April 2009

✪ newsfront2–13 ●✪ letters16–17 ●✪ reports18-31 ●✪ international14–15 ●✪ appointments35–41 ●✪ crossword32 ✪

Is AIS all it is cracked upto be? Read the resultsof a special survey ofalmost 100 userspages 24-25

AIS REALITY REVEALEDThe chemicals used tokeep your ship cleancould put your health atrisk, Nautilus warnspage 27

A CLEAN SWEEP?An exclusive interviewwith Bill Walworth, theCommodore of theRoyal Fleet Auxiliarypage 21

RFA’S LEADING MAN

Telegraphthe journal of

Volume 42 ●✪ Number 04 ●✪ April 2009 ●✪ £2.75

MINISTER PROMISESACTION OVER FATIGUENAUTILUS has welcomed gov-ernment assurances that the UKwill crack down on seafarer fatiguewithin the country’s waters.

Transport minister Geoff Hoontold the Union the governmenthas fully accepted a MarineAccident Investigation Branchrecommendation for ‘robust’ uni-lateral action to tackle the prob-lem of excessive hours.

He said the Maritime &Coastguard Agency ‘will be takingevery practical step to ensure thatwhere fatigue or lookout issues arefound during inspection, orbrought to its attention, suchinfringements are dealt withrobustly and with the maximumpenalties available’.

The MAIB call came in a reporton an accident involving the gen-eral cargo vessel Antari in June lastyear. The flag of convenience shipgrounded near Larne three hoursafter the fatigued Russian chiefofficer fell asleep whilst alone onthe bridge.

Investigators said the casehighlighted the hazards posed bythe crewing arrangements andworking patterns on many shipsin the shortsea trades.

‘Analysis of the chief officer’ssleep pattern indicated that therewas a high risk that he wasfatigued,’ the report stated.

Antari had made 21 port callsin the eight weeks leading up tothe accident, and in the 24 hourspreceding the grounding the chiefofficer’s sleep pattern had beendisturbed by a port call and cargooperations, the report explained.

‘As has been demonstrated inmany previous accidents, such aroutine on vessels engaged in nearcoastal trade poses a serious risk ofcumulative fatigue,’ it added.

Calling for the UK to take

unilateral action to addressfatigue problems, and to seek anurgent International MaritimeOrganisation review of theprocesses and principles of safemanning, the MAIB said the

Antari case — and many othersimilar incidents it has investi-gated in recent years — demon-strated the ‘compelling need’ fornew measures.

Nautilus general secretary

Brian Orrell welcomed the MAIBreport and said it was imperativethat the government should actwith urgency to implement therecommendations.

‘It is not for nothing that fatiguehas been a priority campaign issuefor Nautilus over the past twodecades. It is a “clear and presentdanger” — to ships, their crews, topassengers, and to the marineenvironment,’ he added.

Mr Orrell said the MAIB wasright to warn that, without action,it can be only a matter of timebefore fatigue leads to ‘a cata-strophic accident’.

It was ‘sadly ironic’ that theMAIB report had been publishedless than a fortnight after theIMO’s standards of training andwatchkeeping sub-committeefailed to agree on proposals totackle the fatigue problems cre-ated by the ‘two-watch’ system, hepointed out. Delegates hadrejected a plan to require at leastthree deck officers, including themaster, on ships that currentlyoperate with just a master andmate.

Mr Hoon promised that the UKwould continue making represen-tations on fatigue and safe man-ning at the IMO and withinEurope.

And the minister told theUnion he was confident that theMCA’s three-year plan to addressfatigue — including increased useof enforcement powers — ‘willproduce significant improve-ments’.✪Full report — pages 18-19

Accident report sparks calls for UK to take ‘robust’ line on excessive hours at seaANTI-PIRACY patrols in theGulf of Aden need to be main-tained well beyond the end ofthis year, Nautilus has warned.

Speaking at a two-day confer-ence on the problem last month,assistant general secretaryMark Dickinson said it is crucialthat countries keep up the coor-dinated naval presence to deterattacks on shipping off Somalia.

Both the European Unionand the United States havepointed to the success of theoperations — with the propor-tion of successful attacks drop-ping to 17% this year, comparedwith more than 60% only sixmonths ago, and the number ofships and seafarers being heldhostage more than halved sincelast year.

But Mr Dickinson warnedthat whilst the Union isdelighted to see the success ofthe patrols, it is clear that theyneed to continue beyond the endof 2009.

Governments and ownersshould also not forget thatattacks on shipping are continu-ing in many other parts of theworld, he added. ‘If there is onething that we can learn from thepatterns of piracy over the past25 years, it is that this is a multi-headed beast that has an amaz-ing ability to regroup andregenerate. When it is sup-pressed in one part of the world,it seems to have a marked ten-dency to pop up in another part.’

Mr Dickinson said the easewith which ships have beenhijacked off Somalia demon-strated the need for a review ofthe effectiveness of the ISPSCode. ✪More reports — pages 2, 22-23

‘Piracypatrolsmust bekept up’

In this issue:

The Larne lifeboat checks the grounded Antari’s hull for damage last June PICTURE: MANDY JOHNSTON/MAIB

The magnificent seven...

2●✪Nautilus UKTelegraph●✪ APRIL 2009

nautilus uk at work

RECORD YEAR FOREUROPE CRUISESTHE NUMBER of Europeanstaking a cruise holiday reachedan all-time high of 4.4m in2008, according to figuresreleased last month.

According to the EuropeanCruise Council report, there wasa 10% increase in the number ofEuropean cruise passengers last

year — with the UK accountingfor the largest share: some 33%of the market, or nearly 1.5mpassengers.

The Council also publishedfigures showing the economicand employment value of the EUcruise industry — accounting formore than 280,000 jobs lastyear, up 25% on 2006. Thecruise sector has also chalked upa 22% increase in its economiccontribution over the previousyear, it added.

WORK STARTS ONNEW P&O FERRIESPICTURED right is the start ofconstruction for the £335m pairof new ships ordered by P&OFerries — with chief executiveHelen Deeble and TimoKaskinen, STX Europeproduction manager, at lastmonth’s steel-cutting ceremonyin the yard at Rauma, Finland.

The 49,000gt vessels will bethe biggest ever designed for theDover-Calais service, and aredue for delivery in Decembernext year and September 2011,replacing the Pride of Dover andthe Pride of Calais.

Technical innovations includeadvanced hull shapes tomaximise performance withminimal fuel consumption. Theywill also be the first passengerferries to comply with IMO ‘safereturn to port’ requirements.

MARITIME unions and welfaregroups have raised concern aboutthe conditions in which Filipinoseafarers are working on fishingvessels in the Irish Sea.

Their plight has been exposedin a couple of recent cases — one ofwhich involved Nautilus/ITFinspector Tommy Molloy.

He met two Filipino fishermenwho were found wandering inHolyhead a few weeks ago afterthey were put on a ferry fromIreland to be deported. With theassistance of a Filipino help groupand the Seafarers’ Centre inLiverpool, the pair were finallyrepatriated last month.

Mr Molloy said the men hadbeen employed on a UK-flaggedfishing vessel via a Manila-basedagency, on a total salary ofUS$420 a month.

They had to pay medical andtraining costs before departure(approximately £75) and werecontracted to pay the agency10,000 pesos from their salary ontheir return.

He said the pair spoke of work-ing up to 36 hours at a time, and of

frequent physical abuse. Theyonly ever received £20 in wages.

‘They told me that one day awoman (either the owner, partowner or interested party) toldthem to go to the shops for some-thing and when they returnedCustoms officials were onboard,’Mr Molloy said. ‘The police andimmigration were called and theguys were placed in the cells andeventually deported to the UK viathe ferry to Holyhead.’

Mr Molloy has taken the caseup with the crewing agency, theIrish immigration authorities, andthe vessel’s operator.

He described the case as ‘terri-ble’ — but stressed that ‘it is noworse than some of the other sto-ries coming out of the Irish andUK fishing sectors’.

Evidence has also come to lightof Filipino fishermen inPortavogie Harbour, NorthernIreland, working with appallingsalary and working conditionsonboard UK fishing vessels. Somesay they are paid just $US320 amonth, and have only UK transitvisas rather than work permits.

ISPS REVIEW ‘VITAL’

THERE’S snow way thatextremes of weather willdeter the Nautilus teamtaking part in the FloraLondon Marathon on 26 April.

The Union’s seven-strongteam is seeking to raise aminimum of £9,100 for thecharity Seafarers UK. Thereare injury doubts, but the fiveteam members picturedtraining in Lincolnshirerecently showed theircommitment to the cause.

Pictured, left to right, are:assistant general secretaryMark Dickinson; head of HRand administration Mike Jess;industrial officer Steve Doran;finance manager Olu Tunde;and consultant IT managerRoger Garside. The otherentrants are industrial officerGarry Elliot and AudreyStocker, activities coordinatorat Mariners’ Park Care Home.

Mark, Steve and Garrywere all battling injuries lastmonth — although Markmanaged to complete theBrentwood half marathon on15 March as part of histraining regime.

Steve has been undergoingmassage treatment in anattempt to resolve calfproblems, and Garry added:‘I would hope to avoid anyrepeat of last year, where Idamaged my knee ligaments

a fortnight before the raceand had to hobble around thecourse.’

Roger is also doing twohalf marathons as part of histraining, whilst Mike — whowith Mark, Steve and Garryraised £6,000 for SeafarersUK in last year’s Londonmarathon — decided he would

stay continuously in trainingfollowing that event.

But this year’s Londonmarathon will be his last,Mike revealed: ‘I’ve donethree; time for some of theyounger members.’

For Olu Tunde, London willbe his first marathon. ‘Mygoal is to finish — whether I

run, crawl, or walk.’ AudreyStocker has also never run amarathon before, and thechance to tackle the Londonevent will fulfil ‘a hugeambition’, she said.

So, a heroic effort all round— and the team needs moresponsors. To contribute, visit:www.justgiving.com/nautilusuk

Union alarm atexploitation offoreign crews

MARITIME nations need to makea long-term commitment to com-bat the threat of piracy and armedattacks on shipping, Nautiluswarned last month.

Speaking at the Tackling Piracyat Sea conference in London,assistant general secretary MarkDickinson stressed the need tolook beyond the success of thenaval patrols now operating offthe coast of Somalia.

‘Whilst we applaud govern-ments for finally mounting anorganised response to the threat of

attacks on shipping, we must notforget the fact that piracy andarmed attacks are not confined tothe waters off Somalia, and theproblem is still running atremarkably high levels in placeslike Nigeria,’ he added.

Governments and ownersmust resist the temptation tothink that naval patrols are ananswer in themselves, MrDickinson argued. ‘The powers toengage in action against thepirates are quite limited, andwhilst the number of successful

attacks has been reduced, it hasnot been eliminated. And, asSirius Star showed us, pirates areable to use an element of surprisethanks to their mobility.’

Despite the patrols, he said,pirates are continuing theirattacks — with incidents lastmonth including two cases inwhich seafarers were shot duringattacks off Somalia’s eastern coast.

Mr Dickinson told the confer-ence that the continued attacks onmerchant shipping showed theindustry’s vulnerability, and

underlined the Union’s case for afundamental review of theInternational Ship & PortFacilities Security Code.

‘ISPS was meant to be ship-ping’s answer to the 9/11 attacks,and it is surely right that we nowreview its effectiveness in the lightof the continuing piracy threat,’ headded. ‘The fact that a few menarmed with guns can take controlof ships like the Sirius Star shouldbe of immense concern in thepresent geo-political climate.’✪See feature — centre pages

NAUTILUS UK has welcomed aplanned initiative by internationalshipmanagers to combat seafarercriminalisation.

InterManager — which repre-sents managers of more than1,000 ships — is preparing to runa global industry-wide campaignagainst the unfair treatment ofshipmasters and officers.

InterManager president Rob-erto Giorgi said the proteststhat secured the release of bailof the master and chief officerfrom the tanker Hebei Spiritshowed ‘how powerful this indus-try is when it comes togetheraround an issue’.

The organisation has begunwork on the terms of reference fora criminalisation working groupto consider the international regu-latory regime and the case forglobally-accepted measures toprevent seafarers from beingtreated as scapegoats after acci-dents.

Nautilus assistant general sec-retary Mark Dickinson said theinitiative was extremely timely.‘This is an issue that is very dear toour heart,’ he added. ‘The Unionhas contacted InterManager tooffer its assistance with the cam-paign, and we hope to make a sub-stantial input.’

Nautilus warns of need to respond to changing face of piracy

Criminalisation: newcampaign welcomed

NAUTILUS has expressed concernabout an Office of Fair Trading decisionto launch an investigation into Isle ofWight ferry services.

Announcing the move last month,the OFT said the probe followed acomplaint by a local MP, supported by8,000 signatures, alleging high prices,unclear charging and declining levelsof service.

The OFT will examine the nature ofcompetition between operators andpotential barriers to entry — includingport ownership arrangements andpricing. Its findings are expected to bepublished in May.

Nautilus is consulting membersabout the investigation, and assistantgeneral secretary Mark Dickinson saidthe Union was disturbed about itsimplications at a time of economicslowdown.

PICTURE: GARY DAVIES/MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC

APRIL 2009●✪Nautilus UK Telegraph●✪3

nautilus uk at work

briefly...Yacht hit: the Marine Accident Investigation Branch hasbegun a probe into an incident last month in which a yachtwas struck by a merchant ship in fog, some 15 miles SE ofLizard Point. The 34ft yacht Maelys had been hit by thecargoship Helen, which was on passage to Bonnieres inballast. The Maritime & Coastguard Agency said the incidentwas a reminder of the need for all vessels to keep a sharplookout at all times.

Port safety: the TT Club, which specialises in insurance coverfor the ports and terminals sector, has teamed up withequipment manufacturers in a drive to improve the safety ofport operating equipment worldwide. The move followsresearch by the club which showed that improvements indesign, systems and technologies could help operators avoidaccidents such as quay-crane booms colliding with ships.

Stowaway surge: a marked increase in stowaway incidentsreported to the International Maritime Organisation has beenblamed on the economic downturn. According to the figures,the last quarter of 2008 saw a total of 125 incidents worldwide,involving 645 stowaways — up from 61 incidents and 183stowaways in the previous quarter.

Pirate alarm: Asian shipowners have voiced concern that theglobal economic crisis could spark a new wave of pirate attackson shipping. Meeting in Singapore last month, the AsianShipowners Forum urged governments to strengthen andincrease their naval and air surveillance, and said mastersneed to remain vigilant.

US fine: a US court has imposed a US$1m fine on GeneralMaritime Management (Portugal) — a subsidiary of the US-based operator Genmar — for making false statements to theUS Coast Guard and failing to maintain an accurate oil recordbook on the tanker Genmar Defiance.

Faststream launch: the maritime recruitment firmFaststream has launched a new dedicated seagoing division.The Southampton-based company, which previouslyspecialised in shore-based jobs, says the decision was made inresponse to high demand.

Carbon footprint: Maersk Tankers says it is ready to enter theCO2 transportation market to help promote carbon captureand storage — a potential scheme to reduce the impact ofclimate change.

Seafarers killed: more than 30 seafarers died in two separatesinkings last month — one following a collision off Japan, theother involving the loss of a cargoship in rough seas off Egypt.

Hong Kong high: the Hong Kong ship register — now the fifthlargest in the world — has announced a new record high, withmore than 1,300 ships and 40m gt on its books.

OBITUARY: CAPTAIN BILLLUCAS, LAST MMSAGENERAL SECRETARYCAPTAIN Bill Lucas — pictured right — thelast general secretary of the MercantileMarine Service Association, died at the endof February at the age of 86. Capt Lucas ledthe MMSA from 1 January 1975 until itbecame part of NUMAST in a merger withthe MNAOA and the REOU in June 1985.

Capt Lucas joined the Blue Funnel Line asa cadet in 1939, transferring to Coast Linesas a second officer in 1942. After variouscoastal and deepsea service, he wasappointed to command in 1951 andsubsequently became master of ferries onthe Liverpool/Belfast route.

In 1967 he commissioned the UlsterQueen, a command which he held until hejoined the MMSA’s marine department on1 December 1973.

He had already been an active laymember of the MMSA, joining the Council in1957 and subsequently holding offices as

deputy vice president from 1961 to 1962,as vice president from 1962 to1964 and aspresident from 1964 to 1966 — having thedistinction of probably being the youngestpresident in the MMSA’s long history.

Capt Lucas served continuously from1964 to his retirement as a MMSArepresentative on the National MaritimeBoard.

He was also chairman of the MerchantNavy Officers’ Pension Fund for a number ofyears, and received an OBE in the 1985New Year list.

He leaves a widow, Joan.

WELFARE WORKERTHE INTERNATIONALCommittee on Seafarers’ Welfarehas appointed a new executivedirector, Roger Harris, whostarted work last month. MrHarris, who has more than 20years of fundraising, campaignand management experience,said he was determined to seeICSW meet the challenges posedby the current economic crisis.

GREEN LIGHT FORSED CHALLENGEA HIGH Court judge has given thegreen light for Nautilus to make alegal challenge to an attempt byHM Revenue & Customs torestrict the grounds on whichmembers can qualify for theSeafarers’ Earnings Deductionincome tax concessions.

In a ruling issued last month,Judge David Mackie granted anapplication for a judicial review ofa hardline HMRC application ofthe SED rules, which could leavesome members facing tax bills ofmore than £45,000.

Although the judge cautionedthat the claim may face problemsin being successful, he acceptedthat it was an ‘important one, withimplications for others’.

The Union wants the judicialreview to consider an interpreta-tion of the SED qualifying ruleswhich was imposed by HMRC lastyear — and accompanied by chal-lenges to individual claims goingback as far as 2000.

The controversy centresaround the way in which the taxauthority is using a strict new def-inition of being out of the countryat midnight on a relevant date inorder to claim the concession.

It is feared that the toughapproach could involve tax pay-ments totalling as much as£400m and would particularlyaffect members serving in the off-shore and short sea sectors.✪Revised SED guidelines intro-ducing changes in response to thePride South America case havebeen issued by HMRC.

The new guidelines — whichwill apply from the 2008-9 taxyear — alter the types of vessel andthe nature of their operationswhich HMRC considers ineligibleunder the definition of ‘ship’ forqualifying for the tax relief.

The guidelines were eventuallypublished at the end of February,although the link provided byHMRC to its website missed out

three vital pages. This wasrepaired following intervention byNautilus. A link on the Union’swebsite to the HMRC site doeslead to all of the relevant pages.

‘The guidelines cover changeswhich HMRC believe are requiredfollowing the Pride SouthAmerica case,’ deputy general sec-retary Peter McEwen explained.‘They were not intended to dealwith, and do not deal with, the pri-mary issue on which Nautiluscampaigned — which is that theSED should be available to all sea-farers and not others, as originallyenvisaged by the then Chancellorof the Exchequer when the con-cessions were re-introduced fol-lowing pressure from the Union.’

Mr McEwen said the guide-lines need to be read carefully —because they contain a number of‘ifs, buts and maybes’. All of thesecan be used to the advantage ofmembers in particular circum-stances, he added, and a commen-

tary will be on the Nautilus web-site and available to be down-loaded. This should be read beforesubmitting any further tax returnor corresponding with HMRC.

Nautilus has protestedstrongly about HMRC’s decisionto apply the new guidelines in thecurrent tax year, on the basis thatseafarers started it without anyknowledge of the PSA case.‘Although this was heard inJanuary 2008, the general impacton seafarers was not announcedby HMRC until September 2008and then incorrectly,’ Mr McEwenpointed out.

‘Nautilus will continue to cam-paign on this particular point,along with the general issue ofachieving a proper SED policy bya change to the underlying legisla-tion,’ he added.

The Union will be seeking sup-port for its campaign with amotion at the Scottish TUC laterthis month.

Judge OKs judicial review of HMRC’s hardline tax claim policy

nautilus uk at work

briefly...HAL visits: Nautilus has conducted a series of ship visits in theHolland America Line fleet following members’ rejection ofthe company’s 1% pay offer. The visits took place ahead of ameeting with management, and national secretary PaulKeenan said written proposals were awaited from thecompany late last month.

CBC claims: Nautilus is continuing talks with theadministrator for Coastal Bulk Shipping. The company wentinto voluntary administration in January, and the Union isseeking to ensure that members get the money owed to them.A creditors’ meeting took place on 17 March.

Norfolkline talks: Nautilus is continuing negotiations withNorfolkline over concerns about the impact on members ofchanges in Irish Sea fleet operations. The talks have coveredTUPE transfer of employment arrangements, with thetransfers due to take place on 26 April.

Hanson deal: members serving with Hanson ShipManagement have voted 30-8 to accept a deal that gives a 3%across-the-board increase, together with additional increasesfor some engineer officers and loyalty bonuses for many long-serving staff.

PNTL pay: members serving in the Pacific Nuclear Transportfleet have put forward their pay aspirations for 2009. Based onthis, the Union is preparing a claim to send to management,and is seeking a meeting.

Safmarine switch: members serving with Maersk(Safmarine) have voted by a substantial majority in favour ofcompany proposals to change salary payments from sterlingto US dollars.

NOCS meeting: Nautilus was set to meet NOCS managementlate last month for further discussions on the terms andconditions of service review for members on NMFD vessels.

Wightlink partnership: issues including pay, masters’ mealbreaks, and manning on the Lymington-Yarmouth route werediscussed at last month’s Wightlink partnership meeting.

Dismissal settlement: Nautilus has secured a £5,000compromise settlement for a member who had alleged that hehad been unfairly dismissed by his employer.

St Helena deal: following feedback from members serving onRMS St Helena, Nautilus has accepted a 3% pay offer.


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CARNIVAL OFFERSARE ACCEPTEDMEMBERS serving on CarnivalUK ships have voted byoverwhelming majorities toaccept an improved pay offer,giving a 2% increase with effectfrom 1 January.

Members serving with FleetMarine Services agreed thepackage by 122-21, while

Cunard officers endorsed it by an11 to one majority.

National secretary PaulKeenan welcomed the agreementand said further discussions hadbeen lined up to progress someoutstanding issues.

He said Nautilus is alsoopening discussions withmanagement on the creation ofpartnership at work committeearrangements that would help todevelop industrial relations in thetwo fleets.

RFA ARGUS VISITNAUTILUS industrial officerGavin Williams and Royal FleetAuxiliary liaison officer MartinTroman are pictured meetingmembers on the RFA Argus inFalmouth last month. MrWilliams said the visit hadprovided an opportunity fordiscussions on the recentlyconcluded long-term pay andconditions agreement.

P&O IRISH VISITS TODISCUSS DISPUTEON CONTRIBUTIONS

MINISTERS have defended thedecision to terminate a contractfor a long-serving UK-flaggedship in the Falkland Islands.

Nautilus protested to theMinistry of Defence after learn-ing that it had decided to bringin a foreign-crewed ship in placeof the JA Gardner general car-goship Saint Brandan, whichhad operated in the area since1982.

The move poses a threat to

the jobs of 16 UK seafarers, andthe Union expressed concernthat the decision had been madeon the grounds of cost — run-ning in conflict with the policy ofboosting UK seafaring.

Defence minister Bob Ains-worth said Saint Brandan hadprovided satisfactory service tothe MoD, but it had beendecided to merge two contractsfor shipping in the Falklandsand — in line with MoD and EU

requirements — a tender hadbeen put out for the work.

‘All the bids were evaluatedon an equitable basis, againstdeclared technical and commer-cial evaluation criteria,’ headded.

The contract was awarded tothe Dutch company, VanWijngaarden, ‘as theirs was themost technically advantageousand affordable proposal,’ hesaid.

NAUTILUS is continuing its workto secure outstanding wages formembers affected by the demise ofthe Speedferries cross-Channelservice last year.

The Union represented mem-bers at a High Court hearing inLondon last month which gavethe go-ahead for the judicial saleof the catamaran SpeedOne.

Mr Justice Steel, sitting in theAdmiralty Court, granted theBank of Scotland judgment for£10,129,308 and also an orderthat SpeedOne be appraised andsold by the Admiralty Marshal.

Nautilus members were repre-

sented at the hearing by legaldirector Charles Boyle, whoinformed the judge about themonies claimed under the cau-tions filed and stated that theunion had no objection to the ves-sel being sold so long as its mem-bers’ maritime lien was respected.

The 86m SpeedOne was ini-tially arrested last October, whenthe port of Boulogne claimedunpaid port dues. The companysubsequently went into adminis-tration last November, and thevessel was arrested when itreturned to UK waters inDecember by the Bank of

Scotland, which had a legal mort-gage over the vessel and was owed£9,915,552.

It has since been laid-up inTilbury, and is now being soldthrough sealed bids with a dead-line of 21 April.

The Union’s industrial andlegal departments have beenworking hard to represent mem-bers’ interests.

Based on information col-lected by the industrial team thelegal department filed ‘CautionAgainst Release Forms’ with theAdmiralty Court for an amounttotalling £94,840.78 — which for-

mally registered members’ inter-ests in the proceeds of sale of thevessel.

‘Seafarers have a maritime lienagainst a vessel in respect ofunpaid wages earned on that ves-sel,’ explained Mr Boyle. ‘A mar-itime lien for wages ranks veryhighly in the priority of creditorsas regards the proceeds of sale ofthe vessel.

‘The Union will be doing all itcan to claim outstanding wagesfrom the proceeds of the sale,which should rank in priorityabove the Bank of Scotland’sclaim,’ he added.

NAUTILUS has carried out aseries of ship visits to meetmembers in the P&O IrishSea fleet.

Pictured top left, on theEuropean Mariner, are MickySmyth (liaison officercommittee chairman), KenAllen, Capt. PatrickBlackwell-Smyth, TyroneDwyer, national secretaryPaul Keenan, and liaisonofficer Alan Tweed. Picturedbelow left, onboard P&OExpress, are Matt Stronge,industrial officer JonathanHavard, Ian Stockton (liaisonofficer committee secretary),Micky Smyth, and RossMcNaughton.

Mr Keenan said the visitshad taken place as part of the

ongoing discussions overNational Insurancecontribution issues formembers serving with thecompany.

‘We remain concernedabout the time being takenfor the issues to be resolved,’he added, ‘and we aremaking every effort to ensurethat the problems areaddressed.’

A further meeting is due totake place on 6 April.✪Members serving on theP&O Irish Sea services haveagreed to accept thecompany’s imposed 2% payoffer. The package has alsobeen accepted by officers onthe western Channel, NorthSea and Dover-based services.

RED FUNNEL MOVENAUTILUS has had further talkswith Red Funnel management onproposals for the harmonisationof crew contracts. Industrialofficer Gavin Williams said aconsensus approach is now beingsought after previous proposalshad been rejected last year.Members will be balloted on anychanges, with potentialintroduction in January 2010.

Speedferries wages fightgoes to the High Court

MoD defends contract


nautilus uk at work

briefly...Orkney talks: Nautilus joined the unions RMT and T&GUnite in talks with Orkney Ferries management last month.Industrial officer Steve Doran said the meeting had beencalled to progress outstanding pay issues from last year, toconsider future negotiations, and to examine a frameworkagreement for the proposed marine services restructuring.

BW offer: members serving with BW Fleet Management arebeing consulted on a 4% pay offer. The company has alsotabled proposals to increase in-service death compensation.Industrial officer Ian Cloke said the Union has recommendedacceptance of the offer.

IoM agreement: members serving with Manx Sea Transporton Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels have accepted arevised pay offer, giving a 4% increase with effect from 1January. The Union is now seeking further talks on a numberof outstanding issues.

BP freeze: Nautilus has presented counter-proposals to BPOil (UK) after management tabled a pay freeze in response tothe Union’s 5% claim. The company has confirmed that fleetperformance bonuses, worth 5.88%, will be paid.

Shell submission: following feedback from members on thecontents of this year’s pay and conditions claim, Nautilusofficials and officer reps were due to meet Shell InternationalShipping Services management late last month.

EMS pressed: following members’ rejection of proposals for apay freeze, Nautilus has written to EMS Ship ManagementUK to urge the company to reconsider its position.

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MERSEY MEETINGON JOB CUTSNAUTILUS has met MerseyDocks & Harbour Companymanagement for talks onproposed redundancies followinga review of its dredging and craneoperations.

Industrial officer Steve Doransaid some 20 posts were at riskafter the future of the Mersey

Mammoth and Mersey Marinerwas called into question.

The company has agreed towrite to the unions, setting out itsproposals in detail, and a furthermeeting was scheduled for 30March.

Following long-runningnegotiations, Nautilus has alsoagreed revised shift patterns forMDHC VTS staff. Industrialofficer Steve Doran said theUnion remains concerned aboutthe impact of the changes.

WESTERN FERRIESMAKES 3% OFFER NAUTILUS industrial officerSteve Doran is pictured at theUnion’s first ever pay andconditions meeting with WesternFerries. Also in the picture are:Graeme Fletcher, technicaldirector, and liaison officersTommy Williamson and BryceGorman.

Held at Garside dry dock,Greenock, last month, themeeting followed the submissionof a claim drawn up on the basisof feedback from members. Thecompany has subsequentlymade a 3% pay offer, which isnow being put out toconsultation. Results will beknown early in April.

Mr Doran said further talksare being held to finalise therecognition and staff handbookdocuments.

NAUTILUS has concluded nego-tiations on redundancies arisingfrom the withdrawal of theHarwich-based ferry StenaTransporter — with an agreementthat will avert compulsory joblosses.

