Nautilus Telegraph September 2017 by Redactive Media Group

Carrying the day College helps put RN’s new flagship out onto the sea 24

Making port calls How can seafarers get better internet access ashore? 23

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

Volume 50 | Number 09 | September 2017 | £3.50 €3.70

‘Don’t allow this to happen again’ Nautilus says crew’s unpaid wages scandal shows the need for tougher action by government

The UK government is facing fresh calls to combat unfair competition in the country’s waters following further court action over the Indian crew of an offshore support vessel who have been stranded in Aberdeen for 15 months. Hopes that the ordeal of the 12 seafarers may be nearing an end rose last month when Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that the Union Bank of India no longer objected to the sale of the vessel and Sheriff William Summer ruled that brokers should produce a report before the sale could be granted. The court heard that the crew were owed a total of US$867,799 (£668,669) in wages as of 24 July — and it is hoped that the sale of the Indian-flagged vessel could cover the costs of settling their claims. The saga began in June last year, when the 3,001gt vessel was detained by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency because of owed wages and invalid Seafarers’ Employment Agreements. The ship’s owners — GOL Offshore — paid the £175,000 owed wages and Malaviya Seven was released from detention on 4 August last year. However, the ship was detained again on 5 October — once again with unpaid wages, invalid SEAs and defective fire doors, pumps and pipework. In February this year, sistership Malaviya Twenty was arrested in the port of Great Yarmouth after Nautilus/ITF inspector Paul Keenan found evidence that its 12 crew were owed more than $280,000. The ship had been detained by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in July after an inspection revealed deficiencies including non-payment of wages, invalid SEAs and minimum safe manning. Malaviya Twenty’s crew returned home in March after the bank which owned the vessel agreed to pay a total of $689,679

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Study shows the value of UK shipping massive economic contribution F made by the UK maritime sector is A new study revealing the

set to be published during London International Shipping Week in September. Produced by Maritime UK — whose members include Nautilus, the UK Chamber of Shipping, ports, and marine and business services — the report updates earlier research which showed that the sector supports more than 500,000 jobs, contributes £22.2bn to UK GDP and that the value of trade passing through the country’s ports totals around £500tn a year. The report’s findings — which also cover the sector’s productivity and tax contributions — will be launched at a Parliamentary reception attended by shipping minister John Hayes. g LISW looks at jobs — see page 2.

Inside F Branching out

Don’t miss the Union’s UK branch conference in October — page 18 F The write stuff

Veteran member’s work to record the achievements of the Merchant Navy — pages 28-29

Some of Malaviya Seven’s crew are pictured with Aberdeen port chaplain Howard Dysdale before last month’s court hearing Picture: Jonathan Mitchell

to 33 crew who were owed wages dating back to October 2015. But Malaviya Seven’s crew have had to remain on their ship while long-running and complex legal efforts were made to resolve their plight. ITF UK and Ireland coordinator Ken Fleming described the case as a disgrace and said that the court had treated the crew as a commercial asset, with no sympathy shown for their suffering. He said the company had ‘appeared and disappeared, appeared and disappeared’ and accused it of playing with the legal system. ‘I am glad that we have made progress, but you could not describe such a scandal as a vic-

tory,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘We need to learn from this and make sure nothing like this happens again.’ Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the UK should follow the example of Australia and ban ships that are repeatedly found to have substandard living and working conditions. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) last month barred the Bahamasﬂagged bulk carrier Rena from the country’s ports for six months after inspections revealed that the owners had failed to pay outstanding wages and maintain a safe workplace for its crew. The checks were carried out after AMSA received a complaint

from the ITF alleging the crew were owed several months of wages. Port state control inspectors found that seafarers were owed a total of US$53,000 and that the ship also had safety management system deficiencies, and problems with the lifeboat starting arrangements and the emergency generator. AMSA said the deficiencies were serious enough to warrant immediate detention of the ship, which had also been detained in February at Port Adelaide with deficiencies including crew working excess hours. AMSA’s general manager of operations, Allan Schwartz, said: ‘The failure of the ship operator to ensure that the ship is effectively

managed along with the repeated failures of the ISM Code and Maritime Labour Convention, is a clear indication the ship is not being operated to meet applicable minimum standards. The length of time taken to rectify the outstanding issues, particularly in relation to crew welfare, is completely unacceptable.’ Mr Dickinson commented: ‘It is good to see a port state control authority taking a tough line with such unacceptable practices. It is certainly an approach that the UK could beneﬁt from, as our ships and our seafarers are suffering as a consequence of the unfair competition that these vessels present.’ g MLC agreement — see page 3.

F Health kick

New study shows seafarers are trying to stay ﬁt, but are suffering more fatigue and stress — pages 20-21

22/08/2017 11:02

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Irish honours for ITF inspector Workers’ Federation UK and F Ireland coordinator Ken Fleming is International Transport

pictured right being presented with a top Irish trade union award in honour of his campaigning work against the exploitation of seafarers and fishing vessel crews. Presenting this year’s Spirit of Mother Jones Award to Mr Fleming, committee member Jim Nolan described him as ‘a fearless, passionate and determined defender of the workers who have been denied their rights’. Mr Nolan said Mr Fleming was a worthy winner of the award, which recognised his work to secure the payment of millions of dollars of unpaid wages and to fight for decent working conditions, proper wages and legal protection for foreign crews serving in the Irish and the UK fishing fleets. Mr Fleming, who began his working life as a bus driver and was also twice Ireland’s Formula 2 motorbike champion, said he was ‘deeply touched’ by the award. He said it had been ‘a very long and hard road’ fighting for justice over the past decade, but he was delighted to see the work to stamp out the scandalous abuse of seafarers being recognised. ‘This award represents the most satisfying moment of my career,’ Mr

anniversary of VJ Day, pictured F above, was attended by Merchant A service to mark the 72nd

Navy veterans and their families at the Nautilus Mariners’ Park welfare complex last month. The annual event was staged to pay tribute to the merchant seafarers who were involved in the British and Commonwealth campaign in the Far

Nautilus Plus launches new special home cover arrangements for members

Fleming added. ‘It places the work of the ITF amongst a very special group of people that have devoted a great part of their working lives to see justice done.’ Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘This is a really well deserved award and it could not have been given to a nicer, more determined bloke than Ken.’

East — which continued for three months after the Second World War came to an end in Europe. Tributes were also paid to late Mariners’ Park resident Captain Ronald Pengelly — who was awarded both the Burma and Pacific Stars and who persuaded the Nautilus Welfare Fund to launch the annual service four years ago.

Fastnet team aids sailing trust of maritime professionals, F above, who competed in last month’s

Nautilus helped sponsor a team

Rolex Fastnet Race to raise money for the Jubilee Sailing Trust. The seven-strong crew of the yacht Tacktic, skippered by Dan Rigden, were among a record fleet of 368 vessels taking part in the race — which runs from the Isle of Wight, around the Fastnet Rock SW of

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Home insurance service goes live

Ireland, and finishes at Plymouth, a distance of over 600nm. Tacktic successfully finished the race in four days, 16 hours, and 39 minutes, coming 32nd in a class of 84, and in 138th place overall. They have so far raised more than £10,000 for the Jubilee Sailing Trust, which provides sail training for able-bodied and disabled people onboard its vessels Lord Nelson and Tenacious.

Nautilus constantly works to provide a wide range of value-added benefits and services for members — and its Nautilus Plus portfolio of deals and discounts is now being expanded to include a special insurance policy that reflects the unique demands of seafaring life. Seafarers often face trouble when obtaining insurance products — and especially home cover — but Members’ Insurance Solutions is here to help. With competitive rates and standard ‘unoccupancy’ for up to 90 days, and possibly longer, the service is designed to respond to the working schedules of many mariners. Key features of Members’ Insurance Solutions Home cover include: z 5-star rating from the independent financial research company Defaqto z free home emergency assistance, 24 hours a day, with a team of contractors available, including plumbers, electricians and builders z home ‘unoccupancy’ up to 90 days. Members’ Insurance

Solutions strives to provide policies to suit any length of unoccupancy, whatever your circumstances. Experienced home insurance advisors will discuss your circumstances and ensure your policy is individually underwritten. With knowledge and experience of the unusual, they are able to offer you a tailormade policy z trees and shrubs cover up to £1,000 (most home policies exclude this cover) z up to £10,000 cover for fraudulent use of credit cards if lost or stolen where personal possession cover is selected — (limit on most home policies is usually between £500 to £1,000) z cover for tracing and accessing the source of a leak, up to the value of £5,000 where buildings cover is selected — (many home policies exclude this cover) z up to £3,000 cover for theft of contents from garages and outbuildings — (the limit on most home policies is usually between £1,000 to £2,000) z unlimited freezer contents cover z a 12-month guarantee on all

building repairs completed by tradesmen z up to £1,000,000 for buildings and £75,000 for contents, including up to £25,000 for highrisk items and valuables Nautilus head of strategic development Steven Gosling commented: ‘We are delighted to add this new bespoke service to our expanding range of membership benefits. It has been developed in direct response to feedback from members and we know it meets a very specific need for specialist cover. ‘The launch of this new home insurance scheme follows the introduction last year of a mortgage service that was also tailored to meet the particular requirements of seafarers, which are often not properly understood by most banks and building societies,’ he added. ‘Services such as these make Nautilus membership more essential than ever before for maritime professionals,’ Mr Gosling said. ‘The support and benefits we provide are already unrivalled, but we are planning to continue

expanding the package even further in the near future.’ g For further information, visit the website: www.nautilusint.org z All policies are subject to acceptance criteria, terms, conditions and minimum premiums. Members’ Insurance Solutions is a trading brand of Cornmarket Insurance Services. Cornmarket Insurance Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Reg No 308099). g This benefit is made available through Parliament Hill Ltd, of 3rd floor, 127 Cheapside, London, EC2V 6BT and you can use these benefits at your discretion. Parliament Hill is not part of the same group as any of the product/service providers which form part of the benefits scheme. Parliament Hill Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for noninvestment insurance mediation only. You can check this out on the Financial Services register by visiting register.fca.org.uk under register number 308448 or by phoning the FCA on 0800 111 6768.

Where are the jobs? Join the debate at LISW news story about the global A shortage of seafarers and asked

Have you ever read a Nautilus

yourself where all these jobs are, because you have struggled to find a good maritime job in the UK? Then Nautilus has organised the event for you! As part of London International Shipping Week (LISW), Nautilus International is teaming up with the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) and the UK Chamber of Shipping to answer one of members’ most frequently asked questions — ‘so where are the jobs?’ This free seminar takes place on Tuesday 12 September and will include presentations by a serving seafarer, together with Nautilus deputy general secretary Marcel van den Broek and representatives from shipping companies and government. g The panel discussion and audience debate will cover seafarer employment and training statistics and projections, economic drivers and market forces, job creation and recruitment. Members can submit questions for the panel in advance by email to campaigns@nautilusint.org or on the day via the Union’s Facebook and Twitter feed.

The panel debate forms part of a jointly organised skills and careers hub event, at which Nautilus will be holding an online CV surgery and careers advice session. g If you would like to submit your CV for feedback from the Nautilus professional and technical department, or have a question about seeking employment or career progression, you can email it in advance to campaigns@nautilusint. org or follow the discussion on the day from 1430 via the Union’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. The day will begin with a breakfast seminar on inclusivity and fair treatment, and follow on with an afternoon spotlight on maritime careers. The skills and careers hub events are among more than 140 functions taking place during LISW17, which runs from 11 to 15 September. The highlight of the week will be a day-long high-level conference on 14 September at which Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson will be part of an expert panel discussing the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on the shipping industry, global trade, business models and employment over the next 25 years.

Bari Khan leads the pack in trainiong for his London to Paris bike ride

Bari gets in gear to raise funds for Marine Society Professionals Forum member F Bari Khan is cycling from London to Nautilus Young Maritime

Paris to ‘give something back’ to the Marine Society, which helped to give him a step up in his seafaring career. Mr Khan is pedalling the gruelling three-day 180-mile ride to raise funds for the Marine Society & the Sea Cadets. He has set a target of raising at least £750 to support the charity’s ‘fantastic work in helping seafarers’. After working at sea as a fourth engineer, Mr Khan was awarded a Marine Society Worcester Scholarship to help offset the costs of studying for a BEng (Hons) in marine engineering and management. In October 2014, while completing his dissertation, Mr Khan was taken on by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, where he

completed a two-year graduate programme to qualify as a marine surveyor. He now specialises in surveying fishing vessels, small craft and technical audits. In training for the London to Paris ride, Mr Khan last month completed The Big Ride — a 44-mile journey from Liverpool to Manchester on Friday 4 August — and also did his first 100-mile trip. ‘I’m not really a road cyclist, and I’m much more used to trail riding in the New Forest, but this is a good cause and I’m hoping to raise as much as I can for it,’ he said. ‘The Marine Society’s work and contributions makes a difference to our industry.’ g To sponsor Mr Khan, go to his Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/bari-khan-l2p

22/08/2017 10:38

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Unions meet on Far East cooperation

shortreports GARDLINE TAKEOVER: the Dutch firm Royal Boskalis Westminster is taking over the Great Yarmouthbased firm Gardline in a deal valued at £40m. Gardline operates a fleet of 40 specialist vessels, including survey ships and crew transfer vessels, and Boskalis says the deal cements its ambition to become a specialist provider of geotechnical surveys for the offshore oil and gas and renewables markets.

Mark Dickinson and deputy A general secretary Marcel van den Nautilus general secretary

Broek are pictured above meeting maritime union officials from Singapore and Hong Kong last month.

The talks, which were held under the auspices of the Nautilus Federation of like-minded unions, were hosted by the Merchant Navy Officers’ Guild of Hong Kong and also involved representatives from the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union

and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen. ‘We discussed a wide range of issues, including the importance of national flag shipping to generate jobs for national seafarers and the importance of maritime policies that

generate employment and training opportunities,’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘We also discussed how we can boost our mutual support for our members — and particularly in Singapore, which is such an important maritime centre.’

Europe backing to MLC changes Industry welcomes EU agreement on updated ‘Bill of Rights’ for seafarers

European shipowners and seafaring unions have warmly welcomed plans to incorporate the latest provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) into EU law. The European Commission is adopting the updated social partners’ agreement between the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and transposing it into EU law. The amendments — which entered into force on 18 January 2017 — require shipowners to provide ﬁnancial security to ensure the repatriation of seafarers, as well as the payment of contractual claims from crew members or their dependants in respect of death in service or longterm disability. Maritime unions across

Europe will now be lobbying their national governments to secure their support and endorsement of the proposals, because a European Council decision is still required to ensure that the new directive is implemented. Nautilus general secretary and ETF spokesperson Mark Dickinson said: ‘It is important that ECSA and ETF are able to keep their European agreement on the MLC up to date, as we must not forget this convention is a living instrument for the continued improvement of seafarers’ living and working conditions. ‘We are therefore very pleased that the Commission has supported us in our aims by adopting our proposals for amending the agreement on the MLC to incorporate the amendments made by the ILO in 2014,’ he added. ‘We hope that they will be simi-

larly adopted by the Council with the minimum delay,’ Mr Dickinson said. This is the third time that the maritime social partners have agreed to make legally-binding European agreements. The ﬁrst was the agreement on working time for seafarers and the second the agreement on the MLC. ‘We are proud of what we have achieved through the maritime social dialogue. Our constructive relations and cooperation have resulted in numerous joint projects and campaigns to assist shipowners and seafarers in Europe. We have also agreed an ambitious work programme for the next biennium,’ said ECSA spokesperson Tim Springett. Employment commissioner Marianne Thyssen said the proposals will strengthen seafarers’ protection and underpin fair competition in the maritime sector.

‘Improved working conditions will also make the shipping sector more attractive for young Europeans,’ she added. ‘This proposal is an excellent example of how social partners support the Commission in keeping EU law fit for purpose.’ The Commission noted that the proposals will improve seafarers’ protection in the event of abandonment — most notably when the owner fails to pay contractual wages for a period of at least two months — and should therefore result in fewer ‘problematic’ cases of abandonment. According to data collected by the International Labour Organisation, a total of 192 merchant ships have been abandoned since 2004, of which 21 were EU-flagged vessels. Last year, five merchant vessels and a total of 58 seafarers were abandoned in EU ports. g MLC detention — see page 40.

GS interviewed on campaigns

Virtually at UK branch

Dickinson is pictured right as he F was filmed for a series of interviews at

UK branch conference? Then F send your virtual self!

Nautilus general secretary Mark

the historic British clipper ship Cutty Sark in Greenwich, pictured right. The interviews included updates on the Union’s strategic campaigning work and upcoming events, including London International Shipping Week. The two-minute videos will be streamed across social media and the Union’s website over the next couple of months.

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Can’t make this year’s Nautilus

The meeting takes place at the Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel on 3 October, but if you are away at sea Nautilus invites you to send a photo of youself at work to remind everyone who we are there for. Please send your photograph, along with your name and where the photo was taken to campaigns@nautilusint.org. g Meeting details, see page 18.

YARD CLOSURES: the downturn in the international shipping industry has resulted in the closure of more than 60% of the world’s shipyards over the past eight years, a new report of the market analysts Clarkson Research stated last month. It predicted that 30% of yards currently in operation could shut down by the end of this year, with the number of vessel orders down by 80% since 2013. FATIGUE THREAT: seafarer fatigue remains one of the biggest maritime safety issues, US authorities warned last month. The US National Transportation Safety Board included fatigue, bridge resource management, access to high-risk spaces and use of medication while operating vessels among its ‘top 10’ list of key lessons to be learned from accident investigations. RESCUE AWARD: the International Maritime Rescue Federation has been awarded US$450,000 by the TK Foundation to support its work to improve maritime search and rescue capability across 29 countries in Africa. The project aims to develop regional rescue coordination centres and rescue sub-centres, and to train a further 500 SAR personnel over the next two years. RIVER RISE: Europe’s river cruise industry carried a total of 1.36m passengers last year, up by 2.7% from 2016. A total of 22 new river cruise vessels came into service last year and another 17 will follow this year. Operators have warned that recruiting good crew is getting increasingly difficult, and there are also problems with congestion at some major tourist sites. FATAL COLLISION: 10 US Navy seafarers were reported dead and five injured after the destroyer USS John McCain collided with the Liberian-flagged tanker Alinc MC off Singapore last month. The incident comes barely two months after seven sailors died when the US destroyer Fitzgerald collided with the containership ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan. CREW EVACUATED: 24 seafarers onboard the Isle of Man-flagged bulk carrier Cheshire had to be evacuated last month following a cargo incident while the vessel was off the Canary Islands. The 56,598dwt Bibby Line vessel was sailing from Norway to Thailand when the cargo of ammonium nitrate-based fertiliser overheated. GRAIG DEAL: the V.Group has announced a deal to acquire Graig Shipping’s shipmanagement division. The V.Group said Graig Ship Management, which specialises in newbuilding supervision and bulk carrier management, will continue to operate independently within its portfolio of operations. SKIPPER FINED: a UK fishing vessel skipper was fined a total of £2,250 last month after being found guilty of three charges, including a failure to keep a proper lookout, when his vessel collided with another trawler off the coast of Northern Ireland in July 2015. SHELL SWITCH: Qatar-based Nakilat Shipping has completed the first phase of taking over the management of its fleet of LNG carriers from Shell, with the LNG carrier Al Mafyar last month becoming the 10th vessel to change control over the last 10 months. REEFER FALL: a seriously injured crew member had to be airlifted from the Bahamas-flagged refrigerated cargoship Nederland Reefer after he fell from a crane when the ship was in the UK port of Falmouth last month.

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04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports PRINCELY SUM: a 1% pay rise, backed dated to 1 April 2017, has been accepted by the Union on behalf of members employed by P&O Maritime Services and serving onboard Prince Madog. Additionally, a 2.5% pay award, backdated to 1 April 2017, has also been accepted by Nautilus on behalf of members employed by P&O Maritime Services and serving onboard the Cefas Endeavour. A death in service benefit of two times salary will also be implemented from 1 September 2017 for both vessels. NERC AWARD: a 1% pay award, dating back to 2015, for those who had not already received the pay progression step for the relevant period, has been imposed by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for officers serving on the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) ships James Clark Ross and Ernest Shackleton, and on the NOCS-NMFSS ships James Cook and Discovery. Consultation with members is expected to start soon on the 2016 pay offer. THAMES SURGERY: strategic organisers Danny McGowan and Martyn Gray were due to undertake a surgery with members employed by Thames Clippers on 30 and 31 August at Trinity Buoy Wharf, shortly after the Telegraph went to print. The Union is also seeking four liaison officers to represent all masters, mates, deck customer service assistants and CSAs. WESTERN VISITS: a series of ship visits will give members employed by Western Ferries an opportunity to meet the Union’s new strategic organiser, Martyn Gray. The visits will take place on 5 September, where Mr Gray — alongside national ferry organiser Micky Smyth — will meet members and discuss issues including the liaison officer structure within the company.

Fresh hold-up for ferry tendering Minister says review will beextended while EU state aid rules are examined

Scotland’s transport minister is being pressed to provide details of the delayed timetable for tendering the Northern Isles lifeline ferry services. Bidding for the routes currently operated by Serco NorthLink was due to begin this spring —to enable a planned new contract to be put into place by summer 2018. But this was deferred to 2019 earlier this year and it now looks likely to fall even further behind. Announcing the decision, transport minister Humza Yousaf said the hold-up was required because of the complex discussions with the European Commission over the legal and policy implications of the socalled Teckal exemption to the state aid tendering rules.

Mr Yousaf said further detailed consideration of the state aid rules is needed before deciding whether it would be possible to make a direct award to an in-house operator. ‘The level of engagement and detailed information required will almost certainly lead to an extended timeline to that initially envisaged for the full consideration and completion of the review,’ he added. ‘This will extend the timeline for the review beyond the autumn period, when a report on the emerging ﬁndings of the review is due for publication.’ The minister said the delays mean that the Scottish government also has to consider the implications for the next contracts for the Gourock-Dunoon service.

Company has launched a threeA week consultation on proposals to The Isle of Man Steam Packet

FORELAND REVIEW: members employed by Foreland Shipping (Guernsey) are being asked to submit views on the contents of the forthcoming 2018 pay and conditions review. A meeting to discuss the claim has been arranged for 18 September. HANSON LIAISON: Nautilus is seeking nominations to fill four liaison officer roles to represent members employed by Hanson Ship Management onboard Arco Arun, Avon, Beck and Dijk.

More talks on Orkney pay right, are Nautilus strategic C organiser Martyn Gray, Orkney Pictured above, left to

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£195.00 FLAT FEE PER TAX RETURN

07946 489 893 24 West Park, Braunton, EX33 1EY www.taxaidforseafarers.co.uk

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‘This is clearly a very fundamental review and we await the outcome with great interest.’ Orkney MSP Liam McArthur, Shetland MSP Tavish Scott and Shetland Islands Council transport committee chairman Ryan Thomson called for the minister to clarify the revised timetable as a matter of urgency. Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said the Scottish government already has the power to deal with the procurement of lifeline ferry services. ‘With this update, they have once again kicked the decision into the long grass, while bidders and already vulnerable communities are left in limbo,’ she added. ‘The Scottish government must act sooner rather than later to ensure these ferry services are accessible and protected for our island communities.’

Steam Packet consult over move to Larne

CALMAC VIEWS: aspirations are being sought from members employed by Caledonian MacBrayne Crewing (Guernsey) for the forthcoming pay and conditions review. Views collected will help the Union shape its pay claim for the year and must be submitted by midday 1 September.

SERCO ASPIRATIONS: members employed by Serco Ferries are being asked to submit their aspirations and proposals for the contents of the imminent pay and conditions claim.

He stressed that the review is also considering the case for continued tendering of all the lifeline services — assessing factors including the cost of tendering, the wider economic and ﬁnancial implications, and the views of local communities and key stakeholders. ‘While the government’s preference is to award the contract to an in-house provider, it is important that the outcome of the review is not prejudged, or to create expectations that further consideration of the state aid rules, and the Altmark criteria in particular, will necessarily result in a direct award to an in-house operator on any, or all, of the ferry services supported by the Scottish government,’ he added. Nautilus national ferry organiser Micky Smyth commented:

Ferries liaison officer John Cowie and national ferry organiser Micky Smyth at the latest joint unions’ pay meeting at the RMT offices in Aberdeen. During the meeting — which

took place on 3 August — the group discussed the overwhelming rejection of the 1.5% pay offer made by Orkney Ferries’ management. Following the discussion, the unions received notification from the company that it is seeking to organise an emergency board meeting to discuss the issues.

switch its Northern Ireland services from Belfast to the port of Larne. The company — which has already carried out berthing trials in Larne with Ben-my-Chree and the fast craft Manannan — says the move would enable its ships to carry larger vehicles to and from the Isle of Man. The switch would also lead to reduced sailing times between Northern Ireland and Douglas. Chief executive Mark Woodward said the company considers that Larne would provide an enhanced service, but feedback from passengers and freight customers would be ‘a central factor’ in the final decision.

‘The type of vehicle traffic we can carry on the Northern Ireland route is restricted by the facilities in Belfast,’ he added. ‘At Larne we would be able to look at opening up travel for larger vans, motorhomes and coaches, which could help boost tourism to the Isle of Man as well as being a benefit to island residents. ‘We would also be able to look at providing new freight capability between Douglas and Northern Ireland, which could be a boost for businesses too.’ Nautilus national ferry organiser Micky Smyth said the Union has expressed support for the move, as it has the potential to have a positive impact for members serving with the company.

UK reviews seafarer pensions submission to a UK government F consultation of pension arrangements Nautilus is making a

for seafarers and offshore workers. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is undertaking the six-

week review of the relevant Pensions Act regulations to test whether they are working as intended in enabling seafarers and offshore workers to be automatically enrolled into workplace pensions.

Members reject Maersk pay freeze Maersk containerships have F rejected company proposals for a pay Nautilus members serving on

freeze this year. The Union has urged the company to rethink its proposals for members employed by Maersk Offshore (Bermuda) and Maersk Offshore (Guernsey) on IDO CBA container vessels, and Maersk Offshore (Guernsey) on the SAO CBA. The offers also proposed that

members employed by Maersk Offshore (Bermuda) on IDO CBA container vessels would have leave in advance increased from 15 days to 60 days for those on the B2B leave ratio. Members employed by Maersk Offshore (Guernsey) on IDO CBA container vessels are facing changes to leave in advance for the B2B leave ratio, as well as the incorporation of the current uniform allowance into the salary scale.

Those employed on the SAO CBA are facing the removal of the option to choose the 216 active days salary scale upon promotion into a top four rank. Instead these officers will automatically receive the B2B salary scale and leave. Following the consultation results, national organiser Steve Doran said he would speak to the company about the next steps. ‘Members have voiced their opinions and have rejected the

pay freeze,’ he pointed out. ‘We must now work with the company to explore new ways to resolve this ongoing issue. ‘Our members work extremely hard,’ Mr Doran continued, ‘and while times are tough for the industry, increases in the cost of living for our members mean that any pay freezes are really pay cuts. I will now look at organising a meeting with the company as a matter of urgency.’

22/08/2017 10:38

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 05

NAUTILUS AT WORK

shortreports

Union visits HAL vessels

STENA LOSS: Nautilus has begun talks with management over the potential impact of the withdrawal of the the UK-flagged freight to-ro Capucine from Stena Line’s Harwich-based services. National ferry organiser Micky Smyth said further meetings are planned in September, and the Union is seeking to avoid redundancies and to discuss proposals to relocate officers to other services.

Jonathan Havard is pictured F meeting members serving with Nautilus national secretary

Holland America Line (HAL) during a series of ship visits in Norway. Together with Maarten Keuss and Hans Walthie, from the Union’s Rotterdam office, Mr Havard visited four ships to discuss a wide range of issues ahead of the next round of pay and conditions talks with the company. Meetings were held onboard Rotterdam, Zuiderdam, Prinsendam and Koningsdam as the vessels visited the port of Bergen, and talks concentrated on the subjects that will be a priority in negotiations over the new terms and conditions agreement when the current three-year deal comes to an end in December next year. Mr Havard said the Union aims to begin the negotiations at an early stage, and the issues identified by members include increased work pressures and administrative burdens, onboard internet access, bonus arrangements, training courses, contract lengths, safety equipment and the need for a VDR protocol.

CROWN UPLIFT: members employed by Crown Crewing (Jersey) have voted to accept a 2.5% pay uplift following consultation. The deal will also see masters serving on Whithaven get a further £1,000 to close the pay gap with other masters within the organisation, as well as an agreement to consider progressing the provision of defibrillators onboard vessels. GMSG OFFER: members across all ranks employed by GMSG are being consulted on a 3% pay offer, from January 2018. Cable engineers will be awarded a further 5% increase. Industrial organiser Lisa Carr said that the offer doesn’t, at this time, compensate for the terms and conditions lost in the previous redundancy process. Views are needed by 4 September. FLEET REVIEW: aspirations are being sought from members employed by Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) and serving on Princess Cruise Line and P&O Australia vessels ahead of the 2018 pay and conditions review. Members have been asked to provide information that will help shape the Union’s claim.

Court ruling ends tribunal charges Unions welcome ‘massive win’ as judges decide that tribunal fees are illegal

Nautilus has welcomed a landmark UK court ruling that the government’s system of charging workers for bring cases to employment tribunals is illegal. The Supreme Court upheld a case brought by the trade union Unison and ordered the fees should end immediately. It also said the government would have to repay up to £32m in fees paid since the charges were introduced in 2013. Unison successfully argued that the fees — which can be as high as £1,200 per case — prevented many workers from gaining justice at work. The most common reasons for employment tribunal cases include unfair dismissal, holiday pay, and sex discrimination. Ofﬁcial statistics show that the

number of cases taken by workers declined by nearly 70% since the fees were introduced. TUC research shows that this fall was especially high in cases involving part-time work rules (-83%), sexual orientation discrimination (-75%), and unauthorised deductions from wages (-78%). The Supreme Court said ‘substantial and sustained’ decline in the numbers of claims ‘points to the conclusion that a signiﬁcant number of people have found the fees unaffordable’. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: ‘This is a massive win for working people. Congratulations to Unison for doggedly pursuing this case. The result shows the value of working people standing together in trade unions.

‘Too many low-paid workers couldn’t afford to uphold their rights at work, even when they’ve faced harassment or have been sacked unfairly,’ she added. ‘Tribunal fees have been a bonanza for bad bosses, giving them free rein to mistreat staff. Any fees paid so far should be refunded as soon as possible.’ While trade unions often pay the fees for their members, Ms O’Grady said the ﬁgures indicated that many workers simply cannot afford to take a case. Nautilus head of legal services Charles Boyle welcomed the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling. ‘These fees meant that sums up to £1,200 had to be paid by workers to take unfair dismissal and discrimination claims to the ET,’ he pointed out. ‘It is no wonder that the number of claims

submitted fell so much as a direct result of the fees, which denied workers access to justice. ‘When the fees were introduced, Nautilus adopted a policy of paying them on behalf of members who had meritorious claims,’ he added. ‘Now that the fees have been abolished, it is still vitally important for workers to be members of a union — many of which support the lawyer’s fees in their ET claims — because the other downside in the ET is that, even when employees win their cases, they still have to pay their own legal fees. ‘Nautilus continues to support and pay the legal fees for members’ claims which have at least a 51% prospect of success, so when members win compensation they do not have to worry about legal costs.’

PG TIPS: Nautilus is collecting aspirations from members employed by PG Tankers (Guernsey) for the forthcoming pay and conditions review. The views will help national organiser Jonathan Havard focus negotiations with the employer, which are due to begin on Tuesday 19 September. UECC UPDATES: the Union has begun consultations with members employed by UECC (Guernsey) about updates to their contractual terms and conditions. The company says that the changes will ensure compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention. PLA RISE: members employed by the Port of London Authority (PLA) have accepted a proposed three-year pay and conditions agreement. The offer amounts to a 3% increase from 1 January 2017, with inflation-linked increases in 2018 and 2019. BW INCREASE: an improved pay and conditions offer for members employed by BW Fleet Management has been accepted by the Union following consultations. BOSKALIS DEAL: a ‘full and final’ 2.5% pay offer to members employed by Boskalis Westminster has been accepted by Nautilus following consultations.

