W
Volume 1, Issue 6, January 2003
To r Sea each far ou er r s
CENTRO-NEWS
avelength
The changing realities of life aship and ashore are draining Greece of one of its national treasures: the young professional seafarers who grow to become shipowners. But there are ideas about what can be done. The sea, accessible to all and conquerable by none, has for all of recorded history offered Man a doorway into a dream. Its promise was adventure, its threat, destruction and its challenge, transformation. Travel was long and hard and every place a mystery. It was about romance and exotic places. Fifty years ago there were 140,000 Greek seafarers. Today there are 40,000. Seafarer pay alone isn't enough to attract neophytes. The primary message that needs to be communicated is that, though professional seafaring and the maritime business have changed in recent years, so have the opportunities they present. "The industry is at a crossroads" says Dimitris
The Ulysses Trip
¨Åñåôçí ÷ñåéíáé ðñùôá ãåíåóèáé ðñéí ðçäáëéïéò åðé÷åéñåéí " Ancient Greek proverb 'centrally' displayed on the main hall of the Hellenic Naval Academy (ÓÍÄ), Piraeus. Ed.
Procopiou, MD of CENTROFIN Management Inc. "Young people now have many more good chances at sea andlater in the office than in the past; they
In this issue pg2
CENMAR STCW'95 pg4
RE: OCIMF pg6
Lessons That Have to be Learned
are however choosing careers on land over those at sea. As there are more Greek owned ships and more Greek shipping companies than ever before this means that young people have more opportunities at sea too. The fact is that they aren't aware that these favourable occasions exist. Shipping is very important to Greece and a shipping company cannot only run by businessmen. It needs people, in managerial positions, who not only have a thorough knowledge of ships and their technologies, but also of what is likely to live and work aboard this distant, but very important, tool of the organisation. We should teach our youngsters all the aspects of the maritime industry: I am sure they will be attracted to it". "Seamanship should not be excluded from the modern mind", he adds. "It teaches people to be open-minded, resourceful and independent. Most importantly, though, the entire shipping industry should be driven by experienced people having started from the sea".
Crossword Quotations Pirates
OCIMF
TO: All Fleet Vessels RE: OCIMF - Vessel's Inspection Questionnaire (VIQ)
Dear Master, Please let me thank you for your continuous efforts to 'deliver your assignment' and also tell you how highly we value your position onboard. As you are aware all the
vessels' Vetting Inspection Reports, being received by this office, are scrupulously analysed by our relevant depts and the necessary remedy measures are issued and implemented on-board/ashore. At the same time a written comment on the report is forwarded (by us) to the "SIRE" system and
the major oil co representative (inspecting) office. Avoidance of repetition of the 'No' remarks is the paramount goal; our management system aims to effectively pursue prevention of repetition of identified deficiencies rather than simply applying rectification. ...cont'd to pg 4
TO THE MASTER: Please circulate this Bulletin to the CREW.
pg7
Adapted from ABS/SURVEYOR
pg8
CENMAR - STCW'95 10 OCT. 2002 NAI/JBD
Minimum Certificates/Licenses/Endorsements Requirements Per Position/OIL TANKERS
Flag & National Endorsement
Navigational & Engineering Watch
GMDSS Special Training Required On Tankers
Emergency, Occupational Safety, Medical Care & Survival Functions
Other
CASUALTY DURING HANDLING OF
GAS CYLINDERS During the handling of four apparently empty Halon gas cylinders on deck, one was damaged and gas escaped with considerable pressure. Due to this the cylinder started rotating on deck, hitting and injuring three crew members in the vicinity. The casualty took place at anchorage. All three persons were brought to hospital. One died on the way and the two others were hospitalised under serious conditions.
No material damage was recorded. The probable cause was that the valve head of one bottle was damaged during landing on deck thus allowing gas under pressure to escape. The gas cylinder is usually filled with Halon of appx pressure 25 Bar. The cylinder is topped up with Nitrogen, resulting to an appx total pressure of 42 Bar. The four apparently empty cylinders had been picked up based on the low gauge level on them.