A meeting between manage-ment, Nautilus officials and liai-son officers was held to considerthe applications received for vol-untary severance, and agreementwas reached on the officers whowill leave under these arrange-ments.

Further discussions were heldabout the way in which the com-pany would ensure that surplusonboard services officers would beretained.

Nautilus national secretaryRonnie Cunningham said he waspleased that compulsory redun-dancies had been avoided.‘However, it is sad to see some very

experienced officers going as aresult of this, and we remain con-cerned about the impact of theeconomic downturn on operatorssuch as Stena.’

The Union has also beeninvolved in a number of local-leveldiscussions about job losses —mainly onboard services staff — inFishguard, Stranraer, Fleetwoodand Holyhead.✪Stena Line has announced a£10m refit programme for 10ships operating on its Irish Seaservices. As well as work alreadycompleted on Stena Caledonia,Stena Pioneer, Stena Leader,Stena Expolorer and StenaEurope, the programme willinclude £1.35m of work on StenaLynx III, £850,000 upgrades onStena Seafarer — including newcrew accommodation — and £2mrefit and refurbishment of StenaNordica.

Maersk warns of need tomake $1bn more savings

Negotiations avertcompulsory joblosses at Stena

THE AP Moller-Maersk group haswarned of further cost-cuttingmeasures to help it cope with theimpact of the global economicdownturn.

Writing in the company’s mag-azine, Maersk Post, CEO NilsAndersen warned that Maerskwas facing a difficult year and saida further US$1bn in cuts wereneeded to adjust to the new ‘globalreality’.

‘We cannot go on doing busi-

ness as we have done until now,’ headded. ‘With low oil prices and atumbling container market char-acterised by overcapacity and loss-making freight rates, 2009 willprove to be difficult for most busi-ness units.’

Failure to be ‘cost-competitive’and benchmarked against the bestcompetitors would put the com-pany’s long-term survival at risk,he argued.

Securing the savings would

also ensure that the company was‘lean and cost-efficient’ when therecovery comes.

Maersk Line is facing a partic-ularly tough challenge because ofthe slump in container shippingmarkets, Mr Andersen said.‘When the year is over, we want tobe able to say Maersk Line outper-formed competitors, improvedprofitability and has satisfied cus-tomers while continuing to growits market share.’

AP Moller-Maersk said its pre-tax profit rose to $10.36bn lastyear — but Mr Andersen warnedthat 2009’s result will be ‘signifi-cantly’ down. Some shipping mar-ket analysts have suggested itcould even slip into the red thisyear — as much as US$850maccording to one estimate.

The company has made a seriesof container rate increases on keyroutes, to cope with what ittermed ‘unacceptable’ rate levels.

MEMBERS serving on the LDLines ferry Norman Spirit arepictured during a Nautilus shipvisit last month.

National secretary PaulKeenan visited the vessel todiscuss with members the termsof a proposed collectivebargaining agreement with ClydeMarine, covering their pay andconditions.

‘It has taken some time, andhas not been easy, but we havegot there in the end and will soonhope to have a formal election fora liaison officer,’ Mr Keenan said.

The first pay review is due inJune, and the Union will beseeking input from members toframe the claim.

offshore bulletin


briefly...Sealion revise: Nautilus is consulting Seahorse Maritimemembers serving on Sealion vessels on a revised pay andconditions review offer. The deal would give a 4.5% increaseon basic salary for members on AHTS and supply vessels, plusa 2% increase for AHTS in the differential over supply vesselpayscales, and 6% on basic for ROV support vessels and forDSV and construction vessels. Although this does not fullymeet members’ aspirations, the Union is recommending theoffer to members as the best that can be achieved in thedifficult economic conditions. Consultation with memberswas due to end on 3 April.

Swire meeting: Nautilus representatives will meet SwirePacific Ship Management (North Sea) later this month toadvance members’ 2009 pay and conditions claim. At ameeting with management last month, the companyproposed that a 5% pay increase would be reasonable — butagreed to reassess as the package falls below members’aspirations. Management said a claim for seniority paymentsis under consideration, and the installation of broadband andsatellite TV is also being considered.

Technip concern: Meridian Shipping Services has warnedthe Union that it looks like being a bad year for membersserving on Technip Offshore UK vessels, with the Alliance andApache faced with lay-up. Industrial officer Gary Leech saidthe company plans to scrap the Apache at the end of 2009,and Nautilus liaison officers Steve Toller, Jim Hutton andClarke Bowie called for a further meeting with managementto discuss the fleet plans in detail. It is hoped this will takeplace in July.

Gulf jobs: Nautilus has continued talks with managementover redundancies from the Gulf Offshore fleet. Industrialofficer Steve Doran said the number of job losses has now beencut to four, and the Union is providing advice and assistance tothe members affected.

Farstad claim: Nautilus is seeking a meeting withmanagement after members employed by Celtic Pacific ShipManagement on Farstad vessels last month submitted theiraspirations for the 2009 pay review.

1,000-SHIP MARKFOR ISLE OF MAN✪by MICHAEL HOWORTHTHE ISLE of Man Ship Registryhas reached a new milestone —passing the 1,000-vessels markwith the registration of the newNorwegian-built Maersk SupplyService anchor handler MaerskTracer, pictured left.

Built by STX Norway

Offshore, Maersk Tracer is thethird in a series of 10 AHTSvessels for Maersk SupplyService. With a cargo deck areaof 615 sq m, she has a nominalbollard pull of 165 tonnes, and ahydraulic anchor handling winchwith static brake force of 500tonnes.

Relaunched in 1984, theManx flag now has almost 10mgt on its books after recordingsignificant expansion in recentmonths.

UNION HIGHLIGHTS ERRVROLE IN RESCUE DRAMANAUTILUS has praised the role ofmembers serving on an emer-gency response and rescue vesselwho helped to save 18 passengersand crew after a helicoptercrashed in the North Sea.

The Union says it is deter-mined to ensure that the safetylessons from the incident will belearned and acted upon — includ-ing reports suggesting problemswith the use of helicopters to pickup survivors.

Investigations have beenlaunched into the reasons why theBond-operated Super Puma air-craft ditched near an ETAP instal-lation some 125 miles east ofAberdeen on 18 February in mod-erate weather conditions, withseas of 2-3m and 0.5nm visibility.

A major search and rescueoperation was mounted after thehelicopter came down. Two‘Jigsaw’ helicopters were deploy-ed, along with an RAF helicopterand a Nimrod aircraft.

The Vector Offshore ERRVCaledonian Victory respondedimmediately to the mayday andwas joined by other nearby vesselsin the rescue operation.

All 18 of the helicopter’s pas-sengers and crew were found safeonboard a pair of liferafts. One ofthe helicopters winched threepeople to safety before winchingwas called off because of theweather conditions and the down-draught from the helicopter’srotors.

An autonomous rescue andrecovery craft (ARRC) took the

remaining 15 from the liferaftsand brought them back to theCaledonian Victory, which thenreturned to Aberdeen.

Initial reports suggested thehelicopter’s crew had become dis-orientated in heavy cloud whilstapproaching the platform and hitthe water with no warning.

Nautilus senior national secre-tary Allan Graveson said the crashwas the first major incident inwhich the controversial Jigsawrescue arrangements had beenput into practice and highlightedthe importance of the Union'scampaign on the Jigsaw propos-als, which helped to secure a bal-

anced mix of air and marine SARresources.

The Union is to raise the safetyissues highlighted by the incidentat a future meeting of the OffshoreIndustry Advisory Committee.

‘The details of the rescue oper-ation need to be scrutinised verycarefully,’ Mr Graveson added,‘and we believe it shows theimportance of having an adequatenumber of ERRVs in place forsuch eventualities.’

The Jigsaw project — firsttabled in 2000 — had sparked amajor campaign by Nautilus toensure that ERRVs retained a sig-nificant role in rescue plans. BP

had originally sought to replace itsfleet of standby vessels with plat-form and shore-based helicopters,but the Union highlighted con-cerns about the limitations of hel-icopters in offshore SAR.✪A gearbox problem was lastmonth blamed for causing a heli-copter crash off the east coast ofCanada in which 17 people diedwhilst flying to an oil field.

The Sikorsky S-92 helicopterditched some 47 miles east of StJohn’s, Newfoundland, after thepilot reported technical problems.One survivor was taken to hospitalfor treatment to broken bones andfor hypothermia.

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OFFSHORE unions have prom-ised to continue the fight forpaid leave for North Sea work-ers following a ruling last monththat the current time-offarrangements meet legal mini-mums.

The Employment AppealTribunal said that it consideredthat the onshore field breakperiods for most rig workersprovide sufficient time off tocover both annual leave andworking time requirements.

The ruling was criticised byunions, who had argued that off-shore workers are entitled tofour weeks of annual leave ontop of the standard field breaks,as their annual working hourswere significantly higher thanshore-based employees.

But it was welcomed by theoperators’ body Oil & Gas UK,which argued that ‘the time offwork enjoyed by UK offshore oiland gas workers — typically over26 weeks in a year — more thanmeets the minimum legalamount of annual leave thatemployers must provide’.

Chief executive MalcolmWebb said employers andunions had spent massiveamounts since the legal battlebegan in 2005. ‘All this cost anduncertainty could have beenavoided if the government haddone what we repeatedly askedit to do at the outset, namely toissue UK regulations on thismatter which were sensible,clear and unambiguous,’ headded.

✪North Sea unions have joinedthe Health & Safety Executivein welcoming an agreement onnew rules that seek to preventworkers from being treated asscapegoats for ‘whistle-blowing’on safety issues.

The new guidelines — due tocome into effect on 31 Marchand agreed with the industrybody Oil & Gas UK — will put anend to the ‘not required back’(NRB) system by requiringemployers to stick to core prin-ciples and give clear reasons forremoving contractor personnelfrom installations.

Unions had long complainedthat the NRB process lackedtransparency and could be usedagainst staff who raised legiti-mate safety concerns.

Call for lessons to be learned from helicopter ditching incident

The Caledonian Victory returns to Aberdeen after rescuing 15 survivors from the ditched helicopter PICTURE: PA PHOTOS

Leave fight to continue

WELL CLOSURES‘OFFER JACKPOT’THE MASSIVE programme todecommission almost 5,000North Sea platform and subseawells will offer operators apotential ‘abandonment jackpot’,a report claimed last month.

Research published by Oil& Gas UK said the work couldcreate a £15bn market that could

last almost a century, providingmajor opportunities forcompanies specialising in wellabandonment technology.

‘There is an estimatedequivalent total of at least 97years of platform wellabandonments and at least 26years of subsea wellabandonments to be performedin the UK North Sea,’ the studyconcluded. It also stressed theneed for new technology to bedeveloped to assist the work.


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ROSYTH ROUTE TOBE RE-LAUNCHEDPICTURED left is an artist’simpression of the ScottishViking, a new 27,510gt ferrybeing built in Italy which willre-launch the Rosyth-Zeebruggeservice in May.

The 110-trailer capacityro-pax — a sistership to theMersey Viking — will operate

three sailings a week each way,taking 20 hours berth-to-berth.

Route director Bas vanHelden commented: ‘This routeis crucial for Scotland’s economyand we have undertaken seriousresearch to ensure it is viable forboth our passenger and freightmarkets. We are confident thatnot only will this route survive,but will hopefully ultimatelyexpand to provide a desperately-needed daily freight service forScotland to the continent.’

RAMSGATE LINKSET FOR LAUNCHA NEW fast ferry service linkingRamsgate with the French port ofBoulogne was set to beginoperations on 31 March.

The Euroferries service, beingrun in partnership with FredOlsen, will be using the 96mIncat vessel Bonanza Express tomake four crossings a day.

The catamaran will carry footpassengers, cars, coaches, and alimited amount of freight, with acrossing time of 75 minutes.

Local MP — and formershipping minister — Dr StephenLadyman welcomed the news,but cautioned local people ‘tosave our cheering until theservice starts because these areincredibly difficult times to belaunching a new business of thiscomplexity and things could stillgo wrong’.

MORE must be done to safeguarda supply of skilled British seafarersto ensure the country remains aninternational leader in maritimeservices, the Chancellor of theExchequer is being warned.

A new report produced by aspecial ‘think-tank’ on profes-sional services warns that therevival of the UK shipping sectoris at risk as a result of an absence of‘joined-up’ government policy.

Produced by the ProfessionalServices Group — established bythe Chancellor last year to exam-ine the issues affecting such keybusiness sectors as shipping, lawand accountancy — the reportcalls for the creation of a new bodyto spearhead maritime policies.

It says that London is still aworld leader in many key mar-itime services, such as ship-broking, law, insurance, finance,and freight derivatives. The so-called ‘maritime cluster’ of suchprofessional services employs atleast 14,500 people, and formspart of a wider shipping-relatedsector that generates more than£10bn in revenue and some £3bnin tax revenue every year.

The report warns that whiletonnage tax helped to deliver afive-fold increase in UK-flaggedtonnage since its introduction in2000, its competitive edge hasbeen eroded as other countrieshave developed similar schemes.

The group of experts — whosejoint chairman is City ministerLord Myners — suggest the gov-ernment should look at the meas-ures being adopted by rivalcountries.

They also call for the govern-

ment to consider increasing thelevel of support for UK maritimetraining. ‘A strength of the mar-itime cluster is the experience andexpertise of technical and opera-tions personnel employed in thedifferent sectors,’ the report pointsout. ‘Typically these individualshad benefited from service at sea.’

But, it warns, those skills havebecome more scarce as a result of‘the fall in the number of UK crewon UK-flagged ships andincreased competition from otherflag states’.

The report said it was vital tomaintain a ‘stable and constantgrowth pattern in fleet size — andthe accompanying requirementto employ and train cadets’.Recruitment of adequate num-bers of officer cadets ‘will providea vital injection of expertise in theindustry’, it added, and a ‘substan-tial continuing commitment toshipping employment and train-ing’ is needed to safeguard long-term competitiveness.

The report also points to ablack hole in maritime policy.‘Many other global shipping cen-tres are growing, and centres suchas Singapore, Dubai, Geneva,Athens, Dublin and Shanghaihave articulated clear goals aboutwhere they wish to be in 10 or 15years’ time. No such over-archingplan exists for the UK’s maritimeindustry.’

It calls for the creation of amaritime services committee, toinclude government and industryrepresentatives, to coordinatework to promote and develop theUK maritime cluster and to retainthe country’s global lead.

JUST HOW badly will shipping suffer as aresult of the credit crunch? According to theclassification society Det Norske Veritas asmany as 10,000 ships could be put into lay-up or slow-steaming if the global economyfails to pick up within the next few years.

DNV said there are signs that around10% of the global orderbook for new shipshas already been cancelled in response to

the crisis and as many as 1,000 ships arelying idle.

Chief executive Henrik Madsen warnedthat these figures are set to spiral in themonths ahead and predicted that, by 2013,more than 3,000 ships will be scrapped and1,444 cancelled, and more than 6,000 putinto hot or cold lay-up or slow steaming.

With a 3% slump in the economy, the

global fleet overcapacity figure could riseto as much as 12,000 ships, he added, andeven with 3% growth after 2010 the surpluscould be as high as 4,000 ships.

Mr Madsen compared the current prog-nosis for global shipbuilding to that ofJapan in the 1970s, and said countries needto cooperate on ways of taking out the over-capacity.

UK URGEDTO BOOSTTRAININGExperts’ report warns on skills

‘Recession could hit up to10,000 ships’

Nautilus in tall ship talksNAUTILUS industrial officerJonathan Havard is picturedwith crew members andvolunteers during a visit to theJubilee Sailing Trust vesselLord Nelson in Southamptonlast month.

The 23-year-old tall ship isdue to return to service thismonth after undergoing afour-month winter refit whichhas seen the replacement ofthe deckhouse roof,improvements to the galleyand major accommodationrefurbishment, as well as newelectrics and steel work.

A second phase of refitwork — focussing onmachinery and masts — willtake place this winter.

Lord Nelson is one of twovessels operated by the JST,

which are the only ones oftheir type capable of allowingdisabled and able-bodiedpeople to play equally fullroles in running the vessel.

Since her maiden voyage in1986, Lord Nelson has takenalmost 24,000 people onvoyages — including morethan 9,300 with a physicaldisability and 3,611wheelchair users.

‘The ship has done reallywell to get this far, but theaccommodation has taken abattering over the past 22years of use and has beenpatched up for the pastdecade,’ said Captain JohnEtheridge, who joined the JSTafter serving on P&O generalcargo ships and ferries. ‘It’snow time for things to be

stripped out and replaced.’A special fund was

launched to cover the costs ofthe work. ‘We are trying to doit on a minimum budget, andwe rely on a great team ofvolunteers,’ Capt Etheridgeadded. ‘We are very lucky tohave some people withexcellent skills — we couldn’tdo it without them.’

Lord Nelson and Tenaciousboth run with professionalmerchant seafarers in theposts of master, first andsecond mate, bosun, chiefand second engineer, medicalpurser and cook, withvolunteers making up the restof the crew

‘It is interesting work, andchallenging,’ says CaptEtheridge. ‘It has been quite

revealing to see the effect thatthe voyages can have uponpeople. When the JST started,it was fairly revolutionary tosay to disabled people “youcan do that” and I think wehave done a lot for access andinclusion.’

Mr Havard visited the shipfollowing a meeting with JSTmanagement to discuss thepossibility of a partnershipagreement between the Unionand the charity.

‘We believe it is importantto establish more formal andprofessional procedures forhandling members’ terms andconditions,’ he explained.‘There is much that can begained by developingconstructive industrialrelations.’

EQUIOM SETS UPPAYROLL SERVICEEQUIOM, the company behindthe specialist Isle of Man-basedsuperyacht management firmYachtsmann, has launched anew crew management andpayroll service.

Run from a new office inJersey, the Crewmann serviceaims to provide a cost-effective

operation using a bespokesoftware system to processpayrolls in compliance withcurrent legislation, and makingregular and timely transfers tocrew members’ bank accounts(notifying them when thepayment has been made).

The system can also monitoreach crew member’s STCW andnon-mandatory training, visa andmedical certification, and canwarn before their certificates aredue for renewal.

large yacht news


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MAJOR REFIT FORBAHRAIN YACHTTHE DUTCH yard Amels hascompleted the re-building ofAlwaeli, left, a classic 68.5mmotor yacht built as the stateyacht for the Emirate of Bahrainby CRN in Italy in 1991.

The project took nearly 18months to complete, after theowners ordered a significant

expansion of its scope.Lengthened once already in1999, when she was given anextra 3m to provide room for abathing platform and tenderdock, the vessel was structurallychanged — including thereinforcement of hull scantlingsto accommodate new zero-speed stabilisers.

Passenger and crewaccommodation was upgraded,and updated audiovisual and ITsystems were fitted.

Masterclass training course forowners’ client representativesHOW MANY times has alarge yacht build project endedeither in dispute, over-budgetor under-expectation? Theanswer is probably higher thanfirst imagined.

But now a new eight-dayclient representative ‘master-class’ is being launched to avoidsuch problems, by giving theowners’ client representativethe skills and knowledge toeffectively manage a new-buildproject.

The training was originallyconceived by the SuperyachtBuilders Association (SYBAss)and further developed by thePortsmouth-based FlagshipSuperyacht Academy.

Designed to give a deeperinsight into the role of clientrepresentative, the course aimsto give delegates the toolsand the confidence to betterdeal with relationships andprocesses involved in the man-agement of a new-build project.

It covers such areas as theroles of client rep, designer,naval architect, and the ship-yard, as well as classificationsociety and flag state rules. Italso deals with issues thatinclude managing change, proj-ect acceptance and dispute reso-lution.

The first masterclass willtake place in May, with 15 placesavailable, structured in a ‘uni-versity’ style, with tutorialrather than lecture sessions.

NAUTILUS TAKES ASTAND AT ANTIBESNAUTILUS UK officials will betaking a stand at the annualAntibes Yacht Show, which takesplace early this month, and areaiming to meet as many membersand potential members as theycan.

The show takes place between2 and 5 April at Port Vauban,Antibes. This year’s event will bethe third since it was launched in2007, and organisers are hopingthat more than 200 yachts andincreased numbers of exhibitorswill be attending.

As well as running a standthroughout the event, Nautilusofficials are planning to visit ves-sels and have discussions withcrew members, yacht agenciesand other organisations andauthorities.

‘With more and more of ourmembers working on supery-achts, it is important for us to havea presence at events like this, andwe are inviting all members andpotential members to visit our

stand,’ said national secretaryGarry Elliott.

‘This is a really important timefor the large yacht sector, and it isequally important that seafarersworking within it take advantageof the support and protection thatwe can provide,’ he said.

‘The global economic down-turn presents many significantchallenges to everyone, and itunderlines the importance of thelegal and employment advice, andcertificate protection services thatNautilus offers,’ he added.

‘The increasing professional-ism of the sector, and the growingregulatory requirements — suchas the application of the ILO ‘Billof Rights’ Maritime LabourConvention to large yachts — allplace greater demands onemployees and employers in thesector, and Nautilus can providespecialist advice and assistance todeliver the desired outcomes,’ hestressed.

‘As the sector becomes more

affected by IMO and ILO regula-tions, there will be increasingpressure on agencies and employ-ers to provide satisfactory con-tracts of employment with clearterms and conditions of employ-ment,’ Mr Elliott stressed.

‘With our many years of experi-ence in negotiating with employ-ers, we are well placed to help thesector to develop in these areas,’ hepointed out.

Mr Elliott said it is essentialthat employers of maritime pro-fessionals in the large yacht sectorprovided decent terms and condi-tions to that they can attract andretain the skilled staff that are nowrequired, at a time of growinginternational officer shortages.

Nautilus is presently in discus-sion with a number of yachtmanagement and crew agencieson the potential for strategic part-nership arrangements to provideenhanced support and protectionfor professionals in the sector, headded.

UNTIL NOW there seems to havebeen little in the way of independ-ent support offered to ownersseeking to sell or purchase theirsuperyacht.

Traditional brokerage houses,often working on commission,have always looked after theirclients — but because of thenature of their relationship withthe industry and the method bywhich they are remunerated, their

independence can not always beguaranteed.

However, there is now a viablealternative. The Yacht Trials Crewis an independent company ableto assist not only brokers but own-ers and potential purchasers todetermine the current status andperformance of any size yacht.

The team consists of highlyqualified and experienced crews,with a wealth of sea-trialling and

testing knowledge. They operateto effectively test a yacht andreport on its performance fromevery angle — with their servicesincluding pre-survey inspections,builders’ trials, and acceptance tri-als.

They can also provide a vesselinformation pack for both pur-chasers and vendors, reporting indetail on the general condition ofa vessel and its equipment.

‘Our advice and support has never been so vital’

Team can put a yacht on trial

PICTURED above sporting the new UnitedEuropean Car Carriers (UECC) livery is thePortuguese-flagged Autosun. The21,094gt vessel was one of the first in thefleet to carry the new colours, introducedas part of a company restructuring.

The Norwegian-based firm says the

changes will ‘create a more efficientorganisation better equipped to meetcustomers’ needs’. But as a result of thehuge downturn in the car sales markets,UECC has also announced that it will beputting a further five ships into lay-up.Nautilus has had discussions about the

potential for 13 UK officer redundancies,and industrial officer Gavin Williams saidthe Union was pressing management forfurther information last month.

Nautilus also visited the Autoprestige inFalmouth to discuss the developmentswith members. PICTURE: FOTOFLITE


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MISSION LEADERTO STAND DOWNTHE MISSION to Seafarers isseeking a new leader to replacethe current secretary-general, theRevd Canon Bill Christianson,who is to retire at the end of Juneafter eight years in the job.

Canon Christianson — the14th leader of the internationalmaritime missionary society —

has worked for the Mission forsome 42 years, in posts includingchaplain’s assistant, chaplain,and senior chaplain.

‘The Mission to Seafarers hasundergone significant changesince being founded in 1856,’said Mr Christianson. ‘Seafarersare still the most importantpeople within the shippingindustry and their welfare willremain at the heart of our work asthe society develops its ministryfor those who work at sea.’

TUC AGREEMENTWITH AMNESTYTUC GENERAL secretaryBrendan Barber is pictured withAmnesty International directorKate Allen following the signingof a new agreement setting outhow the two organisations willwork more closely together toachieve improved internationallabour and human rights.

Under the agreement —which started a series ofcelebrations to mark 30 years ofAmnesty’s trade union network— the two organisations willjointly campaign on behalf ofworkers all over the world andagainst human rights abuses.

‘The TUC’s work withAmnesty to help persecutedtrade unionists has helped shinethe spotlight on those countrieswith poor human rights record,’Mr Barber pointed out.

WITH UK job losses mounting twice as fast asthe rest of Europe, the TUC has urged the gov-ernment to introduce a wage and training sub-sidy scheme to help reduce the risk of massredundancies.

In a joint submission with the Federation ofSmall Businesses (FSB) last month, the TUCasked ministers to set up a £1.2bn fund forcompanies considering temporary lay-offs as aresult of the economic downturn.

Such support could help companies to savecosts and give them a better chance of survival,

the TUC and FSB argued. Wage subsidies canhelp to prevent the loss of essential skills andensure that companies are well placed to com-pete and expand once the financial situationimproves.

The TUC and FSB believe that a wage sub-sidy package should be targeted where it canhave the greatest impact and where there ismost need.

Proposals based on these principles wouldcost the government some £1.2bn a year, saythe two organisations, with the £3.3bn cost of

wage subsidies, based on paying 600,000workers 60% of median wages for three to sixmonths, being offset by savings of £1.2bn inreduced unemployment benefit and £850m inincreased tax income, which would not be col-lected if these workers are unemployed.

‘Wage subsidy schemes are already workingwell across Europe and are preventing manythousands of unnecessary job losses,’ said TUCgeneral secretary Brendan Barber. ‘The gov-ernment must provide support for UK busi-nesses and workers too.’

SHIP SERVICES WORTH £25bnNAUTILUS has welcomed a new reportwhich shows that the UK maritime serv-ices sector is worth some £25bn to thenational economy.

Research carried out for OneVoice —the body representing UK shipping, portsand maritime services — concludes thatthe sector employs one in 50 of the work-ing population and contributes almost2% of the UK Gross Domestic Product(GDP).

Produced by the consultants Oxford

Economics, the study shows that the UKmaritime services cluster supportsaround 500,000 jobs in total and con-tributes around £25bn in GDP.

It estimates that the UK shippingindustry supported a total of 212,000 jobsin 2007. Of these, 96,000 are directlyemployed, just over 79,000 indirectlyemployed, and 36,000 through associ-ated spending.

In total, the study adds, the UK ship-ping industry is estimated to have con-

tributed £9.8bn to UK GDP in 2007.‘The report confirms how crucial the

UK maritime services sector is to UK plc,’said OneVoice chairman MichaelDrayton.

The research ‘provides real flesh to thebones of the initiative as the maritimeindustry looks to establish a substantialand telling political footprint on a range ofissues — from the Marine and CoastalAccess Bill, and overall fiscal environmentfacing maritime business services, to the

rates revaluations affecting statutoryports,’ he added.

Nautilus general secretary BrianOrrell said the figures demonstrated thecontinued significance of shipping-related industries and services to the UK.‘The sector depends on a steady flow ofmaritime skills and experience for itsfuture, and the research underlines theurgent need for the government to act onthe industry’s proposals for safeguardingBritish seafarer employment and train-

ing,’ he added.OneVoice — whose members include

the Baltic Exchange, British PortsAssociation, Chamber of Shipping,Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers,Maritime London, and the UK MajorPorts Group — has now published tworeports analysing the value of UK ship-ping and ports, and is planning a furtherinvestigation of the maritime businessservices sector in the City and throughoutthe UK.

A LEADING ship manager hascalled for a ‘back to basics’approach to the employment ofseafarers.

Speaking at the MarineMoney Ship Finance confer-ence in Hamburg, Anglo-Eastern CEO Peter Cremersexpressed concern at the eco-nomic pressures on crewing andmaintenance.

‘To my mind, the currentmanpower crisis has resulted ina dilution of the quality stan-dards of the industry,’ he added.‘There has been pressure toreduce technical costs like neverbefore — and cost has becomethe main selling point for manyplayers on both sides.

‘Short-cuts in a highly techni-cal industry like shipping do notbode well for preventive mainte-nance planning, training of offi-cers and crew and, generally,safety at sea.’

Mr Cremers said there wereeconomic benefits to be gainedfrom correct and timely mainte-nance and the employment ofprofessional, experienced sea-farers.

In the face of the pressuresgenerated by the current eco-nomic downturn, he said therewas a strong case for makingseafarers’ salaries and the costsof ship maintenance lessdependent on market cycles.

Mr Cremers said the ship-ping industry needs to take amore mature and long-termapproach to these issues.

‘We have the technology andthe know-how to design andconstruct a ship for a pre-defined life span and opera-tional environment, and wehave the know-how on howmaintenance should be doneconsistent with the expected lifespan,’ he added.

TUC calls for wage subsidy scheme

Ship manager callsfor ‘back to basics’approach to crewing

Economic research underlines the need for action to safeguard maritime skills, says Nautilus

UECC JOBS AT RISK AS MORE SHIPS GO INTO LAY-UP

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Plans toreviveSwanseaservice

PORT SAFETY DRIVE‘PAYING DIVIDENDS’ LAST-DITCH talks were taking

place last month in a bid tosecure a new ship to revive theSwansea-Cork ferry service.