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New offer from Marine Scotland F

Following further discussions between Nautilus and Marine Scotland Compliance (MSC), management has made a revised offer that the Union describes as ‘a significant step forward’. Following a meeting on 8 August in Edinburgh, the Union received the updated offer for the 2017 pay and conditions review. The new package would give members a 1% pay increase from 2017/18, plus a pay supplement guaranteed for at least three years. Members had previously voiced concerns

04-05_at work.indd 5

after the reward and recognition allowance — established in 2014 and worth £5,000 — was reduced to just £2,000. However, it has now been confirmed that the allowance will be paid at a rate of £3,400 for a minimum of the next three years. National organiser Steve Doran said that its now down to the members to decide if they accept the offer or not. ‘Talks between MSC and ourselves have been long, but we’re pleased that recently we have seen some real progress,’ he said. ‘We’ve

put the offer to members and, should they accept, we can draw a line under these discussions and move forwards. ‘However, if the will of the members is to reject the offer, then MSC has stated it will withdraw it entirely. If this happens then we will need to sit down and work with our members to decide what the next course of action is.’ Results of the consultation were due by the end of August.

22/08/2017 10:38

06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

OFFSHORE NEWS

shortreports WELL SAFE: Oil & Gas UK has welcomed the publication of a suite of updated guidelines to ensure the safety of offshore wells. The guidelines were devised by The Wells Forum — one of Oil & Gas UK’s formal bodies which allows member representatives to share good practice. Two of the three updates relate to competency guidelines, with one aimed at assessing, managing and developing competency of wells personnel and teams and the other aimed at ensuring the competence of well examiners. SEAHORSE APPEAL: members employed by Seahorse Maritime and serving onboard Sealion vessels have been informed that the company will further appeal the recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision — which upheld the Union’s successful employment tribunal claim. The news follows months of waiting by members for the EAT outcome and has been described by the Union as ‘another blatant attempt by the employer to deny the rights of its employees under UK law’. SMIT SETTLEMENT: members employed by Smit International (Scotland) have voted to accept its 2017 pay and conditions offer. The offer will see a 2.5% pay increase — backdated to 1 April — implemented. National organiser Steve Doran has written to the company to inform it of the members’ decision, and is seeking further meetings to discuss members’ concerns regarding claw-back, the overnight allowance and workloads. SUBSEA ‘NO’: over 80% of members employed by Subsea 7 who took part in a pay and conditions review consultation have voted to reject the company’s proposal. The offer was for a zero-consolidated pay increase — although members would have received a one-off US$1,000 payment. National organiser Steve Doran has informed management of the results and has requested a new meeting to discuss further. TECHNIP LIAISON: two new liaison officers have been appointed to represent members employed by Technip (Singapore). William Jackson and Derek Scott will act as representatives onboard Deep Energy and as a roving liaison officer respectively. Three further liaison officer roles for Deep Blue, Deep Arctic and Wellservicer remain open. Each period of office will be between 1 August 2017 until 31 July 2020. GULFMARK REJECTION: a pay freeze for members employed by Gulfmark (Guernsey) has been rejected following consultation. National organiser Steve Doran noted that despite a low turnout for the consultation, 83% of those who did vote dismissed the offer made. Mr Doran is now seeking to organise another meeting with the company to progress discussions. OCEAN OFFER: consultation with members serving with Ocean Supply (Guernsey) on a 1.5% pay offer for all crew was due to close as the Telegraph went to print. Members had until 22 August to submit their views, with the results of the consultation due to be distributed via bulletin when they became available.

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VOS ship starts Irish Sea contract Dutch-flagged vessel VOS Start, A arriving in the UK port of Barrow to Pictured right is the newly-built

begin work servicing the construction of the Walney Extension offshore windfarm in the Irish Sea. Built in China, the 4,965gt VOS Start is Vroon’s first subsea-support, walk-to-work vessel and underwent three months of work at the Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf in Amsterdam, where an industry-first motioncompensated gangway system was fitted. The installation means that offshore workers will be able to walk along an extendable platform to board offshore structures such as wind turbines. The work at the Damen yard also saw VOS Start fitted with a Kongsberg reference system — including a windfarm module — and an active heave-compensated crane from SMST.

UK ‘own goal’ on crew visas Unions question minister over move to relax the rules

Home Ofﬁce minister Brandon Lewis has sought to defend a move by the UK government to waive work permit requirements for non-European crews of vessels operating in the windfarm sector. Nautilus and the RMT wrote to the minister to express concern at the decision to make it easier for employers to recruit crews from non-EEA countries — warning that the move threatens to accelerate the decline of British seafarers and to undermine pay and conditions in the offshore wind industry. In his response, Mr Lewis said the changes had been made as ‘an interim measure which has been introduced so as to ensure that the completion of signiﬁcant projects in the sector is not disrupted in the short term’. He said the government had made it clear to the industry that

it expects to ‘return to a position in which the employment of the non-EEA crew of vessels engaged in energy projects in territorial waters will be treated no differently from the recruitment of non-EEA nationals into employment on the UK landmass’. The minister told the unions that the government believes ‘the immigration system should protect the interests of UK workers — including protection against undercutting of wages, and of their access to employment opportunities, including in relation to work which takes place in territorial waters’. Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘Whilst it is encouraging that the minister reiterated that the government’s position is to protect the interests of UK workers — including in relation to work which takes place in territorial

waters — it’s hard to take any reassurance from his response. ‘There is no detailed explanation of why it was considered necessary to relax the rules in the ﬁrst place,’ he pointed out. ‘If operators were suggesting they couldn’t get hold of British crew, did the government do anything to check the industry’s claims and what has it done to check on the terms and conditions of the foreign crews that are being used?’ The minister also told the unions that the government is considering options for the UK’s immigration systems and, as part of this, it plans to seek advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the reliance on EU migrant workers across the economy and to consider the UK’s labour market needs. Nautilus will be making sure its views are conveyed to the MAC, Mr Dickinson said.

Sentinel deal Resource aims to prevent a boosts jobs second Piper Alpha disaster Marine has announced two F new contracts which, it says, will

prevent a repeat of the 1988 F Piper Alpha disaster has been

safeguard the jobs of more than 70 North Sea seafarers. Sentinel said the two new contracts — one with Statoil UK and the other with Ineos — mean that it has secured deals worth more than £26m so far this year. The Statoil job will involve the deployment of the ERRV Portland Sentinel, and Ineos contract will see Forties Sentinel and Sentinel Ranger providing drilling operations support and rescue vessel cover.

welcomed by Lord Cullen, who headed the inquiry into the accident in which 167 offshore workers died. Launched in Aberdeen last month, the resource — called Encompassing the Future: Offshore Oil and Gas Operations — pulls together 40 years of inter-disciplinary knowledge and experience in environmental, health and safety and performance management. Split over 10 volumes, the initiative is described as a knowledge repository

Aberdeen-based Sentinel

A new initiative intended to

that will help future leaders deal with the challenges of oil price volatility, technological innovation and the loss of experienced personnel. Speaking at the launch, Lord Cullen said the database was very necessary and the lessons of Piper Alpha should never be forgotten. ‘More than ever such comprehensive reference material is required,’ he added. ‘A mature province with ageing infrastructure, challenging economics, demographics and technology that pushes new boundaries must welcome and make full use of such a resource.’

Members vote on VGG cuts that could lead members A employed by VGG (Singapore) as

Consultation is taking place

marine crew and dive techs on the DSV agreement to be balloted on industrial action. The move follows prolonged discussions between Nautilus and the company over its cost-saving suggestions. If implemented, marine crew would take a 10% reduction in existing salary levels, with effect from 1 September, with a lay-up rate implemented if vessels are stacked for a period of time, and a 40% reduction to be applied if a vessel is stacked and members remain at home. The changes for dive techs would see them put on a day contract model of 120 days guaranteed work per annum. The company has withdrawn its proposal to backdate these changes, but has committed to a full review in six months. Previously, marine crew had voted to reject the pay cut plans and dive techs had expressed opposition to the adoption of the 120 days of guaranteed work model. VGG told the Union that this is its final position and members are now being asked if they will accept the offer or wish to be balloted on industrial action. Nautilus national organiser Jonathan Havard said he was disappointed by the company’s position. ‘Industrial action is a last course of action and one we only contemplate if completely necessary,’ he said. ‘We have been discussing these issues with the company for a substantial period of time now. ‘Our members work extremely hard and these changes to their contracts could have a significant impact on their lives,’ he added. ‘We have done everything possible to find a suitable outcome with the company but if the will of the members is to be balloted for industrial action, in line with the appropriate legislation, then we will of course will follow their wishes.’ The results of the consultation should be known by the beginning of September.

22/08/2017 13:11

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 07

NEWS

Study warns on ballast systems Report reveals widespread problems with operation of BWM equipment

Nautilus has expressed concern about a classification society report which reveals that more than 40% of ballast water management (BWM) systems currently fitted to ships are considered ‘inoperable’ or ‘problematic’. The study — published by ABS last month — is based on feedback from 30 ship owners and operators running a total of 220 vessels, including bulk carriers, tankers, containerships, and gas carriers. It pointed to key problems affecting the operation of BWM equipment, including crew training and familiarity, variable operation interfaces, installation and commissioning, and software and maintenance difficulties. The classification society said 14% of systems currently installed on ships were deemed ‘inoperable’ and owners considered 29% to have ‘problematic’ operations ABS found that just 14% of systems were being run regularly and subjected to monitoring

and/or efficacy testing, while 43% were running but had not been sampled or tested. It highlighted concerns over seafarers’ knowledge and competence in operating and maintaining BWM systems. Owners complained of a lack of uniformity in training methods and of the need for well-written, ship-specific and regularly updated instruction manuals. Operators also warned of the problems for seafarers working on different ships fitted with different systems. ‘Crew members are constantly on rotation, not only on and off the ship but on and off different ships with a variety of ballast water systems. This variety can lead to confusion on operational procedures and maintenance schedules,’ the report noted. ‘Improved training methods and clearly written system manuals will lead to a decrease in the number of issues stemming from operational errors.’ ABS said the study had shown

the operational challenges posed by the complexity of many BWM systems — aggravated by frequent software and hardware problems. ‘The software integrated into the BWM systems which were analysed in this study often required extensive updates, and experienced system malfunctions,’ the report noted. ‘System operators have had a difﬁcult time with hardware maintenance and maintaining appropriate spare parts onboard.’ Particular problems were reported with start-up and shutdown sequences, ﬁltration, data storage and retrieval, interpreting alarms and alerts, and handling and managing chemical consumables for some BWM systems. Owners also complained about the frequent need to replace UV light bulbs — especially in systems where a single bulb failure leads to system failure. ‘This comprehensive report, based on feedback from our workshop, is an important assessment

Engineer’s Mercy mission

of the readiness of industry when it comes to ballast water compliance,’ said ABS environmental performance director Thomas Kirk. ‘It is important that the practices which are being used successfully by some vessel owners are shared with others in the industry.’ Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the report confirmed many of the concerns which have been raised by members. ‘What other industry would rely on the “cascading” of important operational and safety knowledge?’ he said. ‘This is totally irresponsible, but not surprising in an industry where responsibility and sanction is shifted to ship staff.’ The international BWM Convention is due to enter into force for all newbuildings on 8 September this year, and existing vessels will be required to fit treatment systems at their first or second IOPPC renewal survey after September 2017, subject to certain conditions.

Zubovic, pictured left, has A become the first volunteer to serve on Engineer officer Tomislav

the hospital vessel Africa Mercy under a partnership agreement between the Mercy Ships charity and the Costa Group. Mr Zubovic — who has served on cruiseships including AIDAsol and AIDAluna — is spending four months working with around 400 other volunteers on the 16,572gt Africa Mercy, which last month sailed from Las Palmas to Doula, Cameroon, where it will provide medical and dental care to local people. ‘I am very excited about this challenge,’ Mr Zubovic said. ‘We are truly making a difference here and I am looking forward to helping operate this ship that gives hope to so many people.’ Under the agreement between Mercy Ships and Costa — which was signed in March this year — the company has committed to continuously fill one engineering position onboard the hospital ship. Costa will also provide Mercy Ships’ officers with opportunities to gain experience onboard its vessels.

Sailing car carrier plan largest sailing cargo ship — A above — have taken a big step

Plans to develop the world’s

forward after Lloyd’s Register joined forces with Hamburg-based Sailing Cargo’s sustainable shipping initiative, Quadriga. The plans will see the construction of a 170m car carrier capable of carrying between 1,700 and 2,000 vehicles. The vessel will be able to sail at speeds of up to 12 knots, with the aim of reaching up to 16 knots in the future. The ship will be equipped with four DynaRig masts and will operate on hybrid propulsion with sails and diesel-electric engines. It will also

have an optional battery system for peak loads. Through its involvement in the project, Lloyd’s Register will provide consultancy services during the design and specification stages, followed by onsite construction supervision and verifying whether predicted performance parameters have been reached. Project founder Uwe Köhler said: ‘We must do the right thing for the future of our industry; the Quadriga project combines traditionally proven systems with cutting-edge technology and aims to provide a solution to achieving the CO2 emissions reduction target.’

Councils urged to fly the red ensign are urged to lobby their local F authorities to fly the red ensign on Nautilus members in the UK

public buildings and prominent flagpoles on this year’s Merchant Navy Day (3 September). The Union is backing the Seafarers UK campaign to see the flag being flown across the UK by government bodies, local councils and other organisations as part of efforts to raise awareness of the Merchant Navy and the nation’s continued dependence on shipping. Last year, some 400 flags were hoisted from civic centres, town halls, public libraries, village greens, churches, sports venues, historic buildings, and tourist attractions across the country — and event organisers are hoping that the total will top 600 this year. Parish, community, town, city, district and borough councils have

all been invited to take part, along with higher-tier local authorities and governments. There may still time to persuade your local authority to participate — members are urged to check the Roll of Honour that has been set up on the Seafarers UK website, and to lobby their local council if it has not signed up to fly the red ensign. The Merchant Navy Fund has also provided a downloadable guide for councils on how to take part, with a message of endorsement from the Earl of Wessex. Last year hundreds of local flaghoisting ceremonies were organised, involving VIPs, civic dignitaries, and MN veterans. At some locations a message of support from the Earl of Wessex was read out ‘to remember the sacrifices, salute the courage and support the future of the often unsung personnel of our Merchant Navy.’

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22/08/2017 13:10

08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

LARGE YACHT NEWS

Code changes set Tax rules hit Riviera marinas to pave the way for new designs F by Michael Howorth

by Michael Howorth

and the Passenger Yacht Code F (PYC) — which provide the regulatory The Large Yacht Code (LY3)

framework for yacht construction — are to be amalgamated to become the Red Ensign Group Code (REG) in a bid to make them more usable. Both are currently issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), but in the case of the new consolidated code, the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry will take the lead in the secretariat function of the code. The intention behind the revised code is to further develop the wellestablished industry standards of the LY3 and PYC, combining the lessons learned from almost 20 years of regulating the large yacht sector since the first version of the Large Yacht Code was published by the MCA in 1997. Highlighted in the code are the necessary steps required to adapt to the International Maritime Organisation’s new four-yearly adoption and amendment cycle for its STCW, SOLAS and Load Line Conventions to which the codes form equivalences. To be published in September, leading to an application date for vessels with keels laid after 1 January, 2019, the updated version of LY3 in Part A will continue to be applied to

yachts that are 24m-plus in load line length, in commercial use for sport or pleasure and don’t carry cargo or more than 12 passengers. Part B will consist of the latest version of the PYC applicable to pleasure yachts of any size, in private use or engaged in trade, which carry more than 12 but not more than 36 passengers and don’t carry cargo. The two parts will share common annexes, such as for helicopter landing areas, enabling yacht builders and designers to continue to recognise the familiar formats of the existing codes. The new code will aim to make better use of industry best practice and international standards such as ISO. It will also follow the IMO’s overarching remit for increased goal-based standards as a form of regulation, allowing room for further flexibility and innovation in the design and construction of yachts. Yacht codes specialist Jo Assael, who works with the Cayman Island Ship Registry as a senior surveyor, suggested: ‘The new code might encourage and enable yacht designers to go a little more off-piste and allow them, through rigorous design and engineering principles, to prove that an alternative standard is just as safe as the prescriptive one. ‘Hopefully, this is going to open the doors to these unique designs that haven’t been allowed by the code in the past.’

Clampdown in Greece least two foreign-registered F yachts have been fined as part of a

Greece has announced that at

crackdown on undeclared charter revenues. Coastguard authorities in Greece, in cooperation with a newly established independent authority for

collecting public revenues, have been carrying out special checks of yachts to see whether the sum on a charter party actually corresponds to the money paid to the vessel’s operator. Greece is also seeking to combat illicit excursions carried out exclusively in its waters.

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.

New tax and social security requirements for crew are being blamed as one of the reasons for a marked downturn in the number of superyachts operating in France. Yacht owners are generally not short of money, but they have been shunning the Côte d’Azur’s marinas in response to increases in bunker costs and a recently-approved decree which increases their liability to pay French tax and social contributions for crew who spend more than half the year in French waters. There have been complaints that the decree could increase the cost of crewing a 50m yacht by anything between €300,000 to €500,000 a year and that French VAT rules are making it as much as €20,000 a week more expensive to refuel a 42m yacht in France than in Italy or Spain. All of the 142 ports and marinas in the region — including those in Corsica — are reporting a significant reduction in the number of visiting

Antibes is one of the French ports hit by a reduction in the number of superyacht visits Picture: Danny McGowan

yachts, which last year totalled 66,570. With berth occupancy down by between 30% to 40% in many ports, local politicians have appealed for help from the president, Emmanuel Macron. In an open letter, they warned that France is risking the loss of superyachts that generate €900m

for the local economy, threatening thousands of jobs. The letter cited the example of Monaco Maritime, a French superyacht refit yard, losing a lucrative contract for a 152m superyacht to Spanish rivals. Complaining that the EU is allowing Italy and Spain to undercut the south of France, they

Crews warned of French fines Nautilus voices concern as captains face court action

Nautilus International has issued an urgent warning to members serving on superyachts in the south of France following ‘an alarming increase’ in criminalisation of crew members in recent months. The Union says seafarers have been facing fines of up to €10,000 and even imprisonment or offences being recorded against an officer’s certificate of competency as a consequence of cases involving prosecutions for anchoring in prohibited areas or seemingly minor infringements of the regulations. In a message to members, Nautilus strategic organiser Danny McGowan said: ‘Some of the Nautilus members who have been called to court have been investigated for anchoring in prohibited areas, despite weather conditions dictating that the chosen anchoring position was the only safe place.

‘Other Nautilus members —particularly masters — have been investigated and appeared in court for the actions of their subordinates,’ he added. ‘As we all know, owners or guests can often exert pressure on masters to breach rules, with the promise that any punitive fines will be covered by them. Some of this pressure can also be felt by other officers and crew.’ He cautioned members against expectations that fines will be covered by the owners — especially in cases where prosecution could lead to custodial sentences. Mr McGowan said the increase in such cases — often being brought at extremely short notice — could reflect the ‘state of emergency’ across France following recent terrorist attacks. He said that Nautilus has provided members with support from its special 24/7 helpline and a lawyer from the Union’s world-

wide network of maritime legal experts. ‘Thanks to this unique service, members have been provided with legal representation in court within as little as 12 hours,’ he added. ‘Nautilus International is the only trade union and professional organisation that can assist its members in this way. As the regulatory authorities appear to be stepping up enforcement, ofﬁcers and crew across the world should join us to ensure they remain protected, before it is too late.’ Charles Boyle, head of Nautilus legal services, has been dealing with the cases. ‘The Union is very concerned about the short period between the alleged offence and the date for a court appearance,’ he said. ‘This calls into question the ability to obtain proper legal advice before attending the court, and if any members face such problems with the French maritime police, they should contact Nautilus immediately.’

called for ‘urgent harmonisation of tax and social regulations at the European level’. Franck Dosne, the director of Port Vauban at Antibes, said the new rules on social security had increased the rates from 15% to 55% — which had a ‘terrible’ impact, even for wealthy people.

Meet the Union at Monaco year’s Monaco Yacht Show, F which takes place between 27 and 29 Nautilus will be attending this

September. For the first time at the annual event, the Union will have a stand within the ACREW Lounge, at the iconic ‘La Rascasse’ restaurant. Strategic organiser Danny McGowan will be leading a team of representatives from Nautilus who will be speaking to officers and crew about the benefits of membership, and how the Union’s presence in the superyacht industry is essential. They will also be able to update members on the sea service verification process that the Union provides in the Nautilus Service Record Book. ‘All yacht shows, but particularly Monaco, are a busy and stressful time for crew. Having this presence in a space dedicated to officers and crew means that members and nonmembers can come and speak to us at a time that really suits them,’ said Mr McGowan. g If you would like Nautilus to visit your vessel at the show, email Yachts@nautilusint.org. To gain access to the ACREW lounge, or to visit the Nautilus team, register online at http://acrew.com/sign-up.

UAE yard delivers its largest yacht yet recently handed over Sehamia, A left, its second 47m motor yacht in UAE-based Gulf Craft has

the Majesty 155 line and its largest completed vessel to date, with a beam of 9.6m. The 550gt yacht can accommodate up to 18 guests and nine crew. Twin 2,011hp MTU engines give Sehamia a top speed of 17.5 knots, and a range of over 4,200nm at an economical speed of 11 knots. Gulf Craft has five other Majesty 155 vessels presently on order.

22/08/2017 10:39

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 09

NEWS

UK shipping ‘may get Arctic boost’ from the opening of the F Arctic sea routes as ice cover in the

British shipping could benefit

DFDS freight ferry Gardenia A Seaways, which has come Pictured above is the new

into service on the company’s Rotterdam-Immingham route. The 32,336gt vessel has a load space of 4,076 m and can carry up to

262 trailers. The Lithuanian-flagged ship will carry out three round-trips each week. Gardenia Seaways was built in Germany as part of the company’s ambitious fleet renewal programme, which will see

sistership Tulipa Seaways introduced on the same service in September, as well as the delivery of four ‘mega’ ro-ro ships from the Chinese shipyard Jinling in 2019 and 2020. ‘In spite of Brexit, we still see freight volumes on our North

Sea routes growing, and we are confident that the ships will offer the capacity, reliability and a significantly improved quality of service, which our customers will appreciate,’ said CEO Niels Smedegaard.

UK urged to end Brexit concerns Nautilus and owners back calls for action to avoid gridlock in British ports

As the UK government last month set out proposals for post-Brexit customs arrangements in the UK, Nautilus and the UK Chamber of Shipping backed a call from a group of Tory MPs for government action to avert ‘Armageddon’ in the country’s ports as a consequence of freight hold-ups. A report written by Dover MP Charlie Elphicke and endorsed by the European Research Group of Conservative backbenchers called for ministers to act now to prevent gridlock for the country’s economy. It recommended measures including improved transport links to Channel ports and speedier and simpler customs checks,

together with the creation of a single government ministry to cover all issues related to the border. The report highlighted the importance of maritime trade to the UK, pointing out that 95% of imports and exports pass through sea ports each year and that ro-ro freight accounts for more than three-quarters of the UK’s existing trade with European markets. Pointing to the 2015 strikes by French ferry workers which caused queues of lorries stretching back 30 miles from Dover and businesses to lose £21m worth of stock, the report warned: ‘Gridlock at the Channel ports will mean gridlock for the UK economy.’ The report noted that supply

chains rely on predictable and time-sensitive deliveries, and argues that the UK needs to be ready on day one after Brexit for the seamless transit of freight through Channel ports. ‘Disruption of any kind to the free-ﬂow of freight vehicles passing through these ports will have serious knock-on effects for the entire British economy,’it warned. Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘This is a very timely warning to the government that underlines the importance of shipping to the national economy and the very dangerous consequences of failing to put workable arrangements in place for the free ﬂow of maritime trade after Brexit.

‘The clock is ticking and ministers need to act very quickly to address these points, and the many other questions about the potential impact of EU withdrawal upon the UK ﬂeet and British maritime employment and training.’ UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Guy Platten welcomed the ‘ambitious’ report and added: ‘Dover is a national trading hub of fundamental importance to the UK economy, and any harm done to its ability to move trade will harm the national economy. But we must not forget that ports such as Calais, Zeebrugge, Dublin and others rely on trade with the UK, and any harm done to them will harm the EU economy too.’

area retreat, a new governmentcommisioned report has concluded. Published by the Government Office for Science, the study points to potential opportunities such as the increased development of UK-based Arctic cruise tourism and the creation of a UK-based trans-shipment port to handle the growing volume of cargo from the region. The report says potential savings in fuel and operating costs on AsiaEurope services could come from taking ships through the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage — which are some 40% shorter than going through the Suez Canal. It notes forecasts that the Arctic ‘shipping season’ could grow by as much as a month every decade and there has been an overall increase in

trans-Arctic voyages over the past 10 years. However, the study also highlights some of the factors which could limit growth of Arctic shipping — including the availability of ice-trained and experienced crews, poor communications, unreliable navigational aids, incomplete charting, variable ice cover, and limited search and rescue resources. The report — which was produced as part of the government’s Foresight Future of the sea project — argues that the UK could take a significant share of the increase in Arctic cruise tourism, and that it has the capacity to emulate projects such as Belgium’s new LNG receiving terminal in Zeebrugge. The study also concludes that there are major economic opportunities for British maritime services and for UK Arctic science research.

EU research aims for safer ice navigation F

Proposals for a ‘humancentred’ bridge design are to be developed as part of a three-year European Union-funded research project to improve the safety of Arctic navigation. The €6.5m Project Sedna — led by the UK-based BMT Group and whose 13 partners include Lloyd’s Register, the University of Southampton and the Met Office — is taking a ‘risk-based approach’ to address issues including icing of vital equipment, fast-changing sea ice covers and a lack of search and rescue infrastructure. The project aims to develop a ‘Safe Arctic Bridge’ concept, with a design and layout to reflect the navigational requirements of the Arctic — including

the lack of good chart data. This will use augmented reality to improve situational awareness and to support the crew in their decision-making. The project also aims to produce anti-icing solutions for vessels’ superstructures and equipment, using oil-based coatings and electrothermal systems. Researchers are also planning to develop a risk-based design framework for ship safety — including the definition of hazard scenarios, their likelihood and their expected consequences — and to enable the creation of new regional weather and sea ice probability forecast products, as well as ship-based ice monitoring systems.

Cyber-attack costs $300m cyber-attack on its systems in F June will cost it as much as US$300m. Maersk has revealed that a

Announcing its second-quarter earnings last month, the company said the NotPetya malware attack — which also affected a number of other multinational firms — resulted in system shutdowns that caused ‘significant business interruption’ and

prevented it from taking bookings for several days. Chief executive officer Soren Skou said Maersk had strengthened its IT security in response to the incident. ‘We have done a lot to harden our defences and we will do more,’ he promised. ‘We will increase our ability to isolate hacker incidents and rebuild systems faster.’

R A I S I N G T H E S T A N D A R D MAJOR INVESTMENT SUPPORTS AMBITIOUS PL ANS Southampton Solent University’s maritime strategy has reached an exciting phase. In September 2017 we are proud to open our new maritime centre for the tuition of officer cadets and first certification courses in Southampton city centre. Our ambitious plans and significant investment further strengthen Warsash Maritime Academy as a world-leader in maritime education and training.

Find out more: www.warsashacademy.co.uk/ourfuture

09_news.indd 9

22/08/2017 13:10

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

NEWS

Centenary tribute to MN ‘war crime’ victims on a British merchant ship in the F First World War were remembered at The victims of a U-boat attack

a ceremony in Portsmouth 100 years to the day after the incident. Only three of the 42 seafarers onboard the Furness Withy cargoship Belgian Prince survived to tell the story of how their vessel was torpedoed by the German submarine U-55 while sailing from Liverpool to Newport News in the United States on 31 July 1917. The 4,736grt vessel — which was carrying a cargo of blue clay — was hit on the port side, some 175 miles NW of Tory Island, Ireland. Over the next 24 hours, 38 of the crew drowned and the master, Captain Harry Hassan, was taken below deck on the U-boat and was never seen again.

Chief engineer Thomas Bowman was one of the three survivors and he gave a detailed account of the night’s events, describing how his ship was struck by a torpedo fired by the submarine. As the crew clambered onboard the lifeboats, the U-boat began to shell the Belgian Prince to disable its communication equipment and then approached the lifeboats, taking Capt Hassan below and ordering the other crew to line up on the deck. The men were ordered to take their lifebelts and overcoats off and lay them on the submarine’s deck. ‘Then the sailors came along searching us, and deliberately kicked the majority of the lifebelts overboard, Mr Bowman recalled. Under orders from the U-boat commander Wilhelm Werner, the

UN project to target hull fouling hazards help protect marine ecosystems F from the negative effects of invasive Plans for a US$6.9m project to

aquatic species spread by shipping have been developed by United Nations agencies. The GloFouling Partnerships project — a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) — has been established as part of work to boost compliance with guidelines on the control and management of ships’ biofouling by reducing the build-up of aquatic organisms on underwater hulls and structures.

The initiative aims to build on the success of a similar scheme which worked to build capacity to implement the IMO’s Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention. Stefan Micallef, director of the IMO’s marine environment division, commented: ‘IMO has been at the forefront of the international effort to tackle the transfer of invasive aquatic species by ships. Addressing ship’s hull fouling is a crucial step to protect marine biodiversity. The treatment of hulls to reduce fouling by aquatic organisms has the additional benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, since the drag of ships is reduced.’

Pilots praised by IMO for averting tanker disaster be presented with this year’s A International Maritime Organisation Two US marine pilots are to

award for exceptional bravery at sea in recognition of their role ‘in averting a major tragedy’ when the tanker they were piloting burst into flames in the Houston Ship Channel last year. Captain Michael McGee and Captain Michael Phillips were judged to have displayed ‘decisiveness, dedication and ship-handling

expertise’ in preventing a disaster when the 107,132dwt Aframax River suffered a mechanical failure, struck two mooring dolphins, and ruptured a bunker tank. Leaking fuel ignited and the Panama-flagged tanker was engulfed in flames up to 90m high. The IMO praised the pilots’ courage in responding to the incident ‘despite being surrounded by a towering wall of burning fuel for nearly 90 minutes’.

German crew then destroyed two of the lifeboats with axes, using the other one to go to the damaged Belgian Prince. The submarine descended into the Atlantic, dragging the Belgian Prince’s crew into the cold water. A few of the men had managed to keep their lifejackets from the Germans, but the majority stood no chance. The three survivors — Mr Bowman, able seaman George Silessi and second cook Willie Snell — were cared for ashore in Londonderry the by maritime charity the British & Foreign Sailors’ Society, which had opened a Sailors’ Rest in the city in February 1917. Stuart Rivers is chief executive of the charity — now called Sailors’ Society — and he laid a wreath at the at the Portsmouth Naval

Memorial, where one of the lost crew is remembered, last month. ‘This horrific event is one of the many examples of merchant seafarers paying the ultimate sacrifice to keep supply chains open during times of conflict,’ he said. After the war ended, the Allies demanded Werner’s extradition as a war criminal. Before reaching trial, he fled to Brazil under a false name, returning to Germany in 1924. Proceedings against him were dropped two years later, enabling him to climb the ranks of the Nazi party, where at one point he belonged to Heinrich Himmler’s personal staff. He died in May 1945, having never faced justice for his crimes. Captain Harry Hassan was declared legally dead by a court in June 1919.

