NAUTILUS P01 NOVEMBER 2009.qxd - Nautilus International

10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2009
NEWS
Union warns on
crews’ welfare
Steam Packet crews
support TT charity
A fundraising effort by Isle of
CMan Steam Packet Co
passengers and crew has this year
netted £14,000 to support an
important local event: the TT bike
races.
The money will go towards
medical and rescue equipment used
around the TT course — without
which the famous motorsport event
would not be able to take place,
stressed Steam Packet chief
executive Mark Woodward.
The annual charity effort takes
place during the Isle of Man’s twoweek
TT season in May and June.
Coordinated by Nautilus member
Captain Allan Albiston, it involves
whip-rounds with collection buckets
by ferry crews.
Old ships’ logbooks dating
Hback to the 1760s are being
used to help ground-breaking
research into climate change.
The UK Met Office is part of a
project that is examining almost 300
digitised historic logbooks —
including the famous voyages of
Charles Darwin’s ship, the Beagle,
Captain Cook’s Discovery and
William Parry’s polar expedition in
HMS Hecla — to use the accurate
weather information they contain to
reconstruct past climate conditions.
Research team leader Dr Dennis
Wheeler, of the University of
Sunderland, commented: ‘The
observations from the logbooks on
wind force and weather are
As in previous years, the money
raised this summer will be donated
to a local charity, the Rob Vine Fund.
The fund is well known among
bikers visiting the TT races, as
collection boxes and buckets can be
found in pubs and shops around the
island. But the annual Steam Packet
collection is the single biggest
contributor to the fund, which helps
injured riders and spectators.
Some £140,000 has been raised
since Capt Albiston started the
onboard collections in 1997.
David Stevens, medical director
of Isle of Man Motorsport Medical
Services, is pictured, far left, with
Capt Albiston and members of the
crew of the IoMSP fast ferry
Snaefell.
Old logbooks offer help
to climate change study
astonishingly good and often better
than modern logbooks.
‘Of course, the sailors had to be
conscientious — the thought that
you could hit a reef was a great
incentive to get your observations
absolutely right!
‘What happens in the oceans
controls what happens in the
atmosphere — so we absolutely
need to comprehend the oceans to
understand future weather patterns,’
he added.
f Images of the logbooks can be
seen on the website:
badc.nerc.ac.uk/data/corral and a
fully searchable version will be
available on The National Archives
website in 2010.
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Nautilus tells maritime medical conference of need for holistic approach
PSeafarer welfare remains low down the system,’ he added. itime Health Association but with welfare is inadequate, he
‘woefully low’ on the Many believe that seafarers fail would assist with quality standards.’
the European Union countries,
added. ‘I found it astonishing that
agenda, Nautilus International
warned a top level marpanies
are seeking to reduce the Seafarers face a complex range led by the UK, and also other non-
standards more often when comitime
health conference last number of employees, he said, of health and welfare issues, EU states threatened not to
month.
and the UK had seen a large number
including considerable levels of approve the MLC if it contained
A radical change of approach is
medically severed in the late stress, criminalisation, excessive anything mandatory regarding
needed, in which the health and 1970s and early 80s ‘at the cost of working hours, reduced crewing the provision of onshore welfare
wellbeing of seafarers are given the industry-wide pension and often poor standards of crew facilities if there was any implication
greater priority and treated in a scheme’.
accommodation and communication
that the financing might
‘holistic way’, Nautilus official Mr McEwen suggested many
equipment. he pointed have to come from governments.’
Peter McEwen told the 10th International
seafarers may be reluctant to out.
To move forward, all sides of
Symposium on Mar-
complain about the medical ‘There are insufficient interna-
the shipping industry — includ-
itime Health.
examination system because tional regulations to cover all of ing flag states, owners, unions and
He told owners, managers, regulators
they feel they will not win. ‘I won-
the various issues that exist,’ Mr seafarers — should work together
and medical experts der whether it would be appro-
McEwen warned, ‘and there is on a holistic approach to health
attending the three-day conference
priate for an external researcher nothing which imposes a duty on and welfare, with better assess-
that cost considerations may to organise focus groups and anybody within the industry to ment of the quality of services
often affect the approach taken questionnaires to seafarers on the have a holistic approach linking being provided, he concluded.
to seafarer welfare.
whole issue of how they have the medical general welfare and The conference also included
‘The industry faces commercial
been, or feel they have been, wellbeing of seafarers.’
presentations and discussion on
pressures and although cer-
treated by maritime doctors,’ he Whilst the Maritime Labour such key as stress, psychological
tain aspects of health are high on added.
Convention should improve and interpersonal problems at
the agenda for employers, others ‘The results might not be comfortable
things when it comes into effect sea, medical care and medical
are less so, and welfare is woefully
for the International Mar-
in a few years, the section dealing standards for seafarers.
Fitness training call for cadets
Shipping companies are being urged to
Ainclude a health and fitness awareness
training syllabus as part of their cadet training
programmes.
Physical Initiative, a company that specialises in
seafarer health and fitness, has written to shipping
companies and to the Merchant Navy Training
Board encouraging them to look at the benefits of
such training.
‘Currently there is no time in the various courses
of training given to discuss positive health at sea,
personal fitness, good nutrition, physical exercise
needs, lifestyle issues, etc,’ said Physical Initiative
director Andrew Neighbour.
Physical Initiative is calling for the education and
training framework of all maritime studies
contributing to the foundation degree, HNC and
HND to include a structured health awareness
training syllabus. The syllabus would be tailored to
fit around current programmes, complementing
and developing any existing subjects that may
touch on such relevant health topics.
The aims of the syllabus, Physical Initiative
suggests, would be to enable students to
understand their health status and physical limits,
to make informed choices about exercise, nutrition
and lifestyle throughout their careers at sea,
benefiting their own physical health and those for
whom they become responsible.
Backing its proposal, Physical Initiative,
sponsored by the Seamens’ Hospital Society, has
amassed a database on the health and physical
condition of more than 10,000 seafarers it has
consulted. ‘Our work has revealed that there are
many health issues in the seafaring community,’ Mr
Neighbour explained.
He warned: ‘The physical status of many
personnel deteriorates steadily throughout their
careers, giving rise to many health problems such as
obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
‘Our most recent surveys have highlighted the
very poor cardiovascular fitness of the majority of
those tested, and this fact alone is contributing to
the growing problems of crew fatigue.
‘Confronting these issues early in the career of
seafarers will considerably improve their chances of
a healthy life in what is still an arduous working
environment.’
New UK cruise company is launched
A new UK-based cruise
Fcompany is being launched
next year — using the Bahamasflagged
vessel Marco Polo, pictured
left, and the Portuguese-registered
Ocean Countess.
Cruise & Maritime Services
International (CMS) says it will be
offering a year-round programme of
cruises with both ships, aiming at the
UK market. It has secured a five-year
time charter agreement for the
22,080gt Marco Polo, which will
commence operations under a new
livery on 2 January 2010.
The 16,795gt Ocean Countess will
begin services with CMS in April 2010
under an initial two-season deck and
engine charter arrangement from the
Greek based Majestic International
Cruises Group. Prior to delivery, the
vessel will undergo a £3m
refurbishment and upgrade
programme. Picture: Eric Houri