Nautilus Telegraph November 2017

Branching out Full reports from this year’s UK branch meeting 19-22

A fair wind Operators seek partnership on sector safety 23

NL nieuws Vier pagina’s met nieuws uit Nederland 32-35

Volume 50 | Number 11 | November 2017 | £3.50 €3.70

Tiderace starts work at A&P Fleet Auxiliary’s new TideF class support ships, Tiderace, is The second of the Royal

pictured arriving in Falmouth last month to undergo a programme of customisation work at the A&P yard, including the installation of armour, self-defence weaponry and specialist communications systems.

Tiderace and sisterships Tidespring, Tidesurge and Tideforce have been designed to refuel Royal Navy vessels at sea — including the new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers — as well as supporting deployed amphibious, land and air forces close to the shore. Tidespring —which arrived in Cornwall in April — is expected to finish final sea trials shortly, and is due to enter into service before the end of this year.

Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

Shake-up call for seafarer welfare

Inside F VTS ‘in danger’

Nautilus has hit out at plans to centralise vessel traffic services for some key UK ports — page 40

Research report recommends radical changes in the way maritime charities deliver support

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Nautilus is backing the findings of a major new report on UK maritime welfare which recommends radical changes in the way services are organised and delivered to serving and retired seafarers and their families.

The 224-page report, which was published to coincide with a two-day Maritime Charities Group conference last month, calls for much greater cooperation and collaboration between welfare organisations if they are to meet the growing challenges of supporting seafarers in the years ahead.

The research updates a similar study — Supporting Seafarers and their Families — which was carried out a decade ago and produces revised figures showing current and projected welfare needs within the maritime community.

Dr Catherine Walker, one of the report’s authors, said the 2007 report had under-esti-

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mated the size of the seafaring population — by around 50% for the Merchant Navy and 100% for the fishing fleets.

New areas of employment, such as superyachts and the windfarm sector, are also increasing seafarer numbers, she added, and there is a need to ‘realign’ the resources given to MN and fishing charities and that received by Royal Navy and Royal Marines’ charities.

The study warns that seafarers and their families face many unique or complex needs arising from their work and says that increased support will be required over the next 10 to 20 years in such areas as financial needs, social isolation and loneliness, dementia, limitations on daily life, and long-standing health conditions.

The number of ex-MN seafarers over the age of 85 is set to rise by more than 200% over the next two decades, and the report says this will generate a signifi-

cant demand for specialist services and support, as many will have multiple problems.

Researchers also highlighted the way in which changes in the shipping industry are fuelling new welfare needs among serving seafarers and their families and they found that two-thirds of maritime welfare charities had reported increased demand in the last decade as a result of the economic downturn and austerity policies.

They also found that while many maritime welfare charities are anticipating an increase in demand over the next five years, only 25% believe that the sector is in a ‘good position’ to respond.

The study questions whether they should be spending more of their reserves to address the pressure on their services arising from the recent public spending cutbacks.

It also warns that seafarers are a relatively invisible workforce and much more must be done to

tackle ‘sea blindness’ that hampers fund-raising work by maritime charities.

By 2050, the maritime community of serving and former seafarers and their families is predicted to fall to just over half the current level and the researchers say that this will have an impact on fund-raising, as more than 60% of donors to maritime charies give money on the basis of personal experience.

Dr Walker said some good progress had been made on the recommendations made in the 2007 report — but there is also evidence that some of the maritime welfare charities are lagging behind.

‘Time is moving on, and maritime welfare charities need to face some of the fundamental questions raised in both reports before changes in the maritime world and the beneficiary population force your hand,’ she stressed.

And she concluded with a

stark warning: ‘It can no longer be “business as usual” — the seismic shifts in the maritime world and society at large cannot fail to impact on maritime welfare charities and the support they provide.’

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson attended the conference and he welcomed the report. ‘This is essential research that updates the trail-blazing study on supporting seafarers published a decade ago,’ he pointed out.

‘A lot of work has been done since then — not least by the Nautilus Welfare Fund in expanding its Mariners’ Park facilities and launching nationwide caseworker service — but the report rightly identifies the huge scale of the challenges ahead and the need for the maritime charity sector to find even more efficiencies and effective programmes to cope with the growing demands.’ g A full report will appear in next month’s Telegraph.

F Top trainee

Nautilus member Tristan Greaney has won the 2017 UK officer trainee of the year award — page 3 F Rescuer praised

A Nautilus member has been given two prestigious awards for at-sea rescues — pages 28-29

18/10/2017 10:18

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

MN Medals for union stalwarts Mark Dickinson is pictured F with senior national secretary

Nautilus general secretary

Allan Graveson and RMT national secretary Steve Todd after they were received the Merchant Navy Medal for meritorious service during a ceremony at Trinity House in London.

The two union officials were presented with their awards by the Princess Royal, in recognition of their services to seafarer training, welfare and safety. She praised the contribution made by this year’s 16 medal recipients and said she hoped the awards would highlight the huge contribution that seafarers make to the nation’s wellbeing.

Mr Graveson was commended for his deep and personal commitment to his work for seafarer welfare and upholding high regulatory standards for the shipping industry. ‘Allan’s extensive knowledge of complex industry issues at all levels and passion for the industry has helped to ensure

UK ports warn of Brexit chaos on key routes the UK government to find ‘a F creative and sensible solution’ to

British port bosses have urged

avoid Brexit-related chaos on key shipping routes.

Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the British Ports Association, said it was vital that freight and passengers can continue to pass smoothly through ports after Brexit. But he warned that the recent stalemate in talks between the UK and the European Union ‘means that the possibility of bureaucratic customs checks and potentially disruptive port health controls is a distinct possibility for all types of port traffic with Europe’.

Failure to reach agreements on environmental standards could mean prescriptive port health controls for agricultural and food cargoes at all types of port with such trade with the EU, he added. At worst, these could create significant infrastructure challenges for port terminals needing new inspection facilities.

that the safety, education, training and development of seafarers remains foremost across the sector and government,’ the citation reads.

Mr Graveson first went to sea in 1973, as a deck cadet with Canadian

Pacific. After coming ashore in 1990, he obtained a BA in business studies, an MSc in international transport and his master’s certificate of competency.

Between 1994 and 1998, he

worked at Warsash Maritime Academy, rising to become academic head of development before joining the Union — where his work includes representing seafarers at national, European

and international levels and within bodies such as the Merchant Navy Training Board and the International Maritime Organisation.

Mr Todd’s citation highlighted his ‘exemplary’ commitment to seafarer welfare and the goal of increasing employment and training opportunities for ratings.

Mr Todd first went to sea in 1972, as a deck boy with Blue Funnel Line and went on to serve as an able seaman and bosun with companies including Ocean Fleets, Blue Star, Elder Dempster, P&O Cruises, PNSC and Fishers.

‘I first got involved with the union when I got into a bit of trouble,’ he said. ‘I decided I wanted to put something back and became a rep to give my colleagues a voice.

One thing followed another, and I’ve now been national secretary for almost 15 years and I am proud to have represented members on various national and international bodies.’ g Full report, see page 18.

New alert on training for cyber-risks Nautilus research underlining F the shortfalls in cyber-security training A new survey has reinforced

for merchant seafarers.

Figures published by the satellite communications provider NSSLGlobal last month revealed that 84% of seafarers claim to have received limited or no cyber-security training from their employers.

NSSL Global said almost two-thirds of the 571 crew members it surveyed accepted responsibility for the security of the IT systems onboard their ships, but not enough was being done to help them understand the risks they face and how to avoid them.

‘The lack of cybersecurity training is a real concern, but largely tallies with what we’re seeing in the industry,’ said NSSLGlobal IT security manager Nigel Quinn. ‘With threat vectors and the nature of security threats constantly evolving, the maritime industry needs to be just as prepared as any other industry to tackle the issue head on.’

Treasury told to act on SMarT-Plus proposals Ministers urged to deliver on shipping industry’s plans for improved seafarer training support

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Nautilus has urged the shipping minister to ensure that the government takes ‘swift and decisive action’ to introduce the SMarTPlus proposals for improved support for UK seafarer training.

General secretary Mark Dickinson made the call last month when he took part in a top-level meeting at Westminster to enable politicians, academics and shipping industry leaders to discuss seafarer skills shortages and maritime training.

Hosted by former First Sea Lord Admiral West of Spithead, the 90-minute meeting brought politicians from the main political parties together with representatives from organisations and companies including the UK Chamber of Shipping, the Merchant Navy Training Board, BP Shipping, and Maritime London.

The discussions concentrated on ways in which government and maritime education centres can work together to address the underlying and forecast short-

ages of skilled and experienced seafarers.

Southampton Solent University vice-chancellor Professor Graham Baldwin said he hoped the meeting would serve as a ‘catalyst for change’.

Mr Dickinson told shipping minister John Hayes that all sides of the industry have come together to promote the SMarTPlus package — and the £15m of additional assistance being asked for would be repaid many times over through increased employ-

ment and training of UK maritime professionals.

Recent research commissioned by the government had shown that every £1 spent on the current SMarT scheme delivered a £4.80 return to the national economy.

‘It is now time for the Chancellor to come forward with bold and radical measures in response to the industry,’ he added.

Mr Hayes said he had been convinced about the merits of the SMarT-Plus proposals and a

strong case had been made to the Treasury in support of the plans.

Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said the industry needs to make seafaring a more attractive career prospect, and Mr Dickinson said there is also a danger that the almost daily predictions of autonomous shipping will deter young people from choosing maritime careers. ‘Why would school leavers consider a career in which they are being told that they are going to be replaced by robots?’ he said.

Cadets help to kick off fresh campaign for CEC review efforts to encourage the UK A government to review the system Nautilus has stepped up its

for issuing Certificates of Equivalent Competency (CEC) to foreign nationals.

Phase 1 deck and engineering cadets at the City of Glasgow College are pictured right as they helped to kick off the renewed campaign during the Union’s induction visits by strategic organiser Lee Moon last month, signing copies of the postcards to go to members’ MPs asking for their support for a review.

As part of the UK Charter for Jobs, Nautilus believes it is vital to

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secure a review of CECs to ensure that all British seafarers have the best possible opportunity to secure employment and compete for jobs on a level playing field.

Earlier this year, the Union successfully lobbied MPs to raise the issue, leading to former SNP leader Alex Salmond pressing shipping minister John Hayes in Parliament to stem the flow of job losses amongst British Merchant Navy officers.

However, soon after the postcards were issued, the general election was called and MPs went on summer recess. Therefore, members, their family and friends, are once again

being asked to contact their MPs — even if they have the same MP as before the election — and ask them to support a review of the CEC system. g Nautilus has contacted all MPs with a Twitter account and sent them an animated version of the postcard graphic. Members who are on Twitter are asked to also tweet their MP directly using the animation on the Union’s account — @Nautilusint. g Members who wish to post a card can download one from the Nautilus website www.nautilusint. org or request one by emailing campaigns@nautilusint.org.

18/10/2017 11:36

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Tristan gets top trainee award Newly qualified engineer officer praised for his hard work and dedication

shortreports MASTER FINED: the Russian master of a Dutch ship that ran aground off the coast of Northern Ireland last month has been fined £1,000 after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper lookout. Captain Aleksandr Iakovtsov, of the general cargoship Ruyter pleaded guilty to charges brought by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) after the vessel grounded on the north coast of Rathlin Island. MCA officials said they were concerned that the off-watch and ECDIS alarms had been switched off.

AUCTION ALARM: Nautilus expressed concern last month that the auction of the detained Indian offshore support vessel Malaviya Seven had been called off because only one low bid had been made. It had been hoped the ship’s sale would enable crew members to be paid more than a year’s worth on outstanding wages.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said it was scandalous that the owners, insurers, flag and port state authorities had failed to resolve the case.

LIVERPOOL REMEMBRANCE: this year’s annual Merchant Navy service of remembrance in Liverpool is due to take place in the Metropolitan Cathedral on Sunday 12 November, starting at 3pm.

Guests will include the Lord Lieutenant of Liverpool, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, the High Sheriff of Merseyside, and the Royal Navy’s commanding officer for Northern England and the Isle of Man. RFA RESCUE: the crew of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Mounts Bay were praised last month for their role in helping to save the lives of three people who had been reported missing off the coast of the Caribbean island of Vieques. A Merlin helicopter launched from the RFA ship airlifted the three survivors to safety from the upturned hull of their vessel.

Pictured, left to right, are: Neil Atkinson and Brady Hogg, from Fleetwood Nautical Campus; UK Officer Trainee of the Year Tristan Greaney; James Halle, from Princess Cruises; MCA chief executive Sir Alan Massey; and Princess Cruises HR director David Colclough

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A Nautilus member serving as a third engineer with Princess Cruises has been presented with the 2017 UK Officer Trainee of the Year Award.

Tristan Greaney was selected for the honour by an industry panel — including representatives from Nautilus, the Chamber of Shipping and Trinity House — in recognition of his outstanding commitment to training, and the professionalism, determination and personal qualities he displayed during his cadetship.

Tristan — who began training at Fleetwood Nautical Campus in 2014 — was presented with the award by Maritime & Coastguard Agency chief executive Sir Alan Massey, who noted that he had secured his qualifications at the first attempt and with marks of more than 90% in all his assessments.

‘Tristan embodies everything we look for in a successful officer,’ Sir Alan said, as he made the award during the Marine Society & Sea Cadets annual court at Trinity House.

Tristan, who is now serving onboard Diamond Princess, said he was overwhelmed to be given the award. ‘I had no idea that I had been entered for it and it was a total surprise when I heard,’ he added. ‘I had just come off the four to eight watch when I picked up the message and it came as a complete shock. It’s a great honour and I appreciate it a lot.

‘This award shows to me that all the hard work and dedication to the cadetship has paid off,’ he added. ‘Most of all, it has given me a boost in confidence; I feel like I am on the correct track for my career and this is the one I shall follow. Attaining this award at the

start of anyone’s seagoing career is a great motivator for the future years to come.’

Tristan had originally set out to study light marine engineering at Falmouth Marine School, but lecturers there suggested he should progress to ‘bigger and better things’ and consider a career in the Merchant Navy.

‘I researched cadetships and came across Princess Cruises,’ he recalled. ‘I applied in October, went for the interview in November and they rang me up the next afternoon to tell me I had got the job,’ he said.

His second phase of sea time was extended to seven months, so he could work through to the completion of two major projects to overhaul fixed fire-fighting equipment and exhaust gas systems.

‘The extra three months really

helped me a lot before my exams,’ he noted.

Tristan qualified in August and he flew back from his ship in Japan to attend the award ceremony. ‘I really like working at sea,’ he said.

‘I always wanted to do something a bit different, with an active lifestyle, and at sea there’s something different every day.

‘The trust and responsibility that you have as an officer is amazing, and I would really like to progress all the way to being a chief engineer.’

He already enjoys passing on his knowledge and experience to cadets. ‘I always said when I was training that I would help cadets when I became an officer and get them through the tasks they have to do,’ he said. ‘My big bit of advice is to put your head down and study hard in those early years, as you will reap the benefits later.’

UK urged to fund a training ship industry call for the UK F government to fund a seafarer

Nautilus has joined a cross-

training ship which could also be used to deliver foreign aid and emergency supplies after disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes.

In a joint letter to the Times, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson, RMT general secretary Mick Cash and Merchant Navy Training Board chairman Kevin Slade noted that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Royal Navy have

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been providing support to Caribbean islands suffering devastation as a result of recent hurricanes.

However, they asked: ‘Why deprive the RFA and Royal Navy of very expensive hardware when we could instead have a pre-stationed, specially outfitted non-military emergency relief vessel (or vessels) in the region, manned by British seafarers, at a fraction of the cost and paid for out of our international relief aid budget?

‘Such a ship could be specifically

equipped to act as a disaster relief vessel, acting as a command control HQ and accommodation unit for UK emergency response personnel, without impacting on depleted shore infrastructure and devastated local communities,’ the letter argued.

‘Emergency aid packages could be pre-stowed and supplement the very limited tools and equipment carried by professional emergency relief teams based in the UK. ‘When not engaged in emergency mode, such ships could be used to

deliver UK aid cargoes and relief support, as well as acting as a sorely needed training platform for British seafarers, cadets and apprentices, carrying dozens of trainees and dedicated instructors.

What better experience for our future professionals?

‘We can be certain that there will be many more disasters in the years ahead,’ they concluded. ‘Why not pre-plan and at the same time ensure we are investing in the future of our maritime skills base?’

EMISSIONS CUT: the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has welcomed a report which shows that total CO2 emissions from the world merchant fleet are now less than they were in 2008. The ICS said the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) research showed that the industry is becoming more fuel efficient.

BULLYING VICTIMS: one in five employees dread going to work because they are scared of a colleague, a new workplace bullying survey has found.

Researchers said 16% of victims had suffered depression or been signed off with stress, and 5% had walked out of jobs as a result.

SLEEPY WORKERS: one in four British workers believes their performance is being affected because they have had a bad night’s sleep, a survey revealed last month. It found that the majority of people would like to sleep for up to eight hours, but usually achieve between five to seven.

DRUGS BUST: cocaine worth an estimated £200m was seized from a Comoros-flagged tug after it was boarded in the Atlantic in a joint operation between British, Spanish and Portuguese law enforcement authorities. The crew of the 278gt Thoran, from Turkey and Azerbaijan, were arrested.

CUNARD BOOST: Cunard has announced the addition of a fourth ship to its fleet, with its first new order for 12 years. To be built at the Fincantieri yard in Italy, the new 113,000gt vessel — which is yet to be named — will carry up to 3,000 passengers and is due to come into service in 2022.

ATTENBOROUGH ADVANCE: the British Antarctic Survey has welcomed the ‘milestone’ installation of the last of the engines and gensets onboard the new polar research vessel Sir David Attenborough at the Cammell Laird yard last month.

CANAL RECORD: the Panama Canal Authority has reported a record volume of 403.8m tonnes of freight passing through the waterway over the past year. Vessel transits rose 3.3%, to total 13,548 in the same period.

18/10/2017 18:15

04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports

Talks begin on RPI-plus pay claim for Thames Clippers

NOCS STALEMATE: members employed by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) on ships operated by NOCS-NMFSS and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have been told that the company has ‘nothing more to offer’ for its 2016 pay review. It follows the news that BAS members voted by a ratio of 3-1 and NOCS at a ratio of 5-1 to reject the offer which would have incorporated the removal of automatic progression steps as per government policy. Members have been told now they can move to a new marine pay structure or remain on the current one. The Union is now working with liaison officers to see if there is an appetite for further action.

PG PAY: Nautilus has met Pritchard-Gordon Tankers management to open talks on this year’s pay and conditions claim. During the meeting, the company said it was ‘not in a position to make any pay offer’ and it anticipated returning to Nautilus during October with a formal proposal. Other issues discussed included upgrades to wi-fi, the introduction of a loyalty bonus and the extension of the long service bonus to all officers.

HANSON CLAIM: Nautilus has presented a claim for an RPI-plus pay rise for members employed by Hanson Ship Management. The Union is also seeking the removal of five additional days from contracts, a full day’s pay for joining and leaving days, and a realistic crew bonus scheme. Further talks have been lined up on issues including early/ late relief payments and rules, drug and alcohol testing, training and satellite tv provision.

WINDSTAR CLAIM: Nautilus has submitted a 4% pay claim on behalf of members employed by Windstar Cruises. The Union also requested business class flights for senior officers travelling over eight hours, the review of the spouse travel policy and a move to a three-on/ three-off contract for second engineers.

CARISBROOKE CALL: Nautilus has submitted an above-RPI pay claim on behalf of members employed

by Carisbrooke Shipping. The claim, which is for the 2018 pay and conditions review, has been made to reflect members’ loyalty and contributions to the company’s performance.

Micky Smyth is pictured with F liaison officers Malkeet Virdi (left)

Nautilus national ferry organiser

and Steve Wright (right) ahead of a meeting at Clipper House, London, to open discussions on this year’s pay claim for members employed by Thames Clippers.

During the meeting on 16 October, the Union submitted its claim for an increase in salary of over the RPI inflation rate — which stood at 3.9%

in September — to reflect increased workloads and members’ loyalty and contribution as hardworking employees in delivering an excellent service.

The discussions also covered the option of an increase to pension and sickness entitlements, as well as a review of hours of work and leave rosters. A formal response from the company was awaited as the Telegraph went to press.

Owners’ crew costs fell 0.4% last year Report points to ‘challenging markets’ as a key factor in pegging pay down

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Shipowners’ crew-operating costs fell by 0.4% last year, according to a new report from the international accountancy specialists Moore Stephens.

The maritime consultancy’s annual OpCost study revealed that total annual operating costs in the industry declined by an average of 1.1% during 2017 — making it the fifth successive year in which owners’ bills have declined.

The benchmarking study noted that crew costs had fallen

1.2% in 2015 — in sharp contrast to 2008, when they increased by an average of 21%.

The Moore Stephens report came only a couple of weeks after the annual Manning Report published by the global shipping consultancy Drewry revealed that pay rates for officers in some sectors have gone into reverse in the past year, with wages declined by average of around 1%.

Drewry said the pressures on pay — which have caused increases to stagnate since the global slump began in 2009 —

could continue for a further five years.

Moore Stephens partner Richard Greiner said he believed the ‘continuing challenging shipping markets are doubtless a significant factor’ in the reducing level of crew costs.

The OpCost report shows a variety of different prevailing rates for crew costs in different sectors of the industry — with tankers, overall, recording a 1.8% fall and bulk carrier crew costs down by 0.6% overall, However, the study found containership

crew costs had risen by 1.1% following a fall of 3.3% in 2015.

The analysis showed that all the main categories of owners’ costs — stores, repairs and maintenance, and insurance — fell during 2016, for the second year in a row.

But Mr Greiner warned that this trend is unlikely to continue much longer, with owners now facing the costs of investment in ballast water management equipment, compliance with lowsulphur rules and initiatives to combat cyber-crime.

BW SUBMISSION: a 5% salary increase has been submitted by the Union on behalf of members employed

by BW Fleet management. The claim also includes the addition of economy-plus flights for members having to travel over 12 hours to join a ship.

WESTERN VISITS: members employed by Western Ferries met Nautilus national ferry organiser Micky Smyth and strategic organiser Martyn Gray during a series of ship visits in October.

INTRADA LIAISON: Nautilus is seeking a new liaison officer to represent all members employed on vessels managed by Intrada Ships Management.

Nautilus national organiser Jonathan Havard is pictured with Maritime HR Consultancy director David Jillings signing an updated, Maritime Labour Convention-compliant terms and conditions of service agreement for members serving in the UECC fleet. Members are now being consulted on the forthcoming pay and conditions claim.

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CalMac members decide on three-year pay offer liaison officers Archie F MacDonald (left) and Alex Forrest Pictured above are Nautilus

Steve Doran is pictured, F above, delivering a presentation to Nautilus national organiser

members employed by James Fisher during the company’s Seagoing Officers’ Workshop last month. A Partnership at Work (PAW) meeting took place later in the evening, following which the company

offered a revised 2% increase for its 2017 pay and conditions review.

Nautilus last month opened consultations with members on the offer, which is across all pay bands and — if agreed before 31 October — would take effect from 1 November, backdated to 1 April 2017.

(right) alongside national ferry organiser Micky Smyth ahead of pay talks between the Union and Caledonian MacBrayne (Guernsey).

Following the meeting — which took place at the end of September — the company made a ‘full and final’ offer of a 3.9% pay increase for

2017 and an RPI-linked increase for 2018 and 2019.

Under the terms of the offer, a bonus payment of 1.5% would be payable for 2018 and 2019, based on the current terms of the bonus arrangement.

Nautilus has strongly recommended acceptance of the offer and results of the consultation were due before the end of October.

18/10/2017 16:55

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 05

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Stena warned on Harwich action UK branch conference condemns redundancy threat to British officers

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Stena Line officers could be balloted for industrial action unless the company starts to engage in meaningful negotiations over a threat to UK seafarers’ jobs on its North Sea services, Nautilus International warned last month.

Members attending the Union’s UK branch conference in Hull voted unanimously in favour of an emergency motion tabled by the national committee expressing concern about the ‘unacceptable position’ taken by the company in handling the impact of the withdrawal of the UK-flagged freight ferry Capucine.

Both Capucine and the Dutchflagged sistership Severine were due to be replaced by two Finnishflagged time-chartered vessels on the Harwich-Europoort freight service when their bareboat charters come to an end in January 2018.

Members at the conference voiced ‘dismay’ at the Stena Group’s decision to deploy the two time-chartered vessels on the Killingholme-Europoort route and deploy the Dutchcrewed Stena Scotia and a ‘new’ bareboat-chartered vessel, with Dutch officers, on the HarwichEuropoort route.

‘This against a backdrop of UK seafarers serving on this route for more than 15 years, far longer than any other nationality,’ the motion notes.

The conference welcomed the fact that jobs have been saved in the Netherlands, but deplored the employer’s ‘discriminatory behaviour towards UK seafarers’. Nautilus began discussions and consultation with the aim of protecting UK members’ jobs but, whilst Stena BV has reversed its decision on Dutch manning, the UK management maintains its stance that potential redundan-

cies for UK officers still remain.

The motion also expresses concern that the employer’s actions are not in compliance with UK and EU employment law and calls on the Stena Group to ensure that its UK employees receive the same treatment and consideration as Dutch employees.

The conference stated its support for ‘the necessary action required, both industrial and legal’ to ensure that Nautilus members in the UK are treated the same as their Dutch colleagues operating on the same route and called on the union to ‘explore all legal avenues to ensure, if the law provides for members to lodge claims for discriminatory actions, the protection of TUPE and failure to apply redundancy criteria’.

The conference warned that if the company does not engage in meaningful negotiations with

the union, ‘then Nautilus International will consider that a dispute situation has arisen and ballot its members for industrial action in addition to pursuing all appropriate legal avenues’.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘This is an extremely serious situation and our members have made it very clear that they will not tolerate the company playing one side of the North Sea seafarer workforce against the other side.

‘Equal treatment should prevail on both sides of the seaway, and the company must beware of the risks it runs by failing to treat its UK staff fairly,’ Mr Dickinson stressed.

Further talks with the company took place last month, and the Union also began taking legal advice on members’ right to be transferred where there has been a service provision change.

Legal wins show the value of membership membership has been F highlighted once again with new The value of Nautilus

TUC rally against ‘the great pay robbery’ F

Nautilus officials Jonathan Havard and Gary Leech carried the Union’s banner at a TUC demonstration against the continued ‘unfair’ curbs on public sector pay.

The Parliament Square rally was organised in support of calls for ministers to end the seven years of hardline pay policies and to give public servants an increase that matches the increasing cost of living.

The TUC also protested at the government’s ‘pick and mix’ approach to its hardline pay policies — giving improved deals to some public servants and not others. General secretary Frances O’Grady pointed out that public sector workers will be ‘significantly’ out of pocket even if the government relaxes its restraint

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approach. Police and prison officers have been promised increases above the current 1% limit, but they will still be hundreds of pounds a year worse off by 2022, she noted.

‘Millions have fallen foul of this great pay robbery,’ she added. ‘When nurses are having to use food banks, payday lenders and pawnshops in one of the world’s richest countries, something has gone catastrophically wrong.

‘The pay cap is not just unfair and unjust, but unnecessary too. It has damaged morale, recruitment and retention in already overstretched services, it has sucked money out of the local and regional economies that need it most, and it has done next to nothing to repair the public finances.’

figures showing that the Union’s legal department has recovered more than £1m compensation for members over the past year.

Director of legal services Charles Boyle told last month’s Council meeting that the Union has obtained more than £600,000 in the first eight months of this year on behalf of members suffering related accidents or ill-health.

Mr Boyle said the round-the-clock Nautilus 24/7 assistance service handled more than 130 cases in the past five months — helping members reporting such problems as unfair dismissal, bullying and harassment, and unpaid wages.

The legal department has also dealt with an increasing number of employment-related cases, he added. ‘There is a particularly disproportionate amount of work coming in from the superyacht sector — often involving large amounts of unpaid wages and cases of a “hire and fire” culture.’

Mr Boyle said the Joint Assistance and Support Network (JASON) developed with unions belonging to the Nautilus Federation has also begun to provide vital support for members needing legal assistance in other countries.

In one recent case, a member facing problems in Vanuatu was given local support through the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE).

shortreports CARNIVAL TALKS: talks on this year’s pay claim for members serving with Carnival UK took place following a Partnership at Work (PAW) meeting in Southampton at the end of September. Management outlined a proposal for a three-year deal that reduces the 238-day contracts to 221 days. Nautilus had previously submitted a claim for an above-inflation pay rise, and a move towards a one-on/one-off rotation at three months on and three months off, as well as improvements to training and travel policies. Other issues raised by the Union included improved internet connection, the promotion process and staffing levels.

A further meeting was held on 5 October and a formal written proposal from the employer is expected soon.

PRINCESS PAY: a trans-Atlantic conference call to discuss the 2018 pay claim for members employed

by Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) and serving on Princess Cruise Line and P&O Cruises Australia vessels took place last month. In the call to the company’s senior vice president Mona Ehrenreich in Los Angeles, national organiser Jonathan Havard put the Union’s case forward for its proposed pay award and a formal response was awaited last month.

SERCO OFFER: members employed by Serco Ferries (Guernsey) Crewing have been offered a 2.9% pay rise. The offer also proposes that pay grades for masters, mate/masters and chief engineers would be reviewed, with the current increments removed, resulting in a single pay for each position. Consultation has started with members and was due to finish at midday on Tuesday 31 October.

RED CLAIM: a pay claim for an above-RPI increase has been submitted by Nautilus on behalf of members employed by Red Funnel. The claim — which is for the 2018 review — also seeks a review of the high-speed duty rota in comparison to other vessels, as well as harmonising the master and commander ranks and enhancing the sickness entitlement of OBS officers.

PNTL PLEA: Nautilus national secretary Steve Doran attended an avoidance of dispute meeting, seeking improvements to a pay offer which was rejected by members employed by Pacific Nuclear Transport due to the current economic climate. The Union is now awaiting a formal response from management.

P&O VISITS: Nautilus national ferry organiser Micky Smyth and strategic organiser Martyn Gray visited members onboard the P&O North Sea (Jersey) vessels Pride of Hull and Pride of York in Hull to discuss issues of concern in relation to the forthcoming pay discussions.

MANX AIMS: members employed by Manx Sea Transport (Guernsey) and serving on Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels have been asked for the views on the contents of the forthcoming pay claim.

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Ferries liaison officer John F Cowie with Nautilus national ferry Pictured above is Orkney

organiser Micky Smyth following a meeting of the Orkney Islands Council on 10 October which ratified

a decision not to increase the 1.5% pay award for 2017. Following the decision, Mr Smyth carried out a number of ship visits to have discussions with members serving with the company.

18/10/2017 16:55

06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports TECHNIP TALKS: considerations about current issues within Technip (Singapore) and the wider marketplace were discussed during a recent meeting between Nautilus and the company in Aberdeen. The Union raised concerns expressed by members, and asked for specific numbers of members to remain in full-time employment (144) and on day-rate contracts (77).

Discussions also centred on the 2018 pay talks, but it was pointed out that Wellservicer will leave the fleet later this year and that Apache II remains in cold lay-up.

First hybrid offshore supply vessel flagged Viking Princess — which A last month became the first offshore Pictured left is the Norwegian-

supply vessel to be fitted with a hybrid energy system, with batteries replacing one of its four engines.

Originally built in 2012, the Eidesvik vessel now runs on a combination of a battery pack for energy storage and three LNG-fuelled Wärtsilä engines. Wärtsilä says the energy storage system offers a fuel saving potential of up to 30% in various operations and reductions of 13% to 18% in CO2 emissions.