Sailors’ Society CEO Stuart Rivers lays a wreath at the war memorial

Master fined for drinking New Zealand authorities warn after alcohol prosecution

Maritime safety authorities in New Zealand have warned seafarers about drinking on duty after a British shipmaster was fined NZ$3,000 (€1,852) last month when he was found to be five times over the legal alcohol limit while his ship was berthing in one of the country’s ports. Captain Anthony Michael Baker, of the Singapore-flagged multi-purpose cargo carrier Shansi, was breath-tested by police after marine pilots in Port Northland contacted authorities ashore to report concerns about the master’s behaviour and became suspicious that he was under the influence of alcohol. Police said Capt Baker was found to have and ‘exceptionally high’ 1,345 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, compared with

the New Zealand limit of 250mg. Whangarei District Court heard that the 25,483gt vessel had been moored at sea for two days awaiting its berthing slot in the port. The pilots had called Capt Baker to the bridge because of problems starting the engine and lifting the anchor. The master’s lawyer, Nick Leader, said Capt Baker was not on duty at the time and was not aware of the difﬁculties in getting the ship’s anchor up, but had taken over the navigation without any problem. The master had been drinking while off-duty, but did not believe he was over the limit, Mr Leader added. He told the court that Capt Baker had been a seafarer for 37 years, including 20 years working for the China Navigation Com-

pany. He had been suspended by his employer and it would be difficult for him to find work in a similar profession in future, Mr Leader added. Neil Rowarth, regional manager with Maritime New Zealand, said Capt Baker’s conviction and fine sent ‘a strong warning’ to seafarers that they will be prosecuted if they exceed the alcohol limit. ‘The master is legally responsible for their ship and all on board, and must be able to carry out their duties safely,’ he added. ‘A shipping accident can have tragic and widespread consequences. It endangers the crew, seafarers on other ships, and the environment,’ Mr Rowarth said. ‘Alcohol impairs judgement and increases the risk of accidents. Where we find seafarers over the limit, we will take action.’

‘Depressed’ captain took his own life halfway through a voyage from F New York to Tilbury, an inquest heard. A ship master hanged himself

Zenon Trojanowski, 59, who lived in Poland, took over as captain of the Maltese-flagged containership Santa Bettina ship on 6 May, Essex Coroner’s court was told. He was found by a crew member hanging in his cabin on 13 May, when the ship was halfway across the Atlantic. No note was found. Santa Bettina docked at the Port of Tilbury on May 21, and Capt Trojanowski was confirmed dead at 7.34pm. Police found no suspicious circumstances. The post–mortem report gave a provisional cause of death as ligature around the neck. Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said: ‘The family knew he was depressed. I have come to the sad conclusion this gentleman intended to take his own life. ‘I have to be sure and I am, bearing in mind the method he used and what I have heard about his background. I am going to record a conclusion that he killed himself.’ The coroner asked that sympathy be expressed to Capt Trojanowksi’s family. In the aftermath of the incident, the crew on board Santa Bettina were left distraught and traumatised. They were offered support in Tilbury by the charity Apostleship of the Sea.

Stranded crew thank ITF for recovering months of owed wages a Chinese port with owed wages A totalling more than US$260,000 Seafarers who were stranded in

have thanked the International Transport Workers’ Federation for helping to bring their months-long ordeal to an end. The last of the 19 Indian crew on the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier Liberty Prrudencia were paid their outstanding salaries and repatriated at the end of July — some six months after they alerted the ITF to their problems, which also included unsafe and unhygienic working and living conditions. The vessel had been held in the Chinese port of Zhousan after it broke

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down in December last year. Crew members said they had not been paid since the end of November 2016 and ITF inspectors Jason Lam, based in Hong Kong, and Louis Gomes, from India, began negotiations with the owners — securing the payment of a month’s wages and the repatriation of three crew in March. The rest of the crew refused to leave until they were paid in full, so the ITF and Hong Kong’s Merchant Navy Officers’ Guild and Amalgamated Union of Seafarers began legal action in May on the seafarers’ behalf. The owner eventually reached a settlement agreement with the 16 remaining

crew at the end of June. They were paid the agreed wages in full — US$264,600 — and were finally repatriated from China to India at the end of July. In a letter, the crew members thanked the ITF and agencies including the International Seafarers Welfare & Assistance Network, Human Rights at Sea and the Indian consulate for their support ‘against odd and inhuman practices’. ITF maritime coordinator Jacqueline Smith said the case should send a strong message to all seafarers that ITF inspectors and trade unions were vital champions in the fight against injustice and exploitation.

22/08/2017 13:04

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 11

NEWS

Union welcomes port plans for air quality strategy to develop a ‘clean air’ strategy F for shipping using the tidal Thames in Nautilus has welcomed a move

London. The Port of London Authority (PLA) is working with the Mayor of London and Transport for London on new research to formulate an air quality strategy that could include the provision of shore-side power systems to enable visiting vessels to turn off their engines and plug into an electrical grid while berthed. The project is also creating the first port-wide ‘emissions inventory’ assessing the exhaust output of all vessels on the river, as well as gathering data to compare emissions from shipping carrying passengers and freight with those from road vehicles doing the similar journeys. PLA chief executive Robin Mortimer said the research is on an unprecedented scale for the UK and most of the work should be completed by the end of September. ‘Individually the techniques are tried and tested, but we are bringing them together to create a detailed picture of vessel emissions on the Thames,’ he added. Operators working on the research include Cory Riverside Energy, Thames Shipping and MBNA Thames Clippers. The PLA has already launched the UK’s first port charges discount for cleaner cargo ships. More than 20

visiting ships a month are qualifying for the lower charges, which were introduced on 1 January this year. z Nautilus has welcomed the launch by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) of a new monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system to help shipping companies cut CO2 emissions. The Thetis-MRV went live last month, ahead of EU regulations taking effect of 1 January 2018 to require all ships above 5,000gt using EU ports to report their CO2 emissions. EMSA said the rules will apply to around 55% of ships visiting EU ports — and that the vessels covered are responsible for around 90% of related emissions. The Agency said the launch of the purpose-built Thetis-MRV will enable shipping companies to work with accredited verifiers to prepare monitoring plans in advance of the new rules. It plans to use the data to produce annual reports showing vessel fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and average energy efficiency indicators. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘We welcome this initiative by EMSA and the further development of SOx regulations. However, this would be more credible if NOx and particulate matter emissions were taken seriously — especially in port areas.’

RFA Fort Victoria ends 26-month tour of duty A

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) replenishment ship Fort Victoria has arrived back in the UK after a 26-month deployment which included time supporting operations to combat piracy and drug smuggling. During the deployment, Fort Victoria carried out a total of 150 underway replenishment operations — including a two-hour rendezvous with the EU Naval Force flagship ESPS Galicia, pictured above — in which a total of 58,634 cu m of F76 diesel and 617 palletised loads of various stores were transferred. The RFA ship also provided support to naval vessels from countries including the US, the Netherlands, Italy, France, South Korea, Pakistan, Turkey, India, Greece and Australia, as well as assisting operations in the Aegean Sea between March and May last year. Fort Victoria is returning to the UK for a period of maintenance,

10-11_news.indd 11

equipment upgrades and modification which will enable the ships to operate in support of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers when they enter service later this year. z The Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship Cardigan Bay helped to rescue 13 of the 14 crew of a tanker who were forced to abandon ship in ‘very difficult’ sea conditions off the coast of Yemen. The RFA landing ship was one of five vessels which went to the aid of the seafarers from the Panamaflagged tanker Rama 2 when it started to sink some 120nm ENE of Socotra Island. In an operation coordinated by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office in Dubai and the UK Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Fareham, Hampshire, Cardigan Bay helped the search for survivors and refuelled a helicopter from the frigate HMS Monmouth which recovered one of the crew.

Hearing help for seafarer A

Action needed on health issues Report calls for a new approach to seafarer wellbeing

Initiatives to improve the health of seafarers have been poorly coordinated and their effectiveness has not been properly measured, a new report has warned. Produced as part of a strategic review of health promotion strategies for seafarers, the report recommends radical changes in the way such initiatives are carried out to combat the signiﬁcant health and wellbeing issues that affect maritime professionals. Published in the latest edition of the International Maritime Health journal, the report says there have been plenty of campaigns over the past two centuries to target the health of seafarers — most focusing on awareness and education and few seeking to change behaviour patterns of improve the opportunities for staying healthy at sea.

Written by former UK Department for Transport chief medical advisor Dr Tim Carter and former ITF Seafarers Trust head Kimberly Karlshoej, the report says most health promotion initiatives for seafarers have been developed in a piecemeal way, rarely including an evaluation of their effectiveness. The report notes the challenges of developing effective campaigns that reﬂect the complexities of seafarers’ work and leave patterns. Initiatives developed to address aspects of life at sea may not be appropriate for when seafarers are at home, it points out. The report also highlights the lack of reliable information and data about the health and wellbeing of seafarers — and it says the ‘neglect’ of conditions such as mental health causes further pro-

belms — but suggests that there is sufﬁcient evidence to justify campaigns to target some of the biggest disease risks, such as heart and arterial conditions, diabetes, obesity, cancers, musculoskeletal problems, and psychological issues. The authors argue that more should be done to learn from knowledge and experience of successful shore-based health promotion initiatives — much of which could be applied to seafarers. ‘The right mix of specialist expertise, coupled with commitment from those who have responsibilities for the employment of seafarers, needs to be harnessed to produce a widelyaccepted set of priorities for action and for the delivery of programmes based on them,’ the report concludes.

Pictured left is a seafarer serving with DFDS who has been given a boost from a trade union/employer-backed fund which bought him some high-tech hearing aids to help him cope with his increasing deafness. Karsten Peetz, 53, who works as a mechanic on the passenger ferry Crown Seaways, which sails between Copenhagen and Oslo, has lost around 38% of his hearing — especially high-frequency sounds. The hearing impairment meant that he had difficulty understanding what his colleagues were saying to him and had to go back and forth to speak with them. The advanced new hearing aids allow him to hear more clearly and block out unwanted background noise onboard. ‘With my new hearing aids, I can honestly say that I hear everything,’ Mr Peetz said. ‘Also, if I’m sitting with a group of colleagues in the mess, I can now carry on entirely relaxed conversations, even if many people are talking at the same time. That was not possible before.’ The support came from a fund set up by DFDS and the seafarers’ section of the Danish metalworkers’ union in 2012 to offer financial and other support to enable union members to maintain employment in the event of poor health or other difficulties. Mr Peetz sought a grant from the fund and was delighted to receive the full €3,985 cost of his Oticon hearing aids, which have a built-in programme that filters noise out to a comfortable level, yet allows the user to hear speech directly or via a walkie-talkie. ‘The aids have given me a lot of certainty and an entirely new quality of life,’ he added. ‘I can hear and understand what colleagues shout or say to me, especially during loading, where it’s very noisy on the vehicle deck from lorries and tugmasters, alarms and so on. In such situations, I use my hearing aids as earplugs.’

Picture: Hanne Hansen/ www.co-sea.dk

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22/08/2017 13:58

12 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

HEALTH & SAFETY

Ship grounded with pilot and nine-strong bridge team while leaving a port in Norway F despite having a pilot and a nineA cruiseship ran aground

strong team on the bridge. An investigation into the incident, which occurred in Stavanger in July last year, concluded that communication shortfalls were to blame and that key safety barriers in the electronic chart system had been missed. The 47,427gt Pullmantur Cruises vessel Horizon grounded on a wellcharted rocky bank only six minutes after leaving the berth. The ship, which has 1,615 passengers and 612 crew onboard, suffered hull and keel damage, including ruptures to two tanks. The bridge team consisted of the master and a relieving master who

‘Don’t store bodies in the freezer’ ship, don’t put their body in a A freezer, a P&I club is advising.

If someone dies onboard your

UK Club claims executive Linda Wright said ships need to have ‘a regimented, step-by-step plan in place to deal with such tragic circumstances’ both from a humane and a logistical standpoint. ‘When the unexpected death of a crew member occurs at sea, action must be taken to preserve the body and show respect for the deceased and their families,’ she pointed out. ‘Proper procedures for handling the body must be implemented, which is particularly critical if the ship is days or weeks from arriving at a port.’ The club’s guidance highlights the ‘common misconception that the best course of action to preserve a dead body is to freeze it’. However, it warns, this can make it problematic or even impossible for family members to recognise the deceased and can also make it harder to determine the cause of death. ‘If it is anticipated that the body will not be stored on board for longer than two months, then the deceased should be placed in a body bag and stored at 4° Celsius/39° Fahrenheit in a refrigerator or cold store,’ the club notes.

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was on a handover period, together with the staff captain, safety officer, chief mate, second mate, a cadet and two quartermasters. A local pilot was also present. Investigators said language problems had been ruled out as a contributory factor, even though there were nine different nationalities on the bridge. The Maltese flag state authority investigation found that the ship had grounded because a planned turn had been started almost 70m before it should have begun. The Transport Malta report notes that the rocky shoal was clearly marked on the chart as a ‘no-go area’ and was also referred to in the departure guidelines, which stated that the ship should have come astern by about 100m before

Horizon after it ran aground in Norway Picture: Transport Malta

swinging the bow to port. An opportunity for two-way communication had been missed at

a critical point, when the relieving master told the bridge team he was planning to commence the swing

to port at a distance of 30m, the report adds. No one challenged him and no corrective action was taken

even when the master and the pilot noticed the vessel was getting closer to the shoal. Investigators said there were also missing safety barriers, as the safety contour on the ECDIS had been set at 30m — which was not in line with the ship’s draft and required under-keel clearance. A turning circle had not been used on the ECDIS to monitor the position, which meant the bridge team ‘was not in an ideal position to determine when and where it was safe to swing the vessel’s bow to port’. The report recommends that Pullmantur undertakes a series of navigation audits ‘to better understand the dynamics of bridge team members and address any identified issues’.

Two tug crew killed in girting accident Report on fatal capsize during UK-flagged containership’s maiden call to Madagascan port

Safety precautions which could have prevented a fatal accident involving a tug and a UK-flagged containership were not followed, a Marine Accident Investigation Branch report has determined. Two crew onboard the Madagascan tug Domingue died when the vessel girted and capsized while assisting the 11,062gt CMA CGM Simba to depart from the port of Tulear in September last year. The 320hp Domingue was considerably less powerful and manoeuvrable than the 1,200hp tug which normally operated in the port, but was undergoing maintenance. Investigators found that its crew were inexperienced in assisting large ships and the tug’s single towing hook was not fitted with an emergency release mechanism, no gog rope was rigged, and doors and hatches were left open during the operation. The accident occurred during CMA CGM Simba’s first call to the port, as it inaugurated a new service linking Madagascar with South Africa, and the tug was being used to help pull the vessel’s

Investigators highlighted a number of safety shortfalls on the Madagascan tug Domingue Picture: MAIB

stern off the berth. During the operation, a force 4 wind and 1-knot tidal stream caused the containership to close towards a mooring dolphin and as the master sought to manoeuvre the vessel clear the tug girted and

capsized. The MAIB said the pilot had failed to warn the tug’s crew of the manoeuvre. ‘This omission resulted in the ship moving rapidly ahead before the tug could be manoeuvred into a safe position,’

the report points out. ‘The success of the departure manoeuvre relied on the tug and its crew being capable of meeting changing manoeuvring demands,’ it notes. ‘This required a common, detailed understand-

ing of the plan, proactive communications, and an agreed means for monitoring the tug throughout the towing operation.’ However, investigators said the extent to which a plan for CMA CGM Simba’s departure had been discussed between the pilot and Domingue’s skipper was ‘uncertain’ and no one onboard the containership was monitoring the tug’s position. All communications between the pilot and the tug crew were made in the local dialect, which the ship’s crew were unable to understand, the report adds. The MAIB said that it had decided against making any recommendations in response to the investigation because the containership’s manager, Midocean (IOM), had taken action including a ﬂeet-wide safety bulletin, amended bridge instructions and additional ship-handling and tug-use reference material. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: ‘How many more times must this type of incident occur before those in the industry learn and take appropriate preventative action?’

Safety alarm over historic Dutch vessels F

Dutch accident investigators have raised concern about the safety of the country’s ‘bruine vloot’ — brown fleet — of historic ships following an accident which killed three passengers onboard a 128-year-old sailing vessel. The incident occurred in the port of Harlingen in August last year, when a 6.5m section of a 20m wooden mast broke and fell onto the foredeck of the former cargo-carrying ketch Amicitia.

The Dutch Safety Board found that the mast had been severely weakened as a result of rotting caused by water penetration. The rotting process had been going on for at least four years, the investigation report notes, and was so severe that the mast had lost almost all its integrity. Investigators said there was no maintenance plan for the mast and it had not been regularly inspected.

A safety certificate for the mast, issued by a private approval body, had wrongly stated a validity of six years rather than the maximum of 2.5 years. The Board pointed out that Amicitia is one of some 300 ships in the bruine vloot and it said the accident raised questions about safety on other heritage vessels — warning that ‘the safety nets of inspection, certification and supervision do not work adequately, if at all’.

The report says the Dutch transport inspectorate, ILT, lacked the knowledge and resources to adequately supervise the sector and was unaware of the scale of the safety risks in the historic fleet. The report makes a series of recommendations for the Dutch Charter Vessel Association (BBZ), accredited approval agencies and the ILT to improve safety, inspection and supervision standards.

22/08/2017 13:04

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 13

HEALTH & SAFETY

MAIB warns of lifejacket risks Nautilus backs call for an urgent review of SOLAS performance standards

Nautilus has raised concerns after an accident investigation revealed serious safety shortfalls in lifejackets used onboard thousands of passengerships and fishing vessels around the world. The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has called for an urgent review of the effectiveness of SOLAS Convention lifejacket performance standards to ensure that they are capable of turning face-down unconscious survivors onto their back. The call came in a report on an accident in April last year in which three crew members drowned when a fishing vessel foundered off the Outer Hebrides. The men were all found face-down and unresponsive in the water, despite wearing solid foam lifejackets that were approved by Lloyd’s Register and authorised by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). Two of the crew were rescued, but the MAIB said more might have survived had the lifejackets been more effective in keeping their mouths clear of the water and if rescue services had arrived sooner. The MAIB conducted tests on one of the lifejackets recovered from the fishing vessel and on another personal flotation device of the same make and design and found that neither was able to turn people over when they were floating face-down. The report says the findings

Tests found that approved lifejackets may be incapable of righting face-down survivors Picture: MAIB

question the suitability of past and present International Maritime Organisation water performance test protocols for lifejackets — noting that the testing requirements acknowledge that approved lifejackets may sometimes be incapable of turning a face-down and unresponsive casualty and keeping their airway clear of the water. The MAIB said the standards fail to take account of lifejackets being used in operational conditions — with people wearing clothing other than swimming costumes and in other than calm conditions. MAIB chief inspector Steve Clinch commented: ‘A lifejacket should turn an unconscious

person on to their back and keep their airway clear of the water. It is therefore of concern that the skipper and two crew were tragically found unresponsive and face down in their lifejackets when the rescue services arrived on scene.’ The MCA said it is continuing to collaborate with the MAIB to address the recommendations and is working alongside international partners to investigate concerns that the IMO standards and requirements may need to be amended to ‘enhance the real-life performance’ of lifejackets. ‘We continue to place a strong emphasis on safety measures which will prevent the need to abandon a vessel,’ the Agency added. ‘However, we would stress

that in the unavoidable event a person has to enter the water, lifejackets remain the principal life-saving appliance to improve chances of survival until help arrives.’ Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson said he was disturbed by the MAIB ﬁndings. ‘This is another incident with a manifest failure of life-saving appliances,’ he added. ‘We have seen this before, with cases such as the Norwegian vessel Sleipner in 1999, where type-approved lifejackets were found to have a limited ability to right an unconscious casualty lying face-down in the water and to achieve the minimum mouth clearance abovewater.’

Dutch Safety Board appeals for VDR vigilance the need for seafarers to ensure that their F voyage data recorders (VDRs) are working properly Dutch accident investigators have stressed

— and to make sure that data is stored and saved immediately after an accident. In a new report summarising recent investigations, the Dutch Safety Board highlights the importance of VDRs in determining the causes

of accidents and learning lessons — but warns: ‘It is not uncommon for a lack of knowledge about the operation of the VDR to result in the loss of data.’ The report says effective maintenance and regular testing of VDR equipment is essential and the role of the master is vital in ensuring the correct use of the systems. The Board said national laws in the Netherlands

stipulate that VDR recordings cannot be used as evidence in criminal, disciplinary or civil proceedings — unless it is required for a criminal investigation into a hostage situation, murder, manslaughter or a terrorist offence. The Dutch Safety Board says it is working hard to secure similar protections for VDR recordings on an international basis.

Car carrier scrapped after blaze damage to a car carrier and F cargo losses valued at $90m was

A fire which caused US$10m

caused by a faulty module in the braking system of a Ford sports utility vehicle, an investigation has revealed. The blaze broke out onboard the 52,285gt Courage some 57 miles ENE of Harwich in June 2015 while the US-flagged ship was sailing from Bremerhaven to Southampton with a cargo of new BMWs and Mercedes, military vehicles and vehicles and household goods owned by military and government personnel. Fire teams were unable to fight the blaze directly because of the intensity

12-13_h+s.indd 13

of the smoke, and the master ordered the release of CO2 on the cargo deck while crew members carried out boundary cooling. Investigators traced the source of the blaze to a Ford Escape SUV which had missed a recall service to rectify component problems that had caused short-circuits, melting and fires. The owner had been overseas for several years and was not aware of the recalls. The US National Transportation Safety Board report notes that while the crew took ‘timely and appropriate’ action to combat the fire, the damage was so extensive that the ship was scrapped.

Burned-out vehicles onboard the car carrier Cougar Picture: USCG

Navigation gear to be targeted by port states in Europe, Canada and the Far F East are launching a three-month Port state control authorities

concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) to target navigational safety and crew competence. The Paris and Tokyo MOUs on port state control are coordinating the special programme of checks, which will involve around 10,000 ship inspections between 1 September and 30 November. Using a special 12-point checklist, inspectors will be targeting such things as the condition of navigation equipment and VDR, AIS and bridge watch alarm systems. They will also look at passage plans and examine whether crew members know and respect the official shipboard working language and can demonstrate familiarity with the emergency operation of steering gear. The inspections will also check whether ships have the appropriate electronic charts for the intended

voyage and that watchkeeping officers can demonstrate familiarisation with ECDIS, as well as providing evidence of compliance with STCW requirements for ECDIS. The authorities noted that navigation equipment has always been a major inspection item for port state control officers, and that regulations have changed frequently since the last joint campaign of checks in 2008. ‘Deficiencies relating to navigation equipment contribute a major proportion of the total deficiencies,’ they pointed out. ‘From 2009 to 2016, a total of 174,559 deficiencies concerning safety of navigation were recorded, accounting for 15.27% of all deficiencies.’ Vessels found to have serious deficiencies will be detained, the authorities warned, although each ship will only be subject to one inspection under this CIC during the period of the campaign.

Dead master ‘had faced extra stress’ a heart attack may have been F suffering from more stress than usual A ship master who died from

at the time, an accident investigation has concluded. The 48-year-old master of the bulk carrier Marine Stars was found by a cadet, unconscious in his cabin, while the ship was sailing between South Africa and India in March this year. A report from the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) notes that in the weeks leading up to the incident the master and officers ‘would have experienced a degree of additional burden’ as a result of rectifying deficiencies found during recent port state control inspections. As a result of being detained twice within two years, Marine Stars had been placed on an enhanced monitoring programme by the flag state, and following the second

detention the authority was seeking progress reports on the work being done to address the problems. Although the report concludes that the master’s death could not be directly attributed to operational issues, ‘the number of outstanding deficiencies requiring rectification as determined from port state control and flag state inspections is likely to have amplified the captain’s workload and possibly increased the level of anxiety experienced while the vessel was under a greater degree of scrutiny’. Investigators also noted that the master was taking an analgesic medicine named Bioflu. While this was not linked to his death doctors said it was ‘absolutely not appropriate’ for his symptoms and was not a recognised drug for listed on the inventory for the ship’s medical chest.

‘Smart buoy’ is set to improve VTS support maritime safety project is F carrying out trials of a new ‘smart A European Union-funded

buoy’ which will improve the level of support given to ships by vessel traffic services. Developed as part of the EfficienSea2 project, the smart buoy will include an AIS/GPS module, hydro-meteorological sensors and GSM/radio hardware to connect to cellular networks to gather and share data about local weather, wave heights and sea level conditions The system — which has been based on user requirements set out by pilots, VTS officers and lighthouse authority staff — is being trialled in the Polish port of Gdynia following laboratory tests.

It is expected that the smart buoys will be connectable to the so-called Maritime Cloud communications framework which is being developed by the EfficienSea2 project. Marek Ledóchowski, navigation manager at the Maritime Office of Gdynia, commented: ‘We are very excited about the buoys being tested at sea and we look forward to the results. ‘Ports will be able to offer a service providing increased safety to mariners without them needing to have local knowledge or communicate excessively with the shore. It will be a service for all to access, and it will save crucial capacity on the mariner’s part so that he or she can focus on navigating the ship.’

22/08/2017 13:12

14 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports SPAIN FINED: the European Court of Justice has fined Spain €3m for failing to meet a deadline to ‘liberalise’ its dock labour system in line with EU policy. The fine is much less than the €24m penalty originally tabled by Brussels, and dock workers’ unions have suspended industrial action and have struck a framework agreement with the employers’ association to enable the changes to be phased in over the next three years. YARD NATIONALISED: the French government has moved to nationalise the country’s biggest shipbuilder, STX France, to prevent rival Italian firm Fincantieri from taking a majority stake in the company. Ministers said the sale to Fincantieri was being temporarily blocked in order to ‘defend the strategic interests of France’ and to enable time for a better agreement to be reached. RUSSIAN WARNING: Russia’s largest shipping company, Sovcomflot, has urged the country’s government to continue with its plan to improve navigational safety measures on the Northern Sea Route and ban substandard ships from the environmentally sensitive region. It stressed the need for additional measures in response the significant growth of freight traffic in the Arctic area. BOX LEAK: a major clean-up operation was mounted in the US port of Long Beach last month after a chemical spill during loading operations on the Panamaflagged containership Harbour Bridge. Twelve dockers and a firefighter suffered minor injuries after dealing with the leak of the solvent propyl acetate when a tank was punctured during loading operations.

Danish alarm at training decline Union says intake at some maritime colleges has fallen by as much as 25% by Andrew Draper

A Danish seafarers’ union has voiced alarm at new ﬁgures revealing a sharp decline in the number of applications for maritime studies courses in the country. The downturn — as much as 25% in one college — has prompted a call from Danish shipowners for an urgent review of the national maritime education package as part of a programme to expand the marine sector. Danish government ﬁgures show that a total of 685 students have been admitted to maritime education courses this year — a decline of almost 12% from 2016. Bjarne Jensen, chairman of the

officers’ union Søfartens Ledere, said the figures continued a trend that threatens to result in the loss of a whole generation of Danish seafarers as ships are increasing operated by low-cost crews. He called for an in-depth study of what young people are looking for in the maritime world, pointing out that young people want more influence over their work today and need high levels of internet connectivity at sea. The union pointed out that the nautical training institute Marstal Navigationsskole had experienced a 25% drop in numbers starting its navigation course this year. The head of the school, Jeppe Carstensen, also questioned whether the industry

needs to do more to make seafaring life more attractive. ‘Being away from your friends for up to three months at a time isn’t something that typically appeals to the millennial generation,’ he said. ‘They expect to be able to access the internet 24 hours a day and so it’s a big job for the owners to make good internet connections available on the ships if following an education at sea is still to be attractive for young people.’ Anne Windfeldt Trolle, director of the owners’ association, said the ﬁgures showed that while seafaring remains a good career choice — with decent pay and lots of opportunities — there is increasing competition for young

Samskip takes over Nor Lines

SINGAPORE SAR: Singapore’s Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore and Civil Aviation Authority have announced a US$6.2m plan to develop a new satellitebased system to enhance search and rescue capabilities in the region. Due to come into service in 2018, the MEOSAR system should help to speed up maritime search and rescue operations. TUI SALE: the German conglomerate TUI has sold its majority shareholding in Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-ranking container shipping firm, to increase its investment in cruise shipping. TUI says it is also planning to transfer two of its ships — Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 — from TUI Cruises into its British fleet over the next two years. EVERGREEN RESCUE: the Evergreen containership Ever Diadem and the Marshall Islandsflagged bulk carrier SBI Antares rescued 30 crew members who were forced to abandon a Taiwanese fishing vessel which caught fire in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar last month. SAUDI GROWTH: Bahri, the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, has further expanded its fleet with delivery from the Hyundai Heavy Industries yard in South Korea of the 298,778dwt VLCC Aslaf. The new ship takes the company’s total fleet size to 86 vessels, including 39 VLCCs.

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14-15_int.indd 14

people, who have more options than ever before. The owners have urged the government to come up with a package to make Danish maritime education more attractive and more ﬂexible, with free admission and a guaranteed internship from the shipping companies. ‘We must launch a systematic review of the content of maritime education so that we ensure they are at the top global level, meeting the needs of the industry and student expectations,’ Ms Trolle added. ‘We will lack skilled labour in the coming years, and therefore have to act now. We look forward to getting started with this work together with educational institutions and other collaborators.’

logistics and shipping firm A Samskip is set for further expansion The Netherlands-based

US unions warn against renewed bid to undermine Jones Act rules expressed concerns over new A attempts to attack the Jones Act US maritime unions have

regulations which protect seafaring employment in the country’s cabotage trades. A group of more than 150 Republicans in Congress have called for budget measures to ‘return

shipping policy to the free market’ — claiming that the Jones Act rules stifle competition and drive up prices. Their budget proposal was revealed shortly after former presidential candidate Senator John McCain introduced legislation that would repeal the 1920 Jones Act provisions requiring coastwise cargoes

to be carried by US-built vessels. Unions warn that the loss of the law — which also requires qualifying ships to have 75% American crew — would ‘decimate the US-flag fleet and sound the death knell for hundreds of thousands of American jobs in shipbuilding and supporting industries’.

after an agreement to take over the operation of five of the seven multipurpose ships in the Nor Lines fleet, including the LNG-powered Kvitbjørn, pictured left. Under the deal with the Norwegian firm DSD, Samskip — which is Europe’s largest multimodal and shortsea container operator — will take over the running of Nor Lines’ shore-based activities, haulage, and five ships under a time charter agreement. The Samskip deal comes only a few months after a takeover bid for Nor Lines by the Icelandic shipping firm Eimskip was rejected by the Norwegian Competition Authority. Samskip said it was ‘extremely pleased’ to add two LNG-powered vessels to its fleet, which are 65% more energy-efficient than vessels running on conventional marine fuel.

French owners call for action to support fleet the country’s new transport F minister, Elisabeth Borne, to call for French shipowners have met

urgent government support for the maritime sector. Jean-Marc Roué, head of the owners’ association AdF, presented the minister with an eight-year, sixpoint plan that includes continuing to build a French strategic fleet, ideas for updating the French fleet, ‘modernising’ labour relations, boosting investment and encouraging public-private partnerships. AdF is also calling for tax and social security concessions to support

the employment of French and EU nationals employed under the French and European flags. z French merchant navy officers’ union Fomm-CGT and the Ugict-CGT technicians’ union have written to new French prime minister Edouard Philippe expressing concern that the country’s Merchant Navy Academy is failing to train French officers at a sufficiently high level. Fomm-CGT general secretary Jean-Philippe Chateil said there was a danger that maritime education in France could fall behind countries who are investing in officer training.

The 3,536dwt tanker Cap Mejean, above, is one of the ships which are set to benefit from new French rules requiring an increased proportion of the country’s domestic crude oil and refined products to be carried by French-flagged vessels. Four operators ‒ including Cap Mejean’s owner CFT, Socatra, Euronav and Sea tankers have been selected for the work. Picture: Eric Houri

22/08/2017 10:40

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 15

INTERNATIONAL

shortreports CABOTAGE CLAMPDOWN: Nigerian authorities are clamping down on compliance with the country’s cabotage laws, with the country’s Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA) warning that it will no longer consider exemptions for key junior officer and rating posts on vessels operating in coastal trades. Special applications to employ foreign nationals as captains, chief engineers, and chief officers will be considered ‘on merit’ — and on condition that companies will ensure that a Nigerian seafarer takes over the job within one year.

