers and for ratings, as well as wider maritime projects,’ Mr Jess says. g More information: www.meftraining.org

14/05/2014 19:00

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

MARITIME POLICY Worries over the proposed Polar Code to govern the safety of shipping in Arctic and Antarctic waters are being raised by all sides of the industry. In the first of a two-part series, marine lawyer MICHAEL KINGSTON — a leading expert on the issues — explains the scale of the challenge…

Nordic Orion was the first bulk cargo vessel to transit the Northwest Passage

Clear thinking for cold climates?

O

As the Arctic increasingly opens to mining and shipping, and the International Maritime Organisation works towards the conclusion of the Polar Code, what it all means in practice is a question that is being debated in the insurance industry and the maritime industry alike.

It seems that there are concerns that the Code cannot work without further input by government, industry and the research community in an integrated approach to best practice and the reduction of risk.

On 11 September 2013, Yong Sheng arrived in Rotterdam following a 35-day voyage from Dalian in China. The conventional route, taking ships via the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, takes 48 days to complete. However, 13 days were shaved off the voyage as the ship travelled through the Arctic Circle, transiting the Northern Sea Route and becoming the first Chinese commercial vessel to do so.

There is a question mark over whether the new Polar guidelines go far enough

“

”

On 17 September 2013, Nordic Orion, carrying 74,000 tonnes of coal, left Vancouver and transited the Northwest Passage on her way to the Finnish port of Pori, saving travel time by taking advantage of the 1,000km shorter route and avoiding the Panama Canal, which allowed the vessel to carry 25% more cargo. It was the first bulk cargo vessel to transit the Northwest Passage. To put this in context, when the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen made the first successful complete transit of the Northwest Passage in 1906, it took over three years.

Coming back to the present day, we see that not only did the new shipping transits save time, but there were fuel savings and, importantly, reduced carbon emissions — a key requirement for the maritime industry as it enters a new phase.

In 2012, Arctic sea ice coverage was at a record low. As the ice continues to melt, some experts have

25_polar_SR edit.indd 25

estimated that shipping via the Arctic could account for a quarter of all cargo traffic between Europe and Asia by 2030. Whilst that is probably an exaggeration, the statistics clearly show increased activity. These are the figures for transits of the Northern Sea Route in recent years: four in 2010; 34 in 2011; 46 in 2012; 60 in 2013.

The importance of the Arctic is, of course, not just limited to transits of the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route. The Arctic is rich in hydrocarbons and offshore activity is increasing.

All seismic, drilling, and production operations in the Arctic will involve a huge increase in marine activity, as it is an ocean, but an ocean that has the distinction of vast ice content which varies significantly, requiring very different preparation and management of operations on a case-by-case basis.

Destination–shipping will therefore see the biggest increase in operations in the short term, with additional developments in the mining sector adding to this. In the offshore sector, only last month Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russia’s top gas producer Gazprom, shipped the first 70,000 tonnes of oil by tanker from the Prirazlomnoye platform, the site of a protest by 30 Greenpeace activists who were arrested last year.

The Polar regions have also seen an increase in cruise line activity. The Costa Concordia casualty, therefore, has brought cross-jurisdictional laws governing shipping and marine pollution into sharp focus — as has the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill — and both incidents raise particular concerns in relation to Arctic operations.

Additionally, the terrible ferry tragedy in South Korea highlights again the great difficulty in evacuating a rapidly sinking ship, even outside the harsh environs of Polar waters, and demonstrates what may have happened had the Costa Concordia not rested against the island of Giglio, preventing a full sinking.

O

At present there is no IMO convention that states what ice class is required to operate in the Arctic. The IMO is, however, working on a draft Polar Code which, it is hoped, will be agreed in 2014 and come into force in 2016 by way of the accelerated amendment procedure to the SOLAS and MARPOL conventions.

Several intersessional meet-

ings have been held recently, and agreement in principle has been reached on definitions for the different categories of ship to be covered by the Code, which aims to impose requirements on ships entering different ice areas in the Arctic and Antarctic. It has also been agreed that all ships operating in polar waters should have a Polar Ship Certificate and a Polar Waters Operation Manual demonstrating that the operator is prepared for a ‘worst case scenario’.

However, there is a question mark over whether the guidelines go far enough, and whether the approach to some of the manda-

tory requirements is too prescriptive and not based on a safety case analysis. On the one hand, certain mandatory requirements are unnecessary in operations which have a track record of success based on a safety case analysis; but on the other hand, in areas where there is no tried and tested track record, there is total uncertainly about how a worst case scenario can be determined and who will enforce the situation.

The current position in the insurance industry is that the navigational limit provisions of hull & machinery policies require the operator to inform the underwriter if they are going above 70N.

The concerns are obvious: z extreme cold can cause engine problems and make it difficult or impossible for equipment to work z reduced coverage by navigational aids such as GPS z inaccurate charts z magnetic compasses are unreliable in such high latitudes z restricted visibility up to 90% of the time z inadequate weather reports, and violent storms can occur at any time z salvage facilities are almost non-existent For protection and indemnity cover, although P&I Clubs do not

generally impose navigation limits, Club rules require the Club to be consulted if a voyage does not fall within a vessel’s normal trading pattern. Of course, Polar waters are not normal trading patterns for most operators — so in effect such operations are prohibited without specific permission, which will be analysed on a case by case basis.

In next month’s Telegraph, I will examine the challenges and the risks in more detail, and suggest ways in which the current gaps in the Polar Code can be filled to ensure that seafarers’ lives and the safety of their ships are properly protected.

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14/05/2014 19:01

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Overboard, but in with a chance Military know-how has been used to develop a civilian version of a wearable personal overboard survival system which has been described as a ‘step change’ in life-saving technology…

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Despite the many advances in maritime safety over the years, it’s a sad fact that too many seafarers are still drowning unnecessarily. Last month saw the launch of a new safety product — called Survivor+ — which aims to cut this death toll.

Essentially a lifejacket and single-person liferaft combined, Cobham Life Support’s Survivor+ is so

innovative that no specific SOLAS category exists for it, and it underwent extensive laboratory and performance testing procedures by Lloyd’s Register surveyors to gain a special certificate of compliance in line with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) rules.

The need for a new approach to life-saving appliances was highlighted in the recent UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) Safety Digest, which reported on the case of two seafarers on a 13,000gt general cargoship who were washed overboard when their lifelines parted while trying to secure a loose rope in heavy weather.

Despite a major search and rescue operation involving two lifeboats and two rescue helicopters, as well as a number of other vessels, the two men died. The body of one was later recovered from the sea, but attempts to recover the body of his colleague were unsuccessful.

Don Blackman, engineering research manager at Cobham Life Support, believes that in circumstances like these Survivor+ might have helped. ‘We don’t know what happened after the men hit the water, apart from that their lifejackets inflated correctly,’ he notes. ‘We do know that they had no way to get out of the water or stay protected from the elements whilst rescue teams were en route. It’s during this period that getting out of the water and removing yourself from the elements can increase chances of survival.’

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The Survivor+ Personal Overboard Survival System incorporates both a SOLASapproved inflatable life jacket and a tethered personal life raft into a single compact vest. According to Cobham, it is a completely new class of PFD. It enables a conscious casualty to remove themselves from the water and the elements within as little as 60 seconds of falling overboard or vessel abandonment.

When fully immersed in water, the Survivor+ life jacket inflates as the single person, insulated fullbody raft unfurls and inflates, ready for boarding using handles. The raft is securely connected to the user by a lanyard. A canopy with a clear face shield is then inflated and closed for thermal protection.

‘Studies and reports indicate that offshore workers and crew members are still going into the water and dying as a result of the three key risk factors; cold water shock, swimming failure and hypothermia,’ says John Swain, CEO of Survival Systems Training, a Nova Scotia-based offshore cold water survival training facility that has tested Survivor+.

‘We train workers for all eventualities and teach that all survival equipment has a dedicated profile to how it should be used,’ he adds. ‘I personally believe that Survivor+ can reduce fatalities under a number of different incident profiles.’

Survivor+ can be worn during everyday work, or only when conditions are particularly poor and going out on deck cannot be avoided. It can be donned quickly, even when wearing an immersion suit, and is designed for comfort and agility, so does not hinder working and ensures maximum readiness in the event of an emergency.

Survivor+ was developed from a military version — the LRU-23P raft — which has been in use by both the UK and US armed forces since 2004 and has proved in tests to be highly effective in maintaining the core body temperature of its occupants under extreme environmental conditions.

It has been designed to ensure it is intuitive and easy to use, with minimal or no training. Additional features include vacuum-packing, water activated or manual inflation, an additional CO2 cartridge for the

Survivor + aims to save lives by shielding users from the elements

canopy inflation, and a single-pull canopy zipper.

Said to be ideally suited for use on offshore support and crew transfer vessels, workboats and merchant vessels, Survivor+ also comes in a ‘manualonly’ version that could be used on offshore transport helicopters. When a ditched helicopter is inverted in the water, it may become impossible to inflate the onboard liferafts, but with Survivor+, crew and passengers could exit the aircraft and activate their own personal liferafts.

“

Studies and reports indicate that offshore workers and crew members are still going into the water and dying…

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”

In a 2008 report on the inadequacies of existing liferafts and lifeboats, cold water survival expert Dr Chris Brooks stated: ‘…a whole new concept is required to design a personmounted life raft that may incorporate personal flotation and hypothermia protection, and most important of all be easy to board and be strong enough to resist puncture’. According to Cobham, Survivor+ fulfils these requirements and can considerably reduce the risk of drowning and hypothermia if a person is in the water.

The unique integration of a life vest and raft means that there is currently no SOLAS category that Survivor+ fits neatly into. Instead, it was tested in line with IMO Resolution A.520 (13) for Personal Life-Saving Appliances — a resolution which was created to facilitate the evaluation, testing and acceptance of newly-developed products that do not fit into existing categories under SOLAS ‘but which will provide the same or higher safety standards’.

To achieve the required standard, Survivor+ successfully completed an extensive laboratory and live testing procedure by Lloyd’s Register. The certification allows Survivor+ to be recognised internationally by the commercial maritime and offshore oil and gas industries as a compliant safety device that is ready for use.

Bruce McDonald, the classification society’s fire and safety technical manager, commented: ‘Lloyd’s Register was pleased to have issued Cobham a certificate of compliance for the Survivor+ product because we believe it provides a definite improvement to safety at sea.’

14/05/2014 19:01

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

PIRACY

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Whilst there were no successful pirate attacks on commercial vessels off the east coast of Africa last year, there is no room for complacency, warns the latest report from Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP).

OBP’s fourth annual report on the state of maritime piracy concludes that the economic cost of Somali piracy has dropped by 50% and the human cost has been significantly reduced. However, at the launch event to present the study’s findings last month, all those involved in anti-piracy activity warned that the decline is not a result of underlying problems being eradicated, and therefore all current best practice operations should remain.

OBP also warned of alarming new trends developing in west African piracy — with signs that the ‘kidnap and ransom model’ of attacks has been adopted in the region.

OBP is part of the One Earth Future Foundation, and the organisation’s founder argues that piracy is a symptom of ‘globalisation outpacing governance’.

In his introduction to the report, Marcel Arsenault states that the solution to piracy ultimately lies in building up capacity onshore. He was therefore disappointed to note that this year’s report found that only 1.5% of the economic cost of Somali piracy is attributed to the cost of projects supporting solutions ashore.

‘Until we have more economic opportunity and better governance ashore, we risk piracy returning to previous levels as soon as the navies and guards have gone home,’ he concluded.

Shipowners’ association BIMCO added a foreword to the report in which it noted that, far from being the short-term solution originally envisaged, private armed security on ships may be around for some time. ‘With [this] trend toward their longevity in the maritime industry comes a seeming move toward their institutionalisation,’ said secretary general Angus Frew.

BIMCO urged shipowners to not relax their commitment to the best management practices (BMP4) and other means of reducing the threat of piracy in the high-risk areas. ‘In general it is clear to see that 2013 was a year of improvement,’ Mr Frew added.

‘However, while attacks and hijackings continued to decline, pirate activity remains in the region.’

‘The pirates are not defeated,’ concluded report author Jens Madsen. ‘On both the east coast and the west coast it looks like we are only getting started.

Until we have more economic opportunity and better governance ashore, we risk piracy returning to previous levels as soon as the navies and guards have gone home.’

A new study reveals a dramatic reduction in piracy off east Africa — but also warns of rising problems in the Gulf of Guinea. DEBBIE CAVALDORO spoke to the authors…

Somali piracy

Figures from this year’s Oceans Beyond Piracy annual report

The OBP report showed a sharp decline in piracy activity in the Somali basin — the last successful commercial shipping hijacking was the Liberianflagged tanker Smyrni on 10 May 2012 — and stated that this had resulted in major financial benefits.

‘The costs of piracy off the east coast of Africa have been cut in half,’ said Mr Madsen. ‘In 2012 the economic cost of piracy in the area was between $5.7bn to $6.1bn, and in 2013 this came down to between $3bn and $3.2bn.

‘The main cost reductions have been in terms of ships no longer increasing speed or re-routeing through the area. And the costs of ransoms are also obviously down as there have been no additional hostages taken.’

However, OBP warned the maritime industry and governments not to place too much emphasis on the reduction in attacks, as the figures most likely reflect a short-term increase in activity by naval forces and private security. It said this had obscured the economic and social challenges that had pushed Soma-

lis into choosing violent crime as a means to make a living in the first place.

‘What we have seen is that, as international commercial vessels are much better at deterring attacks, the pirates have turned to targeting local and regional trade, and fishing vessels,’ said Mr Madsen.

‘They are still using these ships as motherships, showing that this system has not been completely taken out. This shows us that whilst the statistics this year are very encouraging, the pirates have not gone away and they still have the determination and capability to target ships if they are unprotected.’

Simon Church, from the Maritime Security Centre, welcomed the report on behalf of EU Navfor and sought to reassure the industry about the future of Operation Atalanta. ‘The current mandate for EU Navfor is due to end at the end of 2014, but EU member states have already agreed that, subject to agreement on the framework of the operational plan, Operation Atalanta will continue for another two

Safety Training Resources Education Assets Management 27_piracy_SR edit.indd 27

who are still being held hostage — some having spent over three years in captivity — and said that their treatment is ‘shocking’ and their living conditions ‘abysmal’.