Business people from SWIreland have formed a coopera-tive in an effort to raise some£2.5m to help restore the route,which closed when the previousoperator withdrew in 2006.

Following a series of publicmeetings, the organisers claimto have secured more than£1.7m funding for the project,which will cost an estimated£9m to get off the ground.Further funds will come frombank loans, industry sourcesand grants.

‘The Swansea-Cork servicewas a profitable business from1987 to 2006, and we believethat there will be an excellentreturn on a £2.5m investmentwhich will be seen in increasedtourist numbers, bed nights andprofits in the overall tourismindustry in the region,’ saidConor Buckley, chairman ofWest Cork Tourism.

Campaign organisers saythe previous service had beenhandicapped by having a ratherdated ship and restricted capac-ity. They have been in negotia-tions over the purchase of the21,699gt ro-pax Julia (formerlyInnisfallen) from Finnish own-ers.

The previous service alsofaced union protests over thepoor pay and conditions of itseastern European crew mem-bers. The cooperative says thenew service will run under theIrish flag, and will operate for 11months of the year.

SAILORS’ SOCIETY SUPPORTFOR MARITIME STUDENTSPICTURED left are maritime students Gordon Grayand Shavin Seeboo being presented with nauticalgrants by Revd Howard Drysdale, port chaplain forthe Sailor’s Society in Aberdeen.

The awards were among five, totalling morethan £4,000, that the charity has presented toyoung people studying for a career at sea in the UKand overseas.

Four of the grant recipients are studying at

Glasgow nautical college, and come from the UK,Bulgaria and Mauritius. The fifth grant wasawarded to an Indonesian seafarer.

‘Since its foundation, the society has beencommitted to providing access to training foryoung people who aspire to a career at sea, as wellas for current seafarers who are renewingcertificates or working towards advancedqualifications necessary for promotion,’ said RevdDrysdale. ‘It is our pleasure to be able to supportthese individuals move forward in their careers.’✪Details of the society’s nautical grantprogramme can be obtained from: [email protected]

DUES DISPUTEDSHIPOWNERS have criticisedgovernment plans to increase UKlight dues by almost 70% thisJuly. They warned last month thatthe rise could prove to be a‘catastrophic blow’ for theindustry. The Department forTransport says the increase isneeded because the GeneralLighthouse Fund faces a £21mshortfall next year.

A CAMPAIGN to cut accidents inBritish ports is paying off, organis-ers claim, with a 36% reduction inthe overall incidence rate since2001.

And as the latest round ofevents to promote the secondphase of the Safer Ports Initiative(SPI) kicked off last month,Nautilus stressed the need for fur-ther investment in workforcetraining and education as the bestway to enhance safety.

The first phase of the SPI cam-paign was launched in September2002 in response to concerns overstatistics showing that UK portswere among the most dangerousworkplaces in the country.

Port Skills and Safety — thebody formed by port employers tospearhead the campaign — saysthat the incidence of fatal andmajor accidents reduced by 22.7%between 2001-2007, ‘four-day’accidents by 37.6%, and the over-all incidence rate down by 36.3%.

Phase 2 of the SPI waslaunched late last year, and isbeing promoted through a seriesof port-based meetings aroundthe UK. An event was held in Hulllast month, and PSS hasannounced the following eventsfor the rest of this year: AberdeenHarbour Board — 22 April; StenaLine, Holyhead — 17 June; Dover— 9 October; and dates to beadvised for Port of London

Authority and PortsmouthCommercial Port.

Local representatives areinvited to these events to supportthe aims of SPI 2. The focus is onpromoting the business case foran integrated approach to health,safety and skills through leader-ship, sensible risk management;industry standards, qualificationand training opportunities,worker involvement, sharing

good practice, and partnershipworking.

Along with PSS, SPI partnersinclude the unions Nautilus,Amicus (Unite) and T&G Unite,and also the Department forTransport, the Health & SafetyExecutive, and the Maritime &Coastguard Agency.

‘We’re obviously supportive ofit,’ Nautilus senior national secre-tary Allan Graveson said last

month. But he added: ‘Whilethese safe ports initiatives aregood, they are no substitute for aproper training/education pro-gramme for all staff. In this con-text, you need to raise the skillsbase — this will include founda-tion degrees and apprenticeships.

‘Safety courses are fine, butwhat’s left is to invest big time indegrees down to apprenticeshipsin the workforce.’

✪Associated British Ports haslaunched a new safety ‘toolkit’ thatseeks to improve safety manage-ment standards at its 21 ports.

Developed by ABP MarineEnvironmental Research Limited(ABPmer) in partnership with thePort of Rotterdam, the newMarine Safety and ManagementSystem is a software packageaimed at harbour masters andvessel traffic managers thatfocuses on four key areas: ✪nautical safety ✪environmental protection ✪crisis management ✪port business

The system enables users toconduct a sequence of risk assess-ments looking at incident causes,existing risk controls and possiblefuture risk control options.

Another module provides adatabase for collating marine inci-dents, and alerts users if a similarhazard has already been assessed.

The system can be customisedfor individual harbour authori-ties, with technical support, prod-uct upgrades and helpdeskfacilities also offered.

‘This system provides ABPwith a fully auditable, Port MarineSafety Code-compliant system,allowing us to manage marinesafety while engendering bestpractice throughout the company,’said ABP’s marine advisor,Captain Phil Holliday.

ACCIDENT investigators havepraised vessel traffic servicesstaff and the crew of a Dutch-flagged ship for their responseto a serious engineroom fire inthe Humber in February.

The blaze onboard the1,990gt general cargoshipSaline was extinguished whenthe crew closed the engineroomvents and operated the fixedCO2 fire-fighting system.

Checks showed the fire hadbeen caused by a fracture in alow pressure fuel sensing pipeconnection, which had caused

fuel to spray onto an unguardedengine exhaust drain cock.

Following a preliminaryexamination, the deputy chiefinspector of the MarineAccident Investigation Branchhas written to AssociatedBritish Ports (Humber) to com-mend the action taken by VTS intheir communications with thevessel and in keeping other ves-sels informed of the situation.

He has also written to com-mend the ship’s master and crewfor their prompt action to extin-guish the fire.

Blade runner: the first in a series of deliveries of turbine parts for the Gunfleet Sands windfarm arrived in the port of Harwich lastmonth. A total of 48 turbines — or eight barges full — are to be installed at the site by the vessel Titan 2

Nautilus welcomes initiative, but stresses the need for investment in training

Crew praised for promptresponse to fire onboard


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DVD aimsto cut therate ofshippingcollisions✪by ANDREW LANSDALESHIP collisions are an all-toocommon occurrence. Some arebumps and scrapes, others arecatastrophes. Anxious to raiseawareness among watchkeep-ers of the risks involved in notkeeping strictly to the rules, theP&I club Steamship Mutual hascommissioned a DVD entitled‘Collision Course’.

As Captain Paul Townsend,of the Maritime & CoastguardAgency, states: ‘If there is a con-cern, it is that sometimes thereis an inability to understand themeaning of the regulations andtheir implementation.’

Narrated by the BBC presen-ter Edward Stourton, the filmfocuses in particular on humanfactors and identifies the prob-lems posed by the increasinglack of experience in the ship-ping industry.

It goes on to identify the fourmain deficiencies spawned byskills and experience shortages:✪failure to keep a proper look-out✪not proceeding at a safe speed✪failure to assess risk properly ✪not reacting early enough orwith sufficient boldness

The film warns watchkeep-ers of the risks of placing toomuch reliance on electronicaids, as well as complacency,passing too close and not mak-ing best use of bridge equip-ment.

It also stresses the dangers of‘waypoint navigation’ — inwhich many ships may convergeon the same spot and createclose-quarters situations intraffic separation schemes.

The DVD examines specificcollisions with animated step-by-step views of events leadingup to the incidents, and detailsof cause, effect and lessons to belearned.

Analysis in the film is pro-vided by such experts as anAdmiralty judge, a pilot, theCoastguard, and the MarineAccident Investigation Branch.

As usual with SteamshipMutual DVDs, the disk containsreference documents, casualtyinvestigation reports and judge-ments, and relevant weblinks.✪Copies are available from:Loss Prevention Department,Steamship Insurance Manage-ment Services Ltd., AquaticalHouse, 39 Bell Lane, London,E1 7LU. Tel: +44 (0)20 72475490; email: [email protected]

SEVENTH IOW HOVERCRAFTFOR CANADIAN COASTGUARDPICTURED undergoing trials off the Isle of Wightlast month is the latest addition to the CanadianCoast Guard’s hovercraft fleet.

Mamilossa — Abenakis Indian for ‘he who goesfrom water to the land’ — was built at St Helens onthe Island by Hoverwork Ltd and, at 75 tons, is thelargest hovercraft ever exported from the UK.

The aluminium-hulled vessel was loaded ontothe BBC Kusan at Portsmouth for delivery to the St

Lawrence Estuary, where it will be used tomaintain navaids, deploy buoys and conductice-breaking and search and rescue duties.

The vessel is fitted with a Palfinger 650002marine hydraulic knuckle boom crane with a 12moutreach for lifting buoys up to 5.6 tons.

With four Caterpillar C32 12-cylinder marinediesels, each producing up to 1,125hp, Mamilossahas a maximum speed of 45 knots, or 40 knotsfully loaded, and a range of 660nm.

Mamilossa is the seventh Isle of Wight-builthovercraft to be built for the Canadian Coast Guardsince the 1960s.

REPORT & PICTURE: GARY DAVIES/MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC

COASTAL SERVICEA NEW ‘green’ coastal containershipping service linking Teesportand Felixstowe has beenlaunched by PD Ports. TheLogical Link service runs twosailings a week, and has been setup in a bid to cut the amount offreight going by road. PD Portssays it is planning to developmore shortsea/coastal servicesthrough Teesport.

Master heldafter spilloff Australia

THE EUROPEAN Parliament hasfinally approved its third packageof maritime safety measuresdrawn up in response to the Erikaand Prestige tanker disasters.

The new rules will give EUmember states increased powersto monitor and inspect the stan-dards of ships visiting their ports— and to ban the worst offenders.

Agreed following more thanfour years of discussion, the thirdpackage focuses on a number ofkey areas:✪the quality of EU flags✪classification societies ✪port state control✪traffic monitoring✪accident investigation✪accident victims

European Commission vice-president Antonio Tajanidescribed the agreement as ‘a sig-nificant step towards improvedprevention of maritime accidentsand increased accountability of allthe operators in the sector’.

He added: ‘This package com-plements and updates existing EUlegislation and comes as a strongresponse to the growing concernsof our citizens.’

Under the measures, EU mem-bers will be required to have a

mandatory audit plan for theirnational maritime administra-tions and the certification of theirquality management systems —with the aim of getting all EU flagsonto the port state control ‘whitelist’ by 2012 at the latest.

The package will also see thelaunch of a new body to audit andcertify the quality managementsystems of classification societiesappointed to carry out inspectionsand statutory certification formember states.

The recognition criteria will bemade stricter and a system offinancial penalties for thoseorganisations that do not do theirjob properly will be established —including the ultimate threat ofhaving their license withdrawn.

The directive also seeks toreplace the current requirementfor EU member states to inspect25% of ships visiting their portswith a new target to ensure that allships visiting Europe are checkedat some point.

Inspections will vary in fre-quency depending on the risk theships pose — with the highest riskships facing inspections every sixmonths.

The directive will also make it

possible to ban substandard ships— including a permanent ban forthe worst offenders.

The new rules on vessel trafficmonitoring seek to ensure bettersupport for ships in distress —providing a precise legal frame-work on the provision of refugezones.

Brussels wants member statesto use its SafeSeaNet dataexchange platform to ensure a fulloverview of the movements ofdangerous or polluting cargos onships sailing in EU waters.

The directive will also seek thelaunch of an EU Long RangeIdentification and Tracking datacentre and the creation of a systemof automatic identification forfishing vessels over 15m in a bid toreduce the risk of collisions.

It will also establish a commonEU framework to guarantee theeffectiveness, objectivity andtransparency of investigationsinto accidents in EU waters orinvolving EU flag ships or EUinterests.

The package also introducesnew rules on liability and insur-ance for passengers on the mainEuropean and domestic shippingroutes.

EUROPE AGREESNEW SHIPPINGSAFETY PACKAGEWorst ships could be banned from EU waters

THE MASTER of a Hong Kong-flagged cargoship was ordered tosurrender his passport to policefollowing an oil spill off the coastof Australia last month.

Investigations were launchedafter the 18,391gt Pacific Adven-turer lost some 250 tonnes ofbunker fuel when a tank was holedby a container swept overboardduring a storm.

Captain Bernadino Santos wastold not to leave the ship whileinvestigations into the incidentcontinued. Local authorities saidthe crew could face prosecution asa result of the probe.

A major counter-pollutionoperation was launched after oilfrom the Pacific Adventurer wasswept onto Queensland’s ‘sun-shine coast’.

The 18-year-old ship was holedwhen it lost 31 of its deck cargo of50 containers of ammoniumnitrate in heavy seas while enroute from the Australian port ofNewcastle to Indonesia.

Queensland deputy premierPaul Lucas said the master’s pass-port had been taken by theAustralian Maritime SafetyAuthority after legal papers wereserved on the ship. ‘This will allowinvestigators to comprehensivelyinvestigate the facts and circum-stances around the two oil spillslast week, including why only 30tonnes of oil was first reported tohave been spilled by the ship,when the true figure is nowbelieved to be around 250 tonnes.

‘We will leave no stoneunturned and those responsible

will be forced to face the full con-sequences of their actions,’ hewarned.

The ship’s beneficial owner,Swire, said the master and officershad, at all times, ‘supplied theauthorities with the best informa-tion available’ and the companywas fully cooperating with theinvestigations.

Investigations into the incidentare being carried out by theAustralian Maritime SafetyAuthority, the Australian Trans-port Safety Bureau and MaritimeSafety Queensland.

The spill sparked a major polit-ical row, with opposition partiesaccusing the government of beingslow to respond to the pollution.

The Maritime Union ofAustralia said the incidentshowed the urgent need for tightercontrols over shipping in thecountry’s coastal trades.

‘This domestic coastal tradewas once reserved for highly regu-lated Australian ships to ensure itmet the most stringent interna-tional safety and security regula-tions,’ said assistant nationalsecretary Mick Doleman. ‘Itshouldn’t be left to the lowest pos-sible international shipper usingthe cheapest international crews.’

The MUA said the PacificAdventurer was the second inci-dent involving ammonium nitratein recent weeks, with the othercase involving the Panamanian-registered Migah Tiga, which hadbeen forced to discharge its cargoafter an inspection showed it wasnot seaworthy.

Queensland deputy premier Paul Lucas, left, inspects the oil damage on the beach at Moreton Island, near Brisbane, Australia.Nearly 40 miles of beaches were affected by oil spilled from the vessel Pacific Adventurer last month PICTURE: TERTIUS PICKARD/AP

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NEW ALLIANCE AIMS TOCOMBAT THE IMPACT OFBALLAST DISCHARGESA NEW global drive to cut marine ‘bio-invasions’ caused by ships’ ballast waterdischarges was launched at theheadquarters of the International MaritimeOrganisation (IMO) in London last month.

The Global Industry Alliance (GIA) is apartnership between the IMO, the United

Nations Development Programme, theGlobal Environment Facility and shipbuildersand shipping companies, including BP, APLand Vela International.

The initiative has been established in theface of continuing delays in the introductionof the IMO’s 2004 convention for the controland management of ships’ ballast water.

It aims to promote the development ofnew systems to prevent the spread ofinvasive species, such as the zebra mussel(pictured left) which caused a multi-billiondollar control operation in the Great Lakes.

The alliance will contribute to research

and development of cost effective ballastwater treatment technologies and assessnew ship design options, such as ‘flow-thru’ballast tanks and ‘ballast-free ships’.

It may also help to provide impartialassessment of the scientific facilities used totest the efficiency of prototype ballast watertreatment systems.

The IMO estimates that some 10bntonnes of ballast water are carried aroundthe globe each year, and more than 3,000species of plants and animals are beingtransferred daily — with sometimes‘devastating’ environmental effects.

Alarm atcosts ofwreckremovalsSALVORS have been urged towork together to combat prob-lems caused by the increasingcosts of shipping accidents.

Speaking at the annual asso-ciate members’ meeting of theInternational Salvage Union,president Arnold Witte warnedthat the ‘ever-increasing’ costsof wreck removal — whichstarted with the Exxon Valdezaccident in 1989 — are threaten-ing to get out of control.

‘Multiple and competinginterests are diverting the suc-cessful completion of the sal-vage. Can we continue to havethese costs, especially in theseeconomic times?’ he added.

Mr Witte warned that theP&I clubs are also suffering as aconsequence of the rising costsof wreck removal, and he saidthe entire maritime communityshould unite to investigate thereasons and to explore salvagecontracting mechanisms.

The meeting heard that therewas a significant reduction inthe number of pollution casesISU members had to deal withlast year — from 283 ships and1.2m tonnes of pollutants to 256ships and 667,000 tonnes of pol-lutants.

The ISU is seeking ways todeal with the problems causedby multiple cargo interests incontainership incidents, and itis also backing moves to turn theInternational Maritime Organ-isation guidelines on places ofrefuge into a draft conventionwith ultimate legal force.

NEW CALLS FOR CURBSON ANTARCTIC CRUISESFourth serious incident in three years sparks ‘disaster’ warningsFRESH calls for tighter controls on cruiseshipsoperating in Antarctic waters have been madefollowing the fourth passenger vessel ground-ing in the area within the space of just threeyears.

The Bahamas-flagged Ocean Nova wasrefloated a day after grounding near the SanMartin research station in Antarctica.Argentine naval vessels evacuated some 74passengers and non-essential crew, and checksfound no damage to the ship.

However, the Antarctic & SouthernCoalition (ASOC) said the case ‘throws intostark relief the risks posed by the increasingnumber of vessels’ in the area and showed theneed for rules to govern their operations.

And New Zealand’s foreign ministerMurray McCully warned: ‘If nothing is done, itwill be only a matter of time before there is a

disaster in the Southern Ocean. The interna-tional community must take steps to ensurethat never happens.’

New Zealand is planning to host an inter-national conference later this year on Antarcticcruise tourism, he added, with a ‘focus on howto prevent a major maritime accident, and howto put controls around what is a rapidly-expanding, but currently inadequately regu-lated industry’.

ASOC said it was disturbed at the lack oflegally-binding international standards andoperating procedures for ships operating in theAntarctic despite the Ushuaia grounding inDecember 2008, the sinking of Explorer inNovember 2007 and the grounding ofNordkapp in January 2007.

It said it would renew its appeal for ‘urgent’regulation at the upcoming Antarctic Treaty

Parties meeting this month. It wants to see aban on ships exceeding a certain size, carryinga certain passenger total, and a certain volumeof fuel. It also wants to establish ice-strength-ening standards for vessels in the waters, aswell as stringent qualifications and training fornavigators.

ASOC said the number of people going onAntarctic cruises had quadrupled since 1990,and warned that an increase in the number oflarge passengerships operating in the area ispresenting particular risks for the environ-ment and the limited search and rescue infra-structure.

It wants the International MaritimeOrganisation to establish a legally-bindinginstrument for shipping in Antarctic waters,and to designate the region as a ParticularlySensitive Sea Area.

Operatorwarnedon timberlashingsA RUSSIAN shipping companyhas been urged to improve itssafety procedures following anincident in which one of its shipslost some 1,500 cu m of timberoff the south coast of the UK.

The packaged timber wasswept from the deck of theRussian-flagged Sinegorsk dur-ing force 9 conditions in theDover traffic separation schemeon 14 January.

A Marine Accident Invest-igation Branch preliminaryexamination found that thedeck cargo began to shift whenthe wind direction changed andthe speed increased.

As the 7,095gt vessel rolledback to port, the timber shiftedto port and the vessel continuedto heel over until it reached 39degrees. The cargo lashingsthen failed and half the 2,365tonnes of deck cargo was lostoverboard. Crew membersmanaged to cut the list to 15degrees, then reduced it furtherby ballasting before divertingthe ship to Southampton for adamage assessment.

The chief inspector of marineaccidents has written to theSinegorsk’s operators highlight-ing the safety issues raised by thethe preliminary examination —in particular the need to max-imise friction within the stow oftimber deck cargo, to have safeaccess to tank sounding pipesand over the deck cargo itself,and to conduct adequate stabil-ity checks before proceeding tosea.

Skill shortages‘hitting safety’SEAFARER skill shortages havedriven a big rise in the cost ofinsurance claims, underwritershave warned.

Leaders of the NordicAssociation of Marine Under-writers (Cefor) said last monththat hull and machinery claimswere at a historically high levelin the last quarter of 2008 —despite the slump in global ship-ping activity caused by the eco-nomic slowdown.

Cefor statistics showed thatnavigation-related claims —such as grounding, collision andice damage — accounted for43% of last year’s total costs,

with fires and explosions risingto 13%.

The average costs of vesselrepairs reached new heightsduring 2008, Cefor added. ‘Thepicture is particularly negativefor engine claims, which in thelast quarter of 2008 were 34%higher than the correspondingfigures for 2007.’

MD Helle Hammer said thatthe long-predicted shortage ofquality crews was a key factor inthe claims trend over the pasttwo years, and that pressures onships and the crews would con-tinue to be a big influence in thecoming year.

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On the rocks: the Bahamas-flagged Ocean Nova aground near the San Martin research station in Antarctica PICTURE: REUTERS


health and safety

SOLARSOLVE GETSUS TANKER ORDERPICTURED right is the306,999dwt Eagle Vermont,one of 18 vessels in Texas-basedtanker company AET’s fleet thatare being fitted with UK-maderoller screens for the bridgewindows.

Made by Solasolve Marine, ofSouth Shields, the screens reject

glare, heat and ultravioletradiation from the sun. EagleVermont is the biggest ship inAET’s fleet, which includesmany vessels in which thescreens were pre-fitted by thebuilders.

Solasolve chairman JohnLightfoot said: ‘Installing thescreens offers many advantagesfor the shipowner, the primaryones being protection ofpersonnel and creation of a lessstressful working environment.’

‘MILESTONE’ FORNAPOLI PROJECTWORK to remove the sternsection of the containership MSCNapoli from the East Devon coasthas passed its first milestone, theMaritime & Coastguard Agencyannounced last month.

The project team, led by theDutch company Global ResponseMaritime, successfully positioned

the first of a series of liftingchains under the wreck using aspecial subsea drilling system.

The operation is said to be thefirst successful totally subsea useof the drilling system in anoffshore wreck removal.

Twelve lifting chains are beingdrilled into position under the3,800-tonne stern, and salvorshope that they will all bepositioned by the end of April,with the main operational phasedue in early May.

US ACCIDENT investigators haveurged the International MaritimeOrganisation to take new action tocombat cultural and communica-tion problems among multina-tional crews.

And the National Transport-ation Safety Board has also recom-mended measures to clarify theroles and responsibilities of vesseltraffic services in directing ships intheir waters.

The calls come in a report onthe November 2007 accident inwhich the Hong Kong-registeredcontainership Cosco Busanspilled some 53,000 gallons of oilafter striking the San Franciscobay bridge in thick fog.

The NTSB investigationblamed the incident on a med-ically unfit pilot, an ineffectivemaster, and poor communica-tions between the two — warningthat ‘a lack of competence in somany areas’ made the accident‘almost inevitable’.

The vessel hit a support toweron the bridge whilst leaving theport of Oakland in visibility of lessthan a quarter of a mile, causing a212ft-long hole that breached twofuel tanks and a ballast tank. Thesubsequent pollution killed morethan 2,500 birds and resulted inclean-up costs of more than$70m.

The NTSB investigation deter-mined that the probable cause ofthe accident was down to threekey factors: ✪the pilot had ‘degraded cogni-tive performance’ as a result of hisuse of prescription medications✪the lack of a comprehensive pre-departure master/pilot ex-changeand a lack of effective communica-tion between the pair during theshort voyage✪the master’s ineffective over-sight of the pilot’s performanceand the vessel’s progress

The report criticised the ves-sel’s operator, Fleet ManagementLtd, for failing to properly trainand prepare crew members, andfor failing to adequately ensurethat the crew understood andcomplied with the company’ssafety management system.

And it also slated the US CoastGuard for failing to provide ade-quate medical oversight of thepilot.

‘How a man who was taking ahalf-dozen impairing prescription

medications got to stand on thebridge of a 68,000-ton ship andgive directions to guide the vesselthrough a foggy bay and under abusy highway bridge, is very trou-bling, and raises a great manyquestions about the adequacy ofthe medical oversight system formariners,’ said NTSB acting chair-man Mark Rosenker.

‘Given the pilot’s medical con-dition, the Coast Guard shouldhave revoked his license, but theydidn’t; the pilot should have madethe effort to provide a meaningfulpre-departure briefing to the mas-ter, but he didn’t; and the mastershould have taken a more activerole in ensuring the safety of hisship, but he didn’t,’ Mr Rosenkeradded.

‘There was a lack of compe-tence in so many areas thatthis accident seemed almostinevitable.’

As a result of its investigation,the NTSB made eight safety rec-ommendations, including a callfor the IMO to address culturaland language differences in itsbridge resource management cur-ricula.

It also recommended revisedpolicies to ensure that VTS radiocommunications identify the ves-sel, not only the pilot and for guid-ance to VTS personnel to definethe circumstances in which theirauthority to direct or control ves-

sel movement should be exer-cised.

The report says the USCGshould require mariners to reportany substantive changes in theirhealth or medication use that occurbetween medical checks, andshould also ensure that pilot organ-isations share relevant perform-ance and safety data with eachother, including best practices.

The NTSB also called for FleetManagement to ensure that allnew crew members are thor-oughly familiar with vessel opera-tions and company safetyprocedures, and to provide safetymanagement system manuals inthe working language of the crew. ✪The pilot of the Cosco Busan,John Cota, is facing up to 10months in jail after admittingcharges of negligently causing thedischarge of oil, leading to thedeath of protected migratorybirds.

Sentencing has been scheduledfor 19 June, and if the plea termsare accepted by US District Court,Mr Cota will serve between twoand 10 months in prison and befined between $3,000 to$30,000, as well as being barredfrom serving as a pilot for a year.

Under the terms of the pleaagreement, Mr Cota admitted thathe:✪failed to adequately discuss theintended route through San

Francisco Bay with the master orcrew✪failed to use the ship’s radar inthe final approach to SanFrancisco Bay Bridge✪failed to recognise two red trian-gles on the ship’s electronic chartsystem representing the buoysmarking the Delta bridge tower✪failed to verify the meaning ofthe red triangles by using theship’s paper chart or radar✪failed to inform the crew that hewas using a particular radar set-ting✪failed to advise the crew of aradar beacon that marked the cen-tre of the Delta-Echo span

‘This case should sound analert to those in the maritimeindustry that safety rules andprocedures are meant to be fol-lowed, safety equipment isexpected to be used, and thatthose who act otherwise anddespoil our natural wonders willbe prosecuted to the full extent ofthe law,’ said US Attorney JosephRussoniello.

Hong Kong-based Fleet Man-agement is set to go on trial inSeptember, charged with obstruct-ing justice and making falsestatements by falsifying shiprecords after the incident. It isalso facing charges of acting neg-ligently and being a proximatecause of the pollution, as well askilling protected migratory birds.

IMO URGED TO ACTON COMMS GAP

New anchoring alert

Study warns of risksof particulate matter

ACCIDENT investigators haveonce again criticised poor stan-dards of anchorage planningfollowing a preliminary exami-nation of an incident in which aUK-flagged ro-ro was holedafter dragging an anchor off thecoast of Spain.

The 33,163gt Ropax 1 washoled twice below the waterlineafter striking a refinery mono-buoy when weather conditionsdeteriorated whilst the Nor-wegian-owned ship was await-ing orders last December.

In a letter to the ship’s man-agers, ASP Ship Management,the chief inspector of marineaccidents highlighted the poorstandards of anchorage plan-ning onboard — includingrepeated use of insufficientcable for the depth of water,which resulted in the Ropax 1dragging anchor frequently.

The letter also identified afailure to get underway in goodtime to avert dragging, and aninadequate response once drag-ging was detected.

The damaged Cosco Busan in the port of Oakland after hitting the San Francisco Bay bridge in November 2007 PICTURE: US COAST GUARD

Accident report calls for action to address mixed crewing issuesNAUTILUS has expressed con-cern about a new study showingthe scale of the health risksposed by emissions of particu-late matter from ships.

US National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administrationand University of Coloradoresearch published last monthconcluded that the 100,000ships in the world merchantfleet emit about half the particu-late pollution produced by theworld’s 600m cars.

The study is the first to pro-vide a global estimate of theshipping industry’s total contri-bution to air particle pollution,based on direct emission meas-urements.

Researchers analysed the

exhaust from more than 200vessels, including cargo ships,tankers and cruiseships in theGulf of Mexico, Galveston Bayand the Houston Ship Channel.

They also examined thechemistry of particles in shipexhaust — which include sul-phates, organic pollutants andsooty, black carbon.

Nautilus senior national sec-retary Allan Graveson said theUnion has raised concerns overthe impact of particulates on thehealth of seafarers. ‘As long asthe industry continues to burnheavy fuel oil, it will continue toundermine its environmentalcredentials and pose risks to thehealth of seafarers and people inthe vicinity of ports,’ he added.