Australian seafaring unions have warned over the flagging-out of the coastal trading vessel CSL Thevenard, above Picture: AIMPE

FoCs ‘a national security threat’ Australian inquiry warns of damaging impact of reliance on foreign ships

Seafaring unions have welcomed an Australian Senate inquiry report on flag of convenience shipping warning of serious social, economic, environmental and security risks as a result of the country’s growing reliance on foreign tonnage. The inquiry was launched in response to concerns over a series of incidents — including cases of abandonment, mysterious deaths and disappearances, and the marked decline in the domestic-flagged fleet, which has left just four deepsea ships and 20 coastal trading vessels on the Australian register. The report highlights Australia’s reliance upon shipping for its imports, exports and significant coastal freight trades — but notes that the presence of foreignflagged shipping in domestic services has been rising at more than 17% a year. It details the devastating effect on the employment of Australian seafarers — warning that they are often replaced with foreign crews who have been paid

wages far below Australian legal requirements. It also warns that there are features of FoC registration, regulation and practice that organised crime syndicates or terrorist groups may seek to exploit — including a lack of transparency of the identity of shipowners and inadequate ﬂag state regulatory enforcement and adherence to standards. Committee members said they were ‘very disturbed by the many examples of job losses, poor working conditions, inadequate wages, and deaths and disappearances at sea’ and they highlighted the ‘signiﬁcant practical impediments’ to effective jurisdiction and investigation of incidents onboard FoC vessels. The report urges the Australian government to ‘address the serious security, economic, human rights and environmental vulnerabilities in the sector’ and to take action to safeguard and expand the national shipping industry, with a crackdown on fair pay in the sector. Martin Byrne, federal secre-

tary of the Australian Institute of Marine & Power Engineers (AIMPE) said the report’s recommendations boiled down to better regulation of FoC shipping. ‘The Fair Work Ombudsman is the body that is meant to enforce Australia’s employment laws; however, the record shows that it is very slow in taking action on behalf of workers,’ he pointed out. ‘The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is a more effective agency and has the power to detain ships which are non-compliant with the IMO conventions. That is the type of power required to enforce employment laws.’ The AIMPE’s submission to the inquiry called for a change in Australia’s cabotage laws to require that all vessel operating on the country’s coast should be required to register in Australia. Mr Byrne said this call had been ignored and since 2012, when a new licensing system was set up, more than 10,000 voyages have taken place by mainly FoC ships using temporary licences. ‘This is of course in addition to the 25,000-plus visits from ves-

sels in international trades — the majority of which are also FoC,’ he pointed out. Mr Byrne said AIMPE is also concerned by a dissenting report, written by government members of the committee, which proposes ‘reform’ that will make it even easier for foreign shipping interests to gain temporary licences in coastal trades with FOC ships. And he highlighted another case in which an Australianflagged ship has been withdrawn from cabotage trading. The 31,028gt general cargoship CSL Thevenard is being re-flagged to the Bahamas flag and will be renamed Acacia. ‘AIMPE expects that the Acacia will come back on to the Australian coast with a full foreign crew and carry coastal cargoes using temporary licences,’ Mr Byrne said. ‘There are no limits to the amount of cargo that can be carried by FoC ships using temporary licences and no limit to the number of times a ship operator can apply for a temporary licence,’ he added.

Magna Carta for Filipino crew have agreed plans to introduce a A ‘Magna Carta’ to protect the country’s Politicians in the Philippines

seafarers. The House of Representatives voted unanimously in favour of proposed legislation which seeks to safeguard working conditions and improve welfare provision for the country’s 360,000 seafarers. The Bill sets out the rights to safe and secure workplaces, decent shipboard living and working conditions, medical care, welfare

14-15_int.indd 15

measures and other forms of health and social protection. It also reinforces the rights to engage in collective bargaining, fair terms and conditions of employment, work and rest periods consistent with national or international regulations, and access to educational advancement and training at reasonable and affordable costs. It protects them against discrimination based on race, sex, religion and political opinion and provides for free legal representation for victims of

violations who cannot afford a lawyer. The Bill also says that seafarers should have the right to expect access to communication such as ship-toshore telephones, and email and internet facilities, where available. It will require that crewing agencies should be licensed and banned from collecting any placement fee, and mandates the government to establish an integrated document processing centre. The measures will apply to all Filipino seafarers engaged, employed,

or working in any capacity onboard Philippine-registered ships operating domestically or internationally, as well as those onboard foreign-flagged ships. The Bill is designed to reflect the requirements of the international Maritime Labour Convention and to encourage the recruitment, retention and career progression of Filipino seafarers. It also contains a range of fines and penalties for breaches of key sections of the regulations.

CROATIA SIGNS: Croatia has become the 37th country to sign up to the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks. The convention, which was adopted in 2007, came into force in 2015 and contracting states now account for just over 70% of the world’s merchant tonnage. Under its provisions, coastal states may legally remove wrecks that threaten the safety of lives, goods, property and the environment, with ship owners and insurers financially liable to cover the costs of removal. BRITTANY GUARDS: French operator Brittany Ferries has hired 30 security officers to ‘invest in a secure environment for passengers’. The guards, hired directly by the operator, are present on all its cross-Channel ferries and on its routes to Spain. The company said the move had been made to ‘take the risk of terrorism seriously, not a response to a specific threat’ and the security officers could be called on to inspect luggage and respond to incidents. TANKER ALARM: Belgian-based shipping firm Euronav has urged tanker operators to hold off on new orders and to consider scrapping older vessels amid concern over the threat of a growing gap between supply and demand for tonnage. The company reported reduced profits last month and said the big challenge was the delivery of 28 new VLCCs and 23 Suezmaxes in the next 18 months. COMMS COURSE: Italian operator GNV and Genoa’s Merchant Navy Academy are launching a new six-month training course for the post of officer communications assistant. The course is open to qualified seafarers and successful candidates will be responsible for helping ship masters with various aspects of the vessel’s management, including GMDSS. FORGERS BUSTED: police in India claim to have busted a forgery gang which was selling fake certificates to help seafarers get work. Four men in the city of Thane were arrested and charged with cheating and forgery of continuous discharge certificates. Detectives said as many as 400 fake papers may have been issued over the past six years. CADET KILLED: an investigation has been launched after a 22-year-old cadet died in a mooring rope accident onboard a ferry in Fiji last month. Local reports said Viliame Uluinaceva had died in hospital after his legs became entangled in the rope while the 2,305gt ferry was berthing in the port of Vanua Levu.

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22/08/2017 13:00

16 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 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

The gamble of GPS reliance

I was very interested to read reports that a number of major maritime nations are responding to the risk of cyber-attacks on satellite-based systems by moving to develop back-up navigational systems with roots in World War Two radio technology. I have read that South Korea and the United States are taking the lead in developing eLoran as an alternative to GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems because of their vulnerability to disruption and jamming by hackers. Russia has been looking at setting up a version of eLoran called eChayka, although the eLoran trials by the UK General Lighthouse Authorities appear

Marking MN’s losses officer Nick Bramley took this A photograph of a war memorial Nautilus international

during a holiday visit to the coastal town of Staithes in North Yorkshire. ‘For me, the sheer scale of Merchant Navy losses it showed was frightening,’ he comments. ‘193945: three RN, three Army, four RAF and 22 MN. Interestingly, in the

to have not gone anywhere — even though the trials were successful — and the government appears reluctant to invest in the infrastructure. The Decca Navigator system was technically superior to eloran and we should never have closed it down. Dare I say, ‘We told the powers that be, but nobody listened’. The accountants should bury their head in shame — this has come back to bite the shipping world. A recent official study of the UK’s GPS vulnerability concluded that a five-day outage of GPS would have an economic impact on the UK of more than £5bn and that 21% of this would be within the maritime sector. It also noted that eLoran has been identified as the most

versatile and useful mitigation technology across the widest range of applications. Never, never, never rely on satellite systems and/or internet — they are vulnerable. It may be too little, too late, but to our Maritime & Coastguard Agency and government leaders, please pull your proverbial ﬁnger out — this is too important an issue to mess up. Britain can take the lead here if she wants to be bold. The UK still has the infrastructure for DF radio and this could be used as a stop-gap. From a retired experienced ETO on behalf of all the ROs and ETOs. CLIVE EVANS mem no 426107

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Top stars for article Michael Lloyd — ‘What planet are F they on?’ — Telegraph, August 2017, What a brilliant article by Captain

page 29. mem no 087859

Lifejacket cards are a bad deal for safety

I’m so proud of F my husband

First World War there were “only” nine MN dead against 26 Army dead. ‘I had to think on what my grandfather said to my uncle in about 1938: “Jack, there’s another war coming, get out of the Merchant Navy” — which he then wisely did, joining grandad at Woolwich Arsenal, and surviving.’

on cargoships. This was very good for family life, as his home port was Southampton and he worked six weeks on and six weeks off. In early 1996 changes were on the horizon with the Norwegian company, so it was time for change again. In 1996 he joined Sun Cruises, which was part of Airtours holiday company. He spent the next nine years with them until Airtours decided to pull out of the cruise industry. In February 2005 he joined Royal Caribbean and continued

Have your say online Last month we asked: Do you think there is a future for ratings from countries like the UK and the Netherlands?

to work for them until this year. His next move will be to retire, I hope. Over the years there has been many challenges and stories to tell, but that may be for another time. As his wife of 41 years, I have also had many happy times travelling with him, with the extended family joining us on many occasions. I am so incredibly proud of my husband’s long and very successful career at sea. SUE DIMBLEBEE

In CHIRP Issue No. 47 a ship manager submitted the idea of attaching pocket-sized emergency duty cards to lifejackets as an example of best practice. This is very disturbing. Competent seafarers should know and be fully conversant with their emergency duties before an emergency occurs and not have to rely on an aide memoire attached to a lifejacket to remind them what to do in an emergency — when it could well be too late. This is an example of lowest common denominator seafaring and is akin to seafaring by numbers. I am surprised that the editor of CHIRP considers this to be best practice. ALAN SMITH mem no 149969

Dimblebee joined Cunard C shipping company as an engineering In September 1967, Ian

Yes 53% No 47%

This month’s poll asks: Do you agree with the new research report which suggests that seafarers are becoming healthier? Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org

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cadet. He spent the next two years in college, followed by a year at sea. After another year at college he graduated as a junior engineer, and over the next 12 years he worked his way up the ranks. He spent many months at a time at sea, and when he was at home on leave, he would study at college, working hard to gain his chief’s ticket, which he received in April 1982. After this he joined Cunard, expecting to work on cruiseships. Unfortunately, he didn’t even see a cruiseship! He worked on many different types of ships including product carriers, tankers, containerships and even a sheep carrier. He also worked on a ship taking supplies down to the Falklands during the conflict. By early 1991 the British Merchant Navy was shrinking fast, so after 23 years he decided to move on. He joined the Fred Olsen company, again working

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

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22/08/2017 11:03

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 17

YOUR LETTERS THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD

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Issue 3 of the Freaky Wave magazine, produced by Telegraph cartoonist Andrew Muirhead, is now available. Featuring drone ship droids, dry ship dudes, ‘shipsters’ and much more, it costs £7 from thefreakywave.bigcartel.com

Nautilus Charter for Jobs: a monthly guide

Our series looking at the Nautilus Charter for Jobs, Skills and the Future concludes with the last of the 10-point plan to promote the UK’s maritime sector and ensure the delivery of decent work and training opportunities for British seafarers. 10: Ensure all existing health, safety, environmental and employment legislation is maintained following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. With top-level negotiations on the terms of the UK’s exit from the European Union, this Charter point is not only topical but highly important. Nautilus argues that now is the time to deliver on promises made during the referendum debate and deliver jobs, skills and a decent future for UK maritime professionals. The government should not attempt to undermine any existing health, safety, environmental and employment legislation — particularly that which is EU derived or related. The Brexit campaign was focused on jobs, workers’ rights and investment, and the UK government must include UK seafarers in any improvements it delivers to the UK workforce. UK workers’ rights must not be sacriﬁced as the government

Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

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

Sailing into the unknown? Nautilus wants assurances over the impact of Brexit on seafarers Picture: Thinkstock

seeks to entice investment into Britain in the years ahead. UK shipping needs an industrial strategy which delivers better jobs, better pay and a plan for building the future. The government must consider the impact on the UK ﬂag of leaving the EU. The current review of the UK Ship Register should ensure that the highest standards are maintained whilst also ensuring that a genuine link exists for owners/operators of UK-registered vessels.

MARITIME TRAINING for professional seafarers Est 1990 Plymouth

The government should ensure that the UK’s application and enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, as amended, is not impacted upon by the UK leaving the EU. For example, the MLC was ratiﬁed and brought into force by using the European Communities Act 1972. If that Act is rescinded, all linked legislation must be protected, to ensure British shipping and all seafarers on UK and Red Ensign Group ships are not left at a disadvantage — and, most

importantly, not left exposed to detention by foreign port states. All other international convention obligations that are covered by EU directives should also be considered, and no EU-derived legislation which protects seafarers’ rights should be scrapped. The government must be reminded of the maritime section of the 2011 Red Tape Challenge, which set out to reduce the amount of ‘unnecessary burdens and bureaucracy’ in UK legislation.

w: westernmariƟme.training

The consultation lasted around nine months, by which time the government’s own website had been inundated with calls from industry, unions and workers to leave the vast majority of legislation in place. This exercise highlighted that the sector is not overburdened with red tape. However, one announcement that did follow the Red Tape Challenge was the government’s proposals to allow international conventions to be automatically consolidated into UK law, when the country has ratiﬁed them. Once the UK leaves the EU it will no longer be part of the EU ratiﬁcation process, and therefore the UK government must give consideration as to how new international standards will be adopted in future to ensure there is no move towards international minimums rather than best practice.

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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.

22/08/2017 11:03

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

NAUTILUS AT WORK Automation in Shipping

Don’t miss deadlines for our UK conference

UK Branch Conference 2017

Members of the Nautilus UK branch are invited to sign up now for this year’s conference on 3 October in Hull — which will feature a special industry seminar discussing the impact of ‘drone ships’ on seafarers...

The world’s ﬁrst autonomous ship could come into service around this time next year, running a fertiliser delivery service on a 37-mile route in southern Norway. The all-electric Yara Birkeland will have a capacity for up to 150 containers and has been designed as an environment-friendly alternative to road transport. Designers say the vessel will cost around US$25m — about three times as much as a conventional ship of similar size — but it will cut operating costs by as much as 90% through savings on fuel and crew. It is proposed that the ship will initially operate with a crew onboard, moving to remote control in 2019 and fully autonomous sailings in 2020. Yara Birkeland is just one of a number of prototype ‘roboships’ which are moving from the drawing boards to reality. Their introduction raises major questions for the future of seafaring — and Nautilus members are being given the opportunity to discuss these with some leading experts early in October. A special symposium on autonomous shipping will be held

following this year’s UK branch conference, which is taking place at the Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel in Willerby, just ﬁve miles from Hull — the city of culture for 2017 — on Tuesday 3 October. The formal part of the day — which will begin at 1000hrs — is reserved for full members only, and will include discussions on the UK branch activities report and any motions submitted by members. A special panel of industry experts will be on hand to discuss technological developments and the impact on seafarers during the seminar on automation in shipping, which will be open to invitees from across the maritime sector. This meeting will begin after lunch and will conclude at around 1630hrs. g Check-in for the conference and the seminar will be open from 0915 on 3 October, and you can ensure your place at the event now by going to the website: www.regonline.co.uk/Nautilus2017 and using the simple electronic registration process. A limited amount of ﬁnancial assistance is available for those UK-based full members wishing to attend and who otherwise would not be able to make the

journey. This will be allocated across the various categories of membership to ensure appropriate representation for each category of membership of the Union. Arrangements will be made with the hotel for a discounted room rate for members who are not eligible or successful in securing financial assistance from the Union. The UK national committee is particularly keen to ensure a good turn-out from members in the NE of the UK, and is encouraging young and female members to attend. Meetings of the Nautilus Young Maritime Professionals and Women’s Forums will be held on the morning of Monday 2 October and members attending those meetings will be able to stay for free to attend the branch conference on the following day. MOTIONS for debate and decision at the conference need to have the support of four full members and reach the Nautilus head office by 1700hrs on Friday 1 September. You can submit this by filling in the form on this page, or by going to the branch conference page on the Union’s website: www.nautilusint.org. Forms are also available to apply for a

place and to apply for financial assistance — these must also be submitted before 1 September. The conference is open to a maximum of 100 full members in benefit (all subscriptions must be up to date) so UK members need to apply for a place now. Those who have requested, and are approved for, financial assistance will be notified as soon as possible after 1 September. g For further information, contact Adele McDonald at Nautilus head office — tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 or email: amcdonald@nautilusint.org

Notice Notice having been given under the Rules, the 2017 UK Branch Conference of Nautilus International will be held from 0915hrs on Tuesday 3 October 2017 at the Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel, Willerby, Hull HU10 6EA. Agenda 1. Welcome address 2. To appoint tellers 3. To adopt Standing Orders 4. To approve the minutes of the 2016 UK Branch Conference 5. To adopt the Branch Report 6. To consider motions 7. Any other urgent business 8. Closing Address

WERE YOU AWARE that following the successul outcome of a judicial review in respect of two Seatax clients, (brought before the Courts by Nautilus in collaboration with Seatax Ltd as expert advisors on the Seafarers Earnings Deduction), it was deemed that the two Seatax clients did have a legitimate expectation in applying the only published Revenue Practice with regard to the application of a day of absence in relation to a vessel sailing between UK ports. HMRC did not want to accept this practice (although referred to in their very own publications) but have now accepted that expectations of a claim based on such practice would be valid until the published practice is withdrawn. Following on from this, HMRC have now conﬁrmed that this Practice is withdrawn as of the 14 February 2014. Seatax was the only Advisory Service that challenged HMRC on this point.

WHY TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR TAX AFFAIRS?

Yara Birkeland could be the first autonomous ship in service Picture: Yara

UK Branch Conference 2017

Motion proposal form To General Secretary, Nautilus International Head Office, 1 & 2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD (to arrive not later than 1700 Friday 1 September 2017). We, as full members, wish to submit the following motion for discussion at the 2017 UK Branch Conference of Nautilus International: This UK Branch Conference

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Let Seatax use their knowledge and 35 years experience to ensure you do not fall foul of the rules

3. Name

Please visit our website for full details of the case.

Address

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OUR FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Annual Return ...................................................................................................... £215.00 inclusive of VAT at 20%

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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.

Date 4. Name

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

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22/08/2017 11:04

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19

NAUTILUS AT WORK

On course for the smart ship future?

Will the ‘robo-ship’ be a reality within a few years? Nautilus professional and technical officer DAVID APPLETON heard mixed messages from expert speakers at an industry conference in Amsterdam…

Futureproof? Rolls-Royce reckons that ‘ship intelligence’ will transform the way in which the shipping industry works Picture: Rolls-Royce

‘Disruption’ was the buzzword on everybody’s lips at the Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium held in Amsterdam recently. However, opinions on exactly how disruptive it will be, and in what timescale, varied widely amongst the 40 experts that spoke during the three-day event. Whilst technological development is on the verge of making autonomous shipping a reality, there are a number of hurdles — such as regulatory frameworks, liability issues and the feasibility of the business model — that must be overcome before the technology is widely adopted. Keynote speaker Ringo Lakeman — a senior policy officer for the Dutch government and their permanent representative at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) — told the conference that to make autonomous shipping a success, key questions must be addressed: ‘Why do we want it and who is it for? How do we successfully introduce it into the existing environment? And how do we make it a long-lasting success?’ The ‘decreased appeal of seafaring’ as a career due to reduced manning and social isolation would likely lead to a shortage of seafarers, he suggested. And the opportunities offered by increased automation — including enhanced safety, environmental protection, security and economic benefits — makes it a necessary goal to pursue, Mr Lakeman argued. However, he cautioned: ‘I do not envisage a future with solely unmanned ships. They will always have to interact with conventional ships. Therefore, the legal framework will have to be amended with autonomous ships in mind, but recognising that conventional shipping will continue. Mr Lakeman detailed the proposal for an IMO review of the legal and regulatory framework governing the operation of autonomous ships and how conventions — such as SOLAS and STCW — may have to change to ensure their safe, secure and environmentally sound operation. ‘I don’t foresee having a tangible regulatory framework in place for autonomous ships before 2028,’ Mr Lakeman stated when questioned on the likely timescale for talks to be resolved at the IMO. ‘This is optimistic but achievable if collaboration between stakeholders is effective,’ he added. ‘To harmonise the rules is essential to ensure the success of autonomous shipping on a global scale’ he stressed. Definitions need to be agreed,

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responsibilities need to be clear and operational issues must be addressed and, ‘last but not least’, the human element — ‘it is essential that humans remain at the forefront of our considerations’.

Ship intelligence The maritime industry is facing ‘a big change, a disruptive change, a dramatic change’, the vice-president of innovation at Rolls-Royce told the conference. Oskar Levander said that this change would not be incremental and would be driven by the phenomenon of digitalisation —or, to use Rolls-Royce’s preferred term, ‘ship intelligence’. Ship intelligence will bring about a lot of benefits but it will change the industry, he continued. ‘The hardware will change and business models will change. Management will change and finance will change.’ Mr Levander predicted that ship operations will move away from individual ships treated as individual ships and more towards ships managed as a total fleet, integrated into the end customers’ process. ‘Rather than optimise the sea voyage, we need to optimise the logistics chain,’ he stressed. He said there is a need to get away from bigger ships that are dedicated to one cargo owner in favour of smaller, more versatile, digitally integrated ships with lower emissions, leaner operations and reduced crew — or fully autonomous operation. ‘This is about redefining the industry and making it more profitable, more efficient and safer,’ Mr Levander said. ‘Let’s save the skilled seafarers for doing the real complex tasks, because we are going to see manned vessels for a long time.’

Electric future The move to ‘intelligent shipping’ is underway but will be a gradual process rather than happening overnight, the global programme manager at ABB Marine believes. ‘Integration is beginning in shipping, but if you compare it to other industries it is not very far along,’ said Kalevi Tervo. ‘There are at least three parallel technological areas advancing simultaneously — digitalisation, decarbonisation and automation/ robotiﬁcation — which will enable new things and also challenge the way things are done, including the way ships are being built,’ he added. Mr Tervo argued that there is one key technological area that needs to

be embraced by the industry before intelligent shipping can become a reality. ‘Autonomous cars are not built on a diesel engine platform,’ he pointed out. ‘The reliability of an asset is equal to the reliability of the least reliable component,’ he added. ‘Functionality of mechanical systems are limited by mechanical components, and redundancy is more expensive because you have to replicate the whole system, not parts of the system. ‘Electrical systems are modular, more reliable, take less space, allow for remote maintenance and are emissions free,’ Mr Tervo contended. ‘The autonomous ship is the electric ship’.

Legal issues The conference heard from legal experts who discussed not only the more easily identifiable aspects of the existing legal regime that will be difficult to apply to autonomous ships — such as collision regulations and safe manning provisions — but also the concerns at how the issue of liability would be dealt with in the event of a collision involving an autonomous vessel. Erik Rosaeg, professor at the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, explained that under the 1910 Brussels Collision Convention, a collision does not generate automatic liability — as it is necessary to establish fault. ‘I don’t think any of us would disagree that a shipowner should be held responsible if his ship has caused a collision through human error,’ he added. However, he argued, the point of the provision is that it excludes liability for accidents not caused by faults — such as force majeure, ‘events beyond the control of any human being’. ‘The problem would be if the person that caused the accident — the programmer, for example — may not be onboard and may not be part of the persons for which the shipowner is liable’ Prof Rosaeg continued. ‘Whilst the ship’s crew are under the supervision and liability of the shipowner, in many cases the errors that will have been committed in relation to autonomous ships will have been committed by independent contractors,’ he pointed out. In these type of cases — especially where the programming error was not the only cause of the accident — there would be a burden of proof issue, Prof Rosaeg argued. ‘It is very easy to say that the master should have slowed down, but it is quite difficult to say that a programme should have been made differently,’ he said. ‘Perhaps the best way is to say that the

shipowner is strictly liable and he can ﬁnd the correct balance between himself paying for risk reduction measures and potential liability,’ Prof Rosaeg suggested. By doing so, an owner ‘can minimise his own cost and the cost to society by employing the correct amount of preventative measures’. Jonathan Goulding, an associate at the law ﬁrm Holman Fenwick Willan, suggested that ‘before we see large global shipowners embracing autonomous technology, there will need to be some real changes to the existing regulatory framework in what has traditionally been a very conservative industry’. Drawing comparisons with the airline industry, he predicted that there would be a shift away from operator liability to product liability. ‘This will have major implications for manufacturers and suppliers of parts alike.’

The human element Much attention was focused on the role of technology and regulation in the era of the autonomous ship, but what about the seafarers who are required to work on these more technologically advanced vessels? Gordon Meadow, from Southampton Solent University, does not believe that technology will improve safety unless those required to use it are given adequate training. ‘It is all too easy to point the finger at the seafarer — but they are a commodity that has been retrofitted from time immemorial and, for many years they have been expected to do more with less,’ he told the conference. ‘Less people, less useful technology, less useful training and less time. ‘The impact of technology and the way we have been applying it bolt by bolt doesn’t appear to be doing the job,’ he continued. Mr Meadow said research by the Swedish P&I Club showed that between 2004 and 2013 navigation claims have not fallen — even though ‘safety regulation has strengthened and technology aboard has evolved significantly’. ‘It seems that we keep throwing technology at the problem in the same way, but ships still have catastrophic accidents,’ he added. Mr Meadow asserted that this is because the ‘the introduction of fit for purpose training standards addressing new technology is taking too long’. ‘We need a succession plan and we need to act now to ensure a sustainable skillset for the future,’ he warned the meeting.

time to be involved in D shipping. Technology is advancing It is certainly an exciting

at a rapid pace and it is almost certain that the industry will see significant change in the coming years. Rolls-Royce is planning to deliver the first autonomous-ready commercial vessel —Fjord 1 —in 2018, the IMO has started work on developing a regulatory framework for autonomous shipping, and classification societies such as Lloyds Register and DNV are laying the groundwork to allow classification of such vessels. However, away from the eye-catching headlines, there are still a number of significant hurdles that must be overcome before the technology is widely adopted. Technological issues still exist, including limitations in available bandwidth and the present capability of sensors. Perhaps the most difficult task to achieve will be convincing shipowners about the ‘benefits’ of autonomous shipping. Whilst talk of making owners strictly liable for all accidents involving autonomous vessels may well scare off many in what is still a very conservative industry, the most pressing issue of all is the business case. When questioned, Maersk Line’s innovation strategy manager Michael Rodey informed the conference that crew costs make up just 1.5% of the total expense of running a large container vessel and that ‘on crew cost alone the business case is zero’. So, while we will undoubtedly see developments in specialist operations and even small coastal vessels, experts were unanimous in the belief that we are not likely to see the end of manned shipping operations at any time in the near future.

22/08/2017 11:05

20 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

SEAFARER HEALTH

How lif at sea a bodies Less booze, fewer ciggies and more v adopting healthier lifestyles. But the in mental health problems, and it ur Fresh vegetables are improving seafarers’ physiques, but more attention needs to be paid to their mental health Picture: Danny Cornelissen

Seafarers might be getting healthier — but they also seem to be suffering from more fatigue and mental health problems, a new study has revealed. Experts from the Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC) at Cardiff University have carried out work to compare crew health and wellbeing between 2011 and 2016 — discovering a number of ‘significant’ differences over this timescale. Nautilus has expressed concern about the findings, which are based on a survey of just over 1,000 seafarers in 2011 and an expanded sample of more than 1,500 seafarers last year. Researchers said that one of the biggest differences concerned the quality of sleep at sea — with an increase in the proportion of seafarers reporting more difficulty in getting to sleep and staying asleep. They found more seafarers complaining of waking up during sleep hours and more reporting a perception of inadequate sleep. Using these results to calculate a ‘fatigue score’, the SIRC team estimate that the experience of severe fatigue increased from 24% of seafarers in 2011 to 36% last year. ‘This is a matter of some concern for both the longterm health of the seafarer population and for operational safety,’ the report comments. Asked why they were not getting enough sleep, the percentage of seafarers putting it down to their working hours rose from 28% in 2011 to 32% last year. There was also a marked increase in those who blamed it upon motion — up from 18% to 23%.

The researchers said they found that fewer seafarers now share cabins (6% last year, against 10% in 2011) and this should have helped to improve sleep quality. However, against this, they also found an increase in the number of crew members who complain of being unable to screen out daylight in their cabins.

“

There has been a notable increase in seafarers reporting difficulty sleeping

”

The study suggests that seafarers are seeking to live healthier lifestyles. Some 80% now report that they drink alcohol less than once a week when they are at sea, compared with 75% in 2011. The numbers stating that the drink alcohol more than twice a week while on leave fell from 25% to 14% over the same period. Cigarette smoking has also fallen from 35% of the seafarer population to 31% between 2011 and 2016, and the average number of cigarettes smoked also fell, from more than 11 a day to fewer than 10 a day. The SIRC team said they were surprised to ﬁnd a marked increase in the number of vegetarian seafarers — up from 11% to 16%. Crew members also reported eating more

vegetables overall, and less fried food at sea and ashore. The surveys also showed an increase in the proportion of seafarers who rate their health as ‘very good’ — up from 30% to 36% — although they also revealed a marked rise in the numbers who reported visiting a doctor very often or quite often during their leave. They also found that fewer seafarers now consider themselves to be as healthy as anyone they know, and more feel that they get ill more often than other people. Seafarers did, however, report fewer conditions that have been diagnosed by doctors, and seem to suffer from fewer selfdiagnosed problems. ‘This is presumably one reason why seafarers’ use of both prescribed painkillers and self-prescribed medications appears to have fallen,’ the study observes.

The report also notes a deterioration in mental health between the 2011 and 2016 surveys — with evidence to show that the proportion of seafarers indicating a presence of a psychiatric disorder rose from 28% to 37% over this period. These ﬁgures compare ‘rather unfavourably with most studies of the general population and the increase over time is a particular cause for concern,’ the report states. The ﬁgures are based on an assessment of recent onset anxiety and depression, rather than a screening tool for longstanding conditions such as bi-polar and schizophrenia. ‘I think the term “psychiatric

disorder” sounds rather alarming and for me “psychological distress” rather better captures the “ﬂavour” of the conditions that are screened for,’ said SIRC director Professor Helen Sampson. ‘A useful way to understand the interpretation of the scores is to appreciate that they are considered to indicate the cases — people — which would receive further attention if they presented to a medical professional such as a GP.’

Prof Sampson pointed out that sleep is a crucial element for good mental health and wellbeing, and she suggested that the deterioration in sleep quality found by the study could well be one of the factors contributing to increased anxiety and depression. ‘I think there are likely to be other factors as well, however. Our recent research on ship-shore interaction demonstrated that seafarers regularly face high-stress situations when dealing with both port-personnel and shore-based managers. Seafarers have also lost faith in some of the lifesaving equipment onboard ship, which could well produce higher levels of anxiety.’ Prof Sampson said operators ought to consider whether or not sufﬁcient priority is currently given to seafarers’ sleep. ‘In separate studies we have found evidence of seafarers being unable to sleep on relatively new (but cheap and badly made) mattresses onboard because they were too thin and because they contained large springs which sleepers were not sufﬁciently protected against,’ she added.

“

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‘I have personal expe vessel where I couldn’t s covered me in bruises un was given two extra duve This wasn’t me being “so had complained to the c since the vessel was laun she said. ‘There is also a questi commercial pressures,’ P the Telegraph. ‘Given tha factors seem to be contri wonder if vessels have le of minimising the effect a result of commercial p be contributing to poor s requires further investig The research reveals s insights into the ways in w their off-duty time. The m they go to their cabins to cabins to watch TV and 13

An old problem seen with fresh eyes I

Nautilus is backing a Shell Ship Management (SSML) initiative which seeks to address the issues faced when trying to safeguard the mental health of seafarers. The company has established a network of communication to identify the key areas that crews and their families face, as well as some of the demands and challenges of seafaring. ‘Over the past couple of years, the shipping industry has really started to pick up on this topic, and as a result of some suicide cases there is a recognition of the need to do something about it,’ SSML managing director Richard Turner explains. ‘There’s lot of talk, but the big question is what are we doing about it. ‘We decided to take a more proactive approach to see what we can do, and if we can identify areas in which something worthwhile could be done to benefit the wider industry,’ he adds. ‘It’s all about raising awareness and making a much better industry.’ Mr Turner said the company had begun the process earlier this year by analysing data to examine the nature and scale of mental health issues within the fleet. ‘We have a large variety of nationalities among our seafarers, and it is clear that this is something that affects people regardless of where they come from or what their culture is,’ he notes. The initiative took a major step forward last month, with a special

20-21_spread_SR edit.indd 20

working group meeting attended by seafarers, shore staff and medical experts, together with representatives from the P&I club managers Thomas Miller and the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network. ‘What we did very quickly was to identify what the issues are, and we found that these issues arise from several aspects of life such as family, work pressures and social environment,’ Mr Turner says. ‘It is easy to address physical illnesses, but much harder to address mental health because of the stigma that drives it underground,’ he adds. ‘We want to break that stigma down so that seafarers feel able to bring their issues up and help us to work with them before it becomes a big problem. That’s not easy when around 90% of seafarers are male and men are much less likely than women to be open about this sort of thing.’