‘We have been getting reports that the experiences of hostages are getting worse, the pirates are getting more desperate as the negotiations are dragged out, and all those still captive are designated as at high risk,’ said Mr Madsen.

OBP called on industry and governments to further increase the amount spent on capacity building in the region. The report showed an 86% increase in spend in this area — up to $44.7m, but this only represents 1.5% of the total spent on antipiracy measures.

Peter Swift, from the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme, added that if they could use just £1m of the $2.7bn saved through the reduction in the economic costs of piracy from 2012 to 2013, they could bring all the remaining hostages home.

‘The human cost of piracy is very important to highlight,’ he said. ‘It is also important to remember that the cost is not just borne by those held hostage; there are many more suffering at home while the seafarer members of their family are held. They go through a similar agony and sometimes it is worse, as it affects their daily lives, not being able to send their children to school or even find the money to feed them.’

West African piracy

years,’ he said. ‘The operation plan is currently being discussed between members in Brussels and EU Navfor and an announcement about the future will be made in June.’

The report notes that at least 100 individuals were prosecuted for piracy related crimes in 2013, but disruptions by EU Navfor were down 220% from 2012. However, the on-land training activity was up 300%, highlighting a shift in naval efforts towards increased involvement in building regional capacity.

Despite there being no successful attacks on ships off the east coast of Africa last year, there were still 486 seafarers exposed to Somali pirates with firearms. The increased use of armed guards onboard ship means violence occurs more between pirates and security team members, including an increase in exchanges of gunfire warning shots by security teams to deter suspicious approaching vessels.

The report draws attention to the 54 seafarers

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The report stresses that, as with Somali piracy, the sustainable solution to maritime crime in West Africa is not going to be found on the water. It will only be addressed when better systems of information sharing, coordination, and capacity building for local systems are present in the region.

‘We have made a comprehensive estimate of the economic and human cost of piracy in west Africa for the first time,’ explained Mr Madsen. ‘The economic cost of this piracy is around $565m to $681m.

The main costs are military operations in the regional countries, and the nature of the piracy means it is difficult for foreign navies to have much impact.

‘There have been 100 attacks and a marked shift towards more kidnap and ransom, and a slight decline in the number of cargo thefts and oil syphoning,’ he added. ‘Although piracy in the two areas is very different, it is a worrying trend that the kidnap and ransom model seems to be transferring to west Africa. It will be especially difficult for the seafarers caught up in it because the pirates in west Africa have a tendency to be much more violent than their east African counterparts.’

There were two deaths of seafarers from pirate activity last year and at least one more is recorded as missing.

OBP noted a continued under-reporting of piracy and kidnapping in the area, along with a lack of collaborative working, and likened the situation to the one it found when it first began collating figures for Somali piracy.

BIMCO echoed the call for the strategic lessons learned from Somali piracy to be taken forward by the international community when dealing with piracy problems in the Gulf of Guinea region. ‘Without the same level of interest and commitment by both regional and international actors in the pursuit of solutions then no solutions will be found,’ warned Giles Noakes, chief maritime security officer.

‘Seafarers are increasingly regularly confronted with kidnapping and ransom by extremely violent local pirates and robbers,’ he added. ‘There is a serious and growing problem in west Africa with kidnapping, and seafarers are suffering because of it.’

Basic Safety Training Weeks Personal Safety & Social Responsibility Personal Survival Techniques Elementary First Aid

14/05/2014 19:02

28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

MARITIME BOOKS

Uncovering an unknown hero A new book puts the spotlight on an early champion for the rights of black seafarers working in the Merchant Navy. MIKE GERBER has been reading it…

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He was a West Indian who served on British merchant ships during the First World War, became a Communist and Pan-Africanist, and was one of the foremost activists in the struggle for the rights of non-white seafarers. Whatever way you look at him, Chris Braithwaite — alias Chris Jones — was a fascinating character.

It’s therefore good to see that he is the subject of a compact new biography, written by Christian Høgsbjerg, a York University historian, and due to be published by Redwords with the Socialist History Society on 1 July.

Born in Barbados in 1885, the grandson of a slave who had taught himself to read the Bible, Braithwaite grew up in the middle of increasing poverty as the Caribbean islands were hit by declining prices for sugar produce.

His opportunity to go to sea came with the moves by British shipowners around the turn of the century to look to the colonies to recruit cheaper crews in response to intensifying international competition.

The biography is written by Christian Høgsbjerg, a York University historian

Mr Høgsbjerg provides no information — presumably as it is lacking — about Braithwaite’s early work on ships. Instead he quotes Laura Tabili’s study We Ask For British Justice, about workers and racial difference in imperial Britain, that colonial seamen were ‘a labour reserve filling the least desirable and least steady jobs such as firemen and stoking the coal’.

The luckier seafarers, Mr Høgsbjerg notes, worked on deck or in the saloon: ‘Yet while employed in the Merchant Navy, it seems Braithwaite, like many sailors, developed the habits of the autodidactic, finding time to read.’

While resident in Chicago, Braithwaite took up with a black American woman, who bore him several sons, but he left his family to return to sea. During the first world war he served in the Merchant Navy — which, Mr Høgsbjerg records, ‘was particularly dependent on the labour of colonial seamen… as white British seamen were conscripted to the Royal Navy’.

During the war Braithwaite worked as ‘chief donkey man’, responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the engines that drove windlasses, winches and cranes.

Post-war, Braithwaite worked in a New York bar and, Mr Høgsbjerg speculates, ‘would have witnessed, and possibly also participated in, the mass harbour strike of October 1919… which closed 700 miles of waterfront, stranded 650 ships and involved possibly 150,000 workers.’ Ultimately the longshoremen — a cross-section of New York minorities, including blacks — were defeated, but as one historian chronicled ‘new solidarities were constructed, and ethnic isolation diminished’.

Relocating to London, Braithwaite was employed by the Shipping Federation, in the East End docklands where many black seamen were domiciled.

He worked as an agent, helping the Federation hire colonial seamen for the ships. As he told Nancy Cunard, he was ‘the only coloured man to have this as-a-rule white-man’s job’.

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28_braith.indd Sec2:28

Chris Braithwaite (left) pictured on a May Day demonstration in 1933

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Cunard was the great-granddaughter of the founder of the famous shipping line that, Mr Høgsbjerg points out, ‘refused to allow black seamen anywhere near the decks of the passenger vessels until the 1950s’. Evidently, Nancy Cunard sympathised with the activism of Braithwaite and other black radicals, as she edited Negro Anthology, which covered Pan-Africanism and Communism.

Braithwaite was a member of the National Union of Seamen, even though at that stage of its history, the ratings’ union, anxious about the impact on white members’ jobs and pay, adopted a racially divisive, and often racist, stance.

By contrast, Braithwaite’s activism was inclusive; he took ‘an active part in the working-class struggles of this country, especially those affecting seamen — white as well as coloured’, his Trinidadian friend and political comrade George Padmore attested.

Braithwaite joined the Communist Party of Great Britain, which was working towards organising both white British and colonial seamen through the Transport Workers’ Minority Movement who argued that ‘Lascar, Chinaman, Arab or West Indian Negro’ seafarers were not to blame for unemployment or low wages’ and that ‘an injury to coloured seamen is a blow struck at British seamen’.

The outcome was the foundation of the Seamen’s Minority Movement (SMM) — like those other bodies, affiliated to the Soviet Union-led Communist International, or Comintern. Adopting the pseudonym Chris Jones to avoid victimisation by his employer, Braithwaite became a leading member of the SMM. And, Mr Høgsbjerg suggests, ‘he doubtless played a key role helping the international distribution of the officially banned “seditious” ITUC-NW [International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers] publication Negro Worker and other “Negro literature” into Africa and the Caribbean through his network of black colonial seamen. The ITUC-NW highlighted the injustices and appalling exploitation suffered by black seamen internationally but also showed that there was resistance.’

As fascism gained traction in 1930s Europe, Soviet policy swung in favour of seeking to build Popular Front alliances against that threat, which meant not upsetting imperialist interests, including those of Britain. This volte-face involved typically sinister Stalinist machinations against often principled Communists — and Braithwaite became a target.

Mr Høgsbjerg reveals that a Comintern agent, the former German seaman Richard Krebs, ‘slipped into Grimsby from Germany to reorganise the SMM… Krebs’s mission seems to have involved trying to ensure the launch of a new red union of British seamen.’ Despite Braithwaite’s differences with the NUS, he remained loyal and viewed the SMM not as a proto-union but as a welfare organisation.

Krebs later confessed that he received instructions to ‘break’ the SMM leadership and install new leaders compliant to Moscow. Krebs branded Braithwaite another of these ‘doubtful elements’ and reported: ‘We have expelled the negro Jones… from the SMM and have also asked for his expulsion from the Party. Reasons: It was proved that Jones was working on commission from the NUS, that he gets his means of livelihood by lending money at fabulous interest to seamen (this he runs in connection with the NUS bureaucrat, Marshall) and that he sells NUS positions on board ships to seamen (negroes).’

Given the source, it is hard to give any credence to these allegations. ‘Despite the attempts of Krebs to break Braithwaite, Chris Jones clearly remained a trusted and respected member of the CPGB,’ writes Mr Høgsbjerg. However, when George Padmore, editor of Negro World, resigned from the Comintern over its sidelining of the anti-colonial struggle, and thereby became subjected to ‘a vicious Stalinist witch-hunt… Black communists like Braithwaite, now had to take sides … he decided to resign from the CPGB… Though militant organisations like SMM… continued to be active for the duration of 1933 in areas such as Stepney, the loss of Braithwaite and the network of militant colonial seamen he had around him was keenly felt by the CPGB.’ With miniscule NUS support, Braithwaite continued the struggle to organise colonial seamen.

Because he had married a white British woman, his tenure in the UK was secure and he was no longer vulnerable as a ‘colonial’.

I

Non-white seafarers in the British Merchant Navy — whether or not they were considered as UK citizens — continued to be discriminated against in terms of pay, conditions and career prospects, and it now fell to Braithwaite and the rank and file network he had around him to lead the wider defence of black and Asian seamen — fighting against the 1935 British Shipping (Assistance) Act which classed them as ‘aliens’ and meant they were often refused work or even deported.

On 30 July 1935 Braithwaite took the initiative to organise a meeting of 20 colonial seamen at 68 East India Dock Road to resist this attack,’ writes Mr Høgsbjerg. ‘With support from the still existing Communist organisations such as the Negro Welfare Association this meeting decided to form… The Colonial Seamen’s Association.’

Chris Braithwaite remained active and vocal in support not only of colonial seafarers but also in progressive causes, including as organising secretary of George Padmore’s new International African Service Bureau for the Defence of Africans and People of African Descent, formed in May 1937 and launched with the assistance of the Sierra Leonean Communist ITA Wallace-Johnson, a former seaman.

But on 9 September 1944 Braithwaite, by then living in straitened circumstances in the East End, died suddenly of pneumonia. Christian Høgsbjerg acknowledges that a full biographical study would take many more years of archival and research work, but his 118-page book, including footnotes, is a creditable introduction to this important but hitherto neglected figure in seafaring history. g Chris Braithwaite by Christian Høgsbjerg is published by Redwords and the Socialist History Society, ISBN 978 19090 26568, and priced at £4.00.

14/05/2014 19:02

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29

MARITIME ART

The art of war at sea An exhibition of twentieth century maritime art showcases over 260 drawings and paintings from an artist’s ‘other life’ as a radio officer in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War...

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Remarkable paintings and drawings by a Merchant Navy radio officer are on show this month as part of a special National Maritime Museum exhibition featuring works by artists at sea during the First and Second World Wars.

Born in 1911, John Kingsley Cook was not an official war artist, but he had been formally trained and had produced illustrations to a 1934 edition of The Wind in the Willows. His championing of the MN is depicted through on-thespot sketches, contemporary to the events he experienced, as well as retrospective drawings made from memory.

During the Second World War, he served as a radio officer and went on his first sea voyage, to the United States, in December 1940.

In 1941 he was serving onboard the merchant vessel Empire Guillemot when it delivered supplies to the besieged island of Malta. On the return voyage, in October 1941, the ship was attacked by an Italian torpedo bomber, and sank.

Cook, and other survivors, were captured in Algeria (then under control of Vichy France) after swimming to the shore when their lifeboat sank. They were held as prisoners of war for a year until liberated after the

‘From the after boat deck of Escort Oiler. Corvette fuelling astern’ (not on display) All pictures: National Maritime Museum

family to the National Maritime Museum in 2012, and some of these are on show until 15 July as part of the war artists exhibition.

The free programme of displays in the Queen’s House also includes work by artists including Leslie Cole, Eric Ravilious, Richard Eurich, Norman Wilkinson, Stephen Bone, William Dring, John Worsley, Gladys E Reed, and Charles Wheeler.

‘Boat drill’ (not on display) ‒ This was drawn on the back of a piece of navigational chart.

Allied landing in North Africa in 1942.

He resumed service after a few months recuperating at home, and was discharged in August 1945, when he joined the staff at the Edinburgh College of Art, teaching engraving and graphic design and lecturing on the history of art before being appointed head of design in 1960.

Cook retired in 1971 and created a number of retrospective drawings in the 1980s, when he was working on his (as yet unpublished) memoirs — in which he wrote: ‘For the duration of the war I led another life, much sim-

pler, much more basic, but the artist in me survived and whenever I could in spare moments I would bring out my sketchbooks and paints and become absorbed in my work.’

More than 260 drawings and two paintings of his wartime experiences were presented by his

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Don’t forget, too, that the National Maritime Museum is also staging an exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of Trinity House.

The Guiding Lights show, which opened last month and runs until 4 January 2016, features 70 rarely– seen objects from Trinity House and the museum’s own collection, including intricate models, dramatic film and the personal effects of lighthouse keepers, and watercolour sketches by accomplished marine artist William Lionel Wyllie.

‘Gun on poop. Gunnery practice’ ‒ This scene was drawn on the back of a piece of navigational chart, inscribed: ‘4 inch gun on the poop of the Empire Guillemot, gunnery practice’. As civilian vessels, the merchant ships had limited armament; just two ‘Tommy guns’ (Thompson submachine guns) and a revolver on Cook’s ship. In his off-watch time, Cook recorded the crew’s firing practice with humour in a lively, cartoon-like sketch. He and the first radio officer, Bert Helliwell, alternated duties in the confined environment of the wireless cabin.

