Nautilus Telegraph September 2018

Volume 51 | Number 09 | September 2018 | £3.50 €3.70

TIRED OF WAITING Will new IMO guidance on fatigue make a difference?

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7R ͤQG RXW PRUH DERXW RXU FRXUVHV RU WR UHTXHVW D SURVSHFWXV FRQWDFW XV RQ nautilus-reader@knect365.com | +44 (0)20 7017 4483 | www.lloydsmaritimeacademy.com nautilusint.org 2 September 2018

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CONTENTS

telegraph Volume 51 | Number 09 | September 2018

WELCOME

15

05 General secretary Mark Dickinson considers the consequences of Brexit N AU T I L U S AT W O R K

9

Certificate numbers show the need to boost national training

11 Crucial court hearing on seafarer redundancy rights 15 Unions unite against Irish Sea exploitation H E A LT H & S A F E T Y

16 Investigators call for tighter controls on fertiliser cargoes

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17 ECDIS problems blamed for accidents

Cover image iStock

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23 Fleetwood prize-winners move on up

ECDIS failings are blamed again

24 All change at the top at South Shields 25 Insurers seek to cut ‘human error’ accidents with smart systems

17 STAFF

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

Display adverts: Philip Johnston tel: +44 (0)20 7324 2727 email: philip.johnston@redactive.co.uk

ADVERTISING

Recruitment adverts: Paul Wade tel: +44 (0)20 7880 6212 email: paul.wade@redactive.co.uk

Redactive Media Group 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL

website: www.redactive.co.uk

Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advice before entering into any commitments such as investments (including pension plans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation and Nautilus International cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods and services offered in advertisements.

Organisations offering financial services or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problems with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.

Incorporating the Merchant Navy Journal and Ships’ Telegraph ISSN 0040 2575 Published by Nautilus International Printed by PCP

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CONTENTS

N AU T I L U S AT W O R K

26 City-based cadet charity celebrates 25 years 28 How the Union helps ratings to progress 30 Will new IMO guidance help to cut fatigue?

33 Experts consider the advance of automation

WHERE'S MY TELEGRAPH?

38 Danish unions want more investment in jobs

If you have moved recently, your home copy may still be trying to catch up with you.

40 We meet the French shipmasters’ new leader

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

46 Get involved with the Union’s work

46

The membership team can also cancel your print copy if you prefer to read the paper on the Telegraph app.

33 50

H I S T O RY

42 Plymouth campaign for MN memorial

REGULARS

48 Maritime book reviews 50 Shipping tragedy remembered 100 years on 64 Crossword and quiz

Nautilus International also administers the Nautilus Welfare Fund and the J W Slater Fund, which are registered charities.

65 The face of Nautilus

IN THIS MONTH’S DUTCH PAGES p52

GENERAL SECRETARY Mark Dickinson MSc (Econ) DEPARTMENT EMAILS general: enquiries@nautilusint.org membership: membership@nautilusint.org legal: legal@nautilusint.org telegraph: telegraph@nautilusint.org industrial: industrial@nautilusint.org young members: ymp@nautilusint.org welfare: welfare@nautilusint.org professional and technical: protech@nautilusint.org

• Nautilus on safety and health

• Tall ships arrive in Harlingen

• Nautilus advice on ‘Guernsey contracts’

• Towards an offshore wind energy sector collective bargaining agreement

• Nautilus members at Paragon continue protest at redundancy terms after Borr Drilling takeover • New collective bargaining agreement for merchant shipping sector and Spliethoff • A visit to CSMART Academy

• River Cruise round table announcement • HAL trainees interviewed • Historic De Schie harbour • Nautilus lay reps day on 5 October

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FOREWORD

Welcome Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson warns that seafarers are particularly exposed to the uncertain consequences of Brexit… wo years on from the Brexit referendum, and less than a year away from the exit point, we are finally starting to see what the impact of the decision to the leave the European Union may be.

Whichever side of the divisive Brexit debate you stand on, trade is at the heart of it. And for maritime professionals, working in an industry that is at the heart of trade, the implications are immense.

Members may recall the May 2016 Telegraph report on the extensive debate by the Council of Nautilus International on the UK’s membership of the EU. This determined that, in the interests of the maritime professionals we represent and the industry in which they work, the UK would be better off remaining.

In the referendum’s aftermath, Nautilus promised members that it would do everything in its power to protect their jobs, their pay and conditions, and their rights at work in the subsequent uncertain financial, industrial and regulatory environment.

We have worked with government, shipowners, other unions and other organisations to meet the challenges of Brexit and make the most of the opportunities it may offer. Our strategic campaigns focus on those objectives and have made significant achievements. The SMarT Plus measures to improve support for seafarer training and employment, the ongoing review of the system for issuing Certificates of Equivalent Competency, and the moves towards a review of the tonnage tax scheme and the application of National Minimum Wage in UK waters are all major milestones on the way to protecting and regenerating the pool of British seafarers.

But these positives are at risk of being undermined by a shambolic Brexit. We still have no clarity on issues such as the long-term recognition

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We still have no clarity on issues such as the long-term recognition of UK seafarers’ certificates within Europe

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of UK seafarers’ certificates within Europe, how our maritime policies or social and employment rights will be guaranteed outside the EU, or whether the UK’s proposals for continued ‘frictionless trade’ will avert the threat of port congestion caused by customs and other frontier checks.

The potential scenarios were recently described by the president of the UK Chamber of Shipping as an ‘absolute disaster’ for shipping. The industry is so concerned that Maritime UK has called for an extension to Article 50 to allow more time for the negotiations.

At the same time, the world is facing the growing threat of trade wars which could result in new tariffs and barriers – leading the OECD to warn that global living standards could be thrown back to 1990 levels over the next 40 years. Put simply, less trade means fewer jobs – and seafarers, as ever, will be in the frontline.

In this volatile political and economic climate, we are facing what some have described as a ‘pointless Brexit’ – an outcome which will satisfy neither leavers nor remainers. Consequently, a growing number of trade unions want to see people being given the opportunity to have the final say on what eventually emerges from the maelstrom.

Whatever side of the fence you came down on at the referendum, the last two years have certainly raised important questions about the effects of Brexit.

No one voted to be worse off.

Maritime professionals are more exposed than many workers to these repercussions and as we continue to fight for their future, we need to provide a strong and influential voice on their behalf. I remain committed to doing that, to make sure that ‘your jobs, your skills and your futures’ remain at the heart of everything we do.

What’s your view? See this month’s poll, page 8.

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LETTERS

INBOX Your space to join the debate on the issues that matter to maritime professionals

What’s on your mind?

Tell your colleagues in Nautilus International –

and the wider world of shipping. Keep your letter to a maximum 300 words if you can – though longer contributions will be considered.

Use a pen name or just your membership number if you don’t want to be identified – say so in an accompanying note – but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number.

Send your letter to the Editor, Telegraph, Nautilus International, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD, email telegraph@ nautilusint.org or fax to +44 (0)20 8530 1015.

No room for RN them and us n response to the letter from ‘Name withheld on request’ titled ‘RN personnel won’t transfer well’ in the August Telegraph, what a ridiculous opinion to believe that the placement of service personnel within their local hospital was responsible for queues at A&E, longer waiting lists and an increase in medication usage!

Of course military training differs from merchant training in some respects, and for good reason. Each is tailored to the industry in which their personnel and ships operate but to claim ‘traditional unprofessional status is being elevated’ simply reflects the thoughts of an individual who has evidently never worked alongside the military and has absolutely no idea what their personnel go through.

I strongly recommend ‘Name withheld’ contacts the Merchant Navy liaison officer

I

at HMS Collingwood and gets booked onto one of the five-day courses to go and witness the exceptionally high tempo, professional and near continuous training first hand.

Having served in the Royal Navy for 22 years, and now nine years within the civilian maritime industry, it irritates me to see such a ‘them and us’ attitude being put forward by an individual who fails to recognise what each party brings to the table to enhance what should be a close working relationship.

Everyone will be defensive of their background, training and skills, but as an island nation so reliant upon all those serving at sea, individuals with strong nonevidence based one-sided views perhaps need to retire gracefully or investigate the facts before making unjustifiable statements.

Steve Monk CMMar FRIN AFNI Membership number 197754

The View From Muirhead www.thefreakywave.com

I felt I had to reply to ‘Name withheld’s’ comments suggesting that RN personnel won’t transfer well to MN roles.

Firstly, I suggest you contact Lt Cdr David Carter the Royal Navy’s Merchant Navy Liaison Officer and he will gladly provide you with all the information why RN staff will transfer well and why it is just common sense that CECs are justifiably awarded to qualified RN officers.

The RN seafarers actually receive excellent training and in some areas of navigation, stability and damage control achieve higher levels than I received in my officer training. These young men and women can bring a different set of values to the MN service and I fully support closer ties between these dedicated seafaring communities.

Finally, if you need to observe first hand, attend one of the RN maritime engagement forums at the Maritime Warfare School HMS Collingwood where you will be allowed to discuss your views in an open and honest environment and perhaps at the end of the week your blinkered views may change.

Captain Michael Barrass MNI Membership number 167733 Marine Risk Management Consultant I was interested to see the letter in this month’s Telegraph regarding the transfer of Royal Navy personnel to the Merchant Navy.

I have had the pleasure of recruiting, teaching and assessing ex-services personnel during my post-seagoing nautilusint.org 6 September 2018

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Will naval transfers block promotion Tweets of the month prospects for aspiring MN officers? career ashore in seafarer training. I have also assessed those with yachtmaster’s qualifications and many ex-fishermen.

And the truth is that successful transfer is entirely down to the individual and not from whence they came.

However, the correspondent’s letter touches on an issue which, while partly addressed already, especially in allowance of sea time, would bear closer scrutiny. This is that when people start their career in one area, there needs to be a recognisable cross-mapping of competence that will allow transfer into other areas without degradation of skill within the new area.

This currently cannot be guaranteed, and often forces personnel present with forces qualifications that cannot be easily mapped.

We perhaps also need to consider the potential of MN to RN and fishing career changes and whether MN qualifications are directly transferrable. I suspect not.

Grahame Hicks Membership number 131205 A couple of points regarding the recent article on the transfer of RN officers to the MN on completion of their naval careers.

It is reasonable to assume that they will expect to join at a relatively senior level, perhaps something equivalent to their RN rank on retiring. However, at a time when the industry (including the shipping minister, Ms Ghani) is trying to attract more potential cadets, these young people are unlikely to be encouraged to take up a seafaring career if they see promotion being blocked by people entering the industry at a senior level from outside the MN. RN officers receive substantial pension benefits on retiring from the service. If significant numbers transfer to the MN there could be a downward pressure on salaries for senior officers, particularly relevant for those who have devoted their whole careers to merchant shipping.

We need to look after our own people in the first instance and keep the perception of our profession as a career in its own right

and not just as a bolt-on to pass a few years for people retired from other spheres.

Membership number 313021

Nautilus Intl @nautilusint Jul 26 A successful day in Aberdeen where our members called on Paragon to respect the long service and commitment of staff following their takeover.

I joined my first ship in 1955, and there were at that time many people around who had served with the Royal Navy either as reservists, conscripts or volunteers during the war.

Some joined the Merchant Navy after demob and some returned to their home Niek Stam environment in commercial shipping. I @NiekStam 27 Jul 2018 can’t recall any who had any difficulties in Replying to @nautilusint doing so, apart from the ongoing effects That’s the spirit “Stand up, fight back” of the wartime trauma that many had It’s the corporate greed that bring us to suffered – no different in other words than actions like this. those personnel who had stayed in the MN Maritime UK throughout. @MaritimeUK Jul 26 2018 Fourteen years later I joined the Maritime UK Week is 10 - 16 Royal Research Ships and found September. Learn more and get myself serving with former involved: www.maritimeuk.org/ RFA and RN personnel. There week/ #MaritimeUK was also one officer who had Follow us Tanya Blake on Twitter served in the Royal Canadian @nautilusint @Tanya_Blake Jul 31 Navy, the Royal Indian Navy All too often it is #crew that bear the and the Merchant Navy, and there brunt of criminal charges when incidents was even one electrical officer who had occur at sea. Any #seafarers out there trained in the Army, but there were never please take a few minutes to share your any difficulties. views on this with Nautilus International’s We all brought richly varied different survey below. #seafarerrights @ nautilusint @hratsea @IHS4SafetyAtSea histories, skills and qualifications together www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FairTreat18 and in the proper seafaring sense worked for the good of all; our origins did not Seafarers Awareness matter. To use the modern jargon, if we @SeafarersWeek 14 Aug 2018 must, we were a team. We had our different The Lord Mayor of Westminster strengths and we all contributed as and Councillor Lindsey Hall is supporting when we could. @Seafarers_UK’s Fly the Red Ensign for #MerchantNavyDay campaign.

As for RN training, they might #Westminster is one of more than emphasise different aspects of the job but 600 councils across the UK that will certainly other than in times of war they hoist a #RedEnsign on 3 September, were constantly trained – much more so #MerchantNavy Day than the MN. The one thing we must be www.merchantnavyfund.org/merchanton our guard about is to make sure that navy-day/ the employers and the government do not Nautilus Intl exploit seafarers in any way. If you find @nautilusint 10 Aug 2018 yourself working alongside former RN Nautilus executive officer Sascha Meier personnel, in order to protect your own job explains why redundancy terms must and future prospects, the first essential is improve for the 70 offshore and shoreto get them to join the union. based staff losing their jobs following the

Mike Harding Retired member 98482

takeover by Borr Drilling earlier this year www.youtube.com/user/nautilusint

nautilusint.org 7 September 2018

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LETTERS

Increasing cadet numbers may fuel competition for scarce jobs I am writing with concern about the article in the most recent Nautilus Telegraph regarding the UK shipping minister’s comments on training.

I welcome the fact that Nusrat Ghani shares the Union’s concerns about newlyqualified cadets struggling to find work as junior officers. I am finding this being the very case, having spent the last year constantly retaking the Engineer Officer of the Watch oral examination, until June this year, when I passed on the fourth attempt.

I am now in the situation of applying to companies for jobs as third or fourth engineer and finding that my lack of experience (eight months seatime gained during my cadetship) and being out of the game for over a year, seems to be affecting my chances of getting a job – as well as many other factors, including Brexit and British officer numbers falling year on year.

I am concerned that the shipping minister wants to increase the cadet numbers through the SMarT training initiative. I am a Careers at Sea Ambassador and think it is a great idea. However, in the long run, we will end up with more competition for jobs in the

future, which is not what cadets may want.

I personally have found it a real struggle trying to get anywhere in this industry.

When I was 12, it was my dream to be an officer in the MN. I am now 26 and six weeks ago I achieved the dream – but have found this current situation like having to go back five to 10 years, when I had to flood the market with applications and basically badger companies to even get a place as a cadet.

I was sponsored by SSTG and gained my training through Seatruck Ferries.

Unfortunately, since my cadetship ended last July, like many other cadets who couldn’t pass the oral exam first time, I have been left in the situation where I feel like I have been hung out to dry and this seems to be affecting my chances of getting a position as an engineer officer because the reality is I have no experience. Eight months does not seem to be enough and I am becoming desperate to go to sea and gain experience, but hitting a brick wall all the time.

Are there any companies that are willing to help newly qualified junior officers?

Name and number supplied

Poor show by BP On reading in the latest Telegraph about the BP redundancies, I would like to add my experience of BP’s (not) caring approach.

After 15 years as a master with BP, all I got was a short phone call terminating me as of the phone call time. Even though I had nearly three months’ outstanding leave, I was told that that was lost in the termination conditions. It seems BP is rivalling flag of convenience conditions and even appears to flaunt basic ITF conditions.

Membership number 157963

An excellent read Thank you for my crossword prize, Churchill’s Thin Grey Line by Captain Bernard Edwards. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Being of the baby boomer generation, I was brought up at a time when the heroics of the Second World War were quite well-known and this book rekindled many of those memories.

As a cadet I sailed with one smashing old pumpman on a Furness Withy tanker.

He had been sunk three times during the war and regaled we young lads with tales of his adventures. There’s no doubt he was a hero, simply for returning to sea after each very frightening episode. So I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Merchant Navy.

Andrew Matthews

Pauline Isabel Dowling

Paul Simon Haines Membership number 184811

%

97 %

es

I was a new teacher 90 miles away in Palmerston North and my prefab classroom collapsed during that night. I understand Maori elders advised against naming this vessel Wahine, but have seldom seen mention of this. I was glad I was not near Breaker Bay and able to see the stricken ship, but we always visit the memorial when we are there.

Do you think flag states should be punished if they fail to publish accident investigation reports?

Poll results are pictured below.

3

I am sure many Telegraph readers will have been impressed with the article ‘Sublime seatime featuring the SUNY training ship Empire State (August Telegraph). The more sharp-eyed will have noticed though that the ship was incorrectly dressed, making the common mistake of displaying the Union Flag of the United Kingdom as their courtesy ensign.

Perhaps Nautilus, the Lord Provost of Glasgow and the City of Glasgow College could all chip in and gift them an undefaced Red Ensign as a memento of the ship’s visit to the UK.

Last month we asked:

N0

The Nautilus Telegraph is such an interesting and varied magazine. It was moving to be reminded of the tragic loss of the Wahine in April 1968 within sight of many Wellingtonians. It was a truly awful experience for all New Zealanders, the result of a very violent storm.

HAVE YOUR SAY

% xx

Flagging up a dress problem

Yes

Wahine was an awful loss

Y

This month we ask Do you think ‘Brexit’ will be good for shipping?

Vote now at: www.nautilusint.org

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NAU T I LU S AT WOR K

UK BRANCH CONFERENCE

NEWS

Don’t miss it!

The Nautilus UK branch conference is due to take place in Liverpool on Tuesday 2 October, followed by a special industry symposium to discuss the threat of criminalisation. Why not come along – more details can be found on page 46 or on the Nautilus website.

New report reveals ‘worrying’ scale of CECs issued in Europe The UK issues more certificates of competency (CoCs) than any other EU member state and the third highest number of endorsements (certificates of equivalent competency) within Europe.

The figures are revealed in a new report from the European Maritime Safety Agency, which concludes that more than a quarter of a million masters and officers were certificated to serve on EU-flagged vessels in 2016 – down by 8% from the previous year.

The five member states issuing the highest number of CoCs were: the UK (24,375); Poland (19,518); Greece (17,048); France (14,362) and Italy (14,068). The Netherlands is in ninth place, with 9,679 CoC holders.

More than half the CoCs issued by the UK are to non-UK nationals and EMSA found that a total of 13,146 non-EU nationals hold valid CoCs issued by member states.

A total of 128,354 endorsements were issued by EU member states in 2016 allowing non-nationals to serve onboard their vessels – 55,715 by Malta, 26,935 by Cyprus, 12,564 by the UK and 11,260 by the Netherlands.

The report shows that the Philippines is the biggest source of supply of masters and officers for EU-flagged ships, with a total of 29,678, followed by Ukraine (19,647), Greece (18,979), Poland (17,514) and India (15,447).

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘It is imperative that the British and Dutch governments ensure

that they have sufficient home-grown talent to take up a greater proportion of the available positions onboard our ships. This is critical to maintain our vital maritime clusters.

‘The number of endorsements issued by the UK is a continued worry as Nautilus highlights the need for increases in the number of British trainee officers,’ he added.

‘As these trainees enter the labour market, they may struggle to find work due to the number of non-resident officers certificated to work on UK vessels.

‘On Dutch ships the system provides a job guarantee for all Dutch trainees,’ Mr Dickinson pointed out. ‘This is something the UK should emulate.’

Investigation into cause of Dutch ship grounding

The Dutch-flagged ship Priscilla aground at the Pentland Skerries Image: Lewis Davidson/RNLI

An investigation has been launched after a Dutchflagged multipurpose ship ran aground off the northern coast of Scotland with six crew members onboard.

The 3,250dwt Priscilla was successfully refloated at high water one week after grounding at Pentland Skerries as it entered the Pentland Firth en route to the Cumbrian port of Silloth with a cargo of fertiliser.

Part of the cargo and 28 tonnes of oil had been

offloaded by salvors before the refloating attempt.

The Wagenborg-managed ship damaged a ballast tank, but no pollution was reported.

A subsequent inspection by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency discovered 17 deficiencies onboard, including manning not as required, and entries missing in logbooks and the oil record book, but the ship was allowed to complete its journey to Silloth.

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Discover our courses and training www.warsashacademy.co.uk

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WÄRTSILÄ CONNECTS THE DOTS TO THE FUTURE The market is being re-shaped by new ways of collaboration and smart technology.

Our strong development in product offering combined with know-how and vast installed base gives us a unique platform to lead the industry’s transformation towards a Smart Marine Ecosystem through the use of high levels of connectivity and digitalisation. We have the vision, a strong legacy and the expertise of our people.

We continue to develop products and services together with customers, for the benefit of our customers. By doing so we will be shaping the industry together.

www.wartsila.com

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NAU T I LU S AT WOR K

In brief

The new Wightlink ferry Victoria of Wight is pictured arriving in the Solent last month after a, 3,019nm voyage from the Cemre shipyard in Turkey. The energy-efficient 8,041gt vessel can carry up to 178 cars and 1,170 passengers and is powered by a diesel-electric hybrid system, operating with marine gas oil and batteries.

Built at a cost of £30m, Victoria of Wight will operate on Wightlink’s Portsmouth-Fishbourne service.

Image: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

Appeal Court to rule on redundancy rights A crucial court case involving seafarers’ employment rights has been heard at the Court of Appeal in London.

The crewing firm Seahorse Maritime is appealing against an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling upholding an earlier tribunal judgment that the company was subject to the UK collective consultations provisions regarding redundancies.

Nautilus has claimed protective awards on behalf of members who lost their jobs, on the grounds that the company did not engage in collective consultations when it made seafarers redundant as Sealion Shipping offshore support vessels were put into lay-up in 2015.

John Cavanagh QC, representing the company, argued that the requirements to consult and inform on redundancies did not apply, as each vessel was a ‘separate establishment’ under the terms of the law because they operated as different units at separate geographical locations.

He also contended that the UK employment tribunal did not have the territorial jurisdiction

to determine the Union’s claim, as most of the vessels were based outside the UK. But Christopher Stone, on behalf of Nautilus, told the court that the tribunal had correctly interpreted the law when it upheld the Union’s complaint.

As the employer, Seahorse did not have different entities and supplied crew to the Sealion fleet rather than specific vessels, he added. In reality, the seafarers were not assigned to a ‘particular establishment’.

Mr Stone said the tribunal had also been right to reject the company’s claim on territorial jurisdiction, correctly identifying the ‘compelling’ factor as being the relationship between the employees and the UK, where many of them lived.

Nautilus head of legal services Charles Boyle attended the hearing. ‘This is an extremely significant case, which involves some fundamental legal principles affecting our members’ rights. Judgment has been reserved and we hope that the court’s decision will be made in September or October.’.

Tanker owners warn on bad bunkers Tanker owners have called for urgent action to tackle safety risks caused by contaminated fuel, warning that hundreds of ships have been affected by the problem since the start of the year.