But things are changing, Mr Turner suggests. ‘I’m sure these issues have always been around in shipping and you would expect a higher rate of problems than ashore because of things like loneliness and work pressures,’ he says. ‘What’s changed is that things like social media have made us all much more aware of the issues.’ There are several great resources that can be utilised and are immediately available, he says, including those provided by Dreadnought

Medical Services, which has been dealing with this subject and has programmes and support services up and running. In addition, ISWAN has resources that are available globally and have ‘fantastic’ content. ‘A lot of this is simple common sense,’ Mr Turner points out. ‘We can talk and talk about the problems, but we need to do something — and the answers are right in front of us.’ Nautilus industrial organiser Derek Byrne says he is impressed by Shell’s determination to tackle mental health. ‘It does seem that the shipping industry has been waking up to the scale of the problems that seafarers face and there is growing awareness of the need to make meaningful responses which improve the quality of their lives and the support they receive,’ he notes. ‘I welcome the company’s ambition and the inclusive approach it is taking to identify problem areas that should really make a difference,’ Mr Byrne adds. ‘Going forward, this topic has got huge potential and Nautilus is pleased to support actions that may come about as a result of the time and effort that everyone in the seafaring community is committing to solving this issue — hoping that it will serve as a “best practice” example for the industry.’

The mental health workin

22/08/2017 13:13

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 21

SEAFARER HEALTH

fe and work affects our s and minds e veggie food — new research shows seafarers seem to be he SIRC study also reveals a rise in fatigue and an increase urges the industry to tackle the underlying causes… rers are trying e their own ut their efforts undermined outside rol

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experience of this on a dn’t sleep and the springs ses until such time as I a duvets to sleep on top of. ng “soft” — the seafarers the company many times s launched, but to no avail,’ uestion in my mind about res,’ Prof Sampson told en that environmental ontributing to poor sleep, I ave less ﬂexibility in terms effects of bad weather as cial pressures. This could poor sleep onboard and vestigation.’ eals some interesting ys in which seafarers use The majority — 42% — said ns to rest, 21% go to their and 13% use the internet.

Very few indicated that they spend their time taking part in communal activities such as watching TV or DVDs together (5%), chatting with colleagues (3%), singing with others (2%), group sports (2%), using the gym with others (1%) and using the ship’s internet room (0.5%). The report sets out a series of recommendations which seek to address some of the core findings in the report calling for ship operators to: z ensure that effective means of screening out daylight are provided in all seafarer cabins z encourage further provision of tasty and satisfying alternatives to fried food onboard z ensure that vegetarian meal options are made available to seafarers onboard z encourage seafarers to eat breakfast by providing access to breakfast cereals and similar food ‘out of hours’ z minimise seafarer exposure to environmental factors which disturb sleep (poor weather, for example) even when this requires that they prioritise crew welfare over commercial concerns z place sufficient numbers of seafarers onboard to produce a reduction in the work-related factors which are resulting in seafarers’ fatigue (such as working hours) z pay more attention to the protection of seafarers’ mental health In addition to taking steps to reduce fatigue, the report urges operators to find ways to provide seafarers with better access to onboard services and facilities to help them relax and to achieve a degree of mental

restoration. ‘These are likely to include: games; sports facilities provided in properly designed, designated spaces; spacious, comfortable, communal areas where collective entertainment for the whole crew can be enjoyed; wi-ﬁ access in cabins, views of the natural environment from cabins; access to regular shore-leave; clean and wellmaintained living spaces; ﬂexible lighting; and heating/air conditioning that can be regulated within cabins,’ the report concludes.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘It is deeply disturbing to see such a marked increase in fatigue and mental health issues amongst seafarers. ‘The ﬁndings of the SIRC report suggest that seafarers are taking a lot of self-help measures to look after themselves — smoking and drinking less, and eating more healthily — but this is being undermined by factors outside of their control, such as excessive working hours, poor cabin design, and signiﬁcant shortcomings in technology, as shown in our recent crew connectivity survey. ‘It seems that seafarers are sleeping less and feeling more overworked than ever, which has obvious safety implications,’ he added. ‘Physical and mental fatigue can not only have a huge impact on an individual, but also on their vessel and the wider industry a whole. It’s a very serious issue which must be addressed and measures taken to alleviate the problems.’

Feel that you don’t get enough sleep 2016

Z.......A little Z.......Not at all Z.......Quite a bit Z.......Almost always

2011

2016

A little

46.1%

A little

42%

Not at all

31.3%

Not at all

29.3%

Quite a bit

17.9% Z

Quite a bit

22.1% Z

Almost always

4.7%

Almost always

6.6%

20-21_spread_SR edit.indd 21

Have restless or disturbed sleep 2016

.......A little .......Not at all .......Quite a bit .......Almost always

2011

orking group set up by SSML

2016

Not at all

42.8%

A little

41.7%

A little

42.4%

Not at all

37%

Quite a bit

12.5%

Quite a bit

18%

Almost always

2.3%

Almost always

3.4%

22/08/2017 13:13

22 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

MARITIME TECHNOLOGY

App to ease the paper weight Dealing with paperwork is one of the biggest complaints made by today’s seafarers. But a newly-launched ‘game-changing’ app aims to help maritime professionals to handle their personal paperwork and keep up to speed with their ever-increasing certification requirements…

The my-ankaa app has been developed to provide a comprehensive platform to store and maintain all the documentation required of today’s seafarers

Seafarers face a big challenge when working at sea meeting the requirement to keep track of multiple documents, to continuously check that certificates are valid and to ensure CVs are up to date. But this is now set to become an issue of the past thanks to the launch of a unique app and web portal — my-ankaa.com — which, it is claimed, will revolutionise the lives of more than 1.5m mariners around the world. Created by seafarers for seafarers, my-ankaa has been created to overhaul, future-proof and significantly improve the way in which mariners manage their certificate portfolios, deliv-

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ering vastly improved efficiency for both individuals and service providers, and ensuring they are ready for the anticipated switchover to digital documentation. A world first, my-ankaa will enable the seafaring community to safely and securely file and access their certificates and documentation in a digital vault. It will also allow them to: z automatically update and refresh their CV z maintain and analyse accurate sea service records z be alerted to expiring documents and receive timely alerts z aid communication with their company and service providers, regardless of location In the near future, seafarers will also be able to search and apply for jobs and identify training centres. The app was developed by a pan-global joint venture between Scottish marine recruitment company Clyde Marine Recruitment (CMR) and ServiceDott, a Singapore-based market leader in software and technology solutions, in direct response to the growing frustration of those working at sea in keeping track, ensuring validity and sharing large numbers of hard copy certificates, coupled with the requirement to continually update sea service and qualifications to their CV. Developed with an investment totalling nearly £400,000, my-ankaa offers a comprehensive platform to store and manage documents and is ready for storing digital certificates in the future, as the industry moves closer towards recognising e-documents.

The system uses the most up to date encryption techniques, ensuring the provision of a fully secure and interactive service. Permissions controlled by the individual also allow companies and service providers to access relevant information when required. Officially launched in August, myankaa is available to download on smart devices compatible with both iOS and Android. Comprehensive beta testing has been carried out over the last two months and feedback has been both positive and constructive. Comments included: ‘I was impressed with how easy it is to navigate. Definitely, the best mariner portal available.’ ‘Very good first impression. Some small improvements possible, but a good start. I think the

CMR managing director Ian Livingstone

“

We are confident this will be the start of a significant sea-change in how mariners manage their lives

”

concept is excellent and there is obvious scope to expand the service.’ Captain Ken Fraser, who has worked at sea for more than 20 years, said: ‘This is a gamechanger. We’ve been waiting for this for at least 10 years. The beneﬁts that the app delivers are numerous and will allow seafarers to spend more time on deck and less time at a desk. Most importantly, it will bring peace of mind that documents are always to hand and that certiﬁcates will not reach expiry. ‘It’s so easy to set up too. Then it’s just some simple navigation and there it all is. I can sleep better knowing that I have all my documentation in one place.’

CMR managing director Ian Livingstone said: ‘There are over one million seafarers located around the world. Working so closely with the marine industry provided first-hand experience of the challenges that they and their companies face on a daily basis. The idea for the app was born out of the recognition that there was no platform that provided a full service management system, that would also allow mariners to store and update certificates, communicate with others, share their documents with ease and be ready for the digital future. ‘Once the concept was in place, we needed a partner that had the experience to fully understand what was needed and the expertise to create a portal and app that would meet our broad and varied requirements,’ he added. ‘Together we’ve invested nearly half a million pounds into this product. The feedback we’ve had from the testing phases has been positive and we are confident that myankaa will be the start of a significant sea change in how mariners manage their lives.’ ServiceDott director Suresh Kalpathy said: ‘From concept to completion, the key objective for my-ankaa was to create a unique system which would positively transform the way mariners managed their documentation. We worked closely with CMR to deliver a concept that was simple to navigate, effective and enabled easy interaction between employer and employee. The resulting app and portal delivers on all these levels.’ Mr Livingstone added: ‘Until now, mariners have been required to laboriously maintain their documents. my-ankaa provides peace of mind on certificate validity and allows relevant parties immediate access to information. Now, opportunities will be maximised and delays in receiving copy documentation avoided.’ Ankaa Limited will concentrate on building portals and applications for the marine community that includes seafarers, shipping companies and manning agencies. Plans for growth and development are already in place, with a focus on the wider transport industries and related sectors, where expiring documentation and ready access to certification is an operational necessity. g More information: www.myankaa.com

22/08/2017 11:34

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 23

NAUTILUS AT WORK

Contact is a shore thing Catching up on emails at the seafarers’ centre in the port of Tilbury Picture: Apostleship of the Sea

Nautilus International’s research into connectivity at sea has shown that many crew still have to rely heavily on seafarers’ centres and ship visitors to help them stay connected when they are away — and that they believe much more can and should be done in ports to help them keep in touch. The Union’s survey revealed that while almost 90% of seafarers could access the internet at sea, fewer than 54% had access to personal emails, only one-third had access to social media, and just 5% were able to use video-calling. The research also found that more than a third of seafarers rarely, or never, get to go ashore when in port — making the availability of port-provided wi-fi, and ship visitors, essential. Whilst more than 90% of respondents said that they believed ports should offer wi-fi to visiting vessels, over 60% didn’t know of any ports who did. Most respondents also felt that the case for providing free wi-fi for all visiting ships was irrefutable. ‘Free port wi-fi should be mandatory in the 21st century,’ one respondent commented. ‘If McDonalds and airports can offer it, why not ports?’ Another added: ‘There are often no [wi-fi] facilities in port, and where there are they cost a lot or the connection is very bad. In some ports you have to send a text message to receive a wi-fi code. But to do that you have to have money on your phone in order to be able to send the text!’ ‘Not all ports have wi-fi facilities or they are restricted with password,’ another respondent commented. ‘Crew who do get access sometimes only get a half an hour free before having to pay.’ Respondents were divided on whether or not it was the

responsibility of ports to provide wi-fi internet access to visiting seafarers. ‘Most [ports] have wi-fi; it wouldn’t take much more to make it available to visiting vessels given they often pay a considerable fee for berthing,’ one said. Others commented: ‘Portprovided connectivity when abroad could allow you to download that video of your son walking which you can’t do on the ship. It’s quite important’ and ‘All ports should have wi-fi connection, it should be mandatory.’ However, some believed that the main issue was still proper internet access on their ships. ‘If connection onboard is good, [port wi-fi] is not necessary,’ said one. Another echoed this view. ‘It is not the ports’ responsibility to provide seafarers access.’ One member summed it up: ‘A modern shipping company needs to provide a good wi-fi and the rest is unimportant.’

The situation does not seem to be much better for those seafarers who do have time to leave their ships when in port. While half of the respondents said they never visited seafarers’ centres, more than 80% said it was important for centres to continue to provide internet access to all seafarers. Only around half of the respondents were aware which ports had seafarers’ centres or whether they provided internet access. One respondent suggested that when crew wanted to get an internet connection in port they were more likely to travel to the nearest fast food outlet and use their free wi-ﬁ. However, there was still a high appreciation for the work that ship visitors and port chaplains

Seafarers using the wi-fi facilities at the Stella Maris centre in the UK port of Sheerness Picture: AoS

23_port comms.indd 23

do, both onboard and in the port, despite only half of respondents saying that they actually beneﬁt from these visits themselves. When asked what they consider to be the most important tasks carried out by port welfare organisations, more than half of seafarers said providing countryspeciﬁc sim cards and internet access — more proof, if it were needed, that seafarers are using their own devices, at their own cost, if they want to contact home.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said he believes the research shows that more can, and should, be done in ports to ensure that seafarers can keep in contact with family and friends whilst working away. ‘Our members, and seafarers across the globe are having to use the services of charities and put their hands in their own pockets just to keep in contact with their families and friends,’ he points out. ‘Along with urging companies to allow better connectivity onboard, we are also urging ports to do what they can to provide good internet access for visiting seafarers.’ Maritime charities that look after seafarers’ welfare have backed the results of the survey and have committed to helping to secure better communications in port. ‘The Mission to Seafarers welcomes this survey,’ said Ben Bailey, assistant director of advocacy and regional engagement for The Mission. ‘We all know turnaround times are shortening and, as such, crews need to have reliable access to onboard communications. But onboard access should be seen as a holistic approach to welfare and not a replacement for shore leave. ‘As the survey results testify, seafarers’ centres still have an important part to play,’ he pointed out. ‘All of the 121 Mission to Seafarers centres provide free wi-fi access to seafarers, and many of our 200 port chaplains take onboard devices which allow seafarers to connect to temporary wi-fi. In the UK, we worked with several small ports in the North West to offer port-wide wi-fi which proved enormously popular. ‘Increasingly, our facilities have areas which offer 24-hour access to crews arriving/departing throughout the day and night. We take the issue of providing communications and general welfare facilities extremely seriously, and wherever possible, try to provide

With poor provision of internet facilities onboard many ships, what can ports do to help seafarers stay in touch? DEBBIE CAVALDORO considers the feedback of Nautilus research on maritime connectivity… the best and fastest connection in the most appropriate way.’ ‘On the one hand the shipping industry is much more aware of the importance of the mental wellbeing of crew, and yet this survey reveals a shocking lack of modern contact’, said John Green, from the Apostleship of the Sea. ‘Who ashore could imagine only 5% able to access video calls and a third of seafarers not getting shore leave?. ‘The experience of Apostleship of the Sea port chaplains is that without opportunities to connect with families and get away from the ship, mental wellbeing deteriorates,’ he added. ‘Last year in Britain alone, the Apostleship provided 2,931 ships with phone

or SIM cards. ‘It is important that the role of the work of AoS port chaplains is supported by the industry,’ Mr Green said. ‘The cost in maintaining our centres and ship visiting to provide communications help — last year over 10,000 ships — is something that goes a long way to meeting seafarers’ basic communications needs to support their mental health and basic dignity of life.’

The Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) highlighted that without wi-ﬁ onboard or in port, seafarers are forced to use their limited time alongside to travel into the nearest town to use local hotspots.

‘Communications — primarily easy access to good quality internet — is always at the very top of the seafarer’s welfare wishlist,’ chief executive Peter Tomlin noted. ‘We know that communication back home is the top welfare concern of seafarers, whether in port or onboard,’ added Roger Harris, executive director of the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN). ‘We need to work together with all sectors of the maritime industry to persuade ports to provide wi-ﬁ for seafarers and shipping companies to offer free or cheap internet access at sea. Without better communications many will be deterred from going to sea.’

22/08/2017 11:35

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

MARITIME TECHNOLOGY

Simulation of the first hull section arriving in the Forth

Simulation of floating HMS Queen Elizabeth out of the dry dock

Simulation of the completed vessel passing under the Forth Bridge

Practice makes perfect As the UK celebrates the launch of its new aircraft carrier, SARAH ROBINSON hears that there’s more to the building process than meets the eye...

‘The amount of background work needed in the construction of a vessel like this is phenomenal.’ Mel Irving is not kidding — he has just spent seven years on the project to build the UK’s new naval ship HMS Queen Elizabeth. But he doesn’t work at a dockyard, and the backroom role he and his team have played would come as a surprise to much of the British public. Mel is advanced simulator manager at South Shields Marine School (SSMS), the world-famous nautical campus in northeast England. The college’s state-of-the-art

simulators play an important part in officer training courses, but are also used for specific purposes by industry clients — marine pilots, for example. ‘It was because we often had the Forth river pilots in to train here that we became involved with the HMS Queen Elizabeth,’ Mel explains. ‘The ship was going to be built on their patch, at Rosyth shipyard, and they were responsible for manoeuvring large sections for assembly and getting the finished vessel safely out to sea.’ With the budget for the aircraft carrier set at over £3bn, the pilots couldn’t take any chances with

their handling of this precious national asset; they needed to practise their manoeuvres before moving the vessel for real. Enter the South Shields simulator team, who were commissioned to create detailed models of the huge vessel, as well as the tugs charged with getting it into place, and anything that might be encountered in Rosyth docks and the Forth estuary. After adding in an exhaustive selection of possible wind speeds, wind directions, currents and tides, the simulation would be ready for the pilots to test themselves on almost every eventuality.

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24_ssms_SR edit.indd Sec2:24

The South Shields Marine School simulator team for the HMS Queen Elizabeth project, L-R : Ian Murray, senior 3D graphics developer; Paul Hodgson, technical and projects manager; Mel Irving, advanced simulator manager, Stephen Scurfield, 3D graphics developer; Alan Peden, marine lecturer. Also in the team (not pictured) were hydrodynamic modeller Eddie Kirton and 3D graphics developer Karl Shackleton

There were several different stages of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s journey that needed modelling, Mel points out. One of the first events to prepare for was the arrival of a giant crane from China in March 2011: the £12m, 1,000 tonne lift Goliath crane, transported on the Zen Hua 13. Next, three massive sections of hull and deck were to be transported to Rosyth on barges from other UK shipyards, under the control of Henry Abram & Sons of Glasgow. On arrival, these barges would be sunk lower into the water, freeing the sections to be floated into the dry dock for assembly. When the work in the dry dock was completed, the dock would be filled with water again and the full-size aircraft carrier would be floated into a non-tidal basin to be fitted out. And once that was finished, the vessel would be ready for sea trials and would need to progress down the tidal estuary under the Forth road and rail bridges. Modelling all this on the simulators was a massive task, but at least the team already had the 3D area database for the Forth — in other words, the set of measurements for the dimensions of the estuary and features such as tidal range. Naval architects’ plans were used to model HMS Queen Elizabeth itself, and a large amount of new data was collected in various ways, including satellite imaging, electronic measuring and even good old fashioned on-site tape measuring. Another necessary step was to carry out the mathematical calculations for factors such as the hydrodynamic forces that would act on HMS Queen Elizabeth and the surrounding tugs. Then, to produce a simulation that actu-

ally felt to the user like navigating a vessel, the data was fed into to the simulator’s navigation controls, and into graphic design software to create the appropriate visuals. It’s dauntingly complex and highly skilled work, but Mel was conﬁdent the SSMS team would be up to the challenge. ‘We’ve done lots of projects like this before,’ he notes. ‘The tricky part this time was because the ship was so big — the largest vessel ever built by the Royal Navy. Even though the dry dock had been expanded, the ﬂight decks hung over the land on both sides, and in places there was less than half a metre of clearance for the bilge keels. Another challenge was the large number of tugs involved: 11, when we’re more used to dealing with three or four.’

No wonder the Forth pilots were so keen to practise. These experienced ship-handlers — Paul Wibberley, Jerry Purvis, Will Terry and Fred Whitaker — set the scenarios for the simulations that they would be using, adding their expertise to the pool of specialist knowledge at SSMS. And for the last 18 months of the project,

the pilots were joined for the simulation exercises by senior RN personnel: Cdr Giles Palin, commander nav HMS Queen Elizabeth; and Lt Cdr Jeremy Brettell, navigating officer HMS Queen Elizabeth. The meticulous preparations on the simulators all paid off when each stage of the manoeuvres was completed without incident, from the arrival of the first hull section from Govan in August 2011 to the departure of the completed aircraft carrier in June 2017. There have been celebrations and sighs of relief in South Shields, but there’s no time to relax, because now another aircraft carrier is on the way: HMS Prince of Wales — a sister ship to the first vessel that is already being assembled in Rosyth. ‘Many of the simulations are the same as last time, but there will be some new ones,’ says Mel, ‘and having now done the manoeuvres for real, the pilots want to come back and try out some different ways of doing things. And in future, both the HMS Queen Elizabeth and the HMS Prince of Wales may need to come back up to Rosyth, so we’ll be involved for some time to come.’

Thanks to all the careful preparation, the vessel emerged safely from the building process to be launched by HM The Queen

22/08/2017 12:58

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25

MARITIME SAFETY

Global rescue mission J

Reliable figures are hard to come by, but it’s estimated that anything between 140,000 and 400,000 people a year lose their lives in the world’s waters — often in accidents in which improved maritime search and rescue (SAR) coordination and response may have made a crucial difference. With the growth of ‘mega’ cruiseships carrying 6,000 passengers and more, an increase in ‘expedition’ and ‘adventure’ cruises in remote areas, and the continuing challenge of overcrowded, poorly maintained and elderly ferries in many parts of the world, the challenges facing SAR organisations are immense and complex. Against this background, a UK-based charity — the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) — is spearheading efforts to raise global standards, improve resources, share knowledge and promote ‘best practice’ for saving lives at sea. Former Merchant Navy officer David Jardine-Smith serves as the Federation’s secretary, representing the IMRF at the International Maritime Organisation and leading its mass rescue operations (MRO) project to plan for large-scale incidents that would stretch even the strongest SAR bodies. ‘We act as advocates for maritime SAR and the organisations providing that service,’ he explains. ‘It’s all about sharing good ideas and bad experiences so that developing countries in particular, as well as organisations looking to set up and improve services, can learn from what has happened elsewhere.’ The ‘sharing’ ethos of the organisation reflects its roots as a body created in 1924 to represent lifeboat service providers around the world — many of which have traditionally been voluntary non-governmental organisations. Founded as the International Lifeboat Conference (ILF), it began the process of cooperation and collaboration to raise maritime SAR standards and as resources developed from small rescue craft operated by local communities into the provision of marine radio communications, rescue helicopters and other technological advances, its name was changed in 2007 to the International Maritime Rescue Federation. IMRF now has more than 100 members, drawn from all around the world. ‘We’re not just about rescue boats, but all the other services and providers — such as shore-based centres and SAR aircraft,’ David points out. ‘However, we are not a member club,’

David Jardine-Smith served with Bank Line before becoming a UK Coastguard officer. He tells ANDREW LININGTON how this has led to his work to improve global maritime search and rescue standards…

SAR teams in action following the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014. The IMRF aims to encourage planning and cooperation for dealing with such major incidents Picture: Reuters

he stresses. ‘We need membership funding to keep going, but we share everything in terms of best practice and learning and it’s all available open-source and online.’ A core element of the Federation’s work is representing the SAR community at the International Maritime Organisation — including input into its review of GMDSS and the harmonisation of international and aeronautical and maritime SAR, and the development of the forthcoming new edition of the IAMSAR manual. There’s also what David describes as ‘defending the principles of SAR’ — raising awareness of services with governments and relevant authorities. ‘Just because there hasn’t been a huge headline-grabbing incident doesn’t mean it is not necessary,’ he points out. Talking of headlines, however, the subject of rescues in the Mediterranean has certainly been huge. The IMRF has worked with the International Chamber of Shipping, the IMO and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to ensure that the role of merchant ships in responding to the migrant crisis has been properly addressed.

‘Initially, there was a major concern about the impact on ships from the SAR point of view and concerns that some masters might look the other way,’ David reﬂects. ‘However, those concerns have been addressed and Malta and Italy in particular have done a magniﬁcent job in getting people off the ships as soon as possible.’

The Federation also worked with a group of ﬁve European rescue services, including the RNLI, to provide equipment and expertise to help the Greek lifeboat service to respond to the crisis. It also helped to develop a voluntary code of conduct for SAR at sea to assist organisations such as the Migrant Offshore Station in their work to prevent loss of life on some of the deadliest migration routes. The IMRF’s work in the Mediterranean has close parallels with one of its core projects: mass rescue operations (MRO) — how to deal with a situation that the IMO deﬁnes as an incident which is so large that no single SAR agency has the

capacity or resources to deal with. The initiative began following the 1994 Estonia ferry disaster in which 852 passengers and crew died. Baltic states were keen to see lessons from the accident being acted upon and new SOLAS rules were brought in to require passengerships on international routes to have plans in place to cooperate with SAR services in the event of an emergency. ‘The introduction of ships carrying as many as 8,000 people worries SAR organisations, of course,’ David says. ‘But it is not just the big ships that we are interested in. It could be an offshore energy accident, an aircraft ditching or even a shore-side accident in which there is a potential for a maritime response. In the 9/11 incident, for example, there was a huge maritime rescue operation in which thousands of people were evacuated from the southern tip of Manhattan island. ‘What we are seeking to do with MRO is to identify the capability gaps and how to ﬁll them — including sharing SAR resources regionally, identifying additional SAR resources such as pilot boats

and ﬁshing vessels, and providing onscene support until those in distress can be rescued,’ he explains. To achieve these aims, the project is exchanging experiences and information, and running workshops and exercises for representatives from SAR organisations. ‘We don’t tell them what to do, but do tell them what to think about and what the problems might be,’ David says. ‘We are not saying that these are the answers, but we are saying that these are the questions and you can provide the answers. Local solutions can only be developed locally.’ Many of these issues were addressed at the IMRF’s recent maritime mass rescue conference — which not only included a live mass rescue exercise, but also launched a new high-level mass rescue training course, which was held at Chalmers University, in the Swedish port city of Gothenburg. The course has been developed to help with planning for mass rescue incidents, identifying resources and the need for good communications and coordination — especially with shore-side responders. David says he believes SAR provision is improving globally — and he is particularly pleased with the work that has been done in Africa to develop regional rescue centres. IMRF members helped with the IMO initiative, including training staff to run the new facilities. He suggests that technology could bring new beneﬁts to SAR capabilities — including the use of drones and autonomous vessels. However, he says there is a need to remember that not all countries can afford to invest in high-end equipment and that by no means all incidents involve SOLAS vessels, with most ferry accidents occurring in developing nations. Most ferry accidents occur in the developing world and the conference will bring together experts to share experiences and learning to help both developed and developing countries improve their emergency responses. David is also keen to generate more discussion between the Federation, the shipping industry and individual seafarers. ‘When you are sailing your ships into areas in which SAR provision can be very poor, it is in your interests to improve it,’ he points out. ‘We want you to consider what you would do if you have a problem, and also if someone calls you up and you have to be an on-scene commander.’ g Find out more at the website: international-maritime-rescue.org

Raising rescue standards A

David Jardine-Smith has been working for IMRF since 2010 — coming to the organisation with hands-on personal experience of mass rescue operations, including the Calypso cruiseship fire in the Dover Strait in 2006 and a helicopter crash off Shetland in 1986. He brought ideal credentials for the job, having served at sea for nine years (from cadet to second mate with Bank Line) before joining HM Coastguard in 1983. While working for the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, he held a series of operational rescue coordination, training and management

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roles before serving as the MCA’s head of search and rescue operations. Besides conducting major incident response exercises, David led a thorough review of the Coastguard’s major incident planning, and also served for a time as a national duty officer, responding to complex incidents at the strategic level. After retiring from the MCA in 2008, David worked as an independent maritime emergency consultant before joining the IMRF, where he now leads its mass rescue David Jardine-Smith conducting the IMRF’s mass operations project and represents the Federation at the IMO. rescue operations training course in June this year

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22/08/2017 13:13

26 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

MARITIME CAREERS

Leading from the front HOW DO YOU BECOME A GOOD LEADER? It’s a big question — and a very important one for ship masters. STEVEN KENNEDY talks to one who is offering the answers…

As all seafarers will know, without good onboard leadership it’s very hard for a crew to not only do their jobs effectively, but also to be motivated to excel in their ﬁelds. Yet when it comes to training future masters for command, there is very little available to help teach them how to be a good, effective leader. It’s a problem that one highly respected captain noticed and, following many years of hard graft and determination, he has published his ﬁrst book — Golden Stripes — on the subject of maritime leadership. Cypriot-based Captain V.S. Parani, 42, grew up on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. It was there that he got his love for the sea and, indeed, his desire to one day take command of his own vessel. ‘Where I grew up you could always see the sea and the ships,’ he explains. ‘Seeing that all day, I only had one thing in mind —

Golden Stripes author Captain V.S. Parani

and that was to become a ship’s captain.’ He went to sea at the age of 17 as a deck cadet, serving on a variety of ships and gaining his second mate’s ticket. At the age of 24, he was suddenly made second-incommand of a ship as the chief officer and, just five years later, he gained his first command — on

a Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) containership. ‘I was the youngest ship captain in a ﬂeet of 300 ships,’ Capt Parani recalls. ‘I soon took to manoeuvring a ship like it was an extension of myself. I enjoyed every minute of my time on the ship’s bridge. It was my ship. I would learn a lot of things about ships, and about myself during this period.’ All this time, Capt Parani looked at ways to further his career and make himself a better all-round seafarer. He took shipbroker exams in 2005 and achieved the highest results of anyone worldwide. That was enough to get the full attention of his company — and after a discussion about his future prospects, Capt Parani was making the tough decision to move ashore full-time and put his expertise to good use. ‘In Hong Kong I was heading the safety department for almost 9,200 ships,’ he explains. ‘It was pretty challenging. I dealt with

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26_parani.indd Sec2:26

Capt Parani spent five years working on his book, pulling together the lessons he learned at sea and ashore

collisions, groundings, fires, crew injuries, inspections, improving the systems — it was pretty intense stuff. ‘It was a good experience and I had some good people guiding me along and I was willing to learn. I had my experience, but I was open to learn from others. I did this for almost five and a half years and then we had a merger which moved me to Cyprus.’ Keen to hone his expertise even further, Capt Parani then made another switch. ‘The management decided I had good people skills, so they asked me if I’d like to move into the crewing and training department,’ he recalls. ‘There I was leading the department for about 185 ships, which is about 5,000 seafarers on the ship and 8,000 seafarers on the shore.’ From here, he spent five years creating his book — pulling together some of the lessons he’d learnt from his early days at sea and, of course, from his time as a ship’s master and his work shoreside. Capt Parani says this was not only to fill a gap in the market, but also a labour of love. ‘If you go to any bookshop you’ll find a lot of books on leadership. There are people writing leadership books from different perspectives, but there was nothing from the merchant marines,’ he notes. ‘I remember we had one incident when I was young. Our ship lost steering and it almost hit the rocks. It was not me, it was not the captain, but it was the harbour pilot that saved the day. I said to myself, “what does this guy have that we don’t?”. I realised that it

was the leadership skills. Good leadership that day made the difference. ‘In my shore job I used to mentor many masters and chief engineers and I used to repeat the same things over and over again. At some point, I thought it would be good to share these ideas in a book to the industry. ‘If, like me, you see 185 ships, then you get 185 years’ experience in one year from managing the ships. I’ve been doing it for 10 years, so that’s 1,000 years’ experience I’ve accumulated. Compare that to what a single person on one ship can get. A single person can have experience of 20 years’ sailing. So, I thought it was a great opportunity to share my experience with the shipping industry.’