WERE YOU AWARE that following the successul outcome of a judicial review in respect of two Seatax clients, (brought before the Courts by Nautilus in collaboration with Seatax Ltd as expert advisors on the Seafarers Earnings Deduction), it was deemed that the two Seatax clients did have a legitimate expectation in applying the only published Revenue Practice with regard to the application of a day of absence in relation to a vessel sailing between UK ports. HMRC did not want to accept this practice (although referred to in their very own publications) but have now accepted that expectations of a claim based on such practice would be valid until the published practice is withdrawn.

Following on from this, HMRC have now confirmed that this Practice is withdrawn as of the 14 February 2014. Seatax was the only Advisory Service that challenged HMRC on this point.

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‘Self portrait; at Halifax, March 25th’ ‒ While at sea, Cook used the back of obsolete navigational charts for his drawings, sketching portraits of his crewmates on sections of the globe of their choice. He also executed a couple of self-portraits, as is the case here. Shortly before he made this one, on a day’s leave on shore, an unfortunate tennis accident gave him a black eye: perhaps this is why half his face is left in the shadow.

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14/05/2014 19:02

30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

MARITIME EDUCATION

Students race to make links This year 500 students from across the Netherlands took part in the race All pictures: Peter Jager

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On a sunny spring day, around 500 Dutch students onboard a selection of classic sailing vessels left the port of Rotterdam for a week-long race under sail, visiting ports including Vlissingen, Ipswich, IJmuiden and Amsterdam.

Nautilus International joined them as they departed.

The sailors were taking part in the 26th Race of the Classics — the largest and most prominent student sailing event in Europe. Back in 1988, two Dutch students at the Amsterdam Academy came up with the idea for this brilliant maritime event, with the aim of promoting contacts between students training in various disciplines in Dutch high schools and universities.

Over the years the event has smoothly changed into one which also promotes contacts between students and trade and industry. But as it is called Race of the Classics, competition and pleasure are also part of the ingredients.

In 1988 the race started with no more than four traditional sailing vessels. This year a total of 22 vessels took part — cementing the event’s status as the biggest European sailing race between high schools and universities.

All ships were positioned on the sun-drenched river Nieuwe Maas, downstream of the Erasmusbridge

Nautilus ship visitor PETER JAGER joined a different sort of vessel from his usual stomping-ground when he met contestants taking part in this year’s Race of the Classics — a prestigious sailing event for Dutch students…

One of these high schools is the well-known Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz, at Terschelling, one of the country’s foremost nautical colleges. I don’t need to explain how an experience like this on a classic sailing vessel made a welcome change for its future professional mariners.

The tiny Veerhaven in the old historic heart of Rotterdam was the place to be for ‘real’ seafarers as the race began with 22 classic sailing vessels, dozens of masts and lots of rigging.

The event was officially opened by the wellknown Dutch former swimming champion and one-time politician Erica Terpstra. In a warm and very enthusiastic speech she wished all the 500 students an unforgettable race. She assured everybody that just one week onboard a traditional sailing vessel at sea would give them a lifetime of memories.

Nautilus joined the beautiful new two-mast topsail schooner Avatar. One and a half hours later it was called ‘fore-and-aft’. All ships were positioned on the sun-drenched river Nieuwe Maas, just downstream of the Erasmusbridge.

With a gentle breeze the crews had set sails, creating a very impressive and historic maritime sight during the start along the old and modern riverbanks of Rotterdam. At seven minutes past noon the go-ahead was given by Mrs Terpstra onboard the sail training vessel Zr Ms Urania, of the Dutch Royal Navy. With the help of the outgoing tide, the whole armada headed outward with the port of Vlissingen as its destination.

While sailing down river we met students who had taken part in previous races, and it confirmed how enthusiastic these young people are.

On the riverbank at Vlaardingen Nautilus left the Avatar, having wished crew and students a safe and memorable voyage. One week later, the armada arrived back in the Netherlands, with the final destination being the historic KNSM-Island in the port of Amsterdam — and the winning team coming from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

As soon as the start was signalled, the ships headed out toward the port of Vlissingen, due to return a week later

30_race.indd Sec2:30

Althought the event is a race, it is also about promoting links between students, colleges and industry

The students set off on what would be an ‘unforgettable race’ spending a week onboard a traditional Dutch vessel

More than 20 vessels took part in this year’s Race of the Classics, which is now in its 29th year

14/05/2014 19:03

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

MARITIME POLICY

Drive less, float more c

Nautilus has long championed the use of inland waterways and shortsea shipping to move freight. It seems crazy that roads throughout Europe are congested with highly-polluting HGVs when there is a network of under-used waterways available.

The European Commission (the executive body of the European Union) says that, on the inland waterways, energy consumption per km/tonne of transported goods is approximately 17% of that of road transport and 50% of rail transport. Other advantages of waterborne freight transport are that noise and gaseous emissions are modest, and it has a good safety record, particularly on the transportation of dangerous goods.

‘The total external costs of inland navigation (in terms of accidents, congestion, noise emissions, air pollution and other environmental impacts) are seven times lower than those of road transport,’ the Commission claims.

This supports the view that European countries should be increasing their use of inland navigation, and the Commission has now pledged to ‘promote and strengthen the competitive position of the inland waterway transport in the transport system, and to facilitate its integration into the intermodal logistic chain.’

As a first step towards this rather dull-sounding but important goal, an effort has been made to gather all available data on EU transport and present it in one comparison tool: the EU Transport Scoreboard. Launched in April this year, the Scoreboard is an online rating system comparing member state performance in 22 transport-related categories. It works by collating information from various research projects around the EU, so it has quite a variety of findings, with some based on quantitative data such as gross tonnage moved, and others drawing on qualitative data such as respondents’ perceptions. In certain categories, the Scoreboard highlights the countries considered the five top and bottom performers — not quite ‘naming and shaming’, but hopefully giving these states pause for thought.

Commission vice-president Siim Kallas, responsible for mobility and transport, said: ‘The new Scoreboard is a fantastic tool that shows visually where we stand in making our transport systems more efficient, more customer-friendly, safer and cleaner.

It can of course only offer a snapshot, but it gives us and member states a point of reference and a source of inspiration for our work together.’

So how did the Nautilus nations fare? This Union is based in three countries — the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland — but Switzerland is not in the EU, so it doesn’t appear on the Scoreboard. There is information about the Netherlands and the UK, however, and the differences between the two are quite striking.

31_eu transpt_SR edit.indd 31

European Union transport ministers have agreed a new policy statement — the Athens Declaration — calling for a drive to promote the use of waterborne transport over the next four years. SARAH ROBINSON examines an attempt to measure member states’ progress...

Modal split of freight transport on land (%) — 2012 Road Rail Inland Waterways

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Oil Pipelines

Source: EU Transport Scoreboard

In a pie chart showing the modal split of ‘land’ freight transport in the UK, for example, the slice allocated to inland waterways is so slender as to be invisible. In the Netherlands, though, the inland waterways slice takes up a good third of the pie (the Transport Scoreboard does not give the actual percentages on the charts).

Even though the UK lacks a major conduit such as the Rhine, the situation revealed by the charts is still a poor show. As Nautilus has pointed out numerous times to the UK government, the country has an extensive network of canals — a legacy from the industrial revolution — and many of these are entirely suitable for mass freight transport. It’s about thinking imaginatively, argues the Union, and getting away from the modern perception that canals are just for pleasure boats.

c

The Transport Scoreboard also looks at some maritime data. In one of the studies used for the Scoreboard (the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey 2012-2013), business executives were asked to rate their country’s port facilities. Scores range from 1 (port infrastructure considered extremely underdeveloped) to 7 (port infrastructure considered efficient by international standards). Here, the Netherlands was the strongest performer of all the EU countries, with a rating for its ports of 6.79 out of 7. The UK did quite well, with 5.68, while the lowest performer was Romania, with 3.00.

Another set of maritime data is described in the Scoreboard as the ‘single market’, meaning the sea transport of goods between ports of the same member state (including offshore supply ser-

vices and island transport). The figures, drawn from a 2012 Eurostat survey, are given by volume of national transport of goods by sea in million tonnes. In this case, the Scoreboard does not attempt to rate countries as strong or weak performers, because their use of shortsea shipping is so closely bound up with their geography. Not surprisingly, then, the sea transport of goods between the Netherlands’ closely-positioned ports is relatively low, at 1.78m tonnes.

The volume for the UK is much higher, at 65.26m tonnes, reflecting the goods moved around the country’s large offshore sector and among its numerous islands.

And that’s it, unfortunately, for waterborne transport. The EU Transport Scoreboard has quite a lot more data on road and rail, going into detail about safety and environmental impact, but it seems there is not the equivalent data available for comparison with shortsea shipping and inland waterways. The way the figures are categorised is also a bit confusing, with inland waterways described as land transport.

The European Commission says its intention is ‘to refine the indicators in the years to come, in dialogue with member states, industry and other stakeholders, and to track member state progress over time.’ Let’s hope this refinement includes more data about inland navigation and shortsea shipping, and that it actually ends up with national governments getting freight off the roads and onto the water. g To view the EU Transport Scoreboard, go to www.ec.europa. eu/transport and select the Scoreboard from the ‘Facts and Fundings’ drop-down menu. The ‘Transport modes’ section has more about EU policy.

The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society Providing the highest standards of residential, nursing, dementia and respite care, including sheltered flats, for former seafarers and their dependents. Set in a 14 acre estate, our Surrey based care home provides like minded companionship and support for seafarers and a safe haven for those in old age.

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS OUR HELP, PLEASE CONTACT US

T

01737 353 763

E enquiries@royalalfred.org.uk

www.royalalfredseafarers.com Reference code: NAUT Registered as a Charity No. 209776

14/05/2014 19:03

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

OFFWATCH ships of the past

by Trevor Boult

50 YEARS AGO

been aware of the requirement to care F for people’s secular needs as well as for their

Routeing in the Dover Strait was supported by 94% of shipmasters taking part in a survey conducted by the navigational authorities in Great Britain, France and Germany. The questionnaire was sent to 10,000 ships of various nationalities and just over 3,500 forms were returned. An explanatory memorandum accompanying the survey explained that about 750 ships passed through the Dover Straits each day and most of them used the fivemile wide passage between the Varne and the English coast, irrespective of their destinations. Most meetings in the Strait were end-on or nearly end-on and unless some way is found to thin out the traffic and reduce the incidence of such encounters, the danger would persist. The working group had proposed re-marking the area to induce ships to make better use of the available space and to recommend particular tracks for ships bound for certain destinations MN Journal, June 1964

The Christian churches have always

spirit. But, towards seafarers, the fulfilment of this duty remained for centuries sporadic and unorganised.

It was not until the 17th and 18th centuries that an organised effort began. In England, the Church Missionary Society was founded in 1799. This later spurred systematic work for seafarers at Bristol, and the establishment of the Missions to Seamen as a Voluntary Society in 1856. They aimed at meeting needs not covered by government provision.

The Missions to Seamen was able to concentrate on its primary spiritual purpose — extending the pastoral work of the Church to the seaman afloat. The form of Christianity which had the strongest influence at the time concerned the advancement of man’s welfare. In an age which accomplished so much humanitarian reform, it is natural that voluntary efforts should have been made to better the condition of seamen. This was but one highlight in that great endeavour of social improvement known as the Age of Reform.

In such a climate voluntary associations could grow and find financial backing with remarkable speed.

In 1825, the London Episcopal Floating Church Society, supported by the Church of England, sent the Reverend Horatio Montague, a former naval officer, to visit ships between London Bridge and the Pool.

To assist this enterprise the Admiralty lent a vessel that was used as a floating church.

Of necessity, such early work was local.

There remained the need not only to develop these beginnings but to build up a worldwide network, and a national organisation to provide suitable staff to assume posts in farflung foreign ports.

It was a young clergyman of the Church of England — John Ashley — whose work led eventually to the formation of the Missions to Seamen. A man of private means, and a selfless pioneer, he bought a cutter, had her fitted with a chapel, and proceeded to sea.

After two years, Ashley’s work met with such success that, on the advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury, it was developed into what was to become the Bristol Channel Seamen’s Mission.

Under the banner of ‘Flying Angel’, the visiting of ships in docks has always been

25 YEARS AGO

How Mission took to the water to help seafarers a vital part of the Missions to Seamen. In mid-20th century London, the River Thames presented peculiar difficulties. There were more ships than berths and some vessels only lay alongside for a few hours. A vessel was needed with a chaplain who could concentrate on visiting ships that lay at moorings. He could then attend to those vessels that could not be visited within the docks.

A motor fishing vessel, renamed John Ashley, was acquired on permanent loan from the Admiralty in 1951. Against a background of the Festival of Britain, the John Ashley was dedicated by the Bishop of London to her special mission. Launches in other stations had been continuing the work that historically was started in the Bristol Channel, but the John Ashley was able to do this more effectively and on a larger scale — not only because of the way she was fitted out, but because the Thames offered unlimited scope for this type of work.

Colliers on both coastal and continental runs often had to lie up for days before getting a berth. Few, if any, of the crew could get ashore. As soon as these ships were

turned around they headed for the open sea.

The John Ashley was commissioned to help those men in the colliers and small coasters.

Inspecting the John Ashley, a contemporary observer enthused: ‘The large hold, originally designed to carry fish, has been cheerfully painted and fitted out with cushioned benches. The bulkhead shelves are filled with books to suit a catholic taste.

Such essentials as toothpaste and razor blades can be bought and there are woollen garments for their greater comfort in cold weather. In various parts of the hold have been placed a dartboard, a piano, a television and cinema equipment...’

In her time, the John Ashley became one of the best known vessels on the Thames. She was an important carrier of messages from one seaman to another, or as a meeting place between relatives from different ships. Frequently she helped with emergencies brought about by sickness or accident. Indeed, there was no limit to the ways in which she combated the monotony and difficulty of the seaman’s life, through fellowship and in the spirit of addressing social welfare in its broadest context.

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book Sextant by David Barrie (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 NUMAST has stepped up its calls for ships to have sufficient seafarers onboard to comply with the new International Ship & Port Facilities Security Code. The Union has welcomed the results of a survey published by the International Ship Managers’ Association showing that more than 80% of its members consider that additional manning is essential to ensure effective compliance and to prevent ‘already stretched complements’ from becoming over-burdened. NUMAST has made representations to the Department for Transport, calling for the impact of the Code on officers’ workloads to be reflected by a review of safe manning certificates. The Union says the duties for the shipboard security officer must be taken into account when determining crew resources The Telegraph, June 2004

THEQUIZ 1

What was the average TEU capacity of containerships being delivered in 2004?