The owners’ organisation, Intertanko, has hit out at the ‘lack of interest and action by relevant authorities’. It has demanded they take ‘firm and quick action’ to investigate the origins of the

problem and to stop contaminated fuels being sold and exported from their ports.

Intertanko said engine failures and associated loss of propulsion are putting the safety of ships, seafarers and cargoes at risk. Without appropriate action, it warned, ‘we fear that this will become a global epidemic, with the possibility of disastrous events’.

Bad connection: Swedish authorities are investigating the causes of an incident in which a Panama-flagged car carrier ran aground and spilled oil on the country’s SE coast. Initial reports said the Polish crew members onboard the 17,735gt Makassar Highway had told investigators that they were trying to get a good mobile phone connection at the time of the accident, which occurred as the ship was sailing from Cuxhaven, Germany, to the Swedish port of Sodertalije with a cargo of 1,325 vehicles.

Brexit blow: the European Union’s Indian Ocean counterpiracy operation, EU Navfor, has been granted a two-year extension until the end of 2020 and will move its operational headquarters from Northwood in the UK to Rota, Spain, ahead of Brexit. The UK will also no longer host the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa, which will move to Brest, France.

Rescue alarm: the principle of rendering assistance to those in trouble at sea is at risk, a humanitarian group has warned.

SOS Méditerranée said five merchant ships had sailed past a group of 140 migrants adrift on a small wooden boat before they were rescued by its vessel Aquarius in the Mediterranean last month.

Collision probe: the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation into a collision between the UK-registered containership ANL Wyong and the Italian flagged LPG tanker King Arthur some 4 miles SE of Gibraltar last month. Both vessels were damaged, but no injuries or pollution was reported.

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NAU T I LU S AT WOR K

Cyber-security webinar for members Cyber-security is an increasing challenge for the shipping industry and Nautilus is stepping in to help members by co-hosting a special training webinar for seafarers in September.

With high profile ransomware attacks on shipping companies such as Maersk and COSCO, operators are under pressure to improve their cyber-security and to develop improved measures to protect their systems from attack.

However, there is evidence that many companies are not doing enough to educate seafarers about the risks of cyberattacks or how to avoid them.

Research by Nautilus showed that 86% of crew had never received any cyber security training from their employers.

The Union is teaming up with security experts Appsecco to hold a webinar to raise awareness of cyber security issues onboard.

The webinar – being held on 18 September at 1900hrs UK time – supports the Union’s strategic campaign for good quality, lowcost internet access for seafarers.

Nautilus says companies should not use cyber-security as an excuse for not providing decent connectivity onboard.

• Register for the webinar on the events page at nautilusint.org

Pension support The specialist maritime pensions provider Ensign has launched a new website to make it easier for employees and employers to understand retirement options.

The new site – www. ensignpensions.com – uses plain language, cuts out jargon and uses easy to understand articles, FAQs and engaging animation and graphics

STCW ‘failing to deliver’ on crew competence The STCW Convention is failing to serve as a sufficient standard to satisfy some operators of the competence of key crew members, a leading training company has warned.

Mark Woodhead, EMEA senior vice-president with KVH, said come oil companies and major industry associations are pushing for alternative systems to ensure that seafarers do have adequate skills and experience.

‘STCW is not enough and seatime is no longer an adequate measure of experience,’ he added.

‘Time on one vessel is not a sign that you are competent on another vessel, as they are so specialist.’

Quicker promotion through the ranks and time pressures on masters and senior officers also mean that opportunities for mentoring

and on-the-job training are being diminished, Mr Woodhead said.

In response to this, KVH Videotel has launched a new scheme to help evaluate and document the competency of seafarers.

Forming part of its Performance Manager package – which already covers some 225,000 seafarers and more than 4,500 ships – the taskbased competency suite enables masters and officers to assess the abilities and evaluate the performance of crew members.

Videotel says the package – which can be adapted to specific company needs – can give managers the opportunity to monitor the progress of individual seafarers and identify promotion candidates, which also enables crew members to prepare for task-based tests.

Pictured above is Red Funnel’s new fast craft, Red Jet 7, which is now in service on the SouthamptonWest Cowes route after being named by the Duchess of Cornwall.

The 41m vessel, which can carry up to 277

passengers and four crew, was built in East Cowes by the Wight Shipyard Company and is powered by four MTU 2000 series engines and four Hamilton waterjets, giving a service speed of 38 knots.

Image: Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

MORE SEAFARERS ARE HELD HOSTAGE The number of seafarers held hostage by pirates has increased sharply over the first half of 2018, according to a new report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

During the first six months of the year, a total of 102 seafarers were taken hostage – up from 63 over the same period in 2017. However, the number being kidnapped has fallen from 41 to 25, and there were no reports of fatal incidents during the first half of the year.

In total, the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre recorded 107 incidents over the first six months of 2018 – up from 87 in the comparable period last year. There were 23 attempted attacks on merchant ships, 69 cases of vessels being boarded, 11 being fired upon and four hijackings.

The IMB said all 25 crew kidnappings reported this year have occurred over six incidents in the Gulf of Guinea. It also warned that the true number of incidents off West Africa is likely to be ‘significantly higher’ than the 22 reported.

The IMB said Nigeria remains a major hotspot, with 31 incidents in the first half of 2018, followed

by Indonesia with 25. The number of incidents in the Philippines dropped from 13 in the first half of 2017 to three in the same period this year.

There were no reported incidents off the coast of Somalia in the second quarter of 2018. But the IMB urged shipmasters to continue to maintain high levels of vigilance when transiting the high-risk area and to follow the latest version of the best management practices.

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In brief

NEW VESSEL, NEW JOBS AT SENTINEL Nautilus has welcomed the delivery of the new emergency response and rescue vessel Bailey Sentinel, pictured above.

Built in China for Aberdeen-based Sentinel Marine, the 1,900gt multi-role vessel will create 24 new seafaring jobs when it comes into service in the next few weeks, bringing the total workforce at the company to 230.

The Sentinel Marine fleet is the youngest in the ERRV sector and Bailey Sentinel is the

company’s eighth newbuild since 2015. One further new vessel is set to be delivered early next year.

Chief executive Rory Deans commented: ‘We are delivering a quality fleet of ERRVs which, unlike some still in service in the North Sea, have not been repurposed but instead have been custom-built to ensure they are equipped with the latest technology and are more fuel efficient.’

Unions warn of fresh Piper Alpha dangers Safety standards in the North Sea are slipping back as a result of cost-cutting, Nautilus warned an international conference to mark the 30th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster last month.

Speaking at the event, which was organised by the Offshore Coordinating Group of unions, national secretary Steve Doran said: ‘What should worry us all is the way in which safety appears to have been put on the back burner following the oil price crash.’

Lessons learned from the Piper Alpha tragedy, in which 167 people died, seem to be forgotten and some of the key recommendations made by the Cullen report on the disaster are being ignored, he added.

Mr Doran said thousands of skilled and experienced offshore workers have lost their jobs over the past few years, and pay, conditions and training have all been cut back. ‘Demoralisation and disillusion have risen in direct proportion,’ he added.

He paid tribute to the heroism and professionalism of the crews of the standby vessels which were involved in the search and rescue efforts following the Piper Alpha

explosion. However, he noted, the Cullen report had highlighted long-standing concerns over the suitability of much of the standby fleet, as well as issues such as training and communications.

While the emergency response and rescue vessel fleet was transformed after Piper Alpha, it is now estimated that almost onethird are over 30 years old and Mr Doran said crews continue to face such challenges as communications, fatigue and training.

Cuts have been taking place at a time when the ageing North Sea offshore infrastructure is creating an increasing challenge for safe operation and maintenance, he pointed out, and the Health & Safety Executive had warned earlier this year that the sector had come ‘perilously close to disaster’ as a result of an increase in hydrocarbon releases.

RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy told the meeting that ‘all the signs’ of the causes of disasters such as the 2003 Brent Bravo in the North Sea and 2010’s Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico are resurfacing, and workers should be given proper training and confidence to report safety concerns.

Salvage fines: a Dutch shipmaster has been fined £2,000 and the Dutch shipping company Friendship Offshore has been fined £6,000, with £44,930 costs, after being convicted at Newcastle Crown Court of conducting an unlicensed salvaging operation on the wreck of the merchant vessel Harrovian, some 70 miles SW of the Isles of Scilly in 2016.

Flag call: more than twothirds of the boats involved in illegal or unregulated fishing around the world are registered with flags of convenience, a new report has revealed. Campaign groups say the study shows the need for tighter controls that will stop open registries being used to evade controls intended to prevent overfishing.

Ordeal over: the 18-month ordeal of the crew of the Indianflagged support vessel Malaviya Twenty, abandoned in the UK port of Great Yarmouth since February last year has come to an end following the Admiralty Marshal’s arrest of the ship.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to pay their owed wages.

Princess plans: Princess Cruises has announced plans to build two new ‘next generation’ cruiseships at the Fincantieri yard in Italy. The 175,000gt vessels will carry up to 4,300 passengers and will be the first ‘dual-fuel’ ships in the Princess fleet, running primarily on LNG. Offshore courses: the City of Glasgow College has launched two new OPITO-approved offshore training courses for control room operator emergency response and OIM controlling emergencies.

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NAU T I LU S AT WOR K

In brief Research claim: Nautilus and the RMT have met UK Research & Innovation management to submit this year’s pay and conditions claim for members on British Antarctic Survey and NOCS-NMFSS vessels.

The unions say increases of 2.9% for the armed forces, 3% for nurses and 3.5% for teachers should serve as the benchmark.

BPOS pay: Nautilus has urged Seacor Marine (Guernsey) to make an improved pay offer to members serving on BPOS vessels after a consultation showed 93% voting to reject a proposed freeze. National secretary Steve Doran said members had welcomed a paternity leave proposal and the company has been asked to provide detailed information.

Peel deal: following talks between Peel Ports management, Nautilus and VTS member reps, the Union has accepted a 3% pay offer, backdated to 1 June. A number of other issues raised during the discussions will be pursued in further meetings.

NorthLink call: Nautilus members employed by Serco Ferries (Guernsey) Crewing on NorthLink vessels have been asked for their views on the contents of this year’s pay and conditions claim, ahead of forthcoming negotiations.

Heyn agreement: Nautilus members serving with Heyn Engineering Solutions onboard RV Corystes have voted by an overwhelming majority to accept a 2.6% pay offer.

GulfMark meets: Nautilus has met GulfMark (Guernsey) management to discuss the Union’s claim for a ‘reasonable’ above-RPI inflation pay rise.

NAUTILUS VISITS NEW RFA SHIP Nautilus assistant general secretary Olu Tunde is pictured right with the Union’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary liaison officer Russell Downs at the service of dedication for the fleet tanker RFA Tiderace in Portland last month.

Tiderace is the second of the four Tide-class ships to come into service as part of the MARS programme. The final vessel in the series, Tideforce, arrived at the A&P Falmouth yard last month for customisation, fit-out and capability assessment trials and is due to enter into service early next year.

‘It was a privilege to attend the service of dedication, and I appreciated the opportunity to look around Tiderace,’ said Mr Tunde.

‘It is excellent to see the RFA getting these new state-of-the-art vessels, which are most impressive and highly capable.’

RFA Commodore Duncan Lamb said the previous generation of Tide-class ships introduced into service 65 years ago had revolutionised the way the Royal Navy was supported around the world – and their namesakes would do likewise.

Nautilus is now seeking a new liaison officer to

replace Russell Downs, when he returns to seagoing duties next year. Any members interested in applying or wanting more information should email Russell.downs102@mod.gov.uk or pparry@nautilusint.org

Workboat apprentices scheme is welcomed Nautilus has welcomed agreement on a new apprenticeship standard for workboat crew members, which aims to boost the training of UK seafarers to serve in the expanding sector.

The apprenticeship has been developed by the National Workboat Association (NWA) and courses are now being launched by training providers across England and Wales.

The 18- to 24-month training programme – which includes all SCTW basic safety courses and the Navigational Watch Rating, among other qualifications – will give apprentices the skills necessary to work as a competent deckhand on offshore wind crew transfer vessels, tugs, multicats, survey boats and pilot launches.

Companies in England and Wales already paying the Apprenticeship Levy can claim £20,000 funding per apprentice, while smaller companies not paying the levy are entitled to 90% of this figure.

‘This apprenticeship offers a standardised, high-quality programme, endorsed by the

NWA, to drive training initiatives for the next generation of workboat crews,’ said NWA secretary Mark Ranson.’It will contribute to a steady influx of trained personnel to support workboat operations in a range of marine industries throughout the UK and Europe, such as construction of offshore windfarms, servicing of ports and inland waterways, surveying, towage and salvage work.’

Nautilus industrial organiser Gary Leech said: ‘We are very pleased to see the introduction of this apprenticeship, as it should help to address some of the issues that we have identified in this sector by establishing a well-supported system for training to industry-recognised standards.

‘We hope employers will take advantage of the opportunity to invest in the training of young UK maritime professionals,’ he added.

‘This should help to eliminate the factors that companies have used to justify a waiver from the immigration rules to enable the use of foreign crews.’

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In brief MEETING WITH PRINCESS FLEET TRAINERS Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard is pictured with Princess Cruises fleet training instructor members David Williamson, Rae Taylor, Steven Lane, Justin Kirk, William Howick and Ben Blackmore following a meeting in

Caernarfon last month. Issues under discussion included pay rates, rotations, contracts, travel arrangements, a potential increase in numbers across the fleet and a reduction in days worked over the year.

Unions call for talks on Irish Ferries pay British and Irish seafaring unions have called for an urgent meeting with Irish Ferries to discuss concerns over the pay and conditions of the crew of a new ‘super-ferry’ due to come into service soon.

Nautilus and the SIPTU and RMT unions have written to senior management at the company to seek assurances over the rates of pay for the crew of the Cyprus-registered W.B. Yeats, which is expected to enter service on the DublinHolyhead and Dublin-Cherbourg routes in September.

The three unions have asked Irish Ferries to ensure that the seafarers on the new 54,985gt vessel are paid in line with Irish and UK National Minimum Wage legislation.

‘SIPTU, RMT and Nautilus are united in campaigning for more jobs and training

for Irish-based and UK-based seafarers on passenger and freight ferry services in the Irish Sea,’ the letter states.

‘It is our shared position that employers in the Irish Sea who either directly employ or use agencies to crew vessels with seafarers on rates of pay below the respective National Minimum Wages (NMW) in Ireland (€9.55 per hour) and the UK (£7.83 per hour) are undermining employment law and preventing local seafarers from competing for work,’ the unions said.

‘Such crewing practices also represent unfair competition for employers in the Irish Sea who do pay seafarers rates agreed through the collective bargaining process with recognised trade unions and who invest in seafarer (ratings and cadets) training programmes,’ the letter adds.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson is pictured with Captain David Williams and chief officer Craig Fitzsimons onboard Stena Adventurer in Holyhead last month. Mr Dickinson and national ferry organiser Micky Smyth visited the vessel as part of a series of meetings with members serving on ferries operating in the Irish Sea. Subjects discussed during the visits included the proposed change of crew and technical management from Northern Marine back to Stena Line and the potential implications of Brexit for the sector.

Bibby cuts: Nautilus has met members serving on Bibby Sapphire and Bibby Polaris to discuss VGG (Singapore) proposals for cuts in their salaries. National organiser Steve Doran said members remain opposed to cuts at a time when the markets appear to be improving, but would be prepared to consider a pay freeze. Further talks with management have been requested by the Union.

Hanson offer: members serving with Hanson Ship Management are being consulted on a revised pay and conditions offer, which includes a 2.5% increase for all ranks, together with a number of improvements to training and bonus payments.

Nautilus has recommended acceptance of the proposals.

Maersk move: Nautilus has been consulted over the transfer of employment contracts for members serving with Maersk Offshore (Guernsey) to A.P. Moller Singapore. National organiser Steve Doran said he had been assured there will be no adverse effects on terms and conditions.` Ocean rise: consultations with members employed by Ocean Supply (Guernsey) have shown a 56% majority in favour of accepting a revised offer of a 2% pay rise, backdated to 1 July 2018.

Thames call: Nautilus has been seeking volunteers to serve on an expanded Thames Clippers liaison committee, ahead of forthcoming negotiations on the 2019 pay and conditions review.

Intrada increase: members serving on vessels managed by Intrada Ships Management have agreed to accept a 2.5% pay offer.

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H E A LT H & SA F E T Y

Report calls for action on MRCC failed to respond to fertiliser cargo safety

MOB incident

Toxic smoke billows from the cargo holds of the Bibby Transport vessel Cheshire Image: Spanish Coast Guard

A report on the loss of a British-owned bulk carrier has called for major changes in the rules governing the carriage of ammonium nitratebased fertiliser.

The 23 crew of the 56,598dwt Cheshire had to be evacuated after decomposition and overheating of the 42,654-tonne cargo caused a toxic gas cloud during a voyage from Norway to Thailand last year.

Damage was so extensive that the Isle of Manflagged vessel was declared a constructive total loss.

Investigations have so far failed to determine what caused the cargo to begin decomposing, and the flag state report notes that while existing procedures for its safe carriage had been followed onboard Cheshire the vessel was not required to carry specialist equipment to deal with a thermal

decomposition event onboard.

The report recommends ‘improvements in conditions of carriage, equipment carried and information provided, to enhance the safer carriage of these very heat-sensitive products’.

It calls for crews to be given better information on the various grades of ammonium nitratebased fertiliser ‘highlighting the unique dangers decomposition presents’, along with improved guidance and additional safeguards in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code.

The report urges the IMO to change the existing ‘misleading’ categorisation of ammonium nitrate-based fertiliser as a ‘nonhazardous’ cargo and says ships carrying the cargo should carry additional equipment such as victor lances, thermal detection and additional self-contained breathing apparatus.

Two maritime rescue coordination centres (MRCC) failed to respond to ‘multiple requests for assistance’ in a man overboard incident off the west coast of Africa earlier this year.

The incident, which involved the 306,567dwt VLCC Seahero, occurred in May when the ship’s electrotechnical officer went missing during a voyage between Nigeria and South Africa with a cargo of crude oil.

A Bahamas Maritime Authority investigation report notes that the ship repeatedly tried to contact MRCCs in Angola and Namibia via telephone, email, VHF, and MF/HF but no response or acknowledgment was received.

Cape Town MRCC forwarded the initial reports to the Angola centre – which was the only search and rescue capable organisation within 200nm of the tanker – asking it to coordinate the incident, but also received no response.

Seahero searched the area for the following two days, but no trace of the missing ETO was found. Investigators found nothing to explain why the man had gone missing.

The report calls for Angola to investigate the reliability and operational effectiveness of the centre ‘in order to provide reassurance to the maritime community operating in the region of the availability of this vital resource’.

Officer burnt after engine failed

Hepatitis alarm

A ferry engineer suffered serious burns when his ship’s main engine catastrophically failed barely five hours after reactivation following a rebuild by external contractors.

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report says the blaze onboard the 2,546gt ro-ro Wight Sky was probably caused by debris entering the engine’s oil channels while the short block had been exposed to the elements for three days, with only a loose plastic sheet for protection.

Noting that the consequences of the accident could have been far worse’, the report praises the

A leading P&I club has expressed concern over the high rate of seafarers suffering hepatitis infections.

The UK P&I Club said hepatitis was the cause of 10.1% of crew failing medical examinations, with 8.5% found unfit as a result of hepatitis B. The club said it is vital that crew are given better knowledge of hepatitis symptoms, prevention and treatment to minimise the risk of infection or consequent spread.

ship’s master for ‘a series of quick actions that ensured the safety of the vessel, passengers and crew’.

The MAIB said the accident – and a similar incident involving the windfarm vessel Windcat 8 and other failures on Wight Sky’s sisterships – may have been prevented had a particle detector system been fitted.

The report notes that Wightlink has agreed with the service engineers that all engines will be fully assembled and load-tested before being delivered back onboard in future. nautilusint.org 16 September 2018

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Report urges better ECDIS training Failure to make effective use of the electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) was a key factor in the grounding of a cruiseship in New Zealand, an investigation has determined.

The 10,944gt L’Austral suffered hull damage after deviating off the planned track and running aground on a stony bank at the entrance to Milford Sound in February 2017.

A Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report says the ship’s pilot lost situational awareness while becoming ‘overly focussed on the rate of turn’. Crew members – including the ship’s master – had failed to challenge the pilot when he made the early turn and a series of ECDIS and radar alarms were set off.

TAIC said the crew of the French ship had not used the ECDIS to its full potential, with inappropriate safety parameters being set. The ship had struck an uncharted rock a month before, and in a report on that accident the commission called for the operator – Ponant – to review its procedures for setting up ECDIS and providing training and support within its fleet.

Australia warns over lookouts Maritime safety authorities in Australia have called improved lookout standards in a bid to cut the high rate of collisions between merchant ships and small vessels off the country’s coast.

The call came after an Australian Transport Safety Board investigation into a collision between a 54,519gt containership and a 209gt trawler in good conditions in the Tasman Sea earlier this year.

The report said there had been at least 65 such collisions since 1990 and most would not have happened had there been a proper lookout and early and effective avoiding action.

The Malteseflagged Kea Trader broke up after grounding in the South Pacific in July 2017

ECDIS failures led to reef grounding A containership ran aground on a reef in the South Pacific because crew members had failed to use the electronic chart system properly and had switched off the audible alarm system because it was a distraction in coastal and pilotage waters.

The 25,145gt Kea Trader broke in two and was declared a total loss after grounding on Durand Reef while sailing from Papeete, Tahiti, to Noumea, New Caledonia, in July 2017.

A Maltese flag state investigation found that the passage plan to the pilot station had been revised – with the new route ‘virtually passing over’ an isolated danger symbol. The second mate had zoomed in on the display and incorrectly assumed that because the symbol appeared outside the starboard cross-track limit there was safe water within the XTL corridor.

An over-scale indication and vertical lines on the ECDIS, showing positional discrepancy of charted objects and loss of navigational information, was missed by the OOW, the report notes.

The master’s confidence in the OOW’s use of ECDIS meant that no independent check of the revised route was carried out and the system’s route check function had not been enabled, the report says. ‘Since the safety settings during the navigational watch handover were neither checked nor logged in the deck logbook, none of the watchkeepers was aware of the actual safety settings on the ECDIS, it adds.

A ‘caution area’ message repeatedly displayed in subsequent watches had been ‘largely overlooked by the bridge team’, investigators found.

The report notes that two audit reports carried out earlier in the year had identified non-conformities in ECDIS passage planning and monitoring and the previous master had reported that corrective measures had been implemented.

The investigation report recommends that the ship’s managers, Columbia Shipmanagement, take a series of measures to improve ECDIS training, familiarisation and operation.

Nav safety found ‘satisfactory’ Port state control authorities have reported ‘satisfactory’ results in a concentrated inspection campaign targeting safety of navigation and ECDIS. The campaign was organised in response to concerns over the high rate of navigational defects – accounting for 16.35% of total deficiencies over a six-year period – and more than 4,200 ships were checked in the three-month coordinated programme undertaken by the port states belonging to the Paris and Tokyo MOUs.