Capt Parani is keen to avoid sugar-coating the sometimes harsh realities of command. At sea, he explains, decisions have to be made, and orders followed. There is a clear structure to the systems in place, and masters need to know that their decisions are being carried out to the letter. ‘A lot of leadership books are very mushy,’ he points out. ‘They are things like, be nice and have team meetings, but there is nothing speciﬁc to how to be alert. A lot of accidents happen to good people because they lose their alertness. In my book, I’ve not held back on this. I’ve let it rip.’ His methods revolve around storytelling, and he believes that a key way for students to learn is to paint pictures for them to remember. ‘People do leadership

classes and I have asked them how effective the training is. I used to ask people “How was the course?”, and they used to say it was very good. Then I’d ask them “what did you learn?”, and they used to say they couldn’t remember. It’s a statistic that by the time people ﬁnish a course they have forgotten 50% of it. Handouts are not enough to get the lessons in the memory. ‘What I’ve done in my book is to use psychology,’ he continues. ‘The human brain remembers stories. We remember the beautiful tales like Jack and the Beanstalk and that good wins over evil. You can always remember things like, “haste makes waste” and “slow and steady, wins the race” because they are all attached to stories.’ Capt Parani says the success of a leader is down to the way in which masters not only work with their people, but also the way in which they manage themselves. ‘There are two things: the leadership of the self and the leadership of those around you,’ he notes. ‘Firstly, we must try to make ourselves, and our moral compasses, right. That is very important. Then the leadership of the team requires you to understand the people. Don’t be misguided or swayed by the rank or the position. Don’t abuse the power. Proper leadership is not a position, it’s an action.’ g Golden Stripes — Leadership on the High Seas (ISBN 978 18499 53146) is published by Whittles Publishing and costs £18.99. For more information, visit www.parani.org or www.whittlespublishing.com

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September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 27

SEAFARER HEALTH

Don’t be a clot on the plane I

People who travel frequently or long-haul are at particular risk of suffering deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). There are 67,000 DVTs diagnosed in the UK every year, and travellers are at an increased risk due to blood pooling in the legs caused by being immobile in their seats for so long. As many as 10% of passengers develop small calf vein DVTs following a long-haul air trip abroad. Sitting still for four or more hours or taking repeated flights in a month allows small DVTs to grow and spread into the major deep veins. Once a DVT is large enough to cause symptoms, there will have been permanent damage to the valves in the deep veins of the leg. The result may be longterm swelling with pain on standing, walking and running. Falling asleep on the plane after a busy day increases this risk markedly, as it causes profound venous stasis in the legs. Asymptomatic calf vein DVT (diagnosed by ultrasound, but not big enough to cause symptoms) can be detected in 10% of people completing two eight-hour flights within a month. Frequent flying encourages small asymptomatic calf DVTs to develop into major clots throughout the veins of the leg. A large study found flying for over four hours twice in eight weeks more than doubled the risk of symptomatic or damaging DVT compared to a single flight. Flying three or four times in eight weeks increases the risk more than fourfold; five times or more increases the risk more than sevenfold. In a much larger study, symptomatic larger DVTs developed in 1% of people travelling over four hours by aircraft. These patients are likely to have permanent disabilities as a result of these more extensive DVTs and are also at risk of suffering a pulmonary embolus (PE) — with 30% of these being fatal. Although most studies have focused on the risk of DVT in air travel due to immobility while seated in flight seats with little leg room, any travel — particularly by coach, or by car, rail or ship — where workers or travellers are seated for long periods can cause a risk. The Time to Move campaign quotes 90 minutes of

Seafarers are no strangers to long flights, and therefore need to protect themselves against the risks of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Cardiovascular expert Professor CHARLES McCOLLOM, from the University of Manchester, offers advice on what you can do…

I sitting watching TV as a risk factor, as blood can start to clot. It is essential that employers take measures to protect their employees who travel on business. If an employee was to suffer a DVT, they can expect to be absent from work for at least two weeks and up to three months. Importantly, DVT can also prevent air travel for up to six months due to the risk of recurrence. Companies are increasingly ﬁnding themselves at risk of

disability litigation due to long-term symptoms in the leg. NHS advice states: ‘It’s vital that compression stockings are measured and worn correctly. Ill-ﬁtting stockings could further increase the risk of DVT.’ However, independent research has found that standard elastic stockings — even of the appropriate size — do not ﬁt most people, with 98% failing to achieve an acceptable pressure gradient and 54% having reversed gradients, increasing

Sources: Kuipers et al 2007, McCallum et al 2011, Hughes et al 2003, Scurr et al 2001 ‒ The Lancet

27_dvt_SR edit.indd 27

z some contraceptive pills triple the risk of blood clots z recent surgery, injury or illness z existing venous conditions, such as varicose veins z genetic history of venous conditions z family history of DVT or PE Isobar Compression recently commissioned a survey with YouGov which found that whilst almost one-quarter of UK adults will ﬂy long-haul on holiday or business this year, most are unaware that one in 25 will suffer an asymptomatic DVT. In this survey, only 25% of UK adults who were taking a long-haul ﬂight this year said that they were concerned about DVT, whilst 76% said they will not be wearing compression socks. The results of the YouGov survey show that travellers are putting themselves at unnecessary risk of potentially lifethreatening DVTs because they either believe they are not at risk, or are too young for it to be relevant to them. But with one in 25 travellers suffering asymptomatic DVTs, and in view of the long-term risk of chronic aching and leg swelling with venous ulcers in the elderly, this is a serious concern for any long-haul traveller, no matter their age.

the risk of DVT. The likelihood of contracting DVTs is higher for those with a risk factor such as: z frequent long-haul flying — two fourhour-plus flights (return flight to New York, for example) within an eight-week period (quadruple the risk) z tall (≥182 cm — 6ft 1ins) and obese men have a fivefold increased risk z tall (≥168 cm — 5ft 6ins) and obese women have an almost threefold increased risk

Back in 2001, our medical team at University Hospital South Manchester was searching for ways to improve medical compression therapy for venous conditions. Existing compression didn’t effectively treat the vast range of shapes and sizes our team encountered. It also couldn’t deliver the precise level of pressure needed, slowing recovery. Our team looked for another way. We worked with the textiles department at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) to design a custom-fit, medical-grade compression sock which could deliver the pressure profile needed for each individual patient. Advanced Therapeutic Materials was founded in 2004 to develop this unique collaboration between vascular medicine and advanced textile engineering. With its roots in medical innovation, our custom-fit compression garments are now used across the medical, sports and travel worlds. Under the brand name Isobar Compression, we now manufacture custom-fit compression garments by using a 3D scan of our customers’ or patients’ legs. These compression socks are clinically proven to speed recovery and reduce muscle fatigue, as well as reducing the risk of DVT on long-haul flights or when travelling. Many of our customers tell us that jet lag is less of a problem when wearing our compression. More than 80 Team GB athletes — including Olympic champion triathletes, the Brownlee brothers — choose Isobar Compression to reduce the risk of DVT in travel. Alistair stated: ‘We train and race all over the world, which involves flying frequently. Coming from a medical family, we know a DVT isn’t worth the risk and could end our careers. Isobar socks fit perfectly and are comfortable enough to wear all day. The precise compression level is based on clinical research, so we know they work really well.’ Isobar Compression can visit your business, ship or home to take a 30-second scan of your legs. This scan picks up 260,000 data points from your leg to provide us with a unique shape, from which we finely knit compression socks customised for you. Proven to work after 100 washes, our socks are a valuable investment in your travel health. g Visit www.isobar-compression.com to find out more or call +44 (0)24 7628 4041 to book a scan.

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28 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

MEMBERS AT WORK

Scribe of the Merchant Navy’s war Former shipmaster and WW2 veteran Bernard Edwards has carved out a successful second career as an author and historian. Now in his 90s, he tells SARAH ROBINSON why he’s still got lots more to write about…

There was a time, not so long ago, when the role of the British Merchant Navy in the Second World War had been all but forgotten. Even during the conflict, the work of merchant seafarers to supply the nation garnered much less attention than the activities of the armed forces — despite the terrible loss of life on merchant vessels. The fact that we know much more about this today can be credited to a determined band of Merchant Navy veterans, campaigners and historians who have fought for proper recognition of the service and sacrifices of civilian seafarers. A key figure in this movement has been Nautilus member Bernard Edwards, a retired master who has over 30 history books to his name, most devoted to the Merchant Navy’s role in the war. Produced by respected publishing houses such as Pen & Sword, his works have often featured

Young Bernard’s qualification to fire a gun on a Merchant Navy ship

in the Telegraph’s book review pages, but what readers may not know is that Bernard Edwards is himself a Second World War veteran. Indeed, he would have had little choice in the matter, because

any British school-leaver looking to start a career at sea in 1944 would have joined a ship involved in the war effort. Young Bernard came from a long line of Welsh seafarers dating back 300 years, so the sea was in his blood and he was ready for whatever adventures came his way. ‘Besides,’ he adds, ‘the most likely alternative war service for me was going down the mines as a “Bevin Boy”, and I definitely didn’t fancy that.’ Having been accepted for an officer cadetship with Clan Line, 17-year-old Bernard joined his first vessel — the general cargoship Clan Murdoch — in the port of Manchester. The following 11 months saw him travel around the world to South Africa, India and Australia, often under threat from U-boats, and he says it was a classic case of leaving as a boy and coming back a man. He even grew in height on the voyage: ‘I started out about five foot two and skinny, and returned broader, stronger

Maritime historian Bernard Edwards at wiork in his study Picture: Nick Fowler Photography

and four or five inches taller,’ he recalls. Right from the beginning, he was expected to play his part, with his first assignment being to climb a 70ft mast to change a lightbulb: ‘It was kill or cure — I never had any trouble with heights after that!’ As the voyage got underway, he learned to fire an Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft gun at Battle Station No. 2 on the starboard side of the bridge, which was necessary because his vessel was not always able to travel in convoy. And when there was military protection, it sometimes left a great deal to be desired. ‘At one point we were in a small convoy of merchant ships between Cape Town and Durban with just an armed trawler for protection, and it broke down,’ he remembers. ‘We had to form a circle with the trawler in the centre and help it into port ourselves.’ Moving goods around the British Empire and its allies as needed,

the Clan Murdoch could ﬁnd itself with a cargo of grain on one leg of the voyage and then machine parts or even bombs and shells on the next. Fortunately, although under ﬁre many times, the vessel was never seriously damaged, and Bernard was able to spend adequate time onboard learning Merchant Navy seamanship as part of a cadetship of two years and nine months (shortened from the prewar training of four years).

After the war, he finished off his cadetship with six months at the nautical college in Cardiff, and in 1947 he passed his orals at his second attempt to become an officer of the watch. He went on to spend a total of 10 years with Clan Line, working his way up to the rank of second officer. He then came ashore for two years to work in the Met Office while he was getting married and starting a family, but he wasn’t happy working in an office, so he talked it over with his wife Hildegard and they agreed that he should go back to sea — although this time with shorter tours of duty. There followed 13 years with Palm Line, transporting general cargo including timber and ground nuts to and from West Africa. By the late 1960s, he had been a chief officer for several years, but like many experienced British officers, he felt his career stagnating in the UK merchant fleet. ‘It wasn’t a good time,’ he muses. ‘There were all these strikes, and I was a union member myself, but I could see fault on both sides. In the end, it seemed that the British shipowners gave up on the industry really. There was no hope of getting a command.’

After a fair bit of soul-searching, Bernard decided he needed to leave his national ﬂag and seek a job elsewhere. It’s a move that’s commonplace now, but this was a man who had been serving his country since he was a teenager, and it was a hard choice to make. However, it proved to be the right decision. Joining the Kuwait Shipping Company (later United Arab Shipping) in 1970, he found himself in a well-funded company with good crews drawn from the UK and India, and soon achieved his ﬁrst command, on the Salimiah. His work mainly involved transporting manufactured goods such as cars and televisions, which were often treated as general cargo in this period, before containerisation had fully taken over. In fact, he was able to stay in general cargo until he retired from the sea in 1984.

Still only in his late 50s, Bernard was ready to embark on a new career as an author. It was a long-held ambition, he explains. ‘The only thing I was good at in school was writing essays, and when I became a captain and had more control over my own time, I took it up again. The ﬁrst thing I wrote was an article for The Seafarer magazine. They gave me a cheque for £10, and I still have a framed copy of it at home.’ His ﬁrst full-length book was a collection of humorous short stories, each one about a different sea captain. ‘It was very Welsh,’ he smiles. ‘I sent a synopsis to various publishers, but the one that picked it up was Gomer Press [Wales’s largest independent publisher].’ The book had respectable

The first cheque ever received by Captain Bernard Edwards for a piece of written work ‒ an article in The Seafarer, the Marine Society’s magazine

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MEMBERS AT WORK

Top L-R: the five ages of Bernard Edwards at sea, from cadet through to officer and shipmaster, and on to leisure boating in retirement Pictures: courtesy of Bernard Edwards

Above left: the Salimiah, Captain Bernard Edwards’s first command Above right: the Ibn Hazm, the master’s final command before retiring from seafaring in 1984 Pictures: courtesy of Bernard Edwards

sales, but Bernard’s destiny lay not with ﬁction but with history. ‘I wanted to do something about the Merchant Navy in the war. It was time somebody wrote about this,’ he says simply. He had his own experiences as a teenage cadet to draw on, of course, but this project was going to need intensive research.

28-29_b.edwards_SR edit.indd 29

Libraries were the obvious place to start; however, with few reference books available on his subject, Bernard knew he would have to interrogate the primary sources – the records written at the time of the war, such as ship’s logs, survivors’ reports and seafarers’ letters. He became a frequent visitor to the UK National

Archives in Kew, and kept this up for the best part of three decades. He is also proﬁcient in using the internet, which has allowed him to continue his research despite the occasional bout of ill-health that makes it harder to get around. ‘It’s wonderful what is available online now,’ he says. ‘You can get some very useful

stuff from the US as well.’

Having just turned 91, it seems incredible that Bernard is still producing a book a year, each one needing six months of research. Yet to read works like U-Boats Beyond Biscay (reviewed in last month’s Telegraph) is to witness a vibrant

talent at work — a keen mind with an accessible, novelistic way of writing that draws in readers and, yes, effectively spreads the message about the Merchant Navy in the Second World War. And he’s not planning to stop any time soon. ‘I’ve got a book out in November telling the full history of the war at sea through

the story of 20 merchant ships. I’m also working on The Turn of the Tide, about the moment when the convoys got the upper hand over the U-boats in April 1943. There are still hundreds of merchant vessels that haven’t had their war story told, and as long as that’s the case, I’ll keep going.’

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OFFWATCH ships of the past by Trevor Boult

50 YEARS AGO

of the most vital convoys of the Second F World War, being described as ‘the bravest

Drastic rationalisation of the shipping industry is included in the revolutionary plan for the modernisation of the British transport industry, prepared by the management consultancy McKinsey & Co for the British Transport Docks Board. It concludes that massive savings could be made by using 25 containerships to carry the entire Europe-North America general cargo trade, with the present 20 operators reduced to four or even two. The report also suggests radical changes in ship design, including faster ships with greater capacity, automation, roll-on/roll-off ships, pallets, containers, better cargo handling and ports facilities. Those who read the report will have realised that there are many problems ahead for the shipping industry and the MNAOA and the MMSA have lost no opportunities in arguing that masters and officers will rightly claim their fair share of the resulting benefits MN Journal, September 1967

Operation Pedestal is considered one

and most fateful of all the convoys that were ever sailed to relieve Malta’. The operation was mounted in August 1942. The strategic island fortress of Malta faced capitulation in a matter of days, but re-provisioning alone would achieve no military purpose unless aircraft and warships based there could be refuelled to continue actions against the enemy supply lines to Africa. The Axis powers were fully aware of the operation, and they made dispositions for every form of attack on the convoy throughout its protracted passage. At this time, Britain had no large tankers fast enough to keep up with the rest of the 16-knot convoy, a subject discussed by Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt. Weeks later, a very particular American tanker — Ohio — was seen at anchor in the River Clyde, transferred to British registry and crewed by British personnel. Ohio was one of the most modern tankers in the world, built for America’s largest oil company, Texaco, at Chester, Pennsylvania and launched in 1940. Wise and forward-looking men heeded the menace of Germany’s ambitions and the military preparations in Japan. Their forebodings directly influenced the building plan of Ohio, which was intended to move crude oil between the Texas oil fields and East Coast refineries. Unusually, her construction took less than eight months. Her dimensions and capacity were larger than any tanker previously built. Her propulsion also delivered a speed never before attained by a single-screw tanker. A composite framing system with two continuous longitudinal bulkheads provided many cargo tanks, making her a honeycomb of strength. She was almost entirely of welded construction, a source of controversy at the time. The convoy of 14 merchant ships was supported by huge naval forces. They faced 21 U-boats, a score of E-boats and over 500 aircraft. Losses were grievous. Five merchant ships made it to Malta. Ohio was the last to arrive. Being the only tanker, she was probably the most important vessel in the entire convoy and was a particular focus for sustained attacks, being struck by torpedo

25 YEARS AGO

Tanker that became the saviour of Malta and a direct hit from a bomb. Ohio was twice abandoned during the course of the convoy then re-boarded. Some 40 miles from Malta, aided by air cover of Beaufighters and Spitfires from the island, she was lashed between two Royal Navy destroyers which provided buoyancy and propulsion for the remainder of the voyage. Broken-backed and nearly awash, but with her cargo miraculously preserved, reaching Malta’s Grand Harbour has been attributed to the ship’s construction, the continued endurance and valour of her crew, and the ability of the young officers commanding a handful of tiny warships to achieve, in the face of persistent air opposition, ‘a feat of towing which was for them unimaginable by any reasonable standard’. In the approach to Grand Harbour, local dockyard tugs assisted Ohio’s arrival. On the harbour ramparts, great crowds of Maltese gave a tumultuous welcome. Her cargo was trans-shipped to two other vessels, but finally the ship settled on the bottom. After the war, Ohio was raised, towed out to sea and scuttled by gunfire.

The master of Ohio, Captain Dudley Mason, was awarded the George Cross. Also, two American sailors received the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal: Frederick Larsen, junior third ofﬁcer, and Francis Dales, deck cadet. Rescued from the sunk American freighter Santa Elisa, they volunteered their further services by manning Ohio’s guns. Ohio continues to be fondly remembered in Malta where, to this day, she is considered the saviour of the beleaguered island. Hindsight has conﬁrmed that the fate of the Middle East, India, and the whole Allied cause, depended on the successful defence of the linchpin that was Fortress Malta. Its retention enabled the Allies to regain the dominant position in the Central Mediterranean. To Ohio, it has been accorded: ‘It can now be seen that the survival of Malta, perhaps that of the free world itself, depended on the endurance of her small British crew, the volunteers who came to her assistance, and on the stoutness of this American ship’s construction. z With thanks to Brian and Norma Arthur.

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book Cruise Ships: A Design Voyage by Bruce Peter (reviewed on the facing page). To enter, simply complete the form right and send it, along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus International, Telegraph Crossword Competition, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane,

South Woodford, London E18 1BD, or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015. You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to: telegraph@nautilusint.org.

10 YEARS AGO Nautilus UK has expressed concern after an accident investigation report revealed last month that some sea areas around the British Isles have not been properly surveyed for depth in more than 160 years. The Union has written to the shipping minister to call for ‘rapid and effective action’ to ensure that the civil hydrography programme is properly funded for the 21st century. General secretary Brian Orrell said the UK should be ashamed that it has one of the worst national survey records among major maritime nations. The shortfalls were highlighted in a report on a grounding off the Orkney Islands in September 2006, which noted that the source data for the chart for area where the incident occurred had come from a leadline survey carried out between 1843 and 1844 The Telegraph, September 2007

THEQUIZ 1

How many flags are officially declared ‘flags of convenience’ by the International Transport Workers’ Federation?

How many European ports are in the world’s top 20 busiest container ports last year?

In which country is the polar ‘adventure cruise’ operator Quark Expeditions based?

In which year was Atlantic Container Line formed?

Approximately how many ‘Liberty Ships’ were built in US shipyards to replace Allied merchant tonnage sunk in the second world war?

Which British shipping company in the South American meat trades used to have ships sporting a black funnel with a white band?

J Quiz answers are on page 38.

Name: Address:

Telephone:

Membership No.:

Closing date is Friday 15 September 2017.

QUICK CLUES 1. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 16. 19. 21. 22. 24. 25. 26.

Across Dramas (11) Such sweet sorrow (7) Weaken (7) Why? (9) Horse show (5) Palm fruit (4) Drying clip (7,3) Typecast (10) Table game (4) Turning machine (5) Arrest (9) Drive backwards (7) Bill (7) Dirge (11)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Down Church event (7,8) Backbone (5) Plaything (3,4) Scrap (7) Buried (8) Joke teller (5-2,8)

7. 8. 15. 16. 17. 18. 20. 23.

Ejected (6) Powerful (6) Message (8) Remuneration (6) Part exchange (5-2) Spice (7) Stocking tear (6) Diplomat (5)

CRYPTIC CLUES 1. 9. 10.

30_offwatch.indd 30

NUMAST calls for more attention to be given to the human factor in safe shipping have been backed in a major new maritime safety report. The allparty Public Accounts Committee has urged the Department for Transport to concentrate more on operational factors and people when inspecting ships. The committee’s report points out that operational and human factors account for the main cause of 84% of shipping accidents, yet inspections focus largely on levels and fitness of equipment, rather than how well things operate in practice. It says the Department should set targets for inspections and focus on vessels most at risk. NUMAST assistant general secretary Derek Bond said the report provided welcome recognition of the importance of the human element The Telegraph, September 1992

11.

12.

Across Manipulated Lee Knox’s toe bones (11) Classification of life, that is, in small glasses (7) King comes between Mothers’ Union and Spain to get sea snails (7) Craft containing pet in the morning link to Galway islands (9) Small opening in paint roller (5)

13. Crumpled rose for champion of love (4) 14. Torch, showy and not heavy (10) 16. Princess unsure about divine being determining illness (10) 19. Turn over engine, it’s not likely to work (4) 21. Sounds like appropriate etiquette for the big house (5) 22. Shoot bits for practice (4,5) 24. Number ten Reg, I got muddled (7) 25. Finish with not so much if infinite (7) 26. Linen scales put through tumbler for hygiene (11)

Down Vote in or mirror attraction of force (15) 2. Small operation, I hesitate to have anaesthetic (5) 3. It stops drifting about half of street for a flyer (7) 1.

4. Sad songs for limping north to south around Turkish capital (7) 5. Wrong and unwell but ends with a wrap (8) 6. Resort exists, not golden like 26 (4,2,9) 7. Mind spy changing order on Guevara (6) 8. Ford model for companion (6) 15. ‘the Venetian lady / Who had seemed to glide to some --- in her red shoes’ (Yeats) (8) 16. Function on high sea for internet space (6) 17. Crocus with stigma attached produces spice (7) 18. Almost sir, a biblical priest and Middle Eastern national (7) 20. Listen, join up, but not like that (6) 23. Avoid Wild West City (5) J Crossword answers are on page 38.

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September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 31

MARITIME BOOKS

Thoughtful fictional take on the Titanic The Midnight Watch by David Dyer Atlantic Books, £12.99 ISBN: 978 17823 97823 times and in so many ways that one would K think it would be impossible for it to be re-told in a The Titanic’s story has been told so many

fresh and interesting way. Wrong. David Dyer, a former ship’s ofﬁcer and maritime lawyer, has taken the events surrounding the loss of the White Star liner and turned them into an intriguing novel which — despite our familiarity with the core elements of the story — delivers a tense and gripping tale. Drawing from ofﬁcial reports and contemporary accounts of the disaster, the book concentrates on the actions taken by the captain and crew of the British ship Californian, which has gone down in history as the vessel which failed to go to the aid of the sinking Titanic. In doing so, the book raises important questions about decision-making, chains of command, loyalty and morality — all as important today

as they were over a century ago. It also explores the seemingly insatiable need to find heroes and villains in such circumstances, and the difficulties of making black and white judgements about other people’s actions. The author makes good use of his seagoing experience to describe the nature of shipboard work and life, and to explore the relationships between the Californian’s crew after Herbert Stone — the officer on the midnight watch — reports his sighting of the Titanic’s distress rockets to the master, Captain Stanley Lord. While almost everyone in the book was a real person, Dyer uses his fictional central character — a US journalist sent to get an exclusive report on the disaster — to investigate the reasons why the Leyland liner never responded to ‘the oldest tradition of the sea’. Sensing that the whole truth has not emerged in the statements given by Capt Lord and his crew, the journalist pursues his quest for the truth even after losing his job for failing to provide his exclusive. It’s clear that the novel is a means for David Dyer — a self-confessed Titanic obsessive — to

challenges facing seafarers’ families — especially when there’s a dubious local priest in the picture. Swallow the Anchor could do with the attentions of an experienced editor at times, but overall it’s an enjoyable caper that succeeds in its ‘warts and all’ portrayal of life at sea.

Shipboard shenanigans by author who has seen it all Swallow the Anchor By Muriel Arnold Self-published paperback, £6.99 ISBN: 978 15428 95750 Available on Amazon Kindle across a novel set on a 1990s K cargoship, but author Muriel Arnold It’s not very often you come

knows the Merchant Navy well from her own days at sea, and in Swallow the Anchor she has produced a lively nautical tale with a cast of characters that will strike a chord with Telegraph readers. At the centre of the story is chief officer Jeff Bloxham, who is frustrated — like so many in his position — by his long wait for a command. His shipboard life is enlivened and complicated by the vessel’s small contingent of passengers, and during his voyage around Central America his efforts to support his wife and wayward son at home in England are thwarted by ancient communications equipment. After a rather slow start setting the scene, the novel gets into its stride with hairy escapades, raunchy relationships and a good sprinkling of salty language. The attractions and drawbacks of working at sea are conveyed well, as are the

31_books_SR edit.indd 31

Appealing tug history keeps it clear and simple Svitzer Tugs (UK) By Bernard McCall Coastal Shipping Publications, £9.95 ISBN: 978 19029 53854 f www.coastalshipping.co.uk glamorous sector of the K maritime industry, but — as It may not be the most

Telegraph readers will know — tugs play an invaluable role within it.

In his latest title, author Bernard McCall takes a look at one of the biggest players in the sector — Svizter, which dates back over 180 years and has expanded to a fleet of more than 400 ships in 100 different locations around the world. Svitzer Tugs (UK) covers the company’s workboats that have operated in the UK since it first started to work in the British towage business in the late 1980s, on a contract to push barges laden with colliery waste for dumping at sea. It will be followed by a second volume, which will cover tugs working outside the UK. This first volume spans almost 90 pages, each one containing

pursue his own investigation into the ‘psyche’ of Capt Lord and what led him to go back to bed rather than ordering his ship to the scene, some 20 miles away, where more than 1,500 passengers and crew were dying. It is an investigation which yields no clear-cut answers — with a recurring symbol of the facts being lost in the sort of fog that could make it so hard to navigate safely in the North Atlantic waters a century ago, or the ‘daze’ of the midnight watch in which the darkness can distort and deceive. But it touches upon the changes in society which started to chip away at respect for authority — echoed by Captt Lord’s complaints about the way in which the transition from sail to steam had made seafarers ‘soft’ — and it explores the nature of command structures and loyalty. This well written and unexpectedly powerful book ends almost 50 years after the disaster —

a high-quality photograph and accompanying vital statistics for the featured tugs, including year of build, gross tonnage and location of service, together with notes of interest such as the subsequent career paths and fate of certain vessels.What makes this book appealing is the simple way in which it’s presented. Clear, yet detailed, it’s easy to thumb through the pages and get a good grasp of Svitzer’s fleet of tugs. Whilst not a book that will either keep a reader occupied for hours, nor one that is going to be for a wide audience, this specialist title offers an excellent insight into the variety of towage vessels and the nature of their operations.

Glossy guide to one of the biggest names in shipping

as the Mercantile Marine Service Association rallies to Capt Lord’s defence against the portrayal of the Californian in the 1958 ﬁlm A Night to Remember — pulling these themes together and reminding the reader that there are no simple answers to the questions of responsibility, accountability and authority.

P&O Cruise Ships By Ian Collard Amberley Books, £14.99 ISBN: 978 14456 67409 f www.amberley-books.com centuries, P&O has been one K of the first choices for passengers For the best part of two

looking to travel the world by sea, as well as playing a leading role in British shipping — taking over the likes of the British India Line, the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, the New Zealand Shipping Company and the fleet of the British Coast Lines Group to become, at the time of Canberra’s maiden voyage in 1961, the world’s biggest shipping company. The 1970s and 1980s saw radical change in the company’s composition as it shed its cargo operations to concentrate its efforts on the cruise industry, acquiring Princess Cruises and Sitmar Cruises before the 2003 amalgamation into the Carnival Corporation. Covering this history through a selection of vintage artwork and photography, author Ian Collard

offers a lavishly illustrated look at the cruise ships operated by the company. His scene-setting introductory chapter is followed by 90 pages of text-light, image-heavy material, including some rare and previously unpublished pictures. For the shipping enthusiast, this coffee table book is nicely presented and well researched, and does a good job of capturing some of the majesty of the iconic ships that have sailed under the P&O banner.

Expert analysis of form and function Cruise Ships: A Design Voyage By Bruce Peter Ferry Publications, £25 ISBN: 978 19112 68086 international cruise industry has been K matched by similarly sweeping changes The spectacular growth of the

in the size and design of ships, together with ever-more ambitious features such as shopping malls, ‘parks’, climbing walls, ice rinks, and robot drink servers. Bruce Peter — a reader in design history at the Glasgow School of Art — casts an expert eye over these developments in this excellently illustrated and nicely produced title. In doing so, he raises such important questions about the way in which the industry operates and what its future might be. m In his introduction, Peter clearly defines the t ambitious scope of his book — taking in i not just the history of cruise ship design, but b also the underlying cultural, social,

economic and political factors that influence the industry and the way in which it works, and noting the ‘upstairs-downstairs’ nature of crewing and the growing environmental pressures on the sector. He traces the origins of cruising from the early coastal steamer services and P&O’s sailings to the Scotland’s Northern Isles and to the Mediterranean, through the pioneering Hamburg-Amerika Linie operations, which sought to give prosperous passengers the feeling of sailing onboard a royal yacht. The book explains how the economic ups and downs of the 20th century combined with advances in ship design and technology to fuel a transformation in passenger vessel operations — which accelerated in the 1950s and 60s as post-war prosperity increased. There is lots of interesting material about the rise and fall of many cruise operators, as well as the thinking that influenced some of the more flamboyant and extreme designs

of the past couple of decades. Peter provides a good explanation of the criteria and process used for developing the Queen Mary 2 — noting that this was a vessel that ‘stood apart from the rest’ with its ability to cope with the worst North Atlantic conditions. Disappointingly, however, there is not a lot about safety, bar passing references to the design implications of SOLAS rules for lifeboats and a page on the Costa Concordia which reflects that ‘when things go wrong, they go multiply wrong, and so designers and regulators of cruise ships may be unduly optimistic that procedures will always work as intended’. The author concludes with some critical sociological reflections on the cruise ‘experience’ — and while lamenting the standardisation and formulaic designs adopted by many companies seeking to maximise commercial returns, he also notes the remarkable diversity of the tonnage presently in operation.

22/08/2017 13:05

32 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

NL NEWS In this month’s Dutch pages:

z Holland America Line Fleetvisit

z dredging pension fund under pressure

z nobody out at Stena Line

z VT-Group CBA talks have started

z new offshore catering CBA

z Nautilus student prize winners

in Norway

z Nautilus advice to members on tax issues

z KotugSmit CBA talks

z Nautilus advice on labour contracts

z Inland Water pension fund in

in expired CBAs

van de locatie IJmuiden van C de Maritieme Academie Holland,

Sean Zwering, MBO 2 student

was blij verrast met de Nautilus prijs ‘Meest Sociale Student’. Tijdens de jaarlijkse binnenvaart diploma-uitreiking op 11 juli kreeg hij de prijs uitgereikt uit handen van Nautilus Binnenvaart bestuurder Carl Kraijenoord. Daarnaast ontving de 19-jarige schipperszoon uit Lemmer op deze feestelijke middag voor leerlingen, leraren, familie en vrienden, zijn welverdiende diploma matroos. Carl Kraijenoord in zijn begeleidende speech: ‘Als internationale vakbond voor zee- en binnenvaart reiken wij deze prijs graag uit aan Sean. Het is iemand die graag alles regelt in de klas en zijn afspraken altijd nakomt. Hij stelt zich sociaal op en is ook voorkomend naar de docenten. En dankzij zijn

grote doorzettingsvermogen gaat hij na de zomervakantie starten met de mbo 3 opleiding schipper binnenvaart op de locatie Harlingen.’ Zeer verrast door deze titel

Sean Zwering over het winnen van zijn prijs: ‘Ik ben erg vereerd dat ik de prijs voor ‘meest sociale leerling van het jaar’ in ontvangst heb mogen nemen. Ik had het zeker niet verwacht en daarom werd ik op deze diploma uitreiking zeer verrast door deze titel. Ik heb het erg naar mijn zin op de opleiding en vind het daarom heel leuk om te zien dat de school mijn inzet kan waarderen. Dankzij deze Nautilus prijs ben ik nog gemotiveerder geworden om mijn volgende opleiding tot een goed resultaat te brengen.’ In totaal werden er 85 diploma’s uitgereikt: 76 jongens en 9 meisjes.