The 5,381gt vessel completed sea trials with the new system before being handed over to Eidesvik Offshore early last month. The system will provide balancing energy to cover demand peaks, resulting in a more stable load on the engines and reducing the service interval periods.

OCG ROADSHOW: two more Offshore Coordinating Group (OCG) roadshows have been organised for venues in Scotland. The first will take place in Glasgow on 6 November, followed by Edinburgh on 13 November, both between 6pm and 8pm. The Glasgow session will take place in the Premier Inn in George Square whilst the Edinburgh meeting will be at the Jury’s Inn. The OCG says it wants to hear what offshore workers have to say about the industry and their thoughts on its future prospects.

BPOS FREEZE: a consultation with members employed by Seacor Marine (Guernsey) and serving on BPOS vessels has closed with members voting to reject the pay freeze. However, national organiser Steve Doran said that only 10% of members participated in the consultation exercise and as a consequence the Union has decided to draw a line under this year’s negotiations with the aim of making an early start on next year’s review.

HAVILA REJECTION: members employed by Havila Marine (Guernsey) have rejected a proposed pay freeze. National organiser Steve Doran said that due to a low turn-out in the consultations, he would inform the company that while the Union could not formally accept the offer it will be noted in a bid to start negotiations over the 2018 first quarter review.

OCEAN INCREASE: a 1.5% pay offer to members employed by Ocean Supply (Guernsey) has been reluctantly accepted by the Union following a low turn-out in consultations. The offer had previously been rejected, but the company reiterated its position that it could not improve the package at present.

BP OFFER: consultation on a 1.5% pay offer made to members employed by VGG (Singapore) and serving on the BP offshore vessels agreement was due to close shortly after the Telegraph went to print. The company stated that due to ‘poor market conditions’ it was not able to offer anything more.

SEAHORSE CLAIM: members employed by Seahorse Maritime and serving onboard Sealion vessels have been asked to give the Union comments on the contents of the forthcoming 2018 pay and conditions claim.

SMIT EXTENSION: consultations among members employed by Smit International (Scotland) and serving as live-aboard crew have been extended until midday on 10 November 2017.

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Jobs slump ‘may be stabilising’ Report sees signs of optimism after one-third of posts are lost in three years

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Employment in the UK oil and gas sector has dropped by over one-third in the past three years, according to a study published last month.

However, Oil & Gas UK’s Workforce Report also concludes that the slump has slowed and positive signs of growth have been seen in areas such as the west of Shetland.

The research found that the number of jobs in the North Sea has fallen by around 160,000 since the peak of 460,000 in 2014.

The number of core workers — directly linked to industry activity levels and spend — has dropped by around 5,300 (18%) over the same period.

The report also highlights a 42% increase in production per core worker since 2014, driven by industry efficiency improvements and

higher volumes produced from redeveloped fields and new start-ups.

Researchers found that the average age of offshore workers has increased by two years since 2014 — to 42.7 — but is still roughly in line with the UK average.

Around 15% of the offshore workforce are non-British citizens — about half of whom are from other EU countries.

The report also notes that activity growth west of Shetland has resulted in the region seeing the greatest rise in offshore employment — more than doubling since 2014, to a total of 4,304 last year.

Report author Alix Thom said the report shows that greater support for the sector is required. ‘With billions of barrels of oil and gas still to be recovered from the North Sea,

we need more fresh investment into the basin to drive new activity and help safeguard the hundreds of thousands of UK-wide jobs our sector continues to support,’ he added. z Energy expert Ian Phillips told the SNP conference last month that the sector downturn has resulted in around 10,000 jobs being lost in Aberdeen. Even though the situation is stabilising, he warned that many of the jobs are unlikely to return to the North Sea. Mr Phillips, who is chief executive of the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), said the industry is increasingly looking to robotics and more mobile extraction techniques to cut costs and access oil in smaller fields.

‘We have a robotics revolution coming, removing the need for safety and life support systems,’ he added.

Global Marine in $73m deal with Fugro a US$73m deal to take over Dutch operator F Fugro’s cable-laying and trenching business.

The UK firm Global Marine Systems has secured

Under the terms of the deal, which was announced last month, Fugro will take a 24% stake in the Global Marine Group (GMG) and Global Marine will take over the Dutch firm’s offshore construction vessel Fugro Symphony.

Built in 2011, the 11,342gt Bahamas-flagged

Symphony will join GMG’s eight-ship cable installation and maintenance fleet. The acquisition also involves the transfer to GMG of 23 Fugro employees located in Aberdeen, two Q1400 trenchers, and two work-class remotely operated vehicles.

Fugro CEO Paul van Riel said his company had a strategy to seek a partnership or divest its construction and installation-related marine

activities. He described the deal as ‘a promising partnership with GMG’ that would support Fugro’s further growth in the nautical market segment.

GMG said the acquisition will ‘significantly enhance’ its portfolio of service offerings to the market and will provide it with ‘highly capable, proven assets with a history of delivering complex engineering projects to customers around the world’.

‘Hard Brexit could speed up decline of the sector’ could speed up if there is a ‘hard Brexit’ F and the UK fails to secure a trade deal with the

The decline of the UK oil and gas industry

European Union, industry experts warned last month.

Michael Bradshaw, professor of global energy at Warwick Business School, said the current lack of agreement is ‘creating a heightened level of uncertainty’ about the future of the sector.

‘There’s very clear tension between the fact that we have to maximise recovery in the North Sea

and we don’t know the nature of our future trading relations with the European Union,’ he added.

‘The oil and gas industry is a global business and people move all over the world,’ said Rob Barnett, a London-based analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. ‘If Brexit makes it more difficult to bring in labour from other parts of the world, it could affect the ability to have a talent pool for the operations in the UK.’ In a positive development last month, the Norwegian oil firm Statoil announced an important

discovery of oil on the UK Continental Shelf. It said drilling results in the Verbier well, in the outer Moray Firth, indicated anything between 25m and 130m barrels of oil.

Oil & Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie said the announcement was good news. ‘It’s also another signal of confidence in the future of the UK Continental Shelf and the kind of development that should further persuade investors of the benefit of putting their money into this basin which still holds billions of barrels of oil and gas.’

18/10/2017 14:58

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

Z-cards tell the British public why seafarers should matter to them Mark Dickinson is pictured left F joining Council members last month Nautilus general secretary

to launch a new leaflet that aims to raise public and political awareness of the importance of maritime expertise.

The credit card-sized leaflets — known as z-cards — answer the question: ‘What have seafarers ever done for us?’ They have been produced to accompany the Union’s online animations and explain that

95% of everything that people use and consume comes to the UK by sea.

The cards fold out to show a map of the world and the trade routes for 10 of the UK’s favourite imports, including tea, clothing and oil. The reverse gives some interesting facts about the maritime industry — including how much lamb the UK typically imports, how many seafarers the UK has, and the industry’s value to the wider economy.

By raising awareness of the wider maritime industry in the UK, Nautilus is seeking to raise its profile and gain support for campaigns and other work to improve the lives of members. g The cards have already been sent to all UK MPs, and Nautilus members can also request copies to support the work — simply email campaigns@ nautilusint.org with your name and address and how many cards you would like.

Google move on ‘drone’ shipping Agreement with Rolls-Royce is a ‘step change’ for smart ships, says Nautilus

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Nautilus has described an agreement between Rolls-Royce and Google as ‘a monumental step change’ in the development of ‘smart ships’.

Under the deal between the marine engineering and equipment firm and the internet giant, Google will develop its artificial intelligence (AI) systems for practical shipboard applications.

The agreement enables Rolls-Royce to use Google’s Cloud Machine Learning Engine to further train its AI-based object classification system for detecting, identifying and tracking the wide range of objects that a vessel can encounter at sea.

The two companies claim that Google’s ‘intelligent awareness systems’ are quicker and better than humans in making

predictive analysis and will help to improve safety on existing and future ships.

They plan to fuse data from a range of sensors with information from existing ship systems, such as AIS and radar. Data from other sources, including global databases, will also have a role.

‘Intelligent awareness systems will make vessels safer, easier and more efficient to operate. by providing crew with an enhanced understanding of their vessel’s surroundings,’ Rolls-Royce stated.

Details of the agreement were discussed at the Nautilus UK branch symposium on autonomous shipping last month, and general secretary Mark Dickinson told members that he believed it represented a radical step forward in the evolution of ‘smart’ vessels. ‘Bringing in a

player like Google takes this to another level altogether, and raises a while new set of questions,’ he added.

Karno Tenovuo, Rolls-Royce senior vice-president, commented: ‘While intelligent awareness systems will help to facilitate an autonomous future, they can benefit maritime businesses right now — making vessels and their crews safer and more efficient.

‘By working with Google Cloud we can make these systems better faster, saving lives,’ he promised.

Machine learning is defined as a field of computer science that gives computers the ability to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. It utilises algorithms, tools and techniques that mimic human learning to solve

specific problems and analyses existing data sets with the objective of learning to recognise patterns in training data and to make predictions from previously unseen data.

The Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine uses the same neural net-based machine intelligence software which powers many of its products, such as image and voice search.

In the longer term, RollsRoyce and Google say they plan to undertake joint research on unsupervised and multimodal learning.

They will also test whether speech recognition and synthesis are viable solutions for humanmachine interfaces in marine applications. g UK branch autonomous shipping symposium — see centre pages.

Dickinson addresses IoM Shipping event Mark Dickinson is pictured A with Isle of Man Ship Registry

Nautilus general secretary

director Dick Welsh and Shell Ship Management director Richard Turner during last month’s Isle of Man Shipping Association meeting.

Mr Dickinson had been invited to make a presentation about the Union and the Nautilus Federation of like-minded international unions.

Tracing the history back to the creation of the Mercantile Marine Service Association in 1857, he explained why it was created and how it eventually led to the threeway merger to create NUMAST in 1985.

Mr Dickinson said NUMAST had developed from 2000 onwards with the Dutch union FWZ — with both, having considered strategically how

to remain independent maritime unions, welcoming the chance to explore a joint future under the Nautilus banner before being joined later by the Swiss inland navigation workers.

‘I explained how the Federation was later revived with a new task to bring maritime professionals together to potentially identify future merger partners,’ he added.

‘I told how that was already reaping rewards, with the growing partnership with Croatia,’ Mr Dickinson added. ‘I also highlighted that central to our mission is making the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the ETF stronger by being stronger ourselves — with our work at the IMO and the JASON mutual support scheme two solid examples of this.’

TUC looks forward with anniversary events will celebrate 150 years of standing up F for working people. The 150th anniversary — In 2018, the UK union federation TUC

#TUC150 — is a chance to celebrate this proud history and reach out to a new generation.

The actual anniversary falls in June 2018, so that will be the focal point of celebrations.

The Royal Mail is producing a commemorative

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stamp sheet and a civic celebration is planned at the Speaker’s House in Westminster.

The anniversary activities will continue when Congress comes to Manchester in September, where the TUC first met in 1868.

The main anniversary project will be 150 stories for 150 years. The TUC wants to capture 150 inspiring trade union stories and share

them widely on social media and at events through the year. The stories will represent all UK regions and nations, reflecting the diversity of the movement and its wide-ranging work. #TUC150 will provide a way to involve union members in organising campaigns and growing membership, winning key campaigns and securing new recognitions.

As part of that, the TUC will train a cohort of 150 new reps by Congress 2018 and launch a pilot project trialling new ways to organise young workers. And as the TUC was founded in Manchester, TUC North West will be organising a programme of local events.

The TUC hopes that activists and staff from across the movement will get involved in the

anniversary celebrations and help to get nonmembers involved in trade unions. #TUC150 says it is about looking forwards, not backwards, and celebrating trade unions as a modern, confident movement with a central role in today’s workplace. g For more information and updates, visit: www.tuc.org.uk/tuc150

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18/10/2017 13:48

08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

LARGE YACHT NEWS

UKSA unveils plan to boost facilities celebrated its 30th anniversary F last month by unveiling a £2.5m

The training organisation UKSA

project to improve its Cowes-based facilities on the Isle of Wight.

UKSA — which has provided professional and vocational training to some 150,000 people since it was founded — is seeking to rationalise and remodel its whole site to be able to increase the number of student places. The first phase of the three- to four-year scheme will involve the construction of a new accommodation and training facility, with work set to begin in October next year.

The Princess Royal, who is a patron

of the charity, told the anniversary event at Trinity House that UKSA is doing ‘inspirational’ work to help young people into careers at all levels within the maritime sector — including its professional superyacht cadetship programme.

UKSA CEO Ben Willows said as many as 1,500 of the students who train at Cowes each year go on to work in the superyacht industry and Campbell Fleming, from Aberdeen Standard Investments, said UKSA’s ‘absolutely wonderful’ contribution to maritime training would become even more significant for the UK in the post-Brexit period.

Industry goes to aid of hurricane-hit islands F

The humanitarian organisation Sea Mercy has teamed up with the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting (ACYM) to provide help to Caribbean communities hit by recent devastating hurricanes.

They are appealing to others within the superyacht industry to donate towards their work to deliver aid, desalination units, building materials and health care personnel to stricken islands using an ocean-going

all-purpose landing craft.

‘Our heart goes out all our friends and colleagues on these islands,’ said Sea Mercy director Richard Hackett.

‘We are honoured to be called upon

by ACYM. With their networks and our experience, I truly believe we can make a difference — our Sea Mercy volunteers will rise to the challenge.

We have done this before in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, but now we can bring our service closer to home.’

Record revenue for UK superyacht companies F

The UK’s superyacht industry has posted its fifth year of consecutive growth — with the sector’s full-time employment figures rising by 3.3% over the past 12 months, according to a new report.

Statistics published by Superyacht UK reveal that the industry’s total revenue rose by 1.7% to hit a record of £615m last year, with the sector contributing some £450m to GDP. The report also showed a big

Nautilus success at Monaco show Union signs up new members and holds talks with partners at record event

P

Pictured right is the Nautilus team at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) — strategic organisers Danny McGowan and Martyn Gray, together with Vana Bosto from the Seafarers’ Union of Croatia (SPH).

This year’s MYS — the 27th — was the biggest yet, attended by 125 superyachts with an average length of 49m, and attracting a total of 36,400 participants, 8% up from the previous year.

Working with industry partners including ACREW, D&B Services, UKSA, Hemisphere Crew Solutions, and Wilsonhalligan, the Nautilus representatives met lots of existing and potential members and gave a special presentation to crew members about the issue of bullying and harassment.

Mr McGowan said almost a dozen new members had joined Nautilus during the show, and many of them had welcomed the Union’s special service record book — which is provided free to members to enable them to have

their verified sea time logged.

The Union team also had meetings with organisations including HISWA Holland Yachting Group, Viking Recruitment, Warsash Superyacht Academy, the Crew Academy, Da Gama Maritime, Yotspot and Onboard Magazine.

The Nautilus reps also met Fiona Hanlon, the mother of Michael (Milo) Hanlon, who died when he fell from a superyacht

in Antibes while working as a deckhand in 2013. The Union is backing her work to ensure that the lessons of her son’s death are learned, and to promote a bursary scheme at the UKSA which has been established in memory of Milo and his achievements.

‘All in all, this was a very successful MYS for us,’ Mr McGowan said. ‘As well as the new members that joined us during the event, we have since had many more

increase in UK superyacht refit work, and a total of 64 vessels of 24m and above being built last year. Demand for UK crew remains high, it added.

The figures were welcomed by trade minister Mark Garnier when he visited the Monaco Yacht Show last month. He said the government is working to support the superyacht industry through tailored trade missions and a team of international trade advisors.

Cyclists target a million for cancer charity superyacht industry have set F their sights on breaking the €1m Amateur cyclists from the

Yacht crew join now! email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call +44 (0)151 639 8454

As part of our growing support for seafarers serving in the large yacht sector, all members are entitled to a free copy of the Nautilus service record book, which has been produced to assist in the recording and calculation of qualifying sea service for the purpose of certification.

Nautilus International works closely with the MCA and regulatory authorities in Europe and around the world, and this SRB is recognised by the MCA as evidence of acceptable service.

INTERNATIONAL

cht Commercial Ya ok Bo rd co Re Service (Power & Sail) rty Book remains the prope This Service Record al. of Nautilus Internation to If found please return 0 Antibes, France.

3 Bd. d’Aguillon, 0660 al Nautilus Internation n E18 1BD s, George Lane, Londo 1&2 The Shrubberie United Kingdom ime Professionals since

Representing Marit

08_yachts.indd 8

1857

Once your yacht service is verified O iin our office in Antibes, the MCA aaccepts the Nautilus SRB as ssufficient proof of onboard and ssea service. No further supporting ddocumentation is required, and the pprocess with the MCA is quicker than uusing individual testimonials. zContact the membership ddepartment either via email or telephone to receive your free SRB.

enquiries and it is clear that the support and services that Nautilus offers are valued by an increasing number of yacht crew.’ z During the event, Martyn Gray spoke exclusively with Adam Jackson, head of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s large yacht unit, Ensign.

Mr Jackson said he sees a bright future for the superyacht sector, and the UKSR has worked on increasing communication, collaboration, consultation and cooperation with owners, builders and key stakeholders.

Mr Jackson said the MCA has five specialist surveyors dedicated to superyacht surveys and inspections. ‘Our surveys are of a world class benchmark and owners have the comfort of knowing that we are not onboard to tick boxes, but to actually appraise and assess the vessel and crew,’ he added.

‘UK registration can minimise the risk of unnecessary and burdensome port state control inspections, enabling significant savings in crew time,’ he said.

Captains get to test their skills in simulator course cohort of superyacht captains A at the three-day command and Pictured above is the latest

control course staged by West Nautical — which gives them the chance to update and test their skills using modelled 40m and 80m superyachts in South Shields Marine School’s state-of-the-art simulator.

An officially recognised Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) qualification, the course is the brainchild of West Nautical managing director Geoff Moore, a master mariner with a decade of yacht experience.

‘One of the things I noticed from my years at sea is the lack of further training available for yacht captains once they have achieved their final qualification,’ he explained.

‘Captains have full responsibility

for multi-million pound luxury yachts and the lives of all of those onboard, yet they can go for years without any form of further training, which could be the difference between life and death in an emergency situation.’

Mr Moore believes that the industry should be more highly regulated, in a similar way to that of aviation, which can require pilots to train in a simulator up to four times each year.

‘It has been demonstrated time after time that it is impossible to train for a crisis unless in a simulator, yet this is not currently a requirement in the marine industry. That was one of the key reasons we decided to launch this course and provide captains with specialist training that will give

them confidence in their own skills,’ he added.

The course enables participants to play back and assess their performance on the simulators, and to review how they reacted and any improvements that could be made.

It also includes a section of specialist life-saving training.

One of this year’s delegates, Captain Piers French, of the 85m superyacht Areti, said: ‘I have thoroughly enjoyed the training and feel that it is imperative that captains spend time in a simulator to update their skills.

‘It’s hard to know how you would react in an emergency situation — and thankfully they are very rare — and I have a lot that I will be taking back and implementing onboard with my crew,’ he added.

fundraising mark after competing in their fourth cycle race from London to Antibes, France, to raise money for cancer charities.

The 1,400km ride took 10 days to complete, starting from the Cancer Research UK headquarters and the 30 superyacht captains and industry professionals who took part have so far raised around €229,000 this year. g With the previous three rides having raised over €700,000, they are hoping to top the €1m total this year. Funds are still being collected for the riders via the website: www.cogs4cancer.org

18/10/2017 11:35

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

DFDS recipe for training success its mouth is after becoming A the first British shipping company to

DFDS is putting its money where

recruit apprentices for a new catering apprenticeship programme.

Three catering students have joined six deck and three engine apprentices on a two-year programme mixing classroom studies at North Kent College in Gravesend and on-the-job skills training onboard DFDS’s Dover-Dunkirk ships.

The apprentices are pictured left with DFDS vice-president of HR and crewing, Gemma Griffin, Captain Paul Mount, and Steve Watkins from North Kent College.

Fresh fall in pirate attacks reduction in the number of cases F of piracy and armed robbery involving New figures show a further

merchant ships around the world.

The latest statistics from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) show a total of 121 incidents in the first nine months of this year, compared with 141 over the same period last year and 190 in the same period in 2015.

While welcoming the overall decline, the IMB expressed concern about the number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea and in SE Asia. And it also warned: ‘The increase in attacks off the coast of Venezuela and other security incidents against vessels off Libya — including an attempted boarding in the last quarter — highlights the need for vigilance in other areas.’ In total, 92 vessels were boarded, 13 were fired upon, there were 11 attempted attacks and five vessels were hijacked in the first nine months of 2017. So far this year, 80 seafarers have been taken hostage, 49 kidnapped, three assaulted, three injured and two killed during attacks on their vessels.

The IMB expressed particular concern about Nigerian waters, with a total of 20 incidents reported — 16 of which occurred off the coast of Brass, Bonny and Bayelsa. Guns were reportedly used in 18 of the incidents and vessels were underway in 17 of the incidents. Nigerian waters also accounted for 39 of the 49 seafarers kidnapped globally between the start of the year and the end of September.

DFDS’s apprenticeship programme has been running since 2012 and has seen two groups of deck apprentices and one group of engineering apprentices qualify and take up full-time jobs with the company. The catering apprentices will gain qualifications as maritime caterers, working as chefs in the ship’s galley to prepare the food to be served onboard.

The apprenticeships are offered in partnership with the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB), the UK shipping industry’s central body for promoting and developing sectorspecific education and training skills.

The launch of the DFDS catering apprentice scheme came shortly after members attending Nautilus International’s UK branch meeting in Hull voted in favour of a motion calling for action to improve the quality of food at sea, and to promote the catering apprenticeship and enhance the skills of those who prepare food onboard.

It urged Nautilus to work through the MNTB to develop improved recruitment and training programmes and to work with shipping companies on initiatives to provide healthy eating options at sea — full report, see page 24.

Slow work on low-sulphur Big majority of owners feel unready for 2020 fuel rules

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The shipping industry is in danger of missing the 2020 deadline for the implementation of the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.5% global sulphur cap, a new report has warned.

Nautilus has expressed concern at the ďŹ ndings of the study — published by ExxonMobil — which reveals that some 70% of shipping companies do not believe the industry is ready for the new fuel rules.

ExxonMobil found that one-third of the companies surveyed predict that a combination of heavy fuel oil, marine gas oil and fuels and blends will continue to be used after the 0.5% sulphur content cap comes into effect, and 69% believe the rules will lead to the development of new types of low-sulphur fuels.

Almost one-third of the companies anticipate a rise in the adoption of LNG as marine fuel, ExxonMobil said, and 53% of companies expect that fuel costs will increase.

Although 45% of the companies predicted an increase in the use of scrubbers, only 11% said that they would actively consider installation before 2020 — with most blaming this on a lack of clarity on the economics of such investment. ‘The results of this survey show that we are heading to a multi-fuel future and that there is not one obvious fuel solution that will apply to all vessels,’ said ExxonMobil global marine marketing manager Iain White. ‘To avoid the pitfalls that may lie ahead, it’s vital that operators work closely with fuel suppliers to ensure that they select the best route to compliance.’ The potential fuel supply scenario could pose increased problems for fuel stability and compatibility and operators should follow good practices in onboard fuel management to avoid costly maintenance, the company warned.

The ExxonMobil ďŹ ndings were echoed in research by the Dutch ďŹ rm CE Delft, which indicates

that fewer than 500 ships have been ďŹ tted with — or had orders placed for — exhaust gas scrubbers. The ďŹ gure is well short of the 3,800 ships that the International Maritime Organisation forecasts to be using exhaust gas cleaning systems by 2020.

An International Bunker Industry Association forum during London International Shipping Week heard that noncompliance with the low-sulphur rules could be as high as 36% when they take effect in 2020.

However, improved availability and increased enforcement is likely to see the ďŹ gure fall rapidly and experience with the 0.10% limit in existing emission control areas had shown levels of compliance of around 95%.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the survey was disturbing. ‘This should come as no surprise — the shipping industry is never ready for anything,’ he added. ‘Unnecessary pollution from shipping, and the associated deaths, has to stop.’

Sailors’ Society trustees Jonathan Holloway and Peter Goldberg , vice-chair Dr Peter Swift and CEO Stuart Rivers are pictured with Southampton Mayor Les Harris, Merchant Navy Welfare Board chairman Bob Jones, and deputy CEO Sandra Welch opening the new Southampton seafarers’ centre

New Southampton centre a new centre in Southampton F to provide support services and free

The Sailors’ Society has opened

wi-fi for seafarers visiting the port.

The new centre, located in East Street, replaces the old city centre facilities in Queen’s Terrace, which closed last year after 132 years of service due to increasing lack of use.

Sailors’ Society CEO Stuart Rivers said the new centre will give seafarers an improved opportunity to

unwind away from their vessels and get in touch with friends and family. ‘Seafarers can be at sea for months with limited or no connectivity, which can lead to isolation and loneliness,’ he added. ‘It’s really important that we give them what they want and offer them bespoke services, depending on the location and need. The new centre is in a great location, which is able to offer this variety.’

RNLI warns on Coastguard delays concern about lifeboat crew F complaints that cuts at the Maritime Nautilus has expressed

& Coastguard Agency (MCA) may be resulting in fatal delays in rescues.

According to reports last month in the UK national media, RNLI lifeboat crews sometimes wait so long for a launch instruction from the Coastguard that their rescue work

is compromised. Two Cornish crew members said they had recently decided to launch on their own initiative after becoming frustrated by the Coastguard’s slow response.

Nautilus professional and technical officer David Appleton warned: ‘Until the MCA is appropriately funded and staffed, lives will continue to be lost.’

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18/10/2017 13:49

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NEWS

BP boss calls for diversity Shipping must become more inclusive, meeting is told

Milford’s new master P Navy officer Mike Ryan, who A has been appointed the new marine Pictured above is former Royal

director/harbourmaster at the port of Milford Haven.

In a service career spanning almost 30 years, he served on a wide variety of vessels and had four ship and aviation command appointments, including HMS Illustrious, mine hunters and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries.

‘I am delighted to be joining the port at this exciting time and am really looking forward to working with the team, and wider stakeholders, to ensure Milford Haven’s continuing status as one of the UK’s most strategically important ports,’ he said.

Bill Hirst, the port’s outgoing harbourmaster, was due to retire at the end of October after almost 18 years of service.

Carnival UK staff supporting £1m royal charity campaign Carnival UK are taking part in a F royal charity challenge to raise more A team of employees from

than £1m to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people around the country.

They have launched two projects in support of the Prince’s Trust Million Makers initiative, which sees teams of employees from companies across the UK competing to raise at least £10,000 or more over a period of six months for the charity.

The Carnival UK team is seeking to raise funds with a children’s book called Charles’ Grand Adventure, which tells the story of a bear who is parted from his family onboard a cruiseship and the adventures he has before they are reunited.

They are also organising the Cunard Gala at The Savoy, with an evening including a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anthony Inglis and a ‘money can’t buy’ auction.

Christmas Card Appeal

The shipping industry needs to do much more if it is to become truly diverse and inclusive, the chief executive of BP Shipping said last month.

Speaking to the Marine Society & Sea Cadets’ annual court, Susan Dio said the industry is starting to change its diversity profile — but a lot more work has to be done to develop a broad talent pool.

‘Shipping is still falling short on creating fully diverse teams,’ she told the meeting at Trinity House in London. ‘We have all the right policies and all the right procedures in place to ensure diversity and inclusion, but changing to create a diverse and inclusive culture onboard ships is not just a challenge for us but for the entire industry.’

Ms Dio — whose son is a seafarer in the US merchant marine — said the maritime sector is suffering from a shortage of talent and needs to widen its recruitment base. The shipping industry needs to further develop its work with schools and colleges to raise awareness of its important role and the careers it offers, she added.

‘One such pool is female talent,’ Ms Dio pointed out. ‘20% of the cadets that we have in BP are female, which is high for the industry, and in shore-based roles it is running at 26%. That’s not good enough.’

BP Shipping CEO Susan Dio presents the Nautilus JW Slater Award to David Slater and Carla Rockson, from the Marine Society, on behalf of this year’s outstanding achievement award winner Kevin Lennon

Ms Dio said BP employs more than 1,250 seafarers and is in the process of expanding its fleet with six new dual-fuel LNG tankers due to come into service in 2018 and 2019.

The company takes on 80 cadets a year from the UK, India and Singapore, she said, and had also started taking graduate trainees to enhance its range of personnel.

Ten BP officers are presently on the company’s accelerated development programme, which includes studies through the Open University (OU). One of these — Liam Hyland — was awarded this year’s Marine Society/

A

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10-11_news.indd 10

Reg Charity No 212034 Inst. 1839

will this month relaunch the F Seafarer Happiness Index, which The Mission to Seafarers

aims to provide a barometer of crew welfare issues.

The Mission is partnering with Steven Jones, who originally launched the initiative in 2015, to pick up the administration of the scheme from the seafarer social network Crewtoo. The research will run between October and December, and the results are due to appear in January 2018 The Mission’s Seafarer Happiness Index will consist of the same 10 questions — asking seafarers to give a mark out of 10 on key welfare issues such as shore leave, wages, food, training, social interaction and family contact.

The anonymous survey also seeks first-hand experiences to support the figures and it aims to show trends and early warning signs of the issues facing seafarers, as well as offering insights on how to attract and maintain the seafarer workforce of tomorrow.

Ben Bailey, the Mission’s assistant director of advocacy, commented: ‘The Mission to Seafarers is primarily concerned with offering direct and tangible support to seafarers, helping them stay in contact with family and friends or aiding in times of crisis. However, this work makes us acutely aware of industry trends and the changing welfare landscape faced by seafarers.

‘Taking on the running of The Seafarer Happiness Index from Crewtoo, therefore, feels like a natural fit. Our on-the-ground support teams can collect the views of seafarers for the research, and the outcomes will impact our advice to owners and operators to help them achieve best practice.’

Titanic key to seafarer support

Every year the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society pays over £1m in grants to the dependants of those lost at sea, as well as sick, disabled and retired seafarers struggling to make ends meet. Please help us to continue this important work

Supporting the seafaring community for over 175 years

OU award for outstanding achievement in his studies for a degree in leadership and management.

Other awards presented at the annual court included the John William Slater Award for outstanding achievement — presented to Kevin Lennon, a rating who qualified as an officer in August this year after gaining a scholarship from the Nautilus Slater Fund.

The Middlesex University Award for outstanding achievement and the Marine Society’s Lifelong Learning Award were both presented to Gordon Foot, presently serving on an offshore construction vessel off the west coast of Africa.

Mission to measure seafarer happiness

The Titanic key which is helping to fund present-day seafarer education

Ten years after it was sold in an auction, a small iron key believed to have secured the binoculars for the Titanic’s crow’s nest is helping to support a number of seafarer education projects.

The key never made the Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912, because it was inside the pocket of second officer David Blair. He was due to sail with the ship, but was replaced last minute — crucially forgetting to hand over the key when he disembarked.

In one of the inquiries into the loss of the Titanic, lookout Fred Fleet said the binoculars could have helped the crew to prevent the ship from hitting the iceberg.

Mr Blair kept the key, passing it onto his daughter Nancy, who in turn donated it to the Sailors’ Society in the 1980s. The maritime charity sold it to a Chinese businessman in 2007 and the £90,000 proceeds from the sale are still helping to fund its education programme which offers grants and bursaries to help aspiring seafarers achieve careers at sea, and to those

from seafaring families who are unable to afford an education.

Sailors’ Society CEO Stuart Rivers said: ‘We’re very glad that more than a century on we are able to make so much good come out of something from such a tragic event. The money we raised from the sale has been changing the lives of students around the world by giving them the opportunity of an education.’

Since 2011, the charity’s education programme has seen more than 100 people benefit from scholarships and nautical grants awarded by the Sailors’ Society.