In a report on the findings, the authorities said the campaign resulted in 47 ships being detained with navigational safety problems and had delivered ‘sound evidence that the industry has achieved a good level of compliance’ with SOLAS rules. The most common problems found involved deficiencies with the voyage or passage plans and a lack of appropriate up-to-date electronic charts or suitable back-up arrangements for the intended voyage.

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I N T E R NAT IONA L

In brief Cruise concern: the boom in cruiseship visits is posing a growing threat to the health of people living near ports, Denmark’s Ecological Council has warned. It says emissions contain carcinogenic particulate matter and can increase the risk of heart disease, asthma and bronchitis.

The council says 80% of cruiseships arriving in Denmark are not able to connect to greener power from ashore.

Seafarers saved: following intervention by the human rights charity Justice Upheld, 17 seafarers abandoned in dire conditions on Kish Island, Iran, for up to a year have been repatriated. The 12 Indian nationals, three Ethiopians, and two Filipino seafarers were owed up to two years of wages and had been left on the island with limited access to food and water when their contracts expired.

Chinese crew: China’s seafaring workforce has grown by 6.5% over the past year, to hit a new total of 1.48m. Figures from the country’s transport ministry show that just over one-third of the seafarers are serving in international shipping, 52% in domestic services and 12.4% in coastal trades.

Moby merger: Italian maritime unions have sought assurances from the Moby and Tirrenia ferry companies that there will be no job losses as a result of a merger between the two operators that is due to come into effect by the end of 2018.

Tankers hit: Saudi Arabia suspended oil shipments through the Red Sea last month after two Bahri tankers were attacked by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

U N I T E D S TAT E S

Action call as fleet falls A hard-hitting official report has warned that the US may not have enough seafarers to meet national needs in a crisis and has urged the country’s government to finalise a strategy to halt the decline of the US-flagged fleet.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report warns that the number of foreign-going US-registered merchant ships has slumped from 199 in 1990 to just 82 last year, and it estimates that there is a shortfall of more than 1,800 qualified seafarers to crew the country’s strategic ships for a sustained period.

The study notes that the US government has provided support to maintain merchant ships for defence needs. But, it warns, ‘recent increases in the cost differential of US-flag

vessels versus foreign flag vessels and decreases in the volumes of government cargo have made it more challenging to ensure the financial viability of US-flag vessels’.

The GAO said Congress had called for a national maritime strategy to be developed in 2014, but there is no sign on when this will appear. ‘The continued lack of such a strategy limits decision-makers’ ability to make policy choices related to these challenges,’ the report warns.

It recommends that such measures as income tax concessions and training support for US seafarers and cargo preference rules for US-flagged ships should be considered as part of the strategy.

LNG FIRST FOR US SHIPPING COMPANY

AUSTRALIA

Spill fine warning Seafarers could face multi-million fines for pollution off the Australian coast under new rules which came into effect in July.

Marine insurers have warned operators about the changes, which introduce a new maximum penalty of A$4.2m (€2.7m) for shipmasters and A$21m (€13.4m) for owners found responsible for oil pollution.

The new penalties apply to oil spills that occur in ‘Commonwealth waters’ – more than 3nm from the shore. State-level fines for seafarers found guilty of breaching pollution rules range between A$652,750 to A$50,000 and/or up to four years in prison.

P&I clubs have warned that the discharge of oil in Commonwealth, state or territory waters is a strict liability offence for owners and masters and, potentially, crew members and others involved in the operation and maintenance of the ship.

The US shipping company Crowley Maritime has taken delivery of what it claims is one of the world’s first LNGpowered combination container/ro-ro (con-ro) ships – the 36,796gt El Coquí, pictured left.

Built by the US yard VT Halter Marine, El Coquí is the first of two 2,400TEU ships that will run between Florida and Puerto Rico, carrying up to 400 cars and a wide range of container sizes and types. The vessels will result in a 100% reduction in SOx and particulate matter emissions on the service, as well as cutting NOx by 92% and CO2 by more than 35% per container.

The two ships have been built as part of a US$550m programme to upgrade the shipping and logistic links between Puerto Rico and the US mainland, and under the terms of the Jones Act both will be US-crewed and US-flagged.

Seafaring unions belonging to the American Maritime Partnership have hit back at a new campaign seeking to repeal the Jones Act rules protecting domestic shipping operations from foreign competition, pointing to a new report which shows that it has no significant impact on consumer costs in Puerto Rico.

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In brief I TA LY

Owner supports unions’ protests over job losses A leading Italian shipowner has supported a growing campaign to protect the country’s seafarers by painting a supportive message on the side of his newest ship.

Vincenzo Onorato, president of the Onorato Armatori Group, has had the colours of the Italian flag and the words ‘Onorato in defence of Italian seafarers’ painted on the hull of the new 32,770gt Sicily-Sardinia freight ferry, Maria Grazia Onorato, pictured above, which was launched at the Flensburg yard in Germany last month.

‘This vessel is a political manifesto aimed at communicating the desperate situation of more than 60,000 Italian seafarers, especially in the southern Italian cities,’ he said.

Mr Onorato said Italian owners had been given tax incentives to use Italian seafarers and to fly the national flag, but a growing number of companies have been flagging out and using low-cost non-EU crews. ‘We are denouncing this unfair competition and by this new vessel we intend to attract the

attention of the new Italian government,’ he added.

Mr Onorato helped to launch a national petition calling for the Italian government to ensure that ships flying the Italian flag and operating regular services between EU countries must have Italian or EU crews if they are to benefit from tax concessions. The petition also demands that the contracts of non-EU personal onboard Italian ships in international service must be in line with those of Italian/EU seafarers. It also calls on the government to ensure that training and safety standards are guaranteed and verified for all seafarers.

One of Italy’s biggest shipping firms, Grimaldi, has defended its crewing policy – claiming that only 14.86% of its seafarers are non-EU nationals, down from 15.60% a year earlier. The family-owned group operates 120 vessels, with 91% of employees based in European countries, and with Italy accounting for 39% of the total and Finland 22%.

SOUTH KOREA

FERRY DISASTER PROBE IS INCONCLUSIVE A year-long investigation into the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster has failed to determine what caused the South Korean vessel to capsize with the loss of more than 300 lives.

An eight-member panel of maritime experts and lawyers concluded that the 6,825gt ferry suffered problems such as the loss of stability caused by a sudden turn and excessive cargo loaded onboard, or may have sunk as a result of striking a submarine or other unknown object.

The inquiry found that modifications made to the 20-year-old vessel had adversely affected its stability and buoyancy. Sewol was

carrying twice the permitted cargo tonnage at the time of the capsize and the crew had reduced ballast to compensate.

A South Korean court has found that the country’s government and the ferry operator were responsible for the disaster and has ordered them to compensate the victims’ families. The ship’s master was found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison but escaped the death penalty.

Relatives have taken legal action against the state after evidence emerged that the response and salvage operations after the sinking were mishandled.

Safety rules: politicians in the United States have backed a package of shipping safety measures drawn up in response to the El Faro disaster, in which 33 seafarers died. As well as tightening up ship inspections and classification society operations, the Save Our Seas Act also calls for the US to lead action to get global rules requiring float-free EPIRB-equipped voyage data recorders to be fitted to all ships.

Vietnam blow: Vietnam’s plans to become a major global supplier of seafarers have run into problems – with a 13% reduction in numbers over the past four years. Poor pay rates and substandard working conditions have been blamed for the maritime workforce slumping from more than 45,000 in 2014 to barely 39,000 this year.

Cruise boom: Asian cruise passenger numbers increased by 20.6% last year, hitting a record total of 4.05m. Asia now accounts for almost 15% of the global cruise market and the number of cruiseships being deployed in the region will rise to 78 this year, up from 66 in 2017.

UAE crackdown: as part of a drive to improve standards of ships operating in its waters, the United Arab Emirates is introducing strict new classification rules for visiting ships under 25 flags which are on the Paris MOU port state control black and grey lists.

French jobs: half of all French seafarers are now employed in the ferry sector, a new report has revealed. It also shows that 80% of the seafarers serving on ferries are either working on crossChannel or Mediterranean routes.

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SU PE RYAC H T S

The Southampton-based ship repairer SMS has completed a major refit on an 88-year-old classic motor yacht.

The three-year project aimed to restore the 50m Alicia, pictured above, to ‘the splendour of the 1930s’ and included some 34m of

new hull and a completely new aluminium superstructure.

Built in the United States in 1930, Alicia was originally named Janidore and previous owners included the US Navy during WW2.

The refit by SMS for Alicia’s British owner

involved major structural works and the complete rebuild of the yacht and its systems.

The Cayman Islands-flagged vessel was due to undertake sea trials in and around the Solent before sailing to the 20th Les Voiles de Saint Tropez in September.

One-third of crew fail to meet work time rules Nautilus has expressed concern about new data showing that a significant number of vessels are struggling to adhere to hours of work and rest regulations set out by the MLC. Anonymised data collated by the specialist service provider Workrest shows that around one-third of crew members are failing to meet the Maritime Labour Convention requirements to not work more than 14 hours in any 24-hour period or 72 hours in any seven-day period.

Workrest – a digital solution for logging hours and monitoring compliance with the work and rest regulations – has found that some ranks onboard have been averaging non-compliance rates of more than 50%.

The analysis is based on anonymised records from more than 700 crew members collected between July 2017 and July 2018 and show marked

variations between work role and yacht size.

Bosuns, engineers and first officers have some of the highest rates of non-compliance, with chefs, stewards and electro-technical officers being the ranks most likely to be in line with the work/rest rules. The lowest rates of non-compliance were found among crew members serving on yachts of 40m and less and 90m and above.

Nautilus strategic organiser Danny McGowan commented: ‘These are fascinating results and Workrest should be commended for its analysis, which sheds light on one of the most important issues affecting the safe operation of vessels and the health and wellbeing of their crews. The data shows the need for the industry to address the problem of adhering to MLC requirements, and start the conversation about increasing manpower during peak seasons.’

Nautilus helps crew caught up in Dubai Nautilus International has helped members serving on a superyacht whose passports were confiscated in Dubai as part of a bitter divorce dispute.

The Union stepped in to support members after crew on the 115m Luna – the world’s second largest expedition yacht – had their passports seized by local authorities in Dubai, where the vessel has been impounded since October last year as a result of divorce proceedings between the Russian owner, Farkhad Akhmedov, and his ex-wife.

The crew were told their passports were being taken to prevent the yacht from leaving Dubai. A local court ordered the return of the passports, but

further problems arose when coastguard officials demanded a guarantee on the safe manning of the vessel before the documents were handed back.

When Nautilus members made representations to the British Embassy, consular staff placed pressure on the coastguard to accept the court order and return the passports rapidly.

Nautilus strategic organiser Danny McGowan said: ‘Confiscating passports like this is a severe violation of the rights of seafarers, and we re-issue our call to organisations in the sector to become part of our strategic partnership network to prevent matters from escalating in such a way.’

Study looks at welfare standards Nautilus is urging members serving on superyachts to take part in a new project investigating the welfare needs of crews working in the sector.

The study – which is being undertaken for the International Seafarers’ Welfare & Assistance Network (ISWAN) and MHG Insurance Brokers – aims to identify the levels to which existing seafarer welfare structures meet the needs of superyacht crews and where there may be scope for new provision.

Crews are being asked to answer questions on such issues as food, fatigue, stress, accommodation, communications, bullying, and physical, mental and dental health.

‘The number of seafarers in the yacht sector has grown to around 35,000, and we need to know more about the challenges which are specific to the sector,’ ISWAN executive director Roger Harris pointed out. Nautilus strategic organiser Danny McGowan commented: ‘We hope that all members working on superyachts will take part in this very important project, as we know there are some big challenges to address.’

Members can take part at: www. surveymonkey.co.uk/r/yachtcrew

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A BRIGHTER APPROACH TO MARINE EMPLOYMENT

In an ever changing world of tax and social security legislation it is increasingly vital for seafarers to be able to prove time spent at sea. It is equally important to be able to identify where and when you might automatically fall in to the status of being “tax-resident” of any particular country.

Download the Voyonic CYD.Tax app today

The Voyonic CYD.tax app is already available for any seafarer to download from the iTunes store today as a free trial / beta version for iPhone (an android version is in the pipeline).

The Voyonic CYD.tax app is the only mobile app to triple-qualify and record a frequent traveller’s territorial locations. Features are increasingly being added to optimise the CYD solution for seafarers, but always ensuring your personal data is protected to financial-service industry standards.

All Voyonic CYD.tax app users benefit from a simple daily dashboard of how long they have been present in any selection of territories, ideal for global marine professionals. There is also a secure downloadable monthly location report facility, providing a simple spreadsheet that you as the user may later choose to privately provide to your tax advisors.

The Voyonic Group are involved in the employment of thousands of seafarers and other ex-pats all around the world and we believe the Voyonic CYD.tax app will be an invaluable tool for record keeping.

Aspire Corporate Services Limited (a Voyonic Group company) are licensed to provide accountancy services, including tax advice and completing tax returns using the data from your Voyonic CYD.tax app - visit www.acsltd.gg for further information.

nautilusint.org 21 September 2018 T. +44 (0) 1481 711828 E. enquiries@voyonic.com www.voyonic.com

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AT WOR K

Pacific Explorer hotel director Melissa Yates, centre, is pictured with third officers Hilary Cassano, Laura Abbruzetti, Rachel Davies, Lauren Brunton, Bryony Rodger, and Emma ForbesGearey

Six women officers spend

one month on Pacific Explorer

Supporting the diversity drive P&O Cruises Australia ship plays host to first woman-only mentoring programme rincess Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia are supporting industry moves to improve the gender balance in shipping and six of their female third officers have taken part in a special mentoring exercise onboard the UK-flagged passengership Pacific Explorer.

The six officers – who come from varied backgrounds, with experience on bulk carriers, cargo ships and in the offshore oil sector – were the first woman-only group to take part in the companies’ deck mentoring training programme.

They spent a month onboard the 77,441gt vessel learning about their company, undergoing training and being mentored by senior officers – including hotel director Melissa Yates.

After completing some additional

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training, the six officers will receive their first assignments on either a P&O Australia or Princess ship.

During their time onboard Pacific Explorer, they took part in a Women in Maritime event organised by the SE Australia branch of the Nautical Institute. In the panel discussion, Melissa noted that in her career in cruising she had always found warmth and acceptance. But she was aware that this was not always the same for other women involved in different areas of shipping.

‘There are many women working on cruiseships and, during my years at sea, I have always been and felt accepted as part of the team,’ she said. ‘But it is distressing to hear from women who have had different experiences in other areas of shipping and having spoken to them I know how lucky I have been.’

Leanne marks engineer ‘milestone’ for Carnival P&O Cruises has appointed its first female first engineer.

Leanne Robertson, who joined Carnival UK in 2013, has been working in the position onboard the 115,055gt while awaiting her first contract in rank.

Leanne began her seafaring career in January 2005, studying at South Tyneside College. She served with Saga Shipping until 2013, rising to the rank of second engineer, and has spent the last five years working onboard Azura and Ventura, with a brief spell on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.

Leanne – who is aiming to secure her chief engineer’s qualifications next year – said she was ‘incredibly proud’ to become P&O Cruises’ first female first engineer. ‘I hope that my success will inspire and motivate other women to achieve their dreams,’ she added. ‘It just goes to show that if you study and work hard, you can succeed, even in a career such as engineering that is traditionally maledominated.’

P&O Cruises senior vice president Paul Ludlow commented: ‘Everyone at P&O Cruises is absolutely delighted that Leanne has achieved her promotion to first engineer. This is such an important milestone in our company’s history and I look forward to seeing more women taking on similar roles over the coming years.’

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E DUC AT ION & T R A I N I NG

FLEETWOOD’S HIGH FLYERS NW England nautical school celebrates academic and career success of three past prizewinners trio of champion cadets have become a triumvirate of masters after returning to Fleetwood Nautical Campus (Blackpool & the Fylde College) to complete their education.

Tom Barkley, Karley Smith and Philip Cave – all former MCA Officer Trainees of the Year – have achieved their Master (Class 1) certificates of competence, completing their academic journey from cadet to full certification at Fleetwood.

Tom, who won the cadet award in 2009, 2010 winner Karley and 2013 winner Philip returned to Fleetwood in May to undertake the Master’s orals preparation programme and successfully passed in June.

Captain Neil Atkinson, head of Fleetwood Nautical Campus, said he was absolutely delighted at their success. ‘It goes to show that hard work really does pay off,’ he added. ‘The staff here at Fleetwood, some of whom taught all three of them as cadets, are extremely proud of their achievements, and we all look forward to seeing where their careers take them from this point.

They are all shining examples and role models for current cadets and our wider industry.’

Tom completed his cadetship at Fleetwood in August 2008 and served with Whittaker Tankers before joining Swire Pacific Offshore. He moved on to Sealion Shipping, where he is currently serving as chief officer. ‘I have no intention of working ashore anytime in the foreseeable future as I enjoy my way of life working away at sea,’ he says.

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Tom Barkley, Karley Smith and Philip Cave with their MCA awards at Fleetwood Nautical Campus

Karley completed her cadetship Moores University. She then in August 2009 and was one of returned to sea with Stena Line the first students to take the before moving into the offshore Blackpool & the Fylde College sector, developing dynamic foundation degree in positioning operator skills nautical science. As The group and going on to work with part of her MCA dive support vessels and achieved nomination, it was remotely operated noted that her vehicles. cohort ‘set the bar so During her leave retention high for others to periods, Karley has follow it has yet to be returned to Fleetwood to matched’. The group achieved work with the Blended Learning 100% retention on their course Unit – writing new materials and and 100% success in both assisting students studying foundation degree and OOW outside the UK – and she is now certificates of competency. looking to move into command, After completing her foundation with an eye on a senior degree, Karley achieved a first management post within the class BSc (Hons) degree in nautical maritime sector. science from Liverpool John Philip completed his cadetship

100%

in August 2013 and continued his career with Princess Cruises as third officer before achieving his Chief Mate’s CoC in 2016 and being promoted to senior second officer.

During his leave periods, Philip has been an active member of the Marine Society & Sea Cadets, working on the charity’s sail training ships initially as relief second officer, then onto chief officer and hopefully to relief master by the end of 2018. He is also committed to his career at sea and aspires to become master with Princess Cruises. ‘I have made friends for life and will continue to do so, while developing not just professionally but as a person for the rest of my seagoing career,’ he adds.

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PE OPL E

All change at South Shields There’s a new man at the top of one of the UK’s leading maritime training colleges ributes were paid He also worked with colleagues last month to Gary in the wider industry to develop Hindmarch, ETO (electro-technical officer) retiring principal of education and training to meet South Shields Marine School the technological requirements of (SMSS), as his colleague John an evolving industry. The groundRoach took over the helm in time breaking UK ETO qualification he for the new academic year. helped to create was Mr Hindmarch had worked at subsequently accepted as the the NE England nautical college basis for the international ETO since 1993. He brought training standards in the STCW experience from a seafaring 2010 Manila Amendments. His career that started with a significant contribution to cadetship at Canadian Pacific in maritime education was formally 1975 and saw him rise through recognised with the award of the the ranks to chief engineer, Merchant Navy Medal for followed by several years of shore Meritorious Service in 2017. employment in roles such as As Gary Hindmarch moves to planning engineer and enjoy his well-earned engineering retirement, former Gary superintendent. assistant principal Hindmarch When he moved John Roach is looking had worked at South Shields into maritime forward to making Marine School since education, he his own mark as head became closely of SMSS. involved in the Born in South Shields, development of engineering Mr Roach completed a simulation and training. His work mechanical engineering included overseeing a multiapprenticeship with shipbuilder million-pound investment in Swan Hunter in the 1970s, and facilities at SMSS, part has had a career in both maritime of which was the and non-maritime sectors, joining installation of SMSS in 2002. He will now a £1.5m fulloversee a facility which employs mission around 65 staff and trains navigational approximately 11,000 students a bridge year on full-time and short simulator. courses.

Mr Roach said: ‘I have been part of the marine school’s senior management team for over 12 years. My roles have been head of department, head of school

T

1993

John Roach is taking over as principal of South Shields Marine School (SSMS) from Gary Hindmarch (left), who is retiring

and assistant principal, and now I am extremely proud to be appointed principal of South Shields Marine School.

‘While working at the marine school, my greatest pleasure has been to see people of all ages arrive wide-eyed, often from overseas, and to return to the region time after time to progress through the ranks to become senior officers within the Merchant Navy.

‘I am greatly looking forward to the challenges of my new role and of working with my colleagues helping to shape, develop and strengthen the future of maritime training in the northeast and beyond.’

Dr Lindsey Whiterod, chief executive of the marine school’s

parent institution Tyne Coast College, said the future of SMSS was in safe hands.

She added: ‘John is a highly respected maritime education professional whose diverse range of skills and experience make him an asset to the marine school and to his colleagues. He has been a highly valued member of the marine school’s senior team for many years, helping steer it to the success it enjoys today.

‘It takes someone of exceptional pedigree to lead what I believe is the world’s most highly esteemed maritime training centre. The marine school has benefited greatly from Gary’s tremendous leadership, and I am equally confident of its continued success under John’s watch.’

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Key findings from the Allianz Global Corporate & Speciality analysis of shipping safety Image: AGCS

HOW TO CUT HUMAN RISK? WELL Marine insurers make the case for technology to be used to combat people-related accidents at sea…

nsurers have called for a new drive to combat ‘human element’ accidents in shipping – suggesting that better use of technology could help to cut the risks.

The call comes in the latest annual safety and shipping review, published by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS). While welcoming a 38% reduction in total shipping losses over the past decade, the study warns of a need to address ‘behavioural and cultural risk’.

The report suggests that between 75% to 96% of marine accidents can be attributed to human error and its analysis of claims between 2011 and 2016 shows that human-related incidents cost around US$1.6bn.

Captain Rahul Khanna, AGCS global head of marine risk consulting, said the shipping

I

industry is failing to address some crucial aspects of human nature. ‘We need to understand how and why seafarers make decisions, especially when this deviates from protocols and training,’ he added.

Capt Khanna said commercial pressures and inadequate shoreside support can result in masters and officers making poor decisions, which lead to mistakes and accidents.

AGCS senior marine risk consultant Captain Andrew Kinsey pointed to a ‘normalisation of risk’ in the decision-making process. ‘It’s human nature,’ he added. ‘Many mariners have done it. They are under pressure, take a shortcut once that may not be the safest way to go, and get away with it. This then becomes the norm under stressed conditions.’

Capt Khanna said the shipping industry should make better use of

technology to understand human element issues.

‘By analysing data 24/7, we can gain new insights from crew behaviour and near-misses that can help us to identify trends that are behind human error being the main cause of accidents,’ he argued.

Some operators have started to use voyage data recorder (VDR) analytics to improve safety – and others have gone even further to continually monitor VDRs to identify any deviation from procedures, the report notes.

‘It is no longer sufficient to analyse data just once or twice a year – it should be done in real time,’ said Capt Khanna.

‘The industry needs to be proactive and not reactive. We have in the past learned from losses, but predictive analysis is important. This is possible with technology already available.’

AGCS suggests that better use could be made of the increasing number of sensors onboard modern ships.

While they are presently mainly used for performance monitoring and preventive maintenance, they could contribute to enhanced risk management and increased situational awareness onboard, the company argues.