2

What percentage of goods worldwide are transported in containers?

3

Which country’s shipowners have the largest number of containerships on order?

4

Which country’s shipowners have the largest number of offshore support vessels on order?

5

In which year did Lake Champlain become the first British merchant ship to be fitted with radio?

6

Roughly how many merchant ships took part in the first day of action in the D-Day landings 70 years ago?

J Quiz answers are on page 42.

Name: Address:

Telephone:

Membership No.:

Closing date is Friday 13 June 2014.

QUICK CLUES

32_offwatch.indd 32

European Community officials have revealed plans for the creation of a ‘Euro register’ of shipping in a bid to counter the decline of the merchant fleets being suffered by member states. They said the new flag — which would be called Euros — would help EU owners to compete against foreign operators.

Drawn up as part of a second phase of the EC maritime policy, the register would have high crewing and safety standards and would aim to assist the future training and employment of European seafarers with tax and social security measures. The new policy package is also set to include plans for much stricter enforcement of port state control to combat substandard shipping The Telegraph, June 1989

1.

5.

9.

10.

12.

13.

14.

18.

19.

21.

24.

25.

26.

27.

Across Exercise (4-2) Roman Catholic (6) Friendly (7) Casual walk (6) Sworn in 1789 (6,5,4) Whip (4) Pasta (10) Astute (10) Weaving premises (4) Charge (8,2,5) Stinger (6) Wide choice (7) Minister (6) Scapegoat (6)

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Down Irish faction (9) Tolkien creature (6) Perceptive (9) Rice (5) Governance debate (8) Brand of car (5) Fire ledge (11)

11.

15.

16.

17.

20.

22.

23.

Mail (5,6) Grave (9) Relaxed (9) Rural (8) Diving duck (6) Relative (5) Attend to plumage (5)

CRYPTIC CLUES 1.

5.

9.

10.

12.

13.

14.

Across Tile mosaic amongst hundreds of ancient stock (6) Household cleaner a born bloodsucker (6) Separate out broken tun and its contents (7) No, lots returned to stem (6) Hard clue Martha’d devised for Northern edifice (6,9) Negative response and expression of surprise from boat builder (4) Take taxi to nice resort and forget sobriety (10)

18. Rehearse lunge with sword (3,7) 19. Engrave in Dorset chalk (4) 21. All the authority needed from part of book and poem (7,3,5) 24. ‘A --- disposition, good my lord’ (Hamlet) (6) 25. Reversed resolution, revolting and altogether obsequious (7) 26. Cover for container in half-German aircraft … (6) 27. … see that cover reconstructed for specific type of engine (6)

Down 2. To provide amusement go in, thanks in short to the trendy (9) 3. Steak shape, with another bone and a gull’s tail, all so ethnic (6) 4. Statement of beliefs about fragrance, endless but it’s getting louder (9) 5. Trouble with source of sugar around capital of Surinam (5)

6. Cryptic, as coteries turn out to be (8) 7. Singers in church circle overthrew religious instruction (5) 8. Haggis versus Yorkshire for the chieftain on 25 January (7,4) 11. Clue: bees she trained to make dairy products — Danish for example (4,7) 15. Arranged ides after pipes …

(9) 16. … and a free lift beyond the grave (9) 17. The woman got tip of rocket to touch down on Scots isle (8) 20. Opposed to a section of hymn (6) 22. This month secretary turned up with one between sides (5) 23. Junction, alternatively a blade, whichever way it turns (5)

J Crossword answers are on page 42.

14/05/2014 19:04

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 33

books

OFFWATCH

Pacey thriller shows real flashes of inspiration The Golden Tide

By John Guy ISBN: 978 14947 14246 Available in paperback for £12.95 from the Marine Society Shop and as an e-book from Amazon writer John Guy sees the author developing K his powers of description and characterisation, This second novel from seafarer-turned-

while retaining the pace and tight plot structure of his first effort, The Reluctant Pirate.

The Golden Tide draws on the real-life Prestige disaster, in which shipmaster Captain Mangouras faced a criminal trial following the pollution of Spanish beaches. With events moved to the coast of Sicily, the novel insightfully explores the dilemma of the fictional Captain Anand as he struggles with

Rattling yarn from Council member adds to impressive list of titles Broken Ship

By Michael Lloyd Monument Publishing, £7.99 ISBN: 978 18560 95204 fwww.witherbyseamanship.com

K

This is Nautilus Council member Michael Lloyd’s third fiction book, following in the footsteps of an impressive collection of nine nonfiction maritime guides. And it is his second novel to recount the exploits of Captain Harry Andrews, fresh from his adventures in the Congo, which were told in Devil’s Cauldron.

This story follows Capt Andrews and the small crew of a 20-year-old Mexican Gulf offshore supply vessel, sailing across the Atlantic to the UK to be re-fitted for service in the North Sea. And the keen-eyed seafarers among you will already be able to spot the potential for problems with that!

The journey starts as it means to continue, with a voyage down a waterway near the Mississippi which the crew have to navigate using only a road map. This is probably the only time when the inevitable doesn’t happen and everything goes smoothly. However, the problems start to come thick and fast as the Rudd Spirit enters the Gulf of Mexico, bound for the Atlantic. A spoiler alert:

33_books.indd 31

the competing demands of the coastguard, the shipowner and his own sea sense. And like Capt Mangouras, he ends up satisfying no-one when his vessel, the Barbara S, breaks up in a storm and discharges its cargo.

No-one, that is, except the many opportunists who quickly realise that the oil spill can be turned into a ‘golden tide’ — a bonanza of dodgy insurance claims, environmental consultancy fees, Mafia kickbacks and the like.

The action switches around the world, from Sicily to northern Europe and even the USA, and in the best thriller tradition, there are plenty of dastardly villains and sexy ladies. However, it’s pleasing to see the author develop some more nuanced characters too. Our sympathies are engaged by hapless environmentalist Simone, crusading journalist Michiel, naïve insurance

some of the suspense is lost by the map at the very beginning which shows you the position of some of these forthcoming incidents.

Although there are occasions where the narrative drifts into rhetoric about the state of the maritime industry today, it doesn’t detract from the flow of the novel, which moves along at a fair pace and will probably have seafarers nodding along in agreement.

Some of the characters seem to be straight out of maritime central casting. There’s the firm-but-fair captain who’s been there and seen it all; his long-time friend and first mate who works hard and plays hard; there’s an innocent female second officer who has to be the best in order to as good as the men; a drunken chief engineer who puts everyone at risk with his addiction; and a ‘means-well but lacks experience’ superintendent who tries his best but often falls short.

Will Capt Andrews be able to sail the Rudd Spirit all the way across the Atlantic in one piece, or will Hurricane Thomas stop them? Will ‘Delilah’ be a better cook than Andre?

And how many times will the engine cut out along the way? Board the Broken Ship and find out…

Anecdotes of crew help to round out nostalgia East of Suez

By William H Miller & Tim Noble Amberley Publishing, £19.99 ISBN: 978 14456 34296 of a one-man industry K producing vessel and shipping

William H. Miller is something

company histories — but for this look at ‘liners to Australia in the 1950s and 1960s’ he has teamed up with former navigating officer Tim Noble to look at the ships at the heart of the ‘£10 Pom’ trade taking emigrants from the UK and Europe to a new life

man David and rueful coastguard officer Dino, who regrets letting a corrupt junior colleague cover for him on the night of the disaster.

The book’s style uses touches of Ian Fleming to keep us turning the pages, but also reaches towards a more thoughtful type of popular novel — a Nevil Shute work, perhaps. There is a nice little moment, for example, where we flash back to the construction of the Barbara S and witness the small mistake by a tired Korean naval architect which would eventually lead to devastating cracks in the vessel’s structure.

The Golden Tide isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s definitely worth a look; a good od read from a talented new author who knows his stuff

down under.

Packed with illustrations — including not just ships, but also advertisements, menu cards and other memorabilia — the book is an unashamed wallow in nostalgia and is organised around 20 chapters featuring all the main operators, including P&O-Orient, Shaw Savill, Blue Funnel, Holland America, Nederland Line and Dutch and British government ships.

What lifts the book above a mere ‘cut and paste’ are the recollections of many who sailed upon the ships, with some enjoyable anecdotes about life onboard (waiters on one ship were known as ‘wingers’ as they had to ‘wing it’ when they ran out of plates by the time they approached Australia, while another ship had the ‘wailing wall’ which sought to prevent the ship’s Italian officers from socialising with tourist class women passengers).

There are tantalising hints of the wider social and economic significance of the role these ships played in the development of Australia, and one senses there could be an even more interesting story to be told through the tales of the millions who travelled in search of a better life.

about the sea potential and is starting to realise his potential.

Sound sailing credentials in appealing guide for the lay reader Tall Ships Handbook

By Amanda Butcher Amberley Publishing, £17.99 ISBN: 978 14456 18890 Association of Sail Training K Organisations, this book comes

Written by the director of the

with the best of credentials and the laudable aim of providing a handy reference and background guide — especially for the many spectators of the Tall Ship races.

Produced not only to help ship-spotters identify which vessel is which, the guide also aims to tell something of their history, ownership and operation. It is logically structured and neatly laid out, with plenty of excellent illustrations.

Each entry has details including

vessel type, crew and cadet complements, port of registry and — where available — websites for further information. The handy identification hints add to the book’s appeal, and there is an enjoyable ‘bluffer’s fact’ for each ship.

The book paints a good picture of the great range of tall ship activity around the world and should help to foster even more interest in the sector.

A hymn to the art of celestial navigation BOOK Sextant

By David Barrie William Collins, £16.99 ISBN: 978 00075 16568 only tells the history of the sextant but also K celebrates its vital role in opening up the world, This passionate and powerful work not

while serving up a stirring appeal for the device’s continued existence in the era of electronic navigation and GPS. David Barrie mixes his personal experience — being taught how to use the sextant by a retired RN captain during a transatlantic passage in a 35ft yacht in 1973 — with accounts of some remarkable voyages and explorations to explain how the sextant helped to pave the way for new trade routes and to warn how ‘almost without notice the golden age of celestial navigation has drawn to a close’.

Setting the sextant within a wider context, the book canters through the leaps and bounds in navigational knowledge over the centuries, describing the way in which civilisations increased their understanding of the sun and the stars and the movement of the Earth. It explains how this fuelled the development of equipment

such as the quadrant and the astrolabe — forerunners of the sextant — and

the significance of the breakthroughs made by the understanding of longitude and the introduction of the marine chronometer.

The way in which Mr Barrie seamlessly weaves in tales of the great navigators such as Captain Cook, Matthew Flinders, Joshua Slocum and La Pérouse with wider developments in science and society is well handled and does not feel forced.

He also quotes extensively from sources as varied as Shakespeare and Herman Melville in painting a bigger picture, and his explanations of the principles of sextant design and operation, and of navigational techniques such as dead reckoning and the ‘PZX triangle’, are so well written that the lay reader can readily gain a reasonable understanding of the fundamentals.

At the heart of the book is Mr Barrie’s argument that GPS is part of a drift towards reliance upon computers for almost all aspects of our daily lives — eliminating both mental and physical challenges and reducing adults to the dependency of childhood. ‘Unthinking reliance on GPS weakens our capacity to find out way using our senses,’ he warns. ‘By contrast, the practice of celestial navigation extends our skills and deepens our relationship with the universe around us.’

SAVINGS Telegraph readers can buy the books reviewed on these pages at a whopping 25% discount on publisher’s price through the Marine Society’s online shop.

readers need to make g their purchase at www.

To qualify for this offer,

marinesocietyshop.org. Click on the ‘Books of the month’ button with the Nautilus logo to see the books featured in the Telegraph, and use the promotional code Nautilus when buying your book.

If a book reviewed in the Telegraph isn’t listed yet in the Marine Society shop, just use the website’s ‘contact us’ button to request the title. The Society aspires to respond the same day with the best price and availability.

Most titles can be secured within 24 hours.

14/05/2014 19:06

34 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

NL NEWS

Jaarvergadering 2014

Wat brengt 2014 voor de werknemers bij P&O NSF? C

De CAO voor 2013 is nog maar net afgesloten en de onderhandelingen voor de nieuwe CAO met P&O NSF kunnen nu weer worden opgestart. Bij de CAO voor 2014 zal Nautilus het loonen arbeidsvoorwaardenbeleid van de FNV volgen: voor 2014 betekent dit een loonruimte van 3% die geheel benut kan worden voor het verhogen van de gages.

Om zo veel mogelijk leden de kans te geven hun ideeën naar voren te brengen, heeft Nautilus een tweetal ledenvergaderingen georganiseerd en wel op 12 mei aan boord van de Pride of Bruges te Zeebrugge en op 13 mei aan boord van de Pride of Rotterdam te Hull. Leden die hierbij niet aanwezig konden zijn, konden tot 6 mei hun voorstellen schriftelijk indienen.

Modernisering reglement

Niet alleen de nieuwe CAO komt tijdens de ledenvergadering aan bod. Ook zal gesproken worden over de al dan niet gewenste modernisering van het huidige reglement.

Teamwork

Ter versterking van de

onderhandelingspositie kan samenwerking een groot goed zijn.

Vanuit die gedachte heeft Nautilus bij de leden in dienst van P&O NSF de vraag voorgelegd of het een meerwaarde heeft om in de toekomst samen met Nautilus UK de CAO-onderhandelingen te gaan voeren. Onze leden (die onder de Nederlandse CAO vallen) hadden van 17 april tot en met 6 mei 2014 de mogelijkheid om hun stem uit te brengen.

De vraag die voorlag was of men een voor- dan wel een tegenstander is van gezamenlijke CAO-onderhandelingen met de UK. Van de mogelijkheid om te stemmen heeft een op de drie werknemers gebruik gemaakt. De meerderheid van deze stemmers, te weten 60%, heeft aangegeven dat zij geen gezamenlijke CAOonderhandelingen met de UK willen. Dit betekent dat er bij P&O North Sea Ferries zowel in Nederland als in het Verenigd Koninkrijk gescheiden CAOonderhandelingen zullen blijven.