Current grant recipients include 19-year-old Filipino Mayce Gel, whose father Ronel was onboard a vessel that was hijacked by pirates. Ronel was left traumatised and unable to return to sea, so he could not afford to send his daughter to school until the Sailors’ Society intervened with a grant that is now enabling her to go on to study at university.

British seafarer Charley Jess is also benefitting from a scholarship at Warsash Maritime Academy, all funded by the Sailors’ Society.

18/10/2017 10:28

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

Alert over the use of mobiles on bridge incident in which a 116,000dwt F tanker caused US$6.4m worth of An investigation into an

damage last year has highlighted the dangers of distraction caused by the use of mobile phones on the bridge.

The Cyprus-registered Nordbay struck a wharf in the Mississippi River in February 2016 within an hour of alliding with a dock and water intakes while leaving the port of New Orleans after discharging a cargo of oil.

The ship sustained a small hole in its hull, but there was no pollution and no injuries.

A US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on the incident says the pilot and the master had failed to adequately assess the risks of handling the tanker in ballast during high-river conditions and with strong following currents while turning into the wind.

Investigators found that the pilot had received a work-related cellphone call moments before the first course change and a personal call at a critical moment when trying to get the ship out of the bend.

The NTSB said the pilot and the master ‘became occupied with communications and notifications’ about the first accident — and the master was distracted from his duties as the ship approached the second turn while he was on the phone to the company.

‘It was only when the pilot notified the master that he needed more engine rpm that the master ended the phone call to attend to the pilot’s urgent request,’ the report points out. ‘The master, occupied with this call, had no awareness of the rapidly developing situation until the pilot alerted him to it.’

The NTSB concluded: ‘Although it is important to provide timely notification of an accident, doing so should never interfere with the safe navigation and control of the ship.’

Ship aground at Margate

IMO to act on fraud flags

A

fraudulently-flagged ships have A been raised by a senior International Concerns over an increase in

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is looking into an incident in which a Barbados-flagged general cargoship ran aground after dragging its anchor off Margate last month.

The 1,512gt Islay Trader, pictured right, was carrying a cargo of glass and was refloated with the aid of a tug on the next high tide.

The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency said that there had been no pollution or damage to fuel tanks, and the vessel, which had a crew of six onboard, was cleared to sail to Belgium to discharge the cargo and undergo a detailed inspection in a dry dock .

Maritime Organisation (IMO) official.

Speaking to the International Group of P&I Clubs correspondents’ conference in London, IMO director of legal and external affairs Frederick Kenny promised that action will be taken to combat the problem.

He said at least 10 flag states have reported ships on their books that have been registered through fake offices. ‘The Democratic Republic of the Congo, for instance, says it has 90 ships registered to the country of which they have no idea about. The vessels are being supplied with a raft of documentation, which looks official but is actually fraudulent.’

Picture: Peter Barker/RNLI

P&I clubs ‘ought to work with the ITF’ Conference told of the need to cooperate to tackle increase in cases of seafarer abandonment

P

Maritime insurers have been urged to do more to combat substandard shipowners who abandon their seafarers with little or no provisions and many months of unpaid wages.

The call came from Katie Higginbottom, projects and campaigns leader for the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), during a meeting organised by the International Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs (IG) last month.

She told a session looking at the impact of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) that the global downturn has had a huge impact on seafarers — with evidence of an increase in the number of abandonment cases.

Last year, Ms Higginbottom said, the ITF recovered more than US$42m in

unpaid wages and dealt with 1,869 cases of seafarers being owed pay, 1,545 cases of breach of contract, and 1,017 cases of noncompliance with international standards.

There were at least 42 cases of seafarers being abandoned during 2016, she added, and in the first eight months of 2017 the ITF had handled 33 cases of abandonment.

‘For the crew involved, the impact is enormous,’ Ms Higginbottom said. ‘It can be catastrophic for them, with inhumane living conditions, a loss of dignity, physical and mental breakdown, and problems with stress and family relationships.

‘This is a shameful aspect of the shipping industry, but it is not difficult to manage the risk,’ she pointed out. ‘The MLC provides the framework for coopera-

tion and timely solutions, and everyone benefits from collaboration.’

Of the 33 cases this year, she said nine had involved owners who were covered by IG members, nine covered by non-IG P&I clubs, 13 whose cover was unknown and two with no cover at all.

‘We need to address the part of the industry which is outside the concept of the level plating field, and that means that must find ways to address areas where ships are operating without cover,’ Ms Higginbottom argued.

Jonathan Hare, the IG’s legal advisor, said amendments to the MLC which came to effect earlier this year are extremely important for P&I clubs as they aim to ensure that owners have financial security for the consequences of crew

abandonment, and for claims in respect of seafarer deaths and personal injury.

IG club members have arranged reinsurance cover which provides a total of US$200m in MLC abandonment cover, he said. ‘But, of course, addressing the issue of abandonment is not purely financial. It is about providing support to crews when they need it most — ensuring that they have access to food and water, fuel and medical supplies while they are awaiting repatriation; working to secure visas and repatriation travel, and paying unpaid wages.

‘Here, there is quite a lot of common interest for clubs to work with the ITF and seafarer representatives to get the money paid and the crew repatriated as soon as possible,’ he added.

Seafarers urged to STUDY ANYWHERE highlight the best IN THE WORLD in maritime welfare help ensure that high standards F in maritime welfare are honoured in a Seafarers are being urged to

prestigious set of industry awards.

The seventh annual International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) awards aim to showcase those who are doing the best job looking after the welfare of maritime personnel and raising standards across the industry.

ISWAN said this year’s awards are set to be better than ever. The nominations process is now open, and seafarers are being encouraged to have their say about the individuals, organisations and companies who offer the highest quality welfare services.

Nominations can be made across four awards categories: shipping company of the year; seafarer centre

10-11_news.indd 11

of the year; port of the year; and Dr Dierk Lindemann welfare personality of the year.

The deadline for nominations is 1 December 2017 and the award ceremony will be held at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva in April 2018.

ISWAN executive director Roger Harris said: ‘The work of seafarers can be dangerous, exhausting and isolating, but there are exemplary companies and organisations who ensure seafarers have access to the best possible services and support.

It is important we commend those candidates — nominated by seafarers — to encourage everyone across the industry to raise the profile of seafarers’ welfare.’ g To make a nomination, visit www.seafarerswelfareawards.org

We help seafarers get ahead through our flexible one-to-one distance learning courses.

Learn with us – from GCSEs and A Levels, right through to degrees and postgraduate qualifications. marine-society.org 020 7654 7029

Marine Society & Sea Cadets, a charity registered in England and Wales 313013 and in Scotland SC037808

18/10/2017 16:27

12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

HEALTH & SAFETY

MAIB alert on crew’s electricals F

Shipping companies have been urged to cut the risks of fires being caused by crew members taking increasing amounts of personal electrical equipment onboard.

The call comes from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) following a case in which a crew member’s cabin on a ro-ro passenger ferry was damaged as a result of a fire caused by a mini-fridge.

Investigations revealed that the fridge — which had been in the cabin for about four years — had been put in a position where it lacked proper ventilation and could have overheated.

In his introduction to the latest MAIB safety digest, which reports on the incident, chief inspector Steve Clinch notes: ‘Mobile phones, computers and other electrical devices have become an integral part of modern life, but can be lethal if not used responsibly.

‘The risk of fire from malfunctioning or misused portable electrical equipment can be substantially reduced or even eliminated if you ensure that portable equipment testing becomes routine on your ship and that periodic examinations are made of personal electronic items to ensure that they are being used sensibly.’

Home-made proved fatal painting the inside of a tank F onboard a Dutch-flagged ship was A seafarer who died while

probably electrocuted by a homemade lighting cable he was using, an investigation has concluded.

The Filipino bosun was found dead while working in the unused waste water tank in the engineroom of the 5,460gt heavylift vessel Atlantic Dawn while it was at an anchorage some 6nm from the Saudi Arabian port of Jizan in October last year.

The Dutch Safety Board said investigations had determined that the seafarer had probably been electrocuted, with evidence of electrical burns on his left hand. He had been using a home-made cable with a map fitting to illuminate the tank, and investigators said it had been assembled in an unsafe manner.

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12-13_h+s.indd 12

Pilot survey shows scale of accidents pilots say they have suffered an F accident while boarding or landing Almost one-third of marine

from a merchant vessel, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has found.

The MAIB carried out two surveys of pilots as part of an investigation into the death of Port of London Authority pilot Gordon Coates while trying to board the Bahamas-flagged general cargoship Sunmi from a pilot launch in October last year.

The investigation highlighted shortfalls in procedures, guidance and regulations covering the transfer of pilots to low freeboard vessels and it has recommended the International Maritime Pilots’ Association to update its guidance on the requirements for gateways in vessel rails and bulwarks which are used for pilot boardings.

Mr Coates was crushed between

the 2,285gt Sunmi and the PLA pilot vessel Patrol when he fell while trying to step up and through an open gate in the railings onto the ship’s main deck.

The MAIB said such low freeboard transfers are commonplace — but they introduce additional risks and there are no instructions of guidance for transfers that involve stepping directly between two vessels.

In a survey carried out in response to the accident, the MAIB found that more than two-thirds of pilots had not received any guidance on the use of deck gates, and stepping across or not using a pilot ladder.

Its report on the incident states: ‘The MAIB investigation could not establish whether the fall was a result of the sea pilot’s use of Sunmi’s deck gate, a problem with his knee following recent surgery, loss of coordination due to his blood alcohol

content being more than double the prescribed limit, or a combination of all three.’

Investigators found that there was no officer supervising the pilot’s embarkation — ‘with just two deck officers onboard, it had become routine for the deck rating to stand by the pilot boarding station,’ the report notes.

The MAIB said the PLA had also investigated the accident and had taken a series of measures in response, including a revision of its drug and alcohol policy, new requirements for medicals, and amended risk assessments for pilot transfers.

The report recommends that Sunmi’s managers ensure designated pilot boarding areas are marked and that operations are overseen by a responsible officer.

A CCTV image of the accident scene where PLA pilot Gordon Coates was crushed between a ship and a pilot launch Picture: MAIB

Fall wire’s corrosion had gone unnoticed Seaman killed when Princess cruiseship’s fast rescue craft plunged 30ft while being recovered

P

Princess Cruises has been urged to consider conducting a risk assessment for fast rescue craft (FRC) launching and recovery operations following a fatal accident onboard one of its ships.

A seaman died and a bosun suffered serious injuries when the fall wire parted as an FRC was being hoisted into position onboard the Bermuda-flagged Coral Princess after being used for hull cleaning operations while in the Panamanian port of Colon in October 2014.

The boat was just coming into contact with the cradle when the starboard FRC fall wire parted — causing it to fall some 30ft into the water.

Subsequent tests found that corrosion of the outer strands of the wire had resulted in a ‘significant reduction’ in the over-

all strength of the rope. Checks on the port wire showed it had degraded by almost 40%.

Investigators said the corrosion had gone unnoticed by the ship’s staff because it had occurred in an area of wire rope terminations covered by Denso tape, and neither the tape nor the counterweight were removed when the wire was inspected every four months.

The Bermuda maritime administration report on the incident says deck crew operating the hoist had placed too much reliance upon a limit switch cutting power to the winch before it reached the full extent of its travel.

Investigators discovered the limit switch worked on an ad hoc basis, which resulted in additional wear and tear on the system’s plate and bracket.

The broken ends of the starboard FRC fall wire Picture: BMA

The report recommends that Princess staff should be trained to not rely on the use of the limit switch to cut power to the winch motor. It says the company

should review the use of Denso tape on wire rope terminations and, if it continues to use it, crew should be instructed to remove it for inspections.

The company is also urged to investigate the feasibility of bringing the FRC alongside the embarkation deck to enable crew members to get off before the boat is finally stowed.

And the report also recommends that Princess Cruises review whether it is necessary to conduct a risk assessment of the launching and recovery operation — adding that such an assessment should be made available to all crew responsible for FRC deployment, operation and recovery.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said he was disappointed with the report: ‘The nature of the recommendations reflects the lack of independent investigation,’ he added ‘This is not the case with UK-registered vessels and the MAIB.’

El Faro report warns on training US-flagged ro-ro containership El Faro — F described as one of the worst maritime disasters An investigation into the loss of the

in the country’s history — has called for the effectiveness of seafarer training and testing processes to be reviewed.

All 33 people onboard the vessel died when it sank in a hurricane off the Bahamas in October 2015. The US Coast Guard (USCG) investigation into the loss highlights shortcomings in training and inadequate knowledge of the ship and key systems.

Investigators said the master had ordered the ship to go south of its normal route between Florida and Puerto Rico because of the forecasted weather conditions. But because up-to-date

bulletins had not been received, this deviation sent the ship almost directly towards the strengthening hurricane.

Investigators found that the ship’s owners, TOTE, had failed to identify heavy weather as a risk in the safety management system and the master had not adequately identified the risks when preparing and evaluating the passage plan.

The report says El Faro’s crew were not aware of the vessel’s vulnerabilities and operating limitations in heavy weather conditions.

Investigators found that an increase of the ship’s load line drafts following a conversion in 2006, combined with loading to near-full capacity with minimum stability margin, had increased its

vulnerability to flooding in heavy weather.

Water had flooded into cargo holds through on open scuttle, deteriorated internal structures and open cargo hold ventilation dampers, the USCG found. A list to port caused the loss of lube oil suction, resulting in the loss of propulsion.

The report also notes: ‘Although El Faro’s open lifeboats met applicable standards (SOLAS 60), they were completely inadequate to be considered as an option for the crew to abandon ship in the prevailing conditions.’

The report contains 31 safety recommendations —including a review of the national and international rules governing ventilators and other hull openings, as well as open/close bridge indicators for all watertight

closures, along with a review of intact and damage stability standards. It says the use of open-top gravity-launched lifeboats should be phased out on all deepsea US merchant ships.

The 199-page report also calls for action at the International Maritime Organisation to amend SOLAS Convention rules to require voyage data recorders to be installed in float-free arrangements and to container an integrated Epirb.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson described the ship as ’40-year-old scrap tonnage’ that would not have been allowed in European waters. ‘It is disappointing that this was not identified in advance by the parties involved,’ he added.

18/10/2017 13:50

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH & SAFETY

Report calls for ECDIS overhaul Vessel ran aground when electronic charts showed a water depth of 112m

P

An incident in which a ship was written off after running aground in waters where the electronic chart indicated a depth of 112m has sparked a call for top-level action to tackle ECDIS-related safety risks.

The Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Nova Cura was declared a total loss after the double bottom tanks were breached and the engine room and bow thruster room were flooded when the vessel hit rocks at Lamnas Reef, to the north of the Greek island of Lesbos.

The Dutch Safety Board discovered that the ship’s original route between two Turkish ports had been changed to enable a container destined for Lisbon to be loaded at a different port.

The master had plotted the new route in the ship’s electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) and had moved a waypoint in the area of the grounding further south after the chief mate suggested the original one was too close to shallow water.

At the point where Nova Cura grounded, the ECDIS indicated the water depth to be 112m and the shallow water to be about 0.2nm north of the vessel.

Accident investigators noted that the paper and electronic charts for the area had been designated Catzoc U because the reliability of the data used — which dated back to 1967 — had not been determined.

They found that the Greek charts incorrectly stated the position of Lamnas Reef -- and that Nova Cura had grounded in a spot more than 400m south of the charted shallow area.

The accident site was shown correctly on UKHO paper charts,

MAIB chief inspector Steve Clinch opens the Solent Marine Safety Academy

Training centre bids to improve safety in enclosed spaces centre — claimed to be the F first of its kind in the UK — has been A new maritime training

The Dutch ship Nova Cura aground off the Greek island of Lesbos last year Picture: Onderzoeksraad

the Dutch Safety Board discovered, but there were discrepancies between the Greek and Turkish ENCs for the area.

Investigators said the master and second mate were unaware of the Catzoc of the ENC being used.

The ECDIS layer displaying categories can be enabled or disabled, the report notes, and it is ‘vitally important’ that officers check Catzocs when planning or altering routes.

The Safety Board also found that passage planning taking proper account of sector lights had not been carried out in the voyage preparations — and the report stresses the need for masters and officers to enable the relevant ECDIS sector when plotting their routes.

‘It is striking that the sector boundaries do not extend to the danger they are covering,’ the report adds. ‘This is contrary to

Members urged to take part in online tests of standard mode members to take part in a A ‘testbed’ exercise for standard mode Nautilus is encouraging

(S-Mode) Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).

The International Maritime Organisation has approved proposals to develop S-Mode guidelines as a way of addressing concerns over the problems caused by the wide variations in displays, interfaces and equipment controls.

The S-Mode concept is being developed in an attempt to provide seafarers with a standardised and simple interface for control and monitoring of navigational systems, and to serve as an effective countermeasure against increasing complexity, confusion and degrading situational awareness.

The testbed aims to gather seafarers’ views on the key elements

12-13_h+s.indd 13

to be incorporated into S-Mode, including the priority of information and functions to be displayed, menus, alarms, shortcut keys, and the configuration of information windows.

The online testbed has been developed by South Korea and will run between 1 October and 30 November. Nautilus is encouraging members to take part in the exercise and support the development of the IMO’s S-Mode guidelines.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘This is a useful development given the industry’s preference for “familiarisation training”, but should not be seen as a substitute for generic training followed by equipmentspecific training.’ g To take part in the test, go to the website www.s-mode.kr

the sector boundaries on paper charts and is why the sector lights on paper charts work more intuitively than on the ENCs.’ The report raises concerns that ECDIS may give ‘much more information that the user is able to process’ and foster a false sense of security. It says future developments should address training issues and ways to make the use of systems more intuitive.

‘ECDIS is a relatively new, stateof-the-art navigation system which may create the impression that it guarantees highly accurate navigation,’ the report adds.

‘This can lead to the crew overestimating the reliability of the information at their disposal or even neglecting to check it.’

The report recommends that the International Hydrographic Organisation imposes conditions on the age and reliability of data used to compile ENCs and seek

to reduce the number of Catzoc U charts. And it also calls for the International Maritime Organisation to catalogue and evaluate the inherent safety risks associated with ECDIS, and to produce more extensive guidelines for the layout of ECDIS default views and menus, as well as the proper use of available information.

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the report was important, but added: ‘The recommendation that is missing is that in addition to “generic training”, “specialised training” should be undertaken rather than the cheaper option of “familiarisation training”.

‘Electronic charting and onboard instrumentation should align, and knowledge and understanding of officers be at a level to the principles of navigation, when fully taught, with respect to terrestrial and celestial navigation.’

MARITIME TRAINING for professional seafarers Est 1990 Plymouth

officially opened in the Solent, offering specialist courses to deal with some of the biggest risks at sea.

The Hythe-based Solent Marine Safety Academy is a joint project between the Fire-Aid Academy and MRS Training & Rescue and provides a wide range of safety and emergency training for seafarers and other maritime professionals.

A key element of the package of courses covers the dangers of enclosed spaces — and the centre can provide tailor-made training on risk awareness, safe entry, rescue and enclosed space management.

The centre — which is housed on a floating pontoon and has been designed to provide a realistic shipboard environment — also offers a range of specialist firefighting, first aid, personal safety and emergency planning courses.

It was officially opened last month by Marine Accident Investigation Branch chief inspector Steve Clinch. ‘Enclosed space deaths have been a blight on the shipping industry for too long and this facility is so important,’ he said.

At least 184 seafarers have died in enclosed spaces over the past 20 years, he pointed out, and many of these fatalities could have been avoided with proper training.

Teaching awareness of the risks and the procedures for safe entry is also essential to prevent would-be rescuers from becoming victims, he added.

Fire-Aid training director Chris Rowley said: ‘This is a unique facility which offers the ability to merge different scenarios, enabling training in command and control which can be critical in fire-fighting and other disasters.’

Mr Rowley said it is hoped that the centre will expand further, to provide specialist training in damage control for merchant seafarers.

Nautilus Council member Captain Michael Lloyd said: ‘The shipping industry needs a facility like this. The Royal Navy has had the Phoenix unit for many years, delivering complete training for all sorts of emergencies, and the Merchant Navy should have something similar for dealing with all the different sorts of emergencies that can occur onboard a ship.’

www.westernmariƟme.training

Bridge Watchkeeping courses ECDIS Deck NavigaƟon courses GMDSS Radio courses Workboat courses STCW Safety/Refresher To Įnd out more contact us t: 0800 1978855

e: bookings@wm.training

18/10/2017 11:37

14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports

Heavylift ships switched back to German register

COLLISION ‘PREVENTABLE’: two senior US Navy officers have been relieved of their duties after the US Navy determined that a collision between the guided-missile destroyer John S McCain and the products tanker Alnic MC in the Malacca Straits in August was ‘preventable’. The Navy said the commanding officer had ‘exercised poor judgement and the executive officer exercised poor leadership of the ship’s training programmme’.

AID CHARTER: the US government has chartered the Panama-flagged cruiseship Carnival Fascination for four months to support relief efforts in the hurricane-battered Caribbean. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will use the 70,367gt vessel to accommodate aid workers in the port of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

DRINK ARRESTS: the Russian master and chief officer of the Faroe Islands-flagged general cargoship Atlantic were arrested after the ship ran aground off the Swedish coast last month. Coastguard officials said the watchkeeper had fallen asleep and both men were found to be over the alcohol limit.

BOX BOOM: a German-owned containership company launched earlier this year has added three feeder ships to its fleet. Based in Norway, MPC Container Ships now has a fleet of 23 vessels and says it plans to eventually operate up to 100 ships.

DRUGS FIND: the Maltese-flagged containership Dimitris C was detained in the Peruvian port of Ilo last month after 120 bricks of cocaine were found during an inspection of the vessel. Crew members were detained but later released without charge.

PIRATES THWARTED: two Iranian warships prevented pirates from hijacking a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden last month. The unnamed vessel had sent out a distress message after coming under attack near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

CORSICA CONNECTION: the Italian operator Corsica Ferries is launching a new service linking France with Spain’s Balearic Islands. The twice-weekly service from Toulon to Alcudia on the NE coast of Mallorca is due to open in April next year.

SAFETY SYSTEM: two French engineer officers inspired by lessons learnt from the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster have patented a system that aims to improve vessel stability after an accident by preventing water ingress.

VARUN BAN: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned ships operated by the Indian company Varun from operating in its waters for following ‘repeated cases of seafarer abandonment’ in the country’s ports.

DEATH PROBE: Australian authorities are investigating an incident in which a Chinese crewman died after being electrocuted on the bulk carrier Efficiency OL in the port of Bunbury.

Full range of STCW10 Basic & Update Training available in Hull, Yorkshire Personal Survival Techniques and Update Basic Fire Fighting & Fire Prevention and Update Advanced Fire Fighting and Update Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats (Other than Fast Rescue Boats) and Update Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats and Update These courses are in addition to HOTA’s current Maritime portfolio which includes: STCW Basic Safety Training including Elementary First Aid & Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities • Ship Security Awareness • Designated Security Duties • Ship Security Officer • Efficient Deck Hand • Crowd Management • Crisis Management & Human Behaviour • Medical First Aid • Proficiency in Medical Care on Board Ship and Update • Entry in to Enclosed Space • VHF Certificate

Please visit the HOTA website www.hota.org for course dates and availability or call 01482 820567 Established in 1987, HOTA a limited company with Charity Status celebrates 30 years providing world class safety training for the Maritime and Offshore Industries. 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

SAL Heavy Lift is switching six of A its ships back to the national register, The German shipping company

starting with the 15,026gt Svenja, pictured left.

The company — which has been using the Antigua & Barbuda flag for the vessels — described the move as ‘a logical consequence’ following an internal review of fleet management processes. It also noted that ‘top-level maritime training in Germany can

only be sustained with seafarers employed under the German flag’.

SAL’s director of ship management Sebastian Westphal said there were many benefits to be gained from the move. ‘We are very proud to return to the German flag,’ he added. ‘The German flag stands for quality, safety and compliance, and these are core values in SAL, so the German flag and our corporate objectives goes well in hand.’

Union warns of coastal threats Government plans ‘could give even more Australian trade to foreign ships’

P

The Australian Institute of Marine & Power Engineers (AIMPE) has pledged its opposition to a fresh move to open up the country’s shipping trades to foreign vessels.

Federal secretary Martin Byrne described the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Bill as ‘another attempt to further deregulate maritime operations in Australia’.

He warned that the Bill would have a major negative impact on the country’s remaining maritime employment base — making it much easier for foreign shipping operators to gain an even greater share of the Australian coastal shipping market.

Similar measures introduced in 2012 have resulted in the loss of Australian seafarers from ships including Pioneer, Alexander Spirit, Lindesay Clark, Hugli Spirit, British Loyalty, Tandara Spirit, Portland, British Fidelity, CSL Melbourne and CSL Thevenard, he added.

AIMPE warns that offshore support vessels such as the Australian-crewed Siem Thiima could be under threat if the country’s coastal trading rules are relaxed further

Mr Byrne said some of these vessels have come back on the coast with foreign crews under the ‘temporary licence’ scheme, whose provisions have been exploited by foreign shipping interests to an extraordinary extent. ‘Some ships have had over 300 voyages on temporary licences,’ he added. ‘This not a temporary arrangement, this is a long-term business model

designed to avoid taxes and reduce crewing costs, and the latest Bill would continue the trend and could see more of the few remaining vessels replaced by this operating model.’

Mr Byrne said the new Bill could open the way for the offshore oil and gas industry to gain access to the temporary licence system for functions such as supply boat operations and would

also remove the obligation for applicants for temporary licences to consult industry stakeholders.

AIMPE is urging MPs to amend the Shipping Registration Act to require that all commercial vessels regularly operating in Australia’s EEZ to be registered in Australia, excluding international trading vessels. Such a policy is applied to all aircraft operating in the country, the union points out.

Greek clean-up ends in court

US seafarers hit back at new attack on Jones Act A off a fresh attempt to undermine F the Jones Act rules to protect the US maritime unions are heading

country’s shipping industry.

The latest attack on the regulations followed President Donald Trump’s decision to temporarily waive its restrictions on the use of foreign ships in domestic trades as part of the operations to provide emergency supplies to Puerto Rico following devastating hurricane damage.

Senator John McCain —a longtime opponent of the 1920 law — took the opportunity to introduce fast-track legislation to permanently exempt Puerto Rico from its provisions.

But the US Maritime Labor Alliance of six unions hit back at claims that the Jones Act prevented the rapid delivery of aid cargoes. ‘There is no shortage of US-flag tonnage available to serve the island,’ they said. ‘The emergency in Puerto Rico is caused by lack of the ability to distribute critical supplies, food, medicine, water and fuel to local communities from the ports where these supplies are located.

The unions argued that the Jones Act does not prohibit foreign vessels from transporting supplies to Puerto Rico — and that nearly two-thirds of the vessels which visit the island are not US-registered.

The unions said they do not oppose Jones Act waivers in emergencies when there have not been enough US-flag ships available. However, they noted, 15 US-flagged vessels regularly serve Puerto Rico and have been bringing in more supplies than can be distributed ashore. ‘Other US-flag commercial vessels are available and over 60 government-owned reserve cargo vessels can be called into action and fully operational with 72 hours,’ the pointed out.

The US union federation AFL-CIO warned that repealing the Jones Act would decimate the country’s merchant shipping industry.

The master of a Greek-flagged chemical tanker has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence after investigators claimed his ship was being used to smuggle fuel during a pollution clean-up opperation.

The 2,520dwt Lassea was being used to recover fuel oil pumped up from the Greek tanker Agia Zoni II, which sank off Piraeus on 10 September. The captain and chief engineer were arrested after officials found significant quantities of an undocumented ‘petroleum mixture’ in Lassea’s ballast tanks. The men claimed that the oil mixture had leaked into their ballast tanks during the salvage operations. The master was convicted and the engineer was found not guilty.

18/10/2017 11:38

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

Migrants protest crew abandoned ITF condemns far-right group over ‘clown car’ attempts to block rescue ships

P

The International Transport Workers’ Federation has hit out at a far-right group which abandoned the crew of a ship it chartered to confront refugees and send them ‘back to Africa’.

The Defend Europe group had been using the Mongolianflagged research vessel C Star to block search and rescue vessels operated by humanitarian organisations in the Mediterranean.

But the organisation was forced to end its crowd-funded mission after a series of problems — including breakdowns, failure to produce an acceptable crew list, allegations of people smuggling, and attempts to prevent the ship refuelling in several ports.

The ITF intervened after the eight Sri Lankan crew of the vessel were abandoned unpaid in Barcelona by its charterers. The local ITF inspector said the seafarers were hoping for payment and repatriation, and any reports that they had claimed asylum were false.

ITF seafarers’ section chair David Heindel commented: ‘Oh, the irony. This group charters a British-owned, Mongolian flag of convenience ship, with a Sri Lankan crew to protest migration

The number of unemployed

upturn in the offshore sector being cited as the reason.

But in neighbouring Sweden there is a very different picture — with a 25% reduction in the number of officers serving on Swedish vessels between 2011 and 2016.

Norwegian analyst Pareto said the country’s offshore market is

SINGAPORE SURVEY: the littoral nations of Singapore and Malacca Straits have signed an agreement to conduct a new hydrographic survey of the busy waterway. Data collected in a project being run by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, with support from Japan, will cover areas of the traffic separation scheme that are less than 30m deep to create largescale, up-todate navigational charts of the area, which saw close to 84,000 vessel transits in 2016.

MALARIA DEATHS: two seafarers serving on a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier died in a hospital ashore after being evacuated from their vessel with symptoms of malaria. The two men were flown ashore by helicopter after the master of the 33,261dwt Agios Fanourios requested urgent assistance while the vessel was off the east coast of South Africa while sailing from Abijan to Durban.

SPEEDING FINE: the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir William Alexander has been fined C$6,000 (€4,068) for alleged non-compliance with a temporary 10 knot speed limit aimed at preventing whale deaths in the western part of the Gulf of St Lawrence. The penalty is the third to be imposed since the limit was introduced in August in a bid to protect right whales.

The British-owned research vessel C Star starting its abortive mission to disrupt migrant rescue ships

into Europe. Then abandons the crew in Europe.

‘This so-called mission began as a farce, played out as a farce, and now it’s ended as a farce,’ he added. ‘Famously, the C Star was spurned at almost every stop it tried to make by local citizens and governments.

‘The ship has reportedly both been investigated on suspicion of people smuggling and had to call for help from one of the NGO search and rescue vessels it was supposedly blocking.’

Mr Heindel concluded: ‘This

vessel has been like a clown car on water: overcrowded, comical, and, just like the “mission” it was on, the doors quickly fell off.

Sadly, it’s no surprise that the overgrown schoolboys behind it all have now abandoned the crew and left them to be looked after by the organisations they aimed to castigate: the Red Cross, the Spanish Coast Guard and the local maritime authorities.’

The ITF worked with local port state control authorities to provide the crew with food, water and fuel. Once the ship was allowed

to berth in Spain, the crew were looked after by the Red Cross and ITF, in cooperation with the port authorities.

‘As is normal practice, we have been in contact with the ship owner and reminded him of his obligations to pay and repatriate the men,’ the ITF added.

‘He assures us that he shares our concern for the crew and is working to ensure that this happens. We will continue to assist the crew and also monitor the situation to ensure that this does happen.’

Norwegian crews find work Norwegian seafarers is down A 40% in the last six months, with an

shortreports

recovering after three tough years, aided by mergers, acquisitions, vessel lay-ups and cost-cutting. It forecasts an upturn in the price of oil and predicts that investment in oil production will increase by up to 10% next year.

Data from the government agency NAV showed 706 unemployed Norwegian seafarers as at 1 September, down from 911 in November last year. However, the officers’ union NSOF says

unemployment among seafarers in the offshore sector, where many vessels are laid up, is remaining stubbornly high.