CHINA PROTESTS TO RUSSIA OVER ATTACK ON SHIP


international news

briefly...Fines slammed: Afcan, the association of French shipmasters, has slammed new government legislation thatstrengthens the sanctions for pollution at sea with fines of upto S15m for intentional pollution and up to S7.5m foraccidental pollution that causes serious damage. Afcanpresident Hubert Ardillon said there was no intention ofdefending intentional polluters but warned that such fineswould be a ‘lifetime sentence’ for most masters.

Moroccan strike: officers and ratings working for Morocco-based Comanav vessels have waged a 10-day strike followingCMA CGM’s sale of the passenger transport part of thecompany to its direct competitor, Comarit. The Frenchoperator bought Comanav — which last year carried some800,000 passengers on services between Morocco, France,Spain and Italy — following its privatisation in January 2007.

Master accused: the master of a Russian-flagged drycargoship has been accused of deliberately polluting thewaters off the port of Dunkirk last July. He told the court in LeHavre that his ship, the 4,966gt Skulptor Anikushin, hadpassed through a trail left by another vessel.

New operator: France has a new oil tanker operator — Nice-based Furtans Tanker and Ship Management. The companypresently has one 6,000dwt vessel and one 18,000dwt oiltanker, and expects 10 more tankers of up to 18,000dwt will beadded to its fleet by 2010.

Green cats: two electric-powered catamarans are to go intoservice this month at La Rochelle, France, to link the old portand the pleasure facility at Minimes. The electric craft are thefirst of their kind and will replace two diesel-powered vessels.

Ferries fear: Brittany Ferries has expressed concern about thepotential loss of traffic caused by the falling value of sterlingagainst the euro. But the company says it believes its strongfinancial reserves will bring it through the economic crisis.

Fuel marks: the French government is set to research thefeasibility of using markers in bunker fuel to identify vesselsthat dump their oily waste in the sea off its coasts.

TANKER HOLED BYSUNKEN RIG IN USA MAJOR counter-pollutionoperation was mounted lastmonth after a tanker was holedwhen it struck a sunken jack-uprig in the Gulf of Mexico.

An underwater examination ofthe Norwegian-flagged SuezmaxSKS Satilla revealed a large gashin the outer hull believed to have

been caused by the wreck of theEnsco 74 rig, which sank in ahurricane off Louisiana lastSeptember.

A lightering operation wasorganised to remove the 41mgallon cargo of crude oil from thetanker, which developed an8-degree list after the incident.

US Coast Guard CommanderJames Elliott said he believed thetanker’s double-hulledconstruction had helped toprevent a major oil spill.

SEA MOTORWAYS FORFRANCE AND SPAINTHREE NEW ‘motorways of the sea’linking ports in France and northernSpain are set to get running before theend of this year.

Spanish and French ministers havesigned a draft agreement giving thegreen light to the shortsea shippingprojects linking the Atlantic seaboards oftheir countries.

The plans — which were developedby an inter-governmental project and arebacked by the European Commission —aim to switch 100,000 lorries from theroads to regular maritime routes.

Grimaldi and Louis Dreyfus havebeen selected to run a service betweenSaint-Nazaire and Gijón as GLDLines, while Acciona of Spain willoperate a service linking Le Havre,Saint-Nazaire and Vigo. A furtherservice to Algeciras is planned from2010. Each route will benefit from aM30m subsidy. PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

TWO ‘WHISTLE-BLOWING’crew members have been given aUS$375,000 reward for tippingoff the Coast Guard that their shiphad been illegally dumping oilywaste at sea.

The two seafarers wereonboard the Cook Islands regis-tered reefer Snow Flower whenthey reported to the USCG thatthe chief engineer had ordered theoverboard discharge of oily waterand sludge on two voyagesbetween the US and Chile.

When the 14,512gt vessel wasinspected in Delaware Bay lastFebruary, officials found discrep-ancies in the oil record book andidentified a pipe that was believedto have been used to bypass the oilwater separator.

Last month the vessel’s owners,

Holy House Shipping of Sweden,were sentenced to pay a $1m fine,$400,000 in community servicepayments and serve three years ofprobation.

The chief engineer, IgorKrajacic, pleaded guilty to failingto maintain an accurate recordbook last November, and was sen-tenced in January to an $8,000fine. ✪A Spanish officer is facing up tosix years in prison after pleadingguilty to falsifying records to con-ceal illicit discharges of oily wastefrom his flag of convenience ship.

Carmelo Oria, who was thechief engineer on the Cyprus-flagged tanker Nautilus, is set tobe sentenced on 13 April, andas well as facing jail terms couldalso receive a fine of up to

US$250,000 and three years ofsupervised release.

The charges were brought aftera US Coast Guard investigationlaunched last March, when the26,794gt tanker was inspected inthe ports of St Croix and Bostonand evidence of illegal dischargeswas uncovered.✪A Japanese shipping companyhas been fined US$1.75m inanother ‘magic pipe’ oily wastedumping case.

Hiong Guan Navegacion wasalso placed on probation for threeyears after admitting conspiringto falsify environmental compli-ance records onboard the8,999dwt general cargo vesselBalsa-62.

The case was brought to courtafter a USCG inspection in the

port of Tampa discovered evi-dence that crew members hadbypassed the oily water separationsystem to dump oily water andsludge directly overboard approx-imately twice a month.

In a separate hearing, two chiefengineer officers from the shipwere fined $1,500 and $1,000after pleading guilty to felonyoffences relating to their falsifica-tion of the oil record book.

Captain Timothy Close, of theUS Coast Guard, commented:‘The successful investigation andprosecution of this case sends aclear message to owners and oper-ators of commercial vessels thatthose who choose to intentionallypollute our oceans will be metwith swift repercussions and stiffpenalties.’

CREW REWARDED FOROILY WASTE TIP-OFFBig fines for officers and companies in latest US dumping cases

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THE DANISH navigators’ union has com-plained about foreign shipowners using theDanish international ship register, DIS, toget tax advantages and failing to make recip-rocal investment in the country’s maritimeskills base.

The union accuses such owners of show-ing no signs of actively recruiting in

Denmark, or contributing to the country’smaritime training or technical manage-ment — even though the DIS tax breaksaimed to boost Danish seafaring.

In its annual report, the union says it isspending too much time assessing requestsfor dispensation from the rules requiringshipmasters to be Danish nationals. Many

Danish owners are seeking to recruit fromIndia and the Philippines, but not elsewherein the EU, it says.

‘The Danish Shipowners’ Associationshould also make demands on the foreignowners who want their ships under DIS, sothat it doesn’t end up being regarded as aflag of convenience,’ the report states.

A DIPLOMATIC row broke out lastmonth after eight Chineseseafarers died when a SierraLeone-flagged cargoship sank offVladivostok after coming underfire from Russian coast guardvessels.

China has asked Russia toprovide it with the results of aninvestigation into the incident inwhich the 2,855gt New Star, right,had to be abandoned in heavyseas after being chased by theRussian border guards.

Russia said it had tried to stopthe ship leaving its territorialwaters when it unlawfullydeparted from the port ofNakhodka following a row aboutthe condition of its rice cargo.

China’s deputy foreignminister summoned the Russianambassador to express ‘strongdissatisfaction’ at the attack onthe ship and what were said to be‘insufficient’ rescue efforts after itbegan sinking. PICTURE: REUTERS

Danish navigators angry over DIS ‘abuse’


international news

briefly...Piracy row: the Philippines vice president Noli de Castro hasordered the country’s overseas employment administration(POEA) to cancel or suspend the licence of a manning agencythat recruited 23 Filipino seafarers still being held hostage bySomali pirates more than four months after their ship, thetanker Stolt Strength, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. Hequestioned whether the efforts being made to secure their saferelease were adequate.

Fatal fight: two seafarers died and two others were woundedwhen a fight broke out onboard a Korean-flagged cargoship inthe Vietnamese port of Haiphong last month. The master ofthe 5,554gt W Vivace was reported to have committed suicideafter fatally stabbing his chief engineer and injuring two othercrew members.

TUI sale: the European Commission has given TUI the greenlight to sell Hapag-Lloyd, its 100%-owned container wing. Aconsortium of Kühne Holding, HGV and TUI will shortly takejoint control of Hapag Lloyd following the EC decision thatthe businesses of the parties involved ‘very little overlapping’.

Owner jailed: the owner of the Al-salam Boccaccio ferry thatsank three years ago in the Red Sea, killing more than 1,000people, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter andnegligence last month and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Senator takeover: services run by the German operatorSenator Linie have been taken over by Hanjin of South Korea.The decision follows a long series of losses chalked up bySenator since it was founded in 1987.

Moby withdrawal: the Italian ferry firm Moby Lines hasdropped plans to run services between Nice and Bastia, inCorsica after failing to find a suitable ship to run the service.

GREEK FIRM GETSFIRST GAS TANKERPICTURED left is the22,010dwt LPG carrier Anafi —the first in a series of four beingbuilt for the Greek operatorEletson Corporation.

Built at the Hyundai Mipoyard in Korea and delivered lastmonth, Anafi is the company’sfirst LPG carrier. Eletson has

operated oil tankers for morethan 40 years, and is nowexpanding into other energytransport sectors.

The Greek-flagged Anafi hasbeen classed by Lloyd’s Register,and was built to its ShipRightconstruction monitoringprocedures to enhance fatigueperformance.

The ship also has LR’s NAV1class notation, reflecting higherstandards of bridge layout andvisibility.

SEAFRANCE CUTS AREREJECTED BY CREWS✪by JEFF APTER FRENCH maritime unions havecome out unanimously against aSeaFrance recovery plan thatwould reduce the workforce by40% and push the state-ownedCalais-Dover operator closer tothe private sector.

And last month the future ofthe company was thrown intofurther doubt as rival operatorLouis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA)dropped its plans to take over theSeaFrance operation and merge itwith its ferry subsidiary, LD Lines.

Meeting in a special session ofthe works council, the unionsrejected a revised cost-cuttingplan to address the company’slosses of almost 21m last year.

The management plan wouldaxe around 650 of the 1,600seagoing and shore-based jobs —far more than unions first feared— and reduce the present five ves-sel fleet (plus one in reserve) to thethree most modern ferries.

Captain Jacques Boyer, of theUGICT-CGT union representingthe operator’s officers, said a fleetof just three vessels would ‘ringthe company’s death knell’.

The CGT union argues thatwhile SeaFrance had a bad year, itsmarket base is still there and thecompany could get through the

present difficulties with a re-launch and development plan.

‘Before considering selling offSeaFrance, or part of it, the gov-ernment must be very attentive tojobs, the social aspect and the riskof industrial action,’ Capt Boyerwarned.

Didier Chapelle, of the CFDTmaritime union, also argued that‘the bases of the company’s opera-tions are good and SeaFrance cansurvive despite the crisis’.

LD Lines said it had aban-doned its bid for the SeaFranceoperations because of union oppo-sition and uncertainty about theposition of SNCF, the state-ownedrail firm which currently runs theferry fleet.

LD Lines had said ‘future coop-eration’ between the two compa-nies could create a French leaderon the Channel routes that wouldkeep much of the workforce,would keep the French flag flying

on the ships, and enable more effi-cient utilisation of the existingfleet of ships.

Now western Channel opera-tor Brittany Ferries is looking to bethe favourite to take overSeaFrance. It made a 30m offerthat would involve the creation ofa holding company jointly oper-ated by Brittany and SNCF.

Brittany said it would maintainfour of the five ferries currentlyoperated by SeaFrance.

Fleet reduction would be ‘death knell’ for company, union warns

SAFETY CALL FORTURKISH YARDNAUTILUS UK has joined withother trade unions to expressconcern about a spate of fatalaccidents in Turkey’s shipyards.

The Union has written to theTurkish ambassador in London toadd its voice to the alarm voicedby a number of national andinternational labour movement

organisations after recentfatalities and injuries at TuzlaShipyards brought the total to120 deaths in the yards since1992.

Nautilus added its voice todemands for the Turkishgovernment to take ‘appropriatesteps to ensure that thishorrendous record of death andinjury is brought to an end’ and toensure that health and safetypractices in Tuzla’s shipyards areimproved.

SeaFrance management want to cut the fleet to just the three most modern ferries PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

Norwegian union outrageat Teekay reflagging plan✪by ANDREW DRAPERNORWEGIAN maritime unions have voicedalarm at Teekay Shipping plans to reflag someof its shuttle tankers and replace Norwegianratings with cheaper foreign crews.

As many as 198 Norwegian seafarers’ jobswere threatened by the plan to switch up tonine of the 37 Teekay shuttle tankers to theBahamas flag and to bring in Filipino crews.

But the furious reaction of the unions hasforced the company to back down somewhat.The government has also intervened in thecase, saying social dumping is not on. It aims toreintroduce requirements for work permits forseafarers in Norway.

State secretary Jan-Erik Støstad of theLabour Ministry said Teekay’s announcementillustrated that social dumping was a current

challenge in shipping. ‘A reintroduction ofwork permits will be an important contribu-tion to work against social dumping,’ he added.

The government’s proposal to bring in workpermits for foreign seafarers is out to consulta-tion, with a deadline of 24 April.

Johnny Hansen, deputy leader of theNorwegian Seamen’s Union, accused Teekay ofthumbing its nose at Norwegian seafarers andtheir unions by exploiting a loophole thatallowed it to get round Norwegian pay andworking conditions. He said Teekay had keptthe Filipinos on standby for several months.

Mr Hansen said Teekay’s argument, put for-ward during a meeting with the union, did nothold — namely that it had entered into long-term contracts with oil majors and needed toposition itself for further contracts.

‘We don’t accept the arguments from thecompany,’ Mr Hansen added, ‘it’s carefullyplanned social dumping.’

Following the hostile response, Teekayannounced a reduction in its planned replace-ment programme — although most of the ves-sels will still switch flags.

According to the unions, Teekay will keeptwo ships under the Norwegian flag, will care-fully consider keeping another two under thesame flag, while five will switch flags in abouttwo months. The company says it will continueto employ Norwegian officers in its shuttletanker fleet.

The unions promised to continue workingto make it unprofitable for companies to flagout both their oil-related and other vesselsfrom Norway.

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What’s on your mind?Tell your colleagues in Nautilus UK — and the wider world of shipping — through a letter to the Telegraph. Keep to a limit of 300 words if you can — though longer contributions will be considered. ✪ You may 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 UK, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or use head office fax 020 8530 1015, or email [email protected]

16 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ APRIL 2009

FOLLOWING a varied military career lasting more than 60 years, the former HMS Rame Head has left Portsmouth Harbour for the last time. Under tow of the tug Multratug 7, the ship’s final destination was the Van Heyghen recycling quay in the port of Ghent which scrapped the former HMS Fearless last year.

The Vancouver-built escort maintenance ship was completed in 1945 and is the last of 16 Fort class vessels dubbed ‘Canada’s Liberty ships’ because of their similarity to the American Victory and Liberty vessels that were built very quickly during and after the war to shuttle supplies across the Atlantic.

After service as a repair and maintenance ship, Rame Head

adopted a new role as an accommodation vessel in Portsmouth Harbour in 1976 where, apart from a brief stint at Rosyth in the mid-1980s, she has remained ever since.

The ship was laid-up in the surplus warships ‘graveyard’ in Fareham Creek in 1987, although she continued to serve a useful purpose as a training platform for Special Forces to practice ship boarding drills.

Dismantling and recycling is scheduled to take the rest of the year to complete with much of the asbestos used in her construction having already been removed.

REPORT & PICTURE: GARY DAVIES/MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC

There’s one rule for the yachties and one rule for the rest of those working at seaCAPTAIN Ferguson’s letter regarding solo yachting reminded me of an occasion when, soon after Ellen MacArthur's voyage, I asked Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, how, as a certificated

officer, he squared up single-handed sailing with Rule 5.

His answer was short, sharp and to the point. ‘Rule 17’ was all he said.

So heaven help any master who runs down the likes of Dame Ellen. There will be no prizes for guessing who the MCA will come down on like the proverbial 1016 kg (1 ton in old money) of bricks. The media circus will see to that.

Their letter makes it plain there’s one rule for yachties and one for the rest.

Capt. TONY GATTmem no 312654

Abbreviations are putting us in a spin

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Bonner book tells all about the Q-ships

Have your say: onlineLast month’s poll asked: Do you agree with the Drewry research report conclusion that officer shortages will continue to drive up wages? As the Telegraph went to press, the poll showed fairly

substantial disagreement with the findings. This month, we want your views on the recession (see the story on page 7):

Do you think DNV is right to warn that the shipping crisis could get much worse?

Vote now, onwww.nautilusuk.org

swwrp

tcw

40.6% Yes

59.4% No

CANADIAN ‘LIBERTY SHIP’ LEAVES PORTSMOUTH FOR FINAL TRIP TO THE BREAKERS IN BELGIUM

I WAS interested to see the article on pages 30-31 of the January Telegraph concerning the secret ships of the first world war: the Q-ships.

I consider the best information about the Q-ships can be found in the book Bonner VC (ISBN: 978-0-9554840-1-8) published in November 2008, with all sale profits donated to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Charles George (Gus) Bonner was awarded the Victoria Cross for an action on the Q-ship Dunraven in August 1917, during which he stayed at his post and continued to do his duty under fire despite the dreadful conditions

in which he and his men found themselves.

The nature of the work of the men of the Q-ships meant that many of their heroic deeds remained secret until the end of the Great War, and it was in 1918 that Gus found himself featured in the pages of national newspapers under headlines such as ‘Bravest of the Brave’. He was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for action on the Q-ship Pargust.✪More information about the book can be found on the website: www.bonnervc.co.uk

C.D. PARTRIDGE

AS A long-time reader of your excellent journal, may I put forward a suggestion made to me by the circle of ex-seafarers to whom I pass on the Telegraph every month? These include maritime history authors, museum curators, researchers, and former university professors of naval architecture.

Whilst acknowledging your insertions of ‘full titles’ after the use of some abbreviations that flood the modern maritime world, we struggle to identify the

meanings of many.Would it be possible to

publish a list of abbreviations used in the Telegraph? None would be too ‘weel kent’ by the long-retired to be superfluous in the said listings, believe me. Even down to the fairly obvious — ie; IMO, NVQ, STCW, MCA, OOW, PSSR, ISPS, GMDSS, PSCRB, PFRB, etc, etc.

The age range of the ‘loose group’ members run from 65-year-old ‘boys’ to the ‘ancient mariners’ of 77

upwards. All retain a great and abiding interest in the sea, and all its ramifications, answering research queries, recording shipyard histories, giving talks to like-minded souls and helping in a small way to preserve the history.

But modern abbreviations (a little like texting vocabulary) do set the old grey matter in a whirl at times.

RON FRENCHmem no 999101

IN THE January Telegraph there is a very interesting article on the history of the Royal Naval Reserve.

During my sea service from November 1939 to January 1969, I distinctly remember the prestige of flying the Blue Ensign to signify certain members of the crew were RNR members. The Blue Ensign was mostly flown by liners, rarely by cargo ships.

Incidentally, I also remember the ‘tongue in cheek’ descriptions of the RN, RNR, and RNVR as follows:RN: gentlemen trying to be seamenRNR: seamen trying to be gentlemenRNVR: neither trying to be bothCapt. I. LAMPSHIRE-JONESmem no 39134

Reserve occupation

APRIL 2009 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 17

letters

Rig support staff have no right to claim tax benefits designed for seafarersFURTHER to the articles on the seafarers’ tax allowances (SED), I have been amazed to see that rig support staff, divers and numerous others are given discharge books.

In my opinion, this is nothing short of abuse of a system designed to help encourage and maintain a pool of trained and experienced seafarers in order to help the

country prosper in peacetime and survive in the case of war.

To give these books to others, and for the Revenue to have allowed it, is disgraceful — and more so now the Revenue is trying to stop genuine seafarers’ allowances in some cases.

If the employers of these offshore workers can succeed in negotiating their own agreement, then good luck to them. But in the meantime, these employees have no more right to a seaman’s discharge book than a passenger on a cruiseship.

DAVE BAYLISSmem no 999774

How to survive after wages fail to appear

The view from Muirhead

Research failed to reflect the reality of the jobs situation

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YOUR TWO headlines on the front page of the March issue say it all. Vessels are being laid up and there is still a skills shortage.

Well, the skills shortage is due almost entirely to the attitude of third world countries, the USA and the EU to seafarers and especially senior officers.

In what other job is it becoming a criminal offence to have your vessel struck by a drifting crane? In what other job are you likely to be hijacked by terrorists almost anywhere (while the Navy looks on)? In what other job are you likely to be arrested after asking for a port of refuge

(refused) when your vessel sinks?The answer is none, and

there is your answer to the skill shortage. Those of us who trained in the 60s and 70s who are able to give up working are doing so because the job no longer has any joy, as there is a constant worry about what may go wrong and end up with you arrested for something not your fault.

I would say that the present cadets will train up to master and then do just enough voyages to satisfy the CV requirements and go ashore as it is much safer there — however much you are paid.

I could come back to sea again as my ticket does not run out until December, but with the present situation I shall not be bothering.

JOHN BARTONmem no 33847

Why we have a skills shortage

IT IS always shocking the number of times you see an article in the Telegraph about seafarers who have not been paid their wages — sometimes for months on end. However, having myself recently had a problem, albeit an administration problem rather than funds being deliberately withheld, I cannot help but wonder at the situation.

I read an article about some Eastern European seafarers who had not been paid in five months. Now how is it possible for people to continue to work for five months without pay? I am a British seafarer and if I was to go without paid even for one month I would run into problems. But without

pay for five months? I wouldn’t even have a house to go home to, that would most probably have been repossessed by then.

Failure to pay on credit card and loan payments would mean I’d be credit blacklisted — not to mention the huge sum of bank charges that would accumulate over that period. And of course with the limited communication onboard trying to sort out financial matters while away is not very easy at all. And without an authorised person at home the security rules for anyone to help you out are a nightmare.

Perhaps you can advise what help, in addition to fighting to get those wages paid, the Union can

offer? Because, to be honest, if I was not paid I would consider that as the company terminating my employment and I’d be walking off the ship. I’d have to go home and sort out the problems and see if I could find another job and register as unemployed.

I’d be interested to hear other colleagues’ opinions on the matter.mem no 183273

The editor comments: the article on the back page refers to the ‘safety net’ measures that Nautilus has had a significant role in developing to provide protection for seafarers in such circumstances.

AFTER reading the front page article on the March Telegraph headlined ‘Shortage set to grow’, I felt it would be of interest to contact you as somebody may be able to provide recently-qualified British officers some guidance as to where they might actually be able to gain the experience; needed for employment, ultimately to further careers within the Merchant Navy.

I know that I am not alone in finding that the reality of the situation does not reflect what the article suggests about the

‘shortage’, but it does highlight an area that companies are cutting back in which really does matter – the ‘opportunity to gain experience’.

Having worked at sea since 1991, and after spending in excess of £16,000 during 2008 obtaining my Officer of the Watch (Deck) certificate of competency, 2009 is proving to be somewhat of an anti-climax.

Four months after qualifying, applying to companies and agencies, not one single interview request later, I find

myself signing on at the job centre without the possibility of even regaining the AB position that I left to further my career in the first place.

On behalf of everyone that finds themselves in such a predicament, or similar, I would be extremely grateful for any suggestions that may be available to us having exhausted all avenues thus far — including the contents of the recruitment section of the Telegraph.

CRAIG MCDERMOTT

Life at seaHAVE you completed the latest Nautilus survey on conditions at sea? We need as many members as possible to fill in the forms, which provide a unique insight into the experiences of maritime professionals today — contact head office for a form, or complete it online: www.nautilusuk.org

Shipmates reunitedWISH you’d kept in touch with that old colleague? Why not try Shipmates Reunited? Nautilus UK’s electronic friend-finding noticeboard is still going strong after seven years, and it gets regular hits from seafarers all round the world. Maybe someone’s looking for you. To find out, go to www.nautilusuk.org and click on the link from our homepage. And if you want to put a posting on Shipmates Reunited, simply send your message and your contact details to [email protected]


health and safety health and safety


work time — regardless of whether they were actually working or resting.

Deficiencies in the watchkeeping arrangements had been noted during an earlier port state control inspection.

Inspectors also found that while a bridge watch alarm was fitted on the ship, it was not being used because ‘the bridge watch-keeping officers were concerned that off-duty personnel would be disturbed if it activated on the repeater units fitted in the officers’ accommodation’.

Had the alarm been switched on, argues the report, ‘it would probably have woken the chief officer on the bridge and, if not, should have woken the master, via the repeater alarm in his cabin, thus enabling action to be taken to prevent the ground-ing’.

The ship’s minimum safe manning cer-tificate was issued by the Antigua & Barbuda administration and specified a minimum of six crew for the vessel. Antari had a comple-ment of seven at the time of the accident, although the cadet being carried did not undertake watches.

The MAIB noted that had the ship been under the UK flag and operating in the near coastal trade, the minimum bridge watch-keeping requirements would have been no different.

However, the ship would have been required to have an additional deck officer when engaged in unlimited trading. ‘It is dif-ficult to reconcile the logic which is applied by many flag administrations which require fewer watchkeepers to be carried on a vessel trading in near coastal waters, than when she has an unlimited trading area, which inevitably results in her spending longer periods at sea,’ the report states.

‘On near coastal voyages, with frequent port calls, the watchkeeper will experience broken rest periods, and frequent disrup-tion to circadian rhythms which can lead to the accumulation of fatigue. On longer voyages, watchkeepers are more likely to be able to have uninterrupted cycles of work and rest resulting in improved levels of per-

formance and alertness, especially during the night-time watches.’

The MAIB said there is a ‘compelling’ case for action, pointing out that it had pub-lished a report in 2003 showing that:✪ one-third of all groundings involved a fatigued officer alone on the bridge at night✪ two-thirds of vessels involved in collisions were not keeping a proper lookout✪ one-third of all accidents that occurred at night involved a sole watchkeeper on the bridge

The report highlights a ‘striking resem-blance’ between the Antari case and the findings from investigations into other ves-sels involved in grounding incidents.

‘This, and other similar accidents, appears to indicate a compelling need for an additional watchkeeping officer on vessels such as Antari and that, unless an interna-tional mandatory process with sufficiently robust assessment criteria for determin-

ing safe manning is introduced, merchant vessels over 500gt should, in general, be manned with a minimum of a master plus two bridge watchkeeping officers,’ it adds.

Criticising the shortcomings in the minimum safe manning regime, the report warns: ‘The fact that accidents in which the fatigue of lone watchkeepers is a contribu-tory factor continue to occur, suggests that the existing discretionary situation is not sufficiently robust to prevent similar acci-dents occurring in the future.’

It says flag states need to make a more realistic and consistent assessment of the workload placed on watchkeeping officers.

The report says that too many ships ignore the advice and legal requirements for having a lookout posted on the bridge at all times — and calls for ‘a greater emphasis’ to be placed on verifying compliance during audits and inspections.

There should also be ‘routine careful scrutiny’ of seafarers’ hours of work and

rest records — and comparison with the vessel’s logbooks and other records, during internal audits and inspections.

It also notes the lack of sufficient inter-national support for proposals to introduce ‘more robust standards’ and warns that the lack of progress ‘means that the possibility for similar accidents, with the potential for more serious consequences, recurring in UK territorial waters in the future remains high’.

Without international consensus on the case for action, it argues, ‘it would appear appropriate for UK maritime authoritiesto unilaterally impose targeted control measures on all vessels operating in UK waters.

‘Such measures should clearly not seek to penalise ships’ staff, but be designed to ensure ship operators provide the man-ning, resources and management oversight to remove the risk of fatigue and provide dedicated lookouts when required.’

A FULLY-laden ship runs aground some three hours after the lone watchkeeper falls asleep on the bridge. How could it hap-pen?

All too easily, is the answer. And all too often.

Now the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has decided to call time on such incidents. Its report on the grounding of the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged general cargoship Antari calls for the UK to take unilateral action to combat the problem of fatigue.

The Antari incident occurred last June, as the vessel sailed from the Scottish port of Corpach with a cargo of 2,360 tonnes of scrap metal destined for Ghent, Belgium.

Almost nine hours after the ship had

sailed, the chief officer took over the watch from the master at midnight. Soon after he took the con, he fell asleep in a chair on the starboard side of the wheelhouse — waking at 0321 hours when the ship ran aground some seven miles north of Larne.

Fortunately, only a ballast tank washoled — although the ship required 25 tonnes of new steel to repair the damaged bottom. However, there was no pollution and the Antari managed to refloat on the high tide just after 0600.

‘Analysis of the chief officer’s sleep pat-tern indicated that there was a high risk that he was fatigued,’ the report notes. ‘In the 24 hours preceding the grounding, his sleep pattern had been disturbed by the port call and cargo operations in Corpach

and, although he had the opportunity to rest, his circadian rhythm was probably suf-ficiently disrupted to prevent him obtain-ing adequate rest during this period.

In what the MAIB describes as ‘a typi-cal scenario for a vessel engaged in shortsea trading’, inspectors found that Antari had made 21 port calls in the eight weeks pre-ceding the accident.

They said the hours of rest records for the master and chief officer showed that, on some days during this period they were not achieving the hours of rest necessary to meet the requirements of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention 180.