De CAO-onderhandelingen zullen daarom, ook in 2014, weer in Europoort gevoerd gaan worden (en niet in Dover).

Geef uw mening Vorige maand vroegen wij: Is de zeescheepvaart klaar voor de Ballast Water Management Conventie?

Nee 59% Ja 41%

De poll van deze maand is: Denk u dat het veilig is om de anti piraterij zeemacht bij Somalië te reduceren? Geef ons uw mening online, op www.nautilusnl.org

34-35_nl_14.05.indd 34

F

Het bestuur nodigt alle leden van Nautilus International uit voor de jaarvergadering van de Nederlandse branch. De vergadering wordt gehouden op dinsdag 17 juni 2014 in het Hilton Hotel te Rotterdam.

Het Hilton is gelegen aan het Weena 10 en is eenvoudig met het openbaar vervoer te bereiken (ca.

8 wandelminuten vanaf Rotterdam Centraal). De vergadering begint om 13.00 uur. Voorafgaand vanaf 12.00 uur kunt u in het hotel terecht voor een eenvoudige lunch.

De agenda is als volgt:

1. Opening door voorzitter Marcel van den Broek 2. Bestuursverslag van het gevoerde beleid in 2013 3. Financieel jaarverslag 4. Verkiezing bestuurslid 5. Verkiezing leden Raad van Advies 6. 2007 protocol Nautilus NL-UK 7. Wat verder ter tafel komt.

8. Sluiting Bij agendapunt 2

Het verslag van het gevoerde beleid in 2013 zal het bestuur doen aan de hand van het jaarverslag dat enkele weken voorafgaand aan de jaarvergadering

op de Nautilus website zal worden geplaatst. Tijdens de jaarvergadering zullen tevens hard copies van het jaarverslag aanwezig zijn.

Bij agendapunt 4

Op grond van artikel 8 lid 7 van onze statuten dient ieder bestuurslid na vier jaar af te treden. Na aftreding kan elk bestuurslid zich wederom verkiesbaar stellen. Dit jaar is vice voorzitter/ penningmeester Hylke Hylkema aftredend. Hij stelt zich herkiesbaar, maar is wegens pensionering voornemens in de jaarvergadering 2015 vervroegd af te treden. Op grond van de statuten heeft de Raad van Advies een bindende voordracht gedaan.

Bij agendapunt 5

Ongeveer de helft van de Raad van Advies is dit jaar volgens rooster aftredend, te weten: Uit de kiesgroep kapiteins en stuurlieden; Mevrouw Cordes en de heer Van Vuuren Uit de kiesgroep marof; De heren Ballieux, Van Breugel en Kuiken.

Uit de kiesgroep pensioen-of

uitkeringsgerechtigden; De heren Poldervaart en Vons In de kiesgroepen scheepsgezellen, werktuigkundigen, wal en binnenvaart zijn geen aftredende leden. Mevrouw Cordes alsmede de heren Van Vuuren, Ballieux, Kuiken en Vons hebben zich inmiddels verkiesbaar gesteld. De heren Van Breugel en Poldervaart zijn niet beschikbaar voor herverkiezing.

In de kiesgroep werktuigkundigen bestaat nog een onvervulde vacature.

Tevens zijn er door het terugtreden van de heren Van Breugel en Poldervaart vacatures ontstaan in de kiesgroepen Marof en pensioen-of uitkeringsgerechtigden. Ondanks een oproep in de Telegraph zijn er geen geldige aanmeldingen binnengekomen zodat wordt voorgesteld om alle aftredende leden m.u.v. de heren Poldervaart en Van Breugel opnieuw voor vier jaar te benoemen.

Bij agendapunt 6

In 2007 werd in aanloop tot het samengaan in 2009 tussen Nautilus NL en Nautilus UK een protocol opgesteld waarin partijen een groot aantal afspraken met elkaar maakten. Eén van deze

afspraken betreft een tijdgebonden uittredingsbepaling voor het geval dat de samenwerking niet aan de verwachtingen voldoet. Deze uittredingsbepaling vervalt in september van dit jaar. Tijd om in de jaarvergadering de balans op te maken van 5 jaar samenwerking.

Symposium

Tijdens het openbare gedeelte van onze jaarvergadering zal als thema de ‘Wet Arbeid Vreemdelingen en de Wet Minimum Loon’ centraal staan.

In toenemende mate wordt het duidelijk dat de markt de grenzen van deze wetten opzoekt en in sommige gevallen ook overtreedt. Een tweetal experts op dit gebied zal worden gevraagd hun licht over deze materie te laten schijnen en vervolgens met de zaal de discussie aangaan.

Afsluiting

De jaarvergadering wordt traditiegetrouw afgesloten met een hapje en een drankje zodat bestuur, leden en genodigden op informele wijze verder met elkaar van gedachte kunnen wisselen.

Het bestuur verheugt zich op uw komst.

Mantelovereenkomst HAL ondertekend en onderweg naar Seattle

Wij hebben Facebook.

America Line kunnen wij u F melden dat de mantelovereenkomst is

Volg ons ook!

Met betrekking tot de Holland

aangepast (zo is de lijst met de namen van de HAL schepen veranderd). De aangepaste mantelovereenkomst is reeds door Nautilus ondertekend

en ter ondertekening naar Seattle gestuurd.

Zodra het stuk weer terug is bij Nautilus, kan ook de mantelovereenkomst aangemeld worden bij het Ministerie. Het is nu wachten op de werkgever.

Bezoek www. nautilusint.org

Nautilus in actie tegen PvdA motie A

Kondigden wij eerder aan dat Nederland als laatste land eindelijk een wetsvoorstel voorbereidde om naast VPD’s (eerste optie) private beveiliging mogelijk te maken aan boord van zeeschepen, zagen wij dat op 10 april jl. plotseling geblokkeerd door de PVDA die aankondigde een motie te zullen indienen om deze wetgeving te stoppen! Hierop is Nautilus onmiddellijk in actie gekomen.

Uit het daarop volgende debat bleek dat het CDA, D’66, ChristenUnie en de SP bereid waren om de PvdA motie te steunen waarmee alle hoop op legalisering van private beveiligers zou verdwijnen. Na jaren van Nautilus inzet op dit dossier kon dit niet onbeantwoord blijven. Er werd een petitie opgesteld tegen de PvdA motie en de leden werd gevraagd om deze petitie te steunen. De KVNR organiseerde een soortgelijke actie onder haar leden en ook de Vereniging Maritiem Gezinscontact (VMG) haakte aan.

Het resultaat was iets om trots op te zijn.

Ondanks de korte tijdsspanne was het aantal reacties massaal waarvoor langs deze weg hartelijk dank.

Gewapend met duizenden steunbetuigingen reisde op 13 mei een delegatie af naar Den Haag waar Mevrouw Angelique Eijsink van de

PvdA deze namens de vaste Kamercommissie defensie in ontvangst nam. Mw. Bongenaar van de VMG gaf mevrouw Eijsink mee dat achter elke zeevarende nog een hele familie schuilgaat die zich ook ernstig zorgen maakt om de PvdA motie. Nautilus voorzitter Marcel van den Broek benadrukte daarenboven het grote aantal gezagvoerders dat de petitie had medeondertekend. Een groep die door vele politici ten onrechte wordt gezien als een tegenstander van toelating van

private beveiligers aan boord.

Ook gaf Marcel van den Broek aan dat de PvdA de hoop weg haalt bij de zeevarenden.

Het licht aan het eind van de tunnel (de kabinetsplannen voor de wetswijziging om private beveiliging mogelijk te maken) blijkt nu een aanstormende trein te zijn die deze wetgeving onmogelijk maakt. Het is onbegrijpelijk dat de PvdA zich op dit standpunt stelt terwijl zij geen alternatief bieden.

Tenslotte wees Tineke Netelenbos van de KVNR naar het zoontje van Mascha Bongeraar en zei: dat zijn de mensen waar het ook om gaat de bezorgde familieleden van de zeevarenden! Zij vroeg de Kamerleden: denk aan ons! Mevrouw Eijsink beloofde de boodschap van de petitie mee te nemen in het verdere overleg in de Tweede Kamer.

Tientallen zeevarenden stonden buiten op het plein ter ondersteuning van de petitie.

Het blijft nog ongewis of de petitie van invloed zal zijn op het politieke proces maar de sector heeft in ieder geval goed van zich laten horen. Nautilus zal tezamen met de KVNR de komende tijd nog regelmatig in Den Haag te vinden zijn in een poging om Kamerfracties te winnen voor onze inzet.

Wij zullen u van de verdere ontwikkelingen op de hoogte houden!

14/05/2014 19:25

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 35

NL NEWS

KNRM neemt nieuwe reddingboot in gebruik Resultatenlijst Swets ODV officieel rond kunnen wij u melden dat de C resultatenlijst inmiddels door alle

Met betrekking tot Swets ODV

partijen is ondertekend. Dit had nogal wat voeten in aarde, aangezien het stuk door maar liefst vier verschillende partijen ondertekend moest worden. Zodra één partij het stuk had ondertekend, kon het contract via de post doorgestuurd worden naar de volgende CAO-partij.

Zo kwam het stuk van Swets ODV, via

de Landelijke Belangen Vereniging (LBV) en CNV Dienstenbond uiteindelijk bij Nautilus International terecht. Nadat ook Nautilus de resultatenlijst had ondertekend, kon de resultatenlijst in april aangemeld worden bij het Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid (SZW).

Hiermee is de laatste administratieve hobbel genomen, waarmee 434 fte’s bij Swets ODV weer een nieuwe tweejarige CAO hebben.

Alle informatie voor maritiem gepension-eerden onder één dak: Maritiem Platform Gepensioneerden is een feit Nederlandse Vereniging van F Kapiteins ter Zee (NVKK) hebben het Nautilus International en de

Maritiem Platform Gepensioneerden (MPG) opgericht om de belangen van maritieme gepensioneerden te behartigen. Gepensioneerde leden van Nautilus en de NVKK worden gratis en automatisch lid van het MPG dat zich zal richten op het verstrekken van pensioen gerelateerde informatie en het organiseren van diverse themadagen.

In verband met de recente oprichting van het MPG, was een wijziging van de statuten noodzakelijk.

Daarom organiseerde de vakbond op 10 april jl. de eerste Algemene Ledenvergadering. De bijeenkomst was tevens een uitgelezen moment om de twee bestuurders, de heer Dave van Dijk (NVKK) en de heer Dirk Broek (Nautilus International) aan de leden voor te stellen.

Over het MPG

Het MPG is dé plek waar

gepensioneerden terechtkunnen voor informatie op het gebied van pensioenen, belastingwetgeving en andere zaken die voor de oudgedienden in de maritieme sector relevant zijn. Ook zal het MPG jaarlijks diverse themabijeenkomsten organiseren met interessante onderwerpen. Naast het verstrekken van relevante informatie, kan het MPG kandidaten voordragen voor de besturen van de diverse pensioenfondsen in de maritieme sector. Zo moeten In het kader van de ‘Wet op versterking bestuur pensioenfondsen’ twee vertegenwoordigers van de gepensioneerden in het bestuur van het Bedrijfspensioenfonds voor de Koopvaardij (BpfK) plaatsnemen. Het MPG heeft hiertoe twee kandidaten voorgedragen waarvan er ondertussen één is benoemd in het bestuur van het BpfK. De andere geselecteerde kandidaat die binnenkort zitting zal nemen in het BpfK-bestuur, is afkomstig van de Vereniging van oud-Loodsen.

A

Na drie jaar voorbereiding en een jaar bouwen is een nieuw type reddingboot in de vaart genomen. De Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM) combineert in deze 19 meter lange reddingboot alle technische, ergonomische en operationele wensen van de bemanning. Uniek in de wereld en gebaseerd op tientallen jaren KNRM-ervaring.

Revolutionair ontwerp

Het projectteam NH 1816 heeft twee jaar gewerkt aan het ontwerp. Voor de ontwikkeling en het tekenen van de boot werd samengewerkt met Damen Shipyards, scheepsarchitectenbureau De Vries Lentsch en de faculteit maritieme techniek van de TU Delft. Met drie verschillende schaalmodellen zijn uitgebreide modelproeven gedaan in de sleeptank van de TU Delft en in het bassin van het MARIN in Wageningen. De sleeptankproeven bewezen ook de grote koersstabiliteit voor de zee uit, mede door het gebruik van intrekbare vinnen aan de achterzijde van de romp.

Tijdens de ontwerpfase is een schaalmodel van het stuurhuis op ware grootte gemaakt, waarin alle posities van de bemanningsleden zijn getest op comfort, bewegingsruimte, zichtlijnen en veiligheid. Het meest opvallende aan de reddingboot is de nieuwe rompvorm, naar een ontwerp van Lex Keuning, professor aan de

Technische Universiteit in Delft.

De rechte steven snijdt door de golven en reduceert de G-krachten — die optreden in slecht weer en hoge golven — met 45%.

Technisch hoogstaand

De voornaamste eisen die aan de nieuwe reddingboot werden gesteld waren: inzetbaar onder alle weersomstandigheden, een comfortabeler vaargedrag bij slecht weer, voorzien van de modernste navigatie en communicatieapparatuur en voldoen aan geldende milieunormen. De romp van de reddingboot is gebouwd van aluminium. Het stuurhuis is van kunststof gemaakt.

A

34-35_nl_14.05.indd 35

Jan Kroesen werd gedragen als opvarende van een koopvaardijschip.

Toen de oorlog uitbrak moest hij krachtens het Koninklijk Besluit van 6 juni 1940 verplicht blijven varen, net als 12.000 anderen. De opvarenden kregen passende kledij uitgereikt, waaronder een gunners vest. “Wie het gunners vest in de Kunsthal bekijkt, beseft hoe weinig veiligheid een kogelvrij vest kan bieden tegen de overmacht van onderzeeërs en jachtbommenwerpers. Er kan maar één conclusie zijn; mensen zijn niet geschapen voor oorlog” Voorzitter Marcel van den Broek legde de Nautilus krans tezamen met mw Elsa van Gelderen die een krans legde namens de Nederlandse afdeling van de Royal British Legion.