In Sweden, however, there is little to cheer about and the introduction of tonnage tax has yet to provide the panacea hoped for to revive the national fleet. The SBF officers’ union says while all officers were affected negatively jobs-wise between 2011 and 2016, the worst hit included

navigators, engineers and catering managers. Counted by days at sea, onboard officers dipped from 460,000 days per year to 282,000 — a fall of 39%.

SBF says employers are hoping that the number of Swedish-flagged vessels will increase in time, thanks to the introduction of tonnage tax and other tax changes — although the union doubts whether vessels that have left the register will return.

New Moroccan service set to rival lorry transport A

The French shipping firm CMA CGM is using the Bahamasflagged vessel Comanav Aknoul, left, to launch a new ro-ro container shipping service linking the south of Europe with Morocco — claiming it will prove a cheaper and greener alternative to using lorries.

The company’s Morocco Express 1/2/3 service connects the ports of Casablanca and Tangiers with Marseille, Port-Vendres and Genoa carrying between 65 to 180 trailers.

CMA CGM said using ships would provide a competitive alternative to road transport transiting through Spain, reducing CO2 emissions by 43% compared with lorries, with less risk of delay and accidents on the way.

DIGITAL PILOTAGE: Finland’s transport ministry is preparing legislation to enable remote and autonomous piloting of ships in the country’s waters.

The national pilotage company Finnpilot is joining the One Sea project to create a functional electronic pilotage concept that aims to ‘move pilotage beyond rope ladders to the digital age’.

TAKEOVER BID: a commando-style operation to take a partially-built cable-laying ship from the bankrupt La Naval Shipyard in Bilbao, Spain, failed last month when police prevented attempts by two Dutch tugs to tow the 20,000dwt vessel away. The 161m vessel, ordered by the Dutch firm Tideway, was due to be delivered in the spring.

BULKER SINKS: 11 Indian seafarers were feared dead last month after the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier Emerald Star sank in the Philippines in heavy weather. The 57,367dwt vessel was carrying a nickel ore cargo from Indonesia to China and 16 other crew members were rescued by two ships which responded to the distress call.

FRENCH ORDERS: the French shipping firm CMA CGM has confirmed an order for nine 22,000TEU boxships to be built by two Chinese yards and due to enter service from the end of 2019. The French officers’ union FOMM-CGT said it hoped that the orders would give a boost to the French flag and seafaring jobs.

ESTONIAN AID: Estonia is the latest country to consider introducing a tonnage tax scheme to support its merchant fleet. The government has drawn up proposals to offer owners a choice between paying 20% corporate tax on earnings from their ships or a flat fee based on the volume of tonnage on the country’s register.

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Picture: Eric Houri

14-15_int.indd 15

18/10/2017 13:50

16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

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

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Helping to inspire tomorrow’s cadets P

Mathew Dyson and myself are completing our cadetships at Fleetwood Nautical Campus.

We have been very fortunate to join the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) Careers at Sea Ambassadors volunteering programme, allowing us to help young people set their career course towards the Merchant Navy, just like ourselves. I have been a Careers at Sea Ambassador since May this year and Mathew has joined the scheme recently through recommendations from a current Ambassador.

On 27 September, in conjunction with Fleetwood Nautical Campus, we attended a careers fair at the nearby Cardinal Allen Catholic High School. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Mr Michael Akers, the assistant headteacher. We were allocated a space to set up our stall in the sports hall, where we used resources provided by the MNTB, including pens, bookmarks, leaflets, posters and a recently launched video — To Sea or Not to Sea — which helps people gain a basic

understanding of what a career at sea is all about.

A presentation is also

Have your say online Last month we asked: Can traditional ship registers like the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland, persuade owners to switch back from flags of convenience?

Yes 63% No 37%

This month’s poll asks: Do you agree with the Faststream research which concludes that former seafarers do not make the best leaders ashore?

Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

16-17_lets_SR edit.indd 16

available which can be used by Ambassadors visiting their local youth groups and schools.

The event provided careers information to 130 Year 11 pupils and their parents — that’s 85% of the year group — to whom we provided information on the unusual mix of academic knowledge delivered by college and practical skills gained from time at sea.

At the event, we were able to promote industry diversity by having Ambassadors representing deck and engineering departments. The roles were fulfilled by both female and male Ambassadors, further demonstrating equality within the industry. Additionally, this helped us to broaden the range of information available for both HND and Foundation Degree access routes.

Our visit to the school lasted just over two hours, and we answered a variety of questions about the Merchant Navy, ranging from ‘Do you still sink the ships?’ to specialised technical questions involving equipment used onboard.

We provided information to students about the qualifications and grades will they need to achieve to meet the prerequisites when applying for the cadetships; also, the endless future opportunities available once qualified, either at sea or shore side. We emphasised how important it is to study hard now and invest the work which is

going to pay off in the future.

The lack of knowledge about Merchant Navy careers was surprising, especially in a school which is located just around the corner from a nautical college; however, the school have arranged for individual pupils who have expressed an interest in a career at sea to visit the campus, and we were pleased to see some of them at the Fleetwood open day a few days later. The school has also expressed an interest in future visits from Careers at Sea Ambassadors.

The Ambassador programme provides volunteers with information about upcoming events, with optional attendance, allowing us to commit as much time as we have available.

Additionally, we can organise and attend events on our own initiative; however, we are expected to commit at least one visit per year. Volunteers are also offered training and given opportunities for networking.

We currently have visits planned to other careers events at local schools and hope that our work is successful, encouraging students to work hard and grasp this great opportunity available to them within the industry that we have chosen — a career at sea. g To find out more about the Careers at Sea Ambassadors programme visit: www. careersatsea.org/ambassadors or contact: enquiry@careersatsea.org SANTA TETERE Trinity House deck cadet Careers at Sea Ambassador

Viola/Dias in 1963...

Historic vessel’ssorry state on South Georgia Ship of the Past article about F the Hull steam trawler Viola/Dias, Following on from October’s

here are a couple of photos of Dias and Albatross in South Georgia. I took one in 1963 on my way down to a British Antarctic Survey base and the other one in 2015 on a trip with the British Antarctic Monument Trust, visiting the bases on which people had died (for some of whom the bodies had never been found) and placing some sort of monument.

KEN DARNELL

...and in 2015

UK government has failed the Chennai 6 ‘Chennai 6’ [British crew F members from the counter-piracy I cannot believe that the

vessel Seaman Guard Ohio] are still in an Indian jail. I also cannot believe the Indian ‘justice’ system that put them there under those circumstances, or the totally lacklustre efforts of our government on their behalf.

Whether they are members or not, I do hope that the Union (perhaps through the ITF) is doing all it can to help secure their release.

CHRIS RYAN mem no 151011

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson replies: The Union takes this case very seriously. It is appalling that those who were seeking to protect vulnerable merchant seafarers from piracy have been treated in this way.

Nautilus has made repeated representations to the prime minister, the foreign secretary and the shipping minister over this case and we will continue to strongly support the efforts to secure the release of these men and the rest of the 35-strong Seaman Guard Ohio crew.

Worried about your retirement?

Join us!

The Nautilus Pensions Association is a pressure group and support organisation that: z provides a new focal point for seafarer pensioners — increasing their influence within, and knowledge of, the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund and other schemes within the industry z serves as a channel for professional advice on all kinds of pensions, as well as offering specific information on legal and government developments on pensions, and supporting the Union in lobbying the government as required

z provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for advice on other organisations providing support and assistance to pensioners z offers a range of specialised services and benefits tailored to meet the needs of retired members z operates as a democratic organisation, being a Nautilus Council body — with the secretary and secretariat provided by the Union

Giving you a v oice on

your future

1 & 2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD t +44 (0)20 8989 6677 npa@nautilusint.org www.nautilusint.org

18/10/2017 10:19

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

Spread the telegraph word about Scottish bursaries

www.thefreakywave.com

STAFF editor: Andrew Linington chief sub-editor: Sarah Robinson reporter: Steven Kennedy Dutch correspondent: Hans Walthie production editor: June Cattini-Walker

F

Ministers are all talk and no action it is a similar story over the years.

F I refer to the front-page headline of the

We have heard this all before and

October 2017 Telegraph: ‘Ministers pledge to double fleet’.

I attended the function in London where the minister expressed his optimistic but, I regret, foundationless view on the doubling of the size of the UK fleet.

The rot accelerated during the Conservative administration circa 1995. I recall the then shipping minister addressing the NUMAST BGM proudly quoting the relaxation of the

nationality rules as the answer to the decline of the UK fleet. There were some choice contra-opinions expressed by the more vocal NUMAST members present. One member even offered to award him a ‘Glasgow kiss’!

New Labour (1997) offered us the tonnage tax and the personage of a well-known Equity union member as shipping minister. When Glenda Jackson addressed NUMAST Council and explained the Labour government’s plans for the survival of the UK fleet, I personally told her that I was not prepared to accept the increased use of

the Red Ensign at the cost of making the Red Ensign a FoC. We now have some UK-registered tonnage with not a UK citizen onboard, let alone in command.

Shipping minister appointments appear not to have a meaningful length of tenure. Such is the value placed upon the UK fleet by successive administrations. When questioned at NUMAST Council regarding the US port state detention of an Eastern bloc ro-ro vessel which was on an MoD charter for a NATO exercise, shipping minister Lord Goschen stated there was no ro-ro vessel on the UK register that could

withstand the deck loading of a tank.

Those were words he regretted: I was at the time chief officer of a cross-Channel ro-ro that was so designed!

Ship operators’ operations are defined by cost. As long as the UK register permits low-cost social dumping, it will be an uphill struggle to ensure a future supply of high quality UK certificated officers and high-quality ratings.

We do need positive action and not just words.

TONY MINNS mem no 140885

Full-time connectivity could prevent distractions in port P

I worked onboard ships for many years and read your Crew Comms reports with interest. I can see the intent is to raise the elements of human capital onboard and encourage investment in crew by increasing their ability to communicate. This is not an easy concept given that it involves cost, so it is a delicate subject for all ship owners.

Margins are paramount after all!

We are addicted to our phones, along with the majority of the population, but they do have safety implications. Most ships endure their busiest times

in port and close to shore. At this point all crew should be concentrating on their job.

Dealing with ropes and chains, concentrating on bridge duties, dealing with passengers and vehicles, handling dangerous equipment, but instead they are distracted as it’s their only time to speak with their families and check everyone is okay.

When crew have downtime at sea, communications are not available if the company has not invested in them specifically.

When crew are near port and should be concentrating, they are not, as that is when their phones, computers and iPads

come alive.

Their phones are in their pockets so they can hear them, so they can hide round corners, behind vehicles, under counters and check messages and emails, putting themselves and their colleagues at risk.

By not providing full comms, investing in ships and their crew’s ability to communicate, ship owners are putting people at risk. The law has just increased the penalty for using phones whilst driving because of the safety implications. Surely similar laws could work at sea?

The ships I have sailed on were all built before the year

2000, so do not have a lot of modern facilities unless the company has chosen to invest.

Consistent or continuous communication for crew of all ranks has not been a priority, thus creating the scenarios I have described. On a whole, only the privileged few in the hierarchical world of seafarers have the luxury of communication at all times.

Phones therefore remain in pockets so messages and signals can be picked up in port at the busiest of times and when distraction is heightened and safety compromised.

Name & no withheld on request

I’m not sure how many Telegraph readers will have heard of the Scottish Shipping Benevolent Association (SSBA) — it is a small, but prestigious Scottish charity which has been running since 1899.

For over 100 years, the SSBA has supported many people who have, at some point in their lives, been unable to support themselves or their families in times of need, whether through death, illness, redundancy, financial hardship, or where they are just unable to financially support their own or a dependant’s ambitions for training and advancement.

The SSBA provides individuals in need with hardship funding for such things as paying winter fuel bills and buying basic food supplies. We also provide hardship funding to people indirectly through other related charities, such as the Scottish Nautical Welfare Society.

SSBA bursaries may also be granted to members of the Association and their dependants for educational purposes, such as attending college or university.

We provide financial assistance to those needing a bit of help who have links to the Scottish shoreside maritime industry, but our problem is getting the word to the right people: given that the charity’s reach is quite a niche, we sometimes struggle to find beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries can be young or old, single or a family, unemployed or employed. Each case is simply checked alongside our regulations and will be assessed sensitively and confidentially as to its own particulars. Subject to the directors’ discretion, we can assist the wives or families of people who have, or had, links to the industry as well as the individuals themselves and we are also able to provide grants to students studying relevant industry courses. g To learn more about what we do, check out the SSBA website www. scottishshippingcharity.org, or find us using @SSBAcharity on Twitter and Facebook.

CHRISTINE CULTRERA Hon Secretary Scottish Shipping Benevolent Association

Melancholy thoughts on deserted Warsash F

I know the decision has been made and the student move completed, but I can’t help feeling sadness that the Warsash Maritime Academy (in the old format) is no more.

I went to a meeting on the old campus last night and as I walked up from an almost deserted car park, past the empty reception office and through the darkened pathways, it felt like a ghost town. Even the Red Ensign was just hanging by a single clip, a sorry sight.

No doubt the new St Mary’s campus will be more modern, and perhaps better suited to education, but there will always be something missing there.

The old site was an oasis of relative calm, which gave students a relaxing atmosphere in which to study without many distractions apart from a couple of pubs and a Chinese takeaway.

16-17_lets_SR edit.indd 17

If there was nowhere to go in the old days, you just didn’t go. Now with the ‘fleshpots’ of Southampton City in easy reach will there be as much studying going on? Will the students be as dedicated to their qualifications?

I wonder.

It is such a shame to see the old place destined for other uses. No doubt the luxury houses will be welcomed by those who can afford them. How long before the waterside facilities are deemed to be an obstruction to the new residents’ view?

Warsash, of old, was ideally located and it is a shame that this jewel in the crown of the British Merchant Navy has to make way for more commercial ventures. Nothing will convince me that it was a good move to make.

Charles Woodward Former School of Navigation student mem no 001105

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

18/10/2017 10:34

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

MARITIME HONOURS

Recognition and thanks Nautilus members were strongly represented in this year’s awardees of the Merchant Navy Medal, UK shipping’s highest honour…

P

Shipping minister John Hayes praised the ‘remarkable’ contributions made by this year’s 16 recipients of the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service.

The medals — which are now an official state award — were presented by the Princess Royal during a ceremony at Trinity House in London in recognition of a diverse spread of achievements, ranging from rescuing refugees to services to seafarer training.

Mr Hayes paid tribute to the ‘endeavour, skill, public service and commitment’ demonstrated by all the recipients and said he was immensely impressed by their contributions to the maritime industry.

Princess Anne said she hoped the awards would highlight the huge contribution that seafarers make to the nation’s wellbeing.

‘It is easy to forget that we live in an island nation and take for granted the work that they do, sometimes in dangerous conditions and with long working hours,’ she added.

This year’s award winners included Nautilus member Andrew Armstrong — a former Royal Fleet Auxiliary officer now working as a maritime lecturer with the City of Glasgow College

— who was presented with the medal for services to seafarer training.

Mr Armstrong served for 40 years with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service, with operational experience including engagement in conflicts that ranging from Cyprus, the Cod Wars, the Iran/Iraq conflicts and both Gulf wars. ‘This is a great personal honour for me, but it is also an award that recognises the impact City of Glasgow College is having on maritime education and training,’ he said. ‘I spend a lot of my time mentoring cadets, and doing things like helping them with their CVS, giving guidance lectures and doing HND top-up courses for those who have not got jobs and it is extremely rewarding.’

Nautilus member Captain Jamie Wilson (profiled on pages 28–29) received the award for services to the rescue of refugees in peril, helping to save more than 900 migrants in the Mediterranean earlier this year. He was commended for ‘leading his team with high standards of seamanship and professionalism, including support of his crew in very difficult and emotional circumstances’.

Captain Reg Kelso — who has been a member for more than

HRH The Princess Royal (centre) flanked by Merchant Navy Medal awardees at Trinity House in London

70 years — was presented with the medal for services to the shipping industry and the Sea Cadets. He joined HMS Conway in 1944 and spent 32 years at sea with the Union-Castle Line/ British & Commonwealth Shipping, before spending 10 years as chief marine superintendent.

‘I loved my time at sea,’ he said. ‘I could not have had better employers and I worked with some wonderful people. The

ships were all well maintained and there were no commercial pressures exerted on you as a master — it was your ship and your decisions.’

Marine Accident Investigation Branch chief inspector Captain Stephen Clinch was given the award for services to the safety of ships and seafarers. He first went to sea in 1971, as a cadet with Trident Tankers, and has worked for the MAIB since 2004. He was praised for his tireless work to improve

WERE YOU AWARE that following the successul outcome of a judicial review in respect of two Seatax clients, (brought before the Courts by Nautilus in collaboration with Seatax Ltd as expert advisors on the Seafarers Earnings Deduction), it was deemed that the two Seatax clients did have a legitimate expectation in applying the only published Revenue Practice with regard to the application of a day of absence in relation to a vessel sailing between UK ports. HMRC did not want to accept this practice (although referred to in their very own publications) but have now accepted that expectations of a claim based on such practice would be valid until the published practice is withdrawn.

Following on from this, HMRC have now confirmed that this Practice is withdrawn as of the 14 February 2014. Seatax was the only Advisory Service that challenged HMRC on this point.

WHY TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR TAX AFFAIRS? Let Seatax use their knowledge and 35 years experience to ensure you do not fall foul of the rules Please visit our website for full details of the case.

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Annual Return ...................................................................................................... £215.00 inclusive of VAT at 20% NAUTILUS members in the UK sailing under a foreign flag agreement on gross remuneration can obtain a 10% reduction on the above enrolment fee by quoting their NAUTILUS membership number and a 5% reduction on re-enrolment.

or ite, e now r W on re ph r mo : fo tails de Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES. Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: info@seatax.ltd.uk www.seatax.ltd.uk

18_mn medals_SR edit.indd Sec2:18

the open reporting of marine accidents and to ensure that lessons are learned.

Anthony Cash received the award for services to seafarer welfare and the Merchant Navy Association. He first went to sea in 1939, serving in convoys and in the Battle of the Atlantic. ‘I had a very good guardian angel,’ he said, ‘and I will never forget the bravery of my colleagues at that time.’ A former member of the executive of the National Union of Seamen, he represented the Merchant Navy Association at the festival of remembrance in 2013 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Captain Geoffrey Cowap, whose career in shipping spans seven decades, was given the medal for services to the careers of young seafarers. He was commended for his ‘personal drive and passion’ in transforming the Honourable Company of Master Mariners’ mentoring scheme into ‘a highly respected beacon of excellence’.

Former Ocean Steamship engineer officer Patrick Dolby was given the award for services to international ship safety standards and seafarer welfare through his work at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. He was commended for his work with the European Maritime Safety Agency and the Paris MOU on port state control, as well as ‘frequently going beyond the call of duty to ensure that abandoned seafarers received all the helped needed to get paid and repatriated.’

Captain Mark Holden received the medal for services to the offshore maritime industry. He was praised for his excellent leadership, support for training and life-saving decisions in 41 years at sea. Last year, he was in command of the drill ship Maersk Venture when it set a record for spudding a well off the coast of Uruguay at a depth of 3,404m.

Captain John Hughes was given the award for services to environmental protection at sea.

He served at sea with Reardon Smith and Esso Petroleum between 1961 and 1978, before moving to work ashore and from 1999 until 2005 he was executive director of the Oil Companies International Marine Forum.

Francis Kelly, who first went to sea with Cunard Line in 1969, was presented with the award for services to apprenticeships for ratings. He was commended for his work with the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Merchant Navy Training Board to develop opportunities for young people.

Lt Cdr Mark Kemmis Betty, who spent 27 years in the Merchant Navy after serving with the RN, received the award for his ‘selfless’ work to support seafarers and maritime training.

Former Caledonian MacBrayne officer Captain Andrew O’Brian was awarded the medal for services to maritime careers and charity, including his work which led to the establishment of the Waverly Academy and personal guidance of cadets under his commend.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company fleet operations manager Francis O’Neill received the award for services to marine engineering — including his work to develop training opportunities for future marine engineer officers.

Ship Safe Training Group managing director Ian Spreadborough was presented with the medal for services to seafarer training and careers.

A former Furness Withy deck officer, he has worked for SSTG since 1990 and was commended for the way he has ‘championed promotion of careers at sea, ensuring the value of cadetships and helping to shape the standards of training and certification’. g See also: MN Medals for union stalwarts, page 2.

18/10/2017 16:24

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

NAUTILUS AT WORK

GS: progress is being made despite the difficult climate F

These are tough times for Nautilus and its members, general secretary Mark Dickinson told members attending this year’s UK branch conference.

The global economic downturn and the slump in the oil price have had significantly negative effects upon global maritime trade — and on the offshore support vessel sector in particular, he said. ‘We have had to work harder than ever to defend members’ jobs and terms and conditions in this climate.’

The uncertainties arising from the Brexit vote are also raising many serious questions about future UK maritime policy — and the Union is lobbying hard through its Jobs, Skills & the Future strategic campaign to secure measures that will enable British ships and British seafarers to operate on a level playing field in fiercely competitive international markets.

However, Mr Dickinson stressed,

Nautilus has also done a lot to progress key recommendations from the Maritime Growth Study and has also worked with the RMT and the UK Chamber of Shipping to develop the SMarT-Plus package to improve support for seafarer training. The proposals are now being considered by government ministers and there is evidence to show that they would not only boost UK seafarer numbers but also deliver big economic benefits — with research showing that for every £1 spent on SMarT there is a £4.80 return for GDP. ‘These are tough times, but by working together we have managed to weather much of the storm and there are positive signs for the future if we can continue to maintain the progress we have made in the past year,’ he added.

Some 70 members attended this year’s conference — debating and deciding on eight motions presented to the meeting — and

with many also taking part in meetings of the Union’s young maritime professionals and women’s forums.

There was also a strong turn-out for a meeting of lay representatives — including liaison officers and partnership at work delegates — who discussed issues including programmes to recruit and retain members, increase participation in the Union and to respond to the challenges posed by the current tough conditions. The meeting also heard details of the training courses being organised for lay representatives and active members over the next year, as well as the programme of visits to colleges around the country.

The branch conference was followed by a special seminar addressing one of the hottest topics in shipping at present — the potential impact of automation on the industry, and on seafarers’ jobs in particular. This special supplement reports on all the debates…

Mark Dickinson, general secretary of Nautilus International Picture: John Jones

UK branch conference Union’s tribute to exceptional representative

Nautilus strategic organiser and Young Maritime Professionals Forum secretary Danny McGowan with Dr Kate Pike, a senior research fellow at Southampton Solent University Picture: Andrew Linington

P

Plans for a year-long research project to identify ‘best practice’ in seafarer mentoring were revealed to members of the Nautilus Young Maritime Professionals Forum ahead of the Union’s UK branch conference in Hull.

Dr Kate Pike, a senior research fellow at Southampton Solent University (SSU), told the meeting that the study — which is being supported with a grant from the ITF Seafarers’ Trust — will involve members in the development of material to promote high standards of mentoring within the industry.

Research in other industries shows the many benefits that mentoring brings to the workplace, she explained. Good schemes help staff to become more confident, safety improves, retention rates rise and ‘knowledge leaks’ are plugged.

Dr Pike explained how the 2015 Gender, Empowerment and Multicultural Crews (GEM) project — which had been led

19_branch conf2_SR edit.indd Sec1:19

by SSU — had identified the way in which mentoring could help to tackle a wide range of welfare issues, as well as bullying and harassment. Good schemes would provide vital support for cadets and young seafarers during their first trips to sea, she pointed out. ‘Knowing there is someone you can talk to and get advice from onboard can make all the difference in combating isolation and vulnerability, potentially going some way to improving retention rates.’

Mentoring can also work well as a two-way exchange, members heard, with younger seafarers often being able to provide useful advice to older colleagues — especially on new technologies.

Even though the benefits of mentoring are widely acknowledged, Dr Pike said there are big gaps in knowledge about the way is is being used by the shipping industry. Although some shipping companies have mentoring systems in place, many operate without a formal scheme.

The new project will review current mentoring schemes in the maritime sector and examine their effectiveness in improving welfare, safety and performance against the background of technological advances, reduced crewing levels, increased workloads and less on-the-job training.

The research is due to get underway in the new year, and will include an audit of shipping companies worldwide to examine current mentoring schemes — both formal and informal — and focus on their best practices. Seafarers will also be asked to provide details of their experiences with mentoring and to offer ideas for how to deliver quality services.

The findings will be analysed to develop a mentoring best practice guide for the industry which will provide real-life examples of mentoring schemes used on various vessel types. ‘It is hoped that this guide will provide encouragement for companies that

don’t currently use any form of mentoring scheme to consider implementing one based on the examples provided,’ Dr Pike explained.

City of Glasgow College lecturer Andrew Armstrong said he was delighted to hear of the study. He said mentoring has proved a ‘highly positive experience’ for cadets at the college — and the resulting development of their networking and life skills has proved particularly valuable when the industry has been going through difficult times.

Nautilus strategic organiser and Young Maritime Professionals forum secretary Danny McGowan said the project is very welcome and will help to take forward a motion on mentoring which was passed at the Union’s 2016 UK branch conference. ‘There is a real value to mentoring,’ he added. ‘A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could simply because someone else thought they could.’

Mark Dickinson is pictured F presenting a gift to long-standing Nautilus general secretary

member Ken Konasik during the UK branch conference. Mr Konasik — an engineer officer serving with

P&O Ferries — is due to retire soon and Mr Dickinson praised his many years of work representing his colleagues in the Union, including two decades as a liaison officer. g See Face of Nautilus, page 39.

18/10/2017 13:51

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Making the most of the n P

Trials started last month in Norway on a model of the Yara Birkland, which is planned to be the world’s first autonomous containership. The vessel will be a collaboration between maritime tech company Kongsberg and fertiliser producer Yara

Seafaring is set to be transformed by the rapid advances in ‘smart’ shipping, Nautilus International’s UK branch seminar on maritime automation heard.

Southampton Solent University Emeritus Professor Mike Barnett told the meeting that the cheaper satellite communications and the increased ability to transmit huge volumes of data are opening up a wide range of possibilities for the shipping industry — including new business models.

The new generation of high-tech vessels are likely to operate with increasingly reduced crew levels, Prof Barnett said. ‘Where there are seafarers on ships, they will be in small numbers but will be highly trained and specialist,’ he predicted.

Ships are likely to make increasing use of ‘assisted technology’ — with certain levels of automation and enhanced support from key systems, depending on certain conditions. Shore-based condition monitoring taking big data from thousands of sensors onboard ships will increase, he added, and will improve vessel performance and efficiency.

However, there could also be a risk that seafarers could be de-skilled and operators may decide to run ships with a handful of low-skilled crew under shore-based control, Prof Barnett warned.

‘There is a concern that not enough serious consideration is being given to the question of what skillsets will be required for these ships,’ he said. ‘We don’t see much movement at the IMO, or anywhere else, on this issue.’

‘The traditional divisions of deck and engine departments may well go and there are big questions about how

With automation now looking to be industry, we all need to prepare for the better to start than the Nautilus UK br social life onboard may be affected by these changes,’ he added. ‘There will be challenges for mental and health and wellbeing for small crews over extended periods and if we are using condition monitoring for machines there could well be a case for doing it for seafarers as well, with sensor equipment to send back data on physical and mental variables.’

Prof Barnett said the industry needs to question what sort of people it will need to recruit for such work and to look at studies done by NASA on the psychological impact of crew being isolated for extended periods.

However, he suggested that the introduction of autonomous ships is likely to vary significantly between different sectors of the industry. ‘One of the main drivers will be whether it makes economic sense,’ he noted. ‘Nobody will do it unless they feel there is some competitive edge that it will give them.’

The ‘hybrid space’ created by conventional shipping running alongside autonomous vessels could cause problems, he cautioned.

P

Nautilus Council member Mike Lloyd said seafarers have been working with technology for many years — but issues such as GPS spoofing and satellite interference show the risks of over-reliance on certain systems.

‘There are many problems which have

Research reveals strong views A

More than 80% of seafarers see automation as a threat to jobs and almost 86% regard it as a threat to safety, a survey of almost 900 maritime professionals has revealed.

The preliminary findings of Nautilus Federation research into seafarers’ views on ‘smart’ shipping were presented to the UK branch seminar by Nautilus director of communications Andrew Linington. He said the study had been carried out in an effort to ensure that the voice of maritime professionals is not overlooked as manufacturers push for the introduction of autonomous vessels.

The survey attracted more than 890 responses from a wide cross-section of maritime professionals in countries including the UK, the Netherlands, the United States, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. Around half the participants were masters and chief engineers, but there were also responses from all ranks of officers, superintendents, marine pilots, cadets, cooks, ABs and bosuns.

A large proportion of the respondents were serving in the offshore, cruise, ferry and containership sectors, but feedback also came from members in such diverse areas as windfarm support, superyachts, tugs, tankers and heavylift ships.

The survey showed that almost 83% of seafarers believe that commercially viable autonomous or remotely-controlled ships are not likely to be in service by 2020. If, or when, they do come in, members think that such vessels are most likely to be introduced on deepsea services.

While an overwhelming majority see automation as a threat to jobs, Mr Linington said the survey showed that there is no kneejerk opposition to the concept — and almost one-third believe that new technologies replacing seafarers could be beneficial for shipping and almost 20% consider it does offer the potential to improve safety.

More than 82% of respondents said they believed that technology — properly used — could improve the quality of work at sea. Positives could include a reduction in paperwork and administration, the alleviation of fatigue, enhanced watchkeeping support and the elimination of dangerous and dirty jobs — for instance, by using drones to carry out tank surveys.

However, almost 80% said radical changes in seafarer training

20-21_spread_SR edit.indd 20

Andrew Linington Picture: John Jones

and certification are required to cope with the changing systems.

The skills seen as most essential for the new generation of seafarers are engineering, electro-technical, navigation and management. Many members said traditional expertise will continue to be required to deal with issues such as breakdowns, software problems, emergency response, and preventive and corrective maintenance.

A

There was almost a 50-50 split on whether the development of shore-based fleet operations centres is a good thing.

Almost 90% of respondents reckoned that owners will only introduce autonomous ships if they are cheaper than using seafarers.

But the drive to cut costs was seen as the most dominant factor behind the development of smart ships, followed by improved operational efficiency, improved safety and a shortage of competent crew.

One member described the industry’s push for autonomous shipping as ‘a case of the tail wagging the dog’.

Members said they considered the five biggest obstacles to the introduced of crewless remotely-controlled ships to be cybersecurity, reliability of communications, legal and liability issues, software quality, and risk assessment and public acceptance.

Many members highlighted the challenges presented by unpredictable sea conditions and the need for on-the-spot decision-making in a dynamic environment.

‘One of the biggest recurring themes raised by respondents was the risk of equipment failure,’ Mr Linington told the meeting.

‘Members said they were deeply concerned over the way in which unpredictable and complex chains of failure can occur onboard and how simple problems like pump and pipe failures or fuel supply problems can quickly escalate into major emergencies without human intervention.’

These issues were summed up by one member who stated: ‘Engineers work full days just doing routine and corrective maintenance.’

The survey also showed that many seafarers are concerned about the reliability of the systems and equipment used for smart ships, as well as the vulnerability of GPS and satellite communications.

Almost two-thirds of respondents said maritime unions should resist automation. Just over 30% said this resistance should extend to all types of autonomous shipping, 72% said it should focus on unmanned remotely-controlled shipping and just 11% said it should target autonomous shipboard systems.

One member commented: ‘We aren’t Luddites… Technology to aid ship operation is fine; it’s taking operational control out of human hands that poses the danger.’