Geef uw mening Vorige maand vroegen wij: Ziet u een toekomst voor gezellen afkomstig vanuit het Verenigd Koninkrijk en Nederland?

Nee 87%

z kick off sustainable employability research

Op weg naar één cao voor alle varende werknemers van KotugSmit A

Voor de zomervakantie hebben we in de Telegraph een balans opgemaakt inzake het onderhandelingsproces om te komen tot één cao voor alle varende medewerkers bij KotugSmit. Dit betrof een tussenstand waar de cao-partijen de eerste helft van het jaar mee bezig zijn geweest. Binnenvaartbestuurder en cao-onderhandelaar Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Op 30 juni 2017 hebben we onze voorstellenbrief aangeleverd bij de werkgever. Wij gaan uit van de bestaande arbeidsvoorwaardenpakketten. Dit zijn er op dit moment nog drie, namelijk de SHTR-cao, de Smit Crew regeling en de KHTR-cao. De betrokken vakbonden (FNV Havens en Nautilus) willen wat goed en bruikbaar is uit deze pakketten opnemen in het A-deel. Dit zal dan gelden voor alle varenden. De rest van de arbeidsvoorwaarden willen de vakbonden borgen in een B-deel voor ex-SHTR, een C-deel voor ex-Smit Crew en een D-deel voor ex-KHTR collega’s. Verder zien de vakbonden het huidige SMIT Crew-pakket, alleen zonder ﬂexweken in het rooster, als mogelijke basis voor een verregaande harmonisatie. Op die manier wordt meer eenheid bereikt en worden de verschillen verkleind. Het vergt puzzel- en rekenen denkwerk en ook tijd om het uiteindelijk eens te worden over één cao. Toch blijft het onze ambitie om aan het eind van dit jaar zo ver zijn.’ Voorstellenbrief toegelicht

Ja 13%

De poll van deze maand is: Bent u het eens met het nieuwe onderzoeksrapport waarin gesuggereerd wordt dat zeevarenden gezonder worden? Geef ons uw mening online, op nautilusint.org/nl

32-35_nl_21.8.indd 32

in IJmuiden and Harlingen

dangerous waters

Sean wint Nautilus prijs ‘Meest Sociale Student’ IJmuiden

INTERNATIONAL

Op 3 juli 2017 hebben de vakbonden hun voorstellenbrief toegelicht. Na de toelichting zegde de werkgever toe het geheel nader te bestuderen voor het volgende plenaire overleg na de zomerperiode. Verder hebben de vakbonden extra aandacht besteed aan de roosters, oftewel het aantal weken per jaar wat medewerkers opkomen om te werken. Vakbonden hebben een berekening gemaakt voor de arbeidsduur van het aantal weken per jaar en uren werken per dag, wat de basis kan zijn van een 100% dienstverband. Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Als er medewerkers zijn, die extra weken willen opkomen, dan moet dat (wellicht tot een nader te bepalen maximum) kunnen. Uiteraard worden deze extra weken dan ook extra beloond. Verder blijkt uit de

berekening dat er bij het werken in een vast schema ook voldoende reserve capaciteit is voor het vullen van gaten in het rooster, welke ontstaan als mensen ziek of anderszins ongepland afwezig zijn. Dit kan KotugSmit niet alleen varend houden, maar ook welvarend maken.’ Europese onderneming met lokale verankering

Op 5 juli 2017 was er een gesprek tussen een internationale vakbondsdelegatie en de werkgever KotugSmit. Aan de kant van de vakbonden bestond de delegatie uit vertegenwoordigers uit België, UK en Nederland (de Duitse collega liet zich verontschuldigen). Dit vond plaats naar aanleiding van de uitbreiding van dienstverlening door KotugSmit in de haven van Southampton en de zorgen van de lokale vakbonden (UK) over werkloosheid en aantasting van arbeidsvoorwaarden. Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Ondanks het gevoelige thema was het een goed gesprek, waarin de werkgever heeft toegelicht dat hij een Europese onderneming wil zijn met lokale verankering. Dit betekent dat in de havens waar dienstverlening gaat plaatsvinden na verloop van tijd ook zal worden toegewerkt naar de sociale dialoog met de vakbonden. De vakbonden juichen deze visie toe en hebben

duidelijk kunnen maken dat zij zich hard maken voor georganiseerd overleg, wat uitmondt in collectieve arbeidsvoorwaarden. Het gesprek is geëindigd met de toezegging van beide kanten om over een half jaar weer bijeen te komen om te bezien waar we dan staan.’ Tijdelijke buitenlandregeling

Op 13 juli 2017 werd er een overeenstemming bereikt met de werkgever over een tijdelijke buitenlandregeling voor de varende werknemers in Rotterdam. Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Zo vlak voor de zomervakantie was het goed om een tastbaar resultaat te kunnen presenteren, waarmee we de 1e stap maken richting een verdere samenvoeging van drie verschillende arbeidsvoorwaardenpakketten naar één cao met alleen nog noodzakelijke afwijkingen per bloedgroep. Het maakt de beslissing om te werken in een andere EU-haven makkelijker voor de medewerker en zorgt voor minder spanning op de vloot.’ De strekking van de regeling:

Aangezien het hier gaat om een bereikt resultaat, kan hieronder kort aangegeven worden dat de strekking van deze regeling: z van toepassing is op alle varende medewerkers in de

Rotterdamse haven welke nu vallen onder SHTR, Smit Crew en KHTR z wordt verstrekt bovenop de op dit moment geldende arbeidsvoorwaarden z gebaseerd is op uitzending met wederzijds goedvinden (o.b.v. vrijwilligheid) z voortduurt tot het moment dat de cao-partijen een deﬁnitieve overeenstemming hebben over één cao voor alle varende medewerkers in de Rotterdamse haven z een terugwerkende kracht heeft tot 1 januari 2017. Dat betekent dus dat werknemers die eerder zijn uitgezonden met een ‘Europa-regeling’ een nabetaling kunnen verwachten z de diensttijd per uitzending op 2 weken stelt met aansluitend 2 weken regulier verlof z uitgaat van een bruto dagbedrag voor alle medewerkers, ongeacht de functie z de kapitein aan boord verantwoordelijk maakt voor de werkroosters en arbeidstijden, dus het eventuele overwerk bepaalt z ook faciliteiten benoemt, welke verband houden met reizen en calamiteiten. Partijen zijn onlangs weer verder gegaan met de onderhandelingen, die uiteindelijk moeten leiden tot één cao KotugSmit Harbour Towage Rotterdam.

22/08/2017 13:59

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 33

NL NEWS

Nautilus op HAL vlootbezoek in Noorwegen A

Wouter wint Nautilus prijst ‘Meest Sociale Student’ Harlingen Wouter van Rijs, aan de C Maritieme Academie Harlingen,

Trotse VMBO gediplomeerde

kreeg tijdens de diploma uitreiking op 14 juli naast zijn diploma de Nautilus prijs ‘Meest Sociale Student’ uitgereikt. Nautilus communicatie adviseur Hans Walthie, die de prijs uitreikte aan de 17-jarige inwoner van Joure, stelde in zijn toelichtende speech: ‘Wouter is een jongen die heeft bewezen organisatorisch vaardig te zijn. Veelvuldig organiseerde hij een competitie van het één of ander en wist meestal de hele klas met zich mee te krijgen. Hiermee heeft Wouter veelvuldig bijgedragen aan een structureel goede (soms te goede) sfeer in de klas. Tevens was Wouter nooit te beroerd zijn medeleerlingen bij wat dan ook te helpen en ondersteunen. Al met al een terechte winnaar van de Nautilus prijs ‘Meest Sociale Student’. ‘Sociaal bezig zijn is belangrijk’

De prijswinnaar gaf in zijn

dankwoord aan ‘trots en verrast te zijn’. Wouter: ‘Ik vind ‘sociaal bezig zijn’ met elkaar heel belangrijk. Zowel hier op school als ook als je met elkaar vaart. Dat bevordert bovendien de sfeer en daardoor ga je ook nog eens beter presteren. Dat hebben onderzoeken uitgewezen trouwens.’ Varen zit hem in het bloed. Zowel zijn opa als zijn oom voeren voor de Holland Amerika Lijn. ‘Zelf trek ik meer naar varen op een vrachtschip. Het lijkt me mooi om later als stuurman of machinist mijn ding te doen.’ Doorstromen naar MBO Zee- en Binnenvaart

In totaal kregen 49 leerlingen het diploma. Directeur Arjen Mintjes en Harlinger wethouder Hein Kuiken gaven beiden aan ‘zeer trots’ te zijn op het feit dat nu al voor de vierde keer op rij alle leerlingen waren geslaagd. Maar liefst 25 leerlingen gaven aan verder door te willen stromen naar MBO Binnenvaart en 16 naar MBO Zeevaart aan de Harlinger Academie.

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_21.8.indd 33

Van 17 tot en met 20 juli deden vier Holland Amerika Lijn (HAL) cruiseschepen de fraaie en bij toeristen en cruisegangers populaire Noorse stad Bergen aan. Achtereenvolgens waren dit: ms Rotterdam, ms Zuiderdam, ms Prinsendam en als laatste in de rij het state of the art pareltje de ms Koningsdam. De vele duizenden passagiers trokken er al lustig fotograferend, rijdend, wandelend en varend op uit om zich tegoed te doen aan het natuurschoon op en rond de machtige Bergense fjord. Ook Nautilus was dezer dagen van de partij met een vlootbezoek, inclusief ledenvergaderingen (tevens toegankelijk voor niet leden). Nautilus bestuurders Jonathan Havard en Maarten Keuss, alsmede Nautilus communicatie adviseur Hans Walthie spraken er uitgebreid met leden, niet-leden en stagiairs. En stelden zich op de hoogte van een aantal aangedragen aandachtspunten en onderwerpen die volgend jaar ook een belangrijke rol gaan spelen in de dan te voeren cao-besprekingen met de HAL. Per 31 december 2018 loopt immers de huidige 3-jarige HAL cao af.

Werkdruk neemt behoorlijk toe

Hieronder een overzicht van veelgehoorde opmerkingen: ‘De werkdruk neemt de laatste jaren behoorlijk toe’ ‘Als je alles ‘by the book’ wilt doen, dan moet je echt een administratieve klerk aan gaan nemen’ ‘Vroeger kwam je in de havens, die we aandoen, een beetje tot rust; nu is het oefening, na oefening en controle na controle, waar je tegen aan loopt’ ‘Sinds dat ‘magic pipe incident’ liggen we onder een vergrootglas en krijg je wat van al die assessments waartoe we veroordeeld zijn nu.’

Csmart trainingen

‘Csmart trainingen zijn heel goed, maar dan wel ook in goed overleg afstemmen, inclusief te vergoeden reistijden’ ‘Çsmart trainingen zouden eigenlijk aan het begin of eind van je nieuwe trip gepland moeten worden; in de baas zijn tijd’ ‘Çsmart cursussen zouden overdag gegeven moeten worden en niet ’s avonds laat of ’s nachts.’ Internet aan boord te duur

‘De drankjes voor het personeel zijn veel te duur geworden; dat moet teruggedraaid, tegen kostprijs gewoon’ ‘Internet aan boord is veel te traag en te duur; dat schrikt ook nieuwe jonge ofﬁcieren af’ ‘Bonussen voor hogere ofﬁcieren zouden vlootgewijs moeten worden uitgekeerd;

niet per schip’ ‘10 weken op, 10 weken af werken voor de hogere rangen zou beter zijn.’ Fantastisch bedrijf om stage te lopen

‘Het is een mooi bedrijf om voor te werken en je komt overal op de wereld’ ‘Ik werk hier al vele jaren; mooi bedrijf, maar we moeten wel op de werkdruk letten met elkaar’ ‘Een fantastisch bedrijf om stage te mogen lopen; je leert veel en je ziet veel van de wereld.’ Terugkoppeling ledenvergaderingen

Jonathan Havard, die namens Nautilus UK de cao-onderhandelingen zal voeren: ‘Het was een zeer nuttig en boeiend bezoek. Belangrijk ook om veel zaken face to face met elkaar door te nemen

passagiers om te gaan. Dat heb ik ook van huis uit meegekregen, want mijn ouders hebben een vakantiepark in Renesse. De sfeer aan boord is prima en je wordt hier goed begeleid. Ik wil straks mijn opleiding gaan vervolgen aan het HBO, De Ruyter Academie in Vlissingen. Hoe ik mijn toekomst zie? Ik zou wel graag stuurman willen worden ooit. Het liefst bij de HAL ja!’

HAL EN CSMART WINNAAR KVNR SHIPPING AWARD 2016 2016 wonnen de Holland F America Line en CSMART de KVNR

Op het Maritime Awards Gala

Stagiair Alex de Klepper: ‘allemaal state of the art hier’ Willem Verbiest Stagiair Willem Verbiest: wil ooit stuurman worden bij de HAL

MBO Marof student Maritiem en Logistiek College De Ruyter in Vlissingen. Doet inmiddels zijn tweede HAL stage, nu aan boord van de ms Rotterdam. Willem: ‘je leert hier heel veel en je ziet de hele wereld. Wat wil je nog meer? Ik vind het ook leuk om met

MBO Marof student STC Rotterdam. Tweede HAL-stage, nu aan boord van de ms Koningsdam. Alex: ‘Ik ga bijna van boord. Dan heb ik er 6 maanden opzitten. Geweldig schip, de Koningsdam. Allemaal state of the art hier. Heel veel geautomatiseerd al. Je kunt hier echt heel veel leren. Veiligheid staat in dit alles centraal. De sfeer is goed en je kunt bij iedereen altijd terecht met je vragen. Verschil tussen school en werken hier? Weet je, bijna 90% van wat ik op school

deze dagen.’ Maarten Keuss: ‘We hebben veel interessante zaken doorgenomen met elkaar, waarvan we er een aantal zeker gaan bespreken in het komende cao-overleg. Inmiddels is er een circulaire uitgegaan naar onze achterban, waarin we een terugkoppeling hebben gegeven van de ledenvergaderingen. Voor wat betreft de planning voor de nieuwe cao onderhandelingen zullen Jonathan Havard en ik eind dit jaar een schriftelijke uitvraag doen onder de leden. Zodat we begin volgend jaar (2018) een voorstellenbrief naar de HAL directie kunnen sturen. Net zoals vorige keer, zal Nautilus ook deze keer weer een aantal kaderleden meenemen naar de onderhandelingstafel. Want zij weten als geen ander wat er allemaal leeft en speelt aan boord.’

Alex de Klepper

leer, pas ik hier eigenlijk nooit toe. In de praktijk is hier bijna alles anders. Hier leer je pas echt varen. Ook het contact met de passagiers vind ik erg leuk. Als de HAL me aanneemt, ga ik nu graag een jaar voor ze werken en dan weer naar school om mijn HBO diploma te halen. De HAL faciliteert dit ook. En dan? Weer snel terug aan boord van een HAL schip wat mij betreft.’

Shipping Award 2016. De prestigieuze prijs werd toegekend aan deze gecombineerde nominatie voor de diversiteit aan innovaties. De jury prees de HAL voor de investering in duurzaamheid en energie-efficiency naar de laatste stand van de techniek: ‘Door het nieuwe Arison Maritime Center van CSMART als exacte kopie van de brug van de ms Koningsdam vorm te geven, is deze een zeer efficiënt middel om het personeel te trainen. De simulator sluit naadloos aan op de dagelijkse praktijk. Deze samenhang van investeringen zal bijdragen aan een betere milieuprestatie en een goede veiligheidscultuur op de brug.’ (Bron: KVNR-web)

22/08/2017 13:08

34 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

NL NEWS

Uitleg arbeidsovereenkomst bij reeds beëindigde CAO

‘Niemand de laan uit bij Stena Line!’ drukbezochte leden (en ook A niet leden) vergaderingen, op 25

Dat was de uitkomst van twee

juli door Nautilus georganiseerd aan boord van de Stena Hollandica en op het Nautilus kantoor in Rotterdam. Nautilus hoofdbestuurder Charley Ramdas: ‘Onder de medewerkers bij Stena Line heerst veel onrust en boosheid over het voorgenomen besluit van de Stena directie een time-charter contract, inclusief volledige bemanning, voor 2 schepen af te sluiten en de huidige RoRO schepen, de Capuchine en Severine, uit de vaart te nemen per januari 2018. Want het bedrijf heeft hen tegelijkertijd medegedeeld geen gedwongen ontslagen uit te sluiten. Zo gaat dat natuurlijk niet. Als Nautilus willen wij nu eerst een gesprek aan gaan met de Stena directie over nut en noodzaak van dit onzalige plan. Bovendien hebben onze leden en andere Stena Line medewerkers ons duidelijk de boodschap meegegeven: ‘Wat er ook gebeurt, niemand de laan uit bij Stena Line!’ Stevig signaal afgeven

Charley Ramdas: ‘Het viel me bovendien op dat de bereidheid om

alvast een ‘stevig signaal’ af te geven met elkaar als werknemers duidelijk aanwezig is. Daarnaast gonst het inmiddels rond dat het contract met de nieuwe vrachtschepen al afgerond zou zijn. Echt schandalig…mocht dit kloppen. Zo ga je niet met elkaar om!’ Gesprek met Stena Line directie op 25 augustus

Op dringend verzoek van Nautilus werd vervolgens voor vrijdag 25 augustus een afspraak gemaakt tussen de Stena Line directie, Nautilus bestuurders en een aantal Nautilus kaderleden om de onheilspellende plannen van de Stena Line tegen het licht te houden. Charley Ramdas:’ Uiteraard hebben wij daar meteen ook het signaal ‘Niemand de laan uit’ tijdens dit gesprek op tafel gelegd.’ Ledenvergadering op 29 augustus

Op 29 augustus (na het ter perse gaan van dit nummer) stond er aan boord van de Stena Hollandica een ledenvergadering gepland, ter terugkoppeling van het gesprek met de Stena Line directie.

Een van onze leden, destijds werkzaam bij Smit, had een arbeidskomst die verwees naar een cao die op een gegeven moment ten einde kwam en vervolgens niet meer verlengd werd. Het gevolg van het niet verlengen van de cao was dat er geen loonsverhoging meer werd toegekend. Wat de werkgever echter deed, was de beëindigde cao ook niet meer toepassen. Voor de duidelijkheid: de arbeidsovereenkomst van ons lid verwees nog steeds naar de beëindigde cao. Verandering vaarschema

Naast het niet langer toepassen van de cao, ging de werkgever er ook toe over om ons lid te laten werken in een vaarschema van ‘1 op en 1 af’, terwijl zijn verlof opbouw was gebaseerd op een vaarschema van ‘2 op en 1 af’. Dit alles leidde ertoe dat er geen anciënniteit meer werd toegekend en dat er negatief verlof werd geschreven. Met terugwerkende kracht toegekend

Na een ‘tig’ aantal gesprekken, tussen werkgever,

werknemer en Nautilus, werd uiteindelijk het gewenste resultaat bereikt en werden alle anciënniteiten met terugwerkende kracht toegekend. Daarnaast werden ook de negatief geschreven verlofdagen geschrapt. Het overleg in deze kwestie heeft lang geduurd, omdat er bewust voor werd gekozen om niet direct naar de rechter te stappen, maar er in onderling overleg uit proberen te komen. Dit is dus uiteindelijk gelukt. Verplichtingen werknemer

Met name de discussie over de negatief geschreven dagen is juridisch altijd een lastig probleem. Als werknemer heeft u namelijk ook een aantal verplichtingen. Zo moet u zich beschikbaar stellen voor uw werk. Dus als uw verlofdagen verminderen tot bijna nul, is het ook aan u als werknemer om in actie te komen. Wij raden u aan om in deze situatie ruim een week voordat uw verlof ten einde loopt uw werkgever te vragen wanneer u weer geplaatst gaat worden aan boord. U zult dit normaal gesproken altijd telefonisch doen, maar in gevallen waarin ‘negatief’ verlof vaker is voorgevallen, raden wij u

aan om dit telefoongesprek ook even per e-mail te bevestigen. U moet dan niet één keer bellen, maar vaker, indien u in de week geen verdere berichtgeving van uw werkgever ontvangt. Bewijzen overleggen

Indien u bovenstaande doet, heeft een discussie over verlofdagen met een eventuele rechtsgang een grote kans van slagen. In de casus die wij hierboven beschrijven, heeft ons lid zijn werkgever elke keer als zijn verlof ten einde liep, geïnformeerd. En hem daarna herhaaldelijk hieraan herinnerd. In onze discussie konden wij dus bewijzen overleggen en dat bleek doorslaggevend te zijn in het uiteindelijk bereikte resultaat. In deze kwestie bleek de werkgever uiteindelijk toch bereid om de verwijzing naar de cao in de individuele arbeidsovereenkomst te respecteren. Hoewel de zaak niet aan de rechter is voorgelegd, geeft het wel aan dat ook een reeds beëindigde caorechtskracht heeft. g Neem in dit soort gevallen altijd contact op met Nautilus: infonl@nautilusint.org of, tel: +31 (0) 10 4771 188.

CAO Offshore-Catering afgerond Nautilus en de werkgeversvereniging A Offshore-Catering Bedrijven een

Op 28 juni jl. bereikten FNV Procesindustrie,

onderhandelingsresultaat voor een nieuwe tweejarige cao; met een looptijd van 1 juli 2017 t/m 30 juni 2019. De olie- en gasprijzen staan nog steeds onder druk en dit heeft een serieus effect op de marktcondities in de olie- en gasindustrie. De economische omstandigheden zijn nog steeds moeilijk in de olie — en gassector. Desondanks zijn de bonden er in geslaagd een redelijk goede cao af te sluiten gezien de huidige economische omstandigheden. 4 x 1% Loonsverhoging

Afgesproken is de lonen met ingang van 1 januari 2018, 30 juni 2018, 1 januari 2019 en per 30 juni 2019 met telkens 1 % te verhogen. In totaal 4 % over de looptijd van de cao. Bij ziekte wordt in zowel het eerste als het

tweede ziektejaar voortaan 70% van het salaris doorbetaald, inclusief de offshore toeslag van 25%. In verband daarmee komt de aanvulling van het salaris tot 100% zonder offshore toeslag in het eerste ziektewetjaar te vervallen. Voor het eerste jaar betekent dit een kleine verslechtering in de uitkering, voor het tweede jaar een verbetering.

bereid verklaard tot het verstrekken van een werkgeversbijdrage aan de betrokken vakorganisaties. Ook zullen werkgevers bij nieuwe werknemers het belang van de cao toelichten en een eventueel lidmaatschap van een van de betrokken vakbonden bevorderen. Cao aangemeld bij Ministerie

Reparatie WW

Verder is afgesproken dat de duur en de opbouw van de WW worden gerepareerd, conform de afspraken die hierover gemaakt zijn in het Sociaal Akkoord van april 2013; gemaakt tussen overheid, werkgevers en de bonden op centraal niveau. Er zal een private aanvullende WW verzekering worden ingevoerd, waarmee de hoogte en duur van de wettelijke WW-uitkering worden gehandhaafd. Hierbij wordt aangesloten bij wat er op landelijk niveau wordt afgesproken. Als laatste hebben werkgevers zich

Het resultaat is aan de leden werkzaam in de Offshore Catering met een positief advies voorgelegd. Zowel de leden van FNV als van Nautilus hebben in ruime meerderheid ingestemd met het bereikte resultaat. Inmiddels is de cao aangemeld bij het Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid en is een aanvraag ingediend om de cao algemeen verbindend te verklaren. Doel van het algemeen verbindend verklaren is om hiermee een gelijk speelveld te creëren op het gebied van loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden voor de Offshore Catering op het Nederlands continentaal plat.

Enquête Duurzame Onderhandelingen nieuwe cao VT Group gestart Inzetbaarheid F van start Inzetbaarheid! FDezeDuurzame (na)zomer worden heel

Doe ook mee aan het Onderzoek

veel zeevarenden en hun werkgevers uitgenodigd om mee te doen aan een enquête over duurzame inzetbaarheid. Doel: onderzoeken hoe zeevarenden tot aan hun pensioenleeftijd gezond en plezierig kunnen werken. In hun eigen werk of elders. Doe mee en ontvang tips

Krijgt u een uitnodiging voor deelname in uw mailbox, of op andere wijze, doe dan svp mee aan de enquête. Want meedoen betekent dat u ook invloed heeft op het beleid over duurzame inzetbaarheid. Tevens krijgt u meteen een aantal tips om uw werk gezond en met plezier te kunnen blijven doen. Direct meedoen

U kunt nu ook direct meedoen, via: rebrand.ly/DIscheepvaart. Het invullen van de enquête kost u maximaal 15 minuten. Varen: een mooi, bijzonder en zwaar beroep

Varen is een mooi, bijzonder, maar ook zwaar beroep. Alleen zeevarenden zelf kunnen vertellen wat nodig is om hun

32-35_nl_21.8.indd 34

werk goed en met plezier te kunnen doen. Nu en in de toekomst. Daarom ook wil Nautilus, mede gebaseerd op de uitkomsten van deze enquête, beleid maken op dit belangrijke onderwerp. De enquête is opgesteld in nauwe samenwerking met reders en op kosten van Stichting Zeerisico 96. Vertrouwelijke enquête

Deelname aan het onderzoek is anoniem. Het onderzoeksbureau Factor Vijf behandelt de onderzoeksgegevens strikt vertrouwelijk. Antwoorden zijn niet zichtbaar voor collega’s of werkgevers. Alleen de onderzoekers hebben toegang tot de antwoorden. Meepraten over beleid

Eind 2017 worden de resultaten aan reders en zeevarenden gepresenteerd. Dit gebeurt onder andere tijdens interactieve bijeenkomsten. Daarin kunnen zeevarenden en vertegenwoordigers van reders volop meepraten en meedenken over slim en menswaardig beleid, waardoor zeevarenden tot op hoge leeftijd plezierig kunnen werken. Vragen over het onderzoek?

Mail ze naar: onderzoek@factorvijf. eu.

De onderhandelingen voor een nieuwe VT Group cao zijn begonnen! De werkgever heeft drie maanden geleden de ‘oude’ cao opgezegd. Deze kende een looptijd tot en met 30 juni 2017. Op 18 juli 2017 spraken de onderhandelingsdelegaties van werkgever en vakbonden voor het eerst met elkaar. De vakbonden hebben hun voorstellen, welke al eerder schriftelijk waren toegezonden, mondeling toegelicht. De werkgever had vooraf geen wijzigingsvoorstellen gedaan. Nautilus Binnenvaartbestuurder en caoonderhandelaar Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Na een eerste inventarisatie van gezamenlijke belangen hebben we geconstateerd dat er drie belangrijke thema’s zijn in het komende cao-overleg. Dit zijn: 1. de beloningsparagraaf (alle voorgestelde verbeteringen op het gebied van salaris en vergoedingen) 2. levensfase bewust beleid en blijvende inzetbaarheid 3. de beloningssystematiek Als vakbonden vinden we het van belang dat werknemers op een gezonde manier de eindstreep (pensionering) kunnen behalen. In het overleg is doorgesproken over te treffen maatregelen die het mogelijk maken dat medewerkers op een ‘gezonde’ manier de pensioengerechtigde leeftijd, vanuit een dienstverband bij VT, ook gaan halen.’

Stimulering deeltijdof vroegpensioen

Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Te denken valt aan financiële stimulering van deeltijdof vroegpensioen, het faciliteren van financieel inzicht, verminderen te werken uren senioren collega’s, etc. Daarnaast is besproken dat werknemers die nog een lang arbeidzaam leven in het vooruitzicht hebben, ook geholpen moeten worden bij eventuele nieuwe loopbaankeuzes. De vraag is immers of je, wanneer

je vandaag 20 jaar oud bent, je huidige beroep tot de AOW gerechtigde leeftijd kunt en wilt volbrengen. Om dit te realiseren zou gedacht kunnen worden aan persoonlijke opleidingsbudgetten. Voor wat betreft deeltijd- en vroegpensioen hebben we als huiswerk afgesproken dat de vakbonden onderzoeken wat de mogelijkheden zijn binnen de pensioenregeling Rijn- en Binnenvaart. En de werkgever onderzoekt aan welke (objectieve) voorwaarden zo’n afspraak volgens hem moet voldoen.’ Piek en ziek

Carl Kraijenoord: ‘Verder valt nog te vermelden dat de werkgever wel (h)erkende dat onder de vaste

medewerkers de beleving van werkdruk wordt verhoogd door de aanwezigheid van inleenkrachten, maar dat statistisch gezien deze externe inhuur zeer beperkt is. Alleen bij ‘piek en ziek’ vindt externe inhuur plaats. Als laatste hebben we het gehad over de loonschalen, vervangen in een hogere functie en vergoeden van behaalde kwalificaties. We zullen hierover nog verder doorpraten. Vanwege opvolgende vakanties in de werkgeveren werknemersdelegaties is een volgende onderhandelingsronde geagendeerd op vrijdag, 29 september 2017. We hebben de gehele dag voor dit gesprek gereserveerd.’ Wordt vervolgd.

22/08/2017 13:09

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 35

NL NEWS

Oproep aan ondernemingsraden Boskalis en Van Oord inzake blijven bij Pensioenfonds BPF Waterbouw vakbondszaken belicht waarin A Nautilus en FNV Waterbouw een In deze rubriek worden steeds

actieve rol spelen ten behoeve van de leden. Dit keer betreft het: de Nautilus/FNV Waterbouw Belastingservice

Vele leden van Nautilus en FNV Waterbouw weten intussen de weg te vinden naar de FNV Belastingservice. Uit vragen van onze leden over de uitkomsten van aangifte en andere fiscale vragen hebben wij er enkele bijzondere zaken uitgelicht. Hieronder twee voorbeelden:

Zomaar twee bijzondere situaties in het belastingstelsel De loonheffingskorting en bijzonder tarief loonheffing

Veel onderwerpen hebben zijdelings te maken met de toegepaste loonheffing. Loonheffing wordt op uw inkomen ingehouden en gelijktijdig wordt de loonheffingskorting verrekend en vaak ook de arbeidskorting. Een gebruikelijke gebeurtenis waar met de huidige loonprogramma’s geen aandacht meer aan wordt geschonken. Anders wordt het als in de loop van het jaar extra inkomsten worden verkregen. Vakantiegeld, uit betaalde verlofdagen en andere extra inkomsten leveren geen problemen op, omdat het loonprogramma continue wordt herrekend. Met andere woorden: er moet evenwicht zijn tussen ‘loon’ en de ingehouden loonheffing. Op alle extra inkomsten wordt het bijzonder tarief loonheffing toegepast. Natuurlijk ook als er sprake is van eenmalige extra inkomsten, zoals de transitievergoeding bij ontslag. De meest voorkomende bijzondere tarieven zijn: 40,80 % en 52%. Toepassing loonheffingskorting

Een aantal van onze leden hebben in de achterliggende maanden geconstateerd dat het bijzonder tarief hoger was dan de 40,80% of 52%, namelijk: 49,19% en 55,60% waren de inhoudingen! Deze verrekening heeft te maken met de toepassing van de loonheffingskorting. De loonheffingskorting is maximaal €2.254 tot een inkomen van €19.982, maar wordt daarna fors

afgebouwd tot €0,00 bij een inkomen hoger dan €67.068. De transitievergoeding leidt in sommige gevallen tot een jaarinkomen van meer dan €67.068. Een voorbeeld. Uw jaarinkomen is €50.000. Op jaarbasis zou dan recht bestaan op ongeveer €800 loonheffingskorting, maandelijks een €70. Bij betaling na ontslag van een transitievergoeding van €20.000 komt u niet meer in aanmerking voor de loonheffingskorting. Navordering

Om een navordering te voorkomen, vaak ook omdat u in de loop van het jaar loon of een uitkering zult ontvangen waarop de loonheffingskorting opnieuw wordt toegepast, zal de werkgever het bijzonder tarief verhogen naar bijvoorbeeld 49,19% of 55,60%. Het lijkt niet redelijk, maar u voorkomt een (deel van) navordering bij het doen van aangifte. Op pensioengerechtigde leeftijd meerdere inkomsten en de ouderenkorting

Iedereen krijgt ermee te maken: de naheffing inkomstenbelasting bij het pensioneren. Meerdere inkomsten, pensioen en het AOW-pensioen, leiden nagenoeg altijd tot een naheffing, variërend van enkele honderden euro’s tot enkele duizenden euro’s. Daar valt nauwelijks iets aan te doen. Zo ook met de hoogte van de ouderenkorting. De ouderenkorting kent twee bedragen: €1.292 en €71. Helaas komt het voor dat uw naheffing in bijvoorbeeld het tweede jaar pensionering fors oploopt. Inkomensverlies

Een voorbeeld: Uw totaal inkomen op uw pensioengerechtigde leeftijd is €35.600. De volledige ouderenkorting van €1.292 wordt met de loonheffing (inkomstenbelasting) verrekend. Het volgende jaar krijgt u een extra inkomen van €600 eenmalig, waardoor uw jaarinkomen stijgt tot €36.200. Uw naheffing wordt dan €1.221 hoger, omdat de ouderenkorting daalt tot €71! Ongeveer €150 over de drempel van €36.057 betekent een maandelijks inkomensverlies van ongeveer €100! En opnieuw kunt u er helaas niets aan doen! g Voor al uw vragen op dit gebied kunt u ons altijd even e-mailen, via: infonl@nautilusint.org Voor belastingaangiften verwijzen wij u als gebruikelijk naar de FNV Belastingservice.