In fact, they added, both men had been recording, in advance, their watches as

A HARD-hitting accident report has highlighted the ‘compelling’ case for tough action by the UK to combat the scandal of seafarer fatigue... The Antigua & Barbuda-flagged Antari grounded seven miles from Larne after sailing for three hours with the lone watchkeeper asleep on the bridge PICTURE: MAIB

The potential for similar accidents

remains high MAIB

ts

BRIDGE watchkeeping onboard Antari at the time of the accident was shared by the master and the chief officer.

In addition to being the 6 to 12 bridge watchkeeper, the master’s duties included:✪ to be on the bridge for entering and leaving port

✪ to monitor the actions of the pilot

✪ to keep the ship’s agents advised on estimated times of arrivals

✪ to order pilot, tugs, locks etc

✪ to liaise with the chief engineer and the company’s operations department regarding bunker stocks

✪ to be on the bridge during restricted visibility and when required by the navigational situation.

✪ in port, to organise the harbour watch, coordinate cargo operations with the chief officer, undertake port clearance formalities, arrange for the disposal of garbage, and keep the garbage record book updated

✪ to ensure that stores received were properly checked and any deficiencies reported to the company

In addition to the duties of the 12 to 6 bridge watchkeeping, the chief officer’s duties included:✪anchoring and for ballasting operations in liaison with the chief engineer

✪ in port, to supervise cargo operations; monitor draught, trim, stability, structure and stresses; ensure the nautical charts were kept updated; and plan and document the next voyage in accordance with company requirements

✪ if the vessel was not working cargo, the chief officer was still required to be available during the 12 to 6 watch if needed by the AB on gangway security watch

OVERWORKED OFFICERS HAD WIDE RANGE OF DUTIES

ALL SHIPS trading in EU waters must comply with ILO convention 180 on hours of work and rest for seafarers, which require that maximum hours of work must not exceed:✪14 hours in any 24 hour period or✪72 hours in any seven-day period minimum hours of rest shall not be less than:✪10 hours in any 24-hour period and✪77 hours in any seven-day period✪hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which✪shall be at least six hours in length, and the interval between consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours.

WHAT THE WORK WHAT THE WORK AND REST RULES AND REST RULES SEEK TO IMPOSESEEK TO IMPOSE

The Antari’s bridge alarm, which officers had switched off — because they did not want the repeater alarms to disturb off-duty colleagues PICTURE: MAIB

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NAUTILUS industrial officer Gavin Williams and Royal Fleet Auxiliary liaison officer Martin Troman have carried out a series of visits to members at various locations in the south west of England.

First up was a call to the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, where RFA cadets are now regularly attending spe-cial training courses.

Mr Williams and Mr Troman met RFA divisional officer John Jewel, who deals with the RFA cadet and officer training at BRNC. Items under discussion included this year’s RFA officer trainee intake, and it was agreed that Nautilus will give a presen-tation to the next class of RFA cadets at the college, on 20 July.

The Union also made a call to the RFA Argus, presently under-going a refit in Falmouth, and met members onboard the ship to discuss the outcome of the last pay and conditions negotiations, with a question and answer ses-sion looking at the long-term pay deal and the prospects for secur-ing further improvements in members’ terms and conditions,

as well as developing the part-nership arrangements between the Union and the RFA.

Mr Williams also visited members working at the Ministry of Defence facility at Abbey Wood, near Bristol.

He has also had discussions with incoming RFA liaison officer David Gatenby, who takes up his post this month.


members at work

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S Tyneside 19 x 6.indd 1 10/3/09 11:48:40

West with the RFAWest with the RFA

Nautilus industrial officer Gavin Williams, left, meets RFA divisional officer John Jewel at the Britannia Royal Naval College, along with liaison officer Martin Troman

Incoming liaison officer David Gatenby, left, with Gavin Williams and Martin Troman

Nautilus takes to the road to meet RFA members...

TAKE a long tradition of Merchant Navy training and culture, add an increasingly significant measure of military frontline operations, and finish off with a civil serv-ice manpower management structure… the ingredients of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are certainly a complex and changing mix.

And, with the RFA running 16 ships and remaining the biggest single employer of British seafarers, the post of Commodore — Head of the Service and Assistant Chief of Staff, Afloat Support in the Royal Naval Command in Portsmouth — is similarly complex and challenging.

It’s a job that has been filled, since the end of September last year, by Nautilus member Bill Walworth whose five-year appointment commenced 30 years after he joined the RFA from BP Tankers as a second officer.

‘The biggest challenge is that the RFA flotilla has rarely been busier, with 11 or 12 ships deployed in the Gulf, the West Indies and the South Atlantic,’ he says.

Since taking over from his predecessor, Bob Thornton, Cdre Walworth has spent as much time as possible visiting ships and meeting the RFA’s 2,300 seafarers, setting out his aims and objectives in the post. This level of contact looks set to be a strong theme of his leadership, with plans to visit every ship at least once a year and to get HQ officers out into the fleet more regu-larly.

‘Information exchange is very impor-tant,’ he says. ‘We are in the process of reviewing our corporate communications strategy, as it is essential to get people out-side the RFA to understand what we do and to get more common ground inside the RFA.’

There’s certainly no shortage of sub-jects to talk about. Project Darwin — the latest in a series of reviews of RFA man-agement — is presently under way, exam-ining many aspects of organisation and operation. Issues on the agenda — ‘…very speculative at the moment,’ Cdre Walworth stresses — include the possible amalgama-tion of deck and logistics officer branches, and a review of the technical officer branch.

‘Any organisation — and particularly one as complex as this, with so many out-puts — has to review itself regularly,’ he adds, ‘and in Darwin we are making sure that this is a corporate process, and not just bolted on. We will be expecting those at sea to understand what it means to them.’

The latest in an equally long line of pro-tracted pay and conditions reviews was recently concluded by Nautilus, with a long-term three-year deal that, it is hoped, will give the Union and management the opportunity to address other elements of the employment package.

Nautilus hopes the RFA Business Review — part of the Darwin project —

will be a chance to tackle outstanding ele-ments of its recent pay settlement.

Cdre Walworth says he is keen to move the agenda along. ‘I am wholly focussed on the output of the RFA’, he explains, ‘and I am equally clear about the importanceof the people of the RFA in what we are trying to achieve.’

There is ‘work to do in terms of officer morale’ he says and hopes the Business Review will help to create a new frame-work for recognising and rewarding the work of sea staff. ‘We have, perhaps, tofind a way of recognising someone’scontribution without promotion being the sole arbiter of recognition,’ he explains.

‘Everyone recognises that this is a pub-lic sector issue, and that we are having to find our own way through. Let’s review things, and polish the partnership rela-tionship again,’ he adds. ‘I am very opti-mistic about that.’

Cdre Walworth considers the RFA employment package compares pretty well with the wider merchant shipping industry.

But, he stresses: ‘The key point, how-ever, is that we are not competing with the MN, we are working with the RN and we have to make sure our people can work in that environment and with the complex ships that we now operate.’

Although it is the biggest single employer of British seafarers, the RFA falls some way short of being the biggest single trainer, with 18 cadets taken on in the cur-rent year, recruitment of cadets is man-aged to suit the requirements of the service.

The all-too familiar public spending constraints — which also recently led to a government announcement of delays to the long-awaited MARS fleet replenish-ment tanker programme — have reduced the RFA’s ability to recruit on a large scale.

Nevertheless, says the Commodore, ‘we can see the demographics and we have a recruitment plan to respond to that’.

With some RN training and qualifica-tions now in line with STCW require-ments, it is increasingly easier for ex-naval personnel to transfer to the RFA — so much so that they now account for some 17% of the RFA total.

The RFA continues to offer first-class training, says Cdre Walworth, with cadets now selected through Admiralty Board interviews and undergoing a six-week period of training at the Dartmouth naval college as well as cadet training in the numerous nautical colleges.

‘We are always keen to get good quality officers into the RFA,’ he stresses. ‘We can offer them the sort of variety they will be unlikely to find in many other organisa-tions, including the potential to widen their experience in shore appointments as well as at sea.’

Cdre Walworth says the changes of the

past 25 years that followed on from the post-Falklands review have had a pro-found effect on RFA training and opera-tions. ‘We are a service within a service,’ he explains. ‘We have MN routes and qualifi-cations, but our outputs are very different from commercial shipping.

‘The end product of the enhancedtraining and equipment, and the defensive arming of RFAs since Operation Corp-orate has been the ability to take on what is, in some respects, a wider role in areas such as protection against piracy, hurri-cane relief and drug smuggling.

‘What we are trying to do is to ensure that when the UK undertakes an opera-

tion, the RFA is able to take its part with the same level of professionalism, equip-ment and training as every other element of the armed forces,’ he adds.

‘We have to encourage people to realise that it is much more than simply refuelling an RN ship — there is a much wider role to play in foreign policy that enables the UK global strategic reach that the country expects.’

Cdre Walworth describes his job as ‘brilliant’ and says the RFA has a lot to be proud of. ‘This is not a perfect world — nothing is — but there is a lot that is really good about the RFA, and we are doing all that we can to make it even better…’

members at work


COMMODORE Bill Walworth OBE was born in 1951, and brought up in Somerset and rural Wiltshire.

He was educated at a local prep school and Shaftesbury Grammar School, before joining the BP Tanker Company as a navigating cadet in 1968. ‘My father had been in the Navy during the war, and I had always enjoyed sailing and thought that going to sea would be good fun.’

He transferred to the RFA in 1978, on the recommendation of friends at college. ‘They suggested that it offered enormous variety, great training and excellent career prospects,’ he recalls. ‘I was sad to leave BP, as I had a good time there and still have friends from those days, such as Nigel Palmer of the Merchant Navy Training Board.’

But his friends were not wrong: Cdre Walworth says he soon found the RFA offered a rich pattern of work — and the opportunity to extend his passion for playing rugby!

He says he was fortunate to get a ‘jet propelled’ start to his RFA career. ‘I came in at a significant time in its development, with the post-Falklands period being a huge turning point.’

Posted to the RFA HQ soon after the Falklands War, he was involved in the operational review process which led to the creation of the modern-day RFA.

In 1994 he was promoted to Captain and took command of RFA Sir Galahad. His time on the ship included a United Nations peacekeeping deployment to Angola following the country’s civil war — for which he was later awarded an OBE in the 1996 Operational Honours. ‘It was one of those trips that will remain with you for the rest of your life,’ he says.

A further two-year shore posting was followed in 2004 by two years on the fleet replenishment ship Fort Victoria, before moving ashore again and culminating in his appointment as Commodore last September.

COMMODORE Bill Walworth talks about his ‘brilliant’ job in charge of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and how rewards and recognition for its seafarers may soon be transformed...

In the RFA hot seat

‘A lot to be proud of...’ — RFA Commodore Bill Walworth

CURRICULUM VITAE

lwot

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We have We have to encourage to encourage

people to people to realise that it realise that it is much more is much more

than simply than simply refuelling a refuelling a

Royal Navy shipRoyal Navy ship

Bill WalworthBill WalworthCommodoreCommodore

Royal Fleet AuxiliaryRoyal Fleet Auxiliary

‘WHEN I talk to the crews of the merchant ships here, I can very well understand how anx-ious they feel. It is our job to reassure them, and to provide as much protection as we can.’

As the on-scene commander of the European counter-piracy task force — EUNAVFOR (Navfor ) — Commodore Antonius Papa-ioannou says he has been left in no doubt about the depth of concern felt by merchant seafarers passing through the area.

His awareness has been raised by a visit to the crew of a Turkish ship after it was released from captivity in Somalia, and time onboard a Greek merchant ship when he spoke with the seafarers.

‘The master was very anxious, but when they saw there was a warship within 20 miles of them that was enough for them,’ he told the Telegraph.

Reassurance and protection is what Navfor — or Operation Atalanta — is all about. Put together with remarkable speed following a decision by the European Council late last year, Atalanta came into effect on 8 December, with the following objectives:✪ to deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery off Somalia✪ to protect vulnerable vessels off the Somali coast✪ to protect World Food Programme ships delivering relief to Somalia

Authorised to run for an initial 12 months, the operation reflects the fact that some 20% of EU trade passes through the Gulf of Aden. It is the first maritime military mission organised by the EU and involves the deployment at any one time of up to six frigates and five maritime patrol aircraft.

Command of the operation is through a team based at the Northwood base on the out-skirts of London, led by Royal Navy Rear Admiral Phillip Jones. Cdre Papaioannou, of the Greek Navy, is presently the Force Commander — a job that will pass to Spain this month, and to the Dutch Navy in September, when its frigate Evertsen will be deployed in the area.

Countries which have deployed assets to the operation include the UK, the Netherlands, Greece, France, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Spain. Onboard the Greek frigate Psara — cur-rently serving as flagship for the operation — the usual Greek crew of 204 has been augmented with naval staff from countries including Holland, Germany, France, Portugal and Cyprus.

The Navfor deployment runs alongside ships operating under the Combined Task Force, as well as naval vessels deployed by countries including Russia, China, India and Malaysia — meaning that last month there were 23 warships on patrol in the area.

Cdre Papaioannou says he is very pleased with the results of the first three months of Operation Atalanta. ‘At least three pirate attacks were prevented in February alone, and three pirate vessels have been captured in the past three months,’ he explains.

Just five days before the Telegraph’s visit to the Greek frigate Psara, another ship in the Atalanta fleet, the German warship Rheinland Pfalz, came to the rescue of the German-owned cargoship Courier when it came under attack.

Helicopters from the frigate chased the pirates for more than 10 miles, firing warning shots before a boarding team got onto their skiff. The US warship Monterey, which was also in the area, stopped the other skiff and a total of nine pirates were detained and their weapons seized.

The Navfor team believe there are still sev-eral active gangs of pirates, with four or five ‘mother ships’ available to extend the scope of their activity. They operate in a sophisticated way, using mobile phones and satnav technol-ogy, and there are fears that they could modify their activity in response to the growing pres-ence of naval forces in the area. ‘They are not primitives,’ one naval officer stressed.

Navfor points out that while the pirates remain active, they are increasingly less suc-cessful. The number of merchant ships being held ransom has fallen from a peak of 15, with 383 seafarers, last year to just six ships, and 160 seafarers, last month.

Another recent advance was securing an agreement with Kenya under which captured pirates can be prosecuted in the region — something that, it is hoped, will serve as a major deterrent to the gangs.

‘We are making a difference,’ Cdre Papaioannou told the Telegraph. ‘A helicopter can take off from this ship within seven min-utes, and we believe that if there is a distress signal from a ship within 30nm we can provide protection, as a pirate attack usually takes around 40 minutes from start to finish and they do not want to get involved if they know they are being monitored by us.’

The Commodore says care is needed to dis-tinguish between pirates and fishermen, and to avoid casualties on pirate skiffs and merchant ships. ‘The pirates are not combatants,’ he says. ‘They are young people, and poor people.’

He tells how the Psara intercepted one sus-

pect vessel. ‘Due to lack of evidence, we released them and gave them some food. When we left, they were fighting among themselves over the food.’

Because the pirates will usually stop their attacks or surrender if they see a warship or a helicopter, he sees little need for a change in what he described as the ‘robust’ Navfor rules of engagement.

Fighting pirates in the 21st century was not something Cdre Papaioannou expected to be doing some 30 years into his naval career. ‘But it is important that we reassure merchant ves-sels it is safe to be here,’ he adds. ‘It is also important to remember the humanitarian aspect of this mission as well.’

His empathy with merchant seafarers is shared by his Greek crew — many of whom have relatives working in the Greek shipping industry.

A key element in the EU operation is the UKMTO transit corridor, along which all ships are strongly recommended to pass. Vessels are also urged to make the 48-hour transit in organised groups normally composed of around a dozen ships, spaced at 1,000-yard intervals, and at times judged to be of least risk of attack.

The transit corridor shifted south in February — in part to reduce the number of false alarms that were being generated by Yemeni fishing boats which are easily confused with pirate vessels.

Around 70 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden every day, and in the Psara’s control room crew members were monitoring the move-ments of around 300 merchant ships in an area stretching from the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean.

EU officials say there are not enough ships to run convoys — around 50 would be needed to operate a regular and reliable system — and they argue that ships outside the convoy would be left exposed to a greater risk of attack.

Reporting procedures are an important part of the Navfor operation, and the EUhas established the Maritime SecurityCentre/Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) website —

www.mschoa.org — to provide advice to ships and to allow them to report their details so that an assessment can be made of their vulnerability to attack.

EU sources suggest that a hard core of around 10% of ships transiting the area still fail to provide information on their voyage plans, although Cdre Papaioannou says he is happy enough with the dialogue that has been estab-lished with merchant vessels.

‘There is not much that comes through that we don’t know about,’ he says, ‘and the masters often provide us with useful information about what is happening.’

MSCHOA — which is staffed by military and MN personnel from several countries — coordinates with military forces operating in the region and offers up-to-the-minute guid-ance designed to reduce the risk of pirate attacks.

As the first maritime mission organised through the European security and defence policy, EU officials admit that they have had a steep learning curve. ‘A lot of elements are new, and have never been done before,’ one said. ‘Things like communications have been diffi-cult at first, but we are now on a much higher level than when we started.’

The big question, of course, is how long the operation will last. The start-up and admin costs alone come to some S8.3m, and that’s before the costs of individual member state deployments to the force are taken into account.

Officials say political discussion on the future of Atalanta is likely to begin in the early autumn — so that a decision is made well before the current operation is due to end this December.

Cdre Papaioannou suggests that the solu-tion to the piracy threat lies beyond the scope of the Atalanta operation. ‘The problem is that despite all the warships present in the area, piracy cannot be eradicated. All we can do is repress and limit their activities. The final solu-tion must be a political solution in Somalia that restores peace and good government to the country…’

APRIL 2009 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 2322 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ APRIL 2009

safety at sea

SHIPPING companies anxious about piracy can now buy into a new service that combines dedicated insurance cover with expert advice and assistance before, during and after an incident.

The Vessel Shield piracy coverage service, launched in London last month, is a cooperative venture between insurance broker and risk management consultancy Special Contingency Risks (SCR) — whose background is in kidnap and ransom coverage across diverse sectors — and maritime risk management specialist Maritime & Underwater Security Consultants (MUSC).

They have formed the Vessel Shield partnership having identified ‘a lack of clarity’ in the maritime insurance market about the extent of cover against piracy. ‘When an act of piracy occurs, who is responsible for paying the claim?’ asked SCR chief Doug Milne. ‘Is it the vessel’s hull or war risk insurer, or the provider of kidnap and ransom cover? Our new Vessel Shield package addresses this coverage dilemma by offering an insurance product which clearly provides primary cover for an act of piracy, but also seeks to mitigate the physical security risk.’

Vessel Shield offers a three-phased service covering risk transfer, risk reduction, and risk

mitigation. Risk transfer is provided through comprehensive hijack insurance cover. Risk reduction covers marine security consultancy advice to vessel owners, ship masters and crew covering both single transit and fleet requirements. It involves improvements to vessel security, training for company

management and masters, crew training and drills, and at the operator’s request direct 24/7 liaison with the vessel master on route planning, immediate threats and other factors that may impact on vessel security.

Risk mitigation kicks in if a ship is hijacked. Vessel Shield’s team of crisis negotiators provide advice and support during negotiations and other key stages of the crisis — including ransom delivery assistance — to secure safe release of the vessel and crew. Additionally, Vessel Shield can provide port-traumatic stress therapy and support for crew and their families.

MUSC chief executive Chris Austen warned that there had been an increasing number of attacks in recent years, culminating in 111 reported incidents and 44 hijackings last year. Although there had been a decline in attacks off Somalia this year, he warned that some of this was down to bad weather.

In other parts of the world, Mr Austen explained: ‘Attacks are very violent, deliberately violent to cause terror and suppress any opposition to the piracy, and a lot of people have been killed. One of the interesting things about the Somali pirates is the pirates have a code of conduct and if the hostages are hurt in any way the perpetrators are treated very, very harshly.’

HOW TO HELP HOW TO HELP YOURSELFYOURSELFEUNAVFOR officials say there is now extensive evidence to show how seafarers can enhance their chances of avoiding pirate attack off the coast of Somalia.

They recommend owners and masters to make use of the Maritime Security Centre/Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) website to get the latest advice and guidance on the best action to take to avoid an attack.

Registering their ships’ movements will also enable EUNAVFOR to carry out a risk assessment on each vessel, so appropriate protection measures can be deployed in those most vulnerable to attack.

Analysis by the EUNAVFOR team shows that ‘quick thinking and decisive self-protection action’ by masters and crews has ‘played a significant part in preventing the pirates from boarding and capturing their ships’.

Taking evasive manoeuvring, running at maximum speed (and more than 18 knots, if possible), using fire hoses, barbed wire and other obstacles to make it harder to board, and sailing upwind can all not only prevent the pirates from getting onto your ship but also buy time for naval forces to come to your aid.

Passing through in a group transit also improves your chances of evading attack — with the vessels organised to go through the most dangerous areas at times when the pirates are known to be least capable of mounting an attack.

✪Further information — UK Maritime Trade Office: tel +971 50 552 3215; fax +971 4 306 5710; telex (51) 210473; email [email protected]. Maritime Security Centre/Horn of Africa (MSCHOA): www.mschoa.org. EU NAVFOR: www.consilium.europa.eu/eunavfor-somalia

It is It is important important

that we that we reassure reassure merchant merchant vessels it vessels it

is safe to be is safe to be herehere

Cdre Antonius Cdre Antonius PapaioannouPapaioannou

CommanderCommanderEU Naval ForceEU Naval Force

The Greek frigate Psara is presently the flagship for the EU counter-piracy operations

SHIPPHIPPINGING compa inies anxioanxio bus about pout piracyiracy managagagmanaageeementement andand tmasters, crs crew trew trew trew terew trainiraining

‘All in one’ piracy protection package

EUROPE says its special anti-piracy patrols are delivering results. Andrew Linington watched the warships at work...

Commodore Antonius Papaioannou says he wants to provide reassurance to merchant seafarers

A crew member in the operations room onboard the Psara monitors the radar — with a stark reminder of the reasons for his work pinned to the bulkhead

The guns are made ready as the Psara heads off on patrol in the Gulf of Aden

LEFT: pirates surrender after a German and a US warship intervened following an attack on the cargoship Courier in the Gulf of Aden last monthABOVE: AIS monitoring onboard the Psara of the merchant ships in the EU NAVFOR patrol area


safety at seasafety at sea safety at seasafety at sea


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AIS has been a compulsory addi-tion to merchant shipping since 2004. Its fast-tracked introduc-tion to the international fleet raised fears of limited testing and shortened development of both AIS equipment and operator training.

My research, undertaken as part of a BSc degree course in Merchant Ship Operations at Southampton Solent University, investigated whether the ship-ping industry’s initial concerns over AIS have materialised into day-to-day problems for today’s watchkeeping officers.

The research began with a comprehensive review of AIS articles from the leading industry publications, as well as the Nautical Institute’s AIS Forum website and Marine Accidents Reporting Scheme. The review revealed five main areas of con-cern voiced by the industry:✪ officer of the watch workload✪ limitations of AIS target dis-play ✪ piracy and terrorism✪ inaccurate or incomplete trans-mitted information✪ AIS training

Were these concerns the real-ity of AIS onboard ship, or were they attention-seeking headlines focusing on the negative aspects of AIS? In order to answer this question, nearly 100 OOWs were

surveyed using a dedicated ques-tionnaire.

The target audience of thesurvey were merchant shipping officers of the watch (OOWs); being the most prolific and every-day shipboard user of AIS. The survey was administered to give the participants total anonymity, encouraging open and honest responses.

My questionnaire examined the officers’ personal experiences and opinions of AIS, with partic-

ular reference to the issues raised by the shipping industry.

Maritime industry fears were that the introduction of AIS would lead to an increased work-load for the bridge watch officer, potentially overloading theofficer with information, ulti-mately leading to human error and an increase in shipping acci-dents. The workload was thought to originate from new and addi-tional tasks, including monitor-ing and cross-referencing AIS data with radar displays and/or nautical chart systems.

The survey results show that the vast majority of OOWs felt they were not distracted by AIS from their primary task of main-taining a visual lookout and felt able to use AIS as much, or as lit-tle, as they desired.

However, some comments did complain of distracting VHF traffic made possible with the ship identification facilitated by AIS and reception of distracting AIS text messages. Some officers also felt that time was being spent on ‘non-important’ AIS text mes-saging and use of AIS to search out familiar, or friendly, known vessels within range.

The second industry concern was that because not all vessels would be fitted with AIS (mer-chant vessels under 300gt, pri-vate vessels, pleasure craft and military vessels being exempted from carriage), the information AIS presented would be incom-plete and therefore unreliable.

The survey received contra-dictory comments on this issue. Some officers stated that AIS would be much more useful if fit-ted to all vessels, while others suggested there would be an excess of AIS targets — so fitting of AIS equipment should be restricted to larger vessels.

Other comments highlighted AIS unreliability and pointed out that it should not be used for crit-ical tasks such as collision avoid-

ance, which is in line withcurrent official guidance.

Initially, some in the industry feared that the vessel informa-tion openly transmitted by AIS could be used by pirates and ter-rorists to track and locate general or specific vessel targets. This could lead to an increase in piracy, or more technologically advanced pirates.

The survey questioned offic-ers of their experience in pirate waters and found that the major-ity did sail regularly in waters where pirates are known to be active. However, only a small majority of OOWs believed that having AIS actively transmitting their ship’s information increased their risk of a pirate attack.

The survey also showed a clear majority did not switch off their AIS transmissions when sailing in piracy areas, which supports the findings that OOWs did not feel the threat from piracy was particularly high. Opinions may, of course, have changed after the recent high-profile piracy inci-dents.

The feedback revealed that some officers did feel a degree of risk in piracy-prone waters, and that ideally restricted informa-tion should sometimes be trans-mitted whilst sailing in high-risk areas. Of course it must be born in mind that only the ship’s mas-ter has the authority to switch the AIS transmissions off.

The industry had concerns over whether information pro-vided by AIS would be complete and accurate. The publications reviewed revealed that inaccu-rate static and dynamic informa-tion was being transmitted by vessels on a regular basis, poten-tially confusing other vessels monitoring their AIS. Research by the US Coast Guard during 2006 found that up to 30% of AIS transmissions contained incorrect data.

The survey showed over-

whelmingly that 97% of OOWs did update their AIS equipment as the situation changed, or at least every watch (normally every four hours). When using this information, it must be kept in mind that the survey was com-pleted mainly by OOWs working for UK-flagged ships (with the red ensign being synonymous with high standards of operation and training).

This positive good practice was found to be in contrast to the 20 independently volunteered comments (the second most com-mon comment topic received by the survey) which showed that inaccurate information displayed was a very common problem with AIS.

The initial accelerated intro-duction of AIS was feared by the industry to have led to insuffi-cient AIS training of navigating officers. This in turn was thought to account for the poor updating of AIS information which was commonly seen and reported in industry publications.

The research results support this industry view, revealing the immense scale of training short-falls. Specifically, the survey showed that only 14% of OOWs had received any kind of formal training on AIS — ie, either com-pany or manufacturer training courses. The vast majority of officers — 69% — were self-taught or had received no train-ing at all, while the remaining 17% received only informal train-ing on AIS.

Specific comments received from the OOWs taking part in the survey reinforced this view — complaining of poorly-trained junior officers and a general lack of AIS training.

The survey raised additional areas of concern brought to light by unprompted comments from the participants.

Although the OOWs ques-tioned had not changed their own VHF collision habits (90% reported never using VHF for collision avoidance or using it the same, or less than before the introduction of AIS), comments were received which indicated that VHF collision avoidance traffic had in fact increased since the introduction of AIS.

When comparing the data provided by AIS, vessel name was thought to be the most valuable information, the most correct and the most trusted information transmitted. Ranked as the third most valuable information, navi-gational status was the least trusted information transmitted by AIS. In general, the survey participants trusted the static

AIS data more than they trusted the dynamic AIS data.

Many comments were received by participants suggesting that the introduction of AIS was a use-ful addition to the bridge equip-ment and delivered benefits. This is encouraging, and was not a view seen often in the maritime press and publications studied.

Although not an issue high-lighted by the industry, many OOWs stated that VHF traffic had increased since the introduc-tion of AIS. This unwelcome effect is likely to be caused by ves-sels’ names now being readily available to other ships.

The OOWs surveyed said many VHF calls were being made to clarify traffic situations which were adequately covered by the

rules of the road. They commented that AIS

text messaging was also being used to agree or clarify traffic situations, which is more worry-ing as there is no way of knowing if an AIS text message has been read by the recipient.

In conclusion, despite healthy scepticism and concerns expressed over the compulsory introduction of AIS, my research reveals that AIS has been largely well received and is a useful tool to the OOW — who is aware of its shortcomings.

The industry’s fears regarding piracy and overloading already busy watch officers had notmaterialised since the introduc-tion of AIS in 2004. Respondents had not experienced any infor-

mation or work overload as a result of AIS. Nor did officers feel at substantially greater risk of attack due to the readily available ship details transmitted by AIS.

On the negative side, prob-lems do exist with training; very few OOWs had received any for-mal training on the use or limita-tions of AIS. Many OOWs had experienced incorrect data being transmitted by other ships, mak-ing AIS an unreliable source of information. OOWs surveyed were being vigilant in updating AIS information, but from their comments it is clear that this is not the case throughout the mer-chant fleet.

AIS has also facilitated an increase in the potentially dan-gerous practice of using VHF radio communication and AIS text messaging to negotiate colli-sion avoidance solutions.