And another said unions need to embrace technology and get ahead of the curve. ‘Accept automation as a fact and get in front of the trend. Make the union the centrepiece of retraining members to operate these modern fleets and become indispensable to the industry.’

Professor Mike Barnett P

not been considered by are hyping-up the idea replace seafarers,’ he ad Iain MacKenzie warn reductions in crew com add to the pressures on And John Thomson s needs to be at the forefr discussions to ensure th shore-based fleet contr trained professional sea proper training is given in behind them.

Senior national secre

On a scale 1 to 10 (1 l what are the biggest obsta of unmanned remotely y Other (please state) Reliability of communications and data exchange link Software quality Cyber-security Opposition from seafarers/ trade unions Training and reskilling Regulatory Legal and liability issues Risk assessment and public acceptance Technical feasibility Economic feasibility

Are radical changes in tra required to reflect th advances at sea and to be to work with autom

Yes

18/10/2017 18:20

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

NAUTILUS AT WORK

new reality be an inevitable development in our he impact of the changes. And where K branch automation seminar…?

If there are seafarers on ships, they will be in small numbers but highly trained and specialist

“

David Appleton, Nautilus professional and technical officer

Unions must make seafarers’ voices heard in robotics rush

”K

Prof Mike Barnett Southampton Solent University

ett Picture: John Jones

ed by the people who idea of automation to he added. warned that further complements could es on those remaining. mson said Nautilus forefront of ure that the staff in ontrol centres are al seafarers — and that given to those coming secretary Allan

Graveson said technology could be used to transform seafaring. ‘For many people it is not a good job at present and moving it ashore could result in considerable improvements in the quality of working lives, with less fatigue and fewer workplace risks,’ he pointed out.

Trustee director John Lang said shipping should look to aviation for good practices, including the extensive use of simulators for training and testing and the standardisation of systems and equipment. ‘This is an evolutionary process and there are huge

(1 lowest, 10 highest) stacles to the introduction tely y controlled ship ppi p ng g?

opportunities,’ he suggested. ‘But our voice must be heard.’

General secretary Mark Dickinson said seafarers and shipowners need to work together. ‘We should be worried about people coming in from outside the industry saying that they can do it better and doing it completely differently,’ he added.

‘Seafarer will adapt to the technology as we have always done, but their views and experience need to be taken into account. We can use technology to enhance working lives rather than creating a dystopian future and I am confident that seafarers will come out on top, because they cannot do without our skills and professionalism.’

Findings from the Nautilus Federation automation survey Do you consider automation to be a threat to seafaring g jobs?

Safety and social issues are being ignored as big industry players plough huge amounts of money into making autonomous shipping concepts a reality, Nautilus professional and technical officer David Appleton told the seminar.

The big challenge for maritime unions is to ensure that seafarers are made the priority and that technology is used to enhance safety and improve working conditions rather than being used as just another way to cut costs.

Mr said it was hard to see the financial logic of automated ships at present. ‘When shipowners are free to pick and choose from the cheapest labour available, hiring and firing at will with none of the normal protections that could be expected by workers ashore, it is difficult to argue that the case for autonomous ships currently makes financial sense when you consider the amount of investment required in additional technology and redundancy,’ he said.

As well as major legal obstacles for autonomous ships, there are big questions about the reliability of communications and equipment, the suitability of existing sensors and management of routine maintenance, he pointed out.

However, he added, the prospect is becoming increasingly real — with Japanese shipping company NYK Line planning to sail a containership across the Pacific via remote control in 2019 and the Norwegian ship Yara Birkeland, due to be delivered in 2018, set to be the world’s first fully autonomous, fully electric vessel.

Mr Appleton said the problem for seafarers is that they are not high

on the agenda as manufacturers spend lots of money on making the technical and economic arguments for autonomous ships.

Social and safety issues need special attention, he argued, and the shipping industry needs to look at the valuable lessons offered by the aviation sector. Automated systems have helped to secure significant reductions in aircraft accidents, he said, but there is also evidence of new risks — including the degradation of key skills as a consequence of automation, the ‘startle’ effect when systems fail, over-reliance on technology, diminished situational awareness and alert fatigue.

K

Mr Appleton said a research project carried out in Poland and published earlier this year, analysed 100 accident reports to determine if they would be more or less likely to occur if the ships were unmanned. It predicted that the likelihood of accidents occurring would be less — but that the consequences of an accident would more often be worse.

In particular, he said, fire and flooding incidents could be much worse without seafarers onboard to take remedial action and minimise damage to the vessel.

However, Mr Appleton stressed, it will be many years before crewless ships are common and for the next 20 years there will be more interaction between seafarers and complex systems onboard their ships.

As well as safety questions, these developments will also pose important social challenges, he pointed out. ‘There are examples

where properly designed automation has significantly improved the working life of individuals, freeing them from monotonous tasks and allowing them to concentrate on more important decisions, but again there are plenty of examples from history, turning the work of a skilled craftsman into a boring repetitive task.’

Mr Appleton said the key issue that needs to be addressed in the automation debate is what it is for and who does it benefit. ‘There is no doubt that automation has the potential to increase safety, efficiency and the quality of life for workers if used correctly — but this is not a given,’ he stressed.

‘There are examples where properly designed autonomation has significantly improved the working life of individuals, freeing them from monotonous tasks and allowing them to concentrate on more important decisions — but there are also plenty of examples from history of turning the work of a skilled craftsman into a boring and repetitive task.

‘If automation is used in a productive way to reduce working hours, cut fatigue and ease the burden of paperwork and administration, then this can only be a good thing for companies, for the seafarers and for the cargo owners,’ he argued.

‘The challenge for us now is to ensure that the seafarer is the priority here, and that every step along the way, the introduction of new technology is driven by the need to enhance safety, the protection of the environment and the life of seafarers and not solely as another opportunity to cut costs and maximise profit.’

Can regulations keep pace?

O n training and certification ct the technological to better equip seafarers utomated systems?

No

20-21_spread_SR edit.indd 21

Yes

No

Do you consider unmanned remotely controlled ships to be a threat to safety at sea?

Yes

No

Grant Hunter, head of contracts and clauses with BIMCO, described the scale of the challenge of revising the global regulatory regime to control the operation of remote-controlled and autonomous ships.

‘Many of the international conventions do not sit comfortably with the concept of automation,’ he noted, and it could well take more than a decade to overhaul STCW, SOLAS and the collision prevention regulations.

Potential stumbling blocks could include the SOLAS requirements for ships to be ‘sufficiently and efficiently manned’ and the colreg requirements for the use of seamanship expertise to take action in certain situations.

He suggested that cutting crew costs is not a key factor for owners adopting autonomous shipping. ‘From our perspective, we don’t see that seafaring costs are a significant driver – the capital costs of autonomous ships will far outweigh the savings from the crew.’

Mr Hunter said these factors mean that it is more likely that the industry will adopt remote-controlled ships rather than autonomous ships. ‘The sense of a human presence onboard these vessels means it will be much easier to apply the existing legal framework to them,’ he added.

Grant Hunter, head of contracts and clauses with BIMCO

18/10/2017 18:21

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Nautilus should help solve junior officers’ job problem P

Members attending the UK branch conference voted in favour of a motion calling for Nautilus to investigate ways to support newly-qualified officers who struggle to find work after training with tonnage tax companies.

The motion explains that many cadets have to look for new employers to take them on as a third officer — often in sectors away from those in which they trained — because certain companies do not employ UK officers once they had qualified.

Proposing the motion, Fraser

Fraser Matthew

Matthew told the conference that that seafarers are missing out on employment opportunities because they lack sector-specific certification — meaning that they have to pay for these extra

qualifications out of their own pocket.

CVs are vetted and the easiest way they can do that is by looking at what qualifications are listed,’ he explained. ‘If a seafarer has not been employed in the passenger industry, or on an oil tanker for example, they will not have certain qualifications.

‘Recruitment firms don’t look at the individual, they look at how appropriate that individual is for that role at that time,’ he pointed out. ‘If they don’t have a certain piece of training they will have to do it at their own expense.

‘I urge the Union to encourage

Let’s move towards electronic motions A

Members attending the UK branch conference voted in favour of a motion calling for Nautilus to allow members to use new technology to table policy proposals for future conferences.

Proposing the motion, Edward Derrick said the Union has done a lot of work to encourage membership engagement and participation, but the paper-based method of submitting motions — which also requires physical signatures from members — detracts from that process.

The motion calls for the Union to implement an email or other technological-based options for members to propose and support motions for all future UK branch conferences.

General secretary Mark Dickinson told the meeting: ‘The national committee has a lot of sympathy for this motion. As we march forward addressing all the technological advancements that we’re all in favour of, then if we can find a way in which we can facilitate a much more streamlined way of submitting motions, we will.’

the Merchant Navy Training Board to review what is included in the MNTB cadetship programme and include these courses that aren’t resourcedependent, allowing cadets to come out with all their boxes ticked.’

Nautilus senior national secretary Allen Graveson said the motion had identified a problem, but it didn’t hit at the cause. ‘The cause of the problem is the abuse with respect to tonnage tax and SMarT funding which affects the employment prospects of the cadets at the end of their cadetships,’ he explained.

investigate ways to broaden F the support for LGBT+ members A motion asking Nautilus to

was backed by the UK branch conference.

Proposing the motion — which notes that attendance at events such as the Pride march had encouraged more members to take an active role in the Union — Glen Burnett said that it wasn’t about changing opinions. ‘It’s about creating a safe, fair and supportive working environment that allows people to thrive in their career without feeling uncomfortable in their workplace,’ he explained.

‘This motion is about inclusion without isolation,’ he continued.

‘It’s not about trying to get members of the LGBT community to

Glen Burnett

go to Pride, it’s about encouraging everybody to get involved to support fellow colleagues.’

Getting better food onboard given some food for thought in K a motion calling for the Union to help The UK branch conference was

Edward Derrick

LGBT+ members want to be part of the team

provide healthier meals for seafarers and to work with the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) to develop improved recruitment and training programmes for ships’ cooks.

Proposing the motion, Nautilus Council member Jessica Tyson said that improved catering standards would help to tackle the growing obesity problems being reported amongst seafarers.

‘Food is one of the most important elements of life at sea,’ she added, ‘and the health of seafarers is vital for the industry.’

There are presently wide variations in the quality of cooks at sea and in

the quality of food being provided for seafarers, she added, and there is also evidence of limited healthy eating options.

Supporting the motion, Andrew Armstrong said that he had witnessed one company introduce a cost-cutting scheme which reduced the daily food allowance for crew members to slightly less than the amount that is given for prisoners.

Fraser Matthew questioned whether it would be most effective to pursue the issues through the MNTB. ‘We have cooks who are passionate about their craft and who are keen to improve morale,’ he told the meeting. ‘However, companies are reducing costs. One ferry operator I’m aware of made this

decision and brought its food allowance in line with that of truck drivers. So the crew were then getting exactly the same as the truck drivers, which resulted in chips, burgers, chips and more chips.

‘Maybe the Union should work to negotiate with companies and strive to address the issue of what food is provided by them and how they can improve it,’ he added.

National ferry organiser Micky Smyth said food at sea is a very contentious issue. ‘However, companies are starting to recognise that food quality is important and that you are what you eat,’ he said. P&O Ferries had made a start by launching a wellbeing project, supported by the Union, he noted.

Why has MCA changed sea time rules? investigate why the Maritime F & Coastguard Agency (MCA) A motion asking Nautilus to

changed the rules for qualifying sea time in UK Category D waters — including the Solent — was approved by members at the branch conference.

The motion expressed concern that members’ career progression prospects would suffer as a result of the move to discontinue the right to claim sea time at a 75% rate of time served in such waters — warning that this would discriminate against junior officers and ratings working for companies in this sector.

Andrew Armstrong said that whilst Nautilus has since gained some clarification from the MCA, it has not fully resolved the concerns.

‘The situation is very complex,’ he added. ‘The two areas of concern I have are the revalidation of existing certificates of competency and what the requirements for sea time is for officers with unlimited OOW, who wish to progress to Chief Mate Unlimited and to Master Unlimited.’

However, professional and technical officer David Appleton said that the main issue was not

the revalidation of certificates but knowledgeability of MCA staff.

‘When this first came to light, I was told incorrect information,’ he said. ‘I then called the MCA and asked for clarification and was told something different, which I knew to be incorrect. When I wrote to them, I then got what we believe to be the correct answer.

‘I’d also remind members that they don’t have to wait to submit a motion to find out answers to these matters,’ Mr Appleton told the meeting. ‘Contact Nautilus and we can usually solve these things quite quickly.’

Bevis Minter motion remitted way in which the Nautilus Bevis K Minter Award for outstanding officer

A motion seeking changes to the

cadets is administered was remitted to Council by members attending the UK branch conference.

Proposing the motion, Ross Cleland suggested that Nautilus should look to give trainees from each of the principal UK maritime colleges the chance to win the award each year rather than presenting the award to a cadet from a different college each time.

‘Currently only one college every five years benefits from the prestigious award, despite the continuous good work by the colleges and sponsoring companies,’ he explained. ‘This results in lots of members unfairly missing out by default.

22_branch conf.indd Sec2:22

Ross Cleland

‘Each college could submit a short summary of the reasons why a student should win the main award.

The winner of the award could then be agreed at Council and announced at conference by the general secretary.

The runners up can also receive a certificate,’ he explained.

However, Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson urged members to vote to remit the decision to Council for further consideration.

‘This motion is extremely well intentioned and the people who have written it and given it are to be commended,’ he said. ‘This award is unique. It’s for the most worthy cadet, not for the highest scores or most able achiever, but the one who has done best in the college — not only for themselves but to help and encourage others.

‘But it’s important that we don’t get a large bureaucracy when dealing with this award and recognise the other awards that do take place,’ he argued. ‘There are other possibilities and we need to explore it further before we make a decision.’

18/10/2017 16:53

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

OFFSHORE ENERGY

Could change be in the air?

Plain sailing: the National Workboat Association is promoting a collaborative approach to safety in the offshore windfarm sectors Picture: Reuters

Nautilus has been highlighting concerns about safety in the expanding windfarm support vessel sector. National Workboat Association secretary MARK RANSON explains how the industry is promoting a partnership approach to raise operating standards…

I

With Nautilus, the National Workboat Association (NWA) — the trade, skills and safety standards association for the workboat industry — recognises that the management of working hours continues to pose an obstacle to the safe operation of crew transfer vessels (CTVs) in the offshore wind sector.

As part of its mission to improve safety standards in the maritime industry, the NWA is taking steps to engage all parties to address this core safety issue and promote the safe management of working hours in collaboration with CTV operators, their crews, and offshore wind project owners.

The UK offshore wind sector is in a strong place.

Recent Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction results demonstrate the ability of offshore wind to compete with — and beat — nuclear and conventional generation on cost. This rapid drop in price has been a collaborative effort — and UK vessel operators and their crews have had an invaluable role to play as they continue to set high standards of service, availability and efficiency.

Demand for specialist workboat support during the construction and operation of offshore windfarms has been high, driving innovation and growth in the maritime sector, and creating numerous employment opportunities for skilled vessel masters and crews.

However, the pace of this growth, and the evolving operational demands of supporting large windfarms, have also brought significant challenges.

It is clear that these must be addressed in order to ensure a safe and fair working environment for crews and offshore wind personnel.

Specifically, the NWA and its membership are aware of the concerns raised by CTV crews — echoed

by Nautilus — about pressures to work long hours, crewing levels, the safety of transfers, and the need to create a more supportive and collaborative environment in which these issues can be raised and addressed. Having seen incidents during CTV operations, it is essential that we ensure the interests of crews, management and windfarm owners are fully

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23_NWA_SR edit.indd 23

aligned when it comes to safety.

In September, the NWA held its Offshore Wind Safety Forum — the first in a series of industry-specific sessions designed for this purpose. This open round table discussion, attended by Nautilus, brought together CTV operators, representatives from windfarm stakeholders Eon, Vattenfall and Siemens, and senior regulators — including Julie Carlton, head of seafarer safety and health at the MCA, as well as a representative from one of the major P&I clubs. The forum enabled key concerns to be raised and a number of key actions to be proposed to tackle those concerns.

Management must support masters to give crew enough rest time, and should consider having an extra crew member

“

”

When it comes to the management of working hours, current regulations state a mandatory minimum 10 hours of rest for crews within a 24-hour time period — and a minimum 77 hours of rest in a week.

The MCA has reiterated that these are absolute minimum hours of rest, rather than standard working hours to work towards.

Nevertheless, it is clear that windfarm operators are under pressure to maximise the time technicians spend in the field. With windfarms dramatically increasing in size and distance from port, transit times have increased. Moreover, there is a tendency for windfarm operators to start all boats at the same time, which leads to congestion at the berth in some base ports. This can amount to up to 12 hours, berth to

berth, while vessel crews need time at the start of the period for pre-sailing checks and again at the end of shift for other tasks, such as daily maintenance checks, pre-sailing checks, bunkering and daily reports.

The Safety Forum enabled an open discussion about how working hours for crews might best be managed in light of this changing operational scope.

Improved communication is a continuous theme in issues of improving marine safety, and increased liaison between vessel operators and marine coordinators (MCs) was highlighted as a critical part of mitigating potential incidents, particularly for identifying issues early and giving sufficient notice to ensure the proper management of resources.

I

The role and responsibility of the master in ensuring that the crew is sufficiently rested has been emphasised and reiterated in guidance developed by the G+ — the Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation, of which many of the major offshore wind developers, operators and manufacturers are members.

However, taking this a step further, it was acknowledged that MCs must be made more aware of potential fatigue issues and their causes. In turn, masters should be given as much support as possible by management when it comes to ensuring that crew are afforded sufficient rest time — not simply the minimum required to keep within the regulations. Fostering a supportive environment will ensure that confidence can be increased at all levels, and that crew welfare is considered as a priority when making contractual and managerial decisions.

Further measures were proposed at the Safety Forum, including adjusting shift rotas to mitigate the risk of fatigue. In addition to the possibility of providing an additional crew member to each crew as a contingency to ensure all members are sufficiently rested in the field, shift start times can be staggered for vessels and their teams to reduce congestion in busy ports. Overall duty rotas for crew can be designed to always allow reasonable recovery after a spell on duty.

Mark Ranson

While these measures may be more easily implemented during operations and maintenance (O&M) projects — where generally fewer vessels, technicians and contractors are involved and pressures are not as great as during the time-sensitive construction phase — it is important that suitable measures are introduced across the board.

Addressing issues of working hours will need a continued collaborative approach, and it is crucial that, having started these discussions, we keep all parties onboard. Agreed actions include both communications campaigns and regulatory development and enforcement.

Working together, trade organisations — including the NWA and Nautilus — governing bodies, and individuals within the industry, must continue to promote safety best practice and educate site operators on safety issues.

In turn, progress must be reinforced and supported by industry regulations and guidelines, such as those developed by MCA, G+ and IMCA Renewable Group, to support the welfare of vessel crews.

In the meantime, our message to CTV masters and crews is that we are listening, and while we take action to solve these issues, we encourage you to continue to voice your concerns and provide feedback to your management with suggestions on how to provide a safer and more supportive environment for all concerned.

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18/10/2017 10:21

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Above left: Tony Santamera, whose lengthy career in the UK shipping industry qualified him for an apartment at Mariners’ Park; and right: the Trinity House Hub, where Tony lives and socialises with his neighbours

A maritime community for those who have left the sea M

Tony Santamera loves where he lives. ‘I’ve been here since early this year and I couldn’t ask for better,’ he says.

Home now is an apartment within the Trinity House Hub at Nautilus International’s Mariners’ Park estate for retired seafarers on the banks of the Mersey. It’s where the Princess Royal recently opened the new Seafarers UK wing, providing 22 new apartments, and where work has just started on the construction of a further 12 new apartments.

As Nautilus begins the latest phase of work to upgrade its Mariners’ Park facilities for retired seafarers, ANDREW LININGTON meets one of the newest residents to hear how he is enjoying life at the complex…

‘I was at a bit of a crossroads, as I had been living with my daughter but she needed to sell her house as she was working in London — and I didn’t want to be in the way,’ Tony says.

‘I had been visiting Mariners’ Park for quite a while and my brother, Peter, and his wife were

already living here, so it seemed like a natural move to make,’ he adds. ‘I’d heard there were some opportunities to move in and it’s been fantastic. I’ve felt at home right from the start.’

Tony comes from a long line of Liverpool seafarers — ‘My dad was at sea, my mother’s dad was at sea,

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all my uncles were at sea and my three brothers all went to sea’ — and he started out himself at the age of 16, with the local passenger/ cargo company Larrinaga Line after training at ‘Dicky Bonds’ nautical catering college.

‘I enjoyed my time at sea, and if I could do it all over again, I would — although I’d want to be a skipper next time round,’ he says. ‘The camaraderie at sea was fantastic then. I loved going away and it was all I wanted to do in my life — and in Liverpool at that time, the alternative was unemployment as there was no decent work then.’

After a short spell working in New Zealand, he went on to serve with companies including Glasgow-based Lyle Shipping and Blue Star before switching to work on ferries in the North Sea and Irish Sea — in catering department posts including chief cook and second steward.

Tony became increasingly involved in the National Union of Seamen and became a full-time official with the union in the early 1970s. He went on to be elected national secretary — a post he held for 10 years, until he retired from the union, by now the RMT, in 2003.

‘I had caught the best of times and eventually the worst of times,’ he reflects. ‘My job involved a lot of negotiations, and in the 80s and 90s it was really hard because of all the changes in the shipping industry and the redundancies that were happening at the time.

‘You tried to do your best, but

the shipowners had the upper hand and the government was not any help,’ he adds. ‘It became a bit of a nightmare. We were at the blunt end of it all, and a lot of the time the crew were blaming us.

My wife was a witness to the heartache and the worry it gave me.

“

The staff here are exceptional and there is a real family atmosphere

”

‘But I did like working for the union and it was a privilege to work with some great people — Jim Slater, Sam McCluskey, Bob Crow, Jimmy Knapp, Brian Orrell and John Newman — I look back now and think what clever men they were,’ he says. ‘When I look back and see what I have done and where I have been, it gives me a good feeling — I have been fortunate.’

But Tony says he was hit hard when he lost his wife to cancer a few years ago. ‘It was tough going without her, and it is just about bearable now,’ he adds. ‘Being here is not a substitute, but it does provide something of a soft landing.’

Ideally, Tony says, ‘I would have loved to be living in a little cottage

in the country in the Lake District, where I spent a lot of time as a youngster’. However, he adds, the support he receives at Mariners’ Park has made a huge difference to his life.

M

He pays particular tribute to the care he received when he suffered a diabetic seizure earlier in the year. ‘It was a really bad experience, but the staff here were there for me and helped me all the way to hospital, and to get me sorted out and on a level footing when I came out,’ he explains. ‘I can’t thank them enough and it is very reassuring for my family to know about the care I am getting. I wasn’t in the best of health, but they make sure I am taking my medication regularly and properly.

‘The staff here are exceptional: diligent, professional and friendly,’ he adds. ‘You feel right at home with them and they can’t do enough for you. They truly care for me in every way possible — and you can have a laugh with them too.’

Tony says he enjoys being able to share stories and memories with other retired seafarers at Mariners’ Park, as well as taking part in the social events and outings that are organised for residents. ‘There is a real family atmosphere and I am rarely in my accommodation — I like to sit in the lounge and chat with everyone.’

He particularly enjoys the ability to watch passing ships from his balcony. ‘Sometimes I will sit there at night looking out into the dark and working out the ships from the shape of their lights,’ he adds.

‘It really is great here — everything I need is here for me.’

18/10/2017 10:21

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

MARITIME HISTORY

The crew of the ship Moel Eilian pictured in around 1889 Picture: National Museums Liverpool

Centuries of proud service

A year-long exhibition telling the often overlooked story of black seafarers on British ships has opened at the Merseyside Maritime Museum. ANDREW LININGTON met the team who put it together…

w

‘When you start with slaves and finish with a cruiseship captain, it shows you what a great story this is,’ says historian Dr Ray Costello.

Black Salt: Britain’s Black Sailors is a new exhibition at Merseyside Maritime Museum — based on Ray’s book of the same title, published in 2012 — which traces the remarkable, and often overlooked, role played by black seafarers through 500 years of British shipping history.

Over a year in the planning, the exhibition uses personal stories, audio-visual presentations, paintings, historic objects and memorabilia to explain the immense contribution that black seafarers have made to both the Merchant and the Royal Navies.

‘We’ve tried to avoid a certain agenda and instead produce a history of seafaring that looks at the very different experiences of black seafarers on British ships.

As a result this is an exhibition about heroism, victories and triumphs, as well as the problems,’ Ray explains.

‘It’s an exhibition that takes you on a journey, with a strong narrative that enables a nice continuity,’ he adds. ‘Many of the early black seafarers were picked up in a casual way from West African coastal states by ships that had lost European crew along the way.’

The earliest records of black seafarers on British ships date from the 16th century — one of the earliest being Jacques Francis, a former pearl diver, who took part in salvage work following the loss of Henry VIII’s flagship Mary Rose in 1545. The records also include the three black crew members who served onboard Sir Francis Drake’s ship Golden Hind

during its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580.

By the middle of the 1700s, there were as many as 27,000 black seafarers on British ships, and a centrepiece of the exhibition is a painting of the death of Nelson by Daniel Maclise which shows a black seafarer — one of 10 African or West Indian crew members onboard HMS Victory.

Towards the end of the British slave trade, around 3% of seafarers on British ships were black — and many faced the danger of being sold into slavery by unscrupulous captains when their vessels arrived in American ports.

‘But this is not all about racism,’ Ray points out. ‘It’s about a long history and a long relationship that dips and rises again.

These are not lost or hidden histories — it’s all out there and the fun is in chasing it all down.’

Ray’s interest in the subject was sparked through his family — a Ghanaian great-uncle and a Bermudan great-grandfather, Edward James, who features in the exhibition. ‘All the visitors to our house seemed to be seafarers,’ he recalls, ‘and most of the black community in Liverpool descended from African seafarers. It is often just assumed that someone is an immigrant, but my last immigrant ancestor came to Liverpool as a cabin boy during the Crimean War!’ The exhibition uses personal items such as service books and medals to tell how generations from households such as the Quarless and Savage families served at sea. It explains how — despite their wartime sacrifice — many black seafarers were subjected to racism and boycotts in the tough times following the First World War. In 1919, there

were riots in many port cities around the UK, and a boarding house for black seafarers in Liverpool was attacked by a mob estimated at 2,000-strong.

It features union activist Chris Braithwaite, who campaigned against such ill-treatment and founded the Colonial Seamen’s Association in 1935, and it also has a big section featuring the Liverpool shipping company Elder Dempster, whose 4,000 staff during the 1950s and 60s included 1,400 people from Nigeria and 400 from Sierra Leone.

w

The exhibition concludes with the achievements of seafarers such as Elder Dempster’s Captain Obi Okeke and Nautilus member Captain Belinda Bennett, who last year became the first black female master of a cruiseship.

‘This is something we have wanted to do for a long time,’ said Ian Murphy, the museum’s curator of maritime history. ‘Black seafarers have been at the heart of significant British maritime events for centuries, and this is not a marginal history — it is a core part of events, and all about lives lived, and we wanted to tell those stories in a personal way.’

‘It’s really exciting to have been a part of this exhibition,’ added assistant curator of history Michelle Walsh. ‘It deals with the discrimination, the racism and the slavery — but it is ultimately great to be able to tell a really positive story of achievements, because so many exhibitions end with saying that everyone died!’

g Black Salt: Britain’s Black Sailors

opened last month and runs until 2 September 2018. Admission is free.

The crew of HMS Victory included 22 different nationalities at the Battle of Trafalgar, and barely half of the 821 men onboard were listed as being English. Official records show that there were at least 10 West Indian and African sailors onboard. One of them is shown prominently in this detail from Daniel Maclise’s painting, Death of Nelson, which features in the Black Salt exhibition. It is normally on show at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, with a copy on the wall of the Royal Gallery in the House of Lords. The sailor, flanked by two redcoats, is pictured in the centre of the canvas, standing over the dying Nelson, and he is pointing up at the rigging ‒ probably at the sniper who fired the fatal ball that had penetrated Lord Nelson’s spine.

An almost identical black figure was also carved later on the plinth on the south side of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square.

Picture: National Museums Liverpool

25_black_SR edit.indd 25

Historian Dr Ray Costello stands by a picture of his great-grandfather Edward James, a Bermudan who first went to sea on the Brocklebank-built sailing ship Aracan

Supporting seafarers in need and their families since 1917 To find out about our work or to make a donation visit www.seafarers.uk phone 020 7932 0000 or email seafarers@seafarers.uk

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Seafarers UK (King George’s Fund for Sailors) is a Registered Charity, no. 226446 in England and Wales, incorporated under Royal Charter. Registered in Scotland, no. SC038191

18/10/2017 11:39

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

HISTORIC SHIPS

A piper launched the QE2 anniversary conference

Professor David Humphreys recounted QE2’s role in the Falklands conflict

Ronnie Keir told how he worked on QE2 as a shipyard apprentice and as the chief engineer

Remembering a superstar K

The planning for a conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of what would become the most famous ship in the world was started by members of the QE2 Story Forum two years ago.

The Forum is an online group dedicated to keeping the story of QE2 alive; and Clydebank Town Hall, located adjacent to the now-demolished shipyard, was secured as the venue for the anniversary event.

QE2 spent her service life in the limelight, and her career at sea was even more eventful than

Half a century after the Cunard flagship QE2 was launched on the Clyde, former crew members and fans of the vessel gathered to celebrate the anniversary last month. MICHAEL GALLAGHER reports on the event… her birth, which was a triumph itself. But it was not all exotic voyages and ecstatic welcomes. It included sailing 6,000nm south, partly through an icefield in the dark, without radar, to make her singular contribution to the Falklands campaign; it involved vari-

ous threats, from extortionists, from the IRA and from the Libyan government; it included rescuing all the passengers from a liner in distress, and having all hers similarly rescued after she hit rocks; and it featured visits from every senior member of the Royal fam-

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ily, from prime ministers and presidents, rock stars and film stars, and from Nelson Mandela.

Not a year passed without something happening that would have been once-in-a-lifetime for any other ship — and usually hitting the headlines in the process.

The conference came just two days after the actual launch anniversary on Wednesday 20 September. Around 200 people — former crew, former passengers, former shipyard workers and QE2 fans and admirers — gathered before a piper escorted them into the Grand Hall.

K

The first speaker was Ian Johnstone, from Glasgow School of Art, who discussed the financial situation of the builder John Brown & Co, the company’s loss of the original contract for Q3 and its determination to secure Q4 — which would become QE2.

Next up was Professor Bruce Peters, also from Glasgow School of Art, who covered the exterior and interior design of the ship, before a special birthday cake was piped into the Grand Hall and cut by the daughter and granddaughter of John Brown MD John Rannie, who secured the contract for what would be the last ship he’d deliver before his retirement in 1968. His famous bowler hat was on display and the audience were shown the envelope containing the name of the ship which was presented to the Queen prior to her performing the launch.

There then came a trio of former QE2 officers: Captain Nick Bates, chief engineer Ronnie Keir and cruise director Brian Price.

Perhaps the most personal recollections came from Ronnie, who recalled how he joined the shipyard at the age of 15 as an apprentice and that his first jobs were certainly ‘character building’. He told how, 36 years after seeing QE2 for the first time, he joined her in Los Angeles in 2003 as chief engineer.

Capt Bates and Brian Price talked about various incidents,

from passengers going missing to QE2’s rescue of 500 passengers and crew from the French liner Antilles when it was destroyed by fire in January 1971, and the time when QE2 lost power for a while as a result of jellyfish being sucked into the intakes.