- pg 2 -
Lessons:
! ! ! !
A cap is to be put on the head assembly at ALL times, when not in use Gas cylinders should ALWAYS be handled as being full of gas under full pressure. The gauge should be subject to regular calibration; usually undertaken by approved service suppliers ashore. Gas cylinders should always be kept 'strapped', with steel plates, in their permanent position. Never use rope lashing.
Icarus
Air Travel All of you leaving home to join your vessel or happily repatriated to return to your loved ones should not let pass unnoticed that 2002 was also the 50th anniversary of the first passenger jet flight. Almost half a century after the Wright brothers invented the first flying machine, de Havilland designed an aircraft that would help to make air travel a form of mass transportation. The COMET was the first ever JET-POWERED commercial aircraft to fly from London to Johannesburg, S.Africa, on May 2, 1952. Able to cruise at 40,000 feet, where the air is less turbulent, the Comet was smoother and quieter than the piston-engine aircraft. Rather than rumbling through storms it flew over them to the pleasure of the passengers' nerves and their stomachs, in higher speeds. History continued in the late 1950s with the rivals BOEING 707 and DOUGLAS DC-8 joining the clouds. The Boeing 727 and later the 737 followed prior the arrival of the 'everyman plane' the 747 in 1970. The US manufacturers Lockheed and Douglas continued with their L1011 and DC-10. Then Europe decided to join in. The Airbus A320 was launched in 1984 followed by the A340 in 1993 and the A330 in 1994. Boeing counter acted by the 777 in 1995.
The crew of M/T "IRINA-2" after a 'Safety Meeting'
SEX, DRUGS
&
HIV
Ms Johanna (JBD) performing her PDOS in our Manila CENMAR office.
THE FACTS HIV infection kills your body's natural defences against disease. HIV infection cannot be cured. AIDS develops when your natural defences are destroyed. You become ill. AIDS eventually kills you. THE RISKS SEX without using a condom. INJECTING or TATTOOING with a needle someone has used. BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS when blood has not been tested for HIV. REMEMBER NO SEX and NO DRUGS are the safest choices
- pg 3 -
Aircraft design teams around the world are engaged in a race to create a replacement for a CONCORDE; the supersonic Anglo-French launched in 1969 with 13 active planes in service today (this lucky editor have had the great pleasure to be a Concorde passenger thrice, among his 12,345 flying hours as of December 2002). Flying, whatever the odds, continues to get safer year after year with the world fatal accident statistics a total of 0.40 per million revenue passenger flights.
Bon voyage ! CELESTIAL fixes to be taken periodically by all deck officers on duty and to be recorded.
RE:
Chapter 3
3.1. - Are the officers and crew suitably qualified, and is either training and experience adequate?
OCI
Certainly "YES".
Almost all seafarers have being with the company for a large number of years and the majority of the senior Filipino officers since 1997. The Filipino crew members are selected, trained and retained by the "CENMAR" manning agency in Manila which fully and exclusively is serving these Shipmanagers (an extension of their Athens office). Crewmembers are rotated on the same class oil tankers, if not feasible to return to the same vessel. All crewmembers have STCW-95 endorsements and even cadets must have 'GTF' & 'SBFF' certs prior their first service onboard. The long co-service o/b the fleet vessels has created a harmonious 'esprit de corps' among officers and ratings and a common sharing of the same goals, under the safety and efficiency umbrella. All seafarers have their flag endorsement, if different to the national one, prior joining the vessel. In the remote case of a new officer an 'Acknowledgement of Application' is guaranteed always o/b by fax by return(we are in a continuous contact with the Flag STCW-office).