The AGCS review says shipping losses fell by 4% over the past year – with the 94 total losses being the second lowest number in the past decade. However, it notes a 3% increase in reported shipping casualties during 2017 – driven by a rise in machinery damage incidents, which were responsible for 42% of all casualties.

The report also points out that foundering was the cause of more than half the 1,129 total losses reported over the past decade and accounted for an even higher share of losses last year – 65% – with bad weather being a frequent factor.

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CAREERS

BONUS As the Maritime London cadet sponsorship scheme celebrated a milestone this summer, its first trainee paid tribute to the ‘life-changing’ support he received to succeed at sea and move ashore… ack in the early 1990s, when the annual UK cadet training intake had dropped to well under 500, a group of Lloyd’s underwriters who were alarmed at the long-term threat to the supply of experienced seafarers for City-based maritime services decided to launch a charity to sponsor officer trainees.

Last month, to mark the 25th anniversary of the launch of what is now the Maritime London Officer Cadet Scholarship (MLOCS), more than 100 people gathered at Trinity House for a special fundraising celebratory dinner organised by Seafarers UK and Maritime London.

One of the key speakers on the night was the first cadet to be enrolled on the scheme: Tim Howse, who is now a vice-president of the Gard (UK) P&I club.

‘It makes me feel ancient to be celebrating 25 years of anything, let alone 25 years of work,’ he admitted.

But, he added, his pride at having been part of the cadet scheme overshadows any feeling of being old.

‘I was just 15 when my father decided that I should go to sea,’ Mr Howse said. ‘Like any boy of that age, I didn’t have many feelings to express, so I just went along with it. I applied to Chiltern Maritime, the cadet training managers, and I was offered a cadetship with MLOCS – then called the Lloyd’s Cadet Scholarship, and in its first year of operation.’

During his first period of seatime as a cadet, Mr Howse served on a BP ship, where he met Lee Wayer, the other cadet in the scheme’s first intake – who now works in Azerbaijan as fleet manager with Saipem, and who also attended the anniversary dinner.

‘Training at sea as a cadet was tough, I would say,’

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MLOCS engineer cadet Rebecca Smith, Seafarers UK corporate fundraising manager Mairead Ni Cheoinin, MLOCS deck cadet Ellen Watson, and former MLOCS cadet Carri Woodburn, now a loss prevention manager with the Shipowners’ Club, at the 25th anniversary event

Mr Howse said. ‘There were long hours with four or five-month periods away from home. But we got a suntan, and we saw the world.

‘I joined my first ship, the British Success, in the Middle East. We went to Australia, back to the Middle East and then to Thailand, where I celebrated my 17th birthday. Not many contemporaries could say they had done so much before their 17th birthday.

‘By the end of the cadetship, I felt good,’ he continued. ‘We were well looked after – regular visits with Chiltern Maritime, and we met Jonathan Jones, the founder of the scholarship. When Lee and I qualified, as deck and engineering officers respectively, we received many job offers.

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‘We were invited to meet the chairman of Lloyd’s and seniors from City law firms, brokers, and insurers, and we even got pictures and an article in Lloyd’s List. So, as well as becoming dual-qualified officers, we were introduced to the City maritime, a process which continues for cadets today. I remember thinking to myself how impressive this was, and I can tell you that my parents were pleased as punch.

‘So, this was a fantastic start to my career and I was only 20 – or perhaps 19¾, as I would have thought then. After that, Lee did his thing and I did mine, yet, amazingly, our paths converge again tonight a quarter-century later. Although we’ve gone in different directions we are still in the same game. Lee stayed at sea for longer than me to gain many years of command experience. I came ashore after 10 years to train as a maritime lawyer.

Maritime London cadet Tim Howse pictured above with his father 25 years ago …and above right celebrating at the 25th MLOCS anniversary event last month

'Helping to fund a cadet gives people a chance to have a great career and contributes to the continued prosperity and quality of the UK shipping industry'

‘I can see many lawyer colleagues of mine here, and if we cast a vote I’m sure that most would vote for the captain as being the hero over the maritime lawyer,’ Mr Howse said. ‘But that’s not the point.

The point is that Lee and I have contributed to our maritime industry with 20-something years of developing ourselves and others, in a positive way, and we have done that with the help of people that were already within the industry, also developing themselves. In my mind, this is what the scholarship scheme is all about: it’s about sustainable, organic, growth.’

Mr Howse noted that the scheme had started with just two cadets and in recent years around 12 cadets have been under training at any one time.

Some of the current cadets, including Matthew Kenney (sponsored by the London maritime law firm Campbell Johnston Clark) and Ellen Watson (sponsored by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers) attended the dinner. Other alumni at the event included the first female cadet in the scheme, Carri Woodburn, who is now a loss prevention manager with the Shipowners’ P&I Club.

Mr Howse said the scholarship scheme had given him a ‘life-changing opportunity’ and there could be no doubt that the charity had proved to be ‘a very real success’. He announced that Gard is to provide sponsorship for one cadet – ‘the decision speaks of a worthy scheme sitting perfectly alongside Gard’s desire to enable sustainable maritime development.

‘Helping to fund a cadet gives people like Matt and others here tonight the chance to have a really great career at sea, or ashore, in due course,’ he pointed out.

‘Most importantly, it contributes to the continued prosperity and quality of the UK shipping industry and that is one of the main reasons why we are here tonight – to promote maritime and London.’

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CAREERS

FROM DECKHAND TO CHIEF MATE The Nautilus Slater Fund has given hundreds of ratings the chance to study for the Officer of the Watch qualification – and as one former recipient demonstrates, you don’t need a great academic record to win this scholarship, just some seafaring experience and the determination to rise through the ranks…

artin Buchan, aged 29, is from the Scottish coastal town of Fraserburgh, and his seafaring career began in 2007 when he attended the 12-week Trainee Deckhand course at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead. After an interview organised by the college, he was recruited as a trainee by Ocean Mainport (now Atlantic Offshore).

He gained promotion to deckhand (ordinary seaman), followed by efficient deckhand, and undertook the bridge watchkeeping and steering certificates.

‘I remember clearly around this time a conversation I had with the master,’ he says. ‘He asked me where I saw myself going in the future and I told him that I wanted to be on the bridge. I had little knowledge of what that position entailed and only knew what I had seen from lookout duties and no more.’

In 2010 Martin moved to Boston Putford Offshore Safety. He was keen to move forward in his career, but progressing to officer of the watch wasn’t on his radar. In under a year he was daughter craft coxswain, advanced medical aider and then bosun.

‘I then found myself once again sailing with the same master who had asked me about where I could see myself going in the near future,’ he recalls.

‘As bosun, the only way I could progress was on to the bridge and officer of the watch. He must have seen potential and put a recommendation to the company for me. I received funding through the Slater Fund, and that’s when the real work started.’

The HNC Nautical Studies component of the OOW certificate is delivered by the Peterhead academy

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Martin Buchan trained at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead, with help from the Nautilus Slater Fund

through a combination of self-study and college attendance – commonly referred to as blended learning.

‘I was studying hard at sea, completing the modules in college when I was at home,’ says Martin. ‘Each time I passed one, I was one step closer, and each time was a sense of achievement. The short courses for the OOW were also completed during my leave, and

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‘My attitude was that I never had to be the smartest in the room, only the hardest working’

Martin Buchan says manual ship handling is the best part of his job

when I couldn’t find one that suited my rota pattern, I would take some time off and at a later date make up these days to my employer.

‘I passed everything for OOW in February 2014 and instead of stopping there and losing the hardearned knowledge, I continued the Chief Mate/ Master 3000 studies,’ he adds. ‘I completed the HND Nautical Studies component in the same way as OOW – but funded this one myself, paying each module and each new short course one by one – and I passed all my exams for Chief Mate Unlimited in June 2018.’

Martin says manual ship handling is the best part of his job. ‘It keeps the brain active, and constant thought is required to handle the ship safely, not only during operations but in contingency plans,’ he explains. ‘I also like the dynamic culture of the industry, and even though I have a lot of passion for traditional seafaring and navigation practices, I also like the concept of where the maritime industry in general is going with regards to technology.

‘The route I have followed is not just for young new entrants; I have met many other older seafarers undertaking the same route,’ he notes. ‘The blended learning route is challenging and it takes a lot of motivation and self-discipline to complete, but if you want to progress and climb the ladder then you must be aware that it’s not going to be handed to you and sometimes you have to take risks and be willing to do what it takes.

‘Before doing any studying, my academic background was extremely poor and a lot I had to learn over again – particularly mathematics – but I always went with the attitude that I never had to be the smartest in the room, only the hardest working,’ Martin reflects.

‘Hard work has always paid off for me and I know that it always will. I was very lucky to have the support of my wife, who has given me lots of encouragement throughout this journey.’

Martin praises the ‘exceptional’ support he gained at the Scottish Maritime Academy while undertaking the HNC and HND Nautical Studies and many of the required short courses. ‘A lot of the time when studying there I could meet other people doing the same modules and it was encouraging to have someone to study with,’ he adds. ‘The important thing about studying with other people is the different backgrounds and understanding how things work on various vessels.

‘I also found it important, due to the nature of blended learning, to not just rely on the Academy but also take an independent approach and use external resources, such as publications on the vessel, YouTube videos, maritime sites that update their content regularly, and support from fellow crew members.’

HOW THE UNION HELPS Nautilus International’s JW Slater Scholarship, managed by the Marine Society, offers financial assistance of up to £18,500 – as well as an additional discretionary £1,500 for completing the programme – to help UK ratings study for a first certificate of competency.

Funds are also available for UK electrotechnical officers and yacht crew seeking STCW certification.

The scheme was established in 1977 in memory of former MNAOA general secretary John William Slater, and in the past decade alone almost 1,000 seafarers have benefited from its support, and a total of 104 scholarships were awarded last year.

To find out more, go to www.marine-society.org/slaterscholarship or email slater@ms-sc.org

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HEALTH & SAFETY

REFRESHED GUIDELINES FOR UNREFRESHED CREWS A major project to update the shipping industry’s guidelines on preventing seafarer fatigue has come to an end. Will it make a difference? ANDREW LININGTON reports… lobal guidelines to combat seafarer fatigue have been revised for the first time in 17 years following a major International Maritime Organisation (IMO) review.

An expert working group spent almost four years updating the IMO guidance on fatigue mitigation and management, to reflect the results of recent research into the problems – such as the Project Horizon study published in 2012.

Nautilus professional and technical officer David Appleton attended the IMO human element, training and watchkeeping sub-committee meeting called to approve the new guidelines, which will now go to the maritime safety committee for final approval in December.

‘Overall, the new guidance is better than what we had before – but it is not in any way what would be considered sufficient in any other industry, and it is clear that a culture change is required in shipping,’ he said.

There was some heated debate at the IMO meeting over the use of fatigue risk management tools and

An Australian study showed seafarers work an average of 61.28 hours a week

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Number of participants

350 300 250

217

200

100

161

145

150 58

50 0 36 to 41

42 to 48

49 to 59

60 to 69

Number of hours worked per week

evidence-based points in helping to determine work patterns, Mr Appleton noted. Some delegations argued that advice to avoid working more than 70 hours a week or regularly working more than 12 hours a day conflicted with what the working time regulations actually permit.

‘To have that as guidance does not mean you can’t work more than 12 hours a day, but it does mean you should take it into account as a 333 risk factor and take action to mitigate its effects when there is a solid body of research to show that working to the limits and beyond is not safe,’ Mr Appleton pointed out.

‘The regulations set maximum permissible >69 limits; they do not represent best practice

and nor should they serve as targets for the industry.’

Among the studies considered by the working group was a report from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority presenting the findings of research into seafarer safety and wellbeing carried out in collaboration with the universities of Queensland and Western Australia.

Almost 30% of the 1,026 seafarers taking part in the study reported working more than 69 hours a week and, on average, they were clocking up 61.28 hours of work a week. Almost 20% said they experienced chronic fatigue, and around 20% suffered high levels of acute fatigue.

‘The combination of job insecurity and long working hours, in uncertain operational conditions, while required to maintain high levels of vigilance resulted in seafarers experiencing

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increased sleep problems,’ the report states.

Around 12% of the seafarers complained of sleep problems, with more than one in five describing their working hours as unpredictable. A similar proportion also pointed to the problems caused by ship motion and loud noise onboard.

The report notes the links between long working hours and mental ill health, sleep problems and near-misses and injuries.

Around 40% of the seafarers surveyed said they experienced symptoms of mental ill health, such as depression and anxiety, and around 10% said they experienced these symptoms often.

The study adds to the findings of research such as the EU-funded Project Horizon in demonstrating the way in which the current workrest regulations do not provide seafarers with adequate protection against fatigue – with the six-on/ six-off pattern in particular failing to set aside sufficient rest time for sleep and recovery. ‘Work schedules that do not allow for adequate sleep lead to sleep debt,’ it points out. ‘Sleep debt, especially across a number of days, leads to changes in employees’ immune system, psychological functioning and mental wellbeing.’

'Sleep debt leads to changes in employees' immune systems, psychological functioning and mental wellbeing' Researchers also identified the high demand on seafarers to be vigilant while at work, stressing that this can contribute to fatigue, incomplete recovery between shifts and reduced quality of sleep.

Seafarers’ sleep problems are also influenced by factors such as work-related pressures and the safety leadership behaviour of superiors, the report notes.

The researchers found that levels of fatigue at the end of a duty period or workday could be ‘markedly alleviated’ by such things as seafarers being given autonomy, trust and high levels of job security, as well as not working in dirty, hazardous and confined spaces.

‘However,’ the report concludes, ‘with increasingly less stable crews, reduced job security and increased diversity of crews, these quality, trusting and supporting social processes onboard the ships might be impaired.’

Against this background, the report argues, ‘an effective fatigue management system that continuously monitors and manages the risk of fatigue is essential’.

It also points to some ‘easily implementable’ measures to improve crew accommodation, such as more comfortable mattresses, blackout curtains and noise reduction.

As well as proactive policies, the report says there is a need for reactive interventions to minimise

FINE FOR FATIGUE Maritime safety officials in New Zealand have warned operators to guard against fatigue after an owner was fined NZ$27,200 (€15,600) following the loss of a fishing vessel after the watchkeeper fell asleep.

A court heard that the seafarer had worked a full day and had less than two hours of sleep before taking over the watch in the early hours of 11 January 2016. The vessel, pictured right, grounded on rocks and capsized in the Bay of Islands after he fell asleep.

Maritime NZ Northern regional manager Neil Rowarth said it was a matter of luck that no one had died in the accident and the prosecution of

the owners sent a strong message to all maritime operators that they must have an effective system for managing crew fatigue.

A recent Maritime NZ survey found that 61% of commercial fishing crew reported working when overtired and more than one-third had fallen asleep on watch.

the effects of fatigue-related problems once they have occurred.

These should include onboard reporting mechanisms, clear policies for helping seafarers with sleep problems, and employee assistance programmes to provide psychological and psychosocial counselling.

The revised IMO guidelines seek to address these issues by providing information on the causes and consequences of fatigue, and the risks it poses to the safety and health of seafarers, operational safety, security and protection of the marine environment.

The guidelines are aimed not just at shipping companies, but also at seafarers, maritime administrations, naval architects/ ship designers and training providers. Flag states and shipping companies will be advised to take them into consideration when determining minimum safe manning, and to take the issue of fatigue into account when developing, implementing and improving safety management systems under the ISM Code.

The new guidelines are composed of six modules and two annexes – with each module addressing a particular stakeholder group within the maritime industry. The modules cover: fatigue; fatigue and the company; fatigue and the seafarer; fatigue, awareness and training; fatigue and ship design; and fatigue, the administration and port state authorities. The annexes provide examples of sleep and fatigue monitoring tools and an example of a fatigue event report information.

‘We certainly do not see this as being the end of the matter,’ Mr Appleton said. ‘Risk management tools to support guidelines on fatigue will be considered as a standing agenda item in the future, and that will provide further opportunities to improve the situation.’

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^ŚŝƉ ,ĂŶĚůŝŶŐ ^ŝŵƵůĂƚŽƌƐ ,ŝƌĞ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ƚǁŽ ϯϲϬΣ ĨƵůů ŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ ďƌŝĚŐĞ ƐŝŵƵůĂƚŽƌƐ ĨŽƌ ƐŚŝƉ ŚĂŶĚůŝŶŐ͕ ƚƵŐ ŚĂŶĚůŝŶŐ͕ ĞƐĐŽƌƚ ƚŽǁĂŐĞ ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ Žƌ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ĐŚĂŶŐĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶ ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ƉŽƌƚ Žƌ ĞǀĞŶ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉ Ă ŶĞǁ ƉŽƌƚ͘ KƵƌ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚ ƐƚĂī ǁŝůů ďĞ ƉůĞĂƐĞĚ ƚŽ ĨĂĐŝůŝƚĂƚĞ ƐĞƫŶŐ ƵƉ ĞdžĞƌĐŝƐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƐƐĞƐƐŵĞŶƚƐ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵ͘ tŚĞƚŚĞƌ LJŽƵ ŚŝƌĞ ƚŚĞ ĨĂĐŝůŝƚLJ Žƌ ĂƩĞŶĚ ĂŶLJ ŽīͲƚŚĞͲƐŚĞůĨ ƉĂĐŬĂŐĞƐ͕ ǁĞ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƉůĞĂƐĞĚ ƚŽ ĨĂĐŝůŝƚĂƚĞ ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƐƵŝƚ LJŽƵƌ ƐƉĞĐŝĮĐ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞŵĞŶƚƐ͘ &Žƌ ĚĞƚĂŝůƐ͕ ǀŝƐŝƚ

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TECHNOLOGY

ANSWERS FROM AMSTERDAM Autonomous shipping is the hot topic in the maritime world, but what exactly do we mean by ‘autonomous’, and what’s in store for seafarers over the coming decades? Experts gathered at a conference in the Netherlands this summer to give their views and share the latest technological developments.

ALLAN GRAVESON reports… he AMI Conference Centre in Amsterdam provided a fabulous venue in June 2018 for three world class events: the Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium; the Hybrid Expo; and the Maintenance Expo.

Three designated conference stages and a centre presentational stage in two massive halls offered an insight into ship technology available today and in the future.

T

Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium 2018 The Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium was the main forum at the conference for discussing the technical, operational and indeed philosophical challenges surrounding the move towards autonomy. Spread over three days, the symposium featured a range of expert speakers and offered several opportunities for well-informed debate.

Keynote presentations and panel discussion Michael Rodey of A.P. Moller-Maersk provided an insight into the future direction of autonomous shipping. He made it clear that unmanned operation was not on the horizon. Paivi Häikkola of Autonomous Maritime Ecosystems then told how his company

Top: Michael Rodey, from Maersk, and Dr Kalevi Tervo, above, from ABB Marine, spoke on the human impact of automation

intends through research to address issues including remote piloting, connectivity and ‘industry approved’ levels of autonomy.

In a powerful presentation, Raphaël Fabian of Rolls-Royce Belgium said a degree of autonomy linked with remote as a fall-back could reduce the impact of human error on a range of vessels, but the workforce would need appropriate skills.

Reduced workload and working hours could be a benefit of the technology consistent with an ethical approach to automation.

He stressed the importance of soliciting workforce and union views to dispel misconceptions. Change would be slow and progressive, with most of the present workforce finishing their employment as they would normally have.

Dr Kalevi Tervo of ABB Marine Finland provocatively pointed out that automation was already taking place before many players realised what was happening. However, there has been a clear pulling back from the unmanned concept. The integration of systems to improve situational awareness was where greatest progress could be made relatively quickly, and it is possible we will soon see a periodically unmanned bridge in automotive mode on ocean passages.

The keynote presentations were followed by a

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TECHNOLOGY

panel discussion during which it was acknowledged that the business case had been made for autonomy on small vessels (ferries) in coastal waters. However, the general desire in the case of larger vessels was not to unman, but for personnel to revert to an onboard safety role.

It was notable that there was no seafarer representative on the panel.

A worrying statement from a panel representative relating to seafarers – ‘You need a master, either afloat or ashore, to take responsibility’ – surprised some but not all the audience. The statement demonstrates the lack of forward thinking on this issue and prompts the question as to why the shipowner or DPA should not be responsible. Also of concern was when a panel member asserted without evidence that the ITF was supportive of autonomous shipping.

Effective collision avoidance necessitates multiple sensors and collision avoidance algorithms, underpinned by very high reliability, redundancy and tolerance to system configuration.

Concepts, case studies and innovation

Navigation and positioning challenges This session focused on navigation and position fixing. There were five presentations from: Dr Marko Höyhtyä, VTT Research Centre, Finland; Bruno Sourice, DCNC research; Andreas Brandsaeter, DNV GL; Klaas Visser, Delft University of Technology; and Geraint West, Sonardyne International – who presented the preliminary outcomes of the UK government funded project AutoMINDER. All five presentations touched on connectivity and the high-level architecture and sub-systems required.

From top: conference speakers Eirik Evjen Hovstein; Andrea Morgante; and Ann-Sofie Pauwelyn

In this session, Dr Henry Robinson of H Scientific Ltd said that in some instances, a high degree of autonomy was both economic and arguably desirable, e.g. small survey vessels with relatively large crews undertaking routine work. In other cases, the use of the new Lidar technology (3D laser scanning) would assist onboard crews with improved situational awareness and collision avoidance.

Tom Eystø centred on the joint venture of Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg called Massterly, which offers a complete value chain for logistics operations involving autonomous ships.

Adam Ehart of Textron Unmanned Systems traced the development from unmanned aerial vehicles to unmanned vessels for the US Navy, and Andrea Morgante of Wärtsilä drew attention to the longstanding existence of unmanned enginerooms, stressing that seafarers should not fear new technology.

Hans-Christoph Burmeister of the Fraunhofer Centre for Maritime Logistics explained the FernSAMS research project into remotely controlled tugs. On a scale of 0=blue sky to 9=commercial, about 6 has so far been achieved – but, he argued, a solution to line

MODEL TRIALS The Finnish firm Aker Arctic has demonstrated an autonomous ship model – pictured right – showing its ability to detect obstacles and manoeuvre around them without operator input.

The model vessel used onboard sensors to avoid the obstacles and to moor itself automatically to a target pier in Aker Arctic’s test laboratory in Helsinki. The company said the tests were a step forward in the development of autonomous shipping and the technology used in the tests in the can be adapted to semi and full Tur, laboratory qui int, sa per at adi il issi tetur? scale prototypes.

Ibus et volu ptae

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REMOTE TUG The Dutch towage company Kotug has staged what it claims to be the first long-distance remote-controlled operation of a tug – driving the Rotterdam-based Rotortug RT Borkum from a special control console 1,200km away in the south of France, pictured right.

The company set up the remote command station at the ITS trade show in Marseille, enabling a Kotug captain to pilot the tug using a secure internet connection, video camera feeds and a duplicate bridge console.

Kotug said it believes remotecontrolled vessels will be the first step to autonomous shipping and, combined with drone technology to connect the towline, it argues that unmanned operations are increasingly viable from the commercial and technical point of view – although the regulatory regime will need to change.

handling needs to be found before further progress can be made.