QE2’s war record in the Falklands campaign was told by Professor David Humphreys, who was Chief Petty Officer at the time. That 12-day voyage, covering 6,976nm, to South Georgia remains the longest continuous journey made by the ship.

The final speaker was Scott Clegg, who played an instrumental role in QE2 and her development during her first four years in Dubai from 2008 to 2012.

“

There was always something about QE2...

She did things her way

”

Scott shared the initial concept impressions for QE2, which would have seen additional accommodation decks added onto the new hotel, the ship’s funnel removed and replaced by an apartment located 6m forward of the original, and the lengthening by 14m of the hull. Scrapping QE2 was never an option, he reassured the conference.

Many QE2 stories and experiences were shared among the 200 delegates over lunch, and a champagne toast to the ship was made before the conference concluded with a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne — with talk of another event in 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of her May 1969 maiden voyage.

That night many orders for the special QE2 Cocktail, created for the anniversary, were placed at the hotel bar where many delegates had chosen to stay.

The QE2 50th anniversary cake

K

On the following day, a boat trip was organised to proceed down the Clyde and visit the site of the John Brown shipyard, which is now partly wasteland and partly the site of West College Scotland. It is also the home of the Titan crane, which is a 150ft high (46m) cantilever crane designed to be used in the lifting of heavy equipment, such as engines and boilers, during the fitting-out of battleships and ocean liners at the shipyard. It was also the world’s first electrically-powered cantilever crane, and the largest crane of its type at the time of its completion ,although it was not involved in QE2’s construction.

A flag used on QE2 during her last months of sea service was flown from the stern of Clyde Clipper prior to the departure. The journey down the river brought home just how important a contribution to world shipping the Clyde once made, and how today the river is largely silent and the shipyards have gone.

So why pay such a tribute to QE2? Other liners can lay claim to being the greatest ever, but there was always something about QE2. She was a ship that defied the odds. She was a ship that attracted admirers. She was a ship that divided opinion. And she was a ship that often did things her way and was never far from the headlines, making good or bad news.

It was entirely appropriate to mark such an important anniversary for a ship that meant a great deal to a great many people and a ship that made such an important contribution to the cruise industry in her role as floating ambassador for Great Britain.

g For more QE2, see Ships of the past on page 30.

18/10/2017 13:53

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

MARITIME TECHNOLOGY

How gaming is helping with maritime training The UK P&I Club has launched a new mobile app-based game to raise awareness of shipboard risks among seafarers. Senior loss prevention executive GEORGE DEVEREESE explains the potential benefits for training at sea…

U

When the Maritime Labour Convention was agreed in 2006, it specified that the access to ship-shore telephone, email and internet facilities at a reasonable charge were to be part of the responsibility of the ship operator. However, in the 11 years since, there has been a quantum shift in the means by which people communicate — and this change has been reflected in the modern seafarer’s approach to their contract.

Reports on crew connectivity published by Nautilus and Futurenautics Research show that the quality of crew communication facilities onboard is a big factor in seafarers’ decisions about which shipping company to work for — and the service most desired by seafarers is free internet access.

The primary reason for this is so seafarers can access video chat services to contact their family and friends. And when asked about their preferred means of accessing communication services, the majority of crew members picked mobile phones.

With such devices becoming increasingly commonplace, ship operators are responding to the wishes of their crew in providing improved wi-fi onboard their vessels. It would appear we are now entering a new age in which seafarers communicate primarily through such media as Snapchat, Twitter and WhatsApp. How can companies make use of their employees’ familiarity with this technology? By delivering information directly to the seafarer in a modern and appealing way, can we as an industry disrupt ourselves into improving safety at sea by using one of the tools that is often cited as a major distraction aboard ships — the mobile phone?

U

Gamification is a word that entered modern parlance in 2003 but did not gain widespread usage until 2010 — and now, finally in 2017, it is starting to enter the maritime consciousness. Gamification is, among other things, a way for businesses to add fun to subject matter that might typically be difficult to communicate to a chosen audience.

McDonalds created a game to train its staff on a new food ordering system. The game had scores, challenges and timers. Employees were able to learn a new skill in an environment reflecting their real

27_game_SR edit.indd 27

work situation whilst still having the comfort that this was just a game and failure was allowed. A revenue impact to the tune of £23m was attributed to the success of the game.

In 2012, Metro Trains in Melbourne launched Dumb Ways to Die — a game to promote rail safety — and has credited the campaign with a reduction of more than 30% in ‘near-miss’ incidents.

Gamification provides an opportunity for businesses to entertain, challenge, educate and reward their chosen audiences.

“

We want to re-energise learning, awareness and communication within our industry

”

It stimulates engagement which, in a fast-paced, distraction-laden world, makes it one of the most exciting and powerful communication channels for businesses today.

U

With its dispersed employee base and long lines of management from ship to shore, the maritime industry is uniquely placed to exploit the potential that gamification offers. Companies already employ computer-based training and video-based learning to enhance the training experience of employees. Using games to supplement learning would help ensure the continued training of the industry’s personnel and improve awareness of topics that may otherwise seem dull and tedious.

It can also be seen as a costsaving measure, as a game will transcend language and cultural barriers and engage all ranks, removing the need for translation of documents, rank-specific seminars, and the costs of printing documentation or transporting crew to a central location to receive a briefing.

Major companies ashore have already adopted this style of training with much success, and with a

similar widespread network of employees spanning many countries. As such, the idea has a proven route to success which could easily be migrated to any shipping company using existing lines of communications, again reducing any inherent costs over and above the design of the game.

U

By utilising such emerging technologies and engaging with our seafarers, in a way that they have already stated is important to them, we should be able to re-energise learning, awareness and communication within our industry and bring it into the 21st century.

With this in mind, the UK P&I Club’s loss prevention team has produced a mobile app game called Risk Ahoy! which takes players through multiple levels of increasing difficulty avoiding hazards that are commonly found onboard. The game is not designed as a teaching aid but to highlight common areas of risk which, if not properly mitigated, often lead to expensive claims for the shipowner.

By utilising this technology, it is hoped the game will result in a high level of engagement among the seafaring community. By adding social media sharing capabilities to the game, it is envisaged that it will gain traction throughout the community, offering a fun and novel way to promote an understanding of some of the everyday risks that some may, by virtue of time, take for granted.

For those new to the sea, or considering a career at sea, it could also serve to highlight some of the challenges of the various vessel types trading the world’s oceans.

Mobile gaming is a dynamic platform where ideas and technological innovation are constantly shifting and progressing. This is part of the rationale of using this medium.

As new technologies and regulations enter the maritime environment it will be easy to update and modify the game to reflect these changes, ensuring that the awareness it promotes remains current and at no additional cost to the end user.

By moving into this new medium, the UK Club is trying at a grassroots level to re-engage the seafarer with safety and an understanding of the importance of continued through-contract education and skillset maintenance.

Risk Ahoy! ‒ the educational shipboard safety game from the UK P&I Club

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18/10/2017 13:53

28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

MARITIME CAREERS

One person’s life choices that led to 907 lives saved We never know what’s round the corner in our careers, but one Union member has found the knack of making good decisions, as SARAH ROBINSON finds out…

O

Captain Jamie Wilson receiving his commendation from Nigel Palmer of the Shipwrecked Mariners at the charity’s Skill and Gallantry Awards ceremony last month

‘It was really because of my friend Barry Hughes that I got into this,’ says Nautilus member Jamie Wilson.

‘I had done a year’s engineering training at a local college after leaving school, so I thought I’d be following that path, but I liked the look of what Barry was doing at Maersk and decided to become a deck cadet myself.’

With no seafaring tradition of their own, Jamie’s family were surprised but supportive, and were proud when he won a cadetship with Ship Safe Training Group (SSTG) and James Fisher Tankships. ‘SSTG work with a range of employers, but I quite fancied the oil tanker route,’ he recalls. ‘It’s one of the first things that comes to mind when people think of the Merchant Navy, and one of the few ship types that even young children can identify.’

Having chosen James Fisher essentially because its ships were familiar, the teenage Jamie was pleased when the company turned out to be an excellent sponsor: ‘They were far and away the best employer of the ones people had when I was at Fleetwood. They had a lot of cadets, they treated us well and they even had jobs for you at the end of your training.’

This didn’t mean everything always went smoothly, though, and like so many before him, Jamie found his first sea phase — on the tanker Chartsman — pretty tough. ‘Being away from home was harder than I expected,’ he admits, ‘especially because my first trip involved being away over Christmas. I also thought I’d be swanning around on the bridge, not doing so much chipping and painting!’

Returning on leave to Falkirk, Jamie felt rather despondent and unsure whether he should continue with his cadetship, but his family encouraged him to stick with it, and on his second trip everything clicked into place.

‘You’re just more at ease the second time,’ he says. ‘Even if it’s a different ship, you know more or less where everything is and what is expected of you. It also helped that we had a good captain on that trip with the Galway Fisher, and I enjoyed seeing a bit of Ireland, where we were working.’

O

From that point onwards, Jamie never looked back.

He qualified as an officer of the watch in 2001 and was taken on by James Fisher as a second officer. A few years later, he moved into the offshore supply sector, attracted by the one-

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To see a full list of the courses we offer, visit our website: www.lloydsmaritimeacademy.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 4483 | Email: learning@knect365.com

28-29_career profiles#3.indd 28

18/10/2017 10:29

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29

MARITIME CAREERS for-one leave and the salary.

Determined to rise through the ranks, Jamie studied for his chief officer’s certificate via distance learning while working the notorious six-hours-on/six-hours-off shift pattern typical of the North Sea. ‘That was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life,’ he says, ‘but I felt that if you’re going to do this, you want to go all the way to the top.’ Happily, his efforts paid off with a promotion to chief officer, and he was able to stay at that rank when his employer Trico was taken over by DeepOcean.

O

Working for DeepOcean gave Jamie the opportunity to move onto a different kind of vessel, carrying out subsea survey and maintenance work all over the world. He found he enjoyed this, and remains with the company to this day. And after completing his master’s certification, he got his first command on the UK-flagged Deep Vision in 2013, aged just 31.

Isn’t it hard to become the senior manager of your former colleagues at that age? ‘It could have been, but it helped that I was actually put in charge of the opposite shift [i.e. the alternate crew who take over when the first crew go home on leave]. And I want to thank Captain William Barrass — my captain when I was chief officer — for the support he gave me. He encouraged the company to give me a chance when the master’s job came up on the opposite shift, and has been something of a mentor to me since we’ve been handing over to each other as captains.’

Jamie also has praise for DeepOcean — which, as well as being a decent employer, made an effort to ensure the Deep Vision was prepared for any eventuality during the vessel’s January 2017 deployment to the southern Mediterranean. ‘We all knew about the refugee boats down near Libya, and the company had done the due diligence,’ he says. ‘We had additional food, blankets and clothes in case we needed to take onboard people we’d rescued. I also had two security advisors onboard for the close shore approach to Libya.’

On the passage to the work site — where the Deep Vision was due to be carrying out underwater oil pipe surveying with a team of ROV operators — Jamie spent four days drilling the crew on all kinds of rescue scenarios.

Everyone in the 19-strong marine crew was assigned a job to do in the rescues, including the catering staff. People had to learn to carry out rescues while wearing protective clothing and masks to prevent the spread of disease, and to deploy metal detectors to check

The right stuff for the MN Merchant Navy deck cadet, but has already won an N accolade from the shipping industry — a commendation in Freddie Hedger has only just started his training as a

Captain Jamie Wilson with his vessel Deep Vision in dry dock

that no armed people-smugglers were among the refugees. There was a step-by-step procedure for helping rescued people onboard, helping them get clean, providing them with clothes and blankets and registering them. But when the Deep Vision did encounter its first refugee boat, Jamie soon realised there were going to be too many people to bring onto the vessel.

‘There were nine search and rescue events between 28 January and 1 February, and 907 people who needed rescuing,’ he explains. ‘We hardly had any time to rest. We used our ship to provide a lee so they were sheltered from the waves, and the crew went out to them with food, water and lifejackets until the coastguard and rescue charities could get to them.’

O

It was Jamie’s calm decision-making, preparedness and commitment to saving lives that has now seen him awarded the UK’s Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service and a Skill and Gallantry Award from the Shipwrecked Mariners charity. He has been praised for ensuring his crew were so well trained, but stresses that the seafarers each showed incredible dedication and heroism as they played their part.

‘Not one of the crew moaned about their jobs,’ he points out.

‘Whatever their political views about the refugee situation, they put those to one side to save lives at sea. And they had to deal

with some very upsetting things, such as encountering two children who had died on one of the refugee boats.’

For himself, he continues, one of the hardest parts was trying to lift the crew’s spirits after the rescues and get them focused on the survey work they were there to do. ‘It was a tense time; we were on high alert because we didn’t know if there would be more refugee boats. But in the end we got through the rest of the six weeks without incident.’

the 2017 Shipwrecked Mariners’ Skill and Gallantry Awards.

The rescue recognised in his award took place in August 2016, when Freddie was working as an RNLI lifeguard at Croyde beach in north Devon. He had gone to the aid of surfers who were in trouble with a strong rip current, and realised that the only way to help one woman was to get into the water and swim to her. The citation for the award takes up the story: On his arrival, he found [the woman] face down and unconscious. Freddie lifted her face out of the water to allow her to breathe and worked hard to protect her from the waves that were continually breaking over both of them. On one pass the Rescue Water Craft driver witnessed Freddie and the casualty get dragged under by a wave, disappearing from sight in the aerated and turbulent water.

Despite his exhaustion, Freddie managed to grab the handle of the rescue sled (at the stern of the RWC) with one hand. Using the other hand to hold the casualty’s head above water, he signalled to [his colleague] Sean to drag them along as he did his best to keep them both afloat.

The rescued woman was revived on the beach and then taken to hospital, where she spent the night recovering. Freddie reports that a few days later she came

to the RNLI station to thank the team for saving her life, and she and her friends have since raised £4,000 for the RNLI through a sponsored bike ride from London to Croyde.

Meanwhile, Freddie was pondering his future. ‘I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I left school,’ he explains, ‘so I went travelling and became a beach lifeguard near home in the summer seasons. I’d started to think about a cadetship, as my dad was a chief engineer in the Merchant Navy, but I wanted to wait until I was ready.

‘Having a parent who’s been to sea means you know all about the downsides, like being away from family, but there are lots of positives to the career, like the good leave and salary, the variety of the work and the chance to work with people from different countries. I think also that the work I did with the RNLI has given me more confidence about becoming a seafarer, as I gained boat-handling experience and have trained others.’

Now aged 24, Freddie thought he had better get his seafaring career moving this year, so he has started his first college phase of deck officer training at NAFC in Shetland, and is being sponsored by Anglo-Eastern and DAO Shipping. He is looking forward to his first sea phase on bulk carriers early next year, and is determined to make the most of the maritime opportunities that come his way. ‘I definitely want to get up to master, and I’m also interested in the possibilities for working ashore in future.’

O

After going through one of the most challenging situations a shipmaster can encounter, what’s next for Jamie Wilson? ‘I’m still so pleased to have made it to captain,’ he muses, ‘just like my old friend Barry has. We’re really proud of each other, and it’s brilliant that one small street in Falkirk has produced two sea captains.’

For as long as it still works for his wife and children, he concludes, he’s happy to carry on in the job he has now, as he finds the subsea work interesting and varied. ‘I wouldn’t be too sure about going back to Libya, but I would go if it was part of the job.

And if the need arises again, saving lives at sea is my duty under UNCLOS, so that’s what I and my team will do.’

g A full account by Captain Jamie Wilson of the migrant rescue operations off Libya earlier this year was published in the April 2017 Nautilus Telegraph.

ARE YOU A SERVING OR RETIRED UK SEAFARER? -i>v>ÀiÀ -Õ«« ÀÌ Ã > vÀii V w`i Ì > Ìi i« i > ` i ÀiviÀÀ> ÃiÀÛ Vi i « } Ì ÃÕ«« ÀÌ ÃiÀÛ } > ` v À iÀ 1 Ãi>v>ÀiÀà > ` Ì i À v> iÃ Ì ià v ii`

0800 121 4765

Above left: the young Jamie Wilson hard at work at his cadet studies ‒ ‘sort of!’; and right: with his class at Fleetwood Nautical Campus in 1999

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18/10/2017 10:29

30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

OFFWATCH ships of the past 50 YEARS AGO

over the naming of the new Natural F Environment Research Council vessel had Last year’s ‘Boaty McBoatface’ lobby

echoes of events 50 years ago leading up to the royal launch of the new Cunard flagship on the Clyde.

There had been considerable public and press interest in the likely name of Q4 (how the ship was referred to throughout the planning and build process) from the moment the contract was signed.

There was pressure from Cunard’s New York office for a ‘Queen’ name, while the favourite in the UK — at least in the early days — was Princess Anne.

Immediately before the launch, more than 15,000 bets had been placed with the bookmakers. One in Glasgow was offering odds including: 3-1 for Sir Winston Churchill; 4-1 for Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, or Princess Margaret; 5-1 for Britannia, 6-1 for Princess Anne or John F Kennedy; 8-1 for Queen Victoria; 10-1 for Aquitania; 12-1 for Mauretania; and 14-1 for Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip.

Other suggestions included: Queen of the United States; Great Britain; Ocean Queen; The Crown and Anchor; Rose of England; Twiggy (the iconic fashion model); The New Elizabethan; Gloriana; Windsor Wave; and Donald Campbell (the land and water speed record breaker who had been killed a few weeks earlier).

In the event, the shortlist of three proposed names — Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne — was decided by Cunard chairman Sir Basil Smallpiece and his deputy, Ronald Senior, in May 1967.

The final name was chosen by the same two men on Monday 18 September 1967 — just two days before the launch by Queen Elizabeth II. Once this was done, a message was sent to the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Michael Adeane, at Balmoral — so at that stage only four people knew. The secret was kept to the very end.

A sealed envelope simply containing the name was sent to Cunard’s New York office on the first flight on 19 September. It was to be placed in a safe and only opened if the scheduled live broadcast of the launch to the States failed. The envelope would be retrieved and opened and the New York office would be able to announce the name.

Public speculation continued, and Princess Margaret became the 4-1 favourite on the eve of the launch when it was announced at the last minute that she

Social problems arising from technological developments, changes in work organisation in ships, vocational training and seafarers’ health and welfare were among the subjects discussed at the recent joint maritime commission of the International Labour Organisation. Representatives of the Merchant Navy & Airline Officers Association took part in the meeting, and they spoke of the need for technical developments to be matched by high quality personnel and the development of new skills. The seafarers’ representatives also argued for measures to be taken to deal with the harmful effects of noise onboard and for the provisions of the convention covering accommodation standards to be re-examined because of the trend to build larger ships manned by smaller crews. Shipowners resisted a seafarers’ resolution on accommodation standards, which included requirements for air conditioning MN Journal, November 1967

25 YEARS AGO

How QE2 could have been named Twiggy would attend the ceremony. The yard workers had a different view and chalked ‘Princess Anne’ on the hull — allegedly the preferred name of Captain Warwick (the ship’s master-designate).

But Cunard’s chosen name was not Princess Margaret or Princess Anne, it was not even Queen Elizabeth II, let alone Queen Elizabeth 2. It was simply Queen Elizabeth.

One reason may have been that no British merchant ship had ever been named after a reigning monarch and the company did not wish to presume an exception.

But another reason of considerable weight concerned the sensibility of the Scottish people. The company knew full well that in Scotland the present Queen is not Queen Elizabeth II — she is simply Queen Elizabeth.

When the Queen proceeded at the launch ceremony to name the ship ‘Queen Elizabeth the Second’ — not just ‘Elizabeth’, nor even ‘Elizabeth Two’ — the fleeting look of consternation on Sir Basil’s face was obvious to the millions of television viewers tuned in to the historic event.

In his autobiography, Sir Basil maintained that he ‘could hardly contain’ his delight when the Queen conferred her name in full on the ship. But despite this being clearly her wish, he says he proposed the use of the Arabic ‘2’ as it would not have been appropriate to use the ‘official designation of the Queen as sovereign’ — Roman numerals — in advertising.

Cunard caused even more confusion by issuing a release on 1 February 1968 saying that the Arabic 2 rather than the Roman II was chosen ‘for clarity at a distance’ on the stern of the ship.

As far as the public were concerned, there was little clarity — QE2 was often wrongly referred to as QEII throughout her long career.

Years later, when asked why all the secrecy, Sir Basil said: ‘It just seemed rather fun. People seemed to having a marvellous time trying to work out what it would be called. We decided to let them carry on. We were anxious to continue our tradition of royal names for our ships. I did not, by the way, have a bet with the bookmaker.’

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book QE2: A 50th Anniversary Celebration by Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross (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.

Closing date is Friday 10 November 2017.

QUICK CLUES 8.

9.

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Across Firm (8) Nursery rhyme Solomon (6) Cereal (4) Whisky plant (10) Start of working week (6) Girl’s name (8) Shape (7) Game (7) Mad (8) Cut in two (6) Inertia (10) Profound (4) In the ground (6) Weekend (8)

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Down Frightening (8) Cereal (4) Weekend (6) Note (7) Car key (8) Gulls (10) Loved (6)

10 YEARS AGO Leading ship managers have agreed to put at least one cadet on each ship as part of a strategy to tackle the international seafarer shortage. But Nautilus UK has described the move as ‘totally inadequate’ — warning that much more needs to be done to reverse more than 20 years of failure to recruit sufficient new trainees. Intermanager — which represents companies managing around 2,500 ships in the world fleet — said its members had agreed the target as part of a series of initiatives to bolster crew numbers.

The organisation said it was concerned about the trend for new ships not to have appropriate accommodation for training cadets and it intends to use its influence to reinstate requirements for cadet berths on new tonnage The Telegraph, November 2007

THEQUIZ 1

The global orderbook for new cruiseships currently totals almost 70 vessels. What is the total price tag?

2

What is the total TEU capacity of the global containership fleet at present?

3

In which country is the shipping company SM Line based?

4

What happened to the Canadian shipping company Allan Line?

5

Under which flag was the tanker Amoco Cadiz operating when she ran aground off the French coast in 1978?

6

Where is the ship management company Anglo-Eastern Univan based?

J Quiz answers are on page 38.

Name: Address:

Telephone:

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Tack (7,3) Fruit fields (8) Abstention (8) Oval (7) Cunning (6) Mussolini (6) Dagger (4)

CRYPTIC CLUES 1.

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30_offwatch_SR edit.indd 30

NUMAST is renewing its campaign for government action to boost UK seafarer training following evidence of a big fall in cadet recruitment this year. Research by the Telegraph reveals that the training colleges at Glasgow, South Tyneside and Warsash have enrolled a total of 251 cadets this term — barely one-quarter of the level the UK is accepted to need to meet future requirements. The decline in new entrants reverses a recovery from the all-time low of fewer than 100 cadets starting training in 1987.

NUMAST says the recruitment numbers have tumbled because the value of government support for training has remained unchanged since 1988, while the Chamber of Shipping says the slump is ‘due almost entirely’ to three companies deciding to cease their training programmes The Telegraph, November 1992

11.

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Across The peak of architectural construction (8) Code-breaker links city shrouded in controversy to German capital (6) Hop over rope or rubbish container (4) In suit, very out of place for campus (10) Body right amongst thicket (6) Mixed demon ale with it in shandy (8) Shots in soccer — not the footer type (7)

Membership No.:

17. Vulgar, but snoop around and there’s embarrassment (7) 20. Dined on male venison and gnu’s heart, set to go off (8) 22. A month next to edge is chaos (6) 23. Speaking of knots ... no I can’t (6-4) 24. Shade beyond which it is unacceptable (4) 25. Draw out but we hear it is prohibited (6) 26. To make things worse, an enclosure (8)

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Down Untangle hose link to opening in ground (8) Break for cards (4) Copper in complicated case gets to point the finger (6) Can be read, e.g., I’ll be switched around (7) Holy figure with batch of paper and Queen

gives decoration (8) 6. Now, like Boxing after Christmas (7,3) 7. Brought together peacekeepers with computer science news chief (6) 13. Wild pig caged so it could get some educational theory (10) 16. Catalysts to do with a public convenience (8) 18. Wine extracted from some berries lingers on the palate (8) 19. Spider’s snare turned up with tickle to enchant (7) 21. Scandinavian cave dwellers are outspoken on social media (6) 22. Misses French woman (6) 24. ‘If one of mean affairs / May --- it in a week, why may not I / Glide thither in a day?’

(Cymbeline) (4) J Crossword answers are on page 38.

18/10/2017 10:30

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

MARITIME BOOKS

Expertise that helped find the Derbyshire The Shipwreck Hunter

By David L. Mearns Allen & Unwin, £20 ISBN: 978 17602 95257 for many lost vessels, and in this fascinating K book, David Mearns explains how he has become The world’s ocean floors serve as graveyards

one of the world’s most successful deepsea shipwreck hunters.

In total, he has located 24 significant wrecks — ranging from the Portuguese East Indiaman Esmeralda to the warship HMS Hood, the passenger vessel Athenia (the first ship sunk in the Second World War), and the merchant vessel Lucona, whose dubious loss led to the longest and most expensive trial in Austrian history.

Mearns’s discoveries also include the German blockade runner Rio Grande — for which he holds the Guinness World Record for the deepest shipwreck ever found, at 5,762m. In his book, he details the meticulous research and the stamina and courage required to find a wreck so far below

the surface of the sea, and tells the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies.

Mearns explains the almost accidental way in which his career began after training as a marine geo-physicist, and he vividly describes the challenge, emotion and excitement of searching for shipwrecks.

Eight chapters of the book focus on eight of his most significant missions, and Mearns sets the scene for each of these with well-written background and historical detail about the circumstances of each loss.

One of these chapters has very special relevance for Nautilus International. In 1994, Mearns led the mission — funded by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) — to find the wreck of the bulk carrier Derbyshire, the largest British ship ever lost at sea.

The book tells how Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson — who was then working for the ITF — became involved in ‘a project with an uncertain chance of success’ in the hope of

presenting the reader with a variety of experiences and perspectives, and the volume is packed with vibrant colour pictures. Overall, a nice piece of work which should please the Queen Mary’s many fans.

Conveyor and the death of master Captain Ian North and five other crew during the Falklands war, as well as sad reminders of the days when British shipyards were capable of building such vessels.

The 144-page book brings the story right up to date with the Grimaldi group’s takeover of the company and an account of the development and entry into service of the new G4 con-ro vessels — built in China, registered in the UK, but sadly operating with no British seafarers.

Inside story of industry innovator Atlantic Container Line 1967-2017

By Philip Parker Coastal Shipping, £19.50 ISBN: 978 19029 53830

Nicely done K nostalgia for a Cunard ship’s heyday RMS Queen Mary: The Final Voyage Edited by Richard Tennant, Michael Gallagher and Miles Cowsill Ferry Publications, £24.95 ISBN: 978 19112 68109 f www.ferrypubs.co.uk

K

The beloved liner RMS Queen Mary has now been a floating hotel in the USA longer than she was in active service on the North Atlantic routes for Cunard. But her three decades at sea have not been forgotten, and this new historical anthology remembers these glory days through the prism of her epic final voyage in 1967 — from the UK to California via Cape Horn.

This last great journey was no quiet sailing to a final resting place: the vessel took passengers on a luxurious cruise with stop-offs in Lisbon, Las Palmas and all around South America. Having set the scenee in a foreword and introduction, the editors tell the story of the voyage through extracts from sources including contemporary newspapers, passenger letters and the memoir of the vessel’s last master, Captain John Treasure Jones.

The anthology format works well,l,

31_books_SR edit.indd 31

Atlantic Container Line (ACL) was one of the pioneers in the cargo revolution of the 1960s — and, with its consortium model of operations and ‘conveyor belt’ services between Europe and the US, it also paved the way for sweeping changes in the way that the industry is organised.

As a former manager of ACL’s marine operations, Philip Parker is

not only resolving the mystery of the Derbyshire’s loss but also addressing the wider concerns over the safety of bulk carriers.

With a limited budget, no contingency for bad weather or equipment problems, Mearns admits the mission was ‘a huge gamble’, and the gripping narrative tells of the desperate race against time to locate the wreck some 4km below the surface.

Following the initial discovery, many more years of study were undertaken to determine the causes of the Derbyshire’s loss, and this chapter underlines the huge and tireless struggle by families and nd maritime unions to get to the truth and leave a legacy of improved safety standards. ‘I have been involved in finding arguably more famous ships, but for this simple reason the mv Derbyshire is the most significant,’ Mearns writes.

Reflecting on his 35-year career, the author notes that technological advances have opened up deep ocean exploration to a point where anything

well placed to produce this history of the company — making good use of some excellent archive photography which gives a great insight into the remarkable transformations that took place within shipping over this period, as well as some of the very varied cargoes carried inside the boxes.

There is also a poignant undercurrent — with a section dealing with the loss of Atlantic

Enjoyable sail through centuries of port history Sailing Ships of the Bristol Channel

By Viv Head Amberley, £14.99 ISBN: 978 14456 64002 f www.amberley-books.com

lost at sea can be found — providing you start the search in the right place. Yet we still know more about the surface of the moon and some planets than we know about the ocean floor, he concludes, and ‘in a future where the world’s population will be increasingly dependent on its oceans, we can no longer afford to live in ignorance about the largest part of our planet’.

wealth of maritime history K to lay claim to, and the ships that

The Bristol Channel has a vast

have sailed through it have played vital roles in British trade and development.

In just short of 100 pages, Viv Head charts a course through that history — picking out a selection of significant vessels that demonstrate the remarkable maritime contribution the area has made over the centuries.

The well-researched book starts by looking at the pioneers of the area — the Vikings, as is often the case — and covers the historic voyages of John Cabot’s vessel Matthew and Brunel’s Great Britain, both fondly remembered to this day in Bristol.

It then tells tales of some of the trading vessels that came and went from Bristol — including Cutty Sark and Polly Woodside — as well as the Antarctic exploration vessels which loaded Welsh coal in the Channel before heading south, the working vessels of the region and derelicts that have found their final resting places in Bristol.

There’s also a chapter celebrating the skills and expertise of the local marine pilots and featuring a few of the last remaining original pilot cutters.

With a good selection of fact-based writing and archive photography, the book makes a decent inroad into the Bristol Channel in a colourful and highly readable volume.

Homage to an icon of British shipping QE2: A 50th Anniversary Celebration Q bby Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross TThe History Press, £25.00 IISBN: 978 07509 70280 anniversary of QE2’s launch on the Clyde, K tthis well-produced book serves as a fine tribute Published to coincide with the 50th

tto the classic vessel.

The authors set the development of what was originally code-named Q4 within the w bbroader context of Cunard’s history, its delicate ccommercial position at the start of the 1960s, aand the ‘great gamble’ of committing to remain iin the transatlantic passenger trade.

Lavishly illustrated, the book also contains ssome excellent personal reflections on the sship from key figures in its history — including tthe final master, Captain Ian MacNaught. The sstory of the iconic ship is made richer with such

recollections as Captain Chris Wells describing the infamous Hamburg refit, Commodore John Burton-Hall telling of the 1972 bomb scare, and social hostess Maureen Ryan recounting the day QE2 was requisitioned to serve in the Falklands.

There’s also a nicely written account by Captain Nick Bates of his recruitment to the ship — which he initially declined, thinking it was a wind-up by one of his friends — and Commodore Ronald Warwick’s sad account of taking the vessel to Dubai in 2008.

As the book went to press, QE2 remained in cold lay-up in Port Rashid, and Commodore Burton-Hall reflects in an afterword that a more ‘honourable end’ for the ship would have been being broken up rather than being abandoned as a shell.