Nieuwe generatie

In de toekomst is deze reddingboot bestemd ter vervanging van de huidige Arie Visserklasse. Deze

Onvoldoende draagvlak voor huidig integratieplan Stena Line mens om Stena Line Irish F Sea Manning BV en Stena Line BV

Rederij Stena Line is voorne-

samen te voegen tot één nieuwe BV. Dit is echter nog geen eenvoudige opgave, aangezien de loon- arbeidsvoorwaarden bij beide BV’s nogal

verschillen. Dat blijkt uit de integratiebesprekingen van medio maart.

Inmiddels is de werkgever met een voorstel gekomen waarop de leden hun mening konden geven.

Nautilus heeft hiervoor een enquête met stemformulier verstuurd

Dodenherdenking De Boeg 2014 Elk jaar worden op 4 mei bij het koopvaardijmonument De Boeg te Rotterdam de duizenden opvarenden herdacht die gedurende de tweede wereldoorlog omkwamen aan boord van hun koopvaardijschepen. Ook dit jaar was Nautilus bij deze bijeenkomst aanwezig en legde een krans ter nagedachtenis.

In zijn herdenkingstoespraak wees de Rotterdamse burgemeester Aboutaleb op de tentoonstelling in de Rotterdamse kunsthal waar op dat moment 100 zeer bijzondere voorwerpen uit de tweede wereldoorlog ten toon werden gesteld. Eén van deze voorwerpen betreft een gunners vest, een kogelvrij vest dat door Roeland

Er is plaats voor zes bemanningsleden die vanuit hun zitpositie alle apparatuur aan boord kunnen uitgelezen op touch screens via het geïntegreerde brugsysteem IPMS (Integrated Platform Management System). Via dit systeem kan dataverkeer uitgewisseld worden met de vaste wal. De twee motoren van 1200 pk elk voldoen aan de hoogste milieueisen en geven de reddingboot met waterjetvoortstuwing een topsnelheid van minimaal 31 knopen.

naar haar achterban. De respons was hoog en de stemmen zijn ondertussen geteld. Bij Stena Line Irish Sea Manning reageerde 88% van de leden en bij Stena Line 63%. Bij Irish Sea Manning BV stemde 93% voor het voorstel.

Bij Stena Line BV stemde 67% (twee op de drie werknemers) tegen het voorstel. De onvrede zit met name in de machinekamer van Stena Line BV. Zo is van de tegenstemmers 65% werktuigkundige (variërend van HWTK tot en met 3e WTK) en heeft 81% van de werktuigkundigen tegengestemd.

Niet alleen de machinisten van Stena Line BV, maar ook de stuurlieden (variërend van 1ste STM tot 3de STM) konden zich in meerderheid niet vinden in het huidige integratievoorstel.

Kleine meerderheid

Foto: Nico Sannes

Voorgaande in aanmerking nemende, blijkt slechts een zeer kleine meerderheid (= 53% van alle uitgebrachte stemmen) vóór het integratievoorstel te zijn. Met andere woorden: er ontbreekt een breed draagvlak. Met name de gevolgen op individueel niveau, zowel op korte als op de langere termijn, zijn blijkbaar onvoldoende helder gemaakt door de werkgever. De vraag is of en zo ja op welke wijze het in ‘elkaar schuiven’ van de twee ranglijsten kan plaatsvinden zonder dat werknemers er financieel benadeeld door worden.

tien reddingboten van 19 meter lengte zijn gebouwd vanaf 1999.

Zij voldoen uitstekend, maar maken de komende twintig jaar plaats voor de nieuwe generatie reddingboot.

De Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM) redt ieder jaar, met 1.300 professioneel opgeleide vrijwilligers, vanuit 45 reddingstations meer dan 3.000 mensen op zee en het ruime binnenwater. De reddingsboten van de KNRM zijn 24 uur per dag, 365 dagen per jaar onder alle (weers)omstandigheden inzetbaar. Op alle wereldzeeën kunnen zeevarenden een beroep doen op de Radio Medische Dienst (RMD) van de KNRM.

Volg ons op Twitter Nieuw voorstel

Gezien het ontbreken van een breed draagvlak, acht Nautilus het niet verstandig om het huidige voorstel onverkort in te voeren. Nautilus heeft daarom aan de werkgever verzocht om met een nieuw voorstel te komen.

Het voorstel zal op 6 mei eerst met de kaderleden besproken worden. Tijdens het ter perse gaan van dit nummer was de inhoud van het nieuwe voorstel en de reactie van beide groepen kaderleden nog niet bekend.

WILT U EEN ADVERTENTIE PLAATSEN IN DE TELEGRAPH NEEMT U DAN CONTACT OP MET: Tom Poole at Redactive Media Sales

T: +44 (0)20 7880 6217 F: +44 (0)20 7880 7691

E: tom.poole@ redactive.co.uk

14/05/2014 19:08

36 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

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

Senior Deck and Engineering Of½cers

We lay great importance on teamwork and continuity, with a number of senior of½cers having been with the company over 20 years. Our company ethos is to offer a superior service and level of professionalism to our Major and National Oil Company customers in challenging operational conditions.

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June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 37

APPOINTMENTS

NOTICE TO READERS

11 June 2014 is the closing date for the July 2014 issue.

You can still advertise online anytime.

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.

SHORED BASED Technical Superintendent Switzerland - €105K Procurement Manager Holland - €62K

DEEP SEA

OFFSHORE

Chief Engineer - Chemical Tanker - $117K

Chief Engineer - AHTS - £64K

3rd Engineer - Chemical Tanker - $65K

Master - AHTS - £68K

3rd Engineer - Oil Tanker - $65K

Chief Officer - AHTS - £54K

Electrical Engineer - Oil Tanker - $56K

DPO - PSV - £45K

Master - LNG - $120K

Stage 3 Crane Op - DSV - £350/day

Safety & Quality Superintendent London - £65K

Chief Engineer - LNG Motor - $117K

DPO - PSV - £300/day

Chief Engineer - LNG Steam - $117K

Chief Officer - PSV - £300/day

X5 Technical Superintendents Glasgow - £60K

2nd Engineer - LNG Motor - $97K

Chief Officer DPO - DSV - £350/day

Project Manager Monaco - €60K

Electrical Engineer - LNG Tanker - $56K

4th Engineer - LNG Motor - $52K

CRUISE/FERRY Master - Cruise - £66K

Technical Marine Manager Central England - Up to £60K Vessel Manager Aberdeen - £65K + Package

YACHTS

Chief Officer - Cruise - £50K

Chief Engineer (Y2) - 50m M/Y - €60K Rtn

Chief Engineer - Ferry - £55K

3rd Engineer - 100m+ - €56K

2nd Engineer - Ferry - £45K

AV/IT ETO - 75m+ - €60K Rtn

Senior Sous Chef - Cruise - €28K

2nd Engineer (Y3) - 60m M/Y - €66K Rtn

Executive Chef - Cruise - €34K

Regional Crewing Manager Dubai - Expat Package

2nd Engineer - 60m+ M/Y - €46K Rtn Chief Mate - 60m M/Y - €66K

WORKBOATS

Assistant Technical Superintendent Aberdeen - £40K

Chief Mate - 80m+ M/Y - €120K

Master - Crew Transfer - £48K

Stew/Nurse - 90m M/Y - €66K

Master - Dredger - £300/day

Marine Superintendent Aberdeen - £65K + Benefits

Second Mate - 80m+ M/Y - €84K

Master - Tug - £50K

Chief Stew/Purser - 80m+ M/Y - €90K

Chief Engineer - Dredger - £50K

Shore-based: +44 (0)23 8020 8840

Search for ‘Faststream Seafarers’

shipping-uk@faststream.com

@faststreamsea

Seagoing: +44 (0)23 8020 8820

www.faststream.com

seagoing-uk@faststream.com

Arklow Shipping

CV Professionals Maritime & oσshore specialists

We operate a dry cargo Áeet of 45 modern, purpose built vessels from 4500dwt to 35000dwt. Due to continued expansion we have a vacancy for the following:-

www.cvprofessionals.co.uk

Marine Engineer Superintendent

Contact Paul Wade on 020 7880 6212 or email paul.wade@redactive.co.uk to find out how the Telegraph can work for you.

This position, 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 ef¿cient operation, management and maintenance of vessels under their control and involvement in our new build projects.

Chief Engineer (Unlimited) Motor certi¿cate of competency is advantageous.

Applicants must be fully conversant in the English language and have experience with planned maintenance systems and slow & medium speed engines.

Previous experience as Superintendent is not essential.

Please send detailed cv to:-

Personnel Department, Arklow Shipping, North Quay, Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Email: personnel@asl.ie

ANGLIAN MARINE RECRUITMENT LTD Marine Placement Agency

Ongoing vacancies for all officers and ratings deep sea, coastal, st.by, supply, ahts, etc.

To register send cv and copies of all certificates to: 6 Birch Court, Sprowston, Norwich NR7 8LJ Tel/Fax: 01603 478938 Email: malcolm@anglianmarine.co.uk

Join us in bringing knowledge, help and hope to the nations!

OM Ships, a worldwide worl charity, is looking for qualified engin engineering officers, mechanics, fitters fitte and welders to volunteer to serve ser on their ship Logos Hope which is presently in the Far East.

For details visit www.omships.org or email: recruiting@omships.org

Relief Chief Engineer Officer/Second Engineer Must have minimum STCW Chief Engineer less than 3000kw COC

Relief Master/Chief Mate Must have minimum STCW Master under 500gt COC Both of the above positions would ideally suit someone living within daily commuting distance of Penzance, Cornwall, where the vessels operate on a daily basis, but candidates living further away will be considered.

For further details and application form please visit our website www.ios-travel.co.uk/vacancies

www.anglianmarine.co.uk

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APPOINTMENTS

Catering Superintendent

Head of Engineering Department/ Principal Instructor The Centre for Simulator Maritime Training, CSMART, is the maritime training centre of the Carnival Corporation & plc group located in Almere, Netherlands.

CSMART provides training for both the Nautical and Engineering disciplines for safe operations of Cruise Vessels while reflecting best industry practice.

CSMART is in the process of building a brand new training centre, also in Almere, which will triple the number of full mission bridge and engine simulators.

Currently we are recruiting for a Head of Engineering Department/Principal Instructor, where your span of control will involve managing a team of eight Instructors.

Advertise here & reach over 110,000 readers.

Contact Paul Wade on 020 7880 6212 or email paul.wade@ redactive.co.uk to find out how.

Job Opportunity as Relief Chief & Second Engineer PADDLE STEAMER

WAV E R L E Y

Operating around the UK Coast.

PADDLE STEAMER, STEAM RECIPROCATING ENGINE, FEATHERING PADDLE WHEELS & STEAM STEERING GEAR EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL. ONLY THOSE WITH CLASS 1 STEAM & THE ABOVE EXPERIENCE SHOULD APPLY BY EMAILING info@waverleyexcursions.co.uk

Waverley Excursions Ltd, 36 Lancefield Quay, Glasgow G3 8HA

www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: • Leading a team of engineers that work independently creating long term course planning for the department • Conducting courses • Developing new courses • Financial planning and managing budgets for the department Candidates should ideally have served as Chief Engineer on a large Cruise Vessel.

Candidates must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills for successful interaction with both on board and shore side staff at all levels.

If you enjoy working in a high paced multi-cultural environment and appreciate diverse responsibilities then please visit our website for more information www.csmartalmere.com To apply for this role, please send a CV and covering letter to: csmart.recruitment@carnivalukgroup.com

36-41_rec.indd 38

RYAN OFFSHORE LTD RYAN SHIP MANAGEMENT LTD D

SHIPPING

CONNECTIONS

MARITIME RECRUITMENT VESSELS- 4-PT MOORING DSV / NON- DP AHTS/ PSV/ UTILITY/ CREW BOAT RANKS -MASTERS, CHOFF, 2nd OFF, CHENG, 2nd ENG, DP ENG, ETO, JACK UP BARGE/ RIG -OIM, CH/ENG, 2ND/ENG, ETO, SAFETY OFF.

CONTACT DETAILS T E L: +44 (0) 1 9 1 5 4 8 8 8 5 9 F A X: +44 (0) 1 9 1 5 4 88 425 EMAIL: office@ryan-shipmanagement.co.uk http://www.shipping-connections.com/vacancies.htm www.ryan-shipmanagement.co.uk RYANSHIP, P.O.BOX–1282, SUNDERLAND, SR5 9HX, UNITED KINGDOM

14/05/2014 10:41

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 39

APPOINTMENTS

Visit vikingrecruitment.com

Excellence with expertise Embark and expand your career in 2014 with Holland America Line and Seabourn Cruises &SXL GSQTERMIW EVI TEWWMSREXI EFSYX XVEZIP ,SPPERH %QIVMGE 0MRI SJJIVW XLEX FMK WLMT ]IX PY\YV] I\TIVMIRGI [MXL ZIWWIPW ZMWMXMRK WSQI SJ XLI QSWX HIWMVEFPI HIWXMREXMSRW EVSYRH XLI [SVPH 7IEFSYVR MW YRPMOI ER] SXLIV JSVQ SJ XVEZIP 8LIMV MRXMQEXI ERH IPIKERX WLMTW ZMWMX XLI LMHHIR KIQW [LIVI PEVKIV ZIWWIPW GERRSX JSPPS[ &SXL GSQTERMIW LEZI [SR RYQIVSYW MRXIVREXMSREP E[EVHW ]IEV EJXIV ]IEV We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

Benefits package includes:

(IGO 3J½GIVW SJ EPP PIZIPW

'SQTIXMXMZI VEXIW SJ TE]

)RKMRI 3J½GIVW SJ EPP PIZIPW IWTIGMEPP] MRXIVIWXIH MR LSPHIVW SJ 'PEWW 'S'

%RRYEP WEPEVMIW ERH 7XEJJ 3J½GIV &SRYWIW

*EGMPMX] 1EREKIVW LSXIP WIVZMGIW IRKMRIIV

7EMPMRK %WWMKRQIRX 6IXYVR &SRYWIW 7%6&

6IJVMKIVEXMSR )RKMRIIVW

6IXMVIQIRX 7EZMRKW 4PER 4IRWMSR

)PIGXVMGEP )PIGXVSRMG 3J½GIVW

7TSRWSVIH WXYH] PIEZI ERH 8VEMRMRK TVSKVEQQIW

,SWTMXEPMX] +YIWX 7IVZMGIW 4VSJIWWMSREPW

)\GIPPIRX SRFSEVH WTSYWI JEQMP] TSPMG]

SV VSXEXMSR JSV 7IRMSV 3J½GIVW

Candidates need to complete our online database via our website or email us at applicants@vikingrecruitment.com quoting reference VRL06/14

Viking Recruitment Limited Viking House, Beechwood Business Park, Menzies Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 2FG T +44 (0) 300 303 8191 (option 2) F +44 (0) 130 482 7710

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APPOINTMENTS

MERCHANT NAVY OFFICER TRAINING COURSES DECK COURSES

START DATES

ENGINEERING COURSES

Class 1 Orals Preparation Course

18 Aug 2014, 3 Nov 2014 & 2 Feb 2015

Class 1 & 2 Engineering Knowledge

Chief Mate Full Reg II/1

18 Aug 2014 & 5 Jan 2015

(General and Motor) - Unlimited

22 Sept 2014

Chief Mate Post HND

18 Aug 2014 & 10 Nov 2014

Class 4 EOOW & IAMI Preparation

25 Aug 2014 & 27 Oct 2014

OOW Post HND

29 Sep 2014 & 19 Jan 2015

Email contact for above courses: Senior.Marine@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

Department of Marine Operations - SHORT COURSES We offer a full range of STCW, MCA & Specialised Marine Short Courses.