OOWs taking part in the research felt strongly about many aspects of AIS, the 10 most popu-lar areas for spontaneous partici-pant comment were:

✪positive comments on AIS and its benefits✪updating of information prob-lems✪collision avoidance✪ mismatch of AIS data with other sources✪VHF communications✪ manufacturer specific com-ments and unit problems✪negative comments on AIS✪AIS messaging✪ misidentification of vessels with AIS✪piracy

The OOWs surveyed were keen to participate and many were enthusiastic to share their experiences. I believe that their input would be of great value for future studies, or trials related to similar subjects.

Finally, I would like to extend special thanks to all the OOWs who participated in the survey and to Nickie Butt and Christopher Edwards of Southampton Solent University and Captain Ian Blair and Emma Hicks of Maersk UK.

AIS in use on a busy waterway in the United States. Jon Howden’s survey found many watchkeepers considered AIS to have been a useful addition to the bridge equipment PICTURE: US COAST GUARD

AIS survey shows no system failure

Jon Howden’s research formed part of his BSc degree studies

Merchant shipping movements can be tracked in Google Earth with EarthNC’s new AIS feed on the website HTTP://EARTHNC.COM/

Do it yourself: Jon Howden’s research showed the overwhelming scale of self-learning among officers using Automatic Identification System equipment GRAPHIC: JON HOWDEN/JUNE CATTINI


communications

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THIS YEAR marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first celestial observations with a telescope. But delegates who gathered at the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) last month to consider the prospects for the new EU-backed global naviga-tion satellite system (GNSS) named after the great astronomer would be better off with a crystal ball.

Delays have bedevilled the progress of Galileo, which is intended to give users in Europe — includ-ing the maritime sector — an alternative to the established American GPS GNSS and Russian GLONASS.

Unless Europe gets a working constellation of satellites launched pretty soon, Galileo and billions of taxpayers’ Euros already committed could, like

Betamax, disappear into history’s black hole of superior technologies that have failed.

What’s driving the European initiative is that the military operators of GPS and GLONASS cannot guarantee to maintain uninterrupted service to GNSS users in civvy street — be they commercial ship and airline operators, logistics and traffic man-agers, the tourist industry, mobile phone and satnav owners, and many others in a multitude of applica-tions.

Europe wants an independent, civilian control-led GNSS, not to supplant GPS and GLONASS, but to be inter-operable with them.

With a 30-strong constellation of satellites envis-aged — more than current GNSS systems — Galileo promises to deliver more precise and reliable infor-mation, particularly in northern Europe, an area not so well served by GPS.

Also envisaged is a greater range of services: Open Service (OS) — free of charge with superior position and timing performance to other GNSS systems; Safety of Life (SoL) — offering enhanced performance to maritime and other transport sec-tors, including an ‘integrity’ function that warns of system malfunction in a given alarm time; Commercial Service — an encrypted service provid-ing access to two additional signals to facilitate a higher data throughput and greater accuracy; Public Regulated Service — for government-approved users; and Search and Rescue — an EU contribution to international SAR.

The trouble is, Galileo has slipped badly off schedule. RIN editor Tony Fyler explained why. ‘There were endless delays, debates, and backbiting between the nations and companies involved in the tendering process — a real EU farce — and ulti-mately they were unable to come to an agreement

on where things should be housed, so the EU itself threw its toys out of the pram, dismissed the candi-date companies and for a little while it looked like Galileo was dead on the ground.

‘Then they announced that, far from being financed by both public money and private invest-ment, it would now be entirely publicly funded. They found A3.4bn spare in the European agricul-ture budget, so theoretically, it should be full speed ahead.’

The EU is now aiming to get the full 30-constel-lation system up and running by 2013 — but it is an ambitious target, as there are only two validation satellites currently in orbit.

Against this background then, delegates assem-bled at last month’s seminar to chew over the issues. The seminar was billed as, ‘The Galileo Open Service — does one size fit all? What is the market for the other Galileo services?’

The benefits of extra services were hard to quan-tify, argued Martin Unwin of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Galileo was anticipated to be in oper-ation by 2008, but the major cause of delay, he said, was lack of clarity in service and signals definition. ‘The pain barrier was largely crossed with Galileo OS. Other services are still lacking clarity. That’s a key reason for delays still hovering over Galileo.’

Late arrival of Galileo would mean an increasing risk of Galileo becoming irrelevant, he warned. ‘The competition is not waiting, GPS III, Compass, GLONASS’. Compass, a Chinese system, is yet another contender in the GNSS cosmos.

Andy Sage, director of Helios Technology Ltd, said uptake of Galileo OS in aviation and maritime would be much slower, and depended on: receiver equipment standards; international agreement and acceptance (IMO, ICAO); new procedures and associated guidance training; slow equipment

replacement rates, typically 15 years, often tied to other vessel/aircraft upgrades.

Dr Sally Basker, of General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA), giving a maritime perspective, said the GLA would: assess new Galileo services to ensure they met the needs of the mariner; encour-age and support the International Maritime Organisation’s acceptance of Galileo OS, and poten-tially other services, into the WRNS worldwide radionavigation system; and continue its role in development of GPS/ Galileo services through the IMO, International Electrotechnical Commission and International Telecommunication Union.

With the global shipping business moving towards e-Navigation by 2015 — based on GPS and the ECDIS electronic chart display and information system — Dr Basker highlighted the need to develop standards for integrated receivers for GPS/Galileo and any other GNSS services.

‘We are encouraged to support the acceptance of Galileo OS and potentially the other services in a worldwide e-navigation system,’ Dr Basker con-cluded, but warned Galileo’s promoters that with shipping working towards an e-Navigation and regulatory timescale of 2015-2018: ‘You’ve got about nine years to get things in place, ready to go.’

The timescale to get a functional Galileo constel-lation up and running is tighter still. 2013 ‘has emerged as a vital window of opportunity’, Tony Fyler told the Telegraph, ‘because soon after that — if not, before — the Russian GLONASS system will be fully functional, and the Chinese Compass sys-tem is also looking to be fully operational by 2020. Being second — being the major additional system to GPS, is comparatively priceless. Being third or fourth — particularly as we started so long ago — is hardly worth the doing in terms of what it can bring in economic benefits.’

EUROPE plans to have its own civil-controlled satellite navigation system in place by 2013, offering users improved accuracy and greater reliability. But concern is

growing on whether the deadlines for the Galileo project can be met. MIKE GERBER reports from a Royal Institute of Navigation conference to consider the issues

Dr Sally Basker, from the General Lighthouse Authorities, warned of the need for rapid progress on the Galileo project

A total of 30 Galileo satellites are planned and the backers of the system say they will provide a faster fix, increased accuracy and improved coverage PICTURE: EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY

health and safety


WARNING: keeping your ship clean can be hazardous to your health.

Nautilus is concerned by increasing evidence of potential problems posed by the common use of a com-plex cocktail of chemicals to cleanse such areas as decks, tanks, enginerooms and machinery.

‘It is disturbing to see the scale of the dangers faced by seafarers from the cleaning products supplied to their vessels,’ says senior national secretary Allan Graveson.

‘It is of particular concern that the products in use at sea are virtually unregulated, whereas there are strict regulations with respect to the use of chemical cleansing agents in most land-based industries,’ he adds.

Many different types of hazardous cleaning chemi-cals are used onboard ships — including detergents, drain-cleaning products, disinfectants, sanitisers and descalers. One cruise company, for instance, was using more than 70 — mostly hazardous — chemicals for cleaning deck and engine space, galleys and public areas, and for treating waste and keeping lines clean.

The Union is concerned about evidence of health risks linked to the use of many of these products. Research suggests such problems as asthma, dermatitis, reduced fertility, challenged immune systems, and can-cers are connected with repeated exposure to some of the chemicals they use.

Examples include the solvent butoxyethanol — a toxic glycol ether chemical used in many cleaning solu-tions — which is linked to skin, breathing and blood problems.

Formaldehyde — a preservative found in many cleansing products — is a carcinogen, and low levels of exposure are linked to irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin.

Monoethanolamine, also known as MEA, is a sur-factant and an emulsifier and can be found in such prod-ucts as floor cleaners, degreasers, and stainless steel cleaners. It is highly corrosive to the skin, and inhalation may cause asthma attacks or damage the respiratory tract or lungs. Repeated exposure can damage the liver and kidneys.

Exposure to large amounts of naphthalene, present in some metal polishes, may cause such problems as nausea, diarrhoea, and blood in the urine. Hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide are present in other cleaning products or degreasers, and can burn your eyes or harm your lungs.

Many all-purpose cleaners contain neurotoxins and nasal irritants that can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled. Synthetic solvents and surfactants may cause hormone and endocrine disruption.

Of particular concern is the fact that many of the tox-ins found in these products can build up in the body and, over time, even mild exposures can add up to toxic lev-els.

There is also the problem of use in confined spaces or areas onboard with little natural ventilation. One recent US study found that many of the toxic emissions from many common cleaning products — and to the second-ary pollutants formed when some of the products mix with ozone — may exceed regulatory guidelines when a large surface is cleaned in a small room or when the products are used regularly, resulting in chronic expo-sure.

‘The level of harmful ingredients present in cleaning products commonly used on ships is quite remarkable, and it is clear that this is an issue that needs further examination by the industry and the regulators,’ said Mr Graveson. ‘There is a clear case for high standards of training and information, and effective control meas-ures.

A GREENER, SAFERALTERNATIVE?NAUTILUS is examining the problems posed by chemical cleaning products at sea, and the Union has had discus-sions with one company that provides eco-friendly alter-natives which are free from many of the toxic chemicals that present a threat to the health and safety of crews.

Hepburn Bio Care says its products are low toxic, non-caustic, non-flammable, biodegradable, and free from phosphates, chlorine, nonylphenol ethoxylates and hydrocarbon solvents.

The company — which already supplies shipping companies including P&O/Princess, Cunard, and Holland America Line — points out that excessive use of chemical products can cause infiltration and damage to surfaces, put extra strain on waste water treatment sys-tems, and lead to high corrective maintenance costs.

It claims its products are proven to be more effective than the chemical alternatives, and can help to improve the quality of overboard water discharges and to cut costs by, for instance, reducing the amount of sewage sludge having to be landed ashore.

WHAT can you do to minimise the hidden health hazards in shipboard cleaning products?

✪always follow carefully any instructions and training information given in the use of cleaning chemicals

✪when handling substances, especially concentrates (if unavoidable), always wear protective clothing, such as eye protection, various types of gloves, facemasks and visors, etc. Latex gloves are known to cause reactions and should be avoided

✪never mix cleaning chemicals

✪monitor use closely and immediately report any adverse reactions to substances — for example, headaches, nausea, and skin complaints

✪ask your company to audit the use of cleaning materials and to provide safer eco-friendly alternatives

✪when diluting, always add the concentrated liquid to water, not the water to the concentrate

✪ if cleaning chemicals are accidentally splashed onto your skin or eyes, always wash away with plenty of water

✪avoid lifting and pouring from heavy or awkward bulk containers, minimise handling by use of syphons, pumps, etc

✪ if you are dispensing powders, always use a scoop; never use your hand

✪ try to keep chemicals in their original containers and never transfer them into food or drink containers where they can easily be mistaken for foodstuffs

✪ if aerosols are used for cleaning, never spray onto hot surfaces as this can produce harmful vapours

✪ensure adequate levels of ventilation when cleaning chemicals are being used

✪always clean up any spills on floors or work surfaces immediately

✪ensure the safe and secure storage of chemical cleaning products, and always check manufacturers’ instructions, as some products may need to be stored separately from others

✪ensure chemicals are disposed of properly

✪ensure the availability of information on first aid procedures and what to do in the event of accidental spillages

✪check that appropriate first-aid provision is available, eg eyewash bottles, in case of spillage or an accident

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Cleaning dangers?Cleaning dangers?

Clean living: seafarers use a wide range of cleaning products onboard their ships, but research shows that many of them contain hazardous chemicals linked to problems such as asthma, dermatitis, blood disorders and cancers PICTURE: DANNY CORNELISSEN


maritime history


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sengers. Despite the use of dis-tress signals and the frequent firing of guns, no help — other than a skiff from a nearby sloop — had come to their aid, either from the shore or from other ves-sels within apparent reach.

Conditions had been atro-cious, but it was at least a mercy that the ‘Abergany’ had settled upright. The only chance of sur-vival had been in getting as high as possible in the shrouds.

At the moment of sinking,

Capt Wordsworth was seen standing on the poop. He was hailed from aloft to join crew in the rigging. The mate, Thomas Gilpin, was later to write poign-antly to William Wordsworth about his brother’s last moments: ‘I got within 10 or 12 feet of where he was, I hailed him as loud as I could and threw him a rope, he was motionless and insensible he did not catch the rope or answer’.

Help finally came in the form of the Three Brothers, a sloop which anchored close by the wreck. In moderating seas her boat was able to make repeated trips to take off survivors, trans-ferred with all speed to Wey-mouth. Even among the rescued there were some who later diedof hypothermia and exhaustion. The disaster was to claim 260 lives, and it remains a mystery why the many craft seen and heard to be near the sinking ves-sel did not render more and ear-lier assistance.

A controversy which was to last for years was about to begin. The notion gave much grief to the Wordsworth family, especially as it could not be absolutely proved, or disproved: did John Wordsworth try to save himself? Most early — and perhaps emo-tive — press reports suggested that so great was his despair at

the loss of his ship that he failed to consider himself. Charles Lamb, a celebrated writer and family friend, later gave an open verdict to William: ‘The universal sentiment is that your brother did all that duty required.’

News of the shipwreck did not reach the Lake District until 11 February. Dorothy and William were always convinced that John would have shown composure, authority and courage in his last hours. They were to take comfort that public opinion shared their conviction. They were not young enough to outgrow the sorrow, but still of an age to grieve for the loss of many years of happiness in his company to which they had anticipated.

John Wordsworth’s body was not recovered until six weeks later, by a dragging operation, and he was buried at All Saints, the parish church of WykeRegis. In 1904 a memorial stone of Westmorland slate was erected in Grasmere churchyard. It describes John as ‘silent poet and cherished visitant and lover of this valley’.

Cargo was officially salvaged from the wreck until the spring of 1807. Intermittently for the next 170 years the wreck was explored by divers and levelled by the Navy as a danger to shipping, and at

some time Capt Wordsworth’s dress sword was found and returned to his family.

The Wordsworths moved from Dove Cottage. It was now too small, and too much associated with sad memories. William was eventually to write his Elegiac Verses in Memory of My Brother, John Wordsworth, when he began to see how it was possible to make sense of loss, in both the real and symbolic shipwrecks, and in the tempestuous skies above.

The Committee of Shipping completed its inquiry into the wreck and reported to the full Court of Directors who ‘resolved u n a n i m o u s l y t h a t t h e Commander, Officers and Ship’s Company of the Earl of Abergavenny be fully acquitted of all Imputation of Neglect or Misconduct in respect to the loss of that ship’.

Capt Wordsworth’s reputa-tion, like his sword, was restored. They sustained his family’s pride in him: ‘Not without hope we suf-fer and we mourn’ (William Wordsworth).

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author kindly acknowl-edges the material assistance of Alethea Hayter and The National Trust.

least partly responsible for the catastrophe which followed.

Some two miles seaward and south-east of Portland Bill liesthe notorious sand and shingle shoal called the Shambles. Although water deep enough for the largest ship of the day lay between it and the Bill, the pilot chose to pass east of the Shambles. He failed to give the hazard suffi-cient margin. At a critical point, to assure clearance, Captain Wordsworth is recorded as chal-lenging the pilot: ‘Are you sure you have your marks open?’ to which he received an affirmative.

Shortly afterwards the wind dropped. The strong ebb drifted the ship into the breakers of the Shambles and she was driven head-on to the shoal. At this time her captain was heard to exclaim ‘oh pilot! pilot! you have ruined me’. His utterance was of a man facing financial disaster, not ship-wreck and death, nor the proba-ble loss of life for the many souls under his keeping.

At this stage it was considered that, once the ‘Abergany’ was freed from the Shambles, she could be beached on Weymouth Sands. Actions to this effect how-ever were unsuccessful. Pounding

waves and the ebb tide caused the ship to frequently strike bottom, eventually resulting in the hull being breached. After some three hours the vessel floated off the shoal but the rate of ingress was beyond the pumps’ capacity. A further attempt at beaching was thwarted. Waterlogged and slug-gish, the ‘Abergany’ answered neither helm nor the set of sails.

During this period, to prevent panic amongst the passengers, none were told of the potential degree of danger. With a comple-ment of eight, the ship’s cutter was launched and reached shore safely to raise the alarm. Later testimony shows that the deci-sion to focus on beaching the ship — saving all onboard, the valua-ble cargo and the ship herself — had been a calculated risk. There was an understandable reluc-tance to fill small open boats with terrified passengers and cast them to the mercy of a raging sea, in darkness and winter cold.

Eventually it had to be announced that the ship could not be saved. All the officers were later commended for their cool-ness and firm discipline in the face of the inevitable ‘distress and agony’ amongst many of the pas-

‘I HAVE the pleasure to inform you that the Abergany is arrived safe in Portsmouth and if the wind continues fair, which it is at present, I shall expect to leave this place tomorrow.’

So wrote Captain John Wordsworth to his poet brother William in January 1805. At that time he was 33 years old and cap-tain of the Earl of Abergavenny, a striking 1,200-ton merchant ship of the East India Company, bound for India and China with 400 men and women — crew, passen-gers and troops — accompanying a rich cargo of silver and luxuri-ous goods.

In the four years that Wordsworth had been in com-mand, his letters to family often gloried in the nobility of his ship: ‘...the pride of the fleet and the Service — nobody can tell her from a 74-gun ship’.

An illustrious career was in prospect, and with long-term family prosperity at stake, great hopes had been invested in the forthcoming voyage. None could have foreseen the scale of tragedy and poetic injustice that so soon was to overwhelm the Words-worths. To the family of Romantic poets the tragedy confirmed that much of life is full of storm and fear. Yet in time it enabled them to resolve that something good, some gain in fortitude and con-trol, can come out of experienc-ing such loss and suffering.

John Wordsworth had been

captain of the ‘Abergany’ — as he called her — since 1801, and in the East India Company mari-time service for 17 years, ever since he left his family to embark on a life at sea. He had three brothers and a sister, Dorothy, who was devoted to him.

After spending six years at the Lake District grammar school in Hawkshead, he was given a brief training in navigation. By the influence of his father’s cousin, Captain John Wordsworth sen-ior, he was propelled into a career with the East India Company, owning that he was much delighted with his chosen profes-sion.

John Wordsworth was reserved by nature, finding it dif-ficult to communicate with oth-ers, perhaps overawed by what he saw as his brother’s superior tal-ents. Yet this silent 16-year old embarked on a life of global travel, adventure and encounters which gave him a scope of experience never achieved by his siblings.

In the following 12 years he sailed to Barbados, Jamaica, America, Azores, India, and three times to China. During this time he was regularly promoted, becoming captain in 1801.

Most of these voyages took place during the Napoleonic Wars. Like all merchant captains of the period he was restricted by having to sail in convoy with a warship escort — a presentiment to his fate — by having crew

The universal sentiment

is that your brother did all that duty

required

Charles Lambin a letter to William

Wordsworth

Poetic injusticePoetic injustice for Wordsworthfor Wordsworth

press-ganged for the Navy, and a real danger of capture by a French squadron.

Wordsworth was a firm but just captain. Nicknamed by his shipmates ‘The Philosopher’, he remained distant from his offic-ers. Declining convivial evenings ashore, he would stay aboard and read Shakespeare and poetry — particularly those of his brother.

Shortly before Christmas 1799, William and his sister took possession of Dove Cottage, in the lakeland village of Grasmere. For the first time they had a set-tled home of their own, where they could invite their brother to spend his leave with them between voyages. John came to realise that this area, and these relations, should become his own home, and determined to secure a place nearby to which he could retire.

In autumn 1802, on return from his first voyage to China as captain, John learned that William had become engaged to Mary Hutchinson — a woman he had once aspired to marry. In his final correspondence to her, he intimated that ‘whatever fate befall me I shall love to the last and bear thy memory with me to the grave’.

After the marriage John never returned to Dove Cottage, though the pragmatic reason was given that he needed to stay within easy reach of his ship, and East India House.

In 1803 the ‘Abergany’ sailed

again for China. Financed by William and Dorothy, it was hoped that their brother’s private trading would bring greater returns than the first voyage. This did not materialise, but Johndid gain honour on the home-ward voyage when the convoy of East Indiamen thwarted the attentions of a waiting French naval squadron off the Malay Peninsula. The log of the ‘Abergany’ records two shots hav-ing been fired during an ingen-ious ruse by the convoy that gave the impression they were armed warships. Wordsworth, like the other captains, was substantially rewarded by the company.

On his return to England in the summer of 1804, John sought to secure from his employers the most remunerative route toChina for the next voyage. The company, always amenable to ex-periments in commerce, and from their regard for Capt Wordsworth, eventually fixed on his ship the prize of loading cotton from Bengal for the Canton market.

The captains of East Indiamen were permitted to carry a sub-stantial tonnage of cargo in their ships for their own account, addi-tional to the company’s cargo. They could make fortunes through such trading, augmented further by the fares of passen-gers.

Wordsworth hoped this time to earn enough to provide a secure income for William and his fam-ily, so that his brother could fully

concentrate on his writing poetry. They had jointly invested some £20,000 in this trading venture. It was therefore important to access the Bengal-Canton opium trade, as the surest hope for a large return on the Wordsworths’ insured investment.

Public opinion in England at the time regarded opium merely as a useful medicine. Its addictive power was little understood and its use regarded as an idiosyn-cratic personal habit. William Wilberforce and the familyfriend, poet Samuel Coleridge, were regular users.

The finest opium was grown in Bengal, its cultivation a monop-oly of the East India Company which, nevertheless, officially for-bade the trade and its carriage on their ships.

Capt Wordsworth’s attitude was the norm. By carrying opium to sell in Canton, he knew he was smuggling. This trade had a glamour, prestige and tolerance in public perception, and carried no more stigma than the smug-gling of French lace or brandy.

On arrival in Portsmouth, from Gravesend, Wordsworth’s chief concern was the embarka-tion of the King’s troops, and recruits for the company’s army. As the convoy waited for a favour-able wind to begin the voyage, John unknowingly sent his final letter to his family, in which he bade farewells, and ‘kindest remembrances’ to Dorothy.

On 2 February 1805 the con-voy departed Portsmouth via the Needles Channel. It comprised five East Indiamen, two whalers and the escort vessel, a 44-gun frigate HMS Weymouth.

During the night, the escort began to lose sight of its charges and at daybreak none of the con-voy could see the frigate. Assum-ing the role of commodore, the senior captain held the fleet, in expectation of overtaking the escort, but in vain. HMS Weymouth, acting in isolation on erroneous assumptions, never remade contact.

The convoy spent 36 hours rounding Portland Bill and mak-ing westwards across Lyme Bay against an adverse wind. An unfa-vourable windshift and worsen-ing conditions prompted the commodore to signal the convoy to return to Portland Roads to await better weather and possibly reunite with the escort.

The Earl of Abergavenny was last to take a pilot. The other East Indiamen had all secured a pilot to round Portland Bill, running south round the notable promon-tory for Portland Roads, where they arrived safely. The ‘Aber-gany’ however, in dimming light, rounded the Bill against a strong ebb tide. She was also unlucky with her pilot, with later com-ment blaming pilot error as at

ftsti

William Wordsworth’s grave at Grasmere. Adjacent to it is the memorial stone for his merchant mariner brother, John PICTURE: TREVOR BOULT

A contemporary engraving showing John Wordsworth’s final command

maritime history

Rescuing the survivors from the rigging of the Earl of Abergavenny


nautilus at work

BGM 2009uniting maritime professionals

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TIME IS definitely running out if you would like to help make history at this year’s Nautilus Biennial General Meeting (BGM) — which will culminate with the launch of a pioneering new trans-boundary union for maritime professionals, Nautilus International.

The BGM takes place very two years, and it is the forum for full members of the Union to help determine policies and to debate the key issues affecting the industry in which you work.

This year’s BGM — which takes place over three days in May — will be held at the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton Hotel. Members will assemble for the meeting on the afternoon and evening of Monday 11 May, with the conference business taking place on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and members departing on the morning of Friday 15 May.

The meeting will include debate and discussions on issues of critical importance to the industry, and those who work within it. And it will include speeches from leading figures in the shipping industry, as well as offering opportunities to socialise with other maritime professionals.

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THE 2009THE 2009 Nautilus Biennial Nautilus Biennial General Meeting is nearly upon General Meeting is nearly upon us. But there’s still time to book us. But there’s still time to book your place...your place...

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THE ‘HUMAN factor’ is invariably thrown up as a major element in shipping accident investigations — and the term covers a multitude of different issues.

Fatigue because of under-manning; lack of sleep brought about by six-on/six-off watches and excessive workloads; poor safety culture; communication difficul-ties because of multinational crews; insufficient training; and officers fast-track promoted beyond their competence because of the global shortage of qualified seafarers are repeatedly cited as key causal factors.

Even on the best-run modern ships, crewed by suffi-cient highly trained and experienced personnel, the human factor still figures large in accidents because humans get bored, complacent with routine, and cut cor-ners and take risks because of operational pressures or macho attitudes.

At last, however, the industry is slowly waking up to the realisation that the design of even the most advanced ships and onboard systems leave a lot to be desired — making little or no allowance for human shortcomings.

A sign of the seriousness with which the issues are now being treated was the two-day international conference on human factors in ship design and operation hosted last month at the Royal Institute of Naval Architects in London.

Much of the debate was on a technocratic and abstract academic research level, but the proceedings were opened with a presentation by former Royal Fleet Auxiliary Commodore David Squire, now editor of the human ele-ment bulletin Alert!

‘For any ship to operate safely and effectively,’ he said, ‘it must be designed to support the people who work on it, and who live onboard, without detriment to their health, safety and overall performance. This requires the close involvement of all stakeholders, from conception, through build, operational service and, ultimately, disposals.’

And, he added: ‘There are some who suggest that all accidents at sea are as a result of human error because, when seeking the root causes of an incident, it is invariably the human input to the design, manufacture or operation of a system that has been a contributory factor.’

The human element is just as susceptible to failure and breakdown as any other element of a ship’s systems, Cdre Squire warned. ‘If the ship itself has not been designed and built to purpose, or if the seafarer has not been pro-vided with the appropriate education and training or with easy to understand procedures and operating instruc-tions, then his efficiency and reliability will be under-mined.’

Andrew Sillitoe, Lloyd’s Register human element spe-cialist, highlighted the dramatic rise in insurance claims following maritime incidents, and predicted: ‘Addressing human elements in design is going to become more directly required in the near future.’

He added: ‘Of course there is the very real human cost to shipping accidents. So the public and the regulators are unlikely to accept such figures. Many are looking to the industry to do better.’

Mr Sillitoe continued: ‘If there are insufficient num-bers of insufficiently competent seafarers, then as an industry we may be able to rely less on the ability of seafar-

ers to get by, to work around the problems that they tradi-tionally have done.

‘Instead,’ he warned, ‘there will be more pressure to improve the level of support that the seafarers are given from the ship and its systems, to make them more useable, reducing the training requirements, the need for supervi-sion, and reducing the initial familiarisation period on that ship for using that system.’

A Lloyd’s Register survey uncovered the following common ship operator reactions to the pressures for a human factors approach to ship and ship system design: ‘Shipyards don’t let us make the changes that we want’; and ‘Tell us what to do and we’ll do it.’ LR is producing a new guide to complement its 2007 publication The Human Element — Best Practice for Ship Operators.

Many shipyards were resistant, however, again as revealed in the LR survey. Common reactions included: ‘We have no problem selling standard ships’; ‘the human element is nothing to do with us’; ‘my department just builds or outfits one part of the ship’. But some yards ech-oed those owners who pleaded, ‘Tell us what to do and we’ll do it.’

As for onboard equipment manufacturers, the responses ranged from: ‘regulations address operational safety’; ‘we can’t get feedback from users’; ‘we have to com-pete on technology and features’; ‘the market won’t pay for it’; ‘it’s type approved so it must be OK’; to ‘we don’t have the expertise’.

The economic downturn should put operators in a stronger position to get the ship they want, Mr Sillitoe suggested: ‘But it still requires better awareness from both sides to get the motivation to move beyond standard spec ships.’

Cecilia Österman, who spent 12 years as an engineer officer on Swedish ships, gave a presentation on maritime human factor stakeholders, based on her PhD research at Chalmers University of Technology in Göthenberg.

She suggested some of the problems may lie in lack of understanding rather than lack of will, and that naval architects need practical work at sea to see how ships operate.

The university helped to put naval architect students from 14 countries on a Swedish ship last summer, where they were given assignments including: evacuating an injured person from the engineroom; taking spares into the engineroom; and taking provisions to the store room.

They found it was ‘completely impossible’, said Ms Österman, and it was hoped their experiences would lead to changes in design approaches.

She concluded by warning that more should be done. ‘The insurance companies could use more stick and car-rots than they do. If you don’t have insurance, the ship doesn’t have any commercial value, so really they could do so much more. Studies claim that insurers are actually part of the responsibility for there being so many bad ships, trading because they are insured.’