For collectors, the book is available in a special £40 slipcase edition with a poster, postcards and a commemorative bookmark.

18/10/2017 11:40

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NL NEWS In this month’s Dutch pages: z Nautilus advice to members on MLC and labour contracts

z Unemployment Act under review

z Looking for new talent in the offshore wind sector z Nautilus prize winner onboard Ms Volendam

z No redundancies at Stena Line z New Stena Line CBA z New P&O NSF CBA z New Merchant Shipping CBA

z New Spliethoff CBA z Nautilus offshore conference in the

making

INTERNATIONAL

z MS Union baptised z Opening of simulation suite at De Ruyter Academy

z Keep Dutch craftsmanship in dredging z Sodexo reorganisation and social plan

Nieuwe Simulator Suite De Ruyter Academie Vlissingen geopend

Brian ten Dam ontvangt Nautilus prijs in Alaska

A

A

Ruim 100 genodigden en tientallen HBO studenten waren op 5 oktober present bij de opening van de nieuwe Simulator Suite op de De Ruyter Academie in Vlissingen. De Telegraph was er ook bij.

Een trotse Bert Schollema, dean De Ruyter Academie, heette de aanwezigen van harte welkom in de centrale hal van de HZ University of Applied Sciences.

Inspirerende presentaties

Hierna werden de aanwezigen getrakteerd op een aantal inspirerende presentaties, waaronder: ‘CSmart, a world class training center for safety and excellence in maritime operations’, Hans Hederström, managing director CSmart.

‘Simulator training during pilots career’, Dennis de Boer, coordinator education and training Regional Pilot Corporation River Scheldt.

‘Future of the next generation Maritime Officers’, Jaap van de Corput, General Manager Technical Support Services Northern Europe Wärtsilä and Ruud van Hamont,

Manager Training Center Wärtsilä.

‘Training in the digital world’, Alexander Ponomarev, Deputy Director Sales — Northern Europe Transas Marine.

‘State of the art’

Vervolgens werd de Simulator Suite op een hoger gelegen verdieping echt geopend en konden de gasten zelf aan het virtuele roer gaan staan. Hierin begeleid door een aantal enthousiaste HBO studenten. Onder hen ook Jelle Kuipers, 2e jaars HBO Marof student. Jelle, over de nieuwe ‘state of the art’ simulatoren: ‘Deze simulatoren zijn hartstikke gaaf en geavanceerd. Oh, even oppassen dat dit containerschip geen aanvaring veroorzaakt. We kunnen hier oefenen met wel 80 verschillende schepen.

Op dit moment zo’n 2 uur per week gemiddeld. Of ik volgend jaar nog wel stage hoef te lopen met al die simulatortraining hier? Natuurlijk wel, maar daar zal dan wel moeten blijken dat de gesimuleerde werkelijkheid overeenkomt met het echte varen op een schip. Ben benieuwd.’

Geef uw mening Vorige maand vroegen wij: Kunnen traditionele scheepsregisters, zoals die van de UK, Nederland en Zwitserland, scheepseigenaren overhalen Flags of Convenience weer om te zetten naar de nationale vlag?

Vriendschappen voor het leven

Brian, aan boord van het Ms Volendam: ‘Ik ben iedereen heel erg dankbaar dat ik deze prijs heb mogen ontvangen. Ik heb mij altijd met veel plezier ingezet voor het MIWB en de mooie WBS vereniging. Ik heb 4 prachtige jaren op Terschelling gehad, waarin ik vriendschappen voor het leven gemaakt heb. Op het MIWB wordt je heel persoonlijk benaderd en bouw je een goede en sterke band op met docenten, hetgeen ik altijd erg heb gewaardeerd! Tijdens mijn vierjarig verblijf op Terschelling heb ik het eiland vaak vervloekt, maar je gaat iets pas echt waarderen als je het niet meer ‘hebt’. Ik ga mijn studententijd ontzettend missen, maar ben ook

erg blij dat ik op mijn 22ste het betaalde werkleven in mag stappen. De maritieme wereld is een klein wereldje en ik ben ervan overtuigd veel mede WBS-ers van mijn jaar te treffen… waar dan ook op deze wereld’.

Het juryrapport:

Toen Brian in 2013 naar het MIWB kwam moest hij zoals ieder andere student eerst de introductie, de biggenweek, overleven. Op zijn facebook pagina was toen te lezen: ‘Gadverdamme wat een slechte eerste dag gehad gister op Terschelling. De ontgroening is … afschuwelijk maar het duurt nog even en dan wordt het wel leuk, hopelijk.’

Dat het na die eerste dag goed gekomen is, blijkt uit de activiteiten die Brian in de 4 jaren die hij voor zijn studie nodig had ontplooid heeft. Als eerste

handeling plantte hij de vlag van FC Twente op de campus. Daarna werd hij secretaris van de WBS vereniging, bouwde hij aan gezelligheid door een kerstboom van bierflesjes te fabriceren en vormde hij de gezelligheidsspil van zijn jaar. Hij was betrokken bij de fameuze Zeepkistenrace en zijn rol als visagiste bij het MIWB mannenkoor zal nooit worden vergeten.

Luisterend oor

Daarnaast studeerde Brian zichzelf als een speer door de opleiding. Er kan dus gezegd worden dat deze student het nuttige met het aangename op een zeer weloverwogen manier aan elkaar gekoppeld heeft. Altijd met een luisterend oor en met oog voor de algemene belangen van de student. Ook voor de school was Brian een goede en

serieuze partner. Nooit te beroerd voor wat extra taken.

Oppassen op eerste jaars, een extra enquête, afreizen naar Leeuwarden om schoolbelangen te verdedigen, open dagen, voorlichting geven, noem maar op Brian was er bij aanwezig.

Altijd in staat om ook mopperende studenten met zijn optimistische kijk voor zich of een idee te winnen.

Het is vooral deze positieve uitstraling en onbaatzuchtige coöperatieve instelling die voor school en medestudenten van groot belang was die ertoe geleid heeft Brian voor te dragen voor de vermelding als ‘Meest sociale student’.

Drie dames aan de slag bij Boskalis

In totaal slaagden dit jaar 61 studenten. Tijdens deze middag waren 38 geslaagden aanwezig.

De gediplomeerde Marof en Ocean Technology studenten, evenals 3 Master Marine gediplomeerden, kregen stuk voor stuk een luid applaus van familie, vrienden en fans.

Opvallend was dat de (enige) vrouwelijke Ocean Technology gediplomeerden Liesbeth Kortenhoeven, Dzjamilja Tjeerde en Emma Vos alle drie aan de slag gaan bij Boskalis.

Na afloop van de ceremonie verzamelden de studenten en hun leraren zich op het bordes om de fameuze Terschellinger bordesfoto te laten maken.

Reorganisatie en sociaal plan Sodexo

Nee 55%

F Ja 45%

De poll van deze maand is: Bent u het eens met de Faststream research uitkomsten waarin geconcludeerd wordt dat voormalige zeevarenden vaak niet de beste leidinggevenden aan wal zijn? Geef ons uw mening online, op nautilusint.org/nl

32-35_nl_17.10.17.indd 32

Vrijdagmiddag 22 september kreeg een blij verraste MIWB student Brian ten Dam te horen dat hij de Nautilus prijs Meest Sociale Student Terschelling had gewonnen. Nautilus communicatie adviseur Hans Walthie las hem het juryrapport voor in een bomvolle aula tijdens de jaarlijkse diploma uitreiking op de Terschellinger zeevaartschool.

Op twee grote schermen konden de aanwezigen een glunderende Brian zien aan boord van het Ms Volendam (Holland Amerika Lijn) zo’n 7.000 kilometer verderop voor de kust van Alaska!

Sodexo deed op 30 augustus een melding collectief ontslag bij het UWV en informeerde in het verlengde hiervan ook de vakbonden Nautilus en FNV. De bonden werden op de hoogte gebracht door Sodexo, omdat door de sluiting van 6 platforms van de NAM en Total op het Nederlands continentaal plat in totaal 41 arbeidsplaatsen in de offshore catering verloren zullen gaan de komende maanden.

Vervolgens zijn FNV en Nautilus in overleg gegaan met Sodexo om te komen tot een sociaal plan, conform de cao voor de offshore catering, om de sociale gevolgen te verzachten. Op 27 september bereikten FNV en Nautilus overeenstemming met Sodexo over de inhoud van dit plan. Het sociaal plan werd op 28 september door Sodexo verspreid onder alle offshore catering medewerkers.

vaststellingsovereenkomst overeenkomen het dienstverband te beëindigen. z Sodexo zal met betrekking tot begeleiding van werk naar werk een intakegesprek met de betrokken werknemers voeren en bezien wat de herplaatsingsmogelijkheden zijn binnen en buiten Sodexo. z Voor scholing om de werknemers beter bemiddelbaar te maken op de arbeidsmarkt is een budget overeengekomen van 750 Euro. z Sodexo vergoedt tot een maximumbedrag van 500 euro de gemaakte kosten aan rechtsbijstand. z Als laatste bestaat er een vrijwillige vertrekregeling. Mensen die hiervoor in aanmerking willen komen, kunnen zich melden bij de werkgever. Sodexo bepaalt wie er in aanmerking komt en onder welke voorwaarden.

Inhoud sociaal plan op hoofdlijnen: z Beoordeling wie voor ontslag in aanmerking komt, vindt plaats op grond van het zogenaamde afspiegelingsbeginsel. Dit is een wettelijke regeling. z Een transitievergoeding gebaseerd op factor 1,35 indien Sodexo en de werknemers via een

Leden akkoord met sociaal plan

Nautilus en FNV zijn van mening dat er een goed sociaal plan ligt. Hierbij rekening houdend met de moeilijke economische toestand waarin de offshore sector en de offshore catering in het bijzonder zich bevindt. De bonden legden het plan dan ook met een positief advies aan de leden voor. Ruim 90 %

van de leden die hun stem uitbrachten, stemde voor het sociaal plan. Op 6 oktober werd Sodexo door Nautilus geïnformeerd over de uitslag.

Vervolgens heeft Sodexo de werknemers, die boventallig zijn, geïnformeerd.

Persoonlijke begeleiding via ‘Werken aan Werk’

Komende tijd zal Nautilus de betrokken werknemers nog met raad en daad bijstaan, waarbij via het FNV/Nautilus project ‘Werken aan Werk’ werknemers (leden en niet leden) desgewenst worden bijgestaan met persoonlijke begeleiding en training bij dreigend ontslag.

g Meer informatie over dit project, met een filmpje en een brochure, is te vinden op onze website: www.nautilusint.org/nl/wat-we-zeggen/ nautilus-nieuws/nautilus-adviescentrum-vanstart g Neem voor een afspraak met het Nautilus adviescentrum contact op met Jelle de Boer via 010-4771188 of infonl@nautilusint.org.

18/10/2017 14:58

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 33

NL NEWS

Nederlands vakmanschap in Waterbouw moet blijven A

De FNV Waterbouw (onderdeel Nautilus) enquête ‘Stop de Verdringing in de Waterbouw’ heeft ruim 250 reacties opgeleverd van werknemers bij Nederlandse waterbouwbedrijven, die het met deze stelling eens zijn.

Slechts 17 afwijzende reacties op de stelling kwamen binnen. Ook kwamen vele honderden instemmende reacties binnen op FNV Waterbouw Facebook.

Hier kwamen ook een aantal negatieve reacties op binnen.

Met als rode draad vooral veel teleurgestelde reacties als dat ‘de bond te laat is om dit nu nog aan de kaak te stellen’ en ‘dat dit al veel eerder had moeten gebeuren’.

In gesprek met Tweede Kamerleden

Opleidingsschip Union gedoopt in IJmuiden Zwiepende slagregens en plagerige windstoten F konden donderdagmiddag 14 september de doop van het nieuwste opleidingsschip MS Union niet verhinderen. De VMBO-leerlingen van het Maritiem College IJmuiden en de Maritieme Academie Harlingen kunnen nu nog beter worden voorbereid op hun werkzame maritieme leven.

Prins van Oranje

De ruim 100 genodigden werden voorafgaand aan de doop ontvangen op de salonboot Prins van Oranje. Evenals het opleidingsschip MS Prinses Maxima afgemeerd aan de Loswal te IJmuiden. Maritieme Academie Harlingen directeur en MS Union bouwbegeleider Arjen Mintjes gaf in zijn toelichtende speech aan ‘dat alle leerlingen van beide opleidingen in IJmuiden en Harlingen op het MS Union nu zowel op grote als kleine schepen kunnen leren varen.’

De complete matroos

‘Gecombineerd met leren op school en achter de simulatoren kunnen we nu ‘de complete matroos’ afleveren.

Dat willen we aanbieden als gezamenlijke opleidingen’, aldus de trotse directeur en bouwbegeleider.

In gesprek met Tweede Kamerleden

FNV Waterbouw voorzitter Charley Ramdas: ‘Die afspraak gaan wij als FNV Waterbouw bestuur, samen met een aantal

van onze kaderleden, binnenkort maken. Waren vroeger onze Hollands Gloriebedrijven in de Waterbouw nog trots op Nederlandse vakmensen, nu zie je de laatste jaren toch een trend dat hardwerkende Nederlandse vaklieden, steeds meer het veld moeten ruimen voor Oost Europese en Aziatische werknemers, vaak aangenomen op tijdelijke pulpcontracten. Die mogen dan eerst nog even ingewerkt worden door de vaste Nederlandse vakkrachten en vervolgens kunnen zij dan gaan.

Hiermee ondermijn je deze mooie sector. Daar willen we het eens goed over hebben met enkele Tweede Kamerleden. Je moet je immers ook als politiek toch af gaan vragen of je dit soort bedrijven, als ze zo doorgaan, nog langer wil promoten op

exporttrips en dergelijke. Tevens willen we nadrukkelijker gaan onderzoeken, ook met hulp van de ITF en van onze eigen Nautilus Federation, of onze waterbouwbedrijven die actief in het buitenland zijn, zich met name wel goed houden aan alle afspraken qua correcte naleving van internationale afspraken en arbeidsvoorwaarden aan boord.’

FNV WATERBOUW LEDEN KIEZEN VOOR PENSIOENFONDS BPF WATERBOUW

Meer dan 90% van de FNV Waterbouw leden heeft deze zomer aangegeven dat het pensioenfonds BPF Waterbouw zelfstandig moet blijven voortbestaan voor zowel de huidige als nieuwe aanspraken.

Dit is gebleken uit uitvoerig onderzoek.

Al in juni echter hadden Baggermaatschappij Boskalis BV (Boskalis) en Van Oord FNV Waterbouw het Pensioenfonds bestuur op de hoogte gebracht van hun voorgenomen besluit om de overeenkomst inzake vrijwillige deelname (aan de pensioenregeling) tegen 1 januari 2018 te willen opzeggen. Beide bedrijven blijken dit onder te willen brengen bij het pensioenfonds PGB onder voorbehoud dat de ondernemingsraden van beide bedrijven hiermee instemmen.

Dit voorgenomen besluit heeft negatieve consequenties voor de deelnemers dan wel de werknemers.

Negatieve gevolgen splitsing

Het bestuur van het Pensioenfonds Waterbouw heeft aangegeven dat deze splitsing nadelige gevolgen heeft voor o.a.: z het nabestaanden pensioen z de premievrije opbouw wegens arbeidsongeschiktheid z de (vrijwillige) ANW-hiaat verzekering Charley Ramdas: ‘Wij blijven onze leden en alle werknemers bij Van Oord en Boskalis dan ook oproepen er bij hun OR vertegenwoordigers op aan te dringen dat de OR-en voordat ze hun definitieve besluit nemen een toelichting aan de medewerkers geven, op grond waarvan ze hun besluit nemen.’

Jonge meisjes

Het MS Union werd in drie jaar gebouwd door leerlingen van scheepswerf De Chinook in Haarlem een Perspectief Leerbedrijf. Onder begeleiding van leermeesters Ed Zijlstra en Michel Kaspers.

Hoofdsponsor van dit unieke project is naamgever de Stichting Union in 2006 voortgekomen uit de ‘Nederlandse Vereniging ter bescherming van jonge meisjes’…

Mevrouw Doornbos van deze stichting verrichtte onder luid applaus de doop.

De Union is 14 meter lang en 4 ½ meter breed en voorzien van alle moderne nautische apparatuur.

Bovendien is er nog een klein klaslokaal aan boord.

Wilt u een groter publiek bereiken? Presenteer uw product of service aan meer dan 15,000 maritieme professionele lezers uit Nederland, ter land en op zee!

Spreek met één van onze vertegenwoordigers om uit te vinden hoe wij u het beste kunnen helpen.

Neem contact op met Hammad Uddin van Redactive Media Group T: +44 (0)20 7324 2756 E: hammad.uddin@redactive.co.uk.

32-35_nl_17.10.17.indd 33

Tijdens een op 5 oktober gehouden ‘terugkoppelingsbijeenkomst’ met actieve leden in het Baggermuseum in Sliedrecht werden deze resultaten besproken. En werd ingestemd met het voorstel om over deze resultaten en over de teloorgang van Nederlands vakmanschap een gesprek aan te gaan met een aantal Tweede Kamerleden.

Boskalis en Van Oord zeggen pensioenovereenkomst vrijwillige deelname op

Offshore leden: denk en praat mee over onze Offshore Conferentie

A

In maart 2018 organiseert Nautilus International een grote Offshore Conferentie.

Graag bereiden wij die voor met onze leden, werkzaam in de Offshore. Wat houdt u bezig als werknemer in de Offshore? Wat kunnen wij als bond voor u doen? Wat is er in de sector niet goed geregeld? Welke onderwerpen vindt u interessant voor de conferentie? Wat voor sprekers zou u graag

horen? Heeft u suggesties voor een passende locatie?

De dag staat zowel in het teken van de Offshore Olie en Gas als van de Offshore Wind.

onze leden uit de offshore brainstormen over de conferentie.

Wilt u meepraten? Meld u dan alvast aan bij: infonl@nautilusint.org

Brainstorm mee op 16 januari

g Ook als u niet kunt komen, maar wel ideeën of suggesties heeft, dan horen wij dat graag per mail van u: infonl@nautilusint.org

g Op 16 januari 2018 willen wij graag met

18/10/2017 13:56

34 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NL NEWS

Volg ons op Twitter

Dienstverlening Nautilus International en FNV Waterbouw vakbondszaken belicht waarin F Nautilus en FNV Waterbouw een In deze rubriek worden steeds

actieve rol spelen ten behoeve van de leden.

Dit keer betreft het:

maand nog maar een halve maand WW of WGA op per gewerkt jaar. De maximale duur van de WW- en de WGA-uitkeringen is 24 maanden geworden. Voorheen was dit 38 maanden. De PAWW repareert de kortere WW en WGA.

Reparatie WW en WGA Wie betaalt de reparatie?

Het kabinet heeft om te bezuinigen de opbouw en de lengte van de WW en de WGA (Werkhervatting Gedeeltelijk Arbeidsgeschikten) verkort; dat is slecht nieuws. Maar het goede nieuws is dat de FNV (waarbij ook Nautilus is aangesloten) samen met andere vakbonden en werkgevers afspraken heeft gemaakt om de WW te repareren.

Daardoor houden mensen die hun werk verliezen meer zekerheid over hun inkomen, en worden zij beter begeleid naar ander werk.

De reparatie-afspraken zijn merkbaar voor iedereen die langer dan tien jaar gewerkt heeft.

Er is bovendien een overgangsregeling van toepassing.

Wat betekent dit als u de WW in gaat?

Bent u na 1 januari 2016 werkloos geworden en werkte u langer dan 10 jaar? Dan geldt een kortere duur voor uw WW- (of WGA-) uitkering.

Dit heeft mogelijk financiële gevolgen. Om dit op te vangen is de PAWW ontwikkeld: Private Aanvulling WW en loongerelateerde WGA. Dit is de private uitkering die ingaat na afloop van uw wettelijke WW- of loongerelateerde WGA. Met de PAWW komt de duur van de WW en WGA weer op het oude niveau. In de cao maken FNV, Nautilus, CNV en bij de VCP aangesloten vakorganisaties afspraken met werkgevers om de WW- en WGA-uitkeringen te repareren. Zo houden mensen die hun werk verliezen meer zekerheid over hun inkomen.

Wat wordt gerepareerd?

De WW- en de WGA-uitkeringen zijn nu anders opgebouwd. Uw recht op WW of WGA wordt anders berekend.

Daardoor is de periode dat u recht heeft op WW of WGA korter geworden. Werkt u langer dan 10 jaar, dan bouwt u in plaats van een

De werknemers betalen de bijdrage voor de reparatie. De bijdrage wordt door de werkgever ingehouden op het brutoloon van de werknemer. Die storten de bijdrage in het PAWWfonds. De premie voor de wettelijke WW wordt door de werkgevers betaald. Dit is zo afgesproken door de werkgevers- en werknemersorganisaties.

Hoe hebben we de reparatie geregeld?

In een aantal cao’s is hierover inmiddels overeenstemming bereikt.

Voor het beheer van de bijdragegelden is de Stichting PAWW opgericht. Het bestuur van deze stichting bestaat uit vertegenwoordigers van werkgevers en werknemers.

Zij zien erop toe dat er voldoende geld in het fonds zit om de uitkeringen te betalen. In het bijzondere geval dat de uitgaven groter zijn dan de inkomsten kunnen de uitkeringen worden verlaagd of stopgezet.

Rekenvoorbeeld

Joop wordt na 18 jaar werken werkloos. In de oude situatie zou zij 18 maanden WW krijgen. In de nieuwe situatie wordt dit anders: (10 x 1) + (8 x 1 ⁄2) = 14 maanden WW. Joop krijgt 4 maanden minder lang WW. Die 4 maanden repareert de PAWW. Stapt u over naar een baan waarin geen reparatieafspraken in de cao zijn gemaakt?

Dan kunt u geen aanspraak maken op de reparatie als y van daaruit werkloos wordt. Daarom is het zo belangrijk dat wij in zo veel mogelijk cao’s de reparatie van de WW en de WGA vastleggen.

g Meer info is te vinden op de website van de Stichting PAWW: spaww.nl

Niemand de poort uit bij Stena Line…ook niet in de UK! A

Tevredenheid alom aan boord van de Stena Hollandica dinsdag-ochtend 26 september. Toen kwamen Nautilus bestuurders Marcel van Dam en Maarten Keuss, samen met Nautilus communicatie adviseur Hans Walthie en stagiair Renko Renaud de Stena Line medewerkers feliciteren met hun geslaagde missie voor de Nederlandse officieren bij Stena Line: ‘Niemand gedwongen de poort uit’.

Het had echter niet veel gescheeld of de 5 Stena Line schepen onder Nederlandse vlag hadden dinsdagmiddag 26 september nog een vlootbreed protestsignaal afgegeven.

Want tot op dat moment wilde de Stena Line directie nog altijd geen werkgelegenheidsgarantie afgeven aan de Nederlandse officieren. Maar op maandagmiddag 25 september deelde Stena Line via een interne MEMO mee aan de bemanning op de schepen mee dat ‘wij de werkgelegenheid garanderen van alle huidige zeevarenden in dienst van Stena Line B.V.’ Samen met onze Nederlandse leden

Nautilus bestuurder Marcel van Dam: ‘Samen met onze leden hebben wij ons vanaf het begin af aan op het standpunt gesteld: ‘Niemand gedwongen de poort uit!’ En samen met onze leden hebben we hier hard voor geknokt. De actiebereidheid was daarom op alle schepen ongekend groot. Dat heeft de Stena Line directie goed begrepen en daarom hebben we dit traject nu positief kunnen afsluiten met elkaar. Dat is ook een groot compliment voor onze Nederlandse Nautilus leden, die hebben laten zien dat solidariteit met elkaar positief uitpakt.’

Werkgelenheidsgarantie UK

‘Wat echter nog steeds niet rond is’, vervolgt Marcel van Dam, ‘is het afgeven van een werkgelegenheidsgarantie voor de Engelse officieren van de Stena Line. Gedurende ons actietraject hebben we steeds nauw met onze Engelse vakbondsbestuurder in contact gestaan. Eerst leek het erop dat het ook aan die kant goed zou komen. Maar nu blijkt dat de strijd daar bepaald nog niet is gestreden.’

Motie Nautilus UK jaarvergadering

Inmiddels is op de jaarvergadering van de UK branch van Nautilus International op 3 oktober een motie aangenomen waarin het dreigend banenverlies aan de Engelse kant bij Stena Line wordt veroordeeld.

Aan de Engelse officieren van Stena Line wordt wellicht gevraagd of zij stakingen of andere acties ondersteunen, tenzij het bedrijf serieuze onderhandelingen start over het dreigende banenverlies onder Britse zeevarenden die werkzaam zijn in de

Noordzeeservice van Stena Line, zo waarschuwt Nautilus.

De aanwezige leden tijdens de UK brancheconferentie stemden unaniem vóór een door het nationaal comité ingediende motie waarin zorg werd uitgesproken over de ‘onacceptabele positie’ die het bedrijf inneemt bij het uit de vaart halen van de onder Britse vlag varende vrachtschip Capucine. Tijdens de conferentie spraken de aanwezigen hun misnoegen uit over de beslissing van de Stena Group om de twee tijdbevrachtingsschepen in te zetten op de route Killingholme-Europoort.

Baanbehoud Britse zeevarende leden

De conferentie verwelkomde het feit dat er in Nederland banen behouden blijven, maar betreurt het ‘discriminerende gedrag van de werkgever ten opzichte van Britse zeevarenden’. Waarbij wordt opgemerkt dat, hoewel Nautilus gesprekken en onderhandelingen is begonnen om de banen van Britse zeevarende leden te beschermen en Stena BV is teruggekomen op zijn besluit voor wat betreft de Nederlandse bemanning, het management in de UK zijn standpunt handhaaft inzake mogelijke ontslagen onder de Britse officieren. In de motie wordt ook de zorg uitgesproken dat de acties van de werkgever mogelijk strijdig zijn met het Britse en Europese arbeidsrecht en Stena Group wordt opgeroepen om zijn Britse personeel op dezelfde wijze te behandelen als het Nederlandse personeel.

Steun voor mogelijke acties

De conferentie sprak zijn steun uit voor ‘noodzakelijke vereiste actie’, zowel industrieel als juridisch’, om te garanderen dat Britse Nautilus-leden dezelfde behandeling krijgen als hun Nederlandse collega’s die op dezelfde route werken. Tevens heeft Nautilus opgeroepen om ‘alle mogelijke juridische wegen te bewandelen, voor zover leden de wettelijke grondslag hebben voor het indienen van claims wegens discriminatie, voor de bescherming van TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) en het niet in acht nemen van ontslagcriteria’.

De conferentie waarschuwde verder dat als het bedrijf geen serieuze onderhandelingen met de vakbond opent, ‘Nautilus International mogelijk zal overwegen of er een conflictsituatie is ontstaan en zijn leden een stemming zal voorleggen over stakingen en/of het voeren van industriële acties, in aanvulling op het verkennen van alle toepasselijke juridische wegen’.

Gelijke behandeling

Mark Dickinson, general secretary van Nautilus merkt op: ‘Dit is een zeer ernstige situatie en onze leden hebben onmiskenbaar duidelijk gemaakt dat zij het niet tolereren dat het bedrijf de zeevarenden aan de ene kant van de Noordzeeroute uitspeelt tegen hun collega’s aan de andere kant. Aan beide zijden van het Kanaal dient er sprake te zijn van gelijke behandeling en het bedrijf moet zich bewust zijn van de risico’s die oneerlijke behandeling van zijn personeel uit de UK met zich meebrengt.’

Nieuwe cao (2017–2020) met Stena Line rond eind september een A werkgelegenheidsgarantie had afgegeven Nadat de Stena Line directie

voor alle Nederlandse zeevarenden in vaste dienst, was het zaak om ook het cao-traject weer nieuw leven in te blazen. Dit traject was tijdelijk stilgezet in verband met de lopende acties ‘Niemand gedwongen de poort uit!’.

Nu deze acties met succes waren afgerond, kon ook het cao-traject weer worden opgepakt.

Na drie onderhandelingsrondes in mei, juli en augustus bereikte Nautilus, hierbij bijgestaan door kaderleden, een

32-35_nl_17.10.17.indd 34

principeakkoord. Dit principeakkoord werd op 3 oktober met leden besproken aan boord van de Stena Hollandica. Tijdens de ledenvergadering gaf Nautilus bestuurder Marcel van Dam een toelichting over het tot stand komen van het principeakkoord en de inhoud van het akkoord.

De volgende belangrijke punten zijn overeengekomen: z Een Looptijd van drie jaar van 1 april 2017 tot 1 april 2020. z Gageverhogingen van 2% per 1 oktober 2017, 1.5% per 1 juli 2018 en 1,5 per 1 juli 2019 met daarbij de afspraak dat mocht de

prijscompensatie over 2019 meer zijn dan 1,7% het meerdere per 1 januari 2020 zal worden toegekend. z Een bijdrage in de zorgverzekering van 180 Euro per jaar over de jaren 2018, 2019 en 2020. z Reparatie van het 3de WW jaar conform de afspraken die gemaakt zijn in het Sociaal Akkoord 2013 en de Stichting van de Arbeid.

Hiermee worden de verslechteringen in de WW en de WGA bij arbeidsongeschiktheid ongedaan gemaakt. z De huidige Sociale Begeleidingsregeling wordt voortgezet tot 1 juli 2020. Deze

regeling is van toepassing om de sociale consequenties op te vangen voor de zeevarenden in geval van fusie, reorganisatie of inkrimping. z Functiewaarderingsonderzoek naar de functie van de elektricien ten opzichte van de 3de werktuigkundige.

Instemming Stena Line directie

Marcel van Dam: ‘Na de toelichting, waarbij ook gelegenheid was voor het stellen van vragen en voor onderlinge discussie, konden de leden zich uitspreken over het principeakkoord. De leden waren van mening

dat de ingangsdatum van de eerste verhoging 1 oktober 2017 naar voren moest worden gehaald. Voor het overige kon men zich in ruime meerderheid vinden in het akkoord.

Met deze boodschap werd teruggegaan naar de werkgever. Stena stemde vervolgens in met de eis van onze leden. In lijn met de andere verhogingen werd afgesproken ook de eerste verhoging van 2% per 1 juli toe te kennen. Nu er een akkoord is, kunnen we komen tot afwikkeling van de cao. Komende maanden wordt nog gewerkt aan het aanpassen van het reglement en van de mantel cao.’

18/10/2017 13:54

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 35

NL NEWS

Vers van de pers: principe akkoord cao’s Handelsvaart en Spliethoff A

Vlak voor het ter perse gaan van dit nummer werd bekend dat Nautilus en de Nederlandse reders een principe akkoord hebben bereikt voor een nieuwe sector cao Handelsvaart en een nieuwe cao voor Spliethoff. Looptijd: van 1 april 2017 t/m 31 maart 2018.

In ons Telegraph decembernummer zullen wij u hier uitgebreid over informeren.

Werkgelegenheidspact Nederlandse zeevarenden

Cao-onderhandelaars Marcel van

Dam en Sascha Meijer lichten alvast een tipje van de sluier op: ‘Ondanks de magere tijden in de Koopvaardij spraken wij een loonsverhoging af van 1,5% per 1 januari 2018 af en een werkgelegenheidspact voor Nederlandse zeevarenden. Ook gaan Nautilus en de reders bouwen aan een fonds en een pool om generatiepacten in betere tijden mogelijk te maken.

Alles in het kader van ‘gezond werkend ouder worden’ in de zeevaart. Maar ook om zorg en arbeid beter te kunnen combineren.’

Ledenraadpleging

Op 10 november gaan wij onze leden raadplegen over dit principe akkoord. Alle betrokken leden worden hiertoe uitgenodigd. g Leden kunnen zich hiervoor aanmelden bij infonl@nautilusint. org

Wij hebben Facebook.