Richard Daltry of ASV Global presented the case for unmanned surface vessels, and Michael Johnson of SEA Robotics asserted that smart ship technology with autonomous command and ship-to-shore connectivity provides value, predictability and improved levels of safety.

Situational awareness and decision support In this session, Dr Tim Barton of Leidos presented work on the design, build and demonstration of Sea Hunter for the US Department of Defense, which applies automation to landing craft. He stated that the operation of the collision regulations was ‘done technology’.

The general desire for larger vessels was not to unman, but for personnel to revert to an onboard safety role

Russ Miles of Guidance Marine (Wärtsilä) identified the use of sensors for position fixing and collision avoidance, and Ralph Dodds of Atlas Elektronic UK explained how the increasingly complex data available to operators could be presented in a 3D visualisation rather than a series of flat screens. Dino Mandic of SailRouter described a wave recognition system that computes wave height, the significant wave period and angle of encounter as a self-awareness system for autonomous ships.

Professor Etsuro Shimizu of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology described the operation of a wireless LAN and a mobile phone network as a low-cost communication method between a small boat in confined waters and a remote onshore station. Erik Evjen Hovstein of Maritime Robotics added that for such vessels the human was better ashore – i.e. safer and more productive.

Design and operation (best practice) Dr Sauli Ahvenjärvi of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences considered the all-important issue of the interaction between manned and unmanned ships.

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TECHNOLOGY

Marine Engineering spoke of developing a 300TEU autonomous ship which, if successful, would be the first truly autonomous trading vessel. Taking off the onboard accommodation has considerable implications for fuel efficiency, he pointed out.

Inland waterways

FERRY‘S HANDS-FREE DOCKING Look no hands… pictured above are trials of an ‘world-first autodocking’ system being carried out onboard the 1,182gt Norwegian ferry Folgefonn earlier this year.

The system, developed by the technology group Wärtsilä, is based on dynamic positioning and cuts in some 2,000m from the berth, slowing the ship before activating the line-up and docking manoeuvre. It can also be used for automated departures from the berth, and manual intervention and control is possible at any time.

Wärtsilä said the system improves efficiency, saves fuel, reduces wear and tear on the engine, and improves safety. ‘The automatic function allows the ship’s officers to focus on situational awareness outside the wheelhouse, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the operations,’ it added.

This presentation appeared to find problems where none existed – overlooking the obvious solution of unmanned giving way to manned, like steam giving way to sail. Instead he considered that a move beyond the present regulations for preventing collisions at sea to a more automated system of collision avoidance was necessary.

Professor John Cross of the Marine Institute of Memorial University presented work undertaken with Gordon Meadows of Southampton Solent University into the IMO STCW competences for chief engineer. It was advocated that a new sub-set of skills was required for AI ships. There would be less ‘hands-on’ work and more ‘monitoring’, hence the role of officers would change. In questions following the presentation, the researchers acknowledged they had not evaluated ETO competencies.

Christer Baltzersen of Inmarsat Maritime spoke about Fleet Express, a system of new satellites for a rapidly developing digitalised and automated society, while Dr Sewon Kim of Daewoo Shipbuilding and

Many speakers argued that new technology could be beneficial for situational awareness

In this session, Ann-Sofie Pauwelyn of De Vlaamse Waterweg outlined an intended framework for automation research and trials on 1,076km of inland waterways in Belgium and the Netherlands, commencing in 2020. More information is available at www.vlaamsewaterweg.be/smart-shipping.

Aditya Nawab of Robosys Autonomous Unmanned Systems outlined the development of onboard systems to avoid obstacles in narrow channels and waterways.

This involved integrated algorithmic processors with inputs from cameras, electronic charts, radar, Lidar, AIS/ARPA/VTS and sonar.

Legal and regulatory frameworks The symposium ended with presentations given by legal and industry representatives: Iiro Lindborg of Rolls-Royce; Bjarke Holm Hansen of CORE Advokatfirma; Mark Johnson of Reed Smith; and Sean Pribyl of Blank Rome LLP. It was noted that the UK has now registered an autonomous vessel and the market is providing insurance to this sector. There are still considerable issues to address – not least the responsibilities between ship and shore and between human factors and technology.

Academics and lawyers will be kept occupied for years to come. In the absence of specific regulation, it was agreed that autonomous should give way to manned, as powered gives way to sail. As with hovercraft, the identification of autonomous vessels would be useful for this.

Conclusion One of the main points to take away from this symposium was that ‘autonomous’ no longer means fully unmanned, if it ever did. It is a question of degrees, dependent upon technological limitations and economic factors.

Many speakers agreed that new technology could be beneficial for increasing situational awareness and improving safety, and shipowners and governments must recognise the importance of equipping vessels in this way.

Finally, it is likely that technological change will render obsolete the structures and organisations that we have today, and we must not let the opportunity slip to shape the future rather than be overtaken by events.

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nautilusint.org 37 September 2018

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INTERNATIONAL

BRINGING HOME THE BACON? Denmark’s merchant fleet has grown by a record 25% over the past year, but the question remains of how much this is likely to benefit the country’s seafarers. ANDREW DRAPER finds out…

bolishing the registration fee to join the Danish flag and opening up the Danish international register (DIS) to the offshore sector has led to a boom in ships joining the Danish flag.

But unions fear that the maritime labour supply may not keep up with the fleet’s growth. Young people in particular are not being turned on by the prospect of a career at sea, they say. A large cohort of senior officers will retire in the coming years and unless they are replaced, a gaping hole may be left in the Danish merchant fleet.

Fresh data from the national shipowners’ association, Danish Shipping, show that the nationalflagged fleet grew 25% over the past year. With 3.8m gt being added to the books, the fleet totalled 703 ships of 19.4m gt by April 2018 compared with 480 ships of 11m gt in 2010.

Part of the growth is accounted for by Maersk’s acquisition of Hamburg Süd and, in terms of gross tonnage, the container fleet is the largest sector under the Danish flag. But more than half the fleet now consists of offshore and specialised vessels – which, thanks to a change in the law, are now allowed to go on the DIS register.

‘The massive reflagging of vessels to the Danish flag in the first four months of 2018 underlines Denmark’s position as a strong and attractive shipping nation and

A

Above: John Ibsen, of the Dansk Metal union, which represents ratings and some officers Above right: Fritz Ganzhorn, of the Søfartens Ledere officers’ union

as a global maritime power hub,’ the owners claimed in a report earlier this year.

They say they are keen to train more Danish seafarers, but raising the numbers coming in – and staying in – is proving to be a big challenge.

Fritz Ganzhorn, secretary-general of officers’ union SL, comments: ‘The union has fewer members now because fewer Danes want to go to sea. It’s not always interesting at sea, not exciting enough. They don’t want to spend a long time at sea.’

He says some Danish shipping companies now have fewer officers than before the financial crisis of 2008, and shipping is struggling to attract young people, who expect to have influence over their work

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Employment in Danish shipping sector

Seafarers' nationalities in Danish shipping sector

25,000

■ Danish seafarers

20,000

5,935

6,112

5,736

6,689

6,250

2,638

6,237

6,157

7,316

6,499

6,516

3,211

2,662

2,646

2,642

7,786

7,648

7,783

7,640

7,635

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

■ EU seafarers ■ Seafarers of other nationalities

15,000

■ Land-based emploment in Denmark

10,000

Source: Danish Shipping

5,000

39% 45%

16%

0

and enjoy decent standards of treatment by their employers.

After years of decline, the proportion of Danish seafarers in the national fleet seems to have stabilised at just under half. But Mr Ganzhorn adds: ‘We have to see growth in the number of officers in order to support growth in the industry. There are ship officer competencies that are not the only prerequisite – but one of them – for having maritime companies in Denmark. I still think alarm bells are ringing until the industry trains more.’

The shipowners say they are increasingly concerned about a shortage of qualified labour – and with plans for a further 10% growth of the fleet by 2022, they are seeking to at least maintain the number of Danish seafarers.

The government is supporting attempts to retain a good pool of maritime expertise and its Blue Maritime policy package underlines the importance of making young people ‘aware and informed of the opportunities in an industry which offers a global perspective, competitive salaries and a progressive and structured career path’.

Ministers have also invited ideas for improving seafarer training programmes, and have backed a plan to guarantee 350 training positions a year through a new apprenticeship programme, while also setting up a special pilot scheme for seafarer training in the ferry sector.

'The owners say they want to train more Danish seafarers, but young people don’t want to go to sea'

■ Danish seafarers

■ EU seafarers

■ Seafarers of other nationalities

SL is continuing to lobby political parties for tax reform to ensure that Danish officers are internationally competitive – noting that Maersk Supply Service has to pay 30% to 40% more in salaries to Danes working on Isle of Man vessels than if they were working on DIS ships.

John Ibsen, head of secretariat at the seafaring section of the Dansk Metal union, says the 350 promised trainee positions are payback by the owners for the country’s tonnage tax regime. The union says 240 of the trainees will be officers and 110 ratings.

Dansk Metal used to represent catering officers, but they have now all but been wiped out after Maersk moved the role to the Philippines and offered attractive redundancy terms. The union now represents ratings and an increasing number of officers.

Mr Ibsen says the new cadet and trainee posts are crucial to the future of the Danish shipping industry and the owners have been good at running recruitment campaigns in schools and colleges. The growing offshore wind energy sector is also creating new demand for seafarers.

But, he warns, many young people are put off because of the social isolation at sea. And it is also not just a question of money, he argues, the work needs to be interesting.

Mr Ibsen remains hopeful, however. ‘I’ll see how it goes,’ he says. ‘It could go either way, but I hope the offshore DIS goes the right way. We’ve said that it was a good idea. There’s been a lot of pressure from AP Møller to get offshore DIS so they can flag ships from the Isle of Man. If they flag in to DIS, it will create a lot of jobs. Whether they’ll be Danish jobs, I don’t know, but they’ll be on Danish terms. That will be super.’

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PEOPLE

en years ago, I would never have even dreamt about becoming a master,’ says Pierre Blanchard. But now, at the age of 32, he’s not only in command of a gas tanker but also recently became the head of the French shipmasters’ association AFCAN. Pierre’s parents were postal workers and he has no family connections to shipping. But he grew up near the sea in Cherbourg and, from an early age, developed a love of sailing.

After passing his high school exams, Pierre was accepted into ENMM, the French merchant navy officer training academy. ‘At first, my mother and father were not aware of what a move to the Le Havre Academy entailed, and they were quite stressed when I went to sea for the first time,’ he recalls.

However, they soon mellowed as he went on to spend time as a cadet with Brittany Ferries, followed by a period serving on the salvage tug Abeille Liberté and as a dualpurpose cadet on V.Ships France VLCCs and gas carriers. By 2012, he was working as chief officer on LPG tankers before taking a sabbatical to serve as skipper of a sailing catamaran, crossing the Atlantic to sail around the Caribbean.

In May 2013 Pierre returned to V.Ships as a gas engineer and then served as chief officer until his promotion to captain in December 2016. ‘It was a surprise that my career has developed quite fast and earlier than expected – and coming from a working class family you couldn’t even imagine you could actually get to be a captain at all,’ he admits.

When he became a captain, Pierre joined AFCAN – which was established in 1979 to fight for the rights and interests of French shipmasters and to improve safety at sea. He was initially involved because of the association’s insurance services

'T

Captain Pierre Blanchard, the new head of the French shipmasters’ association AFCAN Image: Eric Houri

PROMOTING SEAFARING, PROTECTING THE SEA There’s a new, young, face at the head of the French shipmasters’ association.

JEFF APTER hears what Pierre Blanchard wants to achieve in the job… nautilusint.org 40 September 2018

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but rapidly grew to appreciate its legal work, protecting masters who are first in line when problems arise, delivering expert advice to the French administration, and accompanying the French delegation to the International Maritime Organisation. ‘I’ve learnt a lot preparing for new laws and IMO rules,’ he notes.

Pierre was elected president of AFCAN in March this year, and he has very clear ambitions in his role. Like his elder brother, who teaches the subject in school, Pierre is particularly interested in environmental matters. In June, AFCAN participated in a meeting in Marseilles about protecting whales ‘to show that our members love the sea and want to do the maximum to protect it. Captains do not pollute. We must speak out about it – and not only when incidents arise’.

He is also keen to improve security at sea and to reduce the dangers in piracy hotspots.

Ten years ago, as a cadet, he served on a VLCC involved in a collision and that has left him with concerns over the safety and manoeuvrability of increasingly large ships. ‘It’s not good for a vessel to be too big,’ he stresses.

Pierre says autonomous

‘Captains do not pollute. We must speak out about it – and not only when incidents arise’ shipping is also a big debating issue for AFCAN members, and he is unhappy about the potential impact on training and experience.

‘I am a young captain, but if you don’t practise your skills you will lose them,’ he adds. ‘The artificial intelligence lobby industry is in contact with owners to save money but has no relation with the sea and does not understand international maritime rules and practices.’

French shipmaster numbers are fairly stable at present, but Pierre – who serves on a French-flagged LPG vessel in the Geogas fleet – is disturbed by a decline in officer training. ‘Even 40 or 50 years ago, older AFCAN captains said there was no future for French seafarers, but I don’t agree,’ he says.

‘The government can always do more for merchant shipping, but in a world of open competition, French masters and officers always have to show they are the best. For example, Geogas maintains its French officers because our work is very specialised and needs high

Capt Blanchard is now serving as a master on a French-flagged vessel in the Geogas fleet

skills, and the French training system has shown it is the best.’

However, he notes, there is a struggle – as in the UK – to find sufficient berths for French cadets.

The French training academy recently secured an agreement with Carnival to provide seatime for officer trainees, and he is keen to see how this will develop.

Pierre says he loves being at sea and considers he is privileged to be a shipmaster. His first VLCC sailed to South Africa, West Africa, then China – five weeks of slow steaming. ‘We were in the middle of the Indian Ocean and I said to myself “this is where I want to be”,’ he recalls.

Other big positives are travelling, seeing the world and meeting people of different cultures. And the negative side to the job? ‘Being away for six months can be a cause of breakdown of the family and relationships. Stress is particularly prevalent for a captain, keeping the crew safe onboard and avoiding collisions and pollution.’

Pierre is keen to see a new generation following in his footsteps and spends a lot of his time as master helping cadets. ‘We should encourage young people to go sea,’ he concludes. ‘It’s a great job.’

September 2018 41 nautilu nautilusint.org

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21/08/2018 08:39

PEOPLE

John Dent loved the outdoors and was a keen walker

PORTS AND FERRIES FALL SILENT IN MEMORY OF CHIEF ENGINEER Northlink Ferries engineer officers Alan Smith, Fraser Cumming, Steve Lloyd, Richard T. Cole and Malcolm Rang pay tribute to their well-liked colleague John Dent…

I

t is with heavy heart and great sadness that we announce the tragic and untimely passing of our dear friend and shipmate John Dent, chief engineer with Northlink Ferries in

Aberdeen.

John Dent, or ‘Denty’ as he was commonly known on the ships, didn’t follow the traditional path into the Merchant Navy as an engineering officer by way of a cadetship, but rather he did it the hard, and some would even say the proper way.

Around 1988, John was undergoing his training at Albert

Le Blonde’s Wear Dockyard in Sunderland and attending South Tyneside College when he won Apprentice of the Year. P&O Scottish Ferries carried out their annual vessel refits at Wear Dockyard at that time; the Orkney ferry St Ola had a diesel generator to overhaul and John was part of the yard squad assigned to that job.

He worked on the P&O Scottish Ferries dry-dockings for two years running, and on the second occasion enquired how he could get a job ‘on the ships’. The ship’s engineers approached the superintendent, who discussed with the yard managers whether they could accommodate this

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21/08/2018 08:41

The ‘north boats’ held a minute’s silence in tribute to John Dent

enthusiastic young man’s desire to work at sea. It was an easy decision for them to make and John’s initiative was suitably rewarded. So began his 30-year career at sea with P&O and Northlink Ferries, serving Orkney and Shetland.

At first, the young Geordie engineer recommended by management was treated with some suspicion by mainly elder and possibly less able old salts. John’s willingness and ability soon showed, however, and before too long chief engineers were vying with each other to get him on their ships.

This is where his route of apprenticeship rather than cadetship really came to the fore; his engineering knowledge and experience of so many types of machinery was very impressive and belied his years. He was soon promoted up the ladder and studying hard for engineering certificates. Despite his rapid promotion, John’s style and concern for others quickly had him well respected by work colleagues across all departments onboard.

Equally, when he returned to the dry docks in NE England – this time as ship’s crew – he was like a ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’. He knew every trick in the book because back in the day he’d used them all himself. Much to our amusement, and their annoyance, the yard lads didn’t get away with a thing. As John himself would say with his cheeky smile: ‘Got to be done!’

In 2002 there were major changes for all involved in the ‘north boats’ services when Northlink took over. The hard-working, yet still popular 32-year-old ships of P&O Scottish Ferries were replaced with brand new vessels, and coming to terms with the jump to the new technology was

John's greatest strength was his willingness and enthusiasm to share his experience and knowledge with others

a challenge for all involved. Again, John just took it in his stride. He embraced this new technology effortlessly. With his leadership skills again coming to the fore, he acted as a reassuring and calming influence on those around him.

Ultimately, his rise to chief engineer, the rank in which he served for many years, was a natural progression and a position that he again excelled in. The respect shown to him was deserved, those working under him knew he didn’t just ‘talk the talk’ but had indeed ‘walked the walk’.

He led by example and was greatly admired for it.

John’s greatest strength, however, was his willingness and enthusiasm to share his experience and knowledge with others. In particular, he shaped the work ethic of many – whether young and inexperienced or just old and stubborn – and quite simply made them all better engineers. The professionalism he instilled in them all is being carried forward and in turn will be passed on to the next generation. In doing so, John leaves a fitting legacy to the marine engineering profession, and that’s a wonderful thing – something that we are all grateful for, and something that should be a source of great pride for his wife Elizabeth and three girls.

John not only cared for people above and below him.

He always showed compassion and fought for anyone he perceived as being unfairly treated, not just in his own department but for all onboard. He became universally respected, well liked and part of the north boats family.

This was evident by the number of colleagues past and present who travelled from near and far to pay their last respects at his funeral service at Hexham Abbey on 20 July.

John was also very much in the thoughts of many others who unfortunately couldn’t be there on the day, and at 11 o’clock on that Friday morning, with all flags lowered, a minute’s silence was observed onboard all the ships and at all the north boat ports as a mark of respect for him.

John wasn’t just wise in engineering. In his early years the financial improvement that early promotion brought was used wisely. When he married Elizabeth 25 years ago, he didn’t just buy a home for the two of them, he bought the house next door. He obviously had in mind the kind of life he envisaged for his family.

He was always active; out walking with his two Labradors, fishing, golfing, snow skiing, water skiing and motorcycling – the latter of which was to ultimately claim his life on Sunday 8 July.

At work, John always spoke to us with such pride about his family. He couldn’t wait to get home after a trip at sea, and when heading down the gangway his smile couldn’t be any wider. The thoughts of us all are, and will remain, with Elizabeth, Vikki, Rebecca, Sally, and the rest of John’s family and close friends John lived and loved life, and today the world just feels a bit of a sadder place without him. We all share a deep sense of loss and will desperately miss our dear friend and shipmate – but he will be remembered always.

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NAUTILUS AT WORK

SUITABLE TRIBUTE Organisers of a campaign to construct a Merchant Navy monument in the city of Plymouth are appealing to Nautilus members for support…

autilus members are being encouraged to contribute to an appeal to fund the costs of a new Merchant Navy monument in the city of Plymouth.

Organisers of the appeal have already secured a substantial part of the target figure – and they are seeking to make ‘one last big push’ to secure all the money needed to erect the memorial on Plymouth Hoe. It is hoped that the monument – which will feature a statue of a seafarer on a granite plinth – can be unveiled on 3 September 2019 to coincide with Merchant Navy Day and the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the merchant ship Athenia, with the loss of 117 lives, in the first action of the second world war.

The campaign was launched a few years ago in response to concerns that Plymouth – which has a long and deep maritime history – has only a small and hard to locate plaque to acknowledge the sacrifices made by members of the ‘fourth arm’ of the nation’s defences.

N

The monument will be sited alongside similar memorials honouring those who served in the Army, Navy and Air Force and will be dedicated to all those who serve, or have served, in the British Merchant Navy or fishing fleet in times of both peace and war.

‘We want to see that merchant seafarers are properly recognised for their contribution – not just in war but also to the prosperity of the nation and supporting our daily lives,’ says Michael Everard, a former shipowner who is leading the national fundraising efforts.

‘The general public are often very unaware of the importance of seafarers to society and this monument will be in a fantastic location on Plymouth Hoe, where it will be seen by thousands of tourists every year,’ he adds, ‘and there

The proposed new MN memorial would be erected on Plymouth Hoe, beside the Armada monument

Plymouth’s current MN memorial, set in a wall near the Mayflower Steps, is hard to find

will be a plaque on the monument which will emphasise how essential ships and seafarers are to the country.’

‘The appeal has been very successful so far,’ Mr Everard says. ‘We are trying to raise £160,000 and have virtually hit the £140,000 mark already. There has been terrific support locally, and because of my strong links to Plymouth I have got involved in taking the appeal to national level.’

It is expected that the total project cost will run to more than £200,000 – which will include design and planning work, the casting of the statue, and the erection and maintenance of the monument. A crowd-funding initiative staged at the end of 2017 proved extremely successful in raising more than £31,000 within 70 days and now Nautilus members are being invited to support a new drive to pass the next fundraising milestone.

‘This is a great opportunity to contribute to a very visible tribute to the Merchant Navy and merchant seafarers,’ Mr Everard points out. ‘Britain couldn’t do anything without its seafarers, and this appeal will make sure that there is a lasting message in an iconic location.’

Anyone wanting to donate to the appeal can do so via the Plymouth Merchant Navy Monument Fund website.

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21/08/2018 12:05

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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. Please visit our website for full details of the case.

WHY TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR TAX AFFAIRS? Let Seatax use their knowledge and 35 years experience to ensure you do not fall foul of the rules OUR FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Annual Return ...................................................................................................... £225.00 inclusive of VAT at 20% NAUTILUS members in the UK sailing under a foreign flag agreement on gross remuneration can obtain a 10% reduction on the above enrolment fee by quoting their NAUTILUS membership number and a 5% reduction on re-enrolment.

or ite, e now r W on re ph r mo : fo tails de Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES.

Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: info@seatax.ltd.uk www.seatax.ltd.uk nautilusint.org 45 September 2018

TEL.SEPT2018.045.indd 45

14/08/2018 14:37

NAU T I LUS AT WOR K

Nautilus is particularly keen for members in

NW England to attend this conference

UK BRANCH CONFERENCE 2018

UK Branch Conference 2018

Attendance form This form should be completed and returned to Adele McDonald, Nautilus International Head Office, 1 & 2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD. Email: amcdonald@nautilusint.org .

A limited amount of financial assistance is available for those full members wishing to attend and who otherwise would not be able to make the journey.

Please indicate below if you wish to be considered for financial aid.

Please complete in BLOCK CAPITALS I wish to apply to attend the 2018 UK Branch Conference and confirm that I am a full member of Nautilus International.