Watch out: Swedish student naval architects have gone to sea in a project to widen their understanding of life onboard PICTURE: DANNY CORNILESSEN

Designers discuss Designers discuss putting people firstputting people first

Addressing Addressing human human

elements in elements in design is going design is going

to become to become more directly more directly

required in the required in the near futurenear futureAndrew SillitoeAndrew SillitoeHuman element Human element

specialist specialist Lloyd’s RegisterLloyd’s Register

tui

bi

safety at sea


ships of the past

50 YEARS AGOTHE INTERNATIONALSeafarers’ Charter was adoptedin London in July 1944 afternearly 40 meetings of the Britishand Allied seafarers’ unions. Thecharter was dedicated to thememory of the many thousandsof seafarers who lost their livesduring the war, and it containeda statement of the objectiveswhich were to be pursued by

seafarers’ organisations in thepost-war period. It formed thebasis of a maritime session ofthe International LabourConference in 1946, at whichnine major conventions dealingwith seafarers’ employmentwere adopted. Fourteen yearshave elapsed since the charterwas adopted, and the ITF hasnow begun a review to considernew forward-looking elements— MN Journal, April 1959

25 YEARS AGOTHE MNAOA is seeking an urgentmeeting with the Chancellor ofthe Exchequer, Nigel Lawson,following the shockannouncement in last month’sBudget that tax relief on overseasearnings for UK residents is to bephased out. The Association saysit intends to use all means at itsdisposal to reverse the ‘punitiveand petty-minded’ decision. The

25% tax-free earningsarrangements were introduced inthe 1977 Finance Act for peoplewho work at least 30 daysabroad in a tax year, like seafarersand aircrew. It followed aprolonged campaign by theMNAOA and other seafarers’organisations. The Associationsays members must make suretheir MPs are left in no doubtabout their strength of feeling— The Telegraph, April 1984

10 YEARS AGOMARITIME unions have warnedthat action is urgently needed toprotect the increasing number ofseafarers abandoned around theworld. The call came at top-leveltalks in London between theInternational Transport Workers’Federation and leadingshipowners. Poor freight rates inkey sectors and a slowdown inworld trade have prompted a

series of warnings aboutcompany failures, and the ITFhas produced evidence showingthat more than 3,500 seafarershave been abandoned over thepast 42 months. NUMASTgeneral secretary Brian Orrell,who chaired the meeting, said itis hoped that talks will bearranged soon with P&I clubs inthe hope of developing effectivesafeguards for abandoned crews— The Telegraph, April 1999

✪by TREVOR BOULT

AT THE time of her launch onMerseyside, the ‘new’ Mauretaniawas the largest mercantile shipever built in England. But from theoutset she was deprived of herown identity when, for reasons ofmarketing, she was named afterher illustrious Tyne-builtpredecessor.

Nevertheless, her 26-yearcareer clearly proved that she wasa worthy successor to the ‘first’Mauretania and a highlysuccessful and significant vesselof the period.

Built with the aim of restoringCunard’s declining image in theface of growing competition fromContinental lines, and an earlysymbol of Britain’s economicresurgence following thedepression, her launch was amomentous event.

The ship’s 10 decks had acapacity for 1,291 passengers incabin, tourist and third class; 588officers and crew; general andrefrigerated cargo; and garagespace for 70 cars. Her designincluded a rounded bridge-front,twin masts and cruiser stern.Strengthened internally, her tworaked funnels did not requiresupporting guy wires.

Two sets of Parson’s singlereduction geared turbinesdelivered 42,000shp to a pair of‘Scimitar’ type propellers for aservice speed of 22 knots. One ofthe most notable features duringthe sea trials on Clydeside was thecomplete absence of vibration inany part of the vessel.

On leaving Liverpool on hermaiden outward voyage to NewYork, Mauretania was watched bysome 100,000 people. Her

reception in America was no lessan occasion.

The ship had barely taken upher trans-Atlantic duties when theoutbreak of the second world warfound her officially requisitionedfor urgent government service.Mauretania was refitted in SydneyAustralia as a troop ship, and wasto distinguish herself throughoutthe period by carrying 38,000troops, on 55 voyages. Early inthe war she successfully evadedthe attentions of a U-boatprowling off Rio de Janeiro by adaring 24-knot dash through a

deep but narrow channel south ofthe harbour.

For a year after the end ofhostilities the Mauretania wasinvolved in troop repatriationbefore being handed back to thebuilders on Merseyside for thehuge task of restoration to heroriginal magnificence.

Reinstated in April 1947,Mauretania serviced theSouthampton-Le Havre-Cobh-New York route. The followingwinter she assumed her seasonaltwo-week Caribbean ‘SunshineCruises’. Ten years later, inresponse to the boomingpopularity of cruising, and thegrowth in air travel, the ship hadanother major overhaul inLiverpool. Even at this stageCunard began to consider thevessel’s depreciation and future.

In her final years the shipcontinued her eclectic itinerary ofcruises, and the runs betweenSouthampton and New York. Herlast cruise was of 56 days, afterwhich, in November 1965, shewas retired. By this time the ‘new’Mauretania had become a victimof circumstances and changingtimes. Cunard hard-headedlyregarded her as outdated and a‘misfit’ and she was broken up atInverkeithing on the Firth of Forth.

Worthy successor

General detailsBuilt by: Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, BirkenheadDates: 1939-1965Owners: Cunard White Star Line

(some changes during her lifetime)Dimensions: 772ft loa; 89ft breadth; 35,738grt

This month’s Telegraph cryptic crossword is a prize crossword!The winner of this month’s cryptic crosswordcompetition will win a copy of the book Rust, Rats andTwo Old Ladies (reviewed on the facing page).To enter, simply complete the form below and send it,along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus UKTelegraph Crossword Competition, Oceanair House,

750–760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or fax 020 8530 1015. Closing date is Tuesday 14 April 2009.You can also enter by email, by sending your list ofanswers and your contact details [email protected] by the same closing date.

Telegraph prize crossword

QUICK CLUESAcross

1. Start eating (4,2)4. With filter (6)9. Line (4)

10. Talkative (10)11. Bunched (6)12. Dietary fibre (8)13. Floats (9)15. Lump of earth (4)16. Fizzy drink (4)17. Naval brass (9)21. State (8)22. Extinguish (3,3)24. Decorative (10)25. Produced (4)26. Academic works (6)27. Missive (6)

Down1. Feel (7)2. Mathematical grouping (5) 3. Intruder (7)5. Large entry (6)6. Orbits closest to sun (9)7. Dopy (7)8. Wasted land policy (8,5)

14. Alert (4,5)16. Falcon (7)18. Whim (7)19. Stormy sound (7)20. Stick together (6)23. Entice (5)

CRYPTIC CLUESAcross

1. & 4. Grand French spanner (6,6)9. Land lies all at sea (4)

10. Covering train to capital, it carries gun to Yorkshire capital (10)

11. Misplace something in compact disc case and shut (6)

12. Mini Tory reshuffle, but still outnumbered (8)

13. Casual worker with flowing hair, she’s seductive (9)

15. Find line in hose, among other things (4)

16. Sixties clothes are a change for the driver (4)

17. Comedy’s a hit with some rock (9)21. Lashed us to mast in preparation for

multiple series of huge waves (8)22. Forty winks before family rolled up

for mealtime (6)24. The mini Lab reshuffle, just fancy

dressing? (10)25. A dandy in the garden (4)26. See 16. down (6)27. Father of a different stripe (6)

Down1. German flower wine (7)2. US general joins Penny and Bob in

northern city (5)3. Rent similar to below (7)5. Give way in regard to spell of

abstinence (6)6. It’s meant to discourage chopping up

tree trend (9)7. Maturer — no, that’s a misprint (7)8. Samples cheesy concoction in

Paris (6,7) 14. Suitor in simple squabble (9)16. & 26. across Towering French

engineer and architect (7,6)18. Unlikely to see this player’s pen rust (7)19. Jumper for Lords ... (7)20. ... with official standing (6)23. Changed rupee to get thick sauce (5)

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Telephone: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Membership No.: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Roughly what proportion of the world cruiseship fleet’s passenger berths are accounted for by ships in the Carnival group?

2. What was the approximate total of deadweight tonnage completed by the world’s shipyards last year?

3. The containership Emma Maersk claims to have the biggest power plant afloat — what is the hp of the main engine?

4. How many British seafarers were employed on UK-registered merchant ships in 1975?

5. Roughly how many foreign seafarers were working on UK-registered merchant ships in 1900?

6. Which company took over Port Line in 1969?

✪ Quiz and quick crossword answers are on page 42.

The Quiz


FEW SURPRISES TOBE FOUND IN NEWHISTORY OF P&O/PRINCESS CRUISESA NEW addition to the wealth ofP&O/Princess Cruises-relatedpublications has come from TheHistory Press, with a new title in whichformer head teacher Roger Cartwright

canters through the company’sevolution.

P&O Princess: The Cruise Shipsdescribes the humble Scottish originsof the fleet, beginning in 1834 with apaddle steamer service to Portugal. Heexplains how the company caught thewave of the development of cruising inthe early part of the 20th century, andwas re-born from a nadir in 1973when the fleet was down to just threevessels.

The second half of the book gives

details of ships that have sailed forP&O companies, accompanied bypictures of many of them. There arealso some nice ‘unofficial’ pictures ofthe ships and their passengers, andthese offer a tantalising glimpse at lifeonboard the ships — and perhapsmight have provided the basis of aninteresting alternative social history ofthe fleet.

The author concludes that thewealth of experience amassed by thecompany should stand it in good stead

to weather the current economicdownturn and to celebrate its 200thanniversary in 2034.

Whilst the book is written well, onecan’t help feeling the subject hasalready been covered in much moredepth elsewhere and that this willcontain few surprises for anyone with apre-existing interest.✪P&O Princess: The Cruise Ships byRoger Cartwright (ISBN 978 0752448459) costs £19.99 and is publishedby The History Press.

THE SUMPTUOUSLY appointedss Leviathan, which plied itstransatlantic trade during the JazzAge, was the pride of the USmerchant marine for many years.

But ‘Levi’, as the ship becameaffectionately known, wasoriginally a German vessel andwas brought under US operationafter the first world war broughtthe transatlantic passenger tradeto a halt, and Vaterland — as thevessel then was — became one ofthe 91 German ships that the USseized control of.

‘Levi’ is ‘frequently not giventhe credit she deserves for hercontribution to the US MerchantMarine’, argues Brent Holt in hisnew book SS Leviathan:America’s First Superliner.

He stakes a claim for the shipas being ‘one of the greatestpassenger vessels of her time. Herinteriors were stunning and shewas an engineering marvel’.Handsome as Leviathan was inexternal profile, what set it apartwas the palatial grandeur of itsfirst-class passenger interiors and

appointments, an inheritancefrom the liner’s original Germanowners, Hapag.

When Hapag launchedVaterland (Fatherland) in

Hamburg in 1913, the companyhad the greatest liners on theAtlantic, notes Holt.

One need only flick through hisvolume’s fascinating gallery of

pictures — many of them from theauthor’s own collection — toappreciate how striking a vesselVaterland truly was.

Close to 75% of passengerspace was devoted to first classpassengers. Vaterland also carriedsecond and third class and, withunrestricted immigration to theUS still in effect, Hapag alsocapitalised on the lucrativetransportation of steeragepassengers.

The ship operated with morethan 1,230 crew, and Brent Holtgives a great insight into theworking conditions for some —including the 400-member ‘blackgang’ who laboured almostconstantly to feed the boilers withover 1,000 tons of coal per day ‘ina surreal atmosphere that lookedlike something out of Dante’sInferno’.

After seizure by the US —which saw some of the crewelecting to become Americancitizens and the rest interned —the vessel was renamed USSLeviathan, dazzle-painted and

armed, and saw service as a UStroop carrier.

Post-war, SS Leviathan wasrevamped as a superliner — the‘world’s greatest ship’, accordingto Holt — a multiple-recordbreaker throughout the 1920s,constantly in the news, carryingmany notable passengers ‘frompoliticians to movie stars toathletes’.

In 1929 Leviathan underwenta luxurious art-deco décor make-over, but with the 1930seconomic depression the shipentered its twilight years and on14 February 1938, sailed into thescrap yard in Rosyth. More than38,000 tons of high grade steelwere salvaged for sale, but as Holtlaments: ‘In the final analysis, shewas more than just a collection ofmetal parts.’ In this book, Holthas done an impressive salvagejob of historical reconstruction.✪SS Leviathan: America’s FirstSuperliner by Brent I. Holt (ISBN978 0 7524 4763 6), costs£19.99, and is published by TheHistory Press.

German born, US bred

CAPTAIN David Creamer,formerly of Bibby Line, now worksas master for a Dutch companydelivering tugboats, dredger andferries around the world — andone of these voyages was sounusual and event-packed, he’swritten a book about it.

Rust, Rats & Two Old Ladiesrecounts his assignment to delivertwo 38-year old Mississippi rivertugboats, Justine and Martha —the ‘two old ladies’ — halfwayround the world from Bahrain toTrinidad.

Opening his narrative in mid-Atlantic, Creamer, who hascharge of Justine with a crew offive, writes: ‘The radioconversation with my Dutchcolleague on the other tugboatleaves me deep in thought. Wehave sailed more than halfwaycross the ocean, he assures me,and the Cape Verde islands, now

more than 1,000 miles behindus, are no longer the nearestpoints of land. We agree there canbe no turning back.’

Creamer goes on to recall firststepping aboard Justine: ‘Shock,

dismay, disbelief, were all wordsthat failed to describe ouremotions adequately as wepeered into the barely discernablegloom that had once been thegalley and mess. The filth andsqualor were beyondimagination.’

Another initial impression wasthe half-moon shapedwheelhouse — ‘a rare andwonderful glimpse into maritimehistory’ — all polished woodpanels, brass fittings, Bakeliteswitches, and a brass steeringtiller in place of a wheel.

‘Can you imagine sailing thisto Trinidad?,’ says Creamer to hisequally incredulous Dutch chiefofficer, Bart.

But they do, and in vesselsdesigned for river work deal with aplague of rats, steering problems,contaminated fuel, runningaground, running out of water,

violent storms, fires, flooding, anengine room explosion leavingJustine to ‘drift towards the jaggededges of a ramshackle concretepier’.

In a high-risk piracy area theyspot some men in a fast boat andthe two tugs attempt to steer on aparallel course a few metres apart— an ‘anti-piracy’ measureagreed upon earlier. They make ahash of it, but Creamer records:‘The fishermen, or perhaps theyreally were pirates, left the area athigh speed a short time after, nodoubt totally bewildered andperplexed by the complicatednautical manoeuvres they hadjust had the privilege ofwitnessing.’

Creamer tells a good yarn well,such that his book would makean entertaining read for anybody,not only Old Salts with a naturalinterest in nautical old ladies.

books

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THERE have been so manyaccidents arising from hatchcover problems, that it issomething of a surprise to learnthere is no publication — otherthan a couple of handbooks —that provides a comprehensivestudy of the subject.

Until now, that is. Marinesurveyor Mike Wall has set out tofill the gap with his 178-pagebook Hatch Covers: Operation,Testing and Maintenance.

Well designed and laid out bypublishers WitherbySeamanship, the book goes fromthe basics of why hatch coversare needed (with instructions fora domestic experiment to provethe case!) to the principles anddetails of the various designs inuse.

There’s information about thebest ways of operating, testing,maintaining and repairing hatchcovers, along with copious andwell illustrated examples ofsome of the most commondefects.

To underline the perils ofignoring the subject, the bookincludes a series of case studiesshowing just how badly thingscan go wrong when hatch coversare not cared for.

Before printing, the book wasreviewed by a number of expertsand interested parties —including past and current bulkcarrier masters — and it is clearthat the end result is a practical,professional and probablyessential piece of reading.✪Hatch Covers: Operation,Testing and Maintenance by MikeWall (ISBN 978 185609 3446)costs £50 and is published byWitherby Seamanship —www.witherbyseamanship.com

An action-packed delivery✪Rust, Rats & Two Old Ladies by David Creamer, (ISBN 978 1904445 62 3), costs £18.99 andis published by Whittles Publishing.

Filling a gapon hatchcover safety

FATIGUE DEBATESPARKS NEW GUIDELINESEMPLOYERS and employees recentlydiscussed working and resting hours in a‘social dialogue of inland shipping’debate, a regular discussion forumwhich is an initiative of the EuropeanUnion. The goal of the forum is for bothparties to agree on a set of measures

which will regulate hours worked andhours rested in the maritime sector — asector where the issue of fatigue isseverely underestimated. Night hoursand standby hours have been the area offocus, and factors such as rest on non-stationary, noisy vessels have also beentaken into account.

Most importantly, measures to fix themaximum annual hours to 2,304 werediscussed. This is based on 52 weeks,minus four weeks leave and a maximumof 48 working hours per week. Thoughnothing has been confirmed, an

agreement is expected soon, after whichinvolved unions and employers’organisations will consult members.Nautilus NL plans to send an invitationto members working for the inlandshipping sector shortly after the summerholidays. Other proposed measuresdiscussed at the debate:✪ a regular working day should consist

of eight hours✪ a maximum of 14 working hours

per day✪ a maximum of 31 consecutive

working days

✪ night shifts are described as hoursbetween 23:00 and 06:00

✪ night shifts should add up to no morethan 42 hours

✪ a maximum of 84 working hours per week

OPERATION ATALANTA:NL VISITS EU NAVFORACCORDING to Nautilus NL, the Gulf ofAden is turning into a zone of high-techdevices and guerrilla warfare. Somalipirates are incredibly well armed with

the latest weapons and communicationsdevices.

This formed the basis of Nautilus NLchairman Marcel van den Broek’sinterest in joining the Dutch delegationvisiting the EU Naval Forces (NAVFOR)headquarters in Northwood, UnitedKingdom on 4 March this year. The EUNAVFOR is the first joint European navalforce in history formed to combat piracy.The visit gave Nautilus NL a conciseview on the involvement of the EU inprotecting Dutch ships in high-risk areassuch as the Gulf of Aden.

netherlands news


HET lijkt of de Somalische piraten actief in de Golfvan Aden door niets of niemand zijn te stoppen. Zezijn enorm goed geïnformeerd, beschikken overde modernste communicatieapparatuur en zijnbovendien zeer flexibel in hun tactiek. Ook detoename van de aanwezigheid vanzeestrijdkrachten uit een groot aantal landen in deGolf van Aden lijkt de piraten nauwelijks te deren.Reden voor Nautilus NL voorzitter Marcel van denBroek om zich aan te sluiten bij een Nederlandsedelegatie die op 4 maart jl. het hoofdkwartier vanEU NAVFOR bezocht voor meer duidelijkheid overde inzet van de strijdkrachten.

‘Als we ze oproepen krijgen we geenantwoord. Waar blijven die Nederlandseschepen? Als ze al te hulp schieten, dan is hetmeestal te laat. De Russen helpen ons wel,waarom de eigen EU niet?’ Dit is slechts eenkleine selectie van het aantal klachten over EUNAVFOR dat Nautilus uit de mond van deachterban kon optekenen. Verontrustezeevarenden en hun thuisfront die wel horen dater veel actie wordt ondernomen maartegelijkertijd kunnen vaststellen dat deSomalische piraten gewoon doorgaan.

BESCHERMENDE MISSIEIn het Engelse Northwood, de standplaats voor EUNAVFOR, werd door middel van presentaties eneen levendige discussie veel duidelijkheidgebracht over de mandaat gestuurde Europeseinzet. De missie van Operatie Atalanta is hetbeschermen van schepen die deelnemen aan hetzogenaamde World Food Program en hetafschrikken en, afhankelijk van demogelijkheden, arresteren van

piraten/gewapende overvallers voor de periodevan een jaar. Gewapend met deze opdracht isvervolgens gekeken hoe de beschikbare mensenen materieel zo goed mogelijk kunnen wordeningezet. Het werd al snel duidelijk dat een 100%garantie tegen mogelijke aanvallen niet kanworden gegeven. Dat zou praktisch een één opéén begeleiding van marineschepen nodigmaken, en gezien het aantal schepen en degrootte van het gebied absoluut onrealistisch.Wel kan op intelligente wijze getracht worden eenzo optimaal mogelijk rendement te behalen. Ditheeft geleid tot de navolgende zaken:

NIEUWE CORRIDORRecent werd in de Golf een nieuwe corridoraangewezen, die onder andere een stuk verdernaar het zuiden is geplaatst. Reden hiervoor wasdat de positie van de vorige corridor hetdoorgaande scheepvaartverkeer teveel incontact bracht met de lokale visserij. Dit hadondermeer een groot aantal valse meldingenvanaf de schepen tot gevolg. Deze meldingen,hoe begrijpelijk ook, zorgden voor veel onnodigeinzet van de strijdkrachten. Verder werd hetvermoeden steeds sterker dat de kustwaterenvan Jemen behalve door vissers, ook wordengebruikt door de Somalische piraten om zich teverschansen of juist van daaruit aan te vallen.

GROUP TRANSITSSinds het instellen van de corridor is praktischalle doorgaande zeescheepvaart daargeconcentreerd. Vanwege het gebrek aanprooien elders in de Golf, is de corridor daardoordé plaats geworden waar de piraten het meestfrequent aanvallen. Door te monitoren over eenwat langer tijdpad, kwam een aantal interessantefenomenen aan het licht. Zo kon wordenvastgesteld dat in één deel van de corridorbijzonder veel aanvallen werden gepleegd (HighRisk Area (HRA)). Deze aanvallen vondenhoofdzakelijk plaats tussen het moment vanzonsopkomst en 11.00 uur plaatselijke tijd.Tijdens de nachtelijke uren had zich nog nooiteen voor de piraten succesvolle actie afgespeeld.Met deze statistische data in het achterhoofd,werd de theorie van de Group Transitsontwikkeld. Laat schepen die minder dan 18knopen varen, hun snelheid in aanloop van deGolf van Aden zodanig aanpassen dat zij de HRAin de donkere uren passeren. Stationeer debeschikbare marine-eenheden zoveel mogelijkbij de uiteinden van de HRA zodat zij maximaalkunnen worden ingezet. Van de schepen met eensnelheid hoger dan 18 knopen, wordtaangenomen dat het niet echt nodig is dat zijdeze tactiek gebruiken.

KWETSBAARHEIDBEPALINGHet moge duidelijk zijn dat het ene schip hetandere niet is en dat er, ongeacht welkemaatregelen de bemanning ook neemt, opsommige schepen bovenmatig grote risico’sblijven bestaan. Dit kan komen door deconstructie van het schip, waaronder hetvrijboord en het motorvermogen maar ook doorde lading. EU NAVFOR bepaalt aan de hand vaneen groot aantal factoren of een schip alskwetsbaar wordt aangemerkt. Al naar gelang demate van kwetsbaarheid wordt dan gekeken of erwellicht extra maatregelen moeten wordengenomen. Dit kan dan zelfs resulteren in een één

op één begeleiding door een marine-eenheid mettevens het aan boord zetten van marinepersoneelaan boord van het kwetsbare vaartuig. Een enander is uiteraard afhankelijk vanbeschikbaarheid. Dat dit alles zeer nauwgezetwordt onderzocht, blijkt onder andere uit het feitdat ook de opgegeven informatie op juistheidwordt gecontroleerd. Een reder die door middelvan het onjuist opgeven van sensibele lading(wapens) een voorkeursbehandeling trachtte tekrijgen, werd door EU NAVFOR ontmaskerd. Dateen optimale inzet van de eenheden een goedecommunicatie verlangt behoeft geen nadereuitleg en dat brengt ons dan automatisch op hetvolgende hoofdstuk.

COMMUNICATIEDe inzet van NAVFOR valt of staat met dekwaliteit van de communicatie. Het gaat hierbijom zowel de interne communicatie, als decommunicatie met de passerendezeescheepvaart en andere eenheden inbijvoorbeeld NAVO-verband of met individueeloptredende eenheden van bijvoorbeeld deRussische, Indiase en Maleisische marine. Van dekant van EU NAVFOR werd aangedrongen op hetzo volledig en tijdig mogelijk verstrekken vaninformatie van alle schepen die van plan zijn deGolf van Aden te doorkruisen. Verder kwam EUNAVFOR met het verzoek om ook regelmatig descheepspositie door te geven zowel voorafgaandals tijdens de doorvaart van de Golf. Dit schijntdoor vele schepen nog altijd niet te gebeuren.Ook werd nog eens onderstreept hoe belangrijkhet is om meldingen van aanvallen direct door tegeven aan het UK Maritime Security Centre Hornof Africa (MSC-HOA) te Dubai. Zij zijn vervolgensin staat om deze melding door te geven aan allemarine eenheden zodat de kans op bijstandoptimaal kan worden ingevuld.

Nadere info omtrent de communicatie mag u,voor zover dit al niet wordt ingevuld, verwachtenvan uw werkgever.

Al geruime tijd discussiëren werkgevers enwerknemers op Europees niveau over eenarbeids- en rusttijdenregeling voor de bin-nenscheepvaart. Dit gebeurt in de zoge-naamde ‘sociale dialoog binnenvaart’ die metenige regelmaat door de Europese Uniewordt georganiseerd.

In de binnenscheepvaart zijn de leef- enwerkomstandigheden anders dan op de wal.Zo is op de eerste plaats het werk onregel-matig. Afhankelijk van de vaart van het schip,zal niet alleen overdag, maar ook ’s avonds of’s nachts gewerkt moet worden. Sommigeuren zijn zogenaamde ‘stand-by’ uren en dewerkweek stopt niet altijd op vrijdagmiddagom vijf uur. Ook zijn de werkuren niet altijdgelijk aan de vaaruren van het schip, watbetekent dat de rusturen doorgebracht wor-den aan boord van een varend, bewegend,lawaaierig en soms trillend schip. Door dezeafwijkende omstandigheden heeft de binnen-vaart — net als de zeevaart — behoefte aaneen eigen regeling voor arbeids- en rusttijden.Let wel, in Europees verband wordt uitslui-tend het minimum afgesproken. Er mogenwel andere regelingen worden getroffen bin-nen het eigen bedrijf of op nationaal niveau,mits deze niet in negatieve zin afwijken van deEuropese richtlijn.

Uitgangspunten arbeidstijdVoor de jaarlijkse maximale arbeidstijd wordtuitgegaan van 52 weken min vier wekenvakantie maal maximaal 48 uur per week. Demaximale arbeidstijd komt hiermee op 2304

uur, waarop nationale feestdagen nog in min-dering moeten worden gebracht.

De overige uitgangspunten zijn:✪de normale dagelijkse arbeidstijd bedraagtacht uur. Met de arbeidstijd wordt de periodebedoeld waarin het bemanningslid volgensde werkgevers-instructies is ingedeeld omarbeid te verrichten op, aan of voor het schipof als hij voor de werkzaamheden stand bymoeten staan.✪de maximale dagelijkse arbeidstijdbedraagt 14 uur✪het aantal achtereenvolgende arbeidsda-gen bedraagt maximaal 31 dagen✪de ‘nachtperiode’ vindt plaats tussen 23.00en 06.00 uur✪de maximale wekelijkse ‘nachtelijke’ arbei-dstijd bedraagt 42 uur✪de maximale wekelijkse arbeidstijdbedraagt 84 uur

Als er volgens het rooster meer gewerktedagen dan rustdagen zijn (dus waneer er nietéén op één af wordt gevaren), dan mag degemiddelde arbeidstijd van 72 uur per week,gemeten over een periode van maximaal viermaanden, niet worden overschreden. Verdermoeten er in deze situaties minimale rustpe-riodes komen van bijvoorbeeld twee rustda-gen na tien gewerkte dagen, vijf rustdagen natwintig gewerkte dagen, enzovoorts.

NoodsituatiesEchter, in noodsituaties kan de kapitein opieder moment van een bemanningslid ver-langen dat de noodzakelijke arbeidsuren

worden gemaakt. Zodra de noodsituatievoorbij is en de normale situatie hersteld,moet de kapitein ervoor zorgen dat allebemanningsleden, die tijdens hun geplanderust hebben gewerkt, alsnog voldoende rustkrijgen.

Overige afsprakenOok wordt in de richtlijn opgenomen dat dearbeids- en rusttijden aan boord dagelijksworden bijgehouden. Verder krijgen debemanningsleden recht op een jaarlijksemedische keuring op kosten van dewerkgever. De richtlijn zal overigens nietgelden voor de River Cruise schepen. Dewerkgevers in die tak van sport willennamelijk graag onderhandelen over een eigenrichtlijn. Gezien het seizoensmatige karaktervan de bedrijfstak kunnen werknemers zichdaar wel iets bij voorstellen.

Hoe nu verder?Aan de Europese onderhandelingstafel zijnwerkgevers en werknemers het nog niet hele-maal eens geworden. Vooral de definitieveuitwerking van de teksten vergt nog aanvul-lend overleg. Het ligt echter in de lijn derverwachting dat er snel overeenstemmingwordt bereikt waarna alle betrokken vakbon-den en werkgeversorganisaties ledenraad-plegingen gaan organiseren. Nautilus NL zaldat vermoedelijk kort na de zomervakantiesgaan doen. De in de binnenvaart werkzameleden zullen hiervoor nog apart een uitnodig-ing ontvangen.