Nu bekend is geworden dat Van Oord en Boskalis de vrijwillige aansluiting bij BPF Waterbouw eind juni hebben opgezegd, zijn de ondernemingsraden van beide ﬁrma’s aan zet. Zij hebben de wettelijke mogelijkheid om het besluit van beide werkgevers tegen te houden. Begin juli heeft FNV Waterbouw een brief gestuurd naar de ondernemingsraden van Boskalis en Van Oord om ze te wijzen op het belang van een weldoordacht advies aan hun directies. Zo wordt met de opzegging van de vrijwillige deelname, daarmee samenhangend ook artikel 22 van de Buitenlandovereenkomst (pensioenregeling) opgezegd, althans voor wat betreft de inschrijving als vrijwillige deelnemer bij BPF Waterbouw, eveneens per 1 januari 2018. Dit besluit heeft negatieve consequenties voor de deelnemers dan wel de werknemers. Enerzijds doordat het verwachte pensioenresultaat op basis van ALMstudies (onderzoek) lager uitvalt, en anderzijds als gevolg van de splitsing die ontstaat tussen de vrijwillige deelneming en de opbouw op basis van de verplichtstelling. De verplichtstelling heeft betrekking op alle deelnemers die in de sector gedeeltelijk dan wel geheel in Nederland werkzaam zijn of thuis op ‘wachtgeld’ zitten. Naast de verplichtstelling heeft BPF Waterbouw een

overeenkomst gesloten met Waterbouw werkgevers, waarbij er sprake is van groepsgewijze vrijwillige deelname van een of meer groepen van werknemers die bij die werkgevers in dienst zijn. Doordat Boskalis en Van Oord nu de vrijwillige aansluiting per 1 januari 2018 willen opzeggen, zal een substantieel deel van de werknemers voor het verplicht gesteld deel blijven bij BPF Waterbouw en voor het vrijwillig deel gaan zij naar PGB.

Wij hebben Facebook. Volg ons ook! Bezoek www.nautilusint.org

32-35_nl_21.8.indd 35

Het bestuur van BPF Waterbouw heeft ons en de overige werkgevers in de sector Waterbouw aangegeven dat deze splitsing nadelige gevolgen heeft voor: z het nabestaanden pensioen; z de premievrije opbouw wegens arbeidsongeschiktheid; z de (vrijwillige) ANW-hiaat verzekering. Deze zullen een lager uitkering kennen.

Kadergroep (actieve leden) Pensioen in afwachting van OR-opstelling

Eind juli kwam de FNV Waterbouw kadergroep Pensioen bij elkaar om zich te beraden over vervolgstappen. Nadat bekend is of de OR-en de signalen van de achterbannen al dan niet serieus neemt, zal er gekeken worden op welke wijze de druk op de betreffende werkgevers kan worden verhoogd. Deze maand, september, zal hierover meer duidelijkheid moeten komen!

Blijft de verplicht gestelde pensioenregeling voor de Rijn- en Binnenvaart nog bestaan..? voor werknemers is een aanvullende F pensioenopbouw. Alleen van een kale AOW worden Een belangrijke arbeidsvoorwaarde

veel mensen, als ze eenmaal met pensioen zijn, niet echt vrolijk. Bijna alle werknemers rekenen eerst heel goed uit hoeveel de totale oudedagsvoorziening oplevert, alvorens te besluiten om te stoppen met werken. In de meeste gevallen hangt dat af van het aanvullende ouderdomspensioen. Een spaarpotje wat is opgebouwd door het werken in een sector waarin zo’n regeling verplicht is/was gesteld. Maar…wanneer wordt een pensioenregeling verplicht gesteld? Een pensioenregeling is een arbeidsvoorwaarde die wordt overeengekomen door sociale partners (werkgeveren werknemersvertegenwoordigers). Dikwijls sluiten deze ook een cao af voor dezelfde groep werknemers. Meer dan 60% werkgevers moet lid zijn

Volg ons op Twitter

Negatieve gevolgen splitsing

In de binnenvaart kennen we aan werkgeverszijde: BLN en CBRB. Aan werknemerszijde zijn dat CNV en Nautilus. Op het moment dat deze partijen het eens zijn over een collectieve regeling, zoals het aanvullend pensioen, kunnen zij aan de Minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid (Minister) vragen om deze regeling binnen heel Nederland toe te passen. Dit noemen we bij een cao een Algemeen Verbindend Verklaring en bij een pensioenregeling heet het dan: ‘verplicht stellen’ maar komt op hetzelfde neer. Voordat de Minister tegemoet komt aan het verzoek van sociale partners vraagt hij naar de representativiteit van het georganiseerde

bedrijfsleven in de sector. Eigenlijk vraagt hij aan de werkgeversorganisaties of meer dan 60% van de werkgevers in de sector bij hen zijn aangesloten als lid. Als dit zo is, dan stemt hij in met het verzoek tot verplichtstellen. Echter, komt het percentage lager uit, dan is zijn instemming niet meer vanzelfsprekend en hangt dit van meerdere factoren af. Hoeveel werknemers lid zijn bij de betreffende vakbonden is meestal van minder belang voor dit besluit. Nieuw toetsmoment binnenvaart: in 2018

Een verplichtstelling heeft een looptijd van vijf jaar. Iedere keer wordt voor een verlenging van de verplichtstelling onderzocht of de representativiteit van het georganiseerde bedrijfsleven nog wel voldoet aan de criteria en zal de Minister (opnieuw) om zijn instemming worden gevraagd door sociale partners. In de binnenvaart staan we in 2018 weer voor zo’n toetsmoment en aanvraag voor verlenging van de verplichtstelling aan de Minister. Geen cao en geen pensioenregeling meer?

De verwachting van sociale partners is dat de representativiteit van de werkgevers enorm is gedaald ten opzichte van 5 jaar geleden. Het was toen nog rond de 55%, maar nu verwachten ze dat de representativiteit nog onder de 40% zal uitkomen. Een indicatieve meting heeft dit vorig jaar al uitgewezen. De oorzaak hiervan is dat werkgevers zich massaal hebben uitgeschreven als lid van een werkgeversorganisatie met als belangrijk motief

geen algemeen verbindend verklaarde regelingen te willen voor werknemers in de binnenvaart. Dat betekent dus voor de werknemers: geen cao en ook geen pensioenregeling. Vraag het uw werkgever

Nautilus binnenvaartbestuurder Carl Kraijenoord maakt zich ernstig ongerust over deze negatieve ontwikkeling. En is bovenal benieuwd wat werknemers en werkgevers in de binnenvaart hier nu zelf van vinden. Kraijenoord: ‘De werknemers worden zo de dupe. Zij gaan er nu en straks, als ze met pensioen gaan, steeds verder op achteruit qua inkomen. Ik zou daarom aan werknemers willen vragen: ‘U helpt uzelf en uw collega’s door eens bij uw werkgever na te vragen of hij nog lid is van een werkgeversorganisatie. En zo nee, waarom niet? Hij is immers daarmee medeverantwoordelijk voor de mogelijke teloorgang van uw aanvullende pensioen. En denk niet dat de huidige pensioenregeling zonder verplichtstelling kan voorduren. Doordat de binnenvaart voor een groot gedeelte bestaat uit kleine werkgevers, waarbij het voortzetten van een vrijwillige pensioenregeling voor zijn werknemers waarschijnlijk veel te hoge kosten met zich meebrengt.’

g Wilt u een weergave van dit gesprek met ons delen? Stuur uw kort verslag of aantekeningen naar infonl@nautilusint.org onder vermelding van ‘Behoud verplicht gestelde pensioenregeling’. Alvast bedankt!

22/08/2017 13:09

36 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

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Visit http://bit.ly/2uk6Mnp to register quoting the reference lisw17-so

If you are interested in working at Fleetwood Nautical Campus, call 01253 50(4760) to register your interest or for information on current vacancies.

WWW.BLACKPOOL.AC.UK

Nautilus recruitment.indd 36

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British Ports Association

22/08/2017 08:26

September 2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 37

APPOINTMENTS

NOTICE TO READERS Nautilus International advises members that some crewing agencies may not be advertising specific positions, but instead may be seeking to develop their databases of job hunters.

Your ﬁrst port of call

CV Professionals

Join us in bringing knowledge, help and hope to the nations! OM Ships, a worldwide worl charity, is looking for qualified engineering engin officers, mechanics, fitters fitte and welders to volunteer to serve ser on their ship Logos Hope which is presently in the Far East.

For details visit www.omships.org or email: recruiting@omships.org

Maritime & oσshore specialists www.cvprofessionals.co.uk

13 September 2017 is the closing date for October 2017. You can still advertise online at any time.

Leading Marine Recruitment Specialists

Coastal Unit Sector Manager The Irish Coast Guard (IRCG), a division of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has vacancies for Coastal Unit Sector Managers (CUSM). The IRCG provides a nationwide maritime emergency service as well as a variety of services to shipping and other government agencies. Reporting to the manager of the Voluntary Services and Training Division, the CUSM will be responsible for the management of the local volunteer Coast Guard Units, participating and responding as required to marine emergencies.

OF EXCELLENCE & QUALITY

The nature of work carried out by CUSMs will require practical experience in matters related to SAR (search and rescue), ship casualty and pollution response, boat handling, climbing, ﬁrst aid, emergency management, search skills, health and safety, equipment maintenance and supply.

For more information and how to apply, visit www.publicjobs.ie

www.seamariner.com

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act. Cuirfear fáilte roimh chomhfhreagras i nGaeilge

ISO9001:2008 accredited MLC2006 compliant

Nautilus is here to help seafarers both personally and professional. These specialised seafarer offers have been negotiated just for you, to make life on land a little easier.

Nautilus Plus is a service providing benefits and discounts which the Union has negotiated to help support you, both personally and professionally, at sea or ashore. Whether you’re e planning a trip away, shopping for an upgrade to your mobile phone, or searching for financial advice, as a Nautilus member you are eligible for a wide range of exclusive offers. This month’s special deals include:

Nautilus Plus — Home Insurance Offer

NOT A MEMBER OF NAUTILUS INTERNATIONAL? you choose your next read. Sign up to their ‘Foyalty’ card to earn points on every purchase and receive exclusive weekly offers and giveaways straight to your inbox. g Visit the Foyles website and enter promotional code NTU13 at the checkout

To access all of these benefits and more, log in to nautilusint.org/plus and start saving today! View more information because of your employment circumstances. The right mortgage can save you hundreds — sometimes thousands — of pounds. Lighthouse Financial Advice Ltd can help members make sense of the market, sifting through hundreds of options to find the best mortgage for your unique circumstances*. g For more information, log on to Nautilus Plus

Seafarers can now access home insurance from Members’ Insurance Solutions. With standard ‘unoccupancy’ for up to 90 days and possibly longer, make your enquiry today*. g For further info, or to obtain a quote, please call Cornmarket Insurance Services on 028 9044 2206 and quote ‘Nautilus Home Insurance’ 10% online discount at Foyles.co.uk on ALL titles* With over half a million books available for home delivery Nautilus Plus — Mortgage Advice with Lighthouse or collection in store, Foyles is the home for book lovers on the web. Free delivery is available on all UK orders, and their Financial Advice site boasts a wealth of author interviews and blogs to help Arranging a mortgage can be a challenge for seafarers

g *Terms and conditions apply. See website for details. Offers and prices subject to change without notice. Cornmarket Insurance — All policies subject to acceptance criteria, terms, conditions and minimum premiums. Members’ Insurance Solutions is a trading brand of Cornmarket Insurance Services. Cornmarket Insurance Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Reg No 308099). Lighthouse Financial Advice — your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up payments on your mortgage. There will be a fee payable to Lighthouse Financial Advice for this mortgage service. Other mortgage set up costs will apply as normal. Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited is an appointed representative of Lighthouse Advisory Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Foyles — A small number of books are restricted from discounts for contractual reasons with the publishers. Discount does not apply to eBooks or gift cards. These benefits are made available through Parliament Hill Ltd of 3rd floor, 127 Cheapside, London, EC2V 6BT and you can use these benefits at your discretion. Parliament Hill is not part of the same group as any of the product/service providers which form part of the benefits scheme. Parliament Hill Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for non-investment insurance mediation only. You can check this out on the Financial Services register by visiting https://register.fca.org.uk/, under register number 308448 or by phoning the FCA on 0800 111 6768.

Nautilus Plus is managed on behalf of Nautilus by Parliament Hill Ltd.

Nautilus recruitment.indd 37

Fill out an online application: www.nautilusint.org Reach over 110,000 readers To find out how you can reach that kind of readership contact Jude Rosset on +44 (0)20 7880 7621 or email jude.rosset@redactive.co.uk.

Where’s my Telegraph? If you have moved recently, your home copy may still be trying to catch up with you. To let us know your new address, go to www.nautilusint.org and log in as a member, or contact our membership department on +44 (0)151 639 8454 or membership@nautilusint.org

22/08/2017 09:47

38 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

SHIP TO SHORE

M-Notices Merchant Shipping Notices, Marine Information Notes and Marine Guidance Notes issued by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency recently include: MSN 1874 (M+F) — Marine equipment: the Marine Equipment Directive, other approval and standards This notice gives technical information and guidance about the procedures for obtaining type approval in conformity with the Marine Equipment Directive and other UK procedures for type approval by notified and nominated bodies, respectively. Originally published in December 2016, the notice had some of its information updated by MSN 1874 (M+F) Amendment 1 in March 2017. In August 2017, the changes set out in Amendment 1 — which mainly relate to the addresses of the notified and nominated bodies — were applied to the online version of the original MSN 1874, so users no longer need to refer to the amendment unless they have the unchanged print versions of the two documents. MIN 534 (M+F) — Marine Equipment Directive: IMO approved fire test laboratories; UK process for recognition This note explains the process in place for test laboratories to become a UK recognised IMO fire test laboratory. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) notifies the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which then publishes a list of all recognised fire test laboratories as an IMO Circular. A flowchart in MIN 534 explains the two routes available to fire test laboratories seeking recognition by

the UK. The note points out that the MCA does not produce or publish the IMO list of recognised fire test laboratories. That function is carried out by the IMO. The UK will notify the IMO as necessary whenever changes are required. The note also reminds reader that on 1 July 2012, the Fire Test Procedures (FTP) Code 2010 (MSC. 307(88)) entered into force with transitional provisions replacing the Fire Test Procedures Code (MSC. 61(67)). Tests conducted later than one year after entry into force of the FTP Code 2010 shall be conducted in accordance with the FTP Code 2010. The MCA and UK notified bodies on behalf of MCA may issue type approval certificates of products tested in accordance with the previous version of Code (MSC. 61(67)), provided the tests were conducted no later than one year after entry into force of the FTP Code 2010. The purpose is to allow test laboratories a practical period of grace to obtain the test equipment necessary to comply with the FTP Code 2010. The MCA and UK notified bodies may renew a type approval of a product tested in accordance with the previous version of the Code (MSC. 61(67)) without retesting, provided that the test report is not more than 15 years old and that no alteration of components or construction has been made to the product. MIN 554 (M) — VTS V103 and local port services courses 2017-2018 This notice sets out the dates for the vessel traffic services course V103 course and the local port services course available between August 2017 and July 2018. The dates

Member meetings g MNOPF and NPA pension forums Tuesday 19 September 2017 at 1030hrs, Copthorne Hotel Plymouth, Armada Way, Plymouth PL1 1AR. Coffee served at 1000hrs, and a light lunch will be served

after the meeting. 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:

have been agreed and arranged following consultation with South Tyneside College, Blackpool and The Fylde College (Fleetwood Nautical Campus), the Scottish Maritime Academy and the Port of London Authority. Candidates should contact the training organisations directly as some of the dates contained in MIN 554 may be subject to short notice change. The VTS training organisations should also be consulted to determine any accredited prior learning (APL) requirements, especially with regard to non-marine applicants. g Further guidance can be obtained from the current amended version of MGN 434 — Vessel traffic services (VTS): training and certification of VTS personnel.

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.

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

Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport + 31 88 489 00 00 www.ilent.nl Dutch maritime authority (separate from Dutch coastguard).

Merchant Navy Training Board www.mntb.org.uk UK organisation promoting maritime education and training, and providing careers guidance. Administers the Careers at Sea Ambassadors scheme, under which serving seafarers can volunteer to give careers talks in UK schools.

Swiss Maritime Navigation Office +41 (0)61 270 91 20 www.smno.ch Swiss maritime authority.

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.

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.

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

38_infospread.indd 38

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 Physical Address Nautilus International, Schorpioenstraat 266, 3067 KW Rotterdam Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 infonl@nautilusint.org SWITZERLAND Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 4005 Basel, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 Fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25

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

Out of European office hours Contact the Nautilus 24/7 service 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 +44 (0)7860 017 119 and we’ll reply. g Email us at helpline@nautilus247.org. g Reach us via Skype (username nautilus-247).

trainee officers in line with all members that we represent; please contact the Union on +44 (0)20 8989 6677. Your enquiry will then be directed to the relevant industrial organiser for your employer/sponsoring company. The union also facilitates a Young Maritime Professionals Forum to provide an opportunity for young members to engage in discussions on the specific challenges facing young workers in the maritime profession. For further information, members should contact Danny McGowan at ymp@nautilusint.org.

Quiz answers 1. There are presently 35 flags on the ITF’s list of FoCs. 2. Three European ports — Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg — are in the world’s top 20 busiest container ports for 2016. 3. Quark Expeditions in based in Seattle, in the United States. 4. Atlantic Container Line was formed in 1965 by a consortium of British, Dutch, Swedish and French liner operators. 5. A total of 2,770 Liberty Ships were built between 1941 and 1945. 6. The Donaldson South American Line of Glasgow.

Crossword answers Quick Answers Across: 1. Histrionics; 9. Parting; 10. Detract; 11. Wherefore; 12. Rodeo; 13. Date; 14. Clothes peg; 16. Stereotype; 19. Pool; 21. Lathe; 22. Apprehend; 24 Reverse; 25. Invoice; 26. Lamentation. Down: 1. Harvest festival; 2. Spine; 3. Rag doll; 4. Oddment; 5. Interred; 6. Stand-up comedian; 7. Spewed; 8. Strong; 15. Telegram; 16. Salary; 17. Trade-in; 18. Paprika; 20. Ladder; 23. Envoi. This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers will appear in next month’s Telegraph. Congratulations to Nautilus member Sean Budge, who has won the prize draw for the August cryptic crossword. Cryptic answers from August Across: 1. Secrecy; 5. Quartet; 9. Resit; 10. Reimburse; 11. Prognoses; 12. Royal; 13. Skier; 15. Impetuous; 18. Below zero; 19. Mitre; 21. Maori; 23. Dramatist; 25. Scintilla; 26. Metro; 27. Demands; 28. Elderly. Down: 1. Scrapes; 2. Custodial; 3. Eaten; 4. Yorkshire; 5. Quits; 6. Arboretum; 7. Tardy; 8. Trellis; 14. Rewritten; 16. Propagate; 17. Outfitter; 18. Bemused; 20. Entropy; 22. Odium; 23. Dales; 24. Aimed.

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 below and regular updates are available at www.nautilusint.org www.nautilusint.org/en/what-we-say/ events g Professional & Technical Forum Tuesday 26 September 2017 at 1300hrs, in Newcastle The Forum deals with a wide range of technical, safety, welfare and other

professional topics Contact Sue Willis: +44 (0)20 8530 1660 protech@nautilusint.org

Nautilus UK Branch Conference Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel, Willerby, Hull HU10 6EA The meeting is open to members aged under 35. Contact Danny McGowan: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 ymp@nautilusint.org

g Young Maritime Professionals Forum Monday 2 October 2017

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.

infoch@nautilusint.org

Quiz and crossword answersACDB

g Women’s Forum Monday 2 October 2017 Nautilus UK Branch Conference Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel Willerby, Hull HU10 6EA Contact Lisa Carr: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 women@nautilusint.org

To suggest an organisation which could appear here, email telegraph@nautilusint.org 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 multilingual helpline for all seafarers’ welfare and support needs, as well as an emergency welfare fund. SAIL (Seafarers’ Information and Advice Line) 08457 413 318 +44 (0)20 8269 0921 www.sailine.org.uk UK-based citizens’ advice service helping seafarers and their families with issues such as debt, benefit entitlements, housing, pensions and relationships.

Seafarers’ Hospital Society +44 (0)20 8858 3696 www.seahospital.org.uk UK charity dedicated to the health and welfare of seafarers. Includes the Dreadnought health service. Seafarers’ Link +44 (0)1752 812674 www.communitynetworkprojects.org Telephone friendship project connecting retired UK seafarers at home through a fortnightly telephone conference service. Seatax Ltd +44 (0)1302 364673 www.seatax.ltd.uk Company providing specialist tax advice for merchant seafarers. Marine Society +44 (0)20 7654 7050 www.marine-society.org

UK charity dedicated to the learning and professional development of seafarers. Offers 120,000 books to ships through its library service, plus distance-learning programmes and scholarship schemes, including the Nautilus Slater Fund. Sailors’ Society Contact Charis Gibson or James Leslie on +44 (0)23 8051 5950 press@sailors-society.org www.sailors-society.org Sailors’ Society aims to transform the lives of seafarers and their families at home, in port and at sea through the delivery of chaplaincy, education and the relief of poverty and distress. The charity works internationally to provide practical, emotional and spiritual welfare support to the world’s 1.6m seafarers, regardless of background or faith. Sailors’ Society chaplains and ship visitors have a

presence in 91 global ports, with wider projects and services covering 27 countries. CHIRP The Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) aims to contribute to the enhancement of maritime safety worldwide, by providing a totally independent confidential (not anonymous) reporting system. Reports can be submitted online, by email to reports@chirp.co.uk or by post to: The CHIRP Charitable Trust, Ancells Business Park, Ancells Road, Fleet, GU51 2UJ, UK (no stamp required if posted in the UK). Confidential Tel (24 hrs): +44 (0) 1252 378947 or Freefone (UK only) 0800 772 3243. Report forms are available on the CHIRP website: www.chirp.co.uk

22/08/2017 13:59

September2017 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 39

JOIN NAUTILUS

The face of Nautilus Paul McMillen, Council member

Royal Fleet Auxiliary officer Paul McMillen is one of the new faces on the Nautilus Council following the recent elections to the Union’s governing body. He grew up in Belfast in a family that had strong maritime connections — a grandfather who worked at the Harland & Wolff yard, an uncle who served with P&O and a father who went to sea with Bank Line after an apprenticeship at Harland & Wolff. ‘I’m sure that planted the seed about going to sea for me,’ Paul says. ‘However, when I tried to get into the Merchant Navy when I was 16 there was nothing available — you couldn’t get a cadetship

for love nor money at that time.’ Finding no opportunities in the merchant fleet, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 18 — starting as a stoker and finishing, 22 years later, as charge chief artificer. Less than a fortnight after leaving the RN, Paul joined his first RFA ship — taking up a four-month appointment on Brambleleaf. When he returned home, he went on study leave to take his Class 2 certificate and began climbing the ranks — gaining his Class 1 in 2005 and promotion to first officer in 2006. He is presently working at Navy Command HQ in Portsmouth, serving in the role of the RFA’s designated person ashore

— with responsibilities for dealing with any accidents and near-misses, health and safety, and the environment. Paul joined the Union as soon as he started with the RFA. ‘I wanted to be able to have a voice, because there was no voice within the RN,’ he recalls. ‘I started to take a much bigger interest in how people were being treated and in their terms and conditions, and went on to become a member of the representative body at the RFA about the same time as I became a first officer,’ Paul adds. ‘I’ve been on it ever since, and I was keen to take the opportunity to serve on the Nautilus Council. ‘I’ve always been interested in the

workings of the Union, and the MoD can be a bit of an insular organisation, so being on Council opens your eyes to how things are done elsewhere,’ he says. ‘The MoD has its own pressures and problems, but nothing like the commercial pressures facing the rest of the shipping industry.’ Paul says he is keen to champion training in his time on Council. He recently gained an MSc and gained chartered engineer status with IMarEST. ‘I greatly enjoyed my time at sea I spent a period as staff officer at the Phoenix unit, doing sea survival, damage control and fire-fighting training, and training has always been a big thing for me,’ he adds.

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_infospread.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.

22/08/2017 13:07

40 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2017

NEWS

MCA rapped for safety failures MAIB criticises Agency for inaction on accident report recommendations

Nautilus has backed a warning from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch over the Maritime & Coastguard Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to implement more than 30 safety recommendations made between 2008 and 2014. The MAIBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual report, released last month, notes that more than three-quarters of the 306 recommendations made in response to accident investigations in the decade to 2015 had been fully implemented. But it also reveals that some 85% of the 39 recommendations issued between 2008 and 2014 which were accepted but have yet to be fully actioned were addressed to the MCA. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The MAIB receives updates

from the MCA on the status of these recommendations on a quarterly basis,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; MAIB chief inspector Steve Clinch said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;However, it is clear that the optimistic completion dates that are provided to MAIB staff in these reports do not bear close scrutiny. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;As deadlines approach, the dates for action are slipped â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with the consequence that promises made as long ago as 2007 have yet to be actioned,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he added. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This cannot continue and action will be taken to establish a more coherent action plan with the MCA over the next few months.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This conďŹ rms that the MCA has become dysfunctional as a ďŹ&#x201A;ag state authority and is typ-

ical of other ďŹ&#x201A;ag administrations that are orientated towards the owner to the detriment of seafarers, the public and protection of the environment.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The MAIB dealt with an increase in accidents involving UK vessels or taking place in UK waters last year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a total of 1,190, compared with 1,057 in 2015. Almost 40% of these were occupational accidents that did not involve any actual or potential casualty to a vessel. For the seventh year in a row no UK merchant ships of 100gt and above were lost and the overall accident rate for UK merchant ships has fallen from 85 per 1,000 ships in 2014 to 78 last year. Two merchant ship crew members died last year, but the num-

ber injured totalled 133, down from 141 in the previous year and from 233 in 2006. There were 199 accidents involving merchant ships under 100gt last year and eight commercial ďŹ shing vessels were lost in 2016, compared with 13 in 2014 and an average annual loss of 16 over the past decade. Mr Clinch urged seafarers to read the MAIBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report on the loss of the Cyprus-ďŹ&#x201A;agged cargoship Cemfjord, which was published in April. Eight crew died when the ship sank off the north coast of Scotland in 2015 and Mr Clinch said the incident provided â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a sobering example of what can happen if we fail to respect the awesome power of the seaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The empty provisions store onboard Toba Picture: Tommy Molloy

Megaship grounding fears of ultra-large containerships F were raised last month after a

Fresh concerns over the safety

14,074TEU vessel ran aground in the river Scheldt shortly after departing from the port of Antwerp on a voyage to Hamburg. A total of 16 tugs had to be used to free the 150,853gt CSCL Jupiter some 11 hours after it became stuck on a sandbank at Bocht van Bath (Bathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bend) in the Westerschelde. Initial reports stated that the Hong Kongflagged ship â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which had a pilot onboard â&#x20AC;&#x201D; had suffered steering gear failure. A major salvage operation managed to refloat the China Shipping Company vessel on the high tide on the second attempt. Salvors had been concerned that any failure would have resulted in the ship sinking further into the sand â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in turn requiring containers to be offloaded, which occurred when the 19,100TEU CSCL Indian Ocean also suffered steering failure and spent almost a week aground in the river Elbe in February 2016. The Scheldt had to be closed to vessel traffic for several hours while the salvage operations took place and at one stage some 40 other

Crowds lined the banks of the Scheldt to see the grounded containership CSCL Jupiter Picture: Press Association

containerships were held up. Nautilus professional and technical officer David Appleton said this was the latest in a series of incidents which have highlighted concerns over the capability to

respond to a major incident involving an ultra-large containership. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is yet another extremely lucky escape for the industry in an incident that could have been much, much worse,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he pointed out.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whilst ship owners benefit from the economies of scale these vessels provide, it will be wider society that bears the cost when the luck eventually runs out,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Appleton added.

Fresh alarm over â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;slaveryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; onboard visiting vessels Molloy has condemned A conditions onboard a flag of

Nautilus/ITF inspector Tommy

convenience bulk carrier which was detained for almost a month in the UK port of Liverpool. He was called in to support the crew of the 81,800dwt Toba after a tip-off from the Manchesterbased lawyers Salvus Law, who were about to arrest the Marshall Islands-registered vessel in relation to a US$30,000 debt to a Chinese creditor. Mr Molloy alerted port state control authorities after discovering a number of problems on the ship, with Filipino and eastern European crew members having been promised owed wages at the previous port call in Las Palmas. It transpired that payment had only been made to a few crew members who had been repatriated from there. Toba was then detained for a total of 26 days by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), after an inspection uncovered 16 deficiencies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including wages not in accordance with the Seafarersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Employment Agreement (SEA), invalid SEAs, no declaration of maritime labour compliance, incorrect hours of work and rest records, insufficient provisions and defective life-saving equipment. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;As much as we witness in our role, it still shocks to go onboard a huge bulker with 21 crew members and find empty food stores, some crew not paid for six months and crew members with long ago expired contracts of employment,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Filipino captain had been on board for 18 months, since January 2016.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Molloy said Tobaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owners

had responded to the detention by putting some fresh fruit and vegetables onboard and promising to pay and repatriate those whose contracts had expired. Three weeks after the ship was detained, the company had been pressing the MCA to conduct a fresh inspection. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I was asked if I could check if matters had been put right,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Molloy said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Some crew had been paid and repatriated, but I was astonished to find that the senior officers who were owed between US$20,000 and US$48,000 each were still onboard unpaid. Some of the more recent joiners who had not been paid since March, along with those who joined in June, remained unpaid. And the food stores were completely empty.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Molloy eventually managed to secure US$182,882 in unpaid wages and the repatriation of all remaining crew, liaising closely with the MCA, the flag state surveyor, a Class NK surveyor and the UK Border Force. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There is no good reason why a company should withhold this amount of earned wages from their employees,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;They do it because they can. They just hope to get away with it for as long as possible. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;As with other recent cases in the UK, this treatment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; non-payment of wages, non-repatriation at the end of contracts and no food provisions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; amounts to abandonment and once again raises the spectre of modern-day slavery on ships calling to our ports.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Molloy said he had also since had to deal with another complaint of owed wages from the crew of another ship owned by the same company as Toba.

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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22/08/2017 13:01