START DATES

Email contact for above: Engineering@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

For other Engineering enquiries please contact Caroline Alderdice - 0141 565 2713 Caroline.Alderdice@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

BTMT: 23/06/14 CPSCRB (Certification of Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats): 16/06/14, 23/06/14 ECDIS: 09/06/14, 30/06/14

Lecturer in Marine Engineering Permanent Full Time, 35hrs per week £27,167-£35,254 (Starting Salary will depend on industrial experience)

HELM Management: 26/05/14, 02/06/14, 16/06/14, 30/06/14

Lecturer in Nautical Studies

HELM Operational: Please contact for availability Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD) 03/06/14

Permanent Full Time, 35hrs per week £27,167-£35,254 (Starting Salary will depend on industrial experience)

PSSR: 20/06/14 Safety Officer: 16/06/14 Shipboard Security Officer, Specialised Chemical Tanker, Specialised Gas Tanker: Please contact for availability Specialised Oil Tanker: 16/06/14, 28/07/14 Tanker Familiarisation: 16 & 30/06/14 For info on our other courses: LICOS, GMDSS, NAEAST, Freefall Lifeboat, Advanced Ship Handling, BRM and for further Marine enquiries

We are currently recruiting for specialist Lecturing staff.

For detailed post descriptions and to apply for either of the vacancies above please visit the ‘work for us’ section on the College website at www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory PVG Disclosure Check and must be eligible to work in the UK. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from applicants who add diversity to the College.

please contact Alison Bryce - 0141 565 2700 or Marine.Short.Courses@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

36-41_rec.indd 40

City of Glasgow College SC036198

visit us at www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

14/05/2014 10:41

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 41

APPOINTMENTS

We believe in realising individual potential and encouraging personal progression. If you are looking for an opportunity to develop your skills and move forward within a leading organisation in its field, then please contact katie.staff@cemex.com

WHO ARE WE? CEMEX UK Marine is a leading supplier of marine aggregates to the British and European construction industry and is part of CEMEX a global building materials solutions provider. Dedicated to building a better future, we believe in balancing financial achievement with a firm commitment to sustainable development.

We currently operate a fleet of five UK flagged vessels ranging from 1251gt/1080kW to 6534gt/4920kW delivering to customers in the UK and near continent.

Cemex Marine (Guernsey) are currently seeking for employment on Cemex UK Marine Ltd vessels enthusiastic individuals who are committed to working safely to join our fleet in the following ranks:

4th Engineers Ideally this role would suit recently qualified UK CoC/CeC OOW Engineers looking for their first Engineering Officer position.

2nd Engineers We are looking for both experienced and recently qualified 2nd Engineer Unlimited Candidates with a UK CoC/CeC who wish to progress their careers further to Chief Engineer.

Both of the above positions offer the possibility of paid study leave for higher certificates to selected candidates following a qualifying period of sea service.

Chief Engineers A pivotal role, we are looking for people with a ‘can do’ and ‘hands on’ approach to the job with effective leadership skills, candidates should hold Chief Engineer unlimited UK CoC/CEC. Whether you’ve sailed in rank or looking for your first Chief’s position, we would like to hear from you.

If you are looking to improve your work/life balance we can offer you: • Competitive Salary for Sector • Company Pension Scheme/MNOPF for existing active members • Paid study leave for selected candidates looking to progress their careers • Performance related Bonus Scheme • Subsidised private health insurance after a qualifying period of employment • 3 weeks on 3 weeks off rota Interested Candidates should enquire in the first instance to Katie Staff at katie.staff@cemex.com Strictly no agencies.

Port Meteorological Officers x 2 £22,950 - £25,680 per annum, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton or the Essex / Suffolk Coast We support a fleet of Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) from which the crew take observations using meteorological instruments provided by the Met Office. In this vital role, you’ll ensure that the quality, timeliness and availability of these marine observations meet user requirements and are delivered in line with plans and best practice.

Working autonomously, it’ll be your responsibility to conduct routine inspections of the meteorological instruments on board, installing and maintaining equipment as necessary. You’ll be central to the future success of our VOS scheme and we’ll look to you to assess the suitability of ships for making observations, offering expert advice to the ships crews in order to ensure that they understand the task in hand and that accurate, high quality observational data are being produced. Other aspects of your role will be to help install and maintain new automated weather systems on suitable ships, and to promote the VOS scheme to nautical colleges, ship owners and shipping organisations, building excellent working relationships at every step of the way.

In order to be successful in this role, you’ll need: •

Experience of working in a post within the marine industry, preferably with seagoing experience as a Navigating Officer.

•

Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to influence, negotiate and develop sound working relationships within the marine community.

•

Proven ability to work unsupervised.

•

A valid UK driving licence and willing to drive regularly for work purposes.

•

A flexible approach to work, with a willingness to work outside normal office hours and to undertake overnight visits to observing locations as required.

•

To demonstrate sound timekeeping, organisational and written skills, with great attention-to-detail.

•

Experience in using Microsoft Office suite of software (including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint).

•

Ability to visit and inspect observing sites and ships, physically transporting instruments and equipment on and off the vessel or observing site.

What we can offer you We will invest in your development to help you grow with the Met Office. We can offer you a competitive pension, opportunities for flexible working, performance-related pay schemes, some great benefits as well as 25 days’ holiday, which increases to 30 days’ after five years.

To apply To find out more, and to apply online, please visit http://careers.metoffice.gov.uk and search using the keyword Port Meteorological Officer. Closing date: 13 June 2014.

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SHIP TO SHORE

Click and save Hundreds of members have started to investigate the Nautilus Plus package of deals and discounts — and many are not far off saving the whole cost of their membership subscription.

One of the most popular deals so far has been the Total Motor Assist multi-car cover. As a Nautilus member, you get this for free for 12 months through Nautilus Plus (normally £24 a year), and it stops

you having to pay your insurance excess and protects your no-claims bonus.

If your next trip is going to involve a flight from a UK airport, Nautilus Plus can make your life more pleasant through its tie-in with Holiday Extras.

You can get up to 10% off airport parking, 10% off airport hotels and 8% off airport lounges. There are also Nautilus Plus travel discounts with

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:

various companies offering package holidays, short breaks, hotels, currency exchange and car hire.

Quite a few members have asked us whether Nautilus Plus includes a cashback scheme for shopping.

We’re happy to say that there is a scheme, organised through MyCashbackCards, which can get you cashback from all the UK retailers below.

Retailer

Cashback

Retailer

Cashback

Asda

5%

Sainsbury’s

5%

Debenhams

10%

Boots

10%

M&S

6%

New Look

10%

House of Fraser

7.5%

Pizza Express

10%

B&Q

8%

Café Rouge

10%

Travel Gift Card

8%

Topman

8%

Burton

8%

Topshop

8%

Dorothy Perkins

8%

Wallis

8%

Toys R Us

7.5%

H Samuel

15%

Costa Coffee

10%

Leslie Davis

15%

Argos

7%

Ernest Jones

15%

Schuh

10%

Currys/PC World

7.5%

River Island

8%

Bella Italia

10%

Pizza Hut

12%

Caffe Nero

10%

WH Smith

6%

Scotts & Co

10%

BHS

8%

Zizzi

10%

Strada

10%

National Book Tokens

10%

Homebase

7%

Love2shop

6%

The deals don’t stop there. For example, Nautilus Plus gets you 10% off roadside assistance with First Call Motor Breakdown, and there’s great value life insurance with LifeSearch.

Depending on your circumstances, you could get £100,000 of term life cover from just £5 per month, plus two months’ premium back.

And there are also some interesting services to help you develop your career or even set up your own business, with discounts on CV-writing assistance, interviewcoaching, website design packages and more. Or why not try our

discounted mortgage broker or free telephone consultation for financial advice?

Nautilus Plus is a UK-based service, and many of the deals require you to be resident in the country, but not all. It’s worth having a look even if you’re based elsewhere — and NL and CH members should also check with the Netherlands and Switzerland branches of Nautilus to see what’s on offer in your home countries.

Here’s how to get your Nautilus Plus deals and discounts: go to

www.nautilusint.org/membership and log in with your Nautilus membership number and password.

Then select ‘Nautilus Plus deals and discounts’ from the menu on the left and take it from there. g Remember that it’s only by you logging into the Nautilus International website first that the Nautilus Plus system will know you’re entitled to all the deals and discounts. If you need help logging in, please email membership@ nautilusint.org or call our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454.

g Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum Saturday 7 June, 2014 1000 to 1200hrs at Jurys Inn Hotel, Newcastle NE1 4AD. The forum provides guidance to Nautilus Council on the challenges facing young people in the shipping industry and on the issues that matter to them.

Open to all young members (UK & NL).

Contact Paul Schroder: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 ymp@nautilusint.org

Contact Nautilus International 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.

SINGAPORE Nautilus International 10a Braddell Hill #05-03 Singapore, 579720 Tel: +65 (0)625 61933 Mobile: +65 (0)973 10154 singapore@nautilusint.org

Northern office Nautilus International Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 Fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 enquiries@nautilusint.org Offshore sector contact point Members working for companies based in the east of Scotland or UK offshore oil and gas sector can call: +44 (0)1224 638882 THE NETHERLANDS Postal Address Nautilus International Postbus 8575 3009 An Rotterdam Physical Address Nautilus International Schorpioenstraat 266 3067 KW Rotterdam Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 infonl@nautilusint.org

FRANCE Yacht sector office in partnership with D&B Services 3 Bd. d’Aguillon 06600 Antibes, France Tel: +33 (0)962 616 140 nautilus@dandbservices.com www.dandbservices.com SPAIN Yacht sector office in partnership with dovaston C/Joan de Saridakis 2, Edificion Goya Local 1A, Marivent 07015 Palma de Mallorca, Spain Tel: +34 971 677 375 recruitment@nautilusint.org www.dovaston.com

College contacts Induction visits See www.nautilusint.org/newsand-events for dates of upcoming college visits by the Nautilus recruitment team (scroll down to ‘latest events’).

For further information, email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call Garry Elliott on +44 (0)151 639 8454.

Industrial support for cadets An industrial official is appointed to each of the main nautical colleges.

In addition the industrial department is responsible for representing

trainee officers in line with all members that we represent; please contact the union on +44 (0)20 8989 6677. Your enquiry will then be directed to the relevant industrial organiser for your employer/sponsoring company.

The union also facilitates a Young Maritime Professionals’ Forum to provide an opportunity for young members to engage in discussions on the specific challenges facing young workers in the maritime profession.

For further information members/ trainee officers should contact Paul Schroder at ymp@nautilusint.org.

g Women’s Forum Saturday 20 September 2014 1100hrs to 1400hrs at Nautilus head office in London (TBC) The forum provides guidance to Nautilus Council on the challenges facing women in the industry and encourages female participation in Union activity.

Open to all female members.

Contact Lisa Carr: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 women@nautilusint.org

Quiz and crossword answersACDB Quiz answers 1. The average capacity of containerships being delivered in 2004 was 4,000TEU. 2. Around 16% of all goods worldwide are transported in containers.

3. German owners have the largest number of containerships on order — a total of 67.

4. Singapore-based owners have the most offshore support vessels on order — a total of 209.

5. Lake Champlain was fitted with radio in 1901.

6. More than 1,200 merchant vessels took part in the first day of the D-Day landings.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 1. Push-up; 5. Papist; 9. Amiable; 10. Lollop; 12. Tennis Court Oath; 13. Lash; 14. Vermicelli; 18. Insightful; 19. Mill; 21. Contempt of court; 24. Nettle; 25. Extreme; 26. Deacon; 27. Martyr.

Down: 2. Unionists; 3. Hobbit; 4. Prescient; 5. Pilau; 6. Politics; 7. Skoda; 8. Mantelpiece; 11. Chain letter; 15. Mausoleum; 16. Leisurely; 17. Agrestic; 20. Scoter; 22. Niece; 23. Preen.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph.

Congratulations to Nautilus member Geoff Holmes, who has won the prize draw for the May cryptic crossword.

Cryptic answers from May Across: 1. Cenotaph; 5. Draped; 9. Proboscis; 11. Dates; 12. Inauguration; 15. Over; 16. Terracotta; 18. Transcribe; 19. Isle; 21. Geochemistry; 24. Oriel; 25. Reichstag; 26. Semite; 27. Agonised.

Down: 1.Cape; 2. Noon; 3. Thorns; 4. Picture framer; 6. Radiance; 7. Patriotism; 8. Disengaged; 10. Square-bashing; 13. Contagious; 14. Metabolism; 17. Eschalot; 20. Orphan; 22. Otis; 23. Aged.

To suggest an organisation which could appear here, email telegraph@nautilusint.org

Maritime & Coastguard Agency +44 (0)23 8032 9100 www.dft.gov.uk/mca Implements the UK government’s maritime safety policy and works to prevent the loss of life on the coast and at sea.

International Transport Workers’ Federation +44 (0)20 7403 2733 www.itfglobal.org A federation of over 700 unions representing over 4.5 million transport workers from 150 countries.

Merchant Navy Welfare Board www.mnwb.org Umbrella body for the UK maritime charity sector, promoting cooperation between organisations that provide welfare services to merchant seafarers and their dependants within the UK.

Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport + 31 88 489 00 00 www.ilent.nl Dutch maritime authority (separate from Dutch coastguard).

Merchant Navy Training Board www.mntb.org.uk UK organisation promoting maritime education and training, and providing careers guidance.

Administers the Careers at Sea Ambassadors scheme, under which serving seafarers can volunteer to give careers talks in UK schools.

Seafarers UK (formerly the King George’s Fund for Sailors) +44 (0)20 7932 0000 www.seafarers-uk.org Supports and promotes UK charities helping seafarers from the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy and fishing fleets.

Often organises places for maritime fundraisers to enter marathons and other charity challenges.

42-43_info+join.indd 42

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

Useful organisations

Swiss Maritime Navigation Office +41 (0)61 270 91 20 www.smno.ch Swiss maritime authority.

g Professional & Technical Forum Monday 8 September 2014 at 1300hrs for 1330hrs at the Nautilus northern office Mariners’ Park, Wallasey.

The forum deals with a wide range of technical, safety, welfare and other professional topics of relevance to all members, including training and certification.

The meeting is open to all members (UK, NL & CH).

Contact Sue Willis: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 protech@nautilusint.org

International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network +44 (0)300 012 4279 www.seafarerswelfare.org Global organisation providing a 24 hour, year-round multi-lingual helpline for all seafarers’ welfare and support needs, as well as an emergency welfare fund.

SAIL (Seafarers’ Information and Advice Line) 08457 413 318 +44 (0)20 8269 0921 www.sailine.org.uk UK-based citizens’ advice service helping seafarers and their families with issues such as debt, benefit

entitlements, housing, pensions and relationships.

Seamen’s Hospital Society +44 (0)20 8858 3696 www.seahospital.uk UK charity dedicated to the health and welfare of seafarers.

Includes the Dreadnought health service.

Seafarers’ Link +44 (0)20 7643 13856 www.csv-rsvp.org Telephone friendship project connecting retired UK seafarers at home through a fortnightly telephone conference service.

Seatax Ltd +44 (0)1302 364673 www.seatax.ltd.uk Company providing specialist tax advice for merchant seafarers.

Marine Society +44 (0)20 7654 7050 www.marine-society.org UK charity dedicated to the learning and professional development of seafarers.

Offers 120,000 books to ships through its library service, plus distance-learning programmes and scholarship schemes including the Nautilus-administered Slater Fund.

14/05/2014 19:10

June 2014 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 43

JOIN NAUTILUS

The face of Nautilus Iracema Rocha, administrator and receptionist

g

Iracema — ‘Ira’ — Rocha is the first face you will usually see when you arrive at the Nautilus International office in Rotterdam.

Not only does she work as the receptionist and administrator, but she is also a key staff member for helping the many seafarers in the Netherlands who come from the Republic of Cabo Verde — or Cape Verde islands.

Iracema is a Brazilian name, and her family originated from the former Portuguese colony. ‘My mother came here for a better life for her children and she remarried here in the Netherlands,’ she says. ‘She moved to

the Netherlands when I was three years old and I moved here when I was aged nine.’

After high school, Ira worked as an administrator for a furniture company for 10 years. ‘However, the firm went bankrupt and I was forced to look for something else. I saw an advertisement in the newspaper asking for someone who spoke Portuguese and applied — and here I am, almost 12 years later.’

Ira’s language skills are an essential part of her work at Nautilus. ‘We have a lot of seafarers from Cape Verde who live and work here and I can help them with their papers and other problems,’

she explains. ‘When they see I am from the islands, they are very pleased. They find it very comfortable to be able to talk in Portuguese and it is nice for me to be able to use the language.’

Ira also had the advantage of knowing a bit about shipping, as her stepfather had worked at sea. ‘He worked on cruiseships for almost 25 years and told me lots of stories about what life was like,’ she adds.

Working at Nautilus is good fun, says Ira. ‘It is always interesting meeting people and helping them. It is good to do lots of different things, and I really love my colleagues.’

The only thing she doesn’t enjoy is the journey to work by bus and metro — which can sometimes take as long as 90 minutes in the winter. ‘It would only take 20 minutes by car,’ she says, ‘but I have got used to it now, and just listen to music or play games.’

When she’s not working, Ira is busy looking after her two daughters — one aged almost 21 and the other aged 14.

‘That’s a full-time job — especially the younger one.’

She’s also a superb cake-maker — producing a remarkable range of artistic and thematic creations for friends and colleagues.

Wherev er you are , we are

CALL NOW TO JOIN NAUTILUS ON: UK: +44 (0)151 639 8454 NL: +31 (0)10 477 11 88 CH: +41 (0)61 262 24 24

Join today so we can be there for you too!

Pay and conditions Nautilus International is the first truly trans-boundary trade union for maritime professionals, reflecting the global nature of the industry.

We negotiate with employers on issues including pay, working conditions, working hours and pensions to secure agreements which recognise members’ skills and experience, and the need for safety for the maritime sector.

Legal services Nautilus Legal offers members a range of legal services free of charge. There are specialist lawyers to support members in work related issues and a number of non-work related issues. The Union also has a network of lawyers in 54 countries to provide support where members need it most.

Workplace support Nautilus International officials provide expert advice on work-related problems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying or discrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions.

Certificate protection Members are entitled to free financial protection, worth up to £116,900, against the loss

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of income if their certificate of competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a formal inquiry.

Extra savings Members can take advantage of many additional discounts and benefits organised at a local level. These include tax advice, insurance discounts and advice on pension matters. In the Netherlands, discounts are organised through FNV, and trade union contributions are mostly tax-friendly, entitling members to receive a significant part of their contributions back.

International representation Nautilus International represents members’ views on a wide range of national and international bodies including the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA). We work at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on key global regulations covering working

conditions, health and safety and training. The Union is affiliated to the TUC in the UK, FNV in the Netherlands and SGB/USS in Switzerland.

In touch As a Nautilus International member, help is never far away — wherever in the world you are. Officials regularly see members onboard their ships and visit cadets at college.

Further support and advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ and conferences. The Union has offices in London, Wallasey, Rotterdam and Basel. There are also representatives based in France, Spain and Singapore.

It’s never been more important to be a Nautilus member and it’s never been easier to apply for membership. You can now join over the phone, or online at www.nautilusint.org. If you can’t get online or to a telephone, post us this form to start the joining process. A member of the recruitment team will contact you as soon as possible. Please note that membership does not begin until subscriptions are paid.

FIRST NAMES SURNAME ADDRESS POSTCODE EMAIL ADDRESS MOBILE (INCLUDING DIALLING CODE) HOME TELEPHONE GENDER

Your union, your voice The Union represents the voice of more than 23,000 maritime professionals working in all sectors of the industry at sea and ashore — including inland navigation, large yachts, deepsea and offshore.

For members, by members Nautilus International is a dynamic and democratic trade union offering members many opportunities to become actively involved and have your say — at a local, national and international level.

DATE OF BIRTH

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Please post this form to: Membership services department Nautilus International Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park Wallasey CH45 7PH, United Kingdom

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44 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | June 2014

NEWS

Royal visit helps Queen Mary 2 celebrate 10 years of service anniversary of its flagship A Queen Mary 2 with the simultaneous Cunard celebrated the 10th

arrival of its three-ship fleet in Southampton last month and a royal visit.

The Duke of Edinburgh toured the Queen Mary 2, and met crew members on the bridge, in the library and training room, gymnasium, bar and laundry room before attending a reception and lunch.

When he met a team of junior officers from different parts of the British Isles including Scotland,

Ireland and Tyneside, the Duke asked them: ‘You can all understand each other, can you?’

It was his first visit to the vessel since he accompanied the Queen when she named the ship in Southampton in January 2004.

Since then, Queen Mary 2 has sailed some 1.5m nm on more than 400 voyages, including 213 transatlantic crossings, called at 182 ports in 60 countries, and carried more than 1.3m passengers.

Following the Southampton call, Queen Mary 2 set off an a special

anniversary transatlantic crossing to New York with designer Stephen Payne and the ship’s first master, Commodore Ron Warwick, among the speakers.

Pictured left to right are back row: deputy captain Dariusz Gozdik; chief engineer officer Paul Carney; chief engineer officer Brian Harrison; hotel manager Robert Howie; hotel manager David Shepherd; and HR manager Brian Lynch; front row: Captain Kevin Oprey; HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; and Captain Chris Wells.

Union calls for fresh review of CEC policy Minister and MCA warned after new case highlights language problems on UK-flagged ship

P

Nautilus is calling for a fresh review of the UK system of issuing certificates of equivalent competency (CECs) to foreign officers, following a report which revealed that language problems onboard a UK-flagged ship contributed to a collision off the coast of China last year.

The 54,309gt CMA CGM Florida sustained serious damage to the port side and accommodation block in the collision with the 175,569dwt bulk carrier Chou Shan in the East China Sea in March 2013. Chou Shan’s bow was seriously damaged and around 610 tonnes of heavy fuel oil spilled from the UK-registered containership.

A report by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch reveals that officers on both ships had been using VHF to negotiate a passing protocol — in contravention of the international collision prevention regulations.

A Chinese second officer onboard the UK-flagged ship was talking in Mandarin to the OOW onboard the bulker — meaning that the CMA CGM Florida’s Filipino OOW was unaware that his colleague had tacitly agreed to a request to pass port-to-port. Both vessels then altered course to starboard, resulting in the collision.

The damaged containership CMA CGM Florida following the collision last year Picture: MAIB

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson described the case as very serious and said it had provided fresh evidence of the way in which a ‘pick and mix’ approach to crew nationalities can create severe communication and operational management problems.

In letters to shipping minister Stephen Hammond and Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief

executive Sir Alan Massey, Mr Dickinson said the MAIB report raised renewed concerns about some of the crewing policies being applied on UK-registered ships and about the problems arising from the issue of UK CECs. Mr Dickinson said the large number of CECs being issued by the MCA presents severe safety and recruitment problems. ‘We believe that the lack of appropri-

ate restraints on their issue has helped to create a large pool of lower-cost foreign labour which undercuts our own nationals and can damage training and employment prospects — most notably for newly qualified officers seeking their first job,’ he added.

He urged the minister and the MCA to re-open a review into CEC policy and processes, which had been launched by the Labour

shipping minister Stephen Ladyman in 2006 in response to lobbying by the Union. ‘Sadly, the review was never completed because of a failure by the Chamber of Shipping to support one of the key agreed outcomes — limiting the number of CECs to those actually needed for service on UK ships, as opposed to thousands being issued in case they get jobs on UK ships,’ Mr Dickinson added.

In response to the accident, CMA CGM has taken action aimed at preventing a recurrence, while the MAIB has advised the International Chamber of Shipping and the MCA to update their respective guidance on the use of AIS data for collision avoidance.

CMA CGM has also warned its masters and officers about the danger of VHF radio use for collision avoidance, and the misunderstandings that may arise.

It has also stressed that any VHF radio communication should be conducted using English Standard Marine Communication Phrases.

The MAIB report points to the growing trend of integrating AIS data with radar systems, and it says officers need to be warned of the danger of limiting situational awareness through over-reliance on radar functions that prioritise AIS target CPA and TCPA rather than radar tracking information.

Master failed to assess gale risk F

A UK-flagged ferry ran aground off Sweden last year after its master failed to properly assess the risks of anchoring in gale force conditions.

The bottom plating and frames of the 22,152gt Stena Alegra were damaged and one ballast tank and one void space were flooded when the ro-pax dragged its anchor and was blown onto rocks by winds gusting up to force 12.

A UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on the accident notes that the ship’s Romanian master had decided to anchor the ship for a scheduled layover period without a proper assessment of the risks of winds that were forecast to increase to the maximum design limit of the anchoring equipment.

In fact, the winds increased to a top speed of 76 knots — well above the forecast 47 knots — and the MAIB report notes that it was ‘unsurprising’ the ship dragged its anchor as the speeds were around 50% higher than those for which its anchoring equipment had been designed.

The report says insufficient contingency planning meant these risks had not been properly considered and there was not enough time to take corrective action once the vessel’s drift had been noticed.

The MAIB recommends that the vessel’s manager, Northern Marine Management, improve its safety management system by providing specific guidance on the operational limits of anchoring equipment, further guidance to masters on anchor planning, and enhancing masters’ handover procedures to ensure that key information is discussed.

Training courses for the maritime and offshore industries

Merchant Navy Operations (Deck) Certificate of Competency Officer of the Watch (Unlimited) Jan, May & Sept intakes Chief Mate/Masters (Unlimited) Jan & Sep intakes Master Mariner (Unlimited) Orals Prep Mar & Oct intakes Shipboard Safety Officer Master Mariner (200Gt) Orals Prep (2 weeks) Shipboard Security Officer STCW Safety 5 day STCW Basic Safety Training Personal Survival Techniques Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities Elementary First Aid Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting Advanced Fire Fighting Efficient Deck Hand Man Over Board / Rib Capsize Drills IMDG awareness

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Navigation NAEST (O) & (M) ECDIS generic and type specific Medical and First Aid Bridge Team Management Medical First Aid Onboard Ship Pre ARPA and ARPA Medical Care Onboard Ship (and Refresher) SVNR HSE Offshore First Aid (and Refresher) Tanker HSE First Aid at Work (and Refresher) Tanker Familiarisation HSE Emergency First Aid at Work Specialist Tanker Training (Oil) Radio Dynamic Positioning GMDSS GOC/ROC/LRC/CAA DP Induction VHF Short Range Certificate DP Simulator DP Introduction

Offshore Oil & Gas OIM Management of Major Emergencies CRO Controlling Emergencies Command & Control for ERRVs Masters & Mates Oil Spill Crisis Management (OPRC) COMPEX EX01 to EX04 Offshore Wind 5 day Wind Energy Safety Training Working at Height & Rescue (RUK) Advanced Rescue Climbing Awareness Marine Transfer Confined Space Entry & Rescue

Facilities for Hire Environmental Pool (wave, wind, rain) Marine Transfer Ladder Full Mission Ship’s Bridge Simulator Dynamic Positioning Simulator Offshore Control Room Simulator

Lowestoft College, St Peters Street, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 2NB United Kingdom

Tel:

00 44 1502 525025

Email: maritime@lowestoft.ac.uk Web: www.lowestoft.ac.uk/maritime.asp

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