Name Address (for all correspondence)

Postcode Tel no.

Membership no.

Company Rank Present ship Please give details of involvement with Nautilus, eg. as a liaison officer or honorary delegate, or if you have attended a Nautilus education course or a previous General Meeting or branch conference.

If you wish to apply for financial assistance please tick this box

❍

As this conference will be paperless, please let us know if you can bring your own laptop or tablet

❍

❍

YES

NO

UK full members are warmly invited to take part in the Union’s annual branch conference and Fair Treatment Symposium in Liverpool on 2 October… he countdown to this year’s Nautilus UK branch conference is well under way – so you need to act now if you want to register for the meeting and to apply for financial assistance to attend.

Taking place at the Holiday Inn hotel in Liverpool city centre on Tuesday 2 October, the branch conference will be followed by a special symposium to consider the continued threat of criminalisation in the maritime profession.

The formal part of the day is the branch conference, which is reserved for full members of the Union, and will take place in the morning. The meeting will consider the 2018 report on UK branch activities and will also decide on any motions submitted by members before the 31 August deadline.

The afternoon symposium will be devoted to the important subject of criminalisation and will be open to delegates from across the maritime sector. With seafarers continuing to be treated as scapegoats after maritime accidents, an expert panel of speakers will consider the problems facing maritime professionals who are singled out for blame following incidents.

Leading the discussions will be Seafarers’ Rights International executive director Deirdre Fitzpatrick, International Transport Workers’ Federation maritime coordinator Jacqueline Smith and Helen Kelly, from Lloyd’s List.

Natalie Beswetherick, director of the practice and development directorate at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, will compare the situation facing seafarers with the way medical professionals are treated after incidents.

The symposium will also hear the results of a new survey of members on the subject of fair treatment, which is presently under way.

The UK national committee is keen to ensure a good turnout from members in the NW of England. Meetings of the Nautilus Young Maritime Professionals and Women’s Forums will be held on Monday 1 October and members attending those meetings will be able to stay on to attend the branch conference and symposium on the following day.

A limited amount of financial assistance is available for UKbased full members wishing to attend the meeting. This will be allocated across the various categories of membership to ensure appropriate representation for each category.

To register, complete and return the form on this page as soon as possible or go to: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ NautBC18. For further information, email amacdonald@ nautilusint.org.

T

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21/08/2018 15:01

NAU T I LUS AT WOR K

TAKE A STAND FOR THE COUNCIL If you have got good ideas for the future of the maritime industry, now’s the time to take part in elections to the Union’s governing body, the Council… atigue, stress, excessive workloads, training, pay and conditions, job security, criminalisation, piracy – the list of challenges facing maritime professionals today is almost endless.

Do you want to do something about them? Why not stand for election to the Nautilus International Council?

Nautilus International is a democratic membership organisation – and its governing body is the Council, which

has 32 elected members representing the various categories of maritime professionals.

Council members are elected to serve a four-year term and the elections are held on a rolling basis, which usually means that just about half the Council positions come up for election every two years.

Twenty-three of the 32 places are reserved for members of the UK branch, eight places are for members

F

2019 ELECTIONS

UK seats Total seats

NL seats

Total no. 2019 Total no. of seats vacancies of seats

CH seats

2019 Total no. vacancies of seats

2019 vacancies

CATEGORY 1. Navigators, inc. shipmasters

14

11

7*

3

2

0

0

2. Engineers, including ETOs/Elec/RO

10

8

5*

2

1

0

0

3. Ratings

2

1

1

1

1

0

0

4. Inland navigation

2

0

0

1

1

1

1

5. Other particular categories, including hotel services and shore-based members

4

3

1

1

0

0

0

TOTALS

32 23

14

8

5

1

1

* including by-elections for 2 year period

of the Netherlands branch, and one from the Swiss branch.

The table shows the number of seats, the membership categories and the vacancies which are for election in 2019.

The table also shows the split between the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. Full paid-up members (including cadets) in categories for which there are vacancies are entitled to stand for election.

Please use the table to check whether there is a vacancy in your category and then go to the Nautilus website to download the candidate nomination forms. You will need to get four other full members — also paid-up and from the same national branch as you — to add their names, addresses, membership numbers, signature and date of signing in the appropriate space, to reach head office by 1700hrs on Monday 19 November 2018.

If you can’t personally get the signatures of your supporters (they may sail on different ships, for instance), fi ll in the top half of Form A yourself and send it to head office. Ask your supporters to fi ll in Form B and send it in separately — both forms must reach head office by 1700 on Monday 19 November 2018.

All eligible full members will be sent the Council election nomination papers by the deadline of 17 September 2018. www.nautilusint.org/elections

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M A R I T I M E B O OK S

The deepsea marvel in a Cold War plot The Taking of K-129

By Josh Dean Amberley, £10.99 ISBN: 978 14456 83843

merica’s audacious plot to recover a sunken Soviet submarine from a depth of 17,000ft in the Pacific is at the heart of this remarkable – and true – tale.

But the star of the story is the specially-built ship Glomar Explorer – described as the most complicated and most expensive vessel ever constructed, and one which went on to have a long further career in the offshore sector.

This pacey and wellwritten account reads like a thriller, explaining how the submarine K-129 went missing during a routine patrol in 1968, along with its 93 crew and three nuclear ballistic missiles. Soviet searches proved fruitless, but the US used data from a system of undersea hydrophones to

A

calculate where the wreck was involved in building and (some 1,560nm NE of Oahu). fitting out the ship, a diverse The CIA then constructed workforce and in the face an elaborate cover story for of a dispute over trade their operation to retrieve the union rights on the vessel – submarine and the secrets it whilst also striving to meet contained, including codes, demanding schedules. He nuclear missile make-up roundly brings to life the and capability, diverse characters and guidance involved in this systems. The incredible plot, Agency not only and powerfully This title is available commissioned explains the at a special discount the construction immense technical in the Nautilus of a ship to lift challenges involved Bookshop the wreckage from in the design and the ocean floor – construction of 10 times deeper than any Glomar Explorer – pushing the previous salvage project – but boundaries in areas such as disguised it as a pioneering station-keeping, heavy-lift and deepwater mining mission heave-compensation, as well for the reclusive billionaire as an early satellite navigation Howard Hughes. system whose computers filled Author Josh Dean captures a container. the excruciating tension of Not surprisingly, the ship maintaining that secrecy – not left a lasting legacy through its least with several companies successful use of various new

Book of the month

systems and technologies in deep water. After a couple of spells laid-up as part of the US reserve fleet, Glomar Explorer enjoyed a successful subsequent career as a deepsea drilling ship.

The K-129 salvage operation proved only partially successful, because a big chunk of the submarine broke off while being raised and the CIA’s attempt to stage a second mission was blocked as the project imploded in the face of leaks to the press, legal threats and protests from the Soviet Union. But this fascinating book underlines both the incredible scale, significance and ambition of the mission and the engineering expertise that went into the development of a ship ‘that everyone considers a marvel’.

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21/08/2018 08:42

Comprehensive shiphandling guide by a cruise master who’s seen it all

Engineering triumph taken to our hearts as ‘Scotland’s lighthouse’

Cruiseships keep getting bigger and bigger and, as some incidents have served to demonstrate, the consequences of accidents have increased exponentially.

This clear and thorough 361page book therefore makes a significant contribution to the cause of safety, providing insightful guidance based on the practical experience that Capt Nick Nash – a serving master with Princess Cruises and a training captain at the CSMART Centre – has gained in almost 30 years of cruiseship experience, including the last 14 in command.

Aimed in particular at those serving on vessels of 70,000gt and above with twinscrews, twin-rudders and multiple thrusters, the book draws from his manoeuvring notes and is liberally illustrated with relevant photographs, diagrams, charts and actual approach and departure plans for some of the most popular cruise ports around the world.

Capt Nash gives four ‘top tips’ for prospective shiphandlers in his foreword – on positioning, speed control, patience and keeping one hand in your pocket (so as to use only one hand on one control lever at a time).

However, his 359-page book leaves no stone unturned in its comprehensive guidance.

Subjects covered include: the pivot point; propellers, rudders and thrusters; podded

Everybody likes a good lighthouse, and the one at Bell Rock is among the best.

Standing on a submerged reef some 12 miles off Arbroath in eastern Scotland, the tower has stood for over 200 years, and was continuously manned for over 177 of those.

Bell Rock Lighthouse tells the story of the Northern Lighthouse Board’s tower from its conception to the present day, illustrated with a fantastic collection of photographs, paintings and architects’ plans.

The building is well known as the masterwork of Robert Stevenson, but like many historians today, author Michael Strachan is at pains to acknowledge ackno ledge the important contribution of chief engineer John Rennie.

The lighthouse-keepers and boatmen who kept the beacon going over the years are also warmly remembered, as the story moves gradually through various phases of modernisation and the installation of new equipment.

These days, the lighthouse is remotely operated from Edinburgh and serviced by visiting engineering crews who usually arrive by helicopter, although the NLB vessel Pharos occasionally visits.

The building is so iconic it has been dubbed ‘Scotland’s lighthouse’, and it has long formed part of the NLB logo.

Telegraph readers in the UK are likely to know much of the story in Bell Rock Lighthouse already, but whether you’re a long-time devotee or new to the subject, this nicely-presented and clearly-written book will be a fine addition to your maritime bookshelf.

NAUTILUS BOOKSHOP

propulsion systems; squat, interaction and bank effects; rate of turn; the impact of winds and currents; controlled and crash stops and emergency anchoring; and issues such as berthing and liftingoff techniques, and drift angles.

Along the way, Capt Nash throws in some fascinating case studies, telling the reader how not to do it as well as how best to do it, as well as devoting a whole chapter to detailed advice on making the best use of a radius track control system.

Another very important section covers the rate of turn, stressing the importance of good monitoring and the way in which local environmental conditions can have a dramatic effect upon plans. Capt Nash also gives some useful advice on how to avoid the risk of heeling during the tight turns that cruiseships sometimes have to make.

Produced to admirably high standards, the book is clear and direct and excellently presented. Whilst it is primarily intended to help new and aspiring cruiseship captains, it contains much of relevance to all ship handlers and deserves to become a standard reference work for many years to come.

Shiphandling – Passenger Ships Without Tugs

By Captain Nick Nash Witherbys, £95 / ISBN: 978 18560 96690

Buy the books reviewed on these pages in the Nautilus Bookshop at www.marinesocietyshop.org/nautilus-bookshop and support a great maritime charity! Hosted by the online Marine Society Shop, the Nautilus Bookshop stocks the books reviewed in the Telegraph each month, and any profi ts from sales go towards the Marine Society’s educational work for seafarers.

• Go to www.marinesocietyshop.org/nautilus-bookshop to purchase this month’s reviewed titles online and browse a selection of recent releases. One of our reviewed titles is designated ‘book of the month’, and will be available at a special discount.

• You can also call the Marine Society Shop team on: +44 (0)20 7654 7012 to order this month’s titles over the phone with a debit or credit card.

Bell Rock Lighthouse: An Illustrated History

By Michael A.W. Strachan Amberley, £14.99 ISBN: 978 14456 70607

September 2018 49 nautilusint.org

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H I STORY

SHIPS OF THE PAST

By Andrew Linington he maritime charity Sailors’ Society held a wrote: ‘Many of the men were without clothing at all and commemoration at its Southampton offices at the last minute had secured a blanket for covering. last month to mark the centenary of the Others had very sparse clothing and still were wet, the sinking of a hospital ship in the English result of their sudden immersion.

Channel, with the loss of 123 people, on 3 August 1918.

‘I saw three men who had been torpedoed twice and The 7,713grt HM Australian Transport vessel Warilda three times previous, and by these men the name of was struck by a torpedo fired by the German submarine Sailors’ Society will be remembered as long as they live.’

UC49 while sailing from the French port of Le Havre to Built by William Beardmore and Company in Glasgow Southampton with 614 wounded servicemen, 70 nursing for the Adelaide Steamship Company, Warilda was staff and 117 crew onboard. designed for the East-West Australian Although the attack occurred at coastal service, with capacity for 430 night, Warilda was clearly marked with A German report described passengers. The ship was launched the Red Cross and the incident sparked in 1911 but was requisitioned by the the ship as an armed a public outcry in the UK. A German Commonwealth in August 1915 and ambulance transport and converted to serve as a transport report described the ship as an armed ambulance transport, and argued it argued it was therefore a ship. was a legitimate target as such vessels After a brief period carrying troops legitimate target as such were used to carry supplies for the to Egypt, Warilda was converted to vessels were used to carry a hospital ship in July 1916. Between Army.

Upon impact the ship’s starboard late 1916 and August 1918, the ship supplies for the Army propeller was disabled, the engineroom made more than 180 crossings from flooded and the steering gear destroyed. Unable to steer, Le Havre to Southampton, carrying almost 80,000 the Warilda continued moving in a circle at 15 knots and wounded service personnel. the lifeboats could not be lowered until the engine ran Warilda had a close escape in February 1918 after being out of steam. struck by a torpedo which failed to explode, and in the However, Warilda remained afloat for almost two hours following month was involved in a collision with the – enabling the evacuation of 678 survivors, many of steamship Petit Gaudet near the Isle of Wight. whom were taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Netley Sailors’ Society CEO Stuart Rivers said the charity had and the Jellicoe Sailors’ Rest, which was run by the Sailors’ lowered its flag on the anniversary of Warilda’s loss in Society. Amongst the survivors was the ship’s Australian tribute to those who died on the ship and in the war at master, Captain James Sim, who was later awarded the sea. ‘In the final months of World War I, Sailors’ Society OBE by King George V. supported more than 14,000 people from torpedoed The charity’s port missionary at the time, P. J. Pitter, ships,’ he noted.

T

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21/08/2018 08:43

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nautilusint.org 51 September 2018

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NL NEWS

telegraph B O R R D R A A I T D E E L S B I J T E N B E H O E V E VA N S T R I J D B A R E N A U T I LU S L E D E N

Nautilus, RMT, Unite en Paragon personeel demonstreren in Aberdeen Een deputatie van het met ontslag bedreigde personeel van Paragon in Beverwijk (NL), onlangs overgenomen door Borr Drilling, demonstreerde op 26 juli samen met de vakbonden Nautilus International, RMT en Unite voor het Borr Drilling kantoor in Aberdeen, Schotland. Zij overhandigden daar tegelijkertijd een petitie met handtekeningen aan Borr Drilling’s directeur Noordzee Darren Sutherland en HR manager Karen Scott. Hierin eisten zij een goed sociaal plan.

Tijdens een soortgelijke protestactie in Oslo op 13 juli jongstleden schitterden bestuursvoorzitter Tor Olav Troim en Director Fredrik Halvorsen door afwezigheid om deze petitie in ontvangst te nemen. Sutherland ging niet De petitie met op de inhoudelijke eisen in, maar stelde handtekeningen de petitie onder de aandacht van het waarin zij een goed sociaal hoger corporate management te zullen plan eisten, werd de directie van Borr Drilling op brengen. Tot op dat moment hulden overhandigd. aan te dringen te stoppen met Troim en Halversen zich echter nog altijd in social dumping. Het Schlumberger stilzwijgen. Nautilus vice voorzitter Sascha management gaf echter niet thuis. Wel Meijer, eveneens aanwezig: ‘Vandaag hebben we meldde vlak voor deze demonstratie Borr Drilling met deze actie in Aberdeen duidelijk gemaakt dat zich met de mededeling dat er toch nog werk zou we doorgaan met acties organiseren totdat er een zijn voor 15 offshore medewerkers en wellicht beter sociaal plan op tafel ligt.’ ook voor 3 kantoor medewerkers. Niet toevallig Nieuwe demonstratie bij Schlumberger en bijdraaien van Borr Een delegatie van de met ontslag bedreigde werknemers van Paragon in Beverwijk (NL) demonstreerde opnieuw op 9 augustus met de maritieme vakbond Nautilus International voor het kantoor van Borr Drilling’s grootste aandeelhouder: Schlumberger. Ook de ITF inspectors Nederland en FNV Havens waren van de partij. Zij riepen deze investeerder op er bij

allemaal strijdbare Nautilus leden..! Tot op heden, voor het ter perse gaan van dit nummer, gaf Borr echter nog geen garantie af dat deze werknemers onder het Nederlands recht blijven vallen. Een belangrijke eis voor Nautilus en zijn leden.

Borr gesommeerd achterstallig loon uit te betalen Naast het gegeven dat ruim 70 mensen eind juni een aankondiging van beëindiging van hun werkgelegenheid ontvingen, speelt er al langer een ander probleem bij Paragon Offshore (nu Borr Drilling). Dit probleem heeft te maken het niet volledig uitbetalen van het loon.

Het overeengekomen loon bestaat uit verschillende delen. Eén van deze delen is de zo genoemde Field Service payment (FSP). Deze FSP wordt maandelijks betaald, maar werd in 2017

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door Paragon stopgezet. Nautilus Paragon/ Borr bestuurder Bert Klein: ‘Tot op heden is deze betaling niet hervat. De FSP bedraagt ruim 25% van het basisloon. Iedereen begrijpt dat dit een behoorlijke achteruitgang in salaris is voor de werknemers van Paragon! De werknemers willen (na verschillende malen te hebben aangedrongen op betaling) nu via een juridische procedure hun achterstallig loon alsnog betaald krijgen. Wij zullen voor onze leden deze procedure voeren en hebben de werkgever gesommeerd de achterstallige lonen uit te betalen.’

Duimschroeven aandraaien Nautilus hoofdbestuurder Charley Ramdas: ‘Sinds Borr Drilling ons op 8 augustus aankondigde dat het ontslag van deze werknemers van de baan zou zijn, stellen wij ons nog altijd op het standpunt dat ze ook onder Nederlands recht blijven vallen.

En dient men bovendien nog ruim een half miljoen euro aan achterstallig loon aan deze en andere voormalig werknemers uit te keren.

Een modern internationaal offshore bedrijf onwaardig. Wij laten het er echter niet bij zitten en hebben onze advocaten opdracht gegeven de duimschroeven bij de Borr directie verder aan te draaien.’

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Vorige maand vroegen wij: Denkt u dat vlaggenstaten moeten worden gestraft wanneer zij onderzoeksrapporten over ongevallen niet publiceren?

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Deze maand vragen we: Denkt u dat de Brexit goed is voor de scheepvaartindustrie?

Geef ons uw mening online, op www.nautilusint.org/nl

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NL NEWS

Van Terschelling naar Harlingen met Tall Ship Christian Radich ‘Ik was de eerste aan boord die, op de eerste dag al, over zijn nek ging. We gingen net met stormachtig weer bij Stavanger de fjord uit, de zee op. Ik voelde me niet goed en dook mijn hangmat in. Toen ging het snel en voor ik vervolgens bij de wc kon komen, was het al gebeurd. Kotsmisselijk kon ik daarna de vloer gaan dweilen. Maar ja, dat hoort er allemaal bij. Verder heb ik een superleuke week gehad.

Met vandaag een prachtige intocht in de haven van Harlingen tot besluit!’

Onedin Line De 15-jarige Tall Ship trainee Boris Leij is maar wat trots op zijn ervaringen aan boord van het machtige Noorse zeilschip de – ‘White Lady’ – Christian Radich. Gebouwd in 1937 en onder andere bekend geworden uit de televisieserie The Onedin Line, uit de jaren 70. In de officiers salon, waar Onedin’s wereldberoemde Captain Baines regelmatig vertoefde, start Boris als gids zijn rondleiding voor een aantal gasten van de Stichting Harlingen Sail. Nautilus communicatie adviseur Hans Walthie voer ook mee op 3 augustus jongstleden. Vanaf de rede van Terschelling naar Harlingen haven.

toen ik voor het eerst de Main Royal mast in moest klimmen…37 meter hoog. Toen ik aan boord ging, kende ik niemand. Maar nu , na 5 dagen varen, eten, slapen en leven met elkaar aan boord, heb ik er veel vrienden en vriendinnen bij gekregen. Het is een hartstikke leuke ervaring. Ik kan het elke jongere aanbevelen. Zelf zit op de RSG Simon Vestdijk in Harlingen. Daar doe ik de HAVO. Of ik straks bij de Maritieme Academie in Harlingen aanmonster? Nou, dat weet ik nog niet hoor.

Zou kunnen, maar zo ver denk ik nog niet vooruit…’

Met gestreken zeilen, want de wind liet het, in tegenstelling tot de felle de zon, afweten.

Hartstikke leuke ervaring Enthousiast laat Boris zijn gasten het gehele schip zien. ‘Kijk, hier douchen de meisjes en hier de jongens. En hier eten we. We werken en wonen hier met zo’n 50 trainees, van 15 tot 25 jaar. De meesten vooral uit Harlingen en omgeving, maar ook een aantal uit Noorwegen. Zelf vond ik het wel erg spannend

Leren zeilen op traditionele schepen Tall Ships Races zijn de grootste internationale oceaanraces voor Sail Training-schepen. Alles draait bij dit jaarlijkse zeilevenement om de trainees (stagiairs).

Het evenement is bedoeld om jongeren onder de 25 jaar kennis te laten maken met de zee en met het zeilen op traditionele schepen.

De helft van de bemanning is daarom tussen de 15 en 25 jaar oud. Een vaste crew begeleidt de trainees. Dit jaar deden ruim 335 trainees en 58 Tall Ships mee.

Nautilus, FNV Havens en ITF inspectors willen intensievere samenwerking in Offshore Wind Tijdens een inspirerende werklunch op 8 juli in het Nautilus kantoor in Rotterdam hebben bestuurders van FNV Havens en Nautilus, tezamen met de ITF Inspectors Nederland, eerste verkennende gesprekken gevoerd over intensievere samenwerking in een aantal dossiers en sectoren. Eerste stap die gezet gaat worden is het uitwerken van een campagneplan inzake ‘Arbeidsvoorwaarden Nederlandse stroomvoorziening’, als onderdeel van de Energietransitie. Met name in de

Off shore Wind sector valt op dat het hoog tijd wordt dat er nu snel een goede cao komt.

Tijd voor volwassen arbeidsvoorwaarden Nautilus voorzitter Marcel van den Broek: ‘In deze nieuwe sector zijn de verhoudingen tussen de sociale partners nog niet uitgekristalliseerd. Het wordt nu tijd om volwassen arbeidsvoorwaarden te gaan opstellen in de Off shore Wind sector. Zoals we die ook kennen in de koopvaardij, de

havens en de waterbouw. Qua werkgelegenheid zijn goede afspraken tussen de sociale partners hard nodig.

Doorpakken nu FNV Havens bestuurder Niek Stam: ‘Het wordt nu echt hoog tijd dat we een campagne ‘Arbeidsvoorwaarden Nederlandse stroomvoorziening’ gaan starten. We sluiten als FNV al jaren aan land allerlei cao’s af, die met opwekking, opslag en transport van allerlei soorten energie te maken hebben. Maar

in de Off shore Wind is er nog niets fatsoenlijks geregeld. Hier ligt een belangrijke taak voor met name FNV Havens, Nautilus en de controlerende ITF Inspectors straks ook. We hebben nu tijdens onze werklunch afgesproken hier op korte termijn door te gaan pakken met elkaar.’