Na gedane arbeid is het goed rusten ... Binnenvaart heeftbehoefte aan goede regeling arbeids- en rusttijden

NOS HAALTTELETEKST PAGINA726 UIT DE LUCHT

OPERATION ATALANTA: NAUTILUS BEZOEKTHOOFDKWARTIER EU NAVFOR

ZONDER enig overleg heeft de NOS besloten om teletekstpagina726 per 1 maart 2009 uit de lucht te halen. Op deze pagina warende populaire middagposities van Nederlandse zeeschepen terug tevinden. Familie, vrienden en kennissen van zeevarenden maaktenveelvuldig gebruik van deze informatie om de reis van het schipenigszins te kunnen volgen.

De teletekstpagina wordt volgens afspraak verzorgd door driepartijen, te weten: NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting), het ANP enNautilus NL. Zoals overeengekomen verzamelt en ordent NautilusNL de middagposities waarna deze iedere werkdag wordenaangeleverd bij het ANP. Het ANP zorgt er op zijn beurt voor dat descheepsinformatie bij de NOS en — tegen betaling —geïnteresseerde kranten terechtkomt. De NOS plaatst de verkregeninformatie iedere werkdag op teletekst. De kosten van het geheelworden deels vergoed door de betalende kranten, de rest betaaltNautilus NL.

In 2006 hebben de drie partijen de afspraken opnieuwvastgelegd in een overeenkomst, met een contractduur van éénjaar. De overeenkomst wordt echter telkens stilzwijgend verlengd,tenzij een van de partijen opzegt. Aangezien er geen opzeggingheeft plaatsgevonden, is het bestuur net als vele leden verrast doorhet plotselinge en onaangekondigde besluit van de NOS om deteletekstpagina uit de lucht te halen.

Inmiddels heeft het bestuur van Nautilus NL zich tot de directievan de NOS gewend met het uitdrukkelijke verzoek allecontractuele verplichtingen na te komen en teletekstpagina 726zo snel mogelijk weer uit te zenden. Als de NOS er dan van af wil,dan kan de omroepstichting normaal opzeggen tegen het eindevan het jaar, zodat Nautilus NL tijd en ruimte krijgt alternatieven teontplooien en daarover met de leden te communiceren. Bij het terperse gaan van dit blad waren we er nog niet uit met de NOS. Ukunt er echter op rekenen dat het bestuur al het mogelijke zal doenom teletekstpagina 726 in de lucht te houden. Wordt vervolgd.


Quiz answers1. Around 45% of lower berth capacity in the global

cruiseship fleet is accounted for by ships in the Carnival Group.

2. Some 97.7m deadweight tonnes was completed by the world’s shipyards last year.

3. Emma Maersk’s Wärtsilä main engine is of some 110,000hp.

4. A total of 82,300 British seafarers were employed on UK-flagged merchant ships in 1975.

5. Around 50,000 foreign seafarers — about one-fifth of the total — were serving on UK-registered ships at the start of the 20th century.

6. Port Line was taken over by Cunard Cargo and Associated Container Transport.

Crossword answersQUICK ANSWERS

Across: 1. Tuck in; 4. Tipped; 9. Axis; 10. Vociferous; 11. Tufted; 12. Roughage; 13. Seaworthy; 15. Clod; 16. Soda; 17. Admiralty; 21. Oklahoma; 22. Put out; 24. Ornamental; 25. Made; 26. Theses; 27. Letter.

Down: Texture; 2. Coset; 3. Invader; 5. Influx; 6. Perihelia; 7. Drugged; 8. Scorched earth; 14. Wide awake; 16. Sakeret; 18. Impulse; 19. Thunder; 20. Cohere; 23. Tempt.

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prizecompetition. The answers will appear in nextmonth’s Telegraph. Congratulations to theMarch crossword winner — Nautilus UKmember Colin Mackay.

CRYPTIC ANSWERS FROM MARCH

Across: 1. Abbess; 5. Salute; 9. Red Star; 10. Untied; 12. Alexandra Palace; 13. Ills; 14. Liturgical; 18. Newfangled; 19. Snag; 21. Stretcher-bearer; 24. Miller; 25. Has-been; 26 Person; 27. Donate.

Down: 2. Bedfellow; 3. Entrap; 4. Shredding; 5. Scuba; 6. Lethargy; 7. Theta; 8. Creationism; 11. Belligerent; 15. Unearthed; 16. Congruent; 17. Nautilus; 20. Season; 22. Rhine; 23. Heron.

The face of Nautilus UK: Aaron McTaggart, finance assistantTHESE ARE stormy times for the world’s economy, butNautilus’s accounts department continues to run asteady ship, and Aaron McTaggard joined it a year ago toback finance manager Olu Tunde at head office.

‘My position was to come in as finance adminassistant, to help Olu with the invoices andadministration and finance, and then to move on, takeon payroll and management reports,’ he explains. ‘Olu’sbeen showing me both here and Wallasey offices, takingme through the processes that we go through.’

Independently, Aaron is studying for a charteredaccountancy qualification, but Nautilus is helping fundhis studies.

A keen fitness fan, active in a number of sports, Aaron— now in his early 20s — previously worked for theLondon borough of Haringey’s economic andregeneration finance department, and before that for arecruitment company doing payroll work.

‘Where I’ve worked before, you’re normally set to twoor three tasks, but in Nautilus, you’ve got your hands in

so many pies. All of it I’ve got knowledge of, but Nautilushas actually given me hands-on experience.’

Aaron is now moving into the management side ofaccounts. ‘I’ve got to start producing reports andpreparing accounts — to show the seniors this is howwe’re performing, this is how we’ve been againstbudget.’ Also impacting on his job is the imminentlaunch of Nautilus International. ‘Working with Wallasey,we’re going to have to communicate to make sure ouraccounts coincide with the Netherlands,’ he adds.

NAUTILUS UK has always had afirm commitment to dialogue with itsmembers and that commitmentcontinues to this day, with the Unionplacing a high priority on contactbetween members and officials.

Officials make regular visits toships, and a variety of differentmeetings are held by the Union toencourage a healthy exchange ofviews.

The Union also offers the chancefor members to meet Nautilus UKofficials when they make regular visitsto ships in ports and nautical colleges,or stage specialist forums around theUK. These visits aim to give membersthe chance to get advice onemployment and other problems thatcannot easily be dealt with by letter oremail. Times and venues formeetings in the next few months are:

COLLEGE VISITSNautilus UK’s recruitment team isnow holding regular meetings withtrainees and members at all the UK’smaritime colleges. Contact SteveDoran or Garry Elliott at the Wallaseyoffice for visiting schedules andfurther details.

SHIP VISITSIf you have an urgent problem on yourship, you should contact Nautilus UK([email protected]) to ask for anofficial to visit the ship. Wherever pos-sible, such requests will be acted uponby the Union and last year more than200 ships were visited by Nautilus UKofficials as a result of contact frommembers. If you need to request avisit, please give your vessel’s ETA andas much information as possible aboutthe problem needing to be discussed.

SCOTLANDMembers employed by companiesbased in the west of Scotland shouldcontact Nautilus UK at NautilusHouse, Mariners’ Park, WallaseyCH45 7PH (tel: +44 (0)151 6398454). Members employed in theoffshore oil sector, or by companiesbased in the east of Scotland, shouldcontact +44 (0)1224 638882. Thisis not an office address, so memberscannot visit in person.

Future dates and venues for NautilusUK meetings of the NationalProfessional & Technical andNational Pensions Forums include:

✪ National Professional & TechnicalForum — deals with technical,safety, welfare and other professionaltopics relevant to shipmaster and

chief engineer officer members. Thenext meeting is being held at the Nautilus UK northern office, Mariners’Park, Wallasey, on Tuesday 21 April,starting at 1300hrs.

✪ National Pensions Forum — established to provide a two-way flowof information and views on allpension matters and pension schemes(not just the MNOPF). This forum isopen to all classes of Nautilus UKmember, including associate andaffiliate. The next meeting will be held at Best Western Churchill Hotel, DoverWaterfront, Dover, Kent CT17 9BP, onWednesday 1 April, starting at 1100hrs.

All full members of the relevant rankor sector can attend and financialsupport may be available to somemembers by prior agreement. Forfurther details contact head office.

Nautilus UK meetings with members: diary datesIncorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

ISSN 0040 2575

Telegraphstaffeditor: Andrew Liningtonproduction editor: June Cattinireporters: Sarah Robinson/Mike Gerberweb editor: Matthew Louw

advertising managersCentury One Publishing Ltd, Arquen House,4-6 Spicer Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 4PQSales: Oliver Kirkmantel: +44 (0)1727 739 184fax: +44 (0)1727 893 895email: [email protected]: www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk

Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advicebefore entering into any commitments such as investments (including pensionplans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation and Nautilus UK cannot accept any liability for the quality ofgoods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financialservices or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problemswith such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.

Published by Nautilus UK, Printed by College Hill Press Limited,37 Webber Street, London SE1 8QW.

general secretaryBrian Orrell

head officeOceanair House, 750–760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BBtel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015telex: 892181 DIAL G(marked for the attention of Nautilus UK)website: www.nautilusuk.org

northern officeNautilus House, Mariners’ Park, Wallasey CH45 7PHtel: +44 (0)151 639 8454fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801

department e-mail addressesgeneral:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected] south:[email protected] north:[email protected] services:[email protected]:[email protected] and technical:[email protected]

In order tobetter serve themembershipefficiently andcost-effectively,Nautilus UKhasstarted to compilea list of members’ email addresses.Itwouldbehelpful ifmembers withemail addressescouldnotify themtothe IT Department, indicating theirmembership number.

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

M–NoticesM-Notices, Marine InformationNotes and Marine GuidanceNotes issued by the Maritime& Coastguard Agency recentlyinclude:

MGN 383 (M+F): US Clean Water ActUnder America’s Clean Water Act, the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) is required to regulatedischarges incidental to the normal operation of vessels,as confirmed last July in a US court ruling. The Maritime &Coastguard Agency (MCA) has published this guidancenote to draw attention to the ruling, and makerecommendations on the implications for UK vessels.

The ruling means that since 19 December 2008, allcommercial vessels of 79ft in length or longer withdischarges of pollutants incidental to their normaloperation in America’s three-mile or inland territorialwaters must comply with the EPA final VPG vesselgeneral permit requirements. This is not just limited toballast water discharges incidental to normal operation.

On the implications for UK vessels, the MCA pointsout that for most Clean Water Act discharge permits,those seeking a permit must file an NOI notice of intent.Once submitted, ships will automatically be covered atfirst for the VPG, but after six months, another NOI mustbe submitted to continue coverage. The VPG is valid forfive years.

The MCA recommends that companies which intendto have any of their vessels call at US ports develop acompliance programme based on the EPA’s final VPGrequirements. Ships are required to have permits, the Mnote makes clear. Vessels of less than 79ft andcommercial fishing vessels should make plans to complyfollowing the end of a two-year moratorium in 2010.

MGN 389 (M+F): Operating Instructions and Signagefor Fixed Gas Fire-Extinguishing SystemsRecent Marine Accident Investigation Branch reports (theCalypso, Shark and Figaro cases) underline the need forimprovement in the quality and effectiveness ofoperating instructions and signs given for use of fixed gasfire-extinguishing systems.

So the MCA has issued detailed guidance on the useof operating instructions and signs, emphasising theneed to be fully competent with the operation of gas fire-extinguishing systems, and aware of actions requiredafter gas release to check it has been released correctly.

The note highlights the passage in the InternationalMaritime Organisation’s FSS fire safety systems code,which states: ‘The means of control of any fixed gas fire-extinguishing systems shall be readily accessible, simpleto operate and shall be grouped together in as few

locations as possible at positions not likely to be cut off bya fire in a protected space. At each location there shall beclear instructions relating to the operation of the systemhaving regard to the safety of personnel.’

As fixed gas fire-extinguishing systems differ, thenote cautions, in bold type: ‘Know YOUR system; don’t becaught out in an emergency.’

Other key points include the need for regular testingof systems’ audible and visual alarms, and for all crew tomade aware of their meaning and the action to be takenwhen they operate. Training and familiarisation with theoperation and procedures for gas release for personslikely to have to operate the system in the event of a fireshould be regularly carried out and recorded

MGN 386 (M+F): Survey and CertificationRequirements for The Merchant Shipping(Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) Regulations2008 — additional guidanceThis is a follow-up to an earlier MCA note, MGN 381(M+F), providing clarification on the term ‘importantrepair’. The earlier note had stated the requirement for anadditional survey ‘after a repair resulting from aninvestigation to the ship or when a defect is discovered ina ship, either of which substantially affect the integrity ofthe ship or the efficiency or completeness of theequipment of the ship. An additional survey is alsorequired after an important repair or renewal’. The new note issues the following clarification: ‘In casesof doubt as to whether a repair or renewal is importantship owners or masters are recommended to seek advicefrom the MCA.’

MIN 339 (M): Code of Safe Working Practices forMerchant Seamen: Issue of Amendment 08The marine information note provides updated guidanceon the 1998 Merchant Shipping (Code of Safe WorkingPractices for Merchant Seamen) regulations, as affectedby the issue of Amendment 08 last year.

The first change relates to the 2007 MerchantShipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work)Carcinogens and Mutagens regulations, which came intoforce in March 2008 necessitating a new section inChapter 27 of the Code, on hazardous substances.

The second change relates to the 2007 MerchantShipping and Fishing Vessels (Control of Noise at Work),and to the to the 2007 Merchant Shipping and FishingVessels (Control of Noise at Work), regulations, whichcame into force on 23 February last year.

Provided the regulatory requirements are met,including the requirement for copies of the Code of SafeWorking Practices for Merchant Seamen andamendments to be easily accessible, the MCA acceptsthat some copies may be electronic. But in all cases, atleast one printed copy should also be available. Detailsabout availability of the Code and amendments areincluded in the M note.

MIN 342 (M): International safety management (ISM)Code Implementation on Domestic VesselsShipping companies are reminded in this note of the ECregulatory requirement for certain domestic cargo andpassenger ships to comply with the ISM Code.

Since the IMO adopted the code in 1993, it hasgradually become mandatory for most ships sailing oninternational voyages. Now, under a EC regulation whichbecame enforceable in the UK in 2006, it also applies toships flying the flag of a member state, and shipsregardless of flag, engaged extensively on domesticvoyages or on regular services to or from ports of memberstates. Generally it applies to all cargo or passenger shipsof 500gt or upwards, including passenger submersiblecraft, and mobile offshore drilling units.

It does not apply to military or non-commercialgovernment service ships, fishing vessels. Nor does itapply to ships not propelled by mechanical means,wooden ships of primitive build, or pleasure yachts/craft,unless they are crewed and carrying more than 12passengers for commercial purposes.

MGN 384 (M+F): Training in the Maintenance ofElectronic Navigational EquipmentMaritime administrations must ensure that personnelundertaking the GMDSS Radio Maintenance Certificate,and companies using personnel thus qualified, do so inaccordance with the SOLAS regulations, this note pointsout. At the end of training, candidates can be assessedfor two qualifications, the above GMDSS certificate, andthe Electronic Navigation Electrical MaintenanceCertificate, which are accredited by the Association ofMarine Electronic and Radio Colleges. The MCArecognises these training programmes and would like tobring them to the attention of merchant ship personnel.They also link to HND or foundation degree qualificationscited in the note, and to the Merchant Navy TrainingBoard-approved workshop skills for the electro technicalofficer scheme which is being introduced this year.

✪M-Notices are available in three ways: a set of bound volumes, a yearly subscription, and individualdocuments.

✪A consolidated set of all M-Notices current on 30 July 2007 (ISBN 9780115528538) is published by The Stationery Office for £195 —www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp

✪Annual subscriptions and copies of individual noticesare available from the official distributors: Mail Marketing (Scotland), MCA, PO Box 87, GlasgowG14 0JF. Tel: +44 (0)141 300 4906; fax: +44 (0)141950 2726; email: [email protected]

✪ Individual copies can be collected from MCA offices,electronically subscribed to or downloaded from the MCAwebsite — www.mcga.gov.uk — click on ‘Ships andCargoes’, then ‘Legislation and Guidance’.


Join Nautilus UK todayTo: General Secretary, Nautilus UK, Oceanair House, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BBPlease complete this form in BLOCK LETTERS

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and whetherdeck/engine/ETOIf certificated officer, please state details of main certificate No. Grade

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I apply for membership of Nautilus UK and undertake to observe all Nautilus UK rules. I further undertake to pay subscriptions regularlyand be liable for all subscriptions as they fall due. I agree that my personal data can be used for furthering the interestsof the Union, providing services to me direct and via third parties, as covered by the Data Protection Act.

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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIESNautilus UK wants to provide the best possible service to all our members, and target information to meet your needs. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be revealed to any third party.

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Discounted monthly subscription rates from 1 January 2009 for members paying by direct debitPlease tick membership category required:

Full member (Marine sea-going) £18.50*Full member (Shore, salary over £23,600, Trawler officer or ITES) £14.50*Full member (Shore, salary under £23,600) £5.70Full member (Marine Ratings) £13.75*Full member (Cadet) £5.70**

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*The full rate if you are paying by cheque or postal order is £19.85, £15.60 and £14.50 respectively.**Cadets joining in their first year and paying by direct debit £8.50 for that year.

The full membership classes listed here are only for those in regular employment in the industry.If you are in regular employment in the large yacht sector contact Membership Services for current rates.

NB. If you are uncertain as to your appropriate membership class please ring the Membership Services Team at Head Office or email: [email protected]

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1. Pay and conditionsNautilus UK negotiates on your behalf with an increasingnumber of British and foreign flag employers on issuesincluding pay, conditions, leave, hours and pensions. TheUnion also takes part in top-level international meetings onthe pay and conditions of seafarers in the world fleets.2. Legal servicesWith the maritime profession under increasing risk ofcriminalisation, Nautilus UK provides specialist support,including a worldwide network of lawyers who can providefree and immediate advice to full members on employment-related matters. Members and their families also haveaccess to free initial advice on non-employment issues.3. Certificate protectionAs a full member, you have free financial protection, worthup to £102,000, against loss of income if your certificate of

competency is cancelled, suspended or downgradedfollowing a formal inquiry. Full members are also entitled torepresentation during accident investigations or inquiries.4. CompensationNautilus UK’s legal services department recovers more than£1m every year in compensation for members who havesuffered work-related illness or injuries.5. Workplace supportNautilus UK officials provide expert advice on work-relatedproblems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying ordiscrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions. 6. Safety and welfareNautilus UK plays a vital role in national and internationaldiscussions on such key issues as hours of work, crewinglevels, shipboard conditions, vessel design, and technical andtraining standards. The NUMAST Welfare Funds charity runs

a 15-acre welfare complex in Wallasey providing homes andcare for retired seafarers, and administers welfare pensionsand grants to seafarers in need. Nautilus UK has a major say inthe running of the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund andthe Pension Plan. It also launched The Maritime StakeholderPlan to meet the needs of seafarers and others working in theshipping industry, at sea and ashore, who are unable toparticipate in the MNOPF or MNOPP.7. SavingsBeing a Nautilus UK member costs less than buying anewspaper every day and gives you peace of mind at work,with access to an unrivalled range of services and support.It’s simple to save the cost of membership — by takingadvantage of specially-negotiated rates on a variety ofcommercial services ranging from tax advice to credit cards,and household, motoring, travel and specialist insurance.

8. In touchAs a Nautilus UK member, help is never far away — whereverin the world you are. Officials regularly visit membersonboard their ships and further support and advice isavailable at regular ‘surgeries’ and college visits throughoutthe UK.9. Your union, your voiceNautilus UK is the voice of more than 16,000 maritimeprofessionals working in all sectors of the shipping industry,at sea and ashore. As one of the largest and most influentialinternational bodies representing maritime professionals,the Union campaigns tirelessly to promote your views.10. Get involved!Nautilus UK is a dynamic and democratic union, offeringmembers many opportunities to be fully involved and haveyour say in our work — both at local and national level.

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE A NAUTILUS UK MEMBER…

Indicators LATEST government figures show wage growth hasfallen to the lowest level since current records beganin 1991.

According to the Office of National Statistics,the annual rate of growth in average earningsincluding bonuses was just 1.8% in the threemonths to January 2009 — down from 3.1% in theprevious period.

The ONS said the fall was mainly due to lowerbonuses in the financial sector. The corresponding

Stick up for Nautilus UK’s Sea Sense campaign!NAUTILUS UK offers a range of free stickers to help youshow your support for British shipping.The ever-popularSea Sense car stickers have been spotted all over the world— why not put one in your back window? We also havesome smaller paper Sea Sense stickers to put onenvelopes.

There is also the ‘delivered by ship’ selection, showingthe variety of products that reach our shops thanks tomerchant ships and seafarers. These are ideal for handingout at schools and festivals.

All the stickers promote Nautilus UK’s specialcampaign website www.seasense.co.uk, designed to raisepublic awareness of the need for maritime skills — andwhere you can sign an electronic petition urging thegovernment to take more effective measures to supportBritish shipping and seafarers.

If you’d like some free stickers, simply contact NautilusUK’s Central Services department and let them know howmany you need. Call Central Services on +44 (0)20 89896677 or email [email protected]

annual growth rate excluding bonuses fell slightly toreach 3.5% in the three months to January 2009.

Pay settlement levels according to the LabourResearch Department Payline database of negotiatedagreements across the economy showed that themedian increase for pay deals in the three months toJanuary 2009 was 3.9% — a dip of only 0.1% on theDecember figure.

Inflation according to the Retail Prices Index (RPI)stood at 0.1% in February and the Consumer PricesIndex (CPI) was at 3%.

Meanwhile, the ONS said UK unemployment hasrisen above two million for the first time since 1997,hitting a total of 2.03m.

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Instruction to yourBank or Building Society to pay by Direct DebitPlease fill in the whole form including For Nautilus UK Official Use

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Instruction to your Bank or Building SocietyPlease pay Nautilus UK Direct Debits from the account detailed in thisInstruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct DebitGuarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain with NautilusUK and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/BuildingSociety.

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Direct Debit paymentsPayment by direct debit means your subscription to Nautilus UK will be paid on time, every time.

You will be spared the nuisance of getting reminders and the inconvenience of having to alter your standing order whenever the subscriptionchanges. This is because direct debit allows for variations in the amount paid by your bank on your behalf.

You can also pay your subscription in instalments and decide which week in the month they are to be taken on, if you prefer. Tick the appropriatebox on the form.

If no preferences are shown we will assume monthly payments on the 1st week of each month.

The Direct Debit Guarantee✪This guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that take part in the direct debit scheme.

The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society.✪If the amounts to be paid or the payment dates change Nautilus UK will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as

otherwise agreed.✪If an error is made by Nautilus UK or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the

amount paid.✪You can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society.✪Please also send a copy of your letter to us.

Please retain this portion for your own records

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9 5 3 3 6 4

SEAFARERS stranded withoutpay in the port of Liverpoolflew home to Russia lastmonth — thanks to help fromNautilus/ITF inspectorTommy Molloy.

Thirteen crew onboard theRussian-flagged generalcargoship Stalingrad wereowed up to four months’wages each and were runninglow on food when Mr Molloycame to their aid.

Stalingrad had beenabandoned by owner,SakhalinMor Trans, in the portsince December last year.But, following the sale of theship last month, the maincreditor — Dan Bunkering —agreed to pay M50,000towards the costs ofrepatriation and owed wages.

Chief officer Artur Belogorsaid: ‘It is a huge relief for usto be going home. At last ourfamilies will receive somemoney to help pay the billsthat have been mounting up.

On behalf of all the crew,I would like to thank thepeople of Liverpool for theirgenerosity and the warmththat was shown to us. Wecould not have chosen abetter place to be in thisdifficult situation.’

Mr Molloy said he waspleased with the ‘good result’— but said the flag stateshould take responsibility forcrews in such situations.‘Seafarers should not have torely on the kindness of localpeople in the port where theship owner has abandonedthem. Nor should they have torely on another creditor to paytheir wages and repatriationcosts in lieu of the vesselbeing sold,’ he added.

‘Unfortunately, the currentglobal economic downturnmeans we are seeing anincreasing number of shipowners walk away from theirships, leaving their crews insimilar situations.’

44 ✪ ●Nautilus UKTelegraph ●✪ APRIL 2009

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FOR THE MARITIME INDUSTRYSTCW95Basic Safety Certificate (5 Day)

MEDICALElementary First AidMedical First Aid Onboard ShipMedical Care Onboard Ship & RefresherOffshore First Aid & Refresher

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OTHEREfficient Deck HandCPSC&RBPersonal Survival TechniquesPersonal Safety & Social ResponsibilitiesFire Prevention & Fire Fighting & Advanced

BRIDGE SIMULATORBridge Team ManagementCommand & ControlBespoke courses enquiries welcomeShips Safety Officer/Security OfficerTanker FamiliarisationSpecialist Tanker Training (Oil)

DYNAMIC POSITIONINGDP InductionDP SimulatorDP Maintenance (Kongsberg & Alston Systems)

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Chief Mate/Masters (Unlimited) May & September

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ABANDONED CREWSTO GET PROTECTIONIN ‘HISTORIC’ DEALInternational agreement to secure ‘safety net’ cover for seafarers

Official gets a ‘goodresult’ for strandedRussian seafarers

NAUTILUS has welcomed a long-awaited international agreementlast month providing ‘safety net’measures to protect seafarersabandoned in foreign ports.

Officials from the Unionplayed a key part in the top-levelnegotiations on the measures toprovide a rapid and effectivefinancial security system to assistseafarers following the collapse oftheir companies.

The joint International Mari-time Organisation and Inter-national Labour Organisationmeeting in Geneva also agreed theterms of a mechanism that willcover financial security for seafar-ers’ contractual claims for sick-ness, death and injury.

Nautilus general secretaryBrian Orrell — who led theseafarers’ side in the talks — saidthe agreement was immenselyimportant, particularly at a timeof significant economic uncer-tainty.

‘The economic crisis does notdiscriminate, and it cannot beassumed that all the casualties willbe substandard operators,’ hestressed. ‘It is therefore essentialthat we focus on what happens toseafarers when their ships areabandoned.

‘What we have achieved herewill ensure that there is properprotection in place for seafarers infuture,’ he pointed out.

‘The seafarers had wanted tosee the mandatory provisions onabandonment and contractual

claims to come into force longbefore this crisis began,’ Mr Orrelladded. ‘We therefore hope thatgovernments will be encouragedto implement the measures assoon as possible.’

Governments, owners andunions attending the talks agreedthat the best way to introduce thesubstance of the agreement wouldbe as part of the Maritime LabourConvention 2006 — the so-called‘bill of rights’ for seafarers.

It is expected that the MLC willcome into effect no later than2011, and governments will beurged — in the light of the currenteconomic downturn — to ensurethat the principles of the ‘safetynet’ measures are put into practice

as soon as possible throughdomestic legislation.

Almost a decade in the making,the agreement has been drawn upin response to long-standing evi-dence showing the huge scale ofthe global problem of abandonedseafarers.

Under the agreement, coun-tries will have to ensure that a‘financial security system’ to assistseafarers in the event of abandon-ment is in place for all ships flyingtheir flag.

The security can take the formof a social security scheme, insur-ance, a national fund or any othersystem agreed by government,owners and maritime unions.

It would ensure that aban-

doned seafarers are paid as muchas four months of outstandingwages and entitlements, repatria-tion costs, and maintenance andsupport.

Flag states will also require allships on their registers to providedocumentary evidence that finan-cial security is in place to meet thecosts of contractual claimsbrought by seafarers for work-related death, disability and sick-ness.

Details of the financial securityprovider will also have to beposted onboard ships, so thatcrews can see who to contact in theevent of a claim.

Mr Orrell said it was importantthat the measures will be appliedthrough the MLC. ‘This meansthat it is part of the certificationprocess and can be checkedthrough port state control, andships will face detention if there isno evidence of cover,’ he explained.

In a joint statement followingthe meeting, the InternationalTransport Workers’ Federationand the International ShippingFederation — which representsemployers — described the agree-ment as ‘historic’ and said theybelieved it would help to ‘play amajor role in transforming theindustry into a profession ofchoice’ that will encourage newentrants into the industry.

The proposed agreement issubject to approval of the IMOlegal committee and ILO govern-ing body.

SEAFARERS HOMEWITH UNION HELPELEVEN seafarers who werestranded for more than fourmonths on a ship in the Frenchport of Toulon returned homelast month after intervention bythe ITF and the local CFDTmaritime union.

The seven Filipino and fourRomanian seafarers were stuck

on the Italian-owned freightferry Italroro One with no payand no food when it was arrestedin the Mediterranean portfollowing a dispute over arrears.

The 13,972gt vessel hadbeen due to launch a newservice between Toulon and theTunisian port of Sousse when itwas arrested last October. Theship is to be sold, but unionsmanaged to secure M3,000 foreach of the seafarers, and theirtickets home. PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

Nautilus general secretary Brian Orrell chats to the IMO/ILO working group chairmanCharles Darr during a break in the discussions last month

IMO WARNING ONLIFEBOAT SAFETYCONCERN over the continuedloss of life and injuries caused bylifeboat accidents has beenraised by the head of theInternational MaritimeOrganisation.

Speaking at the IMO’s shipdesign and equipment committeelast month, secretary-general

Efthimios Mitropoulos said hehoped delegates would be able tomake progress on moves to cutthe number of accidents duringlifeboat drills and inspections.

‘In our continuing endeavoursto reverse this trend, we shouldfocus on such critical issues ashow to handle on-load releasehooks of poor and unstabledesign; the use of fall preventiondevices; and the introduction of“fail safe” concepts for releasehooks,’ he added.

April 2009

Documents

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