Volg ons ook!

Bezoek www.nautilusint.org

Nautilus staat voor u klaar Ervaringen van de werkvloer

Voor veel leden is Nautilus International zichtbaar aan boord. Vertegenwoordigers van ‘de bond’ stappen regelmatig aan boord voor contact met leden. Er zijn allerhande onderwerpen die tijdens bezoeken ter sprake komen: cao ontwikkelingen, pensioen, ontwikkelingen binnen de eigen rederij … of werk gerelateerde onderwerpen. Dit kunnen situaties zijn die men in de alledaagse praktijk meemaakt. Maar ook veranderingen van weten regelgeving of invoering van nieuwe regels.

Het kan ook gaan over veiligheid of leefb aarheid.

Daarnaast worden wij regelmatig verzocht aan boord te komen. Het kan zijn dat men iets dringends met ons heeft te bespreken. Of dat individuele zeevarenden met een nijpende situatie te maken hebben.

Schepelingendienst

Nieuwe cao P&O North Sea Ferries Acties afgeblazen

Op 1 en 7 september jongstleden gaven de Nautilus leden in de ledenvergaderingen aan dat zij koste wat kost de huidige Sociale Begeleidingsregeling (die gebaseerd is op de kantonrechterformule) wilden behouden in de nieuwe cao.

Met deze boodschap is Nautilus vervolgens op pad gegaan.

Op 14 september heeft Nautilus deze boodschap aan de werkgever overgebracht. Het management van P&O NSF in Europoort gaf toen aan dat zij geen mandaat had om hierover te beslissen. Daarom moest het management terug voor overleg naar de P&OBoard in Engeland (Dover).

SBR regeling wordt gecontinueerd: acties afgeblazen

Begin oktober meldde de werkgever aan Nautilus dat P&O NSF de SBR zal continueren gedurende de looptijd van de cao.

Hiermee is de werkgever tegemoet gekomen aan de eis van de leden.

Het klaarliggende actiedraaiboek hoefde hierdoor niet uit de kast getrokken te worden. Nautilus bestuurder Marcel van Dam: ‘Dit was een heel zwaar punt voor

32-35_nl_17.10.17.indd 35

onze leden, waarvoor men ook bereid was actie te voeren. Maar uiteindelijk ging de P&O directie hierdoor toch overstag en ligt er nu een goede cao’.

Invoering ouderenregeling

De belangrijkste punten van de nieuwe ondernemings-cao P&O North Sea Ferries zijn: z looptijd van twee jaar: 1 januari 2017 t/m 31 december 2018 z loonsverhoging van 2,0% (1% in januari 2017 en nog eens 1% in januari 2018) + daarnaast zal de APC (afgeleide prijscompensatie) bovenop de 2,0% loonsverhoging toegepast worden z parttime werken wordt vastgelegd in de cao (alleen mogelijk op basis van 50%) z ouderenregeling wordt ingevoerd: inhoudende 80% werken voor 93% salaris met 100% pensioenopbouw voor alle zeevarenden vanaf 60 jaar.

Dit is een NOVUM in de maritieme wereld z de SBR zal van toepassing blijven gedurende de looptijd z reparatie van het 3de WW jaar waardoor zeevarenden bij P&O NSF recht hebben op 36 maanden WW uitkering in plaats van de wettelijke 24 maanden

Niet voor het eerst zijn wij sinds het van kracht worden van MLC 2006 (Maritiem Arbeidsverdrag) aan boord van zeeschepen geconfronteerd met een situatie, die tot verbazing leidt.

Bij controle door autoriteiten na binnenkomst van een zeeschip bleek bijvoorbeeld, dat de arbeidsovereenkomst van een opvarende voor wat betreft de einddatum inmiddels was geëindigd.

De betreffende zeevarende verbleef nog altijd aan boord en verrichtte ook schepelingendienst.

De controlerende autoriteiten stelden dat dit in strijd was met het Maritiem Arbeidsverdrag en dreigden met het opleggen van (fikse) boetes.

Niet alleen aan het adres van de betreffende zeevarende, maar ook bij de werkgever c.q. scheepsbeheerder. De zeevarende in kwestie mocht geen schepelingendienst meer verrichten.

Dit had kunnen worden voorkomen door tijdige aflossing. Of door in aansluiting op het bestaande, eerste contract, een nieuw (tijdelijk) contract te regelen.

Afgemonsterd

In het Maritiem Arbeidsverdrag is verder vastgelegd, dat een zeevarende niet langer dan 12 maanden aaneengesloten schepelingendienst mag verrichten (gemonsterd mag zijn). Uiterlijk bij afloop van deze 12 maanden, of uiteraard eerder, moet de desbetreffende zeevarende worden afgemonsterd. Ook deze situatie heeft bij controle aan boord door autoriteiten geleid tot de dreiging, dat een (fikse) boete kon worden opgelegd.

Aan boord van een schip dat nog maar net enige dagen eerder was binnengelopen, spraken wij enkele flink ongeruste zeevarenden. Een aantal van hen had een arbeidsovereenkomst die qua tijdsduur ruimschoots was overschreden.

Verder bleek één van hen op eigen verzoek langer aan boord te zijn dan oorspronkelijk bij contract was geregeld. Dit leidde ook nog eens tot overschrijding van de eerder genoemde maximale tijd van 12 maanden, dat een zeevarende aaneengesloten gemonsterd mag zijn. Daarbij was het juist op dit schip helemaal niet duidelijk voor de betreffende zeevarenden, of zij wel zouden

worden afgemonsterd. Door omstandigheden kon het namelijk zomaar gebeuren, dat het schip aan de ketting kon worden gelegd. En het was maar de vraag hoe bij een eventuele controle door autoriteiten zou worden gereageerd op het ontbreken van een nieuw, aansluitend contract.

Dat beseften deze zeevarenden maar al te goed, waardoor zij behoorlijk in hun rats zaten.

En dan was ook nog volledig onbekend, voor wat voor tijdsduur een eventueel vervolgcontract zou moeten gaan gelden, indien het schip daadwerkelijk aan de ketting werd gelegd.

Op Nederlandse schepen

Denkt u nu vooral niet dat dit op Nederlandse vlag schepen en met Nederlandse autoriteiten niet voorkomt. Alle hiervoor genoemde praktijkervaringen vonden plaats op Nederlandse schepen. En in Nederlandse havens.

Ons advies: let op uw zaak. Niet alleen uw werkgever of kapitein, maar ook de schepeling zelf dient hier rekening mee te houden. Hoofdelijk aansprakelijk gesteld worden met een (fikse) geldboete in het vooruitzicht is niet fijn. In het geval u met een gelijkluidende situatie te maken krijgt of denkt dat dit dreigt te gaan ontstaan, maak het bij uw kapitein vooral kenbaar. Bij twijfel kunt u als Nautilus lid uiteraard advies bij ons inwinnen. Wij zijn er immers voor de georganiseerde werknemer. g Neem voor advies contact op met Nautilus: infonl@nautilusint.org tel: +31 (0) 10 4771 188.

Offshore Wind sector op zoek naar aanstormend talent circa 4.000 mensen in de F Nederlandse Offshore Wind sector.

Op dit moment werken er

Maar in 2030 wordt verwacht dat er ruim 30.000 mensen nodig zijn in deze sector, die de wind steeds meer in de rug krijgt. De strijd om aanstromend universitair talent aan te trekken woedt al volop. Evenals goed geschoolde MBO- en HBO-ers. Maar er is nu al een tekort aan goed geschoolde technici.

Dit werd duidelijk tijdens een aantal presentaties tijdens de Offshore Wind Conferentie in de Rai in Amsterdam op 9 oktober.

Aantrekkelijke sector om in te werken

‘Dat we al op korte termijn meer mensen nodig hebben, is duidelijk.

Het gaat goed met de Nederlandse

en Noordwest Europese Offshore Wind sector. Daarom staan we nu voor de uitdaging ons als sector ook op aantrekkelijke wijze te profileren voor mensen die erin willen werken’, aldus David Molenaar, country manager Siemens Gamea. Eén van de sprekers.

Paul Boumans, commercial director Falck Netherlands, stelde dat ‘de sector nog te kampen heeft met een onveilig imago’. ‘Daar moeten we aan werken en daar zijn we druk mee bezig. Het is voor een technicus juist een mooie en uitdagende sector om in te werken. ‘Lifelong learning’ is ook iets wat deze sector biedt. Volop uitdagingen dus voor ambitieuze jonge technici.’

Augmented reality in actie

Eén van de aanstormende jonge

talenten, Max de Feber (op foto), stal vervolgens de show door getooid met een hypermoderne AR (Augmented Reality)-bril zijn presentatie kracht bij te zetten. Deze student Offshore & Dredging Engineering aan de TU Delft, stage lopend bij Tideway, studeert op dit moment af op het onderwerp ‘terugdringen van subsea cables incidents’. Max: ‘Dankzij zo’n AR-bril zie je goed de omgeving waarin je werkt en tegelijkertijd is er een digitale laag aan toegevoegd. Zo kun je tijdens een offshore installatie traject je ogen op het werk houden en tegelijkertijd alle benodigde data zien. Ik word ook uitstekend bijgestaan bij Tideway, met name door de cable operators. Het is een mooie bedrijf om stage bij te lopen. Ik ben van mening dat er in deze sector nog veel ruimte is om innovatief

bezig te zijn. De ontwikkelingen gaan snel. En ik vind het wel mooi daar mijn steentje aan bij te dragen ook. In november hoop ik af te studeren.’

18/10/2017 13:55

36 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

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November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 37

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To access all of these benefits and more log in to Nautilus Plus by visiting nautilusint.org/en/members-area/ View more information g *Terms and conditions apply to all benefits. See website for details. Offers and prices subject to change without notice. isubscribe â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Please note that the promotion code and the 10% discount are only applicable to debit/credit/ Paypal orders and cannot be used against Direct Debit orders. Nautilus Plus is managed on behalf of Nautilus by Parliament Hill Ltd.

Nautilus Plus is managed on behalf of Nautilus by Parliament Hill Ltd.

Nautilus recruitment.indd 37

17/10/2017 16:10

38 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

SHIP TO SHORE

M-Notices Merchant Shipping Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes recently issued by the MCA include: MSN 1837 (M) Amendment 2 — Categorisation of waters This notice replaces and augments MSN 1837 (M) Amendment 1 with a new amendment. It is part of a series of M-notices that periodically update the categorisations of UK waters not regarded as ‘sea’ for the purposes of merchant shipping legislation (excepting marine pollution).

The four categories are as follows: Category A: Narrow rivers and canals where the depth of water is generally less than 1.5 metres Category B: Wider rivers and canals where the depth of water is generally 1.5 metres or more and where the significant wave height could not be expected to exceed 0.6 metres at any time Category C: Tidal rivers and estuaries and large, deep lakes and lochs where the significant wave height could not be expected to exceed 1.2 metres at any time Category D: Tidal rivers and estuaries where the significant wave height could not be expected to exceed 2.0 metres at any time MSN 1837 Amendment 2 gives a full list of UK waters and their categorisations. One change has been made since the previous version of the list was published: NORTHERN IRELAND — COASTAL Carlingford Lough is considered Category C within a line from Greenore to Greencastle Point, and Category D within a line drawn from Greenore and Greencastle points to a boundary line drawn from Soldiers Point at 245° to charted ruins at Ballytrasna.

MSN 1869 (M) — Safety Management Code for Domestic Passenger Ships This notice replaces MSN 1754 (M) and should be read in conjunction with MGN 536 (M). It sets out the instructions for the safety management of domestic passenger ships.

Companies are reminded that they must develop and implement the following safe practices: z a health, safety and environmental protection policy z procedures to ensure the safe operation of ships in compliance with relevant rules z lines of communication between personnel, ashore and afloat z procedures for reporting accidents z procedures for responding to emergency situations Companies are also required to ensure that all persons employed in the operation of the ships receive appropriate training for the duties they are required to fulfil.

The main changes to the safety management instructions since the previous notice was published are given in paragraphs 14.1 and 14.2 of MSN

1869 as follows: 14.1 An ‘initial audit’, to assess compliance as far as practicable with the Code, shall be carried out by MCA for each ship. Following satisfactory completion of this audit a Domestic Safety Management Certificate shall be issued to each ship. The period of validity of this certificate will normally be for five years and is subject to a midterm audit which will be carried out by the MCA on each ship between the second and third anniversaries.

14.2 The onboard audit will be conducted by the MCA when the vessel is operational in all aspects and will be carried out at a mutually convenient time. It may be necessary for the vessel to be taken out of service for the duration of the audit including the drill. Some elements such as passenger boarding arrangement, mooring and navigation may be carried out in service.

MGN 324 (M+F) Amendment 1 — Watchkeeping safety: VHF radio & AIS This note replaces MGN 324 (M+F) (Correction) and MGN 324 (M+F) (Corrected). The note reports that, given the continuing number of casualties where the misuse of very high frequency marine radio has been established as a contributory factor, it has been decided to re-issue the MCA guidance on the use of Very High Frequency radio (VHF).

In addition, the note highlights the appropriate use of the Automatic Identification System (AIS), especially with regard to collision avoidance, in conformance with the IMO guidelines revised in December 2015.

The key points in MGN 324 Amendment 1 are as follows: z Although the use of Very High Frequency (VHF) radio transceiver may be justified on occasion as a collision avoidance aid, the provisions of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs) should remain uppermost. z The use of marine VHF equipment must be in accordance with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations. z There is currently no explicit provision in the COLREGs for the use of AIS information; however, the potential of AIS to improve situation awareness is recognised and AIS may be included in the regulations in the future. z The navigation safety related functions of AIS are to help identify ships, assist in target tracking and provide additional information to assist situation awareness. z There are limitations of AIS with respect to mandatory carriage based on vessel types and sizes.

MGN 562 Amendment 1 — Radio Regulations & GMDSS radio updates This note draws attention to the changes made in the Radio Regulations (Appendix 17 and 18) which came into

force on January 2017 affecting VHF and HF radio communications and equipment.

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency does not require the replacement of marine radio equipment installed and used onboard. It is, however, the responsibility of a vessel’s owner to consider, based upon the area of operation, whether an update or replacement of the on-board radio equipment is necessary.

The changes to the regulations do not have a safety impact, as the designated distress or calling frequencies and the bridge-tobridge communications channel are unchanged. Some coast stations may change their operating channel designations or frequencies, but the timing of any change is a local matter.

The IMO has issued MSC.1/Circ.

1460/Rev 2, giving guidance on the validity of radiocommunication equipment installed and used on ships, in order to ensure that radio equipment onboard is updated and vessels can maintain communications during the transition period.

MGN 562 Amendment 1 points out that, prior to any passage, the radio operator/owner should review radio channel/frequency requirements for the vessel’s area of operation, ensuring the radiocommunication equipment has the required capability.

Annex 1 to the note contains additional guidance for SOLAS Convention vessels, and Annex 2 for non-SOLAS vessels, i.e. domestic passenger ships, fishing vessels, code boats, UK loadline-exempt vessels, and pleasure vessels.

MIN 556 (M) — Port Marine Safety Code compliance submission This note reminds readers that, every three years, the duty holder of statutory harbour authorities, private ports or other marine facilities is required to send a signed statement to the MCA confirming their organisation’s Port Marine Safety Code compliance. g The next round of compliance statements is due on or before 31 March 2018. Statements should be sent in hard copy or via e-mail to navigationsafety@mcga.gov.uk. z M-Notices are available as electronic documents or as a set of bound volumes. z A consolidated set of M-Notices is published by The Stationery Office.

This contains all M-Notices current on 31 July 2015 (ISBN 978 01155 34034) and costs £210 — www.tsoshop.co.uk z Individual copies can be downloaded from the MCA website.

Go to www.gov.uk/mca and click on Find marine (M) notices. z Email alerts can be sent automatically whenever an M-Notice is published or updated. To set this up, follow the instructions in MIN 515 (M+F) — Guidance for subscriptions to safety bulletins and MCA document notifications on GOV.UK.

Useful organisations Maritime & Coastguard Agency +44 (0)23 8032 9100 www.gov.uk/mca Implements the UK government’s maritime safety policy and works to prevent the loss of life on the coast and at sea.

Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport + 31 88 489 00 00 www.ilent.nl Dutch maritime authority (separate from Dutch coastguard).

Swiss Maritime Navigation Office +41 (0)61 270 91 20 www.smno.ch Swiss maritime authority.

38_infosprd_SR edit.indd 38

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 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.

Member meetings and seminars

Pensions

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:

Nautilus Pensions Association meetings provide a focal point for members regarding pensions

g Professional & Technical Forum Tuesday 5 December 2017 at 1300hrs Jurys Inn 43 Jeffrey Street Edinburgh EH1 1DH

g Women’s Forum Thursday 8 March 2018 Venue to be confirmed Contact Lisa Carr: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 women@nautilusint.org

The Forum deals with a wide range of technical, safety, welfare and other professional topics.

g Young Maritime Professionals Forum April 2018 (TBC) Venue to be confirmed The meeting is open to members aged under 35. Contact Danny McGowan: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 ymp@nautilusint.org

Contact Sue Willis: +44 (0)20 8530 1660 protech@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.

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

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

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

SPAIN Yacht sector office in partnership with Dovaston Crew Carrer de Versalles 9A, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain Tel: +34 971 677 375 recruitment@nautilusint.org www.dovastoncrew.com

THE NETHERLANDS Postal Address Nautilus International Postbus 8575, 3009 An Rotterdam

Out of European office hours Contact the Nautilus 24/7 service

Physical Address Nautilus International, Schorpioenstraat 266, 3067 KW Rotterdam Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 infonl@nautilusint.org

g Go to www.nautilusint.org and click

on the Nautilus 24/7 link to access our Live chat instant messaging service.

You’ll also find a list of freephone numbers from 45 countries that you can use to call us free of charge.

g Send an SMS text message to

SWITZERLAND Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 4005 Basel, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 Fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25 infoch@nautilusint.org

+44 (0)7860 017 119 and we’ll reply.

g Email us at helpline@nautilus247.org. g Reach us via Skype (username nautilus-247).

College contacts Induction visits See www.nautilusint.org event section for dates of upcoming college visits by the Nautilus recruitment team.

For further information, email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call Lee Moon on +44 (0)151 639 8454.

Industrial support for cadets An industrial official is appointed to each of the main nautical colleges.

In addition the industrial department is responsible for representing

trainee officers in line with all members that we represent; please contact the Union on +44 (0)20 8989 6677. Your enquiry will then be directed to the relevant industrial organiser for your employer/sponsoring company.

The union also facilitates a Young Maritime Professionals Forum to provide an opportunity for young members to engage in discussions on the specific challenges facing young workers in the maritime profession.

For further information, members should contact Danny McGowan at ymp@nautilusint.org.

g MNOPF and NPA pension forums January 2018, Cardiff Coffee served at 1000hrs, and a light lunch will be served after the meeting.

Open to all members (UK, NL and CH) Further meetings have also been scheduled for 2018. Keep checking this page or future Telegraphs for venue details. Please register online via the link on the session dates supplied, or call +44 (0)1293 804644.

Go to the events section of the Nautilus website: www.nautilusint.org/ en/what-we-say/events

Quiz and crossword answersACDB Quiz answers 1. The estimated value of the current cruiseship orderbook is just over US$47bn.

2. The total TEU capacity of the world containership fleet stood at 20.23m TEU in August this year.

3. SM Line is based in South Korea.

4. The Allan Line was founded in 1854 and taken over by Canadian Pacific in 1915.

5. Amoco Cadiz was registered in Liberia.

6. Anglo-Eastern Univan is based in Hong Kong.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 8. Resolute; 9. Grundy; 10. Bran; 11. Distillery; 12. Monday; 14. Griselda; 15. Hexagon; 17. Snooker; 20. Maniacal; 22. Bisect; 23. Stagnation; 24. Deep; 25. Buried; 26. Saturday.

Down: 1. Fearsome; 2. Corn; 3. Sunday; 4. Message; 5. Ignition; 6. Guillemots; 7. Adored; 13. Drawing pin; 16. Orchards; 18. Eschewal; 19. Ellipse; 21. Artful; 22. Benito; 24. Dirk.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph.

Congratulations to Nautilus member Herman Ramsey, who has won the prize draw for the October cryptic crossword.

Cryptic answers from October Across: 1. Test-tube; 5. Street; 9. Eastwards; 11. Nicer; 12. Architecture; 15. Upon; 16. Magistrate; 18. Little pigs; 19. Mean; 21. Counterpoint; 24. Tiler; 25. Yardstick; 26. Resent; 27. Redstart.

Down: 1. Tier; 2. Sash; 3. Towers; 4. Birthday party; 6. Tenacity; 7. Encouraged; 8. Threepenny; 10. Sittingbourne; 13. Duplicator; 14. Portcullis; 17. Flat Iron; 20. Gnosis; 22. Lima; 23. Skit.

To suggest an organisation which could appear here, email telegraph@nautilusint.org 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. Seafarers UK (formerly King George’s Fund for Sailors) +44 (0)20 7932 0000 www.seafarers.uk Supports and promotes UK charities helping seafarers from the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy and fishing fleets.

Often organises places for maritime fundraisers to enter marathons and other charity challenges.

International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network +44 (0)300 012 4279 www.seafarerswelfare.org Global organisation providing a 24 hour, year-round multi-lingual helpline for all seafarers’ welfare and support needs, as well as an emergency welfare fund.

SAIL (Seafarers’ Information and Advice Line) 08457 413 318 +44 (0)20 8269 0921 www.sailine.org.uk UK-based citizens’ advice service helping seafarers and their families with issues such as debt, benefit

entitlements, housing, pensions and relationships.

Seafarers’ Hospital Society +44 (0)20 8858 3696 www.seahospital.org.uk UK charity dedicated to the health and welfare of seafarers.

Includes the Dreadnought health service.

Seafarers’ Link +44 (0)1752 812674 www.communitynetworkprojects.org Telephone friendship project connecting retired UK seafarers at home through a fortnightly telephone conference service.

Seatax Ltd +44 (0)1302 364673 www.seatax.ltd.uk Company providing 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.

Sailors’ Society +44 (0)20 7654 7050 www.sailors-society.org Global charity providing practical, financial and spiritual welfare support to seafarers and their families in need.

18/10/2017 14:59

November 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 39

JOIN NAUTILUS

The face of Nautilus Ken Konasik, lay representative

g

‘What has always motivated me is the idea of fairness and helping people,’ Ken Konasik says as he reflects on a track record of trade union activity that few could come close to — clocking up half a century of workplace activity.

It all began when he started as an apprentice in the shipbuilding industry, aged 15. Working at the Vickers yard in Barrow-inFurness, he soon became one of the youngest shop stewards, at the age of 18.

‘I’ve always felt that without a union, the companies will run all over us and terms and conditions would go down very quickly,’ he recalls. ‘The apprentices didn’t have a voice, and I thought it was important to speak up

for them, so as soon as I was 18 I became an officer.’

Ken first went to sea in 1972, starting off with the Liverpool shipping company T & J Harrison. He soon met Brian Orrell, who went on to become Nautilus general secretary and who persuaded Ken to leave the shore-based engineers’ union to join what was then the MNAOA. After almost a decade deepsea, Ken switched to the ferries sector in 1981. Serving on the British Rail Portsmouth and Weymouth ferries, he became involved in industrial action — including a sit-in — when new owner James Sherwood decided to axe the Sealink services to the Channel Islands.

‘Industrial action is a last resort and you have to think very carefully before taking it,’ Ken points out. ‘But there are times when you have to be firm and stand up for yourself, which is what we did.’

After a short spell at Commodore Ferries, where he was caught up in the company’s moves to replace British crews, Ken moved to Stena Line’s Newhaven-Dieppe service — and within the space of six months he was the Union rep. He then moved to Dover in 1996, where he became intensely involved in the negotiations over members’ terms and conditions as P&O and Stena Line launched their joint venture for cross-Channel services in 1998.

Most recently, serving as a third engineer onboard Pride of Kent, Ken has been the Nautilus liaison officer for the vessel and has been vice-chair of the P&O Ferries joint consultative committee.

Now approaching the end of his seagoing career, Ken looks back on his time with fondness — despite all the service closures and shake-ups that he’s seen along the way.

‘I’ve really enjoyed it,’ he says, ‘and I’ve really enjoyed the people that I have worked with.’

‘Whenever I have gone to discussions with management, I have gone with an open mind — looking for fairness: a fair wage, fair terms and conditions,’ he says. ‘That’s what all employees and employers should look for.’

Wherev er you are , so are we

Join now

CALL NOW TO JOIN NAUTILUS ON: UK: +44 (0)151 639 8454 NL: +31 (0)10 477 11 88 CH: +41 (0)61 262 24 24

Join today so we can be there for you too!

Pay and conditions Nautilus International is the first truly trans-boundary trade union for maritime professionals, reflecting the global nature of the industry. We negotiate with employers on issues including pay, working conditions, working hours and pensions to secure agreements which recognise members’ skills and experience, and the need for safety for the maritime sector.

Legal services Nautilus Legal offers members a range of legal services free of charge. There are specialist lawyers to support members in work related issues and a number of non-work related issues. The Union also has a network of lawyers in 54 countries to provide support where members need it most.

Workplace support Nautilus International officials provide expert advice on work-related problems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying or discrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions.

Certificate protection Members are entitled to free financial protection, worth up to £120,700, against the loss

39_infosprd.indd 39

of income if their certificate of competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a formal inquiry.

training. The Union is affiliated to the TUC in the UK, FNV in the Netherlands and SGB/USS in Switzerland.

Extra savings Members can take advantage of many additional discounts and benefits organised at a local level. These include tax advice, insurance discounts and advice on pension matters. In the Netherlands, discounts are organised through FNV, and trade union contributions are mostly tax-friendly, entitling members to receive a significant part of their contributions back.

In touch As a Nautilus International member, help is never far away — wherever in the world you are.

Officials regularly see members onboard their ships and visit cadets at college. Further support and advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ and conferences. The Union has offices in London, Wallasey, Rotterdam and Basel.

There are also representatives based in France, Spain and Singapore.

International representation Nautilus International represents members’ views on a wide range of national and international bodies including the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA).

We work at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on key global regulations covering working conditions, health and safety and

Join us today…

Call +44 (0)151 639 8454 Visit www.nautilusint.org Email membership@nautilusint.org g For the full range of member benefits visit www.nautilusint.org

OR g Speak with our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454

Your union, your voice The Union represents the voice of more than 22,000 maritime professionals working in all sectors of the industry at sea and ashore — including inland navigation, large yachts, deepsea and offshore.

For members, by members Nautilus International is a dynamic and democratic trade union offering members many opportunities to become actively involved and have your say — at a local, national and international level.

18/10/2017 11:41

40 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2017

NEWS

Members voice fears over the impact of ballast water rules negative impact of ballast F water management (BWM) rules Fresh concerns about the

on seafarers have been raised by Nautilus members attending last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s professional and technical committee.

While the international BWM convention entered into force in September, owners have managed to persuade the International Maritime Organisation to give them more time to fit treatment systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; meaning that existing tonnage may be able to sail without a retrofitted system until as last as 2024.

Professional and technical officer David Appleton said talks at the IMO had concentrated on issues such as equipment type approval and sampling methods.

However, he pointed out, there are important questions about the increased workloads for seafarers operating and maintaining the equipment. And there are concerns about the potential for criminalisation in the continued absence of clear and precise guidance on sampling and discharges.

There are also concerns about the standards of training for these systems and the potential health issues posed by some of the chemicals used, he added.

Captain Michael Lloyd said he was particularly disturbed about the gases that will be created during the treatment process. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There are questions about the ventilation of tanks and the dangers of systems that use or create gas have not been discussed or evaluated,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he added.

Iain MacKenzie said it is vital that seafarers are not exposed to criminal penalties if discharge treatment equipment does not work properly.

The shipownersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; organisation BIMCO recently published a practical guide for officers managing ballast water treatment systems. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Implementation of the BWM Convention has been just around the corner for a long time, but there is still a great deal of confusion over the actual realities of the operational requirements, each shipsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ballast water management plan and the associated record keeping,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said BIMCOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lars Robert Pedersen.

Maritime photographer Gary Davies got this stunning image of the ferry Commodore Clipper in the dry dock at the A&P yard in Falmouth last month. The month-long refit included work on the vesselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main engine and gearbox, ride control system, life-saving equipment, monitoring and alarm systems

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Remoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VTS proposal sparks union warnings Pilots join Nautilus in raising safety concerns over plan to amalgamate vessel traffic services for five key UK ports

P

Nautilus has raised concerns with the UK Safety of Navigation Committee over Peel Portsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; plans to amalgamate vessel trafďŹ c services operations for many key British ports.

The company has developed a centralised VTS system, based in Liverpool, to cover the Mersey, Clyde, Heysham, Great Yarmouth and Medway â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a move which the Union describes as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;totally unacceptableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Nautilus is involved in negotiations with management after members serving as VTS ofďŹ cers in the Medway Navigation Ser-

vice were told they were at risk of redundancy as a result of the move, with effect from 1 April next year.

Members attending the Nautilus professional and technical committee last month discussed their worries about the plans â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including concern over the reliability of the technology being used and over the potential loss of local knowledge.

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson said many major UK ports already operate below the highest levels of VTS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and he described the proposed new system as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;information minusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ports have a responsibility to their users and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency has a responsibility to the public,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he added. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It is a derogation of responsibility by the MCA to countenance this. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The complex and unintended consequences of this are unbelievable,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Graveson said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is a cocktail for disaster brought about by â&#x20AC;&#x153;light touchâ&#x20AC;? regulation and it is making a complete disconnect between pilots and the VTS community at a time when trafďŹ c densities in many of these ports are increasing.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Iain MacKenzie told the meeting: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I think they are trying to cut

costs by centralising everything, but there is a danger that we lose local knowledge and the ability to call the tower to check the conditions. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;They are trying to replace people with electronics, but until you have reliable and stable technology I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe it is safe to rely on such equipment,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he added.

The UK Marine Pilots Association has written to the Department for Transport to express its unease about the plans. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pilots, as key local stakeholders, have not been consulted or involved in the process to relocate, risk assess or mitigate issues which are inevi-

table with such a big change to structure and procedures,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ports work most safely and efďŹ ciently when pilots and VTS ofďŹ cers work closely together,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; UKMPA added. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This close relationship is developed through mutual respect gained from shared local knowledge and appreciation of each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abilities, constraints and experience.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Association said the ports have their own particular complex and distinct concerns, handling a wide range of tonnage from VLCCs, containerships, passenger vessels, LNG carriers, ferries, bulk carriers and naval

vessels, including submarines, as well as considerable levels of recreational trafďŹ c.

The pilots said the change in VTS location should require a review of navigational risk assessments. Other key questions the UKMPA wants to see addressed include the adequacy of infrastructure and its resilience to cyber attack, as well as the ability to handle emergencies from a remote location.

UKMPA also warned that local knowledge and experience is in danger of being lost as a result of enforced redundancies among existing VTS staff.

EAST COAST COLLEGE IS HERE!

GREAT YARMOUTH AND LOWESTOFT COLLEGES HAVE COMBINED FORCES

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really excited about the launch of East Coast College and wanted to let \RX NQRZ WKDW ZKLOVW RXU QDPH LV FKDQJLQJ \RX ZLOO VWLOO EH DEOH WR EHQHÂżW IURP our comprehensive range of STCW, GWO, Nautical Institute, OPITO and MCA approved training courses at our Lowestoft campus.

We look forward to seeing you at East Coast College in 2017 www.eastcoast.ac.uk | 01502 525025 | maritime@eastcoast.ac.uk

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18/10/2017 13:56