RE:
OCIMF
3.2. - Does actual manning meet Minimum Safety Manning Certificate requirements? Certainly "YES". All vessels exceed (above) safe requirements by almost 25 - 30%. Additional officers / ratings are placed onboard where considered necessary by the company. Your long Crew-List proves same.
M/T "APANEMO" delivered January 2003
...cont'd from pg 1
This writer, wishing to assist you when you are replying to the inspector, on those matters related to the 'crew management' key questions - for which you might not be fully aware - provides you with the following information / comments:
3.3 - Where radio officer is not carried are certified officers o/b? Certainly "YES". As a general (strict) rule all deck officers have 'GMDSS' certification.
3.4. - Are the crew able to communicate effectively with the officers in a common language? The common language is English; although practical daily language could be Tagalog, Greek, Russian; depending on nationality. The company's crews generally consist of: -Greek officers and Filipino ratings (sometimes a Filipino officer) for Greek flag, -Filipino officers and ratings, -Ukrainian/Russian officers and ratings, -All electricians / fitters are Ukrainians. The Ukrainians/Russians undergo a 'MARLINS English Test' in Odessa by an authorised teacher (Mrs V. Chubs).
- pg 4 -
3.10. - Does the operator provide a training policy exceeding statutory requirements?
Comments: In order to identify the needs for further training the following
Certainly "YES".
criteria are in force, by:
IMF The company presently provides and shoulders the following, in-house, additional training: -- 'VIDEOTEL' tapes for use o/b -- 'SEAGULL' CBT /CD-Roms for offices: - In Athens (one work station), - Manila (two work stations), - Odessa (one work station), and - A selected number of CD-Roms for use o/b. -- 'SEAGULL' SES-3000 assessment / tutorial course -- 'MARLINS' English language test for certain Greek ranks. -- 'WAVELENGTH' quarterly bulletin for current topics/events/safety matters -- 'PIRACY REPORT' on a weekly basis as issued by ICC//CCS/IMB -- 'NEWSLINK' daily satellite newspaper to the Ukrainian/Russian vessels for welfare & improvement of their English language skills.
-Frequent vessel-visits by the office Supts (deck & engine) and their evaluation report (CRW-05). Almost to all vessels, in all discharging ports. Visits are recorded. -Master's - C/Engr's evaluation report twice per year (D/C-01) -Safety Committee Meeting minutes (D/S-05) -Training Program Report (D/C-06) -Safety Drills Record (D/S-01) -Onboard Familiarization Check List (D/C-02)
Above documents are monitored and analysed by the company's "Manning &Training
Department" and the right
actions are taken. Records are available in the office and on the vessels. Whenever the need arises an experienced trainer (ex oil-tanker master) boards the vessel for a 'Safety Audit' and a 'Training Report' during a 3/4-day sea voyage. Such services were provided by MSS/London a/o UNIVAN / Hong-Kong. It includes practical PPE demonstration, fire, L/B,
All senior deck-officers undergo 'BRM'/'SSBT'/'ISM' and all senior engine-officers 'ERM' courses. All Masters & C/Engrs visit Athens HQ for a two-day familiarization and personal contact. All Filipino seafarers undergo an extensive PreDeparture-Orientation-Seminar (PDOS) in Manila for a full day. C/Cooks are provided with 'Healthy diet' books o/b. The additional provided training is evident in the seafarer's personal booklet. Working hours and rest periods are monitored o/b.
SOPEP-pollution drills etc. An Internal Audit for offices and vessels is in existence annually or additionally as otherwise might be needed (by "Total Quality Consultants" Co.). Non-conformity files are maintained with a close-out system in place. Crew PPE is in abundance and regularly updated by owners. All nautical publications, charts and information are o/b and current (provided by 'Thomas Gunn' a/o 'Kelvin Hughes'). Medical examination (P.E.M.E.) and D&A test is carried out at clinics approved/recommended by our P&I club.
Coming soon: -All deck officers to undergo Basic Computer Window-Excel and 'BRM' courses (ashore). -'SPECTRAL - VIDEOTEL' Sets-6000 CBT assessment / tutorial (In house / Athens & Manila) -All Filipino engineers to undergo technical courses at the 'NORWEGIAN' and 'IDESS' training centres in Manila. -Training and appointment of a 'Security' officer onboard and ashore (HQ) - 'NEWSLINK' daily to be extended to the full Filipino vessels too. - Where needed refreshing 'GMDSS' courses for deck officers.
'Safety' & 'Training' officers onboard are appointed by the master. The 'Helo' winch area is marked; accommodation ladder with net. We kindly request you to explicitly familiarise all your crew with the 'BA' apparatuses, and the foam system, in your next fire fighting, life saving, & other emergency drills. Good/clean house keeping is of great importance too. Dear Master, Please rest assured that we are here to assist you by developing practical measures that can ease your commercial pressure and by always being present whenever you are in need. Our aim: To make your life easier.
- pg 5 -
HOW NOT TO DRY YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY.
Well done mate !
SAFETY SAFETY ALERT ALERT
Courtecy ICSW - MNWD
Never ever leave an article of clothing or material over a heater to dry despite the temptation to do so. Most of us would prefer to step into a nice, warm, dry boilersuit in the morning, as opposed to stepping into one that is horribly cold and damp. We have reports where fires have occurred because clothes have been draped over heaters to dry. Please use the proper drying room available. Please empty all rubbish bins, at the end of the day and especially from the E/R, which contain clothing impregnated with oils. Over a period of time are liable to spontaneous combustion i.e. they can catch fire without any outside ignition source. Dispose of properly.
This interference may be realised as a display of inaccurate position information or as a complete loss of GPS receiver acquisition and tracking ability.
It has come to the attention of various Communications bodies that certain consumer electronics-grade active VHF/UHF marine television antennas are causing operational degradation to the performance of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The interference is not limited to the GPS equipment onboard the vessel, with the installed active marine t/v antennae, but it may also occur on to other vessels and installations operating in the vicinity and up to 2,000 feet away.
In one particular case, the interference caused the vessel's position as displayed on the electronic chart to move erratically and dramatically across large expand of land. As can be expected, various data displays indicated erroneous information as excessive speeds. To the vessel's crew these annoyances were frustrating and causing concerns that perhaps less obvious inaccuracies might were
occurring; with the ultimate result in affecting their confidence over the performance of the GPS & ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display & Information System) Such GPS interference can be checked by the "On-Off Test" of your antenna. If turning off the power to the antenna results in improvement of the GPS performance the antenna may the source of interference in the GPS band.
LESSONS THAT HAVE TO BE LIFEJACKETS. Must be readily available; the modern ones are light, comfortable and unobstructive.
doing, but is it clear to the other party? To be safe from collision, both parties need to be quite clear what is happening.
A GOOD VISUAL WATCH.
AWARENESS OF THE SEA AND MACHINERY.
The most basic of mariners' instinct is looking where they are going ! Yet we all have seen it happen: officers of the watch distracted by other tasks, or over reliant on radar.
Again this should be second nature to us all; people have died unnecessarily due to lack of awareness and, perhaps, complacency. Just pause and think; are you assessing the risks before you start any task? If you think you know better, you could be a danger to yourself and others around you.
AWARENESS OF OTHERS. The essence of good seamanship, particularly in congested waters, is awareness of what others are doing, and making clear to others what you are doing. Always try to think from the other person's perspective; you may be happy with what you are
- pg 6 -
FATIGUE. Life at sea is tiring. We all know that. And it is not the macho thing to suggest that we can't hack it. So we press on regardless. Sadly with negative
Across
M
CE
3
4
5
6
7 8
9
10
11
13
12
14
:)
26 30 31 32 33
2
15 16
17
20
21 23
Our Joke:
18
19 22 24 26
27
28
29
32 33
Strangely to some, 'as to be played with majesty (8) Malodourousness resulting from a failure to bathe (2) Why delay a ship ? (6) Bus garage (5) An organization established by the members of an ocean conference acts as a self-policing force with broad authority to investigate tariff violations, including authority to scrutinize all documents kept by the carriers and their personnel. Violations are reported to the membership and significant penalties are assessed. (7-4) 11 An intermodal system for transporting containers by ocean and then by rail or motor to a port previously served as an allwater move (e.g., Hong Kong to New York over Seattle). (4-10)
34
13 Assemblage of listeners (8) 14 Disentangle (7) 15 The act of calling for freight by truck at the consignor's shipping platform. (6) 16 Fuel oil (2) 18 European Union (2) 23 Make a score (3) 25 Unbalanced (3) 27 A classification society (3) 28 Document Review Committee (3) 29 Can be chewed endlessly (3) 32 Abbreviation for Just In Time. (3) 34 Come on, you know this 4 plus 3 Letter words (2) Courtesy NEWSLINK Satellite Daily
LEARNED outcomes. One of the many cases is the result of the watchkeeper falling asleep during his duty, but how many poor decisions have also been influenced by fatigue? Old Lessons. Please Act on these Five Principles.
In the real world, as the saying goes, nations have no permanent friends, just permanent interests.
QUOTATIONS
31
Down 1 3 4 7 10
M AGE ENT I N AN
C.
22 23 24 25
Marine diesel oil (3) Adieu (3, 3) Degenerate (3) A great number of fish swimming together (5) Tucked away (3) Saving a small business beset by money trouble (7) Activist (3) An underwater swimmer or explorer. (8) Form of government (7) European river (5) Outboard hull of a trimaran (3) United Nations (2) Any of various snakelike fish, with slender body and poorly developed fins, esp. one of the genus Anguilla living in fresh water and breeding in the sea. (3) A metric unit of length equal to 1000 meters (2) 25 Play on words (3) Move very slightly (5) 30 Usually the first spoken word of a child (2) Small canine (6) Mixologists (10) A small circular object (3) Folk dance (3) Fairy (3)
NTROF
IN
1 2 5 6 8 9 12 13 16 17 19 20 21
1
GOOD COMMUNICATION. It is a cost-effective defence against accidents, in whatever form. Whether between ships, shipmates, or the shipowner and his crew, effective planning, monitoring, and compliance with realistic and relevant standard operating procedures, can mean the difference between controlled event and one that leads inevitably to disaster.
Experience is not what happens to a person. It is what a person does with what happens to him/her. It is the extraction of wisdom, from the utterly transforming period of testing, from which one emerges broken or emboldened to learn and lead. The old equation in psychology is ABILITY times MOTIVATION. Which means if you want people to change, you have to make them ABLE - and, of course, a lot of knowledge transfer is about making them able - but you have to make them want to. A lot of times change doesn't take, not because people don't understand it, but because they are still wedded to the old ways, and that because they are still rewarded. Our planet, and our shipping industry in particular is facing a so called 'globalisation'. This editor would like to call it: An Integrated Global Community which is also Interdependent. (Comments are welcomed). BEST COLLECTIVE NOUNS OF YEAR 2002: - Sustainable Development - Food Geneticaly Modified - Axis of Evil - Transparency - Corporate Trust - Double Hull - Authentic Happiness - EyeRAQ (Can you suggest another one?). Ed
SLOWING DOWN. It is also an option, and yet it is one rarely taken by give-away vessels. Why? Because it conflicts with the fundamental commercial nature of merchant shipping. Why slow down when you can alter course. Why alter course? Although an alternative and equally valid option is often available, there are times when it is not. "Slowing down" not only enables a collision to be avoided; importantly, it allows more time to asses a developing situation.
VIGILANCE. Even when you have slowed down and communicated well, danger lurks. We are vulnerable to lapses of attention, either due to a distraction or the fact that we have "switched off" at the end of a watch.
BE SAFE: Slow Down, Speak Up, and Stay With It ! Courtesy MAIB
- pg 7 -
Our Singapore Agent Mr Alan Chee.
Here below please find the piracy prone areas as issued by the ICC/IMB Piracy Report of November 11, 2002:
The IMB defines piracy and armed robbery as: " An act of boarding or attempting to board any ship with apparent intent to commit theft or any other crime and with the apparent intent or capability to use force in the furtherance of that act"This definition covers actual or attempted attacks whether the ship is berthed, at anchor or at sea. Petty thefts are excluded, unless the thieves are armed. Last year we forwarded onboard your ship BIMCO's " THE SHIPMASTER'S SECURITY MANUAL" and CENMAR despatches regularly onboard, through its Filipino joining crew, the "WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT" as edited by the IMB / Piracy Reporting Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Tel.++ 60 3 2078 5763 - e-mail: imbkl@icc-ccs.org.uk). The World's tendency is: - Indonesia continues to record the highest number of attacks with 91 reported incidents in 2001, -It appears that piracy is on the increase in Africa, -The 2001 figures showed that most attacks took place while the ships were at anchor. Masters are therefore reminded to maintain strict anti-piracy watch at all times and especially in piracy prone areas, -Incidents of crew being assaulted have increased, -The world's security situation demands tightest security measures on and around ships.
(b).- Africa and Red Sea +Abidjan, Conarky, Dakar, Dar Es Salaam, Diego Suarez, Douala, Gentil, Guinea Bissau, Lagos Libreville, Owendo and Tema +Gulf of Aden +Somalian waters - high-risk area for hijackings. Ships not making scheduled calls at Somali ports should keep at least 50 miles and if possible 100 miles from the Somali coast. (c).- South and Central America & the Caribbean Waters +Brazil - Belam, Rio Grande and Santos +Colombia - Barranquilla, Buena Ventura +Dominican Republic - Rio Haina +Ecuador - Guanta, Guayaquil, Manta +Guyana - Georgetown +Peru - Callao +Venezuela - Puerto la Cruz We urge you to familiarise your deck officers/ratings with the "Safety Manual" and make its contents the topic of your next 'Safety Meeting' with all your crew. We remain at your disposal for any further comments/suggestions. Smooth seas and best of luck
Articles written in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CENTROFIN. DISCLAIMER. The contents provided herewith are for general information purposes only; not intended to replace or otherwise contradict the detailed instructions issued by the owners, flag etc.
NTROF AGEMENT I N AN
C.
CENTRO-NEWS
+Bangladesh - Chittangong and Mongla, at berth and anchorage +India - Chennai, Haldia, Hoogly, Kakinada anchorages +Indonesia - Belawan, Balikpapan, Bontang, Panjang, Samarinda, Santan, Tarahan and Tanjong Priok/Jakarta, Bangka, Gelasa Straits +Malacca Straits - Avoid anchoring along Indonesian coast, especially near Aceh + Malaysia - Sandakan, +Solomon Islands - Honiara +Thailand - Koh Si Chang +Vietnam - Vung Tau
IN
Wavelength
(a).- S E Asia and the Indian Sub Continent
M
The latest reports of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) / International Maritime Bureau (IMB) / have alarminingly indicated that: -Highjackings at sea have increased the last years, -Pirates killed a total of 21 crew members and 210 more were taken hostages, -There is clear increase in the use of firearms, -Indonesian waters and the Malacca straits are dangerous areas, as well as West Africa and South America, -Stowaways are becoming a serious security risk.
CE
Dear Captain,
P
Y C A IR
Editor: Cmdr Nicholas A. Iliopoulos Staff Captain Manning & Training Tel: +30.(0)210 8983305 Fax: +30.(0)210 8983231 E-mail: nai@centrofin.gr Design-Production : Paradox Adv. +30.(0)210 6560574 www.paradox.com.gr