In september vinden vervolggesprekken plaats over op welke wijze de samenwerking op dit gebied verder vorm kan krijgen. En wordt ook bekeken of andere FNV sectoren hierbij betrokken kunnen worden.

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KOM OOK NAAR DE NAUTILUS KADERLEDEN DAG OP 5 OKTOBER Bent u ook een actief (kader) lid of wilt u zelf als Nautilus lid eens kijken wat dat inhoudt?

Op vrijdag 5 oktober organiseert Nautilus zijn eerste kaderledendag. Opkomen voor je eigen en elkaars belangen. Samen uitbouwen waar de bond voor gaat en staat. Hoe krijgen we (nog) meer leden en vooral ook jongere leden? Het belang van Duurzame Inzetbaarheid en Mental Fitness aan boord. Ervaringen uitwisselen met elkaar en met bondsbestuur en -medewerkers. Dat zijn de belangrijkste onderwerpen van deze dag.

In een inspirerende omgeving, centraal gelegen in Nederland; zeer waarschijnlijk nabij CS Amersfoort. Makkelijk bereikbaar per auto en openbaar vervoer dus.

Geef u snel op bij infonl@nautilusint.org Programma: 09.30 – 10.00 uur: Inloop 10.00 – 10.15 uur: Welkom en

‘Waar gaan we voor vandaag’ – Charley Ramdas, algemeen secretaris Nautilus NL 10.15 – 10.30 uur: ‘Waarom ik graag actief ben voor de vakbond’… een Nautilus kaderlid aan het woord.

10.30 – 11.30 uur: ‘Zeewater door de aderen”, Toelichting op rapport ‘Resultaten sectoronderzoek duurzame inzetbaarheid in de zeescheepvaart 2017 – 2018 – Cristel van de Ven 11.30 – 12.30 uur: Mental Fitness workshops – Toon van de Sande 12.30 – 13.30 uur: Lunch 13.30 – 15.00 uur: In workshops uiteen over speerpunten ‘vakbondswerk met kaderleden’ 15.00 – 15.15 uur: Thee/koffie-pauze 15.15 – 16.00 uur: Centrale discussie naar aanleiding van uitkomsten workshops 16.00 – 16.10 uur: Hoe verder met elkaar… – Sascha Meijer, vicevoorzitter Nautilus NL 16.10 uur: Borrel

Kaderleden in actie

Kaderleden op een seminar bijeen

Akkoord over nieuwe cao Handelsvaart (VWH) 2019 In juli 2018 is tussen delegaties van Nautilus en de VWH, na diverse rondes van intensief overleg, een principe akkoord bereikt over een nieuwe eenjarige CAO voor werknemers op schepen in de Handelsvaart (VWH CAO) en bij Spliethoff.

Looptijd: van 1 januari 2019 tot en met 31 december 2019.

Loonstijging, reparatie WW en werkgelegenheidspact Cao-onderhandelaars Sascha Meijer en Marcel van Dam: ‘Ondanks de nog altijd magere tijden in de Koopvaardij denken wij een redelijk resultaat te hebben behaald voor onze leden.

Wij spraken een loonsverhoging af van 1,5% per 1 januari 2019 en reparatie van de bezuinigingen op de WW. Ook kwamen wij tot een verlenging van het werkgelegenheidspact voor Nederlandse zeevarenden. En is

er een verstevigd commitment afgesproken voor de plaatsing van alle Nederlandse stagiairs in de sector.’

Werkgroep Duurzame Inzetbaarheid van start Verder gaat de werkgroep Duurzame Inzetbaarheid, waarover wij in de eind 2017 gesloten vorige cao afspraken maakten, nu concreet van start. De afspraak was dat deze werkgroep cao partijen gaat adviseren over vervolgacties na het in het voorjaar van 2018 afgesloten sectoronderzoek ‘Zeewater door de aderen’.

Ook spraken Nautilus en de reders in de vorige ronde af te gaan bouwen aan een fonds en een pool om generatiepacten in betere tijden mogelijk te maken. Alles in het kader van ‘gezond werkend ouder worden’ in de zeevaart. Maar

ook om bijvoorbeeld zorg en arbeid beter te kunnen combineren. Cao partijen bij de nieuwe cao hebben enige met duurzame inzetbaarheid nauw samenhangende onderwerpen eerst voor advies naar deze werkgroep verwezen. Dat betreft onder meer het 1 op 1 varen en extra veiligheidsmaatregelen.

Leden die bij deze denktank betrokken willen zijn, of hierover met onze bestuurders willen klankborden, zijn van harte welkom. Meld u dan aan via infonl@nautilusint.org.

Uiteraard zijn ook meer technische en tekstuele onderwerpen besproken. Een cao wordt iedere ronde een beetje onderhouden en verbeterd.

Verschoven ingangsdatum: naar 1 januari In voorgaande jaren sloten wij een cao per 31 maart,

waarna de loonaanpassing per 1 januari van het volgende jaar plaatsvond. Dit leidde vaak tot een cao-loze periode, waarin de cao naar Nederlands recht gewoon nawerkte. Dit is bij Port State Controls soms moeilijk uit te leggen en leidde soms tot problemen voor reders en kapiteins. Reden om de ingangsdatum naar 1 januari te verschuiven. Afgesproken is dat de loonstijgingen wel per 1 januari blijven gebeuren.

De oude cao wordt eenmalig enige maanden ongewijzigd doorverlengd.

Het woord is aan de Nautilus leden De afspraken moeten nog goed op papier komen. Vervolgstap is de raadpleging van onze leden die onder de VWH cao werken over dit principe akkoord. Zij krijgen bericht over plek en datum.

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VLOOTBEZOEKEN EN ARBEIDSVOORWAARDEN

STAGIAIRS HOLLAND AMERICA LINE: ‘Goed dat de vakbond aan boord komt’ Begin juni jongstleden bezochten De stagiairs Nautilus International bestuurders vinden het Jonathan Harvard (UK), Marcel van belangrijk dat er Dam (NL) en Maarten Keuss (NL) een maritieme de cruiseschepen Rotterdam (1400 vakbond voor hen pax, 600 crew) en Koningsdam klaar staat.

(2650 pax, 1035 crew) in Bergen (Noorwegen). Aan boord van beide schepen werd er een meeting gehouden om van de bemanningsleden te horen wat voor cao-wensen er aan boord leven (zie ook: Telegraph juli). Tijdens dit bezoek sprak Maarten Keuss ook met 4 stagiairs. Het gesprek met Geeske werd al afgedrukt in het juli nr. Hier volgen de andere drie: Stagiair Wesley aan boord MS Rotterdam: Wesley (21 jaar; Noord-Holland) is 4de jaars student van het Nova College IJmuiden en volgt de de MBO opleiding MAROF. Zijn 1ste stage van 6 maanden heeft hij op een vrachtschip (multipurposeschip) gevaren. Zijn 2de stage van 4 maanden loopt hij nu bij de HAL. Wesley heeft er bewust voor gekozen om bij 2 verschillende sectoren (vrachtvaart en cruisevaart) stage te lopen zodat hij zelf het verschil kan ervaren tussen verschillende sectoren. Bij de HAL loopt hij zowel in de machinekamer als aan dek stage. Wesley vindt het leuke van varen op cruiseschepen het sociale leven aan boord. Het liefst zou hij later aan dek werken (als stuurman). Wesley is niet de enige van zijn familie die vaart. Ook zijn enige broer zit regelmatig op zee. ‘Mijn broer (25 jaar) volgt de opleiding tot officier zeedienst aan het Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine (KIM).’ Wesley vindt het positief dat de vakbond aan boord komt. ‘Op het Nova college was ik voorzitter van de studentenraad.

Daar moest ik onderhandelen met school over zaken die effect hebben op studenten (zoals het vakantierooster). Ik ben dus bekend met medezeggenschap en onderhandelen en weet hoe lastig het soms kan zijn.’

Stagiair Koen aan boord MS Rotterdam: Koen (22 jaar; Utrecht) gaf de Nautilus bestuurders in de middag een uitgebreide rondleiding door het schip. Koen is 4de jaars

student HBO MAROF aan de zeevaartschool van Amsterdam. Zijn eerste stage van 6 maanden heeft hij bij Van Oord gelopen op de HAM318 (hopper dredger van 227 meter). Aan boord waren 46 personen. Zijn 2de stage van 4 maanden loopt hij bij de HAL. ‘Het leuke van stage lopen bij twee verschillende taken van sport is dat je verschillen ziet. Bij Van Oord vond ik de machinekamer erg leuk en bij de HAL vind ik het werken op de brug erg leuk. De tijd aan boord vliegt voorbij... er is ook zoveel te zien en te leren.’ Koen geeft aan dat robotisering niet te voorkomen is en verwacht dat dit de komende tien jaar al gaat spelen. Er komt een overslagpunt waarop er meer programmeurs zijn dan engineers. Koen verwacht dat de meeste automatisering echter op de brug zal plaatsvinden, omdat bij het overhalen van een hoofdmotor je mensen nodig hebt. ‘Studenten zullen zich hier ook op moeten voorbereiden door zo breed mogelijk te blijven. Wat ik van een vakbond vind? Ik vindt het goed dat er een maritieme vakbond is en dat Nautilus aan boord komt. Tijdens de ledenvergadering ben ik toch wel een beetje geschrokken van de verhalen van collega’s over de druk die de werkgever soms op zijn werknemers uitoefent. Ik ben nu nog niet lid, maar zodra ik ga werken, word ik gelijk lid

van de vakbond. Samen sta je immers sterker.

Mijn plannen voor de toekomst? Ik ben nog niet uitgeleerd en zou graag eerst nog een master ‘Offshore & Dredging’ willen doen in Delft.’

Stagiair Wouter aan boord MS Koningsdam: Wouter (uit Rijnsburg, Zuid-Holland) is 4de jaars student HBO monodisciplinair (dek) aan de zeevaartschool Amsterdam. Zowel zijn 1ste stage van 6 maanden als zijn 2de stage van 4 maanden heeft hij bij de HAL gevaren. Wouter heeft bewust ervoor gekozen om allebei zijn stages bij de HAL te varen omdat hij interesse heeft in passagiersschepen. Zijn stages zijn zeer goed bevallen: aan boord heeft hij veel geleerd.

‘Ik was overigens niet de enige die gekozen had voor de cruisesector. Van mijn klas van 36 leerlingen lopen er 14 stage bij de HAL. Na mijn stage zou ik graag bij de HAL willen werken.

Helaas is er nu een wachtrij voor stuurlieden.

Dus dat betekent wachten tot er een plekje vrij komt aan boord....Wat ik van de vakbond vind?

Ik vind het heel goed dat de vakbond aan boord komt. Als er problemen zijn of zaken verbeterd moeten worden, kan je erover praten. Ik had al van Nautilus gehoord. Want in het 2de jaar had ik voorlichting op school gehad van iemand van de bond.’

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LEDEN EN HUN WERK

Nautilus staat voor u klaar Een onverwachte wending op Guernsey…

In deze rubriek geven wij u maandelijks een kijkje in de praktijk van alle dag. In dit geval van ons lid Piet*.

Piet is werkzaam bij een rederij in de functie van 3e officier. Tijdens een vaarperiode wordt Piet plotseling van boord gehaald en ontslagen, omdat hij niet genoeg werkervaring heeft en niet in het team zou passen.

Van een proeftijd is geen sprake. Uw eerste gedachte is waarschijnlijk dat het ontslag onrechtmatig is. Er is echter één probleem: in de arbeidsovereenkomst van Piet staat dat het recht van Guernsey van toepassing is!

Rechtskeuze Partijen kunnen ervoor kiezen om een buitenlands rechtsstelsel van toepassing te verklaren op de arbeidsovereenkomst. Dit noemen wij een rechtskeuze.

Voor de werknemer heeft dit een belangrijk en ingrijpend gevolg: het feit dat het Nederlandse arbeidsrecht niet van toepassing is! In Nederland zijn er strenge eisen verbonden aan ontslag, maar in veel landen zijn deze eisen milder. Piet kon door de rechtskeuze geen beroep doen op de Nederlandse ontslagbescherming, en was volledig aangewezen op het rechtsstelsel van Guernsey!

Nautilus gaat tot het uiterste voor zijn leden Het bovenstaande maakt duidelijk dat het moeilijker is om uw recht te halen, indien het Nederlandse recht niet van toepassing is op uw arbeidsovereenkomst.

Hoewel wij niet naar de Nederlandse rechter konden stappen om het ontslag te vernietigen, gaven wij de hoop niet op. Na contact te hebben opgenomen met de werkgever, kwamen wij uiteindelijk in overleg tot een goede oplossing waar Piet vrede mee had. Eind goed, al goed!

De moraal van het verhaal Uit het verhaal van Piet volgt een belangrijke les: neem eerst contact op met Nautilus, voordat u de arbeidsovereenkomst tekent! Wij kunnen dan uw arbeidsovereenkomst controleren en u van advies voorzien. Als u twijfelt of hulp nodig heeft, staat Nautilus altijd voor u klaar, via: infonl@nautilusint.org of, tel: +31 (0) 10 4771 1 88. *Piet is een gefingeerde naam.

Kennismaking Nautilus bestuur met minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen Op 11 juli jongstleden brachten de hoofdbestuurders van Nautilus in Nederland een kennismakingsbezoekje aan de minister van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat, mevrouw Cora van Nieuwenhuizen-Wijbenga.

Aangetreden op 26 oktober 2017 in het kabinet Rutte III. Tussen de minister en Nautilus vice voorzitter Sascha Meijer was het een hartelijk weerzien. Zij hebben in eerdere functies al eens eerder samengewerkt. Voor Nautilus hoofdbestuurders Marcel van den Broek en Charley Ramdas was het een eerste kennismaking. Ook Directeur Maritieme Zaken Brigit Gijsbers en Hoofd Zeevaart Lieske Streefkerk waren bij dit gesprek aanwezig.

Na een voorstelronde bespraken Nautilus en de minister met elkaar wat voor hen de belangrijkste onderwerpen en uitdagingen zijn in onze sectoren. Tevens overhandigde voorzitter Marcel van den Broek de minister ons vakblad de Telegraph.

Medeverantwoordelijkheid Gespreksonderwerp was onder meer de verdringing van Nederlandse professionals in de waterbouw.

Ook de minister vindt behoud van deskundigheid en innovatiekracht in deze mooie sector van groot belang. Sascha Meijer: ‘Daarnaast spraken wij kort over het al langlopende wetsvoorstel voor een Rijkswet Nationaliteit Zeeschepen en over de toepasselijkheid in onze sectoren van sociale wetgeving, zoals de wet minimumloon en de wet arbeid vreemdelingen. Als Nautilus hebben wij de minister met enige voorbeelden duidelijk gemaakt dat wij altijd bereid zijn om als mede architect onze medeverantwoordelijkheid te nemen voor wat de maritieme sector nodig heeft. Het was een prettig kennismakingsgesprek in een informele sfeer. Aan het einde van het onderhoud sprak de minister uit dat ook zij het belangrijk vindt om elkaar te kennen en waar nodig te kunnen opzoeken.’

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NL NEWS

DIENSTVERLENING

Nautilus International en FNV Waterbouw Meer dan alleen loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden Eén van de voordelen van lid zijn van de vakbonden Nautilus International en FNV Waterbouw (onderdeel van Nautilus) is dat u mee kunt praten en beslissen over uw collectieve loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden. Zeker zo belangrijk als de collectieve belangenbehartiging is individuele belangenbehartiging voor de leden, want juist de maritieme professional is door de aard van zijn beroep niet altijd in staat om zijn/haar belangen zelf goed te verdedigen.

Breed pakket Maar wist u dat we als Nautilus International en FNV Waterbouw meer doen voor onze leden? In dit artikel informeren wij u graag over de werkzaamheden die wij voor en namens onze leden doen op het gebied van Arbeidsomstandigheden (Arbo), Veiligheid en Gezondheid in de Koopvaardij, Binnenvaart, Waterbouw en Offshore.

het Maritieme Arbeidsverdrag (MLC), Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) maar ook Europese afspraken in de Binnenvaart.

Specifieke onderwerpen en deskundige bijstand Onderwerpen die door onze vertegenwoordigers behandeld worden, zijn onder andere geluid en trillingen aan boord van zee- en binnenvaartschepen, levensfasebewust personeelsbeleid en arbeids- rusttijden.

Vaarbevoegdheidsbewijzen, beroepsziekten, asbest, fatique, piraterij en de International Ship and Port facility Security Code – ISPS maken hier deel van uit. Wist u dat wij een ISPS meldpunt hebben? isps@nautilusint.org.

Het Tuchtcollege voor de Scheepvaart onderzoekt klachten om schuldigen straffen op te leggen variërend van geldboetes tot ontzegging van vaarbevoegdheden. Als een lid van Nautilus voor het Tuchtcollege moet verschijnen, is het goed te weten dat de vereniging voor een deskundige raadsman kan zorgen.

Werkgroepen en commissies Zo behartigen wij de belangen van leden Zeker zo Ontwikkelingen bijhouden en informatie delen in werkgroepen op het gebied van Arbo belangrijk als de collectieve Door het bijwonen van FNV breed Arbo overleg, en Veiligheid bij het samenstellen en belangenbehartiging seminars, congressen, werkgroepen en berichten onderhouden van Arbocatalogi, Branche is individuele Risico Inventarisaties & Evaluaties en belangenbehartiging uit kranten, vakliteratuur en nieuwsbrieven blijven wij op de hoogte van de ontwikkelingen in Veiligheidsinstructieboeken. voor de leden Arbo-, Veiligheid- en Gezondheidsland. Deze kennis Vanaf de oprichting in 1970 maakt de gebruiken wij voor het behartigen van de belangen vakbond deel uit van de Algemene Commissie van leden. tot Voorkoming van Arbeidsongevallen op Zee Via ons maandblad de Telegraph, de websites van (ACVAZ). Dit is een veiligheidscommissie die bestaat uit Nautilus International Nederland en FNV Waterbouw, vertegenwoordigers uit de zeevaartsector en de taak heeft de 2-maandelijkse nieuwsbrief Binnenvaart en drie keer om de Minister gevraagd en ongevraagd te adviseren per jaar het blad Golf voor de Waterbouw informeren wij over het nemen van maatregelen ter voorkoming van onze leden over ontwikkelingen op Arbo, Veiligheid en arbeidsongevallen bij zeevarenden.

Gezondheidszaken. Door mee te werken aan de redactie Ook maken wij deel uit van de adviescommissie van Journaal Zeevaart delen wij informatie met maritieme Radio Medische Dienst (RMD) van de KNRM. Bij ernstige professionals op het gebied van Arbo, Veiligheid en ongelukken of ziekte aan boord van een zeeschip of jacht, Gezondheid. waar ook ter wereld, kan de kapitein een arts van de Radio Medische Dienst kosteloos om een advies vragen.

Nog geen lid?

Nationaal, Europees en internationaal overleg Kortom, genoeg voordelen om te kiezen voor een De vakbonden zijn nauw betrokken bij overleg tussen de lidmaatschap bij onze vakbonden. sectoren Zeevaart, Binnenvaart, Waterbouw, Offshore en Meer informatie over Nautilus International en FNV de Nederlandse, Europese en internationale overheden Waterbouw, de actuele contributieregelingen en digitale en organisaties (ETF, ITF, IMO en ILO). Bijvoorbeeld op het aanmeldingsformulieren kunt u vinden op www.nautilusint. gebied van bestaande en nieuwe wet en regelgeving, zoals org/nl en www.fnvwaterbouw.nl September 2018 58 nautilusint.org

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RIVER CRUISE

Ronde Tafel gesprek River Cruise in Amsterdam op 20 september a.s.

Zoals elk jaar organiseert de Europese Transportwerkers Federatie ETF, samen met onder meer Nautilus, een event in verband met de River Cruise sector in Europe. Meestal gebeurde dit aan het begin van het riviercruise-seizoen, maar dit jaar vindt dit op 20 september a.s. plaats, bij de afsluiting van het seizoen.

Dan vindt de openbare ETF River Cruise Round Table Conference plaats. River Cruise werkgevers, vakbondsvertegenwoordigers en enkele deskundigen verkennen hier met elkaar ‘hoe de leef/werk-situatie aan boord voor het River Cruise personeel zou kunnen worden verbeterd.’

Focussen op feitelijke situatie aan boord Myriam Chaffart, Political Secretary for Inland Waterways, Logistics and EWC’s, licht toe: ‘Bedoeling is het ETF programma voor het volgend werkjaar voor te stellen alsook met de verschillende actoren verantwoordelijk voor de Rivier Cruise sector in Europa in gesprek te gaan via een ronde tafel gesprek. Hans Walthie, journalist en communicatie adviseur, zal het Ronde Tafel gesprek modereren. We hebben een aantal internationale werkgevers uitgenodigd.

Tevens nemen deel aan het Ronde Tafel gesprek: Ad Hellemons, Aquapol, Nick Bramley, Voorzitter ETF/ITF River Cruise Working Group en ikzelf.’

Het ganse gesprek zal zich focussen op hoe we de feitelijke situatie voor alle werknemers aan boord – zowel nautisch- als hotelpersoneel – kunnen verbeteren. Ook de activiteiten die we ontplooien binnen de werkgroep ‘harmonisatie sociale zekerheid’, met het vooruitzicht om elementen die aanleiding kunnen geven tot sociale dumping te elimineren, zullen zeker aan bod komen.’

Locatie: Novotel Hotel – Schiphol Airport – Taurusavenue 12 – 2132 LS Hoofddorp. Van 11.00 tot 14.00 uur.

Er wordt voorzien in een simultaan vertaling Nederlands/Engels

Bochtafsnijding Delftse Schie: lastig manoeuvreren Op de fiets naar het Nautilus kantoor passeer ik dagelijks, ter hoogte van Overschie, bijzondere nautische werkzaamheden die in volle gang zijn.

Samen met de gemeenten Rotterdam, Schiedam en Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland legt de provincie Zuid-Holland een nieuwe vaargeul aan in de Delftse Schie bij Overschie. Ter hoogte van Overschie zijn er twee haakse bochten, waardoor het voor binnenvaartschepen bijzonder lastig is hier te manoeuvreren.

Plannen om de bochten uit de van oorsprong rivier (en dus niet in de middeleeuwen door mensen handen gegraven) Delftse Schie te halen, stammen al uit 1932. De werkzaamheden zijn uitzonderlijk. Zo worden er nieuwe dijken aangelegd en zal door de nieuwe vaarweg een vispaaiplaats ontstaan, waardoor de waterkwaliteit verbetert. Voorts ontstaat er een eiland in de rivier.

De nieuwe vaargeul wordt ontworpen voor CEMT klasse III voor de beroepsvaart. Voor deze klasse geldt een lengte van 67-80 meter en een maximale breedte van 8,2 meter. In

de praktijk betekent dit dat er straks langere schepen van en naar Delft en Den Haag (Binckhorst) door de vaargeul varen, maar geen bredere. De historische Hoge Brug bij Overschie beperkt immers de breedte van de doorgang voor schepen.

De huidige vaarweg blijft beschikbaar voor recreatievaart. Daarnaast wordt de nieuwe vaarweg geschikt voor zowel beroepsvaart als doorgaande recreatievaart. Over de huidige vaarweg wordt een brug met een doorvaarthoogte van 1.75 meter aangelegd, die toegang geeft tot het nieuw ontstane eiland. Recreatievaart hoger dan 1.75 meter moet gebruik maken van de nieuwe vaarweg.

Jos Hilberding, adjunct bestuurder Nautilus www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F3ORC8ZDA&feature=youtu.be Bron: Provincie Zuid-Holland Schets uit 1512. Op de voorgrond Overschie, links Rotterdam en rechts Delfshaven.

September 2018 59 nautilusint.org

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NL NEWS

C S M A RT ’S M A N A G I N G D I R E C TO R H A N S H E D E R S T RÖ M :

‘Zonder goede feedback kun je jezelf nooit verbeteren’ ‘Zonder goede feedback kun je jezelf nooit verbeteren…Daar was ik zelf als aankomend loods en kapitein al jong van overtuigd. En dankzij goed en uitgebalanceerd teamwerk op de brug kun je de veiligheidsrisico’s, die er altijd zijn, tot een minimum beperken. Dat vraagt ook om regelmatige training en bijsturing. In feite is hierop onze gehele ‘Role Based Bridge Management ’ training bij CSMART gebaseerd.’

CSMART Academy: Carnival Corporation’s state of the art Center for Simulator Maritime Training. Recognized by DNV GL as a Center of Safety Excellence. Gevestigd in Almere. Ook tal van Nautilus leden, werkend bij onder meer de Holland America Line, volgen hier jaarlijks trainingen en cursussen.

Revolutionair totaalconcept CSMART’s Managing Director Hans Hederström werd in 2007 door Carnival Corporation’s topmanagement gevraagd om na te denken over de operatie binnen de cruise sector.

Samen met een collega verrichtte de toenmalig Full Mission Bridge Simulator manager van de Chalmers Universiteit of Technology, Gothenburg, een studie naar de organisatie en operatie aan boord om deze te moderniseren. Uitmondend in het revolutionaire totaalconcept van Role Based Bridge Management, inclusief een hierop gebaseerde simulatietraining. Nautilus communicatie adviseur Hans Walthie, vorig jaar nog op bezoek op de ms Koningsdam in Bergen, Noorwegen, werd onlangs uitgebreid rondgeleid door de aimabele Zweed.

Magnum opus Eind dit jaar neemt de 69-jarige kapitein afscheid van zijn magnum opus. Om na 10 jaar wonen en werken in Almere terug te koersen naar zijn geliefde Gothenburg, waar hij ooit als loods vele schepen veilig ‘zijn fjord’ in- en uitloodste. ‘Ook toen al gebaseerd op teamwerk met de kapitein en zijn officieren hoor. Of ik mijn werk hier ga missen? We gaan het zien. Ik denk het wel in het begin, eerlijk gezegd, maar ik zal regelmatig terugkomen om zelf ook nog trainingen te geven...’

van de loods is hierin opgenomen. Elkaar goed feedback gevend. Tijdens en ook evaluerend na bijvoorbeeld het aanmeren staat in dit alles centraal ja.’

Ruim 6.500 trainings deelnemers per jaar Najaar 2008 was het Carnival Corporation topmanagement overtuigd genoeg om Hederström in dienst te nemen en vroeg hem het theoretisch concept verder uit te werken om daarmee het Center for Simulator Maritime Training, oftewel CSMART, op te zetten.

In 2009 opende het toen nog bescheiden gehuisveste trainingscentrum zijn deuren nabij het centrum van Almere. In 2012 werd hier een ‘world class engine simulation facility’ aan toegevoegd om de succesvolle role-based benadering ook in de machinekamer door te voeren. In 2016 werd vervolgens een nieuw, state-of-the-art pand neergezet in AlmerePoort. Inclusief een hotel met 176 kamers, waar de ruim 6.500 trainingsdeelnemers per jaar voor een week of meer kunnen verblijven.

Geavanceerde simulatie trainingen Hederström, rustig en gedoseerd sprekend: ‘De brug op de varende MS Koningsdam en de gesimuleerde MS Koningsdam brug hier in huis zijn exact hetzelfde. Ideaal uiteraard voor onze geavanceerde simulatie trainingen.

Vooral ook als we ‘high risk’ trainingen gaan doen. Dat kun je in het echt natuurlijk nooit nabootsen. Dat is veel te gevaarlijk. Hier kun je dit eindeloos trainen met elkaar. Hiërarchisch blijft de kapitein de baas op de brug. Maar inmiddels focussen we steeds meer op een team aanpak. Een team dat goed op elkaar ingespeeld is. En waarin de kapitein’s rol veranderd is van ‘operator’ in die van een ‘manager en leider, die de gehele operatie monitort en de supervisie houdt’. Ook de rol

Coaching on board ‘Maar naast nautical en engineering trainingen geven we ook scholing op het gebied van environment en leadership… dit laatste is overigens ook toegankelijk voor overig personeel van onze cruisevaart maatschappijen, zoals het hoger hotelmanagement. Daarnaast omvat ons concept ook nog vele port studies en ‘follow ups en coaching on board trajecten’. We beschikken over 10 Fleet Captains en 10 Fleet Chief Engineers die regelmatig aan boord langskomen en de kapiteins en chief engineers coachen en indien nodig bijspijkeren.’

Gezamenlijk succes Dan volgt een tour door het gebouw en langs de vele imponerende simulation rooms. Af en toe waan je je daadwerkelijk aan boord van een cruise schip, de haven binnenlopend in Dover of in de Port of Saint John, New Brunswick. ‘Bijna elke dag neem ik zelf wel ook even een kijkje. Om feeling te houden met wat er gebeurt en even een praatje te maken met een docent of met enkele deelnemers. Gezamenlijk maken we van CSMART een succes. Via goed teamwerk ja en inderdaad ook met de nodige feedback naar elkaar…’

CSMART IN CIJFERS: • 11.000 m2 over 5 verdiepingen • 4 Full Mission brugsimulatoren met separate brugvleugels • 8 Part Task brugsimulatoren • 12 Voyage Planning stations • 14 Ship stability training stations • 4 Full Mission Engine simulatoren met 12 virtuele machinekamers • 36 Engine Desk Top simulatoren • 2 High Voltage training simulatoren • 1 Environmental training lab • 16 Klaslokalen • 8 Debriefing ruimtes Meer informatie: www.csmartalmere.com

September 2018 60 nautilusint.org

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R E C RU I T M E N T

CRUISE

Fleet Technical Director USA - $130K

Technical Super - Tankers Hamburg - €85K

Admin Purser - Ocean - $27K

Shorex Director Europe - Competitive Pkg

Ship Manager - Dredgers South East UK - £60K

Hotel Manager - River - €4K/mth

LNG SEAGOING

YACHT

Sous Chef - Ocean - $28K

Master - LNG on 3/3 rotations €100-105K + Benefits

Deckhand - 45m+ MY US - $3.5K/mth

Master - LNG on 3/3 rotations €100-120K + Benefits

Deckhand - 100m+ MY US - $3.25K/mth

C/O - LNG on 3/3 rotations $95-115K + Benefits

Deckhand - 50m+ MY Europe - €2.6K/mth

C/O - LPG on 3/3 rotations $75K + Benefits

Technical Super - 50-100m+ Fleet Europe - £DOE

2nd Engineer - Ocean - €50K

2/E - LNG on 3/3 rotations €80-85K + Benefits

Chief Engineer - 45m+ MY Europe - €7.5K/mth

SHOREBASED CRUISE

SHOREBASED SHIP MGMT

2nd Stewardess - 75m+ MY Europe - €4K/mth

Technical Super (German speaking) Germany - €85K

Technical Super - Tankers Glasgow - £60K

Technical Superintendent Germany - €90K

Vessel Manager - Offshore Vessels Aberdeen - £70K

Director, Maritime Operations USA - $150K

Technical Super - Bulk Carriers Cyprus - €85K

Bar Manager - Ocean - $65K+

Chef de Cuisine - Ocean - $80K Exec Sous Chef - River - €2K/mth Executive Chef - River - €5K/mth 2nd ETO - Ocean - €60K 3rd Officer - Ocean - €40K Master - Ocean - €100K+

3rd Stewardess - 85m+ MY Worldwide - €3.5/mth Stew/Masseuse - 30m+ MY Europe - €DOE Stewardess - 55m+ MY US - $3.5K/mth

Shorebased: +44 (0)23 8020 8840

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R E C RU I T M E N T

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R E C RU I T M E N T

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Recruitment proof.indd 63

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TA K E 5

Telegraph prize crossword The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition will win a copy of the book The taking of K-129 by Josh Dean (reviewed on the books pages).

To enter, simply send us the completed crossword, along with your name and address, to: Nautilus International, Telegraph Crossword Competition, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD, or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015.

You can also enter by email, by sending your list of answers and your contact details to: telegraph@nautilusint.org.

Closing date is Wednesday 12 September 2018.

QUICK CLUES Across 1 Outer bones (11) 9 Classification of life (7) 10 Sea snails (7) 11 Boat (9) 12 Opening (5) 13 London statue (4) 14 Torch (10) 16 Gauging illness (10) 19 Lazy (4) 21 Big house (5) 22 Safety practice (4,5) 24 Number (7) 25 Infinite (7) 26 Hygiene (11) Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 15 16 17 18 20 23

Force (15) Anaesthetic (5) Bird (7) Sad songs (7) Wrap (8) Like 26 (4,2,9) Mind (6) Companion (6) Plotting (8) Space (6) Spice (7) Middle Eastern national (7) Join up (6) Avoid (5)

CRYPTIC CLUES Across 1 Bi-national relationship takes in channel resort and frog dish (5-6) 9 Lawrence right to take small car for final stations (7) 10 Ministers’ furniture (7) 11 Rile mogul in another order for kidney filters (9) 12 Have truck with comedian Hugh, we hear (5)

50 years ago

25 years ago The International Maritime Organisation has urged flag states to investigate ways of protecting shipboard computers against viruses after NUMAST highlighted evidence of

16 19 21 22 24 25 26

Adopt allegiance with one team (4) An old ruler turned out jack of old trades (10) Sounds like Rattigan after halving debt for defence plank (10) Untidy state of canteen (4) Conspiracies for patches of land (5) One who needs to re-m-master for a speech therapist (9) Unimportant whether court procedure surrounds four or six (7) Yawed it in reverse through new Thames sewage tunnel (7) Retailer throws environmental party together with Thatcher’s father (11)

Down 1 Climate control appears as disorder in type of laundry cupboard (3,12) 2 Move effortlessly through cooking lid event (5) 3 About deceased’s life story as botched bailout (7) 4 More petrified than Stallone outdoing Stallone (7) 5 Fairly unclear about the cloud cover (8) 6 In which England notched up a timely century in 1 across rivalry (7,5,3) 7 Levels of development in theatrical architecture (6) 8 ‘Live-in guest’ – a persistent racehorse (6) 15 Reputable name for minced steer and pig chops (8) 16 ‘I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the ---’ (Bob Marley) (6) 17 Letter from Greece piles on upset (7) 18 From a book on motorcycle gang (7) 20 Wanderers take in Harrogate parkland to the south (6) 23 Health practitioner with postgrad degree initially in charge (5)

Crossword answers are on page 66.

Quick quiz

Back in time New ships totalling more than 2 million gross tons are presently on order for the UK fleet – more than any other country, according to a new report. British shipyards received orders for 98 ships totalling just over 1 million gross tons in the first half of this year, and 33% of the vessels on order in the UK are for registration overseas — The Telegraph, August 1968

13 14

systems crashing as a result of the use of inappropriate software — The Telegraph, September 1993

10 years ago Nautilus has expressed concern over a case in which a 50,681gt car carrier was left powerless and drifting to within 5nm of Wolf Rock, near Land’s End in the UK, following the accidental release of the vessel’s carbon dioxide fire-smothering system — The Telegraph, September 2008

1. Panama is the number one flag state, with 6,481 ships on its books. The Marshall Islands is in second place, with how many ships?

2. In 1968, the OCL vessel Encounter Bay was the world’s largest containership.

What was its TEU capacity?

3. Greek owners have the largest share of the world fleet. Which country’s owners are in second place?

4. Roughly how many new VLCCs have been delivered over the past decade?

5. Japan’s merchant fleet is reported to be the world’s most valuable – what is its estimated market value?

6. What percentage of world merchant tonnage was under the UK flag at the start of the second world war?

Quiz answers can be found on page 66.

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PE OPL E

THE FACE OF NAUTILUS Niels Groen, Nautilus International Council member

iels Groen is one of the Dutch into a third world business. ‘For as long as I members of the Nautilus have been sailing, I have always been told International Council following I am too expensive,’ he adds. ‘Until the day his election to the Union’s I retire, I expect to have to prove to the governing body last year. company that I am worth the extra money Niels grew up in the coastal town of they pay me and you have to keep on trying to Zandvoort, but no one in his family had be the best.’ connections with the sea and his first ambition He’s keen to encourage a new generation of was to be an airline pilot. ‘I messed up at school, seafarers, though, and often gives presentations though, and someone suggested going to sea to potential cadets and reckons he has helped to NIELS GROEN instead,’ he recalls. mentor well over 100 during his career. ‘A lot of WORKS HARD TO ENCOURAGE A NEW Four years of studying at the nautical college in time and effort goes into training a cadet, and so GENERATION OF Ijmuiden followed, including a year as a cadet with you want to be sure that they are really keen to SEAFARERS Wijne & Barends Shipping in 1997, before going be a seafarer and be a colleague in the future,’ he on to spend eight years with the crewing agency adds.

Atlas.

‘I still love being at sea and it’s a ‘Working with the agency meant really interesting job,’ he says. ‘We that I served on all kinds of ships go to some very interesting places under the Dutch flag, including like Shanghai, Singapore and St heavylift and dredging,’ Niels Petersburg, and now I am master says. ‘I finally ended up with I get a chance to go ashore a bit Wagenborg, and they offered me more.’ an employment contract and I have Niels is also keen to improve been there ever since.’ the quality of life at sea and in his He now serves as a master of a general cargoship, operating role on the works council he has sought to get good internet worldwide. provision in his fleet, as well as being an active member of the Niels has been a member of the Union since he started work safety committee. and he has also served on the Wagenborg works council since Married, with two daughters, Niels enjoys travelling in his 2010, chairing it since 2013. spare time, and he’s visited countries including Australia, ‘What inspired me to stand for the Nautilus Council was Kenya, Malaysia and parts of South America. He’s also a keen hearing colleagues complaining that they want to see changes,’ motorcyclist and plays ‘a bit of golf’. he says. ‘You can complain, but if you complain you have to In the long term, Niels says he is interested in moving into look for a solution and if want something to change you have marine accident investigation – to help ensure that vital safety to do something. I want to make sure that in 10 years’ time I lessons are learned and changes are made for the better. have Dutch colleagues who have decent jobs on quality ships.’

Have you considered being a Council member?

Niels says he wants to stop European shipping from turning See page 47 for election details…

N

'I want to make sure that

in 10 years’ time I have Dutch colleagues who have decent jobs on quality ships

'

NIELS ENJOYS MOTORYCLING WHEN HE’S NOT AWAY AT SEA

WHEN HE WAS AT SCHOOL, HE HAD AMBITIONS TO WORK AS AN AIRLINE PILOT

NIELS ALSO LIKES TO GET ONTO THE GOLF COURSE IN HIS SPARE TIME

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AT T H E B A C K

Member meetings and seminars

College contacts

Nautilus International organises regular meetings, forums and seminars for members to discuss technical matters, maritime policies and legal issues. Coming up in the next few months are:

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 Martyn Gray on +44 (0)151 639 8454.

Professional & Technical Forum 4 September 2018 in Belfast from 13.30-17.00 The forum deals with a range of technical, safety, and welfare topics.

All full members are welcome.

To register your interest and receive details of the venue, contact Sue Willis: +44 (0)20 8530 1660 protech@nautilusint.org The following forums will run alongside the 2018 Nautilus UK branch conference: Women’s Forum 1 October 2018, 10.00-12.00 at the Holiday Inn, Liverpool city centre This forum provides guidance to Nautilus

Council on the challenges facing women in the industry and encourages female participation in Union activity. All female members welcome.

To attend, call or email Lisa Carr: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 women@nautilusint.org Young Maritime Professionals Forum 1 October 2018, 11.00-13.00 at the Holiday Inn, Liverpool city centre For members under 35.

To attend, call or email Danny McGowan: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 ymp@nautilusint.org

Contact Nautilus International Nautilus International welcomes contact from members at any time.

Please send a message to one of our offices around the world (details below) or use the Nautilus 24/7 service in an emergency.

For other 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.

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 UK 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 Netherlands office • 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 office Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 4005 Basel, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 Fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25 infoch@nautilusint.org

France yacht sector office In partnership with D&B Services 3 Bd. d’Aguillon, 06600 Antibes, France Tel: +33 (0)962 616 140 nautilus@dandbservices.com www.dandbservices.com Spain yacht sector office In partnership with Sovren Crew (formerly Dovaston Crew) Carrer de Versalles 9A, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain Tel: +34 971 677 375 recruitment@nautilusint.org www.sovrencrew.com Nautilus 24/7 Out of European office hours, members of Nautilus International and the Nautilus Federation unions can contact our round-the-clock assistance service by phone, text or online: • 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.

• Send an SMS text message to +44 (0)7860 017 119 and we’ll reply.

• Email us at helpline@nautilus247.org.

• Reach us via Skype (username nautilus-247).

Industrial support for cadets The dedicated strategic organiser for all UK and Irish trainee officers is Martyn Gray.

Martyn deals with all cadet, college and company enquiries in relation to trainee officers and regularly visits each main nautical college.

Cadet members are encouraged, if they have need for any industrial support, to contact Martyn on 0151 639 8454 or email MGray@Nautilusint.org 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.

Pensions MNOPF member forums provide a focal point for members to discuss and ask questions about the cross-industry maritime pension schemes.

Next MNOPF member forum: Tuesday 30 October 2018 at 11.00 at the Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter, Hawthorn Square, Forth Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 3SA. Note this has changed from the previously-advertised date.

Tea and coffee will be served from 11am, with the main presentation due to start at 11.30. Following this, a light buffet lunch will be served, where attendees will have the opportunity

to meet and ask questions of the MNOPF vice-chair and members of the executive team. Invitations will be sent to members in the vicinity of the venue, and sign-up details will be available through the MNOPF website.

Please register in advance online via www.mnopf.co.uk under ‘myMNOPFpension/member forums’ or from the home page under ‘Events’ or call +44 (0)20 3150 0850.

Quiz and crossword answers – from our brain teasers on page 64 QUICK QUIZ

QUICK CROSSWORD

1. The Marshall Islands has 3,193 ships on its books, according to IHS Markit.

2. Encounter Bay was of 1,530TEU. 3. Singapore’s shipowners have the second largest share of the world fleet, amounting to 9.2% by deadweight tonnage.

4. A total of 436 new VLCCs were delivered between 2008 and the start of this year.

5. Japan’s merchant fleet has a market value of more than US$85bn, according to IHS Markit/Menon Economics.

Just over 26% of world tonnage was under the UK flag at the start of the second world war.

Across: 1. Exoskeleton; 9. Species; 10. Murexes; 11. Catamaran; 12. Intro; 13. Eros; 14. Flashlight; 16. Diagnostic; 19. Idle; 21. Manor; 22. Fire drill; 24. Integer; 25. Endless; 26. Cleanliness.

Down: 1. Electromagnetic; 2. Opium; 3. Kestrel; 4. Laments; 5. Tortilla; 6. Next to godliness; 7. Psyche; 8. Escort; 15. Intrigue; 16. Domain; 17. Saffron; 18. Israeli; 20. Enlist; 23. Dodge.

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD Each month, the cryptic crossword is a prize competition, and the answers appear in the following Telegraph. Congratulations to Nautilus member Ralph McKenna, who was first out of the hat in August. Here are the answers to last month’s cryptic crossword: Across: 1. Tickets; 5. Fitness; 9. Bingo; 10. Racketeer; 11. Elephants; 12. Acton; 13. Upset; 15. Inference; 18. Morris men; 19. Salad; 21.Sidle; 23. Lucrative; 25. Identical; 26. Twins; 27. Fulcrum; 28. Receded.

Down: 1. Tableau; 2. Confessor; 3. Epoch; 4. Strontium; 5. Focus; 6. Thesaurus; 7. Event; 8. Syringe; 14. Trimester; 16. Funicular; 17. Nullified; 18. Mastiff; 20. Dressed; 22. Dwell; 23. Locum; 24. Attic.

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Nautilus Plus makes your membership even better value for money – giving you access to an unrivalled range of discounted benefits and services which have been designed to support members, both professionally and personally.

g For more information log on to Nautilus Plus via www.nautilusint.org/en/my-nautilus

Save money on gym memberships This month’s highlights include:

Save up to 10% on a wide range of Apple products Nautilus members can make great savings on a wide range of Apple products including iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Magic accessories and more. You can now order online and arrange to collect most items from your chosen Apple Retail Store usually within an hour!*

Save money on gym memberships with My Gym Discounts! It is a voucherbased or discount code scheme which offers members the opportunity to benefit from discounted gym memberships at hundreds of gyms, leisure centres, health clubs and class studios across the UK and Ireland*.

FREE case of craft beers from Beer52

T.M. Lewin ― corporate discount With a real passion for design and focus fixed on quality, this Great British business wear retailer continues to create fresh, stylish and versatile collections for today’s professional men and women, over 116 years after the very first store opened on London’s Jermyn Street*.

Claim your exclusive free case of beer (worth £24) from Beer52! Eight incredible craft beers, the 100page Ferment Magazine and a tasty snack. All you need to pay is postage and packaging! What’s more, you’ll enter a special pricing plan giving you 10% off every month’s selection of craft beer going forwards.* g To access this month’s highlights and more, log on to Nautilus Plus via www. nautilusint.org/en/my-nautilus To take advantage of these and other fantastic deals visit the Nautilus Plus Special Offers page today!

As a Nautilus member, you are invited to take advantage of special discounts through Nautilus Plus.

Vision Express – discounted eye care Built on a passion for the optical profession, Vision Express can take care of your eyes with an exclusive range of benefits, including a free eye test (upon purchase of eyewear over £50) and more*.

*Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

Offer correct at time of print. See website for details.

Apple – Annual purchase limits apply. Discounts are subject to availability. For the latest offers visit the Apple EPP store. T.M. Lewin – Cannot be redeemed against previous purchases or used in conjunction with any other offer, voucher, discount code or gift card purchases.

Beer52 – Full terms at www.beer52.com/terms.

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

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

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How would you reduce risks in shipping?

We want to put safety in the hands of everyone.

Calling all thinkers, creators and inventors. Up for a challenge?

We’re looking for the next innovative ideas to improve safety in shipping – from people to port. Simply enter our ‘Investing In A Safer Tomorrow’ competition and share your brainwaves.

There’s a $50,000 prize pot for the talented winners.

See you at: 150competition.ukpandi.com You’ve got until 30th November 2018 to enter. Good